Swiss Family Robinson Chapter Questions and Answers Pdf

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THE

SWISS Family ROBINSON.

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CHAPTER I.

Tempest-tossed—Wrecked—Deserted—Supper—Nosotros make swimming-belts for the children—An anxious night—The gale moderates—We examine our cargo—Jack introduces 2 new acquaintances—How shall we go on shore?—Jack'due south programme—We adopt it—The utilise of a lever—Our tub-boat completed—Another night on the wreck—We collect a cargo—And commence—Jack'southward friends volition not be left behind—Steer for the shore—Once again on land—We erect a tent—Gum soup—Jack makes the associate of a lobster—Ernest shirks the water—Oysters and common salt—How shall nosotros eat our soup?—Ernest solves the difficulty—Fritz returns—The sucking-pig—How to open an oyster and how to eat it—The dogs devour the agouti—Fritz'due south acrimony—Our outset night in the new land.

For many days we had been tempest-tossed. Half dozen times had the darkness closed over a wild and terrific scene, and returning calorie-free had ofttimes brought but renewed distress, for the raging storm had increased in fury until on the seventh twenty-four hour period all hope was lost.

We were driven completely out of our course; no conjecture could be formed as to our whereabouts. The crew had lost heart, and were utterly wearied by incessant labor.

The riven masts had gone by the board, leaks had been sprung in every direction, and the water, which rushed in, gained upon united states of america apace.

Instead of reckless oaths, the seamen now uttered frantic cries ​ to God for mercy, mingled with strange and oftentimes ludicrous vows, to exist performed should deliverance exist granted.

Every human on board alternately commended his soul to his Creator, and strove to bethink himself of some means of saving his life.

My center sank as I looked round upon my family in the midst of these horrors. Our iv young sons were overpowered past terror. "Dearest children," said I, "if the Lord will, He tin save us even from this fearful peril; if not, let united states calmly yield our lives into His manus, and think of the joy and blessedness of finding ourselves for ever and e'er united in that happy dwelling above."

At these words my weeping wife looked bravely upward, and as the boys clustered round her, she began to cheer and encourage them with calm and loving words. I rejoiced to meet her fortitude, though my centre was ready to interruption as I gazed on my love ones.

We knelt downward together, 1 after another praying with deep earnestness and emotion. Fritz, in particular, besought help and deliverance for his dear parents and brothers, as though quite forgetting himself.

Our hearts were soothed past the never-failing comfort of child-similar confiding prayer, and the horrors of our situation seemed less overwhelming. "Ah," idea I, "the Lord will hear our prayer! He will help us."

Amidst the roar of the thundering waves I suddenly heard the cry of "Land! land!" while at the aforementioned instant the ship struck with a frightful stupor, which threw anybody to the deck, and seemed to threaten her firsthand destruction.

Dreadful sounds betokened the breaking up of the ship, and the roaring waters poured in on all sides.

Then the voice of the captain was heard above the tumult, shouting, "Lower away the boats! We are lost!"

"Lost!" I exclaimed, and the word went like a dagger to my ​ heart; but seeing my children'due south terror renewed, I composed myself, calling out cheerfully, "Take courage, my boys! we are all above water yet. There is the land non far off, let us practice our best to reach it. You lot know God helps those that aid themselves!" With that, I left them and went on deck. What was my horror when through the foam and spray I beheld the just remaining gunkhole leave the transport, the concluding of the seamen leap into her and push off, regardless of my cries and entreaties that we might be allowed to share their slender take a chance of preserving their lives. My voice was drowned in the howling of the nail, and fifty-fifty had the crew wished it, the return of the boat was impossible.

THE WRECK.

Casting my eyes despairingly around, I became gradually aware that our position was by no means hopeless, inasmuch every bit the stern ​ of the transport containing our cabin was jammed between two high rocks, and was partly raised from amongst the breakers which dashed the forepart to pieces. As the clouds of mist and pelting drove past, I could brand out, through rents in the vaporous curtain, a line of rocky declension, and, rugged as it was, my heart bounded towards it as a sign of help in the hour of need. Withal the sense of our lonely and forsaken status weighed heavily upon me as I returned to my family, constraining myself to say with a grinning, "Courage, love ones! Although our good transport will never sheet more, she is then placed that our cabin will remain to a higher place water, and to-morrow, if the winds and waves abate, I see no reason why we should not exist able to become ashore."

These few words had an immediate effect on the spirits of my children, who at one time regarded our problematical chance of escaping equally a happy certainty, and began to savour the relief from the violent pitching and rolling of the vessel.

My wife, however, perceived my distress and anxiety, in spite of my forced composure, and I made her cover our real state of affairs, greatly fearing the effect of the intelligence on her fretfulness. Not for a moment did her courage and trust in Providence forsake her, and on seeing this, my fortitude revived.

"We must notice some food, and take a good supper," said she, "information technology will never do to grow faint by fasting too long. We shall require our utmost force to-morrow."

Dark drew on chop-chop, the tempest was as vehement every bit ever, and at intervals we were startled by crashes announcing farther damage to our unfortunate ship.

"God will aid u.s.a. before long now, won't He, father?" said my youngest kid.

"You silly picayune thing," said Fritz, my eldest son, sharply, "don't y'all know that nosotros must not settle what God is to do for us? We must accept patience and wait His time."

"Very well said, had it been said kindly, Fritz, my boy. You ​ too often speak harshly to your brothers, although you may not mean to practise so."

A adept meal being now prepare, my youngsters ate heartily, and retiring to rest were chop-chop fast asleep. Fritz, who was of an age to be aware of the existent danger we were in, kept spotter with us. Later on a long silence, "Father," said he, "don't yous recollect we might contrive swimming-belts for female parent and the boys? with those nosotros might all escape to state, for yous and I tin can swim."

"Your idea is so good," answered I, "that I shall conform something at in one case, in case of an blow during the nighttime."

Nosotros immediately searched about for what would answer the purpose, and fortunately got hold of a number of empty flasks and tin canisters, which nosotros connected 2 and ii together and then every bit to form floats sufficiently buoyant to support a person in the h2o and my wife and young sons each willingly put ane on. I and so provided myself with matches, knives, cord, and other portable articles, trusting that, should the vessel go to pieces earlier daylight, we might gain the shore, not wholly destitute.

Fritz, as well as his brothers, now slept soundly. Throughout the night my wife and I maintained our prayerful spotter, dreading at every fresh sound some fatal modify in the position of the wreck.

At length the faint dawn of mean solar day appeared, the long weary dark was over, and with thankful hearts nosotros perceived that the gale had begun to moderate; blue sky was seen to a higher place united states, and the lovely hues of sunrise adorned the eastern horizon.

I aroused the boys, and nosotros assembled on the remaining portion of the deck, when they, to their surprise, discovered that no one else was on lath.

"Hallo, papa! what has become of everybody! Are the sailors gone? Take they taken abroad the boats? Oh, papa! why did they exit us behind? What tin can we exercise by ourselves!"

"My skillful children," I replied, "nosotros must not despair, although ​ we seem deserted. See how those on whose skill and good faith we depended have left u.s. cruelly to our fate in the hour of danger. God will never do so. He has not forsaken usa, and we volition trust him nonetheless. But let united states of america bestir ourselves, and each cheerily do his best. Who has anything to propose?"

"The sea volition shortly be calm enough for pond," said Fritz.

"And that would exist all very fine for you," exclaimed Ernest, "only call back of mother and the rest of us! Why not build a raft and all get on shore together?"

"We should find it hard, I retrieve, to make a raft that would behave united states safety to shore. However, we must contrive something, and first let each endeavor to procure what volition be of most utilise to usa."

Away nosotros all went to meet what was to be found, I myself proceeding to examine, as of greatest issue, the supplies of provisions and fresh water inside our reach.

My married woman took her youngest son, Franz, to help her to feed the unfortunate animals on board, who were in a pitiful plight, having been neglected for several days.

Fritz hastened to the arm breast, Ernest to expect for tools; and Jack went towards the captain's motel, the door of which he no sooner opened, than out sprang two excellent large dogs, who testified their farthermost delight and gratitude by such tremendous premises that they knocked their little deliverer completely head over heels, frightening him nearly out of his wits. Jack did not long yield either to fear or acrimony, he presently recovered himself, the dogs seemed to ask pardon by vehemently licking his face up and hands, so, seizing the larger by the ears, he jumped on his back, and, to my great amusement, coolly rode to meet me as I came up the hatchway.

When we re-assembled in the cabin, we all displayed our treasures.

Fritz brought a couple of guns, shot-belt, powder-flasks, and plenty of bullets.

​ Ernest produced a cap full of nails, an axe, and a hammer, while pincers, chisels, and augers stuck out of all his pockets.

Little Franz carried a box, and eagerly began to show united states of america the "overnice sharp trivial hooks" it independent. "Well, done, Franz!" cried I, "these fish-hooks, which you, the youngest have found, may contribute more than anything else in the ship to save our lives by procuring food for us. Fritz and Ernest, you have chosen well."

"Will you praise me too?" said my dear wife. "I have cipher to show, but I can give yous good news. Some useful animals are notwithstanding alive; a cow, a ass, two goats, six sheep, a ram, and a fine sow. I was merely just in time to salvage their lives by taking nutrient to them."

"All these things are excellent indeed," said I; "but my friend Jack here, has presented me with a couple of huge hungry useless dogs, who will eat more than any of us."

"Oh, papa! they will be of utilise! Why, they volition help the states to hunt when we get on shore!"

"No doubt they will, if ever we practise become on shore, Jack; just I must say I don't know how it is to exist done."

"Tin can't we each get into a big tub, and float there?" returned he. "I take often sailed splendidly similar that, round the pond at dwelling."

"My kid, you lot have hitting on a upper-case letter thought," cried I. "Now, Ernest, let me take your tools, hammers, nails, saws, augers, and all; and then make haste to collect whatsoever tubs you lot can find!"

We very soon found four large casks, fabricated of sound wood, and strongly jump with iron hoops; they were floating with many other things in the h2o in the concur, but we managed to fish them out, and drag them to a suitable place for launching them. They were exactly what I wanted, and I succeeded in sawing them across the middle. Hard piece of work it was, and we were glad enough to stop and refresh ourselves with wine and biscuits.

​ My eight tubs at present stood ranged in a row near the water'due south border, and I looked at them with great satisfaction; to my surprise, my married woman did non to seem to share my pleasure!

"I shall never," said she, "muster backbone to get into one of these!"

"Practise not be too certain of that, dear wife; when yous see my contrivance completed, you volition perhaps prefer it to this immoveable wreck."

I next procured a long thin plank on which my tubs could be fixed, and the two ends of this I aptitude upwards and so as to course a keel. Other ii planks were nailed along the sides of the tubs; they also being flexible, were brought to a betoken at each terminate, and all firmly secured and nailed together. I felt satisfied that in smooth water this arts and crafts would exist perfectly trustworthy. But when we thought all was ready for the launch, nosotros constitute, to our dismay, that the grand contrivance was so heavy and impuissant, that even our united efforts could not motility it an inch.

"I must have a lever," cried I. "Run and fetch the capstan bar!"

Fritz quickly brought one, and, having formed rollers by cut up a long spar, I raised the fore-part of my boat with the bar, and my sons placed a roller under information technology.

"How is it, father," inquired Ernest, "that with that matter yous lonely can do more than all of us together?"

I explained, every bit well equally I could in a hurry, the principle of the lever; and promised to have a long talk on the subject area of Mechanics, should we have a future opportunity.

I now made fast a long rope to the stern of our boat, attaching the other end to a beam; and then placing a second and third roller under it, we once again began to push, this time with success, and soon our gallant craft was safely launched: then swiftly indeed did she glide into the water that, but for the rope, she would have passed beyond our reach. The boys wished to jump in direct; ​ but, alas, she leaned so much on one side that they could not venture to do then.

Some heavy things being thrown in, however, the boat righted itself by degrees, and the boys were so delighted that they struggled which should showtime spring in to accept the fun of sitting down in the tubs. But it was obviously to me at once that something more was required to make her perfectly safe, then I contrived outriggers to preserve the balance, by nailing long poles across at the stem and stern, and fixing at the ends of each empty brandy casks. And then the gunkhole appearing steady, I got in; and turning it towards the most open side of the wreck, I cutting and cleared away obstructions, so every bit to exit a gratis passage for our divergence, and the boys brought oars to be ready for the voyage. This of import undertaking nosotros were forced to postpone until the side by side day, as information technology was past this time far too late to attempt information technology. It was not pleasant to have to spend another nighttime in so precarious a situation; but, yielding to necessity, nosotros sat down to enjoy a comfy supper, for during our heady and incessant work all day we had taken cipher but an occasional biscuit and a little wine.

We prepared for residual in a much happier frame of mind than on the preceding twenty-four hours, but I did not forget the possibility of a renewed tempest, and therefore fabricated every i put on the belts as before.

I persuaded my wife (non without considerable difficulty), to put on a crewman's apparel, assuring her she would find it much more comfy and convenient for all she would have to become through. She at last consented to practise this, and left the states for a curt fourth dimension, reappearing with much embarrassment and many blushes, in a most becoming suit, which she had found in a midshipman's breast. Nosotros all admired her costume, and any awkwardness she felt presently began to pass off; then retiring to our berths, peaceful sleep prepared united states of america all for the exertions of the coming solar day.

We rose up betimes, for sleep weighs lightly on the hopeful, as well equally on the anxious. Later on kneeling together in prayer, "Now ​ my dear ones," said I, "with God's assistance we are about to upshot our escape. Allow the poor animals we must leave behind be well fed, and put plenty of provender within their reach: in a few days nosotros may be able to return, and salvage them besides. After that, collect everything you can think of which may be of use to united states."

The boys joyfully obeyed me, and I selected from the large quantity of stores they got together, canvas to make a tent, a chest of carpenter's tools, guns, pistols, powder, shot, and bullets, rods and fishing tackle, an iron pot, a case of portable soup, and another of biscuit. These useful articles of form took the identify of the ballast I had hastily thrown in the 24-hour interval before.

With a hearty prayer for God's blessing, nosotros now began to take our seats, each in his tub. Just and then we heard the cocks begin to crow, as though to reproach u.s. for deserting them. "Why should not the fowls go with united states of america!" exclaimed I. "If nosotros observe no food for them, they tin be food for us!" Ten hens and a couple of cocks were accordingly placed in one of the tubs, and secured with some wire-netting over them.

The ducks and geese were set at liberty, and took to the water at once, while the pigeons, rejoicing to find themselves on the wing, swiftly made for the shore. My wife, who managed all this for me, kept us waiting for her some little time, and came at last with a bag as large as a pillow in her arms. "This is my contribution," said she, throwing the handbag to piffling Franz, to exist, equally I idea, a cushion for him to sit upon.

All being ready, we cast off, and moved away from the wreck. My good, brave married woman, sat in the first compartment of the gunkhole; next her was Franz, a pretty little male child, almost eight years former. And so came Fritz, a handsome, spirited immature fellow of xv; the ii centre tubs contained the valuable cargo; and so came our bold, thoughtless Jack; next him Ernest, my second son, intelligent, well-informed, and rather indolent. I myself, the broken-hearted, loving ​

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PENGUIN.

​ father, stood in the stern, endeavouring to guide the raft with its precious brunt to a condom landing-place.

The elderberry boys took the oars, every one wore a bladder belt, and had something useful close to him in case of being thrown into the h2o.

The tide was flowing, which was a great help to the young oarsmen. Nosotros emerged from the wreck and glided into the open sea. All eyes were strained to go a full view of the land, and the boys pulled with a volition; just for some time nosotros fabricated no progress, as the gunkhole kept turning round and round, until I striking upon the right way to steer it, after which nosotros merrily made for the shore.

We had left the two dogs, Turk and Juno, on the wreck, as existence both large mastiffs we did not care to take their additional weight on lath our craft; but when they saw us apparently deserting them, they prepare a piteous howl, and sprang into the sea. I was sorry to run across this, for the distance to the country was so great that I scarcely expected them to be able to attain it. They followed us, however, and, occasionally resting their forepaws on the outriggers, kept up with us well. Jack was inclined to deny them this their only hazard of prophylactic. "Stop," said I, "that would exist unkind as well equally foolish; remember, the merciful man regardeth the life of his fauna."

Our passage though wearisome was safe; but the nearer we approached the shore the less inviting it appeared; the barren rocks seemed to threaten us with misery and want.

Many casks, boxes, and bales of goods floated on the water around us. Fritz and I managed to secure a couple of hogsheads, so equally to tow them aslope. With the prospect of famine before us, information technology was desirable to lay concord of anything likely to contain provisions.

By-and-by we began to perceive that, betwixt and beyond the cliffs, green grass and trees were discernible. Fritz could distinguish many tall palms, and Ernest hoped they would prove ​ to be cocoa-nut trees, and enjoyed the thoughts of drinking the refreshing milk.

"I am very sorry I never thought of bringing abroad the Captain's telescope," said I.

"Oh, await here, father!" cried Jack, drawing a little spy-glass joyfully out of his pocket.

Past means of this glass, I fabricated out that at some distance to the left the coast was much more inviting, a potent current, however, carried united states directly towards the frowning rocks, just I presently observed an opening, where a stream flowed into the sea, and saw that our geese and ducks were swimming towards this identify. I steered after them into the creek, and we found ourselves in a small bay or inlet where the h2o was perfectly smoothen and of moderate depth. The ground sloped gently upward from the low banks to the cliffs which hither retired inland, leaving a small plain, on which information technology was easy for us to land. Every one sprang gladly out of the boat but piffling Franz, who, lying packed in his tub like a potted shrimp, had to be lifted out by his mother.

The dogs had scrambled on shore before us; they received us with loud barking and the wildest demonstrations of please. The geese and ducks kept upward an incessant din, added to which was the screaming and croaking of flamingoes and penguins, whose rule we were invading. The noise was deafening, but far from unwelcome to me, every bit I idea of the adept dinners the birds might furnish.

Every bit soon as we could gather our children around us on dry land, we knelt to offering thanks and praise for our merciful escape, and with full hearts we commended ourselves to God's proficient keeping for the time to come.

All easily then briskly barbarous to the work of unloading, and oh how rich nosotros felt ourselves as we did so! The poultry we left at liberty to forage for themselves, and gear up about finding a suitable place to erect a tent in which to pass the night. This we speedily ​

RETURNING THANKS

did; thrusting a long spar into a hole in the stone, and supporting the other end by a pole firmly planted in the footing, we formed a framework over which we stretched the sail-cloth we had brought; also fastening this down with pegs, nosotros placed our heavy chests ​ and boxes on the border of the canvas, and bundled hooks so as to be able to close upward the archway during the night.

When this was achieved, the boys ran to collect moss and grass, to spread in the tent for our beds, while I arranged a burn-place with some large flat stones, well-nigh the brook which flowed close by. Dry twigs and seaweed were soon in a blaze on the hearth, I filled the fe pot with water, and giving my married woman several cakes of the portable soup, she established herself as our cook, with little Franz to help her.

He, thinking his mother was melting some glue for carpentering, was eager to know "what papa was going to make adjacent?"

"This is to be soup for your dinner, my child. Practise you recall these cakes await similar glue?"

"Yeah, indeed I practise?" replied Franz, "And I should not much like to gustation glue soup! don't you lot want some beef or mutton, mamma?"

"Where tin can I go it, dearest?" said she, "we are a long manner from a butcher's shop! but these cakes are made of the juice of skillful meat, boiled till it becomes a strong stiff jelly—people take them when they go to bounding main, because on a long voyage they can only have salt meat, which will not make prissy soup."

Fritz meanwhile leaving a loaded gun with me, took another himself, and went along the crude coast to encounter what lay beyond the stream; this fatiguing sort of walk not suiting Ernest's fancy, he sauntered down to the embankment, and Jack scrambled among the rocks searching for shellfish.

I was anxious to country the two casks which were floating alongside our boat, just on attempting to do so, I found that I could not get them upwards the bank on which nosotros had landed, and was therefore obliged to look for a more user-friendly spot. As I did so, I was startled by hearing Jack shouting for help, every bit though in neat danger. He was at some altitude, and I hurried towards him with a hatchet in my manus. The little young man stood screaming ​ in a deep puddle, and as I approached, I saw that a huge lobster had caught his leg in its powerful claw. Poor Jack was in a terrible fear; kicking as he would, his enemy still clung on. I waded into the water, and seizing the lobster firmly by the back, managed to make it loosen its hold, and we brought it rubber to land. Jack, having quickly recovered his spirits, and anxious to accept such a prize to his mother, defenseless the lobster in both easily, but instantly received such a astringent blow from its tail, that he flung it down, and passionately hitting the beast with a large stone. This display of temper vexed me. "You are acting in a very childish mode, my son," said I. "Never strike an enemy in a revengeful spirit." Once more lifting the lobster, Jack ran triumphantly towards the tent.

LOBSTER.

"Mother, female parent! a lobster! A lobster, Ernest! look here, Franz! mind, he'll bite you! Where's Fritz?" All came crowding round Jack and his prize, wondering at its unusual size, and Ernest wanted his female parent to brand lobster soup directly, past adding it to what she was now humid.

She, yet, begged to refuse making whatsoever such experiment, ​ and said she preferred cooking one dish at a time. Having remarked that the scene of Jack's adventure afforded a convenient place for getting my casks on shore, I returned thither and succeeded in drawing them upwards on the beach, where I prepare them on end, and for the present left them.

On my return I resumed the field of study of Jack's lobster, and told him he should accept the offending claw all to himself when information technology was set to exist eaten, congratulating him on being the get-go to discover anything useful.

"Every bit to that," said Ernest, "I constitute something very skillful to eat, also as Jack, only I could not get at them without wetting my feet."

"Pooh!" cried Jack, "I know what he saw—nothing just some nasty mussels—I saw them also. Who wants to eat trash like that! Lobster for me!"

"I believe them to be oysters, not mussels," returned Ernest calmly.

"Be good enough, my philosophical young friend, to fetch a few specimens of these oysters in time for our side by side repast," said I; "we must all exert ourselves, Ernest, for the mutual good, and pray never permit me hear y'all object to wetting your feet. See how apace the dominicus has dried Jack and me."

"I can bring some salt at the same time," said Ernest; "I remarked a good deal lying in the crevices of the rocks; it tasted very pure and good, and I ended it was produced past the evaporation of sea h2o in the sun."

"Extremely probable, learned sir," cried I; "only if you had brought a bag full of this practiced table salt instead of only speculating then greatly on the field of study, it would have been more to the purpose. Run and fetch some straight."

Information technology proved to exist salt sure enough, although so impure that it seemed useless, till my wife dissolved and strained information technology, when information technology became fit to put in the soup.

​ "Why not use the sea water itself?" asked Jack.

"Because," said Ernest, "it is non only salt, but biting too. But endeavor information technology."

"Now," said my wife, tasting the soup with the stick with which she had been stirring it, "dinner is ready, but where can Fritz be?" she continued, a lilliputian anxiously.

"How are we to eat our soup when he does come?" I asked; "we take neither plates nor spoons, and we can scarcely lift the boiling pot to our mouths. We are in as uncomfortable a position as was the fox to whom the stork served up a dinner in a jug with a long neck."

"Oh, for a few cocoa-nut shells!" sighed Ernest.

"Oh, for half a dozen plates and equally many argent spoons!" rejoined I, smiling.

"Really though, oyster-shells would exercise," said he, after a moment'due south thought.

"Truthful, that is an thought worth having! Off with yous, my boys, become the oysters and make clean out a few shells. What though our spoons take no handles, and we do burn our fingers a picayune in baling the soup out."

Jack was abroad and up to his knees in the water in a moment detaching the oysters. Ernest followed more leisurely, and still unwilling to wet his feet, stood by the margin of the pool and gathered in his handkerchief the oysters his blood brother threw him; equally he thus stood he picked up and pocketed a large mussel-beat out for his ain employ. As they returned with a practiced supply nosotros heard a shout from Fritz in the altitude; we returned it joyfully, and he presently appeared before us, his hands backside his back, and a wait of disappointment upon his eyebrow.

"Unsuccessful!" said he.

"Really!" I replied; "never heed, my male child, better luck next fourth dimension."

"Oh, Fritz!" exclaimed his brothers, who had looked behind ​ him, "a sucking-pig, a lilliputian sucking-pig. Where did you get information technology? How did you shoot it? Do let united states of america see it!"

Fritz then with sparkling eyes exhibited his prize.

"I am glad to see the upshot of your prowess, my boy," said I; "merely I cannot approve of cant, even as a joke; stick to the truth in jest and hostage."

AGOUTI.

Fritz so told us how he had been to the other side of the stream. "So different from this," he said; "it is really a beautiful country, and the shore, which runs downward to the ocean in a gentle slope, is covered with all sorts of useful things from the wreck. Exercise let the states go and collect them. And, father, why should nosotros not return to the wreck and bring off some of the animals? Merely remember of what value the moo-cow would be to the states, and what a pity information technology would be to lose her. Allow the states become her on shore, and we will ​ motion over the stream, where she will have good pasturage, and nosotros shall be in the shade instead of on this desert, and, father, I do wish——"

"Finish, stop, my boy!" cried I. "All will be washed in good time. To-morrow and the day afterward will bring work of their own. And tell me, did you run across no traces of our shipmates?"

"Not a sign of them, either on land or sea, living or dead," he replied.

"But the sucking-grunter," said Jack, "where did yous get it?"

"It was 1 of several," said Fritz, "which I plant on the shore; most curious animals they are, they hopped rather than walked, and every now and so would squat down on their hind legs and rub their snouts with their fore-paws. Had non I been afraid of losing them all, I would take tried to catch 1 alive, they seemed and then tame."

Meanwhile, Ernest had been carefully examining the animal in question.

"This is no pig," he said, "and except for its bristly skin, does not look like one. Encounter its teeth are not like those of a pig, but rather those of a squirrel. In fact," he connected, looking at Fritz, "your sucking-pig is an Agouti."

"Dear me," said Fritz, "listen to the cracking professor lecturing! He is going to prove that a pig is not a pig!"

"You need not exist and then quick to express mirth at your brother," said I, in my plough; "he is quite right. I, too, know the Agouti past descriptions and pictures, and there is little doubt that this is a specimen. The little animal is a native of North America, where it makes its nest under the roots of copse, and lives upon fruit. Just, Ernest, the Agouti not just looks something like a pig, simply near decidedly grunts like a porker."

While we were thus talking, Jack had been vainly endeavouring to open an oyster with his large knife. "Here is a simpler mode," said I, placing an oyster on the burn down; it immediately opened. ​

ERNEST FEEDING THE DOGS.

​ "Now," I connected, "who volition endeavor this delicacy?" All at first hesitated to partake of them, so unattractive did they announced. Jack, still, tightly endmost his eyes and making a face as though about to take medicine, gulped one downwardly. We followed his instance one after the other, each doing so rather to provide himself with a spoon than with whatever promise of cultivating a taste for oysters.

Our spoons were now ready, and gathering round the pot nosotros dipped them in, non, nevertheless, without sundry scalded fingers. Ernest then drew from his pocket the large beat out he had procured for his ain use, and scooping upwardly a good quantity of soup he put information technology downwards to cool, smile at his own foresight.

OYSTERS.

"Prudence should be exercised for others," I remarked; "your cool soup will practise capitally for the dogs, my boy; accept it to them, and then come and consume like the residual of us."

Ernest winced at this, but silently taking up his shell he placed it on the ground before the hungry dogs, who lapped up its contents in a moment; he then returned, and nosotros all went merrily on with our dinner. While we were thus busily employed, we suddenly discovered that our dogs, not satisfied with their mouthful of soup, had espied the Agouti, and were quickly devouring information technology. ​ Fritz seizing his gun flew to rescue it from their hungry jaws, and before I could preclude him, struck one of them with such force that his gun was bent. The poor beasts ran off howling, followed by a shower of stones from Fritz, who shouted and yelled at them and then fiercely, that his female parent was actually terrified. I followed him, and as soon every bit he would listen to me, represented to him how despicable equally well as wicked was such an outbreak of atmosphere: "for," said I, "y'all take hurt, if non actually wounded, the dogs; you have distressed and terrified your mother, and spoiled your gun."

Though Fritz's passion was easily aroused it never lasted long, and apace recovering himself, immediately he entreated his mother's pardon, and expressed his sorrow for his fault.

By this time the dominicus was sinking beneath the horizon, and the poultry, which had been straying to some footling distance, gathered round us, and began to pick upward the crumbs of biscuit which had fallen during our repast. My wife hereupon drew from her mysterious bag some handfuls of oats, peas, and other grain, and with them began to feed the poultry. She at the same fourth dimension showed me several other seeds of various vegetables. "That was indeed thoughtful," said I; "simply pray be careful of what will be of such value to us; we tin can bring plenty of damaged biscuits from the wreck, which though of no use as nutrient for us, will suit the fowls very well indeed."

The pigeons at present flew upwards to crevices in the rocks, the fowls perched themselves on our tent pole, and the ducks and geese waddled off cackling and quacking to the marshy margin of the river. Nosotros, too, were set up for serenity, and having loaded our guns, and offered up our prayers to God, thanking him for his many mercies to us, we commended ourselves to his protecting care, and equally the last ray of light departed, closed our tent and lay downwardly to balance.

The children remarked the suddenness of nightfall, for indeed ​

​ there had been little or no twilight. This convinced me that we must exist not far from the equator, for twilight results from the refraction of the sun's rays; the more obliquely these rays fall, the further does the fractional light extend, while the more perpendicularly they strike the earth the longer do they continue their undiminished forcefulness, until, when the sun sinks, they totally disappear, thus producing sudden darkness.

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Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Swiss_Family_Robinson_(Kingston)/Chapter_1

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