Swiss Family Robinson

deliverer, and you have shown great presence of mind. Now go with your mother, and get rid of the slimy traces of your disaster! You have brought me splendid canes, exactly what I want for a new scheme of mine.'
    The fact was, I meant to try to construct a loom for my wife, for I knew she understood weaving, so I chose two fine strong reeds, and splitting them carefully, bound them together again, that when dry they might be quite straight and equal, and fit for a frame. Smaller reeds were cut into pieces and sharpened for the teeth of the comb. The boys did this for me without in the least knowing their use, and great fun they made of `father's monster toothpicks'.
    In time all the various parts of the loom were made ready and put together, my wife knowing nothing of it, while to the incessant questions of the children, I replied mysteriously:
    `Oh, it is an outlandish sort of musical instrument; mother will know how to play upon it.'*
    * He has forgotten his dictum about truth even in jest.
    And when the time came for presenting it, her joy was only equalled by the amusement and interest with which the children watched her movements while `playing the loom', as they always said.
    About this time, a beautiful little foal, a son of the onager , was added to our stud, and as he promised to grow up strong and tractable, we soon saw how useful he would be. The name of `Swift' was given to him, and he was to be trained for my own riding.
    The interior arrangements of the cavern being now well forward, I applied myself to contriving an aqueduct, that fresh water might be led close up to our cave, for it was a long way to go to fetch it from Jackal River, and especially inconvenient on washing days. As I wanted to do this before the rainy season began, I set about it at once.
    Pipes of hollow bamboo answered the purpose well, and a large cask formed the reservoir. The supply was good, and the comfort of having it close at hand so great, that my wife declared she was as well pleased with our engineering as if we had made her a fountain and marble basin adorned with mermaids and dolphins.
    Anticipating the setting-in of the rains, I pressed forward all work connected with stores for the winter, and great was the in-gathering of roots, fruits, and grains, potatoes, rice, guavas, sweet acorns, pine-cones; load after load arrived at the cavern, and my wife's active needle was in constant requisition, as the demand for more sacks and bags was incessant.
    Casks and barrels of all sorts and sizes were pressed into the service, until at last the raft was knocked to pieces, and its tubs made to do duty in the store-rooms.
    The weather became very unsettled and stormy. Heavy clouds gathered in the horizon, and passing storms of wind, with thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain swept over the face of nature from time to time.
    The sea was in frequent commotion; heavy groundswells drove masses of water hissing and foaming against the cliffs.
    Everything heralded the approaching rains. All nature joined in sounding forth the solemn overture to the grandest work of the year.
    It was now near the beginning of the month of June, and we had twelve weeks of bad weather before us.
    We established some of the animals with ourselves at the salt-cave. The cow, the ass, Lightfoot, Storm and the dogs, were all necessary to us, while Knips , Fangs and the eagle were sure to be a great amusement in the long evenings.
    The boys would ride over to Falconhurst very often to see that all was in order there, and fetch anything required.
    Much remained to be done in order to give the cave a comfortable appearance, which became more desirable now that we had to live indoors.
    The darkness of the inner regions annoyed me, and I set myself to invent a remedy. After some thought, I called in Jack's assistance, and we got a very tall, strong bamboo, which would reach right up to the vaulted roof. This we planted in the earthen floor, securing it well by driving wedges in round it.
    Jack ascended this pole very cleverly, taking with him a hammer and chisel to enlarge a crevice in the roof so as to fix a pulley, by means of which, when he descended, I drew up a large ship's lantern, well supplied with oil, and as there were four wicks, it afforded a very fair amount of light.
    Several days were spent in arranging the different rooms. Ernest and Franz undertook the library, fixing shelves, and setting the books in order. Jack and his mother took in hand the