"I'd catch some fish," said David, "if I only had a line."
Picking up his straw hat, he ripped out the thread, and taking the pin
with which his sister had fastened the feather, he made a hook out of it
and tied the thread to it. He searched for some worms, and soon, he
began to angle. He tried again and again, but not a nibble could he get.
At last luck favored him, and soon he had three fishes. Remembering the
matches which his mother had put into the tin-covered pail, he decided
to start a fire and cook his fish, adding a little salty water for
seasoning. He relished this little repast more than the finest feast
served at his rich uncle's house.
One morning, as he again ascended the rocky summit, he saw a large ship
that seemed no more than a mile away. Its sails were all unfurled and
gilded with the rays of the bright sun. Hope filled his breast and he
trembled with fear. He watched it, as it came nearer and nearer.
Suddenly, he seized a stick, and tying his red handkerchief to it, moved
it to and fro like a signal of danger and distress. But before the ship
had come close enough to see the sign, it changed its direction and
sailed away into the far distance. David followed its course, till it
was lost to view, and then he sank upon the ground disheartened and
cried bitterly.
The hours of the day that were not used in fishing, cooking, or
chopping, he spent gathering shells, in which he often found pearls. As
no person had ever been there to gather them, he found them in
quantities.
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