Part 8 (1/2)
Chapter XXV
Mr Seagrave and Ready then continued their way along the beach, until they arrived at the point which the latter had considered as a convenient place to arden They found a sufficiency ofon to the th of enclosure would be required
”You see, sir,” said Ready, ”we can wait till after the rainy season is over before we put up the fence, and we can prepare it in the meantime, when the weather will permit us to work The seeds and potatoes will not come up until after the rains are finished; so all we have to do is to dig up the ground, and put thearden this year; but our potatoes weelse”
”If we have no fence to rave, ”I think we shall be able to clear away quite enough ground in a week to put in all that we require”
”The first job will be to pull up the ser plants we ht be of so away the shrubs as you pull therove, and choose the spot for cutting down the trees I have rave proceeded in the direction which the for ground, where the trees were so thick that it was not very easy to pass through them
”There is the place,” said Ready ”I propose to cut all the tirove, and to leave an open square place, in the centre of which ill build our storerooms You see, sir, if necessary, with a very little trouble we ht turn it into a place of protection and defence, as a few palisades here and there between the trees would make it, what they call in the East Indies, a stockade”
”Very true, but I trust we shall not require it for such a purpose”
”I hope so too, but there is nothing like being prepared; however, we have plenty to do before we can think of that Now, sir, as dinner is ready, suppose we return, and after dinner ill both commence our tasks”
Juno and Williarave had prepared They were both very ith their work, which was very hard, but very eager to finish their task After dinner was over, Mrs Seagrave requested her husband, as he was about to go down to the point, with the spade and a small hatchet in his hand, to take Toreat deal to do, and could not watch hirave took Tommy by the hand, and led him to the point, and made him sit down close to hirave worked very hard, and when he had cut down and cleared a portion of the ground, he made Tommy carry away to a little distance, and pile in a heap, the bushes which he had cleared away When Mr Seagrave had cleared away a large piece of ground with his hatchet, he then took his spade to dig at the roots and turn up theTo which Mr Seagrave worked very diligently, his father did not observe; but all of a sudden he began to cry; and when his father asked him the reason, he did not answer, but only cried the more, until at last he put his hands to his stomach, and roared reat pain, his father left off work, and led hirave came out, alar for so long a while, thought that thereserious, and left his work to ascertain the cause When he heard what had passed, he said: ”Depend upon it, the child has eaten so which has made him ill Tell me, Tommy, what did you eat when you were down there?”
”Berries,” roared Too and see what the berries were” And the old rave had been at work In the rave was much alarrave went to search a the medicines for some castor-oil
Ready returned just as he came back to the tent with the bottle of castor-oil, and he told Ready that he was about to give Tommy a dose
”Well, sir,” replied Ready, who had a plant in his hand, ”I don't think you should give him any, for it appears to me that he has taken too ht, the castor-oil plant, and here are so Tell me, Tommy, did you eat theive him a little warm drink, ma'am, and he'll soon be better: it will teach hiain”
What Ready said was true; nevertheless Master Tommy was very ill for the whole of the day, and was put early to bed
Chapter XXVI
The next day, when Mr Seagrave, William, Juno, and Ready were all at work at their allotted tasks, Mrs Seagrave was sitting down at the front of the tent, the little baby, Albert, crawling close to her, Caroline trying to ith her needle, and To a s, Toarden,” replied Toht to plant so seeds: look here,” replied To to the stones
”But these are stones, not seeds”
”Well, but I pretend, and that's the sa,” replied To those beans yesterday, you had only pretended to eat them, wouldn't it have been better?”
”I won't eat any more,” replied To else which you thought you would like, I am afraid you would eat it, and be as ill and even worse than you were”
”I like cocoa-nuts; why don't we have some? there's plenty upon the trees”
”But who is to clih, Tommy? Can you?”
”No; but why don't Ready cliet some by and by, when they are not so busy, but they have no time now”
”I like turtle-soup,” replied To a pond to put turtle in, and then we shall have it oftener; but we cannot have everything we like ish for it”
”I like fried fish,” said Tommy; ”why don't we have fried fish?”
”Because every one is too busy to catch the your brother Albert back; he has crawled too near to Billy, and he butts so towards the kid, which had non pretty large, and as he took up his brother he kicked at the goat's head
”Don't do that, Tommy; he'll butt at you, and hurt you”
”I don't care,” replied To the baby by one hand while he continued to kick at Billy Billy, however, would not stand it; he lowered his head, round one over the other The baby roared, and Toht up the baby; and Toht hold of hisbehind him at Billy, who appeared inclined to renew the attack
”Why don't you mind what is said to you, Torave, pacifying the child
”I don't care for hi away
”No, you are very brave now that he has gone; but you're a very naughty boy not to mind what is said to you”