d in vain to straighten his crooked gun. I let
him go on for some time, and then allowed him to take another; for I saw
he was penitent. The dogs, too, snarled, and would not let him approach
them. He wept, and begged some biscuit from his mother, declaring he
would give up his own breakfast to make his peace with the dogs. He fed
them, caressed them, and seemed to ask pardon. The dog is always
grateful; Flora soon licked his hands; Turk was more unrelenting,
appearing to distrust him. "Give him a claw of the lobster," said Jack;
"for I make you a present of the whole for your journey."

"Don't be uneasy about them," said Ernest, "they will certainly meet
with cocoa-nuts, as Robinson did, very different food to your wretched
lobster. Think of an almond as big as my head, with a large cup full of
rich milk."

"Pray, brother, bring me one, if you find any," said Francis.

We began our preparation; we each took a game-bag and a hatchet. I gave
Fritz a pair of pistols in addition to his gun, equipped myself in the
same way, and took care to carry biscuit and a flask of fresh water. The
lobster proved so hard at breakfast, that the boys did not object to our
carrying off the remainder; and, though the flesh is coarse, it is very
nutritious.

I proposed before we departed, to have prayers, and my thoughtless Jack
began to imitate the sound of church-bells--"Ding, dong! to prayers! to
prayers! ding, dong!" I was really angry, and reproved him severely for
jesting about sacred things. Then, kneeling down, I prayed God's
blessing on our undertaking, and his pardon for us all, especially for
him who had now so grievously sinned. Poor Jack came and kneeled by me,
weeping and begging for forgiveness from me and from God. I embraced
him, and enjoined him and his brothers to obey their mother. I then
loaded the guns I left with them, and charged my wife to keep near the
boat, their best refuge. We took leave of our friends with many tears,
as we did not know what dangers might assail us in an unknown region.
But the murmur of the river, which we were now approaching, drowned the
sound of their sobs, and we bent our thoughts on our journey.

The bank of the river was so steep, that we could only reach the bed at
one little opening, near the sea, where we had procured our water; but
here the opposite side was guarded by a ridge of lofty perpendicular
rocks. We were obliged to ascend the river to a place where it fell over
some roc