Francis
for assistant, to prepare dinner. He took the portable soup for glue,
and could not conceive how mamma could make soup, as we had no meat, and
there were no butchers' shops here.

Fritz, in the mean time, had loaded our guns. He took one to the side of
the river; Ernest declined accompanying him, as the rugged road was not
to his taste; he preferred the sea-shore. Jack proceeded to a ridge of
rocks on the left, which ran towards the sea, to get some muscles. I
went to try and draw the two floating hogsheads on shore, but could not
succeed, for our landing-place was too steep to get them up. Whilst I
was vainly trying to find a more favourable place, I heard my dear Jack
uttering most alarming cries. I seized my hatchet, and ran to his
assistance. I found him up to the knees in a shallow pool, with a large
lobster holding his leg in its sharp claws. It made off at my approach;
but I was determined it should pay for the fright it had given me.
Cautiously taking it up, I brought it out, followed by Jack, who, now
very triumphant, wished to present it himself to his mother, after
watching how I held it. But he had hardly got it into his hands, when it
gave him such a violent blow on the cheek with its tail, that he let it
fall, and began to cry again. I could not help laughing at him, and, in
his rage, he seized a stone, and put an end to his adversary. I was
grieved at this, and recommended him never to act in a moment of anger,
showing him that he was unjust in being so revengeful; for, if he had
been bitten by the lobster, it was plain he would have eaten his foe if
he had conquered him. Jack promised to be more discreet and merciful in
future, and obtained leave to bear the prize to his mother.

"Mamma," said he, proudly, "a lobster! A lobster, Ernest! Where is
Fritz! Take care it does not bite you, Francis!" They all crowded round
in astonishment. "Yes," added he, triumphantly, "here is the impertinent
claw that seized me; but I repaid the knave,"

"You are a boaster," said I. "You would have got indifferently on with
the lobster, if I had not come up; and have you forgotten the slap on
the cheek which compelled you to release him? Besides, he only defended
himself with his natural arms; but you had to take a great stone. You
have no reason to be proud, Jack."

Ernest wished to have the lobster added to the soup to improve it; but
his mother, with a spirit of economy, reserved it for another day. I
then wa