A Hippopotamus Came Up One Night, And
Laid Waste Their Vegetable Garden; The Sheep Broke Into Their Cotton
Patch, When It Was In Flower, And Ate It All, Except The Stems; Then
The Crocodiles Carried Off The Sheep, And The Natives Stole The
Fowls.
Nor were they more successful as gun-smiths:
A Portuguese
trader, having an exalted opinion of the ingenuity of English
sailors, showed them a double-barrelled rifle, and inquired if they
could put on the BROWNING, which had rusted off. "I think I knows
how," said one, whose father was a blacksmith, "it's very easy; you
have only to put the barrels in the fire." A great fire of wood was
made on shore, and the unlucky barrels put over it, to secure the
handsome rifle colour. To Jack's utter amazement the barrels came
asunder. To get out of the scrape, his companion and he stuck the
pieces together with resin, and sent it to the owner, with the
message, "It was all they could do for it, and they would not charge
him anything for the job!" They had also invented an original mode
of settling a bargain; having ascertained the market price of
provisions, they paid that, but no more. If the traders refused to
leave the ship till the price was increased, a chameleon, of which
the natives have a mortal dread, was brought out of the cabin; and
the moment the natives saw the creature, they at once sprang
overboard. The chameleon settled every dispute in a twinkling.
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