It was made law that no one should spend the night on any but what was called the Home Island without permission.

Every man was bound to report himself at the guard-house at a fixed hour; every fire to be out at sunset, and every boat was numbered and had to be in its place before that time.

So they went on till the year 1862, when a disaster befell them that made a considerable change--at first for the worse, but for the better in the long-run.

Provin' the truth, my lad, of what I was--well, no--I was goin' to draw a moral here, but I won't! "It was a cyclone that did the business.

Cyclones have got a free-an'-easy way of makin' a clean sweep of the work of years in a few hours.