I at once hoisted a white flag, and in reply, the flag on shore was thrice dipped. Oh, what a weight seemed lifted from my heart as I saw the signal!
`Fritz,' I said, `now that I have had a sight of your mother, my next concern is for the animals on board. Let us endeavour to save the lives of some of them, at least, and to take them with us.'
`Would it be possible to make a raft,' suggested Fritz, `and get them all on it and in that way take them to shore?'
`But how could we induce a cow, an ass, and a sow either to get upon a raft or, when there to remain motionless and quiet? The sheep and goats one might perhaps find means to remove, they being of a more docile temper; but for the larger animals, I am at a loss as to how to proceed.'
`We could tie a long rope around the sow's neck,' Fritz now proposed, `and throw her without ceremony into the sea. Her immense bulk will be sure to sustain her above water, and by the rope, we can draw her after the boat.'
`An excellent idea,' I replied, `but unfortunately it is of no use but for the pig;* and she is the one I care least about preserving.' In fact, I had an idea how to proceed, but I desired to allow Fritz to invent a solution.
* In fact all of the animals would have been able to float, though swimming against the strong current would have been difficult. The solution chosen does not address this problem at all.
`Well,' said Fritz, `I can think of nothing else, unless indeed we make them such swimming-belts as you made for the children.'
`Really, my boy, that idea is worth having. I am not joking, indeed,' I continued, as I saw him smile, `we may get every one of the animals ashore in that way.'
So saying, I caught a fine sheep, and proceeded to put our plan into execution. I first fastened a broad piece of linen round its belly, and to this attached some corks and empty tins; then with Fritz's help, I flung the animal into the sea—it sank, but a moment afterwards rose and floated famously.