He feared
that, do what he might, they would not escape the inquisitive
thievishness of the parrots, whose strong beaks could easily cut leather;
but he could do nothing more. It occurs to me, though my father never
told me so, that it was perhaps with a view to these birds that he had
chosen to put his English sovereigns into a metal box, with a clasp to it
which would defy them.
He made a roll of his blanket, and slung it over his shoulder; he also
took his pipe, tobacco, a little tea, a few ship's biscuits, and his
billy and pannikin; matches and salt go without saying. When he had thus
ordered everything as nearly to his satisfaction as he could, he looked
at his watch for the last time, as he believed, till many weeks should
have gone by, and found it to be about seven o'clock. Remembering what
trouble it had got him into years before, he took down his saddle-bags,
reopened them, and put the watch inside. He then set himself to climb
the mountain side, towards the saddle on which he had seen the statues.
CHAPTER III: MY FATHER WHILE CAMPING IS ACCOSTED BY PROFESSORS HANKY AND
PANKY
My father found the ascent more fatiguing than he remembered it to have
been. The climb, he said, was steady, and took him between four and five
hours, as near as he could guess, now that he had no watch; but it
offered nothing that could be called a difficulty, and the watercourse
that came down from the saddle was a sufficient guide; once or twice
there were waterfalls, but they did not seriously delay him.
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