The Swiss family Robinson
string with balls in his pocket; he drew it out hastily, and making
a few steps backward, he threw it so skilfully as to entangle the
buffalo completely, and throw him down. As I could then approach him
safely, I tied his legs two and two together with a very strong cord;
the dogs released his ears, and from this moment we considered the
buffalo as our own.
The question was now, how we were to get the buffalo home: having
reflected, I conceived that the best way would be to tie his two
fore-legs together so tight that he could not run, yet loose enough
for him to walk; “and,” pursued I, “we will next adopt the method
practised in Italy; you will think it somewhat cruel, but the success
will be certain; and it shall afterwards be our study to make him
amends by the kindest care and treatment. Hold you the cord which
confines his legs with all your strength, that he may not be able to
move.” I then called Turk and Flora, and made each again take hold
of the ears of the animal; I took from my pocket a sharp-pointed
knife, and taking hold of the snout, I made a hole in the nostril,
into which I quickly inserted a string, which I immediately tied so
closely to a tree that the animal was prevented from the least motion
of the head, which might have inflamed the wound and increased his
pain. I drew off the dogs the moment the operation was performed.
The creature, thus rendered furious, would have run away, but the
stricture of the legs and the pain in the nostril prevented it. The
first attempt I made to pull the cord found him docile and ready to
accommodate his motions to our designs, and I perceived that we might
now begin our march.
I was unwilling to leave so fine a prey as the dead buffalo behind
us: I therefore, after considering what was to be done, began by
cutting out the tongue, which I sprinkled with some of the salt we
had in our provision-bag. I next took off the skin from the four
feet, taking care not to tear it in the operation. I remembered that
the Americans use these skins, which are of a soft and flexible
quality, as boots and shoes, and I considered them as precious
articles. I lastly cut some of the flesh of the animal with the
skin on, and salted it, and abandoned the rest to the dogs, as a
recompense for their behaviour. I then repaired to the river, to wash
myself, after which we sat down under the shade of a large tree, and
ate the rest of our provisions.
As we were not disposed to leave the spot in a hurry, I desired Jack
to take the saw and cut down a small quantity of the reeds, which
from their enormous size might be of use to us. We set to work, but
I observed that he took pains to choose the smallest. “What shall
we do,” said I, “with these small-sized reeds? You are thinking,
I presume, of a bagpipe, to announce a triumphal arrival to our
companions!”
“You are mistaken, father,” answered Jack; “I am thinking of some
candlesticks for my mother, who will set so high a value on them!”
“This is a good thought,” said I; “I am pleased both with the
kindness and the readiness of your invention, and I will assist you
to empty the reeds without breaking them; if we should not succeed,
at least we know where to provide ourselves with more.”
We had so many and such heavy articles to remove, that I dismissed
for that day all thoughts of looking further for the ass. I began
now to think of untying the young buffalo; and on approaching him
perceived with pleasure that he was asleep, which afforded me a proof
that his wound was not extremely painful. As I began to pull him
gently with the string, he gave a start; but he afterwards followed
me without resistance.
We repassed the river in safety, and, accompanied by the agreeable
sounds of its foaming cascades, we regained the narrow pass at the
turn of the rocks. We proceeded with caution, and when safe on the
other side, we thought of quickening our pace to arrive the sooner at
the hut.
The first solicitudes about health and safety being answered, we
entered upon the narrative of our adventures; when question after
question was so rapidly proposed to us, that we, on our parts, were
obliged to ask for the necessary time for our replies. All agreed
that our success with the buffalo was the most extraordinary of our
achievements: all longed for the morning, when they might take their
fill of looking at the spirited creature we had brought with us. The
day concluded with supper, and sound repose.
CHAPTER XXV
The Malabar Eagle--Sago Manufactory--Bees
My wife next morning began the conversation. She told me that
the boys had been good and diligent; that they had ascended Cape
Disappointment with her, and had gathered wood, and made some torches
for the night; and, what seemed almost incredible, had ventured to
fell and bring down an immense palm-tree. It lay prostrate on the
ground, and covered a space of at least seventy feet in length. To
effect their purpose, Fritz had got up the tree with a long rope,
which he fastened tight to the top of it. As soon as he had come
down again, he and Ernest worked with the axe and saw to cut it
through. When it was nearly divided, they carefully managed its fall
with the rope, and in this manner they succeeded. Fritz was in high
spirits too on another account: he brought me on his wrist a young
bird of prey, of the most beauteous plumage; he had taken it from
the nest in one of the rocks near Cape Disappointment. Very young as
the bird was, it had already all its feathers, though they had not
yet received their full colouring: it answered to the description
I had read of the beautiful eagle of Malabar, and I viewed it with
the admiration it was entitled to: meeting with one of these birds
is thought a lucky omen; and it being neither large nor expensive in
its food, I was desirous to keep it and train it like a falcon, to
pursue smaller birds. Fritz had already covered its eyes, and tied
a string to its foot: and I advised him to hold it often, and for a
length of time, on his hand, and to tame it with hunger, as falconers
do.
When all the narratives were concluded, I ordered a fire to be
lighted, and a quantity of green wood to be put on it, for the
purpose of raising a thick smoke, over which I meant to hang the
buffalo meat I had salted, to dry and preserve it for our future use.
The young buffalo was beginning to browse, and we gave him also a
little of the cow’s milk; and in a few days we fed him with a heap of
sliced roots, which he greedily devoured; and this led us to conclude
that the pains from the wound in his nose had subsided, and that he
would soon become tame.
The morning of this day was spent in again talking over our late
extraordinary adventures; we left our meat suspended over the smoke
of the fires during our sleep; we tied the young buffalo by the side
of the cow, and were pleased to see them agree and bid fair to live
in peace together. At night the dogs were set upon the watch. The
time of repose elapsed so calmly that none of us awoke to keep in
the torchlights, which now for the first time the industry of the
boys had supplied us with, and we did not get up till after sunrise.
After a moderate breakfast, I chanted the accustomed summons for our
setting out; but my young ones had some projects in their heads, and
neither they nor their mother were just then in the humour to obey me.
“Let us reflect a little first,” said my wife: “as we had so much
difficulty in felling the palm-tree, would it not be a pity to lose
our labour, by leaving it in this place? Ernest assures me it is a
sago-tree; if so, the pith would be an excellent ingredient for our
soups. Do, my dear, examine it, and let us see if in any way we can
turn it to account.”
I found she was in the right; but in that case it was necessary to
employ a day in the business; since to lay open from one end to the
other a tree of such a length and substance, was no trivial task.
I however consented; as, independent of the use of the farinaceous
pith, I could, by emptying it, obtain two handsome and large troughs
for the conveyance of water from Jackal’s River to my wife’s kitchen
garden at Tent House, and thence to my new plantations of trees.
I now desired them to bring me the graters they had used for the
manioc, and observed that they had to assist me in raising the
palm-tree from the ground, which must be done, continued I, by fixing
at each end two small cross pieces or props to support it; to split
it open as it lies would be a work of too much labour: this done, I
shall want several wooden wedges to keep the cleft open while I am
sawing it, and afterwards a sufficient quantity of water. “There is
the difficulty,” said my wife; “our Falcon’s Stream is too far off,
and we have not yet discovered any spring in the neighbourhood of
this place.”
_Ernest._--That is of no consequence, mother; I have seen hereabouts
so great an abundance of plants which contain water, that we need not
be at a loss; for they will fully supply us if I could only contrive
to get vessels enough to hold it.
We now produced the enormous reeds we had brought home, which, being
hollow, would answer the purpose of vessels; and as some time was
required to draw off the water from such small tubes, he and Francis
at once set to work: they cut a number of the plants, which they
placed slantingly over the brim of a vessel, and whilst that was
filling, they were preparing another. The rest of us got round the
tree, and with our united strength we soon succeeded in raising the
heavy trunk, and the top of it was then sawn off. We next began to
split it through the whole length, and this the softness of the wood
enabled us to effect with little trouble. We soon reached the pith
or marrow that fills up the middle of the trunk the whole of its
length. When divided, we laid one half on the ground, and we pressed
the pith together with our hands, so as to make temporary room for
the pith of the other half of the trunk, which rested still on the
props. We wished to empty it entirely, that we might employ it as a
kneading-trough, leaving merely enough of the pith at both ends to
prevent a running-out; and then we proceeded to form our paste.
My young manufacturers fell joyfully to work: they brought water,
and poured it gradually into the trough, whilst we mixed it with the
flour. In a short time the paste appeared sufficiently fermented; I
then made an aperture at the bottom of the grater on its outside,
and pressed the paste strongly with my hand: the farinaceous parts
passed with ease through the small holes of the grater, and the
ligneous parts which did not pass were thrown aside in a heap, in
the hope that mushrooms, etc., might spring from them. My boys were
in readiness to receive in reed vessels what fell from the grater,
and conveyed it directly to their mother, whose business was to
spread out the small grains in the sun upon sail-cloth, for the
purpose of drying them. Thus we procured a good supply of a wholesome
and pleasant food. The paste which remained was thrown upon the
mushroom-bed, and watered well to promote a fermentation.
We next employed ourselves in loading the cart with our tools and
the two halves of the tree. Night coming on, we retired to our hut,
where we enjoyed our usual repose, and early next morning were ready
to return to Falcon’s Stream. Our buffalo now commenced his service,
yoked with the cow; he supplied the want of the ass, and was very
tractable: it is true, I led him by the cord in his nose, and thus
restrained him whenever he was disposed to deviate from his duty.
We returned the same way as we came, in order to load the cart with a
provision of berries, wax and elastic gum. I sent forward Fritz and