Page:The Swiss Family Robinson, In Words of One Syllable.djvu/28

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18
THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON.

a good meal. That done, Fritz and I got our guns. I put a pair of small arms in his belt, gave him a game bag, and told him to take an axe. I took some food for us both, and a full flask, out of which we could drink if we should stray far from a stream. Fritz was now in haste to be off, but Ernest said that there was one thing still left to do ere we could start.

"And what is that?" said Fritz.

"We have yet to pray to God," said Ernest.

"That is right, my dear boy," said I. "We are all too apt to think less than we ought of what God tells us to do, and you know that he tells us to pray to Him day by day."

When we took our leave, my wife and the three boys were in tears. The dog Bill we left to guard the tent, but Turk went with us, and ran by our side.

We soon got to the banks of a stream; but then had to make our way down its course through the tall, rank grass. It took us some time to reach the sea shore. There was not a boat to be seen, or any sign that the ship's crew had found the land. We left the shore, and went through a wood full of tall trees. Here Fritz struck some hard thing on the ground with his foot, which we found to be a Co-coa-nut. He gave it a blow with his axe, and broke the shell, and we both sat down to rest, and eat the nut. We drank the milk to quench our thirst,