SETTLING DOWN. 33 



despising the scrubbing-brush. They used plenty 

 of water, and the planks soon looked quite 

 white. A Chinese carpenter was also kindly 

 lent me, a wonderfully clever workman, who 

 was very useful, and amongst other things made 

 me two capital tables of the packing-case which 

 had contained my mattress : the turned legs for 

 these I had brought from home. My other 

 cases had been purposely made with hinged 

 doors, so that they could be utilised as dressing- 

 table and cupboards when emptied of their 

 contents. 



By degrees I unpacked and hung up my pet 

 pictures and photographs, and covered shelves, 

 &c., with chintz, so that soon everything began 

 to look home-like and comfortable. 



Then I had to fence in my ground, and for 

 this purpose used branches of a very resinous 

 thorny tree, bearing pinkish-white flowers and 

 red berries, which readily took root, making 

 in time a handsome green fence. I also planted 

 many other large branches of various trees, 

 some twenty feet high, as many -take root 



