e of the Idle
Penguins, the press for his august plants, which his Highness doubtless
found too heavy; and, truly, it is no little weight."

Ernest did not know whether to thank him or to be angry, but he decided
to join in the jest, and, therefore, answered gravely that he was
distressed that his Highness the Prince of the Monkeys should have taken
so much trouble to oblige him, that he ought to have employed some of
his docile subjects to do it; after all, he confessed that the press,
which he had not noticed, gave him great pleasure, and he placed some
plants in it immediately, which he had collected the evening before.

The rain ceasing for a short time, I went with Fritz and Jack to examine
our embankment, and to open the sluices of the pond. We found all right,
and our garden looking beautiful after the rain. On our return, we
looked in at the _Grotto Ernestine,_ which we found inundated from the
opening above. We proposed to make a trench, or little channel, to carry
off the rain-water from it. We returned home, and retired to bed, in
hopes of being able to set out next morning. We were, however, again
disappointed, and for a longer period than we expected. The rain
continued some days, and the country was again a complete lake; we had,
however, no storm or wind, and our possessions did not suffer; so we
resolved to wait patiently till the weather would permit us to go. My
wife was delighted to be in her comfortable abode, and to have us round
her; neither did we waste the time. Ernest finished the arrangement of
his collection with his mother and Francis. Fritz and Jack prepared the
tools that would be wanted in their great undertaking--the first attempt
was to be a saw-mill. In order to prepare the planks they wished, a very
large saw, which they had found amongst the tools, would serve their
purpose; but it was necessary to set it in motion by water, and here was
the difficulty. Fritz made several models from the thin wood of our
chests, and the wheels of our guns, but they were too small. In the
mean time, the mind of my young mechanic was exercised, his ideas were
enlarged and improved; and, as this science was so necessary in our
situation, I allowed him to go on with his experiments. Notwithstanding
the rain, protected by my cloak, he went several times to the cascade to
look out for a place where he should place his mills to the best
advantage, and have a constant supply of water. Ernest assisted him by