Swiss Family Robinson

Fritz. `It seems strange to see this creature stranded here.'
    `Why, Fritz!' cried Ernest, `it must be the shark! Your shark, you know! I believe I can see where you hit him in the head.'
    `You are right, I do believe, Ernest,' said I, `though I think your imagination only can distinguish the gunshot wounds among all the pecking and tearing of the voracious birds there. Just look, boys, at those terrific jaws, beneath the strangely projecting snout. See the rows upon rows of murderous teeth, and thank God we were delivered from them! Let us try if we can induce these greedy birds to spare us a bit of the shark's skin; it is extremely rough, and when dry may be used like a file.'
    Ernest drew the ramrod from his gun, and charged so manfully into the crowd, that striking right and left he speedily killed several, whilst most of the others took to flight. Fritz detached some broad strips of skin with his knife, and we returned towards the boat.
    Perceiving with satisfaction that the shore was strewn with just the sort of boards and planks I wanted, I lost no time in collecting them; and, forming a raft to tow after us, we were in a short time able to direct our course homeward, without visiting the wreck at all.
    As we sailed along, extremely well pleased with our good fortune, Fritz, by my direction, nailed part of the shark's skin flat on boards to dry in the sun and the rest on the rounded mast.
    `Will that be a good idea, father?' inquired he, `it will be quite bent and crooked when it hardens.'
    `That is just what I want it to be,' said I, `we may happen to find it useful in that form as well as flat. It would be beautiful shagreen * with which we could smooth and polish wood.'
    * Rough leather used like sandpaper
    `I thought,' remarked Ernest, `that shagreen was made from asses' hides.'
    `And you thought rightly,' said I. ` The best shagreen is prepared in Turkey , Persia , and Tartary , from the skins of horses and asses. In these skins, the roughness is produced artificially; while the skin is newly flayed and still soft, hard grains of corn are spread on the under surface, and pressed into it as it dries. These grains are afterward removed, and the roughness imparted to the appearance of the skin remains indelibly; shagreen is useful in polishing joiners' work, and it is made in France from the rough skin of a hideous creature called the angel-fish.'
    `Angel-fish!' exclaimed Fritz; `what a name to give to anything "hideous," father!'
    `There are bad angels as well as good ones,' observed Ernest, in his dry, quiet way; `it is better to leave people to see for themselves which is meant.'
    By this time we were close in shore; and, lowering the sail, we soon had our craft with the raft in tow, safely moored to the bank.
    No one was in sight, not a sound to be heard, so with united voice we gave a loud cheery halloo, which after a while was answered in shrill tones, and my wife with her two boys came running from behind the high rocks between us and the stream, each carrying a small bundle in a handkerchief, while little Franz held aloft a landing-net.
    Our return so soon was quite unexpected, and they anxiously inquired the reason, which we soon explained; and then the mysterious bundles were opened, and a great number of fine crawfish displayed; whose efforts to escape by scuttling away in every direction, directly they were placed in a heap on the ground, caused immense fun and laughter as the boys pursued and brought them back, only to find others scrambling off in a dozen different ways.
    `Now, father, have we not done well, today!' cried Jack, `did you ever see such a splendid crawfish? Oh, there were thousands of them, and I am sure we have got two hundred here at least. Just look at their claws!'
    `No doubt you were the discoverer of these fine crabs, eh, Jack?' said I.
    `No! Fancy young Franz being the lucky man!' answered he. `He and I went towards the stream while mother was busy, just to look for a good place for the bridge. Franz was picking up pebbles and alabasters, some because they were so pretty, some to strike sparks with in the dark, and some he insisted were "gold."
    `"Jack! Jack!" cried he presently, "come and see the crabs on Fritz's jackal!" You know we threw it away there, and to be sure it was swarming with these creatures. Are you glad we have found them, father? Will they be good to eat?'
    `Very excellent, my boy, and we may be thankful that food for our wants is thus provided day by