"Catch him, catch him!'' I yelled to Samuel as the fat hog scurried into the nearby thicket. We raced after the beast through the dense foliage armed with spears clenched in our clammy thick hands. The boar darted quickly, wild snorts displayed his intense anger as he realised the chase was coming to end.

We had cornered him. I stopped suddenly aiming my sharp spear at the boar's head -- I couldn't miss. "Wham...the spear whirled through the air and...missed the tasty target. The elated feeling suddenly subsided yet a sense of relief lingered in my heart -- was I really ready to brutally kill a living animal? Samuel looked over -- his eyes reflected the same feeling. We quickly caught ourself and continued to pursue the now futile target. Darkness was approaching as finally we realised that we could no longer put off our return to the camp. Tomorrow would be Christmas Eve and we still had not caught the hog for the special occasion.

We had been stranded on the Isle of Devils for over three months now and the changes in the group had been dramatic. I still remember clearly waking up startled to find myself in strange surroundings that first morning. The noise of the cahows broke my deep sleep and I rolled over to find myself covered in sand. I wondered why I had ever left Plymouth, my friends and family. The dampness from my breeches felt suddenly uncomfortable. I heard a frantic rustle nearby -- quickly I searched for my knife -- then saw my brother, Christopher, crying and confused. He was crouched in the undergrowth, trembling with fear. "Christopher,, Christopher,'' I raised my voice "Chri-stoph-pher!'' He failed to respond so I ran in his direction. As I came closer I realised that Christopher could no longer hear. His eyes darted in surprise as I touched his arm. Sounds came from every direction as the rest of the crew awoke and joined the groups. We were a sad looking party that first morning. It was hard to believe that we had become so self sufficient.

The light was quickly fading as we made our way back to the campground. Loud voices could be heard as Bennet and Johnson argued about who had let the fire go out -- this was getting to be a familiar sound -- everyone kept out of their way knowing it would end in the usual fist fight. Tempers had flared up quickly as we began to realise that plans for the new ship would take longer than we had thought. Everyone was tired after daily chores in the hot sun. Sir Gates had decided that a Christmas celebration would be a way to make people feel more cheerful. He had organised groups to prepare for the event.

Stephen's group had made small vine wreaths and hung them around a beautiful cedar tree. A bright pink conchs hell glistened from the top of the tree.

Around the base, strange shaped gifts had been wrapped in palmetto leaves.

Suddenly the spirit of Christmas didn't seem so distant.

It was difficult to admit after a days hunting that we had nothing to offer.

We decided to wake early next morning and see what the sea had to offer.

Thomas Gates called everyone around the now huge fire and started to sing carols. Everyone soon started to join in, singing merrily. But, even though everyone was singing and rejoicing happily, I was not pulled in by the joyous crowd, for I sat beside my deaf brother, as he watched the laughing crowd with tears in his eyes.

The next day, I woke early and met Samuel to go fishing. Walking through the small jungle, I looked at the cedars and palmetto, the wet morning dew still tingling from it's leaves. I wondered if we had been the first people to set foot on this beautiful island. I was curious about how the squealing hogs had arrived. Where had they all come from? "We're here!'' Samuel's voice sharply interrupted my thoughts. We walked over to an area where the tough rocks jutted out just over the water. we each had a makeshift rod of thick, palmetto branch with a crabs leg dangling at the end. I cast my bait into the clear azure water. Quickly I felt a vibrating on my stick and I quickly pulled my rod up. I found, much to my surprise, a huge multi-coloured purplish fish flopping around on the end of my line. Samuel rolled to my side to subdue the enormous fish. Could this be the main dish for our feast? Our fishing group hurriedly returned to base. Reverend Buke announced plans for the Christmas feast. Boys and men went to find wood for that nights fine, the women and girls stayed behind to organise preparations for the feast.

Several people went out of camp, unseen by the rest, to add final touches to hand made presents. when jobs were done we gathered around sitting beside my brother we had a large dinner consisting of roast cahow berries, fish, mashed paw paw and lots of other delicious foods. After our luscious dinner, we all shared in the presentation of gifts and shared childhood memories. The group seemed to be together for the first time.

The next morning I woke up to find a space where my brother was sleeping.

"Christopher?'' I called. "Christopher!'' I yelled. I ran to the edge of the camp and looked down the sharp drop to the rocky shoreline. My hoarse voice echoed in my head as I cried out, "Christopher, Christopher, where are you!'' "I'm here can't you see!'' I turned around to see my brother grinning. I ran over and threw my arms around his tiny frame. What a tremendous Christmas gift!