Page:The Swiss Family Robinson - 1851.djvu/42

 We then got up, I tied some nuts together by their stems, and threw them over my shoulder. Fritz took his bundle of canes, and we set out homewards.



groaned heavily under the weight of his canes as we travelled on, and pitied the poor negroes, who had to carry such heavy burdens of them. He then, in imitation of me, tried to refresh himself by sucking a sugar-cane, but was surprised to find he failed in extracting any of the juice. At last, after some reflection, he said, "Ah! I remember, if there is no opening made for the air, I can get nothing out." I requested him to find a remedy for this.

"I will make an opening," said he, "above the first knot in the cane. If I draw in my breath in sucking, and thus make a vacuum in my mouth, the outer air then forces itself through the hole I have made to fill this vacuum, and carries the juice along with it; and when this division of the cane is emptied, I can proceed to pierce above the next knot. I am only afraid that going on this way we shall have nothing but empty canes to carry to our friends." I told him, that I was more afraid the sun might turn the syrup sour before we got our canes home; therefore we need not spare them.

"Well, at any rate," said he, "I have filled my flask with the milk of the cocoa-nut to regale them." 