't
care much for them now, and if I did, you should not starve, mother."

"I believe you would not hesitate to sacrifice the birds, Frank; but a
greater sacrifice may be demanded of you."

"What?" inquired I; and then after a little thought I said, "You don't
mean Nero, mother?"

"To tell the truth, I did mean Nero, Frank; for the birds will not be a
support for more than a day or two."

"I never could kill Nero, mother," replied I, gloomily; and walking away
into the cabin, I sat down very melancholy at the idea of my favourite
being sacrificed; to me it appeared quite horrible, and my mother having
referred to it, made her fall very much in my good opinion. Alas! I
was indeed young and foolish, and little thought what a change would
take place in my feelings. As for the birds, as I really did not care
for them, I resolved to kill two of them for our day's meal, and
returning to the platform I had laid hold of the two that were there and
had seized both by the neck, when my mother asked me what I was going to
do.

"Kill them, and put them in the pot for our dinner," replied I.

"Nay, Frank! You are too hasty. Let us make some little sacrifice,
even for the poor birds. We surely can fast one day without very great
suffering. To-morrow will be time enough."

I dropped the birds from my hand, tacitly consenting to her proposal.
It was not, however, for the sake of the birds that I did so, but
because one day's respite for the birds would be a day's respite for
Nero.

"Come," said my mother, "let us go into the cabin and get some work. I
will alter some of the clothes for you. What will you do?"

"I don't know," replied I, "but I will do whatever you tell me."

"Well, then, I perceive that the two fishing-lines are much worn, and
they may break very soon, and then we shall be without the means of
taking fish, even if the weather is fine; so now we will cut off some of
the whale-line, and when it is unravelled, I will show you how to lay it
up again into fishing-line; and, perhaps, instead of altering the
clothes, I had better help you, as fishing-lines are now of more
consequence to us than anything else."

This was an arrangement which I gladly consented to. In a short time
the whale-line was unravelled, and my mother showed me how to lay it up
in three yarns, so as to make a stout fishing-line. She assisted, and
the time passed away more rapidly than I had expected it would.

"You are very cleve