Swiss Family Robinson

"Grumble", father? Hear what a low muttering noise he makes!'
    `"Grumble" will do famously.'
    `Grumble, Grumble. Oh, it beats your buffalo's name hollow, Jack!'

`Not a bit,' said he, `why, you can't compare the two names. Fancy mother saying, "Here comes Franz on Grumble, but Jack riding on the Storm." Oh, it sounds sublime!'
    We named the two puppies Bruno and Fawn, and so ended this important domestic business.
    For two months we worked steadily at our salt-cave, in order to complete the necessary arrangement of partition walls, so as to put the rooms and stalls for the animals in comfortable order for the next long rainy season, during which time, when other work would be at a standstill, we could carry on many minor details for the improvement of the abode.
    We levelled the floors first with clay; then spread gravel mixed with melted gypsum over that, producing a smooth hard surface, which did very well for most of the apartments; but I was ambitious of having one or two carpets, and set about making a kind of felt in the following way.
    I spread out a large piece of sailcloth, and covered it equally all over with a strong liquid, made of glue and isinglass, which saturated it thoroughly. On it we then laid wool and hair from the sheep and goats, which had been carefully cleaned and prepared, and rolled and beat it until it adhered tolerably smoothly to the cloth. Finally it became, when perfectly dry, a covering for the floor of our sitting-room by no means to be despised.
    One morning, just after these labours at the salt-cave were completed, happening to awake unusually early, I turned my thoughts, as I lay waiting for sunrise, to considering what length of time we had now passed on this coast, and discovered, to my surprise, that the very next day would be the anniversary of our escape from the wreck. My heart swelled with gratitude to the gracious God, who had then granted us deliverance, and ever since had loaded us with benefits; and I resolved to set tomorrow apart as a day of thanksgiving, in joyful celebration of the occasion.
    My mind was full of indefinite plans when I rose, and the day's work began as usual. I took care that everything should be cleaned, cleared and set in order both outside and inside our dwelling: none, however, suspecting that there was any particular object in view. Other more private preparations I also made for the next day. At supper I made the coming event known to the assembled family.
    `Good people! do you know that tomorrow is a very great and important day? We shall have to keep it in honour of our merciful escape to this land, and call it Thanksgiving-Day.'
    Everyone was surprised to hear that we had already been twelve months in the country--indeed, my wife believed I might be mistaken, until I showed her how I had calculated regularly ever since the 31st of January, on which day we were wrecked, by marking off in my almanac the Sundays as they arrived for the remaining eleven months of that year.
    `Since then,' I added, `I have counted thirty-one days. This is the 1st of February. We landed on the 2nd; therefore tomorrow is the anniversary of the day of our escape. As my bookseller has not sent me an almanac for the present year, we must henceforth reckon for ourselves.'
    `Oh, that will be good fun for us,' said Ernest. `We must have a long stick, like Robinson Crusoe, and cut a notch in it every day, and count them up every now and then, to see how the weeks and months and years go by.'
    `That is all very well, if you know for certain the number of days in each month, and in the year. What do you say, Ernest?'
    `The year contains 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds,' returned he promptly.
    `Perfectly correct!' said I, smiling, `but you would get in a mess with those spare hours, minutes, and seconds in a year or two, wouldn't you?'
    `Not at all! Every four years I would add them all together, make a day, stick it into February, and call that year leap year.'
    `Well done, Professor Ernest! We must elect you astronomer royal in this our kingdom, and let you superintend and regulate everything connected with the lapse of time, clocks and watches included.'
    Before they went to sleep, I could hear my boys whispering among themselves, about `father's mysterious allusions' to next day's festival and rejoicings; but I offered no explanation, and went to sleep, little guessing that the rogues had laid a counter-plot, far more surprising than my simple plan for their