The Swiss family Robinson
I had discovered the secret: no sooner were his eyes covered than
he became as quiet as a lamb. I approached, passed a large band of
seadog-skin around his body, two other bands were attached as reins
to each side, and his legs were fastened with strong cords, long
enough to allow him to walk, but which confined him sufficiently to
prevent his escape.
I then attached our two coursers before and behind the ostrich with
strong cords; and when all was ready, my two cavaliers jumped into
their saddles, and I pulled the covering from the head of the ostrich.
The bird remained some time immovable, as if astonished at the return
of light. It soon made a start; but the ropes pulled it roughly back,
and it fell down on its knees; again it made the attempt, and again
it was foiled. It tried to fly, but its wings were tightly fastened
by the band I had passed around them: its legs were also restrained:
it threw itself from side to side with the utmost violence, but the
patient buffaloes did not pay the least attention to the pulling and
hauling. At last the bird appeared convinced of the inutility of its
efforts, and, submitting to its two companions, set off with them at
full gallop. They dashed gallantly on for half an hour, until the
buffalo and the bull, less accustomed to the sands of the savanna
than the ostrich, forced it to abate its rapid pace, and adopt a
slower system of movement.
While the two young cavaliers were thus occupied, Fritz and I set
out in search of the ostrich nest. The cross of willows which we had
planted in the ground near it, at our last visit, still remained,
and, as we approached, a female bird rose up off the nest and fled
rapidly away into the desert. Her presence appeared to us a good
augury, as it assured us that the eggs still retained the principle
of life. I had taken care to bring with me a sack and a quantity
of cotton. I now took out six of the eggs, and, enveloping them as
carefully as possible in the cotton, placed them in the sack, leaving
the others in the nest, in hopes the mother would not discover the
theft.
We traversed the Green Valley without perceiving anything uncommon,
and soon arrived at the tent, where Ernest and his mother received us
with an astonishment they could not find words to express.
I fastened the ostrich securely between two trees, and the rest of
the day was devoted to preparations for our departure on the morrow.
We had a number of new riches to collect, and I wished to leave
nothing behind us.
The next day we set off early. The ostrich took his place between the
bull and the buffalo, as before; he was, at first, inclined to be
refractory, and threw himself from right to left, but all in vain:
his two conductors were like immovable masses, against which all
resistance was unavailing.
Fritz mounted the young colt Rapid, and I the onagra, while Ernest
directed the car, in the middle of which my wife sat in all her
majesty, among the provisions. Our march was slow, but it was very
picturesque, as may be imagined.
We halted at the entrance of the defile where my sons had suspended
the cord with the feathers attached, to keep back the antelopes and
gazelles. In the place of the cord, we erected a solid palisade of
bamboo, high enough to keep out all animals that do not climb. We
planted a row of thorn bushes on each side, and sprinkled a layer of
sand all around, so that we could discover what sort of animals might
frequent it. During the construction of this fence we made a new
discovery; it was that of the Vanilla bean, which I recognized by its
brown pods and balsamic odour.
Our labours at the defile detained us a long time, and it was
night when we arrived at the cabin of the Hermitage. We found
our smoking-hut the same as before, and our provision of peccary
untouched. We lighted a fire, and, after a frugal repast, extended
ourselves on our sacks of cotton, and courted balmy sleep.
The next day, we discovered a new treasure: our henhouse had received
an addition of twenty young chicks--the product of the eggs Jack had
brought home in his hat. My wife was enchanted at this discovery, and
caught several pairs to take home with her.
We were so anxious to return to our dear Felsenheim, and to resume
all our comforts and luxuries, that we resolved not to stop again
until we arrived there. It was long after noon when our weary journey
was finished. We were worn out with fatigue; the sun’s rays had been
pouring down on our heads all day, and our strength was so exhausted
we could scarcely give our animals their evening food.
CHAPTER XLVIII
Progress in Ostrich Discipline--Efficacy of
Tobacco Smoke--Hydromel--The New
Hat--Pottery
The day after our arrival at Felsenheim, my wife commenced “cleaning
house.” Windows were opened, beds aired, and all swept and garnished.
While she and the two younger boys were thus employed, I, with the
two elder, unpacked and distributed the riches we had brought home.
We had tied the ostrich, at first, under a tree, and securely
fastened his feet; but we changed his situation, and tied him to one
of the strong bamboo columns that supported the gallery.
We next visited the eggs, and they were, like the first, submitted
to the trial of warm water. Several of them fell heavily to the
bottom; but three or four moved slightly when immersed in the water,
and these were carefully preserved, in order that we might try the
experiment of hatching them by cotton and artificial heat. For this
purpose I constructed an oven, in which I took care to maintain that
degree of heat which the thermometer marked as being the natural heat
of the hen.
We then installed our Angora rabbits on Shark Island; we constructed
a burrow in the ground, similar to those of Europe, and, before
putting them in, we combed them, and removed all the superfluous
hair. We also fixed wooden combs over the entrance of each burrow, so
that the rabbits, when passing in or out, would be deprived of some
part of their fine wool, which I intended to manufacture into hats.
The two antelopes were also transported to Shark Island. We should
have liked very much to keep these charming little creatures about
us, but the fear of the dogs and beasts of prey forced us to condemn
the timid creatures to confinement. In order to render their exile as
agreeable as possible, I erected a hut in the middle of the island,
to shelter them, and we took good care to provide them with plenty of
provisions.
I wished, before the rains came on, to prepare a field to receive
the seeds we had hitherto confided to the earth without any order
or regularity. It was a difficult enterprise, and we felt in all
its reality the force of that law which condemned man to gain his
bread by the sweat of his brow. Our faithful animals were of much
assistance to us; but the sun was so intense that the slightest
labour utterly exhausted them. We could work but four hours in
the day: two in the morning and two in the evening; we were able,
however, to prepare at last about two acres of land, which would
furnish us an ample harvest of maize, potatoes, and manioc-root.
During the intervals of our fatiguing field labours, we occupied
ourselves by beginning the education of the ostrich. It was an
enterprise as difficult as it was novel; but I had read that it could
be accomplished, and I was resolved to try it.
Our pupil began by putting himself in a terrible passion; he
struggled, snapped at us with his beak, and cut up all sorts of
capers; but we could find no better remedy for such conduct than to
treat him as we had treated Fritz’s eagle, that was, by burning
tobacco under his nose. This had the desired effect, and we soon saw
the majestic bird totter and fall insensible to the ground. We had
recourse to this plan several times. Little by little we relaxed
the cord which fastened it to the bamboo post, and gave it room to
wander about the doorway. A litter of rushes was provided for him;
calabashes filled with sweet nuts, rice, maize, and guavas were
placed every day before the animal; in a word, we neglected nothing
that we thought would consort with the fellow’s taste.
During three days all our cares were in vain: our choice dishes were
regarded with great disdain, the beautiful captive would not eat, and
it carried its obstinacy so far that at last I was seriously afraid
of the consequences. At last an idea occurred to my wife, which
relieved us from all embarrassment. It was to poke down the throat of
the bird, willy nilly, balls of maize and butter. The ostrich made
horrible faces at first, but when it got a taste of the balls, all
trouble on that point was over, and the delicacies we placed before
it were quickly devoured, the guavas, by the bye, being especially
favoured.
The natural savageness of the bird disappeared more and more every
day; it would let us approach it without striking at us, and after
some days we thought we could, without much risk, unfasten it, to
take a short lesson in the art of walking. We placed it between the
buffalo and the bull, and put it through all the exercises of the
stable--to trot, to gallop, stop short, trot again, walk slow, etc.
I cannot say that the poor bird relished his first lesson very much,
but the tobacco pipe and the whip were two admirable instructors, and
when he was disposed to become unruly a whiff of tobacco would set
all to rights.
At the end of the month its education was complete, and it had so
well succeeded that I now seriously thought of making our new
conquest of general usefulness. I wished it to associate with our
domestic animals, to submit like them to regular movements, and to
stop and march as we wished. The first thing that was to be thought
of was a bit; but how could I contrive a bit for a beak? I had never
seen one, and I must confess that I felt greatly embarrassed; at last
I achieved my task. I had remarked that the absence of light had a
very direct influence upon the ostrich; it would stop short when
blindfolded, and could not be induced to move until its eyes were
uncovered. This discovery was the basis of the new invention that
I constructed. I made, with the skin of a sea-dog, a sort of hood,
like the one we had made for the eagle, which covered the head, being
fastened about the neck. I made two openings in the side of this
hood, one opposite each eye, and covered each of these holes with one
of our little turtle-shells, attached to a whale-bone spring, fixed
in such a manner that it would open and shut. Reins were fastened to
these springs, so that, by their action, we could admit the light
or shut it out, just as we pleased. When the two shells were open,
the ostrich galloped straight on; when one was opened, it went in a
direction corresponding with the eye that received light, and when
both shells were shut, it would stop short. The most fully trained
horse could not have obeyed better than our ostrich did under his
novel head-dress.
My children thought that the education of our captive was now
complete; but I was of a different opinion. The ostrich is a very
robust animal, and capable of supporting a great deal of fatigue.
I wished it to learn to carry burdens, to draw a carriage, and be
adapted for horsemanship; I began, consequently, to make harness
for each of these occupations. We had a great deal of difficulty in
making the ostrich submit to our wishes; our hardest task was
to make it submit to our mounting it; but I knew that patience and
perseverance are the two first elements of success in imparting
education. I was not, therefore, discouraged, and at last we had the
satisfaction to see our new courser galloping between Felsenheim and