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Godfrey looked at him without understanding these extraordinary gymnastics. Then suddenly "Turtles!" he exclaimed. Carefinotu was right. There was quite a square mile of myriads of turtles, swimming on the surface of the water.
But we must leave the professor of dancing and deportment to his philosophical meditations, and return to questions at once more practical and pressing. During his last excursions into the plain, either by himself or with Carefinotu, Godfrey had seen no wild animal. He had even come upon no traces of such. The river to which they would come to drink bore no footprint on its banks.
Now the only way of preventing turtles from regaining the sea is to turn them on their backs; and it was in this rough work that Godfrey and Carefinotu employed themselves, not without great fatigue. The following days were spent in collecting the booty. The flesh of the turtle, which is excellent either fresh or preserved, could perhaps be kept for a time in both forms.
The door was already shaking beneath the blows from without. They could feel the heated breath making its way in through the cracks in the bark. Godfrey and Carefinotu attempted to prop back the door with the stakes which kept up the beds, but these proved quite useless.
If any tiger or panther attempted to come up into the branches of the sequoia, it would be easy to defend the hole through which he would have to pass. Godfrey and Carefinotu had scarcely ascended thirty feet, when the roaring was heard in the interior of Will Tree. A few moments more and they would have been surprised. The door had just fallen in.
Godfrey, after rejoining Carefinotu, found that in the struggle the black had only received a few scratches. Then, deeply anxious about the future, he retook the road to Will Tree. When Tartlet learnt that there were not only bears in the island, but tigers too, his lamentations again arose. Now he would never dare to go out! The wild beasts would end by discovering the road to Will Tree!
After many fruitless essays, the negro, who had a very intelligent and even honest face, replied to the demand which was made of him in a single word, "Carefinotu." "Carefinotu!" exclaimed Tartlet. "Do you hear the name? I propose that we call him 'Wednesday, for to-day is Wednesday, and that is what they always do in these Crusoe islands! Is he to be allowed to call himself Carefinotu?"
After all it would pass the time away, and on Sunday, when there was nothing else to do, he willingly assisted at the course of lectures delivered by the celebrated Professor Tartlet of San Francisco. Indeed, we ought to have seen them! The unhappy Carefinotu perspired profusely as he went through the elementary exercises.
Generally Carefinotu accompanied him, Tartlet remaining behind at the dwelling. Decidedly he was no hunter, although his first shot had been a master-stroke! Now on one of these occasions an unexpected incident happened, of a nature to gravely compromise the future safety of the inmates of Will Tree.
And putting his glasses in the direction, he assured himself that this time there was no possible error, that it must escape from some important fire, which he could distinctly see must be about five miles off. Godfrey turned towards the black. Carefinotu expressed his surprise, by his looks, his exclamations, in fact by his whole attitude.
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