, father," said Jack; "I have read of them;
but I thought they had been less."

"As if Gulliver's Travels was true!" said Fritz, in a tone of derision.

"Then are there no pigmies?" asked he.

"No, my dear boy," said I; "all these stories are either the invention
or the mistakes of ancient navigators, who have taken troops of monkeys
for men, or who have wished to repeat something marvellous. But the
romance of Gulliver is an allegory, intended to convey great truths."

"And now," said Fritz, "I begin to see our pigmies have beaks and
wings."

"You are right," said I; "they are penguins, as Ernest explained to us
some time since. They are good swimmers; but, unable to fly, are very
helpless on land."

I steered gently to the shore, that I might not disturb them; but Jack
leaped into the water up to his knees, and, dashing among the penguins,
with a stick struck right and left, knocking down half a dozen of the
poor stupid birds before they were aware. Some of these we brought away
alive. The rest, not liking such a reception, took to the water, and
were soon out of sight. I scolded Jack for his useless rashness, for the
flesh of the penguin is by no means a delicacy.

We now filled our three wheelbarrows with such things as we could
carry, not forgetting the sheets of iron and the graters, and trudged
home. Our dogs announced our approach, and all rushed out to meet us. A
curious and merry examination commenced. They laughed at my graters; but
I let them laugh, for I had a project in my head. The penguins I
intended for our poultry-yard; and, for the present, I ordered the boys
to tie each of them by a leg to one of our geese or ducks, who opposed
the bondage very clamorously; but necessity made them submissive.

My wife showed me a large store of potatoes and manioc roots, which she
and her children had dug up the evening before. We then went to supper,
and talked of all we had seen in the vessel, especially of the pinnace,
which we had been obliged to leave. My wife did not feel much regret on
this account, as she dreaded maritime expeditions, though she agreed she
might have felt less uneasiness if we had had a vessel of this
description. I gave my sons a charge to rise early next morning, as we
had an important business on hand; and curiosity roused them all in very
good time. After our usual preparations for the day, I addressed them
thus: "Gentlemen, I am going to teach you all a new business,--that of a