she determined to imprison the monkey every morning until the eggs had been collected.
Soon after this, as Jack was setting the newly-made snares among the branches, he discovered that a pair of our own pigeons were building in the tree. It was very desirable to increase our stock of these pretty birds, and I cautioned the boys against shooting near our tree while they had nests there, and also with regard to the snares, which were meant only to entrap the wild-fig-eaters.
Although my sons were interested in setting the snares, they by no means approved of the new order to economise the ammunition. No doubt they had been discussing this hardship, for little Franz came to me with a brilliant proposal of his own.
“Papa,” said he, “why should not we begin to plant some powder and shot immediately? It would be so much more useful than bare grain for the fowls.”
His brothers burst into a roar of laughter, and I must confess I found it no easy matter to keep my countenance.
“Come, Ernest,” said I; “now we have had our amusement, tell the little fellow what gunpowder really is.”
“It is not seed at all, Franz,” Ernest explained. “Gunpowder is made of charcoal, sulphur, and saltpetre, mixed cleverly together; so you see it cannot be sown like corn, any more than shot can be planted like peas and beans.”
My carpentering meantime went on apace. In order to shape my sledge with ends properly turned up in front, I had chosen wood which had been part of the bow of the vessel, and was curved in the necessary way for my purpose. Two pieces, perfectly similiar, formed the sides of my sleigh, or sledge, and I simply united these strongly by fixing short bars across them. Then when the ropes of the donkey's harness were attached to the raised points in front, the equipage was complete and ready for use.
