Mr Brand warmed with his subject, and much more he said of a similar nature, which I will not now repeat.  Jerry and I listened very attentively, and old Ben Yool tried also to take in what he was saying. I think he succeeded, and, certainly, on all occasions after that he bore without a grumble all the hardships to which we were exposed.  Poor Silva lay on his bed all this time, suffering much from his wounds, while Mr McRitchie, when he could leave his side, went off with his gun to explore the island, and to search for specimens of its natural history.  There was, however, a good deal to be done before we could accompany him.  First, we had to finish our house, and then to store within it all the provisions and articles which the pirates had left with us.  The doctor had kept his gun, and we had ours, which had been brought from the _Dove_, given to us as we left the schooner.  These fire-arms would have been of no use to us, had not Silva given us a keg of powder and a bag of shot.  These treasures we resolved to husband with great care, as we knew that we might be placed in positions in which our very existence would depend on our having the means of killing game, or of defending ourselves against enemies.