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124 THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON |
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having emptied them and replaced the bungs carefully, we threw the casks overboard, after securing them with ropes, so as to keep them together: this completed, we placed a number of planks upon them to form a firm platform or deck. Thus we made a useful raft, on which we could stow thrice as much as in our boat. This laborious task had taken up the whole day; we had scarcely allowed ourselves a minute to eat even the cold meat we had brought with us.
In the evening, Fritz and I were so weary, that it would have been impossible for us to row back to land ; so we lay down in the captain's cabin, on a good mattress, which made us sleep so soundly that our intention of watching in turn, for fear of accident, was forgotten, and we both slept heavily, side by side, till broad daylight opened our eyes. We rose, and actively set to work to load our raft.
We began with stripping the cabin of its doors and windows; next we secured several chests, including the carpenter's and gunner's, containing all their tools and implements. Those we could remove with levers and rollers were put entire upon the raft, and we took out of the others all that made them too heavy. One of the captain's chests was filled with costly articles., |
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