It was hard work to get down from the tree. His limbs and back ached from sitting in the tree all night At last he slipped down and fell on the ground. He clasped his hands in prayer and thanked God for keeping him through the night. [Illustration] Then he got up and tried to walk. He was so weak he could not stand. He threw himself down on the ground and began to sob and cry, "O Lord, do not let me die! Do not let me die!" As he lay there he heard a queer sound. He listened. It sounded like water running over rocks. He tried to get to the place from which the sound came. He tried to walk. When he fell he crawled on his hands and knees. At last the sound was close by. He dragged himself up on the rocks. Yes, there was a spring of clear, cool, sparkling water bubbling up and trickling over the stones. Robinson was so thirsty he put his face into the water and drank and drank. Then he sat down, and after a while he drank again and again. After Robinson had satisfied his thirst and rested awhile, he felt much better. He said, "I must try to walk and see whether I can find something to eat." He found many kinds of fruits and berries all around him, but he was afraid to eat them, as they were strange to him and he feared they might be poisonous. As he was walking along, all at once he spied a tall plant in the distance which had a familiar look. It looked like corn. He said to himself, "I wonder if it can be corn." At last he came near enough to recognize it. Yes, it was corn. It did not look exactly like the corn that he saw at home, but still he knew it would be safe to eat it. He broke off an ear and eagerly ate the kernels raw. Oh, how good it was! Robinson could not remember anything that tasted half so good. He ate as much as he wanted and then filled his pockets with ears of corn for his supper. Then he went back to the spring to get another drink. [Illustration] VIII ROBINSON ON AN ISLAND After his hunger and thirst were satisfied, Robinson thought he would