The Swiss family Robinson
eager to know if you discovered, in your excursion, any traces of our
ship companions?”--“Not the smallest trace of man, dead or alive, on
land or water,” replied Fritz.
Soon after we had taken our meal, the sun began to sink into the
west. Our little flock of fowls assembled round us, pecking here and
there what morsels of our biscuit had fallen on the ground.--Just at
this moment my wife produced the bag she had so mysteriously huddled
into the tub. Its mouth was now opened; it contained the various
sorts of grain for feeding poultry--barley, peas, oats, etc., and
also different kinds of seeds and roots of vegetables for the table.
In the fulness of her kind heart she scattered several handfuls at
once upon the ground, which the fowls began eagerly to seize. Our
pigeons sought a roosting-place among the rocks; the hens, with the
two cocks at their head, ranged themselves in a line along the ridge
of the tent; and the geese and ducks betook themselves in a body,
cackling and quacking as they proceeded, to a marshy bit of ground
near the sea, where some thick bushes afforded them shelter.
A little later, we began to follow the example of our winged
companions, by beginning our preparations for repose. First, we
loaded our guns and pistols, and laid them carefully in the tent;
next, we assembled together and joined in offering up our thanks
to the Almighty for the succour afforded us, and supplicating his
watchful care for our preservation. With the last ray of the sun we
entered our tent, and, after drawing the sail-cloth over the hooks,
to close the entrance, we laid ourselves down close to each other on
the grass and moss we had collected in the morning.
CHAPTER III
Voyage of Discovery
I was roused at the dawn of day by the crowing of the cocks. I awoke
my wife, and we consulted together as to the occupations we should
engage in. We agreed that we should seek for traces of our late ship
companions, and at the same time examine the nature of the soil on
the other side of the river, before we determined on a fixed place
of abode.--My wife easily perceived that such an excursion could not
be undertaken by all the members of the family; and she courageously
consented to my proposal of leaving her with the three youngest boys,
and proceeding myself with Fritz on a journey of discovery.
The children were soon roused; even our slothful Ernest submitted to
the hard fate of rising so early in the morning.
We now prepared for our departure: we took each a bag for game, and
a hatchet: I put a pair of pistols in the leather band round Fritz’s
waist, in addition to the gun, and provided myself with the same
articles, not forgetting a stock of biscuit and a flask of fresh
river water. My wife now called us to breakfast, when all attacked
the lobster; but its flesh proved so hard, that there was a great
deal left when our meal was finished, and we packed it for our
journey without further regret from any one.
In about an hour we had completed the preparations for our journey.
I had loaded the guns we left behind, and I now enjoined my wife to
keep by day as near the boat as possible, which in case of danger
was the best and most speedy means of escape. My next concern was to
shorten the moment of separation, judging by my own feelings those of
my dear wife; for neither could be without painful apprehensions of
what new misfortune might occur on either side during the interval.
We all melted into tears:--I seized this instant for drawing Fritz
away, and in a few moments the sobs and often repeated adieus of
those we left behind died away in the noise of the waves which we
now approached, and which turned our thoughts upon ourselves and the
immediate object of our journey.
The banks of the river were everywhere steep and difficult, excepting
at one narrow slip near the mouth on our side, where we had drawn
our fresh water. The other side presented an unbroken line of sharp,
high, perpendicular rocks. We therefore followed the course of the
river till we arrived at a cluster of rocks at which the stream
formed a cascade: a few paces beyond, we found some large fragments
of rock which had fallen into the bed of the river: by stepping upon
these, and making now and then some hazardous leaps, we contrived
to reach the other side. We proceeded a short way along the rock
we ascended in landing, forcing ourselves a passage through tall
grass, which twined with other plants, and was rendered more capable
of resistance by being half dried by the sun. Perceiving, however,
that walking on this kind of surface in so hot a sun would exhaust
our strength, we looked for a path to descend and proceed along the
river, where we hoped to meet with fewer obstacles, and perhaps to
discover traces of our ship companions.
When we had walked about a hundred paces, we heard a loud noise
behind us, as if we were pursued, and perceived a rustling motion
in the grass, which was almost as tall as ourselves. I was a good
deal alarmed, thinking that it might be occasioned by some frightful
serpent, a tiger, or other ferocious animal. Our alarm was, however,
short; for what was our joy on seeing rush out, not an enemy, but
our faithful Turk, whom in the distress of the parting scene we had
forgotten, and whom no doubt our anxious relatives had sent on to us!
We again pursued our way. On our left was the sea, and on our right
the continuation of the ridge of rocks which began at the place of
our landing, and ran along the shore, the summit everywhere adorned
with fresh verdure and a great variety of trees. We were careful
to proceed in a course as near the shore as possible, casting our
eyes alternately upon its smooth expanse and upon the land in all
directions to discover our ship companions, or the boats which had
conveyed them from us; but our endeavours were in vain.
When we had gone about two leagues, we entered a wood situated a
little further from the sea: here we threw ourselves on the ground,
under the shade of a tree, by the side of a clear running stream,
and took out some provisions and refreshed ourselves. We heard the
chirping, singing, and motion of birds in the trees, and observed, as
they now and then came out to view, that they were more attractive
by their splendid plumage than by any charm of note. Fritz assured
me that he had caught a glimpse of some animals like apes among the
bushes, and this was confirmed by the restless movements of Turk, who
began to smell about him, and to bark so loud that the wood resounded
with the noise. Fritz stole softly about to be sure, and presently
stumbled on a small round body which lay on the ground: he brought
it to me, observing that it must be the nest of some bird.--“What
makes you of that opinion?” said I. “It is, I think, much more like a
cocoa-nut.”
“But I have read that there are some kinds of birds which build their
nests quite round: and look, father, how the outside is crossed and
twined.”
“But do you not perceive that what you take for straws crossed and
twined by the beak of a bird, is in fact a coat of fibres formed
by the hand of Nature? Do you not remember to have read that the
cocoa-nut is enclosed within a round, fibrous covering, which again
is surrounded by a skin of a thin and fragile texture? I see that in
the one you hold in your hand, this skin has been destroyed by time,
which is the reason that the twisted fibres (or inner covering) are
so apparent: but now let us break the shell, and you will see the nut
inside.”
We soon accomplished this; but the nut, alas! from lying on the
ground, had perished, and appeared but little different from a bit of
dried skin, and not the least inviting to the palate.
A little later we had the good luck to meet with another nut. We
opened it, and finding it sound, we sat down and ate it for our
dinner, by which means we were enabled to husband the provisions
we had brought. The nut, it is true, was a little oily and rancid;
yet, as this was not a time to be nice, we made a hearty meal, and
then continued our route. We did not quit the wood, but pushed our
way across it, being often obliged to cut a path through the bushes
overrun by creeping plants, with our hatchet. At length we reached
a plain, which afforded a more extensive prospect, and a path less
perplexed and intricate.
We next entered a forest to the right, and soon observed that
some of the trees were of a singular kind. Fritz, whose sharp eye
was continually on a journey of discovery, went up to examine them
closely. “Oh, heavens! father, what odd trees, with wens growing all
about their trunks!” I had soon the surprise and satisfaction of
assuring him that they were bottle gourds, the trunks of which bear
fruit. Fritz, who had never heard of such a plant, could not conceive
the meaning of what he saw, and asked me if the fruit was a sponge or
a wen.--“We will see,” I replied, “if I cannot unravel the mystery.
Try to get down one of them, and we will examine it minutely.”
“I have got one,” cried Fritz, “and it is exactly like a gourd, only
the rind is thicker and harder.”
“It then, like the rind of that fruit, can be used for making various
utensils,” observed I; “plates, dishes, basins, flasks. We will give
it the name of the gourd-tree.”
Fritz jumped for joy.--“How happy my mother will be!” cried he in
ecstasy; “she will no longer have the vexation of thinking, when she
makes soup, that we shall all scald our fingers.”
We accordingly proceeded to the manufacture of our plates and dishes.
I taught my son how to divide the gourd with a bit of string, which
would cut more equally than a knife; I tied the string round the
middle of the gourd as tight as possible, striking it pretty hard
with the handle of my knife, and I drew it tighter and tighter
till the gourd fell apart, forming two regular-shaped bowls or
vessels; while Fritz, who had used a knife for the same operation,
had entirely spoiled his gourd by the irregular pressure of his
instrument. I recommended his making some spoons with the spoiled
rind, as it was good for no other purpose. I, on my part, had soon
completed two dishes of convenient size, and some smaller ones to
serve as plates.
Fritz was in the utmost astonishment at my success. “I cannot
imagine, father,” said he, “how this way of cutting the gourd could
occur to you!”
“I have read the description of such a process,” replied I, “in books
of travels; and also that such of the savages as have no knives, and
who make a sort of twine from the bark of trees, are accustomed to
use it for this kind of purpose.”
“And the flasks, father; in what manner are they made?”
“For this branch of their ingenuity they make preparation a long time
beforehand. If a negro wishes to have a flask, or bottle with a neck,
he binds a piece of string, linen, or bark of a tree, or anything
he can get, round the part nearest the stalk of a very young gourd;
he draws this bandage so tight that the part at liberty soon forms
itself to a round shape, while the part which is confined contracts,
and remains ever after narrow. By this method it is that they obtain
flasks or bottles of a perfect form.”
Our conversation and our labour thus went on together. Fritz had
completed some plates, and was not a little proud of the achievement.
“Ah, how delighted my mother will be to eat upon them!” cried he.
“But how shall we convey them to her? They will not, I fear, bear
travelling well.”
“We must leave them here on the sand for the sun to dry them
thoroughly; this will be accomplished by the time of our return this
way, and we can then carry them with us; but care must be taken to
fill them with sand, that they may not shrink or warp in so ardent a