Page:The Swiss Family Robinson - 1851.djvu/289

270 ? There are many sorts. I was just looking in my dictionary for it. There are corn-mills, and powder-mill, oil-mills, wind-mills, water-mills, hand-mills, and saw-mills; which do you want?"

Fritz would have liked them all.

"You remind me," said I, "that we brought from the vessel a hand-mill and a saw-mill, taken to pieces, to be sure, but numbered and labelled, so that they could be easily united: they should be in the magazine, where you found the anvil and iron bars; I had forgotten them."

"Let us go and examine them," said Fritz, lighting his lantern; "I shall get some ideas from them."

"Rather," said his mother, "they will spare you the trouble of thinking and labouring."

I sent them all four to seek these treasures, which, heaped in an obscure corner of the storeroom, had escaped my recollection. When we were alone, I seriously besought my wife not to oppose any occupations our children might plan, however they might seem beyond their power; the great point being, to keep them continually occupied, so that no evil or dangerous fancies might fill their minds. "Let them," I said, "cut stone, fell trees, or dig fountains, and bless God that their thoughts are so innocently directed." She understood me, and promised not to discourage them, only fearing the excessive fatigue of these undertakings.

Our boys returned from the magazine, delighted with what they had found, and loaded with work-tools. Those of the masons,&mdash;the chisel, the short hammer, and the trowel, were not to be found, and rarely are taken out to sea; but they