"After quitting school," continued Browne, "I never met with any of my
comrades there. Of all the mates with whom I used on the Saturday
half-holydays, to go gathering hips and haws, or angling in the Clyde, I
have not since come in contact with one."
"It don't seem at all like Saturday to me," said Johnny, who for some
minutes past had appeared to have something on his mind, as to the
expediency of communicating which he was undecided; "I was afraid that
it was Sunday, every thing is so still; but I hope it is not, for Arthur
would not think it right to start upon an exploring expedition on
Sunday, and so it would be put off."
"Truly," said Browne, "that is extremely flattering to the rest of us.
Do you think we are all heathens, except Arthur? I, for one, have no
notion of becoming a savage, because I am on a desert island; I shall go
for maintaining the decencies of Christianity and civilisation."
"Does any one know what day it really is?" inquired Morton.
Max said he believed it was Monday. Arthur thought it was Wednesday,
and added that he had memoranda, from which he had no doubt he could fix
the day with certainty.
"It was on Friday," said Max, "that the mutiny took place, and that we
got to sea in the boat."
"Yes," said Arthur, "and it was on Wednesday night, I think, five days
afterwards, that we landed here."
"Five days!" cried Max. "Do you mean to say that we were but five days
at sea before reaching the island?"
"I think that is all," replied Arthur, "though the time certainly seems
much longer. Then, if my calculations are correct, we have been here
just two weeks to-day, so that this is Wednesday. But," continued he,
"as our heavenly Father has thus guided our little bark safe through
this wilderness of waters, let us celebrate the day of our landing on
this `Canaan,' by making it our first Sabbath, and our grateful voices
shall every seventh day, from this, be lifted up in praise and
thanksgiving for the mercy thus vouchsafed to us."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account