The Swiss family Robinson
he discovered his imprudence. In vain he endeavoured to bring back
his words: it would not do, and the girl could no longer hide her sex
by the hat and pantaloons.
The next morning it was a comic sight to see the embarrassment and
awkwardness with which my sons approached one whom they had the day
before embraced as a companion and a brother. My poor boys were
not acquainted with the usages of polite society and the ease it
inspires, and they appeared to a great disadvantage by the side of
the beautiful English girl. The name of sister was substituted for
that of brother, but pronounced with reserve and embarrassment. As
for Emily, she was very much astonished at the discovery the young
men had made, and she retreated, as if for protection, to the arms of
my wife; but a moment after, recovering herself, she advanced, and
extending her hand to each one of the boys, gracefully demanded for
the sister the friendship they had extended to the brother. Gaiety
was re-established, and we sat down to breakfast, which was composed
of fruits, cold meat, and chocolate of our own making, which was a
great treat to my new daughter, and recalled her native land to her
mind. After breakfast I proposed to weigh anchor and return to the
Bay of Pearls, where the cachalot stranded on the shore offered us a
magnificent prey. Arrived there, we debated in what manner we could
carry away the oily substance with which the head and dorsal bone of
this animal is filled. Unfortunately we had no barrels in which we
could gather the precious product. Emily rescued us from our dilemma,
by mentioning a process she had seen employed in India, which was, to
put the half-liquid substance in wet linen bags. The idea appeared
excellent, and we immediately put it into practice. I gathered all
the sacks I could find, and dipping them in the sea-water, stretched
them open with pieces of branches. We were two hours engaged in these
preparations. The tide was not yet high enough to allow the pinnace
to approach the bank, where the whale lay; but we took the canoe and
the cajack and set off, leaving the two women under the safeguard of
Turk, and taking with us Folb, Braun, and the jackal. The monster lay
extended like a huge wall; our dogs ran up to it, and a moment after
we heard some animals howling dreadfully. We hastened up, and found
our brave dogs valiantly contending with a troop of black wolves, who
were devouring the whale. Two of their number were already stretched
on the sand, two others were yet engaged with the dogs, and the rest
fled at our approach toward a little wood.
Our dogs acquitted themselves bravely: four wolves lay stretched upon
the sand, but the noble animals had paid dearly for their victory;
the blood streamed from all parts of their bodies, and the ears of
Folb especially were dreadfully torn. Jack dressed their wounds with
some hydromel, while Fritz and Francis aided me in another work. The
former, after having armed his feet with cramp-irons, climbed like a
cat up the back of the monster, and cut open the enormous head of the
cachalot with a hatchet, and then with a ladle dipped the spermaceti
out of the head, and emptied it into one of the sacks which I held
ready, while Francis covered the outside with wet sand and mortar,
forming a solid crust through which none of the grease could escape.
Our sacks were soon full, for as fast as Fritz emptied the head the
cavity was filled by a fresh supply from the backbone. The operation
was very fatiguing, and I was glad when it was over. We then cut a
quantity of willows, and wove them into little pointed caps, with
which we covered the sacks, in order to shield them from the sun and
the birds of prey, who were fast assembling in great numbers.
We now thought of returning. The tide was high, but the load was too
heavy for the boat; we therefore were obliged to leave it and return
to the verdant little island, which we had named “Good Rencounter,”
because there we had first found Emily. The appearance of the sacks
ranged on the sand was very droll; they exactly resembled little
Chinese with their pointed hats, and we could not help laughing
heartily at the sight.
After having recounted our adventures, and shown our four fine
black wolves, with their superb skins, we were invited by our dear
housekeepers to sit down to an excellent dinner, enriched by a new
dish--a sauce after the manner of the Caribbees, made with eggs of
land-crabs, with which the island abounded. I was undecided as to
what means I should adopt to transport the spermaceti to the island,
for the pinnace could not approach the bank near enough, without risk
of running aground, and our other boats were not large enough. Every
one gave his advice; when it came to Emily’s turn, she observed, in
her soft, silvery tone, “If you are willing, my dear papa”--for
already she had accustomed herself to address me by that endearing
name--“if you are willing, while you and my brothers are engaged in
that disgusting tannery, I will promise to bring over your sacks.”
The next morning, before my sons were awake, Emily prepared for
her expedition; she took a bladder of fresh water, a basket of
provisions, and lightly descending the ladder of the pinnace, she
seated herself in Fritz’s cajack, untied it, and rowed off with a
grace and ease that surprised me. I would have called her back, but
the little vixen gaily kissed her hand, and soon was far on her way
toward the bank of sand. She had chosen just the right time; the tide
was rising, and had just commenced to wet the bottom of the sacks.
The adventurous girl jumped on shore, fastened all the sacks by cords
to a rope which she had with her, and tied the rope to the cajack,
and again embarking, drew after her all the sacks, the contents of
which, being light, floated like bladders on the water.
It was now full noon; we sat down to table, and, after dinner, began
our preparations for setting out for Felsenheim, where we desired to
instal our new companion. We packed up everything we had, including
Emily’s treasures, both those she had saved from shipwreck and those
she had made herself. Fritz had made her a box which held them all,
and they really were very curious, consisting of clothes, ornaments,
domestic utensils, and all sorts of articles which she had made in
her exile, out of the scanty material she had at her disposal.
Emily now bade adieu to the island that had received her, and the
trees that had sheltered her, during her short sojourn. We could not
leave the place without giving it a name, so we called the bay in
which we anchored “Happy Bay,” in allusion to the joyful meeting we
had had there. We now took the direction of the Bay of Pearls, where
we were obliged to make a short stay before returning to Felsenheim,
to which we were impatient to introduce our new companion.
CHAPTER LIX
The Limekiln--Fritz’s Story
Fritz, seated in his cajack, served as pilot to assist us in
penetrating safely through the rocks and shoals into the bay, where
at last we all arrived in safety. Everything was found just as we
had left it--the table and benches yet standing, our fireplace
undestroyed, and, what was more, the air was purified; and, the
oysters, having all been dried up by the sun, had lost their
unpleasant odour. The dead bodies of the lions and the wild boar were
but heaps of whitened bones, the birds of prey having completely
stripped them of every particle of flesh.
We wished to go direct to Felsenheim immediately; but an unexpected
discovery detained us a longer time than we intended. I had noticed
among the stones which strewed the shore, a sort of rock which
it appeared to me could be easily converted into lime. It was a
discovery too precious to be neglected, and I resolved to establish a
limekiln without delay on the beach. It did not take us long to make
one to suit our purpose; but the calcination of the stones occupied
us much longer, and we were obliged to sit up a great part of the
night. During this time we made some barrels of pieces of pine bark,
circled with strong withs of willow; a round piece of bark served
for the bottom, and another for the cover. To enliven our labour,
and to abridge the length of the evening, I persuaded Fritz to give
us a more complete account than he had hitherto done of the manner
in which he had found our new sister, and the details of his voyage.
It was the best way in which to employ our remaining time, and the
curiosity of my sons was so excited that they formed a circle about
Fritz, who thus commenced his narration.
“You all remember,” said he to his brothers, “the manner in which
I left you, after having given my father a letter which contained
an account of my intended excursion. The sea was calm; but I had
scarcely passed the Bay of Pearls, when suddenly a violent wind
arose, gradually increasing to a perfect hurricane; the rising waves,
the rain, the thunder and lightning, all confounded in horrible
confusion. My little bark was not strong enough to resist the
tremendous sea, and all that I could do was to abandon myself to the
current.
“After several hours the wind fell and the air calmed, and my canoe
again found its equilibrium upon the surface of the waters. I was
far from all the places that we were acquainted with; the tempest
had thrown me on a coast entirely new to my eyes; the conformation
of the rocks, the gigantic cliffs which seemed to lose themselves in
the clouds, the vegetation, the animals I perceived on the coast, the
birds which flew about me, all announced a new world. My first care
was to look carefully around and see whether some light smoke did not
rise behind the rocks; for, as you know, the Smoking Rock was my only
thought. I could perceive nothing as yet; but full of hope, I rowed
along the coast. Night came on, and I passed it in the cajack, after
having made a miserable supper on pemmican.
“The next morning I continued my journey, and the farther I advanced,
the more the coast appeared to change its aspect. I encountered, from
time to time, majestic rivers, which flowed silently on and mingled
with the sea. The mouth of one of them resembled an immense bay, and
I decided to ascend it some little distance; its banks were covered
with large trees, willows, and vines, so thickly woven together, that
they resembled a huge mat, covered with birds, monkeys, and even
squirrels.
“Toward the middle of the day the heat became so unsupportable, that
it was impossible to resist the desire of seeking some shade under
the trees. After being slightly refreshed, I pursued my route, and
sailed on a long time without being able to land; the rivers and
shores were both defended by guards I had little desire to come in
contact with, for I recognized elephants, lions, panthers--in one
word, a complete reunion of all the ferocious animals of creation.
After travelling several leagues farther, the appearance of the coast
suddenly changed, and, as if the ferocious animals had had their
district marked out to them, I ceased to perceive any. The shore
appeared peaceable, but desolate; the breeze which murmured among the
vines, and the song of some inoffensive birds were the only noises
which broke the calm stillness, and I felt reassured, and resolved
to land and procure a repast. I accordingly fastened my cajack as
strongly as possible, and jumped lightly to the shore; and being
hungry, I lighted my fire, and began to prepare a juicy dinner from a
fat goose which I had shot while landing, and a dozen of oysters.
“I rose long before daylight next morning and resumed my voyage.
The country through which I now sailed was of an aspect entirely
different from any I had ever yet seen. There were beautiful green