The Swiss family Robinson
discovered my wife coming out of the tent, and looking attentively
towards the vessel, and at the same moment perceived the motion of
the flag upon the shore. A load of anxiety was thus taken from my
heart; for I had the certainty that all were in good health, and had
escaped the dangers of the night.--“Now that I have had a sight of
your mother,” said I to Fritz, “my next concern is for the animals on
board; let us endeavour to save the lives of some of them at least,
and to take them with us.”
“Would it be possible to make a raft, to get them all upon it, and in
this way get them to shore?” asked Fritz.
“But what a difficulty in making it! and how could we induce a cow,
an ass, and a sow, either to get upon a raft, or, when there, to
remain motionless and quiet? The sheep and goats one might perhaps
find means to remove, they being of a more docile temper: but for the
larger animals, I am at a loss how to proceed.”
“My advice, father, is to tie a long rope round the sow’s neck, and
throw her without ceremony into the sea: her immense bulk will be
sure to sustain her above water; and we can draw her after the boat.”
“Your idea is excellent: but unfortunately it is of no use but for
the pig; and she is the one I care the least about preserving.”
“Then here is another idea, father: let us tie a swimming-jacket
round the body of each animal, and contrive to throw one and all into
the water; you will see that they will swim like fish, and we can
draw them after us in the same manner.”
“Right, very right, my boy; your invention is admirable: let us
therefore not lose a moment in making the experiment.”
We hastened to the execution of our design: we fixed a jacket on
one of the lambs, and threw it into the sea; and full of anxious
curiosity, I followed the poor beast with my eyes. He sank at first,
and I thought him drowned; but he soon reappeared, shaking the water
from his head, and in a few seconds he had learned completely the art
of swimming. After another interval, we observed that he appeared
fatigued, gave up his efforts, and suffered himself to be borne along
by the course of the water, which sustained and conducted him to our
complete satisfaction.--“Victory!” exclaimed I, hugging my boy with
delight: “these useful animals are all our own; let us lose not a
moment in adopting the same means with those that remain; but take
care not to lose our little lamb.” Fritz now would have jumped into
the water to follow the poor creature, who was still floating safely
on the surface; but I stopped him till I had seen him tie on a
swimming-jacket. He took with him a rope, first making a slip-knot in
it, and soon overtaking the lamb, threw it round his neck, and drew
him back to our boat: and then took him out of the water.
We next got four small water-butts. I emptied them, and then
carefully closed them again. I united them with a large piece of
sail-cloth, nailing one end to each cask. I strengthened this with
a second piece of sail-cloth, and this contrivance I destined to
support the cow and the ass, two casks to each, the animal being
placed in the middle, with a cask on either side. I added a thong of
leather, stretching from the casks across the breast and haunches of
the animal, to make the whole secure; and thus, in less than an hour,
both my cow and my ass were equipped for swimming.
It was next the turn of the smaller animals: of these, the sow gave
us the most trouble: we were first obliged to put a muzzle on her
to prevent her biting; and then we tied a large piece of cork under
her body. The sheep and goats were more accommodating, and we had
soon accoutred them for our adventure. And now we had succeeded
in assembling our whole company on the deck, in readiness for the
voyage: we tied a cord to either the horns or the neck of each
animal, and to the other end of the cord a piece of wood similar
to the mode used for making nets, that it might be easy for us to
take hold of the ropes, and so draw the animal to us if it should
be necessary. We began our experiment with the ass, by conducting
him as near as possible to the brink of the vessel, and then
suddenly shoving him off. He fell into the water, and for a moment
disappeared; but we soon saw him rise, and in the action of swimming
between his two barrels, with a grace which really merited our
commendation.
Next came the cow’s turn: and as she was infinitely more valuable
than the ass, my fears increased in due proportion. The ass had swum
so courageously, that he was already at a considerable distance from
the vessel, so that there was sufficient room for our experiment on
the cow. We had more difficulty in pushing her overboard; but she
reached the water in as much safety as the ass had done before; she
did not sink so low in it, and was no less perfectly sustained by the
empty barrels; and she made her way with gravity, and, if I may so
express it, a sort of dignified composure. According to this method
we proceeded with our whole troop, throwing them one by one into the
water, where by and by they appeared in a group floating at their
ease, and seemingly well content. The sow was the only exception: she
became quite furious, set up a loud squalling, and struggled with so
much violence in the water, that she was carried to a considerable
distance, but fortunately in a direction towards the landing-place we
had in view. We had now not a moment to lose. Our last act was to put
on our cork jackets; and then we descended without accident through
the cleft, took our station in the boat, and were soon in the midst
of our troop of quadrupeds. We carefully gathered all the floating
bits of wood, and fastened them to the stern of the machine, and thus
drew them after us. When everything was adjusted, and our company in
order, we hoisted our sail, which, soon filling with a favourable
wind, bore us towards the land.
Proud of the success of so extraordinary a feat, we were in high
spirits, and seated ourselves in the tubs, where we made an excellent
dinner. I was occupied in thinking of those I had left on land,
when a sudden exclamation from Fritz filled me with alarm.--“Oh,
heavens!” cried he, “we are lost! a fish of an enormous size is
coming up to the boat.”--“And why lost?” said I, half angry, and yet
half partaking of his fright. “Be ready with your gun, and the moment
he is close upon us we will fire upon him.” He had nearly reached
the boat, and with the rapidity of lightning had seized the foremost
sheep: at this instant Fritz aimed his fire so skilfully, that the
balls of the gun were lodged in the head of the monster, which was an
enormous shark. The fish half turned himself round in the water and
hurried off to sea, leaving us to observe the lustrous smoothness of
his belly, and that as he proceeded he stained the water red, which
convinced us he had been severely wounded.
The animal being now out of sight, and our fears appeased, I resumed
the rudder; and as the wind drove us straight towards the bay, I took
down the sail, and continued rowing till we reached a convenient spot
for our cattle to land. I had then only to untie the end of the cords
from the boat, and they stepped contentedly on shore. Our voyage thus
happily concluded, we followed their example.
Ernest and Jack now ran to the boat, and began to shout their
admiration of the mast, the sail, and the flag, desiring their
brother to explain to them how all the things they saw had been
effected, and what he himself did of them. In the meantime we began
to unpack our cargo, while Jack stole aside and amused himself with
the animals, took off the jackets from the sheep and goats, bursting
from time to time into shouts of laughter at the ridiculous figure
of the ass, who stood before them adorned with his two casks and his
swimming apparatus, and braying loud enough to make us deaf.
By and by I perceived, with surprise, that Jack had round his waist
a belt of metal covered with yellow skin, in which were fixed two
pistols. “In the name of Heaven,” exclaimed I, “where did you procure
this curious costume, which gives you the look of a smuggler?”
“From my own manufactory,” replied he; “and if you cast your eyes
upon the dogs, you will see more of my specimens.”
Accordingly I looked at them, and perceived that each had on a collar
similar to the belt round Jack’s waist, with, however, the exception
of the collars being armed with nails, the points of which were
outwards, and exhibited a formidable appearance. “And is it you, Mr.
Jack,” cried I, “who have invented and executed these collars and
your belt?”
“Yes, father, they are indeed my invention, with a little of my
mother’s assistance when it was necessary to use the needle.”
“But where did you get the leather and the thread and the needle?”
“Fritz’s jackal furnished the first,” answered my wife; “and as
to the last, a good mother of a family is always provided with
them. Then have I not an enchanted bag, from which I draw out such
articles as I stand in need of? So if you have a particular fancy for
anything, you have only to acquaint me with it.” I tenderly embraced
her, to express my thanks for this effort to amuse by so agreeable a
raillery, and Jack too came in for his share both of the caresses and
our hearty commendations.
Perceiving that no preparations were making for supper, I told Fritz
to bring us the Westphalia ham. The eyes of all were now fixed upon
me with astonishment, believing that I could only be in jest; when
Fritz returned, displaying with exultation a large ham, which we
had begun to cut in the morning. “A ham!” cried one and all; “a ham!
and ready dressed! What a nice supper we shall have!” said they,
clapping their hands to give a hearty welcome to the bearer of so
fine a treat.--“It comes quite in the nick of time too,” interrupted
I; “for, to judge by appearances, a certain careful steward I could
name seems to have intended to send us supperless to bed, little
thinking, I suppose, that a long voyage by water is apt to increase
the appetite.”
“I will tell you presently,” replied my wife, “what it was that
prevented me from providing a supper for you all at an early hour:
your ham, however, makes you ample amends; and I have something in my
hand with which I shall make a pretty side-dish; in the twinkling of
an eye you shall see it make its entrance.” She now showed us about a
dozen of turtles’ eggs, and then hurried away to make an omelette of
some of them.
“Look, father,” said Ernest, “if they are not the very same which
Robinson Crusoe found in his island! See, they are like white balls,
covered with a skin like wetted parchment! We found them upon the
sands along the shore.”
“Your account is perfectly just, my dear boy,” said I: “by what
means did you make so useful a discovery?”--“Oh, that is part of our
history,” interrupted my wife; “for I also have a history to relate,
when you will be so good as to listen to it.”
“Hasten then, my love, and get your pretty side-dish ready, and we
will have the history for the dessert. In the meantime I will relieve
the cow and the ass from their jackets. Come along, boys, and give me
your help.”--I got up, and they all followed me gaily to the shore.
We were not long in effecting our purpose with the cow and the ass,
who were animals of a quiet and kind temper; but when it was the
sow’s turn, our success was neither so easy nor so certain; for no
sooner had we untied the rope than she escaped from us, and ran so
fast that none of us could catch her. The idea occurred to Ernest of
sending the two dogs after her, who caught at her ears, and sent her
back, while we were half deafened with the hideous noise she made;
at last she suffered us to take off her cork jacket. We now laid the