Before I could react, Fritz raised his gun to his shoulder and fired at the shark.
The monstrous fish disappeared under the water, and our sheep was safe.
"Well done!" I cried.
Fritz's eyes sparkled at my praise.
He carefully watched the water for the shark, but it didn't reappear.
With a breeze in our sail, we quickly reached shore where I released the animals.
My wife and the three younger boys came running to meet us.
They helped to collect the animals and unload supplies from our boat.
We were hungry, but when we reached camp, there was no sign of supper.
"Fritz and I can supply some ham," I volunteered, pointing to the supplies from the ship.
My wife smiled. "Ernest, let's see if we can conjure up some eggs."
"Where did you get these?" I asked as Ernest proudly set before me a dozen turtle eggs.
"I'll tell you over supper when I describe how we spent our day," said my wife.
Supper consisted of an omelet followed by ham and cheese.
After I told the others about our adventures with the animals and shark, my wife began her story.
"The sun beats down on this bare, rocky spot all day," she said.
"And it's even hotter inside the tent.
I decided that you and Fritz weren't the only ones who could do something for this family."
So she and the boys had set out to find a cooler place to live.
Accompanied by the two dogs, they'd crossed the stream and the field of tall grass.
"We soon came to a grove of a dozen trees.
I really can't describe how huge and strange they were," my wife continued.
"Their roots arched above the ground."
She told how Jack had scrambled up above the roots of one tree and measured its circumference with a piece of string.
"I think it was eighteen yards around!" said Jack.
The spot was shady and cool, and the longer they'd stayed there, the more my wife had liked it.
"If only we could live among the branches of those grand, noble trees, I'd feel perfectly safe and happy," she said.
She'd liked the place so much that she didn't feel the need to search anymore.
They'd returned home by way of the beach.
"That's where we found the eggs!" said Ernest.
"Or I should say, the dogs found them."
Everyone laughed. The boys went off to play while my wife and I continued to talk.
"I hope you're in favor of packing everything up and taking us to live among my splendid trees," said Mother.
"So you want us to perch in these trees like birds?" I said.
"If we had wings, it would be a wonderful idea."
"My idea is not as silly as you think.
A house among the branches would keep us safe from wild animals.
And I've seen such a house in Switzerland.
I climbed a staircase to reach it."
I was reluctant to leave our current spot, which was protected by high cliffs.
But my wife continued to make her argument for a house in the treetops.
At last I agreed.
"We'll have to build a bridge first," I said, "in order to carry everything across the stream."
"A bridge!" she exclaimed.
"I'll die from the heat if I have to wait for a bridge."
"We'll need bags and baskets to carry everything," I said.
"If you focus on those, I promise the boys and I will make a bridge as quickly as possible."
So the next day everyone set to work.
Using planks that had washed up from the wreck, we soon completed our bridge.
When moving day arrived, everyone was busy. Some collected provisions.
Others packed kitchen utensils and tools into baskets tied onto the cow and donkey.
We planned to return later for the ducks and geese.
"Leave room for Franz to ride on the donkey!" my wife called out.
"Oh! I almost forgot the chickens and pigeons!"
Away ran the boys to catch the chickens and pigeons.
The result was a lot of chasing, fluttering, cackling, and cooing.
But they didn't catch any of them.
At last my wife scattered some grain inside the tent.
Lured by the food, the chickens and pigeons were easily caught, tied together, and placed on the cow's back.
And off we went! Fritz and my wife led the caravan.
Then came Franz on the donkey, followed by the cow.
Jack led the goats with Knips riding one of them.
Ernest was in charge of the sheep.
I brought up the rear while the two dogs raced back and forth.
Meanwhile the pig stubbornly refused to join us.
We had just crossed the bridge when I heard the pig grunting and squealing angrily behind us.
She had decided to come with us after all, but she clearly wasn't happy about it.