58 I N A G U A 



time was a great heaping bed of coals. With a stick she dug a 

 little trough in the center, lined it with hot sand and plopped 

 the dough in the cavity. Hot sand was poured on top and red 

 coals over the entirety. She then added more fuel to the fire 

 and sat back on her haunches. 



*'Done soon," she said, and grinned. 



The remainder of the meal was cooked in the tins that we 

 supplied her. Somehow I was reminded of the philosopher and 

 cynic Diogenes who lived in a tub and preached that owning 

 property was vanity. It is related that the learned sage elimi- 

 nated all his estate save the tub and one bowl which he used 

 for drinking. One day he observed a boy drinking at a foun- 

 tain with his hands. Ashamed, he returned "home" and cracked 

 the utensil in two pieces. 



In time OpheHa stirred herself and, with pardonable pride at 

 our intense interest, raked away the coals and exposed a per- 

 fectly browned loaf. Coleman asked her how she knew it was 

 finished and she replied that she "jedged the time, suh." Grin- 

 ning from ear to ear, she handed it to us. Not a grain of sand 

 adhered to the crust and only a faint powdering suggested the 

 presence of ashes. We complimented her and she nearly rolled 

 into the water with pleasure. We found it to be a little flat 

 but a jar of jam that Coleman fished out of the sand along the 

 beach made it very tasty indeed. The bread inside was as white 

 and as pretty as that of a bakery loaf. 



Further proof of the self sufficiency of these island folk was 

 evidenced after supper when we hauled two folding cots 

 which Coleman had salvaged from the wreckage down to the 

 lagoon. On these we prepared our blankets and made ready for 

 sleep. By the time we had them folded Ophelia and Thomas 

 were snoring on the ground and the hulking David was keep- 

 ing noisy accompaniment. Their only coverings were some 

 thin rags which they wrapped, ostrich fashion, about their 



