heir spades and very carefully dug
the trees up without injuring their roots; then they dug two large holes
in the place where they chose the trees should stand, and very carefully
broke the earth to pieces, that it might lie light upon the roots; then
the tree was placed in the middle of the hole, and Tommy held it
upright while Harry gently threw the earth over the roots, which he trod
down with his feet in order to cover them well. Lastly, he stuck a large
stake in the ground and tied the tree to it, from the fear that the
wintry wind might injure it, or perhaps entirely blow it out of the
ground.

Nor did they bound their attention here. There was a little spring of
water which burst forth from the upper ground in the garden, and ran
down the side of the hill in a small stream. Harry and Tommy laboured
very hard for several days to form a new channel, to lead the water near
the roots of their trees, for it happened to be hot and dry weather, and
they feared their trees might perish from the want of moisture.

Mr Barlow saw them employed in this manner with the greatest
satisfaction. He told them that in many parts of the world the excessive
heat burned up the ground so much that nothing would grow unless the
soil was watered in that manner. "There is," said he, "a country in
particular, called Egypt, which has always been famous for its
fertility, and for the quantity of corn that grows in it, which is
naturally watered in the following extraordinary manner:--There is a
great river called the Nile, which flows through the whole extent of the
country; the river, at a particular time of the year, begins to overflow
its banks, and, as the whole country is flat, it very soon covers it all
with its waters. These waters remain in this situation several weeks,
before they have entirely drained off; and when that happens, they leave
the soil so rich that everything that is planted in it flourishes and
produces with the greatest abundance."

"Is not that the country, sir," said Harry, "where that cruel animal the
crocodile is found?" "Yes," answered Mr Barlow. "What is that, sir?"
said Tommy. "It is an animal," answered Mr Barlow, "that lives sometimes
upon the land, sometimes in the water. It comes originally from an egg,
which the old one lays and buries in the sand. The heat of the sun then
warms it during several days, and at last a young crocodile is hatched.
This animal is at first very small; it has a long body and