* He has forgotten his dictum about truth even in jest.
And when the time came for presenting it, her joy was only equalled by the amusement and interest with which the children watched her movements while `playing the loom', as they always said.
About this time, a beautiful little foal, a son of the onager, was added to our stud, and as he promised to grow up strong and tractable, we soon saw how useful he would be. The name of `Swift' was given to him, and he was to be trained for my own riding.
The interior arrangements of the cavern being now well forward, I applied myself to contriving an aqueduct, that fresh water might be led close up to our cave, for it was a long way to go to fetch it from Jackal River, and especially inconvenient on washing days. As I wanted to do this before the rainy season began, I set about it at once.
Pipes of hollow bamboo answered the purpose well, and a large cask formed the reservoir. The supply was good, and the comfort of having it close at hand so great, that my wife declared she was as well pleased with our engineering as if we had made her a fountain and marble basin adorned with mermaids and dolphins.
Anticipating the setting-in of the rains, I pressed forward all work connected with stores for the winter, and great was the in-gathering of roots, fruits, and grains, potatoes, rice, guavas, sweet acorns, pine-cones; load after load arrived at the cavern, and my wife's active needle was in constant requisition, as the demand for more sacks and bags was incessant.
Casks and barrels of all sorts and sizes were pressed into the service, until at last the raft was knocked to pieces, and its tubs made to do duty in the store-rooms.
The weather became very unsettled and stormy. Heavy clouds gathered in the horizon, and passing storms of wind, with thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain swept over the face of nature from time to time.
The sea was in frequent commotion; heavy groundswells drove masses of water hissing and foaming against the cliffs.
Everything heralded the approaching rains. All nature joined in sounding forth the solemn overture to the grandest work of the year.