Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖
- Author: Johann David Wyss
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reflection, as well as observation. These are valuable; but sudden
action is so often necessary in life, that I advise you to cultivate
the power of instantly perceiving and deciding what must be done in
cases of emergency. Presence of mind is a precious quality, which,
although natural in some characters, may be acquired to a certain
degree by all who train themselves to it.’
Once on the seashore, our work was quickly accomplished, for selecting
the wood I thought fit for my purpose, we laid it across the broad
leafy branch, and, with some help from us, the donkey dragged a very
fair load of it homewards, with the addition of a small chest which I
raised from among the sand which nearly covered it.
We heard the boys popping away at the birds as we drew near. They
hastened to meet us, and inquired where we had been, looking curiously
at the chest, which I allowed them to open, while I asked my wife to
excuse our `absence without leave’; and after submitting to her gentle
reprimand, I explained my plan for a sledge, which pleased her greatly,
and she already imagined it loaded with her hogshead of butter, and on
its way from Tentholm to Falconhurst.
The chest proved to be merely that of a common sailor, containing his
clothes, very much wetted by the sea water.
The boys exhibited an array of several dozen birds, and related,
during breakfast, the various incidents of failure and success which
had attended their guns. Ernest had rightly guessed the mistakes they
would make, but practise was making them perfect, and they seemed
disposed to continue their sport, when their mother, assuring them that
she could not use more birds than those already killed, asked if I did
not think some means of snaring them might be contrived, as much powder
and shot would be expended if they fired on at this rate.
Entirely agreeing with this view of the subject, I desired the lads to
lay aside their guns for the present, and the younger ones readily
applied themselves to making snares of the long threads drawn from the
leaves of the karatas in a simple way I taught them, while Fritz and
Ernest gave me substantial assistance in the manufacture of the new
sledge.
We were busily at work, when a tremendous disturbance among our fowls
led us to suppose that a fox or wild cat had got into their midst. The
cocks crowed defiantly, the hens fluttered and cackled in a state of
the wildest excitement.
We hastened towards them, but Ernest remarking Master Knips slipping
away, as though conscious of some misdemeanour, went to watch him, and
presently caught him in the act of eating a new-laid egg, which he had
carried off and hidden among the grass and roots. Ernest found several
others.
These were very welcome to my wife, for hitherto the hens had not
presented us with any eggs. Hereafter she determined to imprison the
monkey every morning until the eggs had been collected.
Soon after this, as Jack was setting the newly made snares among the
branches, he discovered that a pair of our own pigeons were building in
the tree. It was very desirable to increase our stock of these pretty
birds, and I cautioned the boys against shooting near our tree while
they had nests there, and also with regard to the snares, which were
meant only to entrap the wild-fig-eaters.
Although my sons were interested in setting the snares, they by no
means approved of the new order to economize on ammunition.
No doubt they had been discussing this hardship, for little Franz came
to me with a brilliant proposal of his own.
`Papa,’ said he, `why should not we begin to plant some powder and shot
immediately? It would be so much more useful than bare grain for the
fowls.’
His brothers burst into a roar of laughter, and I must confess I found
it no easy matter to keep my countenance.
`Come, Ernest,’ said I, `now we have had our amusement, tell the
little fellow what gunpowder really is.’
`It is not seed at all, Franz,’ Ernest explained. `Gunpowder is made of
charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre, mixed cleverly together; so you see it
cannot be sown like corn, any more than shot can be planted like peas
and beans.’
My carpentering meantime went on apace. In order to shape my sledge
with ends properly turned up in front, I had chosen wood which had been
part of the bow of the vessel, and was curved in the necessary way for
my purpose. Two pieces, perfectly similar, formed the sides of my
sleigh, or sledge, and I simply united these strongly by fixing short
bars across them. Then, when the ropes of the donkey’s harness were
attached to the raised points in front, the equipage was complete and
ready for use.
My attention had been for some time wholly engrossed by my work, and I
only now observed that the mother and her little boys had been busily
plucking above two dozen of the wild birds, and were preparing to roast
them, spitted in a row on a long, narrow sword blade, belonging to one
of our ship’s officers.
It seemed somewhat wasteful to cook so many at once, but my wife
explained that she was getting them ready for the butter-cask I was
going to fetch for her on the new sledge, as I had advised her to
preserve them half-cooked, and packed in butter.
Amused at her promptitude, I could do nothing less than promise to go
for her cask directly after dinner. For her part, she resolved in our
absence to have a grand wash of linen and other clothes, and she
advised me to arrange regular baths for all the boys in future.
Early in the afternoon Ernest and I were ready to be off. Fritz
presented us each with a neat case of margay skin to hang at our
girdles.
We harnessed both cow and ass to the sledge and, accompanied by Juno,
cheerfully took our departure, choosing the way by the sands, and
reaching Tentholm without accident or adventure.
There, unharnessing the animals, we began at once to load the sledge,
not only with the butter-cask, but with a powder-chest, a barrel of
cheese, and a variety of other articles—ball, shot, tools and Turk’s
armour, which had been left behind on our last visit.
Our work had so closely engaged our attention, that when we were ready
to leave it and go in search of a good bathing-place, we discovered
that our two animals had wandered quite out of sight, having crossed
the bridge to reach the good pasture beyond the river.
I sent Ernest after them, and went alone to the extremity of the bay.
It terminated in bold and precipitous cliffs, which extended into the
deep water, and rose abruptly so as to form an inaccessible wall of
rock and crag. Swampy ground, overgrown with large canes, intervened
between me and these cliffs. I cut a large bundle of the reeds, and
returned to Ernest.
It was some time before I found him, comfortably extended full length
on the ground near the tent, and sleeping as sound as a top, while the
cow and the ass, grazing at will, were again making for the bridge.
`Get up, Ernest, you lazy fellow!’ exclaimed I, much annoyed, `Why
don’t you mind your business? Look at the animals! They will be over
the river again!’
`No fear of that, father,’ returned he, with the utmost composure. `I
have taken a couple of boards off the bridge. They won’t pass the gap.’
I could not help laughing at the ingenious device by which the boy had
spared himself all trouble; at the same time I observed that it is
wrong to waste the precious moments in sleep when duty has to be
performed. I then bid him go and collect some salt, which was wanted at
home, while I went to bathe.
On coming back, much refreshed, I again missed Ernest, and began to
wonder whether he was still gathering salt, or whether he had lain down
somewhere to finish his nap, when I heard him loudly calling: `Father,
father! I’ve caught a fish! An immense fellow he is. I can scarcely
hold him, he drags the line so!’
Hastening towards the spot, I saw the boy lying in the grass, on a
point of land close to the mouth of the stream, and with all his might
keeping hold of a rod. The line was strained to the utmost by the
frantic efforts of a very large fish, which was attempting to free
itself from the hook.
I quickly took the rod from him, and giving the fish more line, led him
by degrees into shallow water. Ernest ran in with his hatchet and
killed him. It proved to be a salmon of full fifteen pounds weight, and
I was delighted to think of taking such a valuable prize to them.
`This is capital, Ernest!’ cried I. `You have cleared yourself for once
of the charge of laziness! Let us now carry this splendid salmon to the
sledge. I will clean and pack it for the journey, that it may arrive in
good condition, while you go and take a bath in the sea.’
All this being accomplished, we harnessed our beasts to the well-laden
vehicle, and replacing the boards on the bridge, commenced the journey
home.
We kept inland this time, and were skirting the borders of a grassy
thicket, when Juno suddenly left us, and plunging into the bushes, with
fierce barking hunted out, right in front of us, the most
singular-looking creature I ever beheld. It was taking wonderful flying
leaps, apparently in a sitting posture, and got over the ground at an
astonishing rate. I attempted to shoot it as it passed, but missed.
Ernest, who was behind me, observed its movements very coolly, and
seeing that the dog was puzzled, and that the animal, having paused,
was crouching among the grass, went cautiously nearer, fired at the
spot he had marked, and shot it dead.
The extraordinary appearance of this creature surprised us very much.
It was as large as a sheep, its head was shaped like that of a mouse;
its skin also was of a mouse-colour; it had long ears like a hare, and
a tail like a tiger’s. The forepaws resembled those of a squirrel, but
they seemed only half-grown while the hind legs were enormous, and so
long, that when upright on them the animal would look as if mounted on
stilts.
For some time we stood silently wondering at the remarkable creature
before us. I could not recollect to have seen or heard of any such.
`Well, father,’ said Ernest at last, `I should say this was about the
queerest beast to be met with anywhere. I am glad I knocked it over.
How they will all stare when I carry it home!’
`You have had a lucky day altogether, certainly,’ said I, `but I
cannot think what this animal can be. Examine its teeth, and let us see
to what class of mammalia it belongs. We may be led to guess at its
name in that way.’
`I see four sharp incisor teeth, father—two upper, and two under, as a
squirrel has.’
`Ah! Then he is a rodent. What rodents can you remember, Ernest?’
`I do not know them all, but there are the mouse, the marmot, the
squirrel, the hare, the beaver, the jerboa—’
`The jerboa!’ I exclaimed, `The jerboa! Now we shall have
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