ready for breakfast. Approaching the tree, not a sound was to be heard, not a soul was to be seen, although it was broad day; and great was my good wife's surprise, when, roused by the clatter and hullabaloo I made, she started up, and became aware of the late hour!
“What can have made us oversleep ourselves like this?” she exclaimed. “It must be the fault of those mattresses, they are delightful, but really too lulling; see the children are sound asleep still.”
With much stretching and many yawns, the boys at last came tumbling down from the tree, rubbing their eyes and seeming but half awake; Ernest last, as usual.
“Come, my boys,” said I, “this will never do! Your beds were too luxurious last night, I see;” in my own opinion, however, I felt there was something else to blame besides the comfortable mattresses, and I made a mental resolve that the captain's fine canary should be dealt with very sparingly in future. “So now for prayers and breakfast,” I continued, “and then off to work? I must have our cargo landed in time to get the boats off with the next tide.”
By dint of downright hard work, we accomplished this, and I got on board with Fritz as soon as they were afloat; the rest turned homewards, but Jack lingered behind with such imploring looks, that I could not resist taking him with me.
My intention had been simply to take the vessels round to the harbour in Safety Bay, but the calm sea and fine weather tempted me to make another trip to the wreck. It took up more time than I expected, so that, when on board, we could only make a further examination of the cargo, collect a few portable articles and then avail ourselves of the sea-breeze which would fail us later in the evening.
To Jack the pleasure of hunting about in the hold, was novel and charming, and very soon a tremendous rattling and clattering
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