“I believe you would not hesitate to sacrifice the birds, Frank; but a greater sacrifice may be demanded of you.”
“What?” inquired I; and then after a little thought I said, “You don’t mean Nero, mother?”
“To tell the truth, I did mean Nero, Frank; for the birds will not be a support for more than a day or two.”
“I never could kill Nero, mother,” replied I, gloomily; and walking away into the cabin, I sat down very melancholy at the idea of my favourite being sacrificed; to me it appeared quite horrible, and my mother having referred to it, made her fall very much in my good opinion. Alas! I was indeed young and foolish, and little thought what a change would take place in my feelings. As for the birds, as I really did not care for them, I resolved to kill two of them for our day’s meal, and returning to the platform I had laid hold of the two that were there and had seized both by the neck, when my mother asked me what I was going to do.
“Kill them, and put them in the pot for our dinner,” replied I.
“Nay, Frank! You are too hasty. Let us make some little sacrifice, even for the poor birds. We surely can fast one day without very great suffering. To-morrow will be time enough.”
I dropped the birds from my hand, tacitly consenting to her proposal. It was not, however, for the sake of the birds that I did so, but because one day’s respite for the birds would be a day’s respite for Nero.
“Come,” said my mother, “let us go into the cabin and get some work. I will alter some of the clothes for you. What will you do?”
“I don’t know,” replied I, “but I will do whatever you tell me.”
“Well, then, I perceive that the two fishing-lines are much worn, and they may break very soon, and then we shall be without the means of taking fish, even if the weather is fine; so now we will cut off some of the whale-line, and when it is unravelled, I will show you how to lay it up again into fishing-line; and, perhaps, instead of altering the clothes, I had better help you, as fishing-lines are now of more consequence to us than anything else.”