Page:The Swiss Family Robinson, In Words of One Syllable.djvu/30

20 so thick that we made Turk go on first and tread a path for us. I knew this was just the place to find snakes, so we each cut a cane, that we might beat them off should we meed with any. As I took hold of my staff, I felt a gum or juice ooze out of the end. I put my tongue to it, and found it of a sweet taste. This lead me to suck the reed, and I then knew that we had met with the. By this time Fritz had done the same, for I could see that he held his cane to his mouth.

"Do not suck too much of it," said I, "or it will make you ill; but let us cut some of the best and take them back with us, for those at home will prize so great a treat." This we did, and bound them in a bunch, which Fritz took on his back.

It did not take us long to reach the place where the palms grew, and then we sat down in the shade to eat the food we had brought with us. "Do you see those nuts at the top of the trees, Fritz?" said I.

"To be sure I do; but they are far too high to reach. Look, look!" he cried, "there are some ; let me have a shot at them."

"Do not do that," I said, and held his arm; "it will do us no good to kill them, and I think I can make use of them." With that I threw some stones up at the tree where they were, thought they had got safe out of my reach. They then made a loud noise,