Father.—Well, well, you have my full permission. But first you will be obliged to learn from Fritz the best manner of opening them, so as to preserve the milk: and one word more; I recommend to you not to forget the young monkey, who has no longer his mother’s milk for food.
Jack.—I cannot prevail upon him to taste a bit; I have offered him every thing we have.
Father.—It cannot well be otherwise, for he has not yet learned how to eat; you must feed him with the milk of cocoa-nuts till we can procure something more proper for him to eat.
Jack.—I will give the poor little creature my share with all my heart.
Ernest.—I have however the greatest desire to taste this milk myself, just to know what it is like.
And so have I, said the little Francis.
However, gentlemen, the monkey must live, said Jack a little maliciously.
And we and our children must live too, answered their mother. Come then, the supper is ready, and the cocoa-nuts shall be for the dessert.
We seated ourselves on the ground; my wife had placed each article of the repast in one of our newly manufactured dishes, the neat appearance of which exceeded all our expectations. My sons had not patience to wait, but had broken the cocoa-nuts, and already convinced themselves of their delicious flavour; and then they fell to making spoons with the fragments of the shells. The little monkey, thanks to the kind temper of Jack, had been served the first, and each amused himself with making him suck the corner of his pocket-handkerchief, dipped in the milk of the cocoa-nut. He appeared delighted with the treatment he received, and we remarked with satisfaction, that we should most likely be able to preserve him.
The boys were preparing to break some more of the nuts with the hatchet, after having drawn out the milk through the three little holes which I have already observed are found near the stalk of the cocoa-nut, and which are guarded by a soft substance which may easily be pierced. I pronounced the word halt, and bade them bring me a saw; the thought struck me, that by dividing the nuts carefully with this instrument, the two halves when emptied, would remain with the form of some well looking tea-cups or basons already made to our hands. Jack, who was on every occasion the most active, brought me a saw. I performed my undertaking in the best manner I could, and in a short time each of us was provided with a convenient receptacle for food. Accordingly my wife put the share of soup which belonged to each, into those basons or vessels. The excellent creature appeared delighted that we should no longer be under the necessity, as before, of scalding our fingers by dipping into the pot; and I firmly believe, that never did the most magnificent service of china occasion half the pleasure to its possessor, as our utensils, manufactured by our own hands from gourds and cocoa-nuts, excited in the kind heart of my wife. Fritz asked me if he might not invite our company to taste his fine champain, which he said would not fail to make us all the merrier.