"Won't a good blazing fire give you light enough?" inquired Peterkin.
"Yes," replied Jack, "quite enough; but then it will give us a great
deal more than enough of heat in this warm climate of ours."
"True," said Peterkin; "I forgot that. It would roast us."
"Well, as you're always doing that at any rate," remarked Jack, "we
could scarcely call it a change. But the fact is, I've been thinking
over this subject before. There is a certain nut growing in these
islands which is called the candle-nut, because the natives use it
instead of candles, and I know all about it, and how to prepare it for
burning--"
"Then why don't you do it?" interrupted Peterkin. "Why have you kept us
in the dark so long, you vile philosopher?"
"Because," said Jack, "I have not seen the tree yet, and I'm not sure
that I should know either the tree or the nuts if I did see them. You
see, I forget the description."
"Ah! that's just the way with me," said Peterkin, with a deep sigh. "I
never could keep in my mind for half-an-hour the few descriptions I
ever attempted to remember. The very first voyage I ever made was
caused by my mistaking a description, or forgetting it, which is the
same thing. And a horrible voyage it was. I had to fight with the
captain the whole way out, and made the homeward voyage by swimming!"
"Come, Peterkin," said I, "you can't get even _me_ to believe
that."
"Perhaps not, but it's true notwithstanding," returned Peterkin,
pretending to be hurt at my doubting his word.
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