To avoid it the colonists had been obliged to make a considerable detour, by climbing up to the source of the Red Creek.

The simplest thing was to establish on the plateau, and on the shore, two bridges from twenty to five and twenty feet in length.

All the carpenter's work that was needed was to clear some trees of their branches: this was a business of some days.

Directly the bridges were established, Neb and Pencroft profited by them to go to the oyster-bed which had been discovered near the downs.

They dragged with them a sort of rough cart, which replaced the former inconvenient hurdle, and brought back some thousands of oysters, which soon increased among the rocks and formed a bed at the mouth of the Mercy.