But he was not yet satisfied.  He was anxious to have some vegetables; and over the open ground, among the grass, he had seen plants which were very familiar to him.  There were dandelions; and Tom saw in them something that seemed worth more than any of his other acquisitions.  Going forth in search of these, he managed to get his pan full of them.  These he washed, and after cutting off the roots, he put them in the pan with water, and then set them over the fire to boil.

While they were boiling Tom went off once more, and found some wild strawberries.  They were quite plentiful about here, and this was the season for them.  He stripped a piece of bark from a birch tree, as the country people do, and formed from this a dish which would hold about a quart.  This he filled after a moderate search.

He took the strawberries to his camp, and then, going back to the woods, he procured some more birch bark, out of which he made a half dozen dishes.  It was now about five o’clock, and Tom thought it was time for him to begin to cook his dinner.

The dandelions were not quite cooked as yet; so Tom had to wait; but while doing so, he heated some stones in the fire.  By the time they were heated, the dandelions were cooked; and Tom, removing the pan, put some shrimps and mussels in it, to boil over the fire.  He then removed the stones, and placed one of the lobsters among them in such a way, that it was surrounded on every side in a hot oven.  He then buried a few clams among the hot ashes, and did the same with three or four of the gulls’ eggs.

One of the hot stones was reserved for another purpose.  It was the largest of them, and was red hot when he drew it from the fire, but soon cooled down enough to resume its natural color, although it retained an intense heat.

Over this he spread some of the wet dulse, which soon crackled and shrivelled up, sending forth a rich and fragrant steam.  In roasting this dulse, a large piece would shrink to very small proportions, so that half of Tom’s armful, when thus roasted, was reduced to but a small handful.

After finishing this, he drew the gulls’ eggs from the fire, and taking off the shells, he cut them in slices, and put them with the dandelions.  Then he took the shrimps and mussels from the fire, and removing them from the pan, he separated them, and put them into different bark dishes.  The clams were next drawn forth, and though rather overdone, they were, nevertheless, of tempting appearance and appetizing odor.  Finally, the lobster was removed, and Tom contented himself with one of the claws, which he placed on a dish, reserving the remainder for another time.

And now the articles were all cooked, and Tom’s repast was ready.  He looked with a smile of gratification upon the various dishes which his ingenuity and industry had drawn forth from the rocks, and cliffs, and mud, and sand of a desert island, and wondered whether other islands, in tropical climates, could yield a more varied or more nutritious supply.  He thought of other plants which might be found here, and determined to try some that seemed to be nutritious.