At daylight O'Brien got up.
"Now, Peter, a little practice before breakfast." "What practice do you mean ?" "Mean! why on the stilts.

I expect in a week that you'll be able to dance a gavotte at least; for mind me, Peter, you travel out of France upon these stilts, depend upon it." O'Brien then took the stilts belonging to the man, giving, me those of the woman.

We strapped them to our thighs, and by fixing our backs to a tree, contrived to get upright upon them; but, at the first attempt to walk, O'Brien fell to the right, and I fell to the left.

O'Brien fell against a tree, but I fell on my nose, and made it bleed very much; however, we laughed and got up again, and although we had several falls, at last we made a better hand of them.

We then had some difficulty in getting down again, but we found out how, by again resorting to a tree.
After breakfast we strapped them on again, and practised, and so we continued to do for the whole day, when we again attacked our provisions, and fell asleep under our horse-rug.