My sling answered very
well, but I had fallen so much out of practice that my first stone
knocked off Peterkin's hat, and narrowly missed making a second Goliath
of him. However, after having spent the whole day in diligent practice,
we began to find some of our former expertness returning--at least Jack
and I did. As for Peterkin, being naturally a neat-handed boy, he soon
handled his spear well, and could run full tilt at a cocoa-nut, and hit
it with great precision once out of every five times.
But I feel satisfied that we owed much of our rapid success to the
unflagging energy of Jack, who insisted that since we had made him
captain, we should obey him; and he kept us at work from morning till
night, perseveringly, at the same thing. Peterkin wished very much to
run about and stick his spear into everything he passed; but Jack put
up a cocoa-nut, and would not let him leave off running at that for a
moment, except when he wanted to rest. We laughed at Jack for this, but
we were both convinced that it did us much good.
That night we examined and repaired our arms ere we lay down to rest,
although we were much fatigued, in order that we might be in readiness
to set out on our expedition at daylight on the following morning.
Chapter IX
Prepare for a journey round the island--Sagacious reflections
--Mysterious appearances and startling occurrences.
Scarcely had the sun shot its first ray across the bosom of the broad
Pacific, when Jack sprang to his feet, and, hallooing in Peterkin's ear
to awaken him, ran down the beach to take his customary dip in the sea.
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