Page:The Swiss Family Robinson, In Words of One Syllable.djvu/55

Rh could take an aim as well with a stone as he could with his gun.

As yet we had not seen much of the isle; for though Fritz and I had gone some few miles round the place where we dwelt,it took most of our time to build the house, and this kept us hard at work near the tree. But one day we made up our minds that we would all start on a tour. We rose at dawn, put the ass in the sledge, took what food we thought we should need, and set out from The Nest just as the sun rose.

My sons and I took our guns, Frank sat in the sledge, my wife led the ass, and the ape rode on the back of our dog Turk. When we came to the wood where Fritz found the ape, he told them by what means we got the nuts, but now there were no apes there to throw them down.

"Oh, if one would but fall from the trees," he said.

The words had but just left his lips when a large nut fell at his feet. He made a start back, and two more came down near the same spot.

"It seems," said I, "as if we had but to wish for a thing and we get it."

As the nuts were far from ripe, I was at a loss to know how they could fall off the tree, for I could not see an ape nor a bird near. All at once Jack cried out, "See, see! here comes our friend, but I can't say much for his looks."