number of the planks, which we used for a flooring to our tent. Then he
built us a table out of four forked sticks, driven into the ground, and
supporting two cross sticks, on which a pair of planks were laid.

[Illustration: Fig. 67. The Rustic Table.]



The Small Filter.

"Well, now, boys," said Uncle Ed, wiping the perspiration from his
forehead, "I am as thirsty as a whale. Where do you get your drinking
water? Is there a spring on the island?"

We told him that we used the river water.

"What, river water I That won't do at all," he cried. "You'll all have the
typhoid fever. We must build a filter. I brought some charcoal with me for
this very purpose."

Taking one of our pails he broke a hole in the bottom of it and stuffed a
sponge in the hole. A layer of small stones was then placed in the pail,
over this a layer of broken charcoal with the dust carefully blown out,
then a layer of clean sand, and finally a layer of gravel. Each layer was
about two inches thick. The pail was suspended from a branch in a cool
place and proved an excellent filter, the water trickling out through the
sponge being perfectly pure and sweet, no matter how dirty it had been
when poured in; but the capacity of the filter was too small, and Uncle Ed
said he would make us a larger one on the morrow if no spring was
discovered in the meantime.