| Share page |
|
50 THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON |
||
|
other grain, and some potatoes. We next added such implements for gardening as we could find— shovels, hoes, spades, and rakes. Fritz reminded me that we had found sleeping on the ground both cold and hard, so we took as well some hammocks and blankets. He also brought a few books from the captain's library, including some volumes on Natural History and a Bible. The last articles were a barrel of sulphur, a quantity of ropes, some small string, and a large roll of sail-cloth. The vessel appeared to us to be in so wretched a condition that the least wind must send her to pieces, so we felt that we must make the most of our time.
Our cargo was so large that the tubs were filled to the very brim, except the first and last, which we kept for ourselves.
Night surprised us with its suddenness, and we saw almost at once a large blazing fire on the shore, which was the signal we had agreed upon if all was well. We tied four lanterns to our mast-head in answer, and then, after saying our prayers, settled down to rest. |
||