CHAPTER X.

FISHING-BOATS AT BORDIGHERA.

HE next time that Punch was to go for a walk

TH

without Ernest, before starting on his expedition he ran out for a few minutes, and returned

carrying several

wood and the nails

he had bought, the former being cut into small pieces. Aunt Violet was in their little sitting-room when Punch ran in thus laden, and looking up in surprise, saw his whole face

beaming with joy.

He soon gave the

explanation of his

conduct.

The other day Ernest and he had watched some carpenters make boxes in which to send flowers away, when Ernest had said that he should like to try to make some himself for his aunt, and thought that he could do so. Now, to-day, Punch reasoned, would be a splendid day for him to try, and it would amuse him while he, great Punch, was out, so off the boy had started to procure all that the "carpenter" would need. And as Ernest had no tools here, Punch had borrowed some till the afternoon, and when he took them back he was only to pay a very little for the loan.

Ernest looked delighted when his brother came into the room, and saw what he had done, and told Punch that he never should have thought of borrowing the tools for himself, and could not think how he had ever made the people understand.

Punch often wondered at this himself, and now told Ernest that he wanted particularly to go out with him that afternoon, so should not stay out very long now, but expected to see a box quite finished when he turned up before luncheon.

"You're not anxious about me now when I'm out, are you, Aunt Violet?" Punch said, as he kissed his aunt to wish her "Good-bye"; "because I'm as careful of myself as I can possibly be."

"Not very," she replied, "because you have promised to be so careful."

"It's better for you when I'm out, Aunt Violet,"

the boy then said; "because it's quieter, and I know you like 'quiet' sometimes."

Aunt Violet certainly did, and almost the only times that Punch was quiet at home was when he was reading an interesting book,-then he was as quiet as a mouse; but there were not many books for him to read here. As nothing else would keep Punch quiet but a book, Ernest said sometimes that he "verily believed" that this was why their grandmother gave them so many books for presents.

"Where do you think you'll go to to-day?" Ernest asked.

'Well, first I've arranged, in my own mind, to go and see those fishing-boats, quite near, that are close to the Villa Garnier, and to see if the men catch many fish. I've never seen them draw in their boats, you know; I've only heard about it, and I thought I'd take my boat down there to sail. It has a long string to it, so I can't possibly lose it, and needn't go at all close to the sea. I've grown most awfully careful now, Ernie, you know, because of how Aunt Violet fidgets about me."

The boy then started, running through the town, and keeping to the road, till he was able to run on to the sands, and here he could clamber over rocks, as he went, to his heart's content. But after a very short time he went back into the road again, first clambering up a bank to his left, which separated him from it. He returned to the road,

I

because he had here a discovery to make. Soon they were going to San Remo by train, and as they would pass this way, he wanted to see the exact place where the train would go into the tunnel and shoot out of it again, to know exactly where they were when they went through this tunnel. As he glanced to the left and saw the hole in the rock, he did so long to walk right through the tunnel and, like a train, to come out at the other end; and he began to say to himself that the road was all open now, so no train was expected, and if he walked quite close to the wall he could leave plenty of space for it to pass him, even if it did come, and the temptation thus to explore was very strong for a few minutes, while the child stood still, looking at the hole in the rock. But then Aunt Violet's warnings and his promises came back to his memory, so he crossed the line, and went on by the road, until the hole on the other side of the tunnel became visible. It was true that Punch, wild, reckless boy though he was, could be trusted to keep a promise.

"So we just go all under those hills," he said, looking back. "Ernest will like to understand

about that."

A little farther on he returned to the sands, passing under a little railway bridge to do so, and a few minutes later brought him to the boats. Some were at home, and some were out fishing, but he was rather fortunate in his selection of time,

for he could see one boat in the distance now coming slowly towards home. Meanwhile, he would sail his boat, he thought, which seemed to be in a most "splendid humour" for sailing to-day, and delighted some little Italian children very much, who came round Punch to watch it. But a few minutes later the fishing-boat was nearly in, so Punch hauled his toy one out of the water, and to watch the pulling ashore of her better, jumped into one of the boats on the beach..

That fishing-boat must have been very heavy, judging by the labour and exertion that it seemed to be to drag it up the beach. Ten bare-footed men and two women, "twenty-four hands in all," Punch remarked to himself, pulled at it with all their might, some of them even lying down so as to be able to give greater force to the pull. Having to ascend a little bank, caused the tugging to be harder. The net was then taken out, and all looked to see what success the fishermen had had. Later on women would carry the fish round to sell in baskets, upon their heads. When Punch had seen all that there was to be seen, he sailed his boat for a little while longer, which the men and women, to his great delight, were not too busy to admire, and then wishing them "Addio," began to retrace his steps, but not without carrying Ernest a trophy. In the fishing-boat had come to shore the largest and "best specimen" of a star-fish that Punch had ever seen in his life, and this he bought