The Swiss family Robinson
The professor, who willingly forgot the sarcasms and pleasantries
that were showered upon him, whenever he availed himself of an
opportunity to display his scientific knowledge, now began to explain
this former remark.
“In the savannas of North America, in some places beds of marl are
found which contain salt, of which the animals are very fond: the
buffaloes especially flock in great numbers to this luxury which
Nature has provided for them. The natives of the country lie in
ambush for them there, and numbers fall victims to their avidity. In
the absence of salt marl,” continued the professor, “we can, if we
wish, prepare artificially a substitute for it, where the graceful
antelopes will fall into the snare. We can, for that purpose, mix
together the porcelain clay and some salt.”
“Adopted! adopted!” responded all the little boys unanimously.
“Long live philosopher Ernest, first professor of the academy of
Falsenheim, doctor, librarian, manager of the museum, naturalist and
so forth!”
To plan an excursion and ask my permission was the work of an
instant, and my harebrained youngsters promised themselves so much
pleasure that I had not the disposition to deny them.
“Oh do, do, papa!” was the general cry; “an excursion is much more
fun than constructing bridges.”
“I will make some pemmican,” said Fritz; “we have bear’s meat enough
left for it.”
“And I,” said Jack, with a mysterious air, “I will take two pigeons
with me. I have got an idea in my head.”
“And I,” added little Francis, “will take care of the coursers; and
if Fritz will take my advice, he will take the cajack along--it will
sail so nicely on the lake; and perhaps we can capture some of the
black swans. Oh, how beautiful a pair of those swans would look in
the basin of Falcon’s Nest!”
The weather was calm and serene, and everything promised a pleasant
excursion to the adventurers.
The making of pemmican was commenced immediately, under the
inspection of Fritz. The meat was pounded and crushed, until, after
two days of hard work, it was reduced to half its former size. I
tasted the meat of which Fritz boasted so much, and I did not think
it bad.
Baskets, sacks, and all utensils necessary for the excursion were
collected together; even our old sledge was brought down, and it
was mounted on cannon-wheels, and loaded with all that the young
adventurers intended to carry with them. The cajack, arms, provision
for the mouth and for war--nothing was forgotten; anything that came
into their heads they piled on, and a caravan in the desert could not
have made more preparation.
The morning of departure arrived. Every one was awake before day; and
Jack, without saying a word to anybody, climbed up into the dove-cot,
and took out several pairs of pigeons.
“How is this?” said I, as I saw the youngster placing his pigeons in
a basket. “It appears that you gentlemen take precautions to provide
a variety for yourselves. I am only afraid that those old pigeons
will be pretty tough eating.”
The fellow looked at me knowingly for a moment, but did not answer.
When they were about to set off, I saw him conversing mysteriously
with Ernest; but I could discover nothing, and I contented myself
with waiting a surprise of some kind, as I knew they intended one.
At last they were ready to set out. My wife enjoined my sons to be
prudent; we embraced them, and they soon disappeared in a cloud
of dust, with the coursers and the sledge. Ernest alone remained
with his mother and me, and we employed ourselves in constructing a
sugar-cane press, which my wife had much need of. The machine, which
was composed of three cylinders, placed upright, differed very little
from the ordinary presses, with the exception that it was arranged so
as to be moved by animals.
Meanwhile our young adventurers were pursuing their course toward the
savanna. I will relate their adventures here as they were recounted
to us on the return of the party.
They had passed over the tract of land that separated Family Bridge
from the country which we had called Waldegg, or the Hermitage,
and where they intended to pass the day, when, on approaching the
farmhouse, they heard cries like that of a person in distress. It
was a sort of wild, maniacal laugh; and the animals stopped in
terror; the dogs barked and howled fearfully; and the ostrich, more
frightened than the others, fled in the direction of the Lake of
Swans with such rapidity that all the efforts of its master could not
check it. The bull and the onagra trembled so violently that Fritz
and his brother were obliged to dismount.
Francis seized his gun, put two pistols in his belt, called Folb and
Braun, and calmly walked on in the direction of the strange laugh. He
had not gone more than thirty paces when he perceived, through the
bushes, an enormous hyena, who, after having killed one of our sheep,
was devouring it; while ever and anon that strange laugh of joy would
echo from its blood-stained lips. The presence of the little hunter
did not disturb the monster in his horrid repast. While rolling his
flaming eyes, he tore the poor sheep in pieces. But Francis wanted
neither courage nor presence of mind: he placed himself behind a
tree, and taking good aim, he discharged both barrels of his gun,
and was so fortunate as to break both the fore-legs and pierce the
breast of the hyena. The dogs then rushed on; their terror changed
into rage. The most terrible combat now ensued between them and the
furious monster; growls and cries resounded through the air, and the
blood flowed in torrents.
Fritz, who had succeeded in attaching the onagra and the bull to a
tree, now ran up at the sound of the double explosion and the noise
of the dogs. They would have fired again and terminated the combat,
but the dogs were so close to the hyena that they were afraid of
hitting them, so that they were obliged to await the issue of the
combat. Folb took the hyena by the throat, and Braun by the muzzle,
and there they held him until he dropped down dead. My sons uttered
a cry of joy; and calling off the dogs, dressed the wounds they had
received by rubbing them with hydromel and bears’ grease, which they
had brought with them to eat.
When my sons had established their tent, etc., at Waldegg, they set
off with the sledge to bring the hyena thither. The following day was
entirely devoted to skinning the animal and preparing the hide. While
they were thus employed, we were calmly conversing under the vault of
the grotto.
“I wonder where my brothers are,” said Ernest. “I think we shall very
soon have news from them.”
“What put that idea into your head?” said his mother.
“Oh! I dreamed it,” said Ernest.
“Bah! A great confidence your dreams will induce!” replied my wife.
While we were thus talking, a bird, whose genus we could not discover
on account of the obscurity, fluttered in at the open door of the
dove-cot.
“Shut it, shut it!” cried Ernest; “to-morrow morning we will inspect
our new guest. Who knows! perhaps it is a courier from New Holland,
and bears despatches under its wing from Sydney, Port Jackson and so
forth.”
“Why, how is it your thoughts run on despatches and news this
evening, Ernest?”
“Ah, it is nothing,” answered he, with indifference; “only the
arrival of that pigeon recalled to my mind something I have been
reading to-day, concerning the correspondence the ancient Greeks and
Romans carried on by means of carrier-pigeons.”
The next morning, Ernest rose before me, and paid a visit to the
dove-cot; I said nothing; and after breakfast I saw him coming
in, holding in his hand a piece of paper, folded and sealed like
a government letter, which he presented to me on bended knees,
saying as he did so, “Noble and gracious lord of these lands, I beg
you to excuse the postmaster of Felsenheim for the delay that the
despatches from Sydney and New Holland have experienced; the packet
was retarded, and did not arrive till very late last evening.”
His mother and I burst into a laugh at this ridiculous speech.
“Well,” replied I, continuing the jest, “what are our subjects in
Sydney and New Holland engaged in? Will the secretary open and read
the despatches?”
At these words, Ernest broke the seal of the paper, and, elevating
his voice, commenced--
“_The Governor-General of New Holland, to the Governor of
Felsenheim, Falcon’s Nest, Waldegg, the Field of the
Sugar-Canes, and the surrounding country._
“GREETING,
“Noble and faithful ally! We learn with displeasure that
three men, whom we suppose to be part of your colony, are
making inroads into our savannas, and doing much damage
to the animals of the province; we have also learned that
frightful hyenas have broken through the limits of our
quarter, and killed many of the domestic animals of our
colonists. We therefore beg you, on one part, to call back
your starving huntsmen; on the other, to provide measures
to purge the country of the hyenas and other ferocious
beasts that infest it. Especially I pray God, my Lord
Governor, that He will keep you under His holy protection.
“Done under our hand and seal at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson,
the twelfth day of the eighth month of the thirty-fourth
year of the colony.
“PHILIP PHILLIPSON, _Governor_.”
Ernest stopped in laughter at the effect the letter produced on us.
I felt that there was some mystery, and I was anxious to get at the
bottom of it. Ernest enjoyed my evident embarrassment, and, jumping
up and down as children do, he let fall a new paper from his pocket.
I caught it up, and was going to read it, when he laid his hand on my
arm, saying--
“Those also are despatches; they came from Waldegg, and, although
less pompous than General Phillipson’s, perhaps they are more
truthful. Listen, then, to a letter from Waldegg----”
“Oh, do explain to us,” said I, “this prolonged enigma. Did your
brothers leave a letter before they went? Is the news of the hyena
true? Did they act so rashly as to attack the animal?”
“Here is a letter from Fritz,” replied Ernest; “my pigeon brought it
to me last night.”
He opened the paper and read the following words--
“DEAR PARENTS, and you, my good ERNEST,--I will inform you
of our arrival at Waldegg; we there found a hyena, who had
devoured several of our sheep. Francis alone has all the
honour of having killed the monster, and he deserves much
praise for his intrepidity: we have passed the whole day in
preparing the skin, which is very fine, and will be very
useful. The pemmican is the most detestable stuff I ever
tasted. Adieu! we embrace you tenderly in spirit.
“FRITZ.”
“A true hunter’s letter,” cried I. “But this hyena, how could it have
found its way into our domains? Has the palisade been overturned?”
“We shall probably receive another letter this evening,” said Ernest,
“and that will give us further details of the expedition.”
After dinner a new pigeon was seen to enter the dove-cot. Ernest,
who had not remained quiet one moment during the day, immediately
shut the door of the dove-cot, removed from the wing of the aërial
messenger the despatch he had brought, and delivered it to us; it
read as follows--
“The night has been fine--the weather beautiful--excursion
in cajack on lake--capture of some black swans--several new
animals--apparition and sudden flight of an aquatic beast,
entirely unknown to us--to-morrow at Prospect Hill.
“Be of good cheer;
“Your sons,
“FRITZ, JACK, and FRANCIS.”