Page:The Swiss Family Robinson, In Words of One Syllable.djvu/16

8 "If we could but find some cook," said Fritz to me in a low tone, "we might make floats. You and I will not need them, for we can swim, but the rest will want some such means to keep them up, and then we can help them to reach the land."

"A good thought," said I. "Let us try in the night to find what things there are in the ship that we can thus make use of."

We soon found some casks and ropes, and with these we made a kind of float for each of the three boys, and then my wife made one for her own use. This done, we got some knives, string, and such things as we could make fast to our belts. We did not fail to look for and find a flint and steel, and the box in which the burnt rags were kept, for these were at that time in use as the means to strike a light.

Fritz, who was now well nigh worn out, laid down on his bed, and slept like the rest. As for me and my poor wife, we kept watch, each in fear lest the next wave should lift the ship off the rock and break it up. We spent part of the night in thought as to our plans for the next day, and sought God to bless the means we had in view to save our lives.

I need not tell you how glad we were when we saw the first gleam of light shine through the chink of the door that shut us in from the cold night air. At dawn the wind did not