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40 THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
' What ! vinegar ? exclaimed my wife. ' How lucky! it will make sauce for our bird, mixed with the fat which has fallen from it in roasting.'
No sooner said than done. This vinegar certainly improved the rather fishy flavour of the penguin, and our fish also. It amused me, meanwhile, to hear the talk among the boys, for each one boasted of what he had himself contributed to our meal. It was Jack and Francis who had caught the fish in one of the shallows, while Ernest, with very little trouble to himself, secured his penguin. As a matter of fact, my wife had done the hardest work of all in rolling the cask of Dutch cheeses from the shore and then breaking it open.
By the time we had finished the sun was nearly setting, and, remembering how quickly the darkness would fall, we hastened to get ready for bed. My wife had collected a quantity of dry grass, which she had spread in the tent, so that we had a prospect of being much more comfortable than the night before. The fowls went to roost as they had done the preceding evening. We said our prayers, and went into the tent, taking with us the young monkey, who was a favourite with all. Fritz and Jack, indeed, quarrelled as to which of them should enjoy the honour of his company for the night, |
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