But whatever faults
my young comrade had, he could not be blamed for want of activity or
animal spirits. Indeed, the nuts had scarcely been pointed out to him
when he bounded up the tall stem of the tree like a squirrel, and in a
few minutes returned with three nuts, each as large as a man's fist.
"You had better keep them till we return," said Jack. "Let us finish
our work before eating."
"So be it, captain; go ahead," cried Peterkin, thrusting the nuts into
his trousers pocket. "In fact, I don't want to eat just now, but I
would give a good deal for a drink. Oh that I could find a spring! but
I don't see the smallest sign of one hereabouts. I say, Jack, how does
it happen that you seem to be up to everything? You have told us the
names of half-a-dozen trees already, and yet you say that you were
never in the South Seas before."
"I'm not up to _everything_, Peterkin, as you'll find out ere
long," replied Jack, with a smile; "but I have been a great reader of
books of travel and adventure all my life, and that has put me up to a
good many things that you are, perhaps, not acquainted with."
"O Jack, that's all humbug. If you begin to lay everything to the
credit of books, I'll quite lose my opinion of you," cried Peterkin,
with a look of contempt. "I've seen a lot o' fellows that were
_always_ poring over books, and when they came to try to _do_
anything, they were no better than baboons!"
"You are quite right," retorted Jack, "and I have seen a lot of fellows
who never looked into books at all, who knew nothing about anything
except the things they had actually seen, and very little they knew
even about these.
Pages:
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39