Page:The Swiss Family Robinson, In Words of One Syllable.djvu/65

Rh with us, and put them in the ground where they thought they would grow best. The vines were put round the roots of our tree, in the hope that they would grow up the trunk. On each side of the path that led from The Nest to the Boys' Bridge they put a row of young nut trees, which would, as they grew up, shade us from the sun all the way to the stream. To make the path hard we laid down sand from the sea shore, and then beat it down with our spades.

We were for six weeks at this and such like work. Each day brought with it health and strength for us all, and we were loth to spare any pains to make The Nest, and all that could be seen near it, look neat and trim, though there were no eyes but our own to view the scene.

One day I told my sons that I would at last try to make a flight of stairs in place of the cane steps with rope sides, which were a source of fear to my wife, and, to tell the truth, the worst part of our house. As yet we had not used them much, for we came down as soon as we got out of bed, and did not go up till it was time for rest; but the rain would some day force us to keep in The Nest, and then we should like to go up and down stairs with more ease than we could now climb the rude steps. To make a flight of stairs of such great length was no slight task, and each time that I