Part 19 (1/2)
”You are very late, Williarave ”I was quite uneasy till I saw the boat at a distance”
”Yes,round, and now our work is done”
”I a away so long”
”And e and ditch were finished this ”
”Well, then,” observed Ready, ”we must hold another council, but I presu”
”No; I expect not; it seldorave won't be left here, Ready, and I don't want to leave her, so I presuain”
”Yes, sir; if you please,” replied Ready
”Juno, I hope you have a good supper,” said Williary”
”Yes, Massa Willia”
Chapter LVI
The next day being Sunday was a day of repose, and as they had all worked so hard, they felt the luxury of a day of rest In the afternoon, they agreed that on Monday they shouldto the house at the bay They decided that the live stock should all be left there, as the pasturage was so plentiful and good, with the exception of one goat, which they would take back with thereed that the tents should be left standing, with so utensils, that in case William and Ready went round for the bananas or yams, or to examine the live stock, they should not be compelled to sleep in the open air, and should have thetheir dinner William and Ready were to carry the beds, etc, round to the bay in the boat, which they could do in two trips, and Mr and Mrs Seagrave, with the fa a very early breakfast
All these points being arranged, they had finished their supper, when Williaht up the conversation about anirave talk on the subject The conversation had not commenced more than a few minutes, when William said-- ”Papa, they always say `as stupid as an ass' Is an ass such a stupid aniacious one; but the character has been given to the animal more on account of its obstinacy and untractableness, than on any other account It is usual to say, as stupid as an ass, or as stupid as a pig, or a goose Now, these three aniacious aniards the ass, we have only very sorry speciland; they are stunted and s very ill-treated, are slow and dull-looking aniland is much too cold for the ass; in the south of France and the Mediterranean, where it is much warmer, the ass is a o to the Torrid Zone in Guinea, right on the equator, the hottest portion of the globe, where the ass, in its native state and in its native country, is a handsome creature and as fleet as the wind; indeed, supposed to be, and mentioned in the Scriptures as the fleetest animal in creation The fact is, that in Asia, especially in Palestine and Syria, asses were in great repute, and used in preference to horses We must see an animal in its own climate to form a true estireat a difference?” said William
”Of course it does, not only with animals, but with trees, plants, and even e With respect to animals, there are some which can bear the different varieties of clie of food The horse, for instance, although originally indigenous to Arabia, lives as well in the Teid Zones it may be said, for they endure the hard winters of Russia and North As, &c It is a curious fact that, during the winter in Canada, a large proportion of the food of cattle consists of fish”
”Fish, papa! Cows eat fish?”
”Yes, my dear boy, such is the fact It is a re ani, or rather into fish-eating animal But there are other animals which can live under any temperature, as the wolf, the fox, the hare, and rabbit It is a curious provision, - that the sheep and goats in the hottest cli of wool, and retain little better than hair; while, re ioat has no wool, papa”
”What are Cashmere shawls made of, William?”
”Very true, papa”
”Most ani as they recede further from the warm climates to the cold ones Wolves and foxes, hares and rabbits, change the colour of their skins to white when they get far north The little English stoat, which is destroyed by the gamekeepers, becomes the beautiful snohite ermine in Russia and other cold countries”
”Well, papa, I think it a great advantage to hty's care of hi all the animals most useful to him to be able to live in any country; but I don't knohether I a so, papa: I cannot see why an animal like the wolf should not have been kept to his own clier, and other ferocious animals”
”You have started a question, Willialad you have done, rather than it should have remained on your ht agree with you, that the wolf is a nuisance; equally true that the husband ood of thistles, and the various weeds which choke the soil? But, my dear boy, if they are not, which I think they are, for the benefit of ression `Cursed is the ground for thy sake - thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee - and by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread,' was the Alhty's sentence; and it is only by labour that the husbandman can obtain his crops, and by watchfulness that the shepherd can guard his flocks Labour is in itself a benefit: without exercise there would be no health, and without health there would be no enjoyment”
”I see now, papa You have mentioned the animals which can live in all cli about other animals?”
”There is but one reenous to, that is, originally to be found in, any one portion of the globe, invariably are so fashi+oned as to be most fit for that country, and have the food alsoor to be obtained in that country Take, for instance, the camel, an animal fashi+oned expressly for the country to which he is indigenous, and without whose aid all communication must have been stopped between Asia and Africa He is called the `shi+p of the Desert'; for the desert is a `sea of sand' His feet are so fashi+oned that he can traverse the sands with facility; he can live upon the coarsest vegetable food and salt plants which are found there, and he has the capacity of carrying water in a sort of secondary stomach, for his own supply where no water is to be found Here is an anihty for an express locality, and for the convenience of land, or elsewhere, he would be of no value But it is late, my dear William; so ill first thank him for all his mercies, and then to bed”
Chapter LVII
The nextup and every preparation for departure Juno was called here and called there, and was obliged to ask little Caroline to look after the kettle and call to her if it boiled over Master To ood in his atteet rid of hie bundle to the beach Toreat i rather ith the exertion, and Ready asked him to take down another, he said he was too tired, and sat down very quietly till breakfast-tirave and Juno packed up the breakfast and dinner things in a basket after breakfast was over, and then Mr and Mrs Seagrave and the fah the cocoa-nut grove
Williah their work; the crockery, kitchen utensils, table, and chairs, were the first articles put into the boat The goat was then led down, and they set off with a full load, and arrived at the bay long before the party alking through the wood They landed the things on the beach, and then shoved off again to bring round the bedding, which was all that was left By three o'clock in the afternoon they had arrived at the bay with their second and last load, and found that the other party had been there about an hour, and Mr Seagrave and Juno were very busy taking the articles up from the beach
”Well, William,” said Ready, ”this is our last trip for some time, I expect; and sodone to her as soon as I can find time”
”Yes, indeed, Ready, she has done her ell Do you know I feel as if I were co holad that we have left the tents I found the pigeons a the peas, Ready, so we must pick them as soon as we can I think there were near twenty of theeon pies next year, I expect”
”If it pleases God that we live and do well,” replied Ready, who had his eyes fixed upon the sea
Before night everything was in its place again in the house, and as comfortable as before, and as they were very tired, they went very early to bed, having first arranged what they should do in the ht Ready and William went down to the turtle-pond and speared a turtle, for now the tiain, and the pond would soon be filled Having cut it up and put a portion of it into the pot, all ready for Mrs Seagrave, as soon as breakfast was over they proceeded to the storehouse
After a little consultation with Mr Seagrave, Readythe storehouse, so as to leave a space within thee enough for the inclosure These cocoa-nut trees were to serve as the posts bethich were to be fixed other cocoa-nut trees cut down, and about fourteen feet high, so as to form a palisade or stockade, which could not be clies
As soon as the line of trees had beendown all the trees within the line, and then outside to a distance of ten yards, so as to give them room for their work Ready cut out cross-pieces, to nail fro saved so e spike nails, without which they never could have rave cut down trees, Williath with one of the cross-cut saws, and then carried them to Ready They soon had ed away the tops and branches, and piled theround, to use as winter fuel, while Mr Seagrave helped Ready in fixing up the palisades They worked very hard that day, and were not sorry to go to bed Ready, however, took an opportunity to speak to Williaain, it will be necessary to keep a sort of night-watch, in case of accident I shall not go to bed till it is quite dark, which it will be by nine o'clock, and shall haveYou see, there is little fear of the savages coht or very early in the ain before daybreak, that is between two and three o'clock in theto be seen of theain, as they cannot arrive till many hours afterwards; and we must watch the wind and weather, if it is favourable for them to come to us, which, indeed, the ill not be except at the coht, and then they would not care for its being against thereat deal, andof the rainy season that we shall have a visit, if we have one at all; for you see that the wind don't blow regular from one quarter, as it does now, but is variable, and then they can make sail in their canoes, and co between thirty and forty ainst wind and current Still, we ood look-out even now I don't want to fret your father and Mrs Seagrave with my fears on the subject, but I tell you what I really think, and e ought to do”
”I agree with you, Ready, and I will take care to be up before daybreak, and exalass as soon as the day dawns You take the night part, and I will do the ”
Chapter LVIII
For nearly a fortnight, the work upon the stockade continued without any interreatest alarm and exciterave said with surprise, ”Why, was not Torave; ”he has not been near us all day; he ith us after breakfast, but did not remain a quarter of an hour”