But, my dear
boy, if they are not, which I think they are, for the benefit of man, at
all events they are his doom for the first transgression. `Cursed is
the ground for thy sake--thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to
thee--and by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread,' was the
Almighty's sentence; and it is only by labour that the husbandman can
obtain his crops, and by watchfulness that the shepherd can guard his
flocks. Labour is in itself a benefit: without exercise there would be
no health, and without health there would be no enjoyment."

"I see now, papa. You have mentioned the animals which can live in all
climates; will you not tell us something about other animals?"

"There is but one remark to make, William, which is, that animals
indigenous to, that is, originally to be found in, any one portion of
the globe, invariably are so fashioned as to be most fit for that
country, and have the food also most proper for them growing or to be
obtained in that country. Take, for instance, the camel, an animal
fashioned expressly for the country to which he is indigenous, and
without whose aid all communication must have been stopped between Asia
and Africa. He is called the `Ship of the Desert;' for the desert is a
`sea of sand.' His feet are so fashioned that he can traverse the sands
with facility; he can live upon the coarsest vegetable food and salt
plants which are found there, and he has the capacity of carrying water
in a sort of secondary stomach, for his own supply where no water is to
be found. Here is an animal wonderfully made by the Almighty for an
express locality, and for the convenience of man in that country; for,
in England, or elsewhere, he would be of no value. But it is late, my
dear William; so we will first thank Him for all his mercies, and then
to bed."

CHAPTER FIFTY SEVEN.

The next morning was one of bustle; there was packing up and every
preparation for departure. Juno was called here and called there, and
was obliged to ask little Caroline to look after the kettle and call to
her if it boiled over. Master Tommy, as usual, was in every one's way,
and doing more harm than good in his attempts to assist.

At last, Ready, to get rid of him, sent him down with a large bundle to
the beach. Tommy shouldered it with great importance, but when he came
back, looking rather warm with the exertion, and Ready asked him to take
down another, he said he was too tired, and s