o be delivered, and by which they were to acknowledge Him as their
God."

Mrs Reichardt often renewed this conversation, till I became acquainted
with Scriptural History.

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

The following morning, I went with Nero to take a couple of fish out of
the pool. As soon as Nero had caught them, he went into the other part
of the bathing-pool to amuse himself, while I cleaned the fish, which I
generally did before I went up to the cabin, giving him the heads and
insides for his share, if I did not require any portion for the birds.
Nero was full of play that morning, and when I threw the heads to him,
as he frolicked in the water, he brought them out to the rocks; but
instead of eating them, as usual, he laid them at my feet. I threw them
in several times, and he continued to bring them out, and my mother,
coming down to me, was watching him.

"I think," said she, "you must teach Nero to fetch and carry like a
dog--try. Instead of the heads, throw in this piece of wood;" which she
now broke off the boat-hook staff.

I did so, and Nero brought it out, as he had done the heads of the fish.
I patted and coaxed the animal, and tried him again several times with
success.

"Now," said my mother, "you must accustom him to certain words when you
send him for anything. Always say, `Fetch it, Nero!' and point with
your finger."

"Why am I to do that, mother?" I asked.

"Because the object to be gained is, not that the animal should fetch
out what you throw in, but what you send it to bring out which you have
not thrown in. Do you understand?"

"Yes," replied I. "You mean, if there were anything floating near on
the sea, I should send him for it."

"Exactly. Then Nero would be of some use."

"I will soon teach him," replied I; "to-morrow I will send him into the
sea after the piece of spar. I've no fear that he will go away now."

"I was thinking last night, Frank, whether they had taken the pail with
them in the boat."

"The pail," said I; "I know where it is, but I quite forgot it. We left
it up the ravine the last day we planted the potatoes."

"We did so, now I recollect. I will go for it while you get the
breakfast ready."

We had now been for many weeks on a fish diet and I must confess that I
was tired of it, which was not the case when I lived upon the dried
birds during the whole of the year. Why so I cannot tell; but I was
soon to learn to relish fish, if I could obtain th