Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖
- Author: Johann David Wyss
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wand, continuing to whistle the prettiest tunes I could think of; and
the lizard gave signs of pleasurable contentment, stretching his limbs
and moving his tail in token of enjoyment.
Suddenly, availing myself of a movement of his head, I cast the noose
over it, drew the cord tight and, placing my foot on the body, I was
about to kill it by piercing the nostril—almost the only vulnerable
part in this singular reptile—when Jack received such a slap from its
tail, which it was furiously driving in all directions, as sent him
rolling over like a nine-pin.
At the same time he opened his jaws, when the boys took fright at the
row of sharp teeth, and thinking that the sooner he was dead the
better, were for battering him with sticks; but I assuring them my
method would kill him more quickly and without pain, thrust my rod into
his nostril, on which the blood flowed and the lizard soon expired.
The boys seemed to think me as wonderful a person as a snake-charmer,
and the success of my stratagem, as well as of the means by which the
lizard was slain, called forth great admiration, since they never had
heard of the animal, nor of the method of capturing it so commonly
practised in the West Indies.
Now came the question of how we were to carry this unwieldy burden. I
had a great dislike to killing any creature and leaving it useless
behind me; so, without more ado, I fairly took it on my back, and
marched off with it.
As we came towards the Calabash Wood, we could hear the voices of the
deserted mother and child calling us in anxious tones; for indeed our
protracted absence alarmed them. We shouted joyously in reply, and our
appearance, as we issued from the woods, afforded them welcome relief
from their fears, although the dreadful creature on my back startled
them not a little.
There was so much to tell, so much to be seen, that for a time hunger
and thirst were forgotten; and no one thought even of the water we had
vainly gone in search of, until Master Knips, having slyly possessed
himself of some of our new-found apples, was discovered munching away
and enjoying them amazingly—which instantly gave the boys a strong
wish to eat some also; and as the bustard likewise pecked at them
without hesitation, I felt sure there could be no danger; and on
tasting them, I concluded it was the fruit of the guava, a West Indian
plant, which we were delighted to have.
Although refreshing, this fruit rather sharpened than appeased our
appetites, and we were glad to eat the provisions we had brought from
home, without waiting to cook anything, as we had originally intended.
It was, in fact, high time to move homewards, and we thought it best
not to encumber ourselves with the sledge and the greater part of its
load, but to leave it until the next day. The ass was laden with the
iguana and the bustard; and little Franz, tired as he was, looked in
vain for a spare seat on its back.
Our road home lay through a majestic forest of oak trees, beneath
which lay numberless acorns, some of which we gathered as we went
along; and at length, before night closed in, we all reached
Falconhurst in safety. When supper was ready, we were thankful to
recruit our exhausted strength by eating heartily of a piece of
broiled iguana, with potatoes and roast acorns, which tasted like
excellent chestnuts.
The first thing to be done on the following day was to return to the
Calabash Wood, to fetch the sledge with the dishes, bowls and baskets
we had made.
Fritz alone accompanied me. I desired the other boys to remain with
their mother, intending to explore beyond the chain of rocky hills, and
thinking a large party undesirable on the occasion.
Passing through the wood of evergreen oaks, we observed our sow
feasting on the acorns, evidently not a whit the worse for the fright
we had given her the previous day—in fact, she appeared more friendly
disposed towards us than usual, possibly considering us as her
deliverers from the jaws of the savage dogs.
Many birds tenanted this grove, and were undisturbed by our movements,
until Fritz fired and shot a beautiful blue jay, and a couple of
parakeets, one a brilliant scarlet, the other green and gold. Fritz was
in the act of reloading his gun, when an unaccountable noise struck our
ears, and put us instantly on the alert, because it appeared like the
dull thumping sound of a muffled drum, and reminded us of the possible
presence of savages.
With the greatest caution we drew nearer the sound, concealing
ourselves among the low bushes and thick grass and creepers, until we
reached an open glade; where, standing on an old prostrate log, was a
beautiful bird, about the size of a cock, of a rich chestnut brown
colour, finely mottled with dark brown and grey. On the shoulders were
curious tufts of velvety black feathers, glossed with green. He was
ruffling his wings, erecting his tail and neck feathers, strutting and
wheeling about in a most strange and stately fashion.
After manoeuvring for some time in this manner, greatly to the
edification of a party of birds resembling him but without any ruff,
who, assembled round the stump, were enjoying his performances, he
spread out his tail like a fan, stiffened his wings, and began to
strike with them in short, rapid beats, faster and faster, until a
rumbling sound like very distant thunder was produced, and the whirring
wings enveloped him as in a cloud.
This was the drumming noise which had alarmed us, increased, as I
imagine, by the wing strokes falling at times on the decayed and
hollow stump on which the curious pantomime was acted.
I was watching it with the utmost interest, when a shot from behind me
was fired, and in a moment the play was at an end; my over-hasty son
had changed the pretty comedy into a sad and needless tragedy. The
enthusiastic drummer fell dead from his perch, and the crowd of
admiring companions fled in dismay.
The cruel interruption of a scene so rare and remarkable annoyed me
extremely, and I blamed Fritz for firing without my leave. I felt sure
the bird was the ruffed grouse, and a very fine specimen.
We placed it on the ass, which was patiently awaiting our return, and
went on our way.
The sledge was quite safe where we had left it; it was early in the
day, and I resolved to explore, as I had intended, the line of cliff
and rocky hills, which, at more or less distance from the seashore,
extended the whole length of coast known or visible to us.
I desired to discover an opening, if any existed, by which to
penetrate the interior of the country, or to ascertain positively that
we were walled in and isolated on this portion of the coast. Leaving
Calabash Wood behind us, we advanced over ground covered with manioc,
potatoes and many plants unknown to us; pleasant streamlets watered the
fruitful soil, and the view on all sides was open and agreeable.
Some bushes attracted my notice, loaded with small white berries, of
peculiar appearance like wax, and very sticky when plucked. I
recognized in this a plant called by botanists Myrica cerifera, and
with much pleasure explained to Fritz that, by melting and straining
these berries, we might easily succeed in making candles, and afford
very great satisfaction to his mother, who did not at all approve of
having to lay her work aside and retire to rest the moment the sun set.
The greenish wax to be obtained would be more brittle than bees’ wax,
but it would burn very fairly, and diffuse an agreeable perfume. Having
the ass with us, we lost no time in gathering berries enough to fill
one of the large canvas bags he carried, and we then continued our
route.
Very soon we met with another natural curiosity, the curious
appearance of which surprised us much. This was the abode, under one
roof, of a whole colony of birds, about the size of yellowhammers, but
of plain brown plumage. The nests were built in a mass round the stem
and among the branches of a tree standing alone, and a kind of roof
formed of grass, straws and fibres covered them all, and sheltered the
community from rain and the heat of the sun.
There were numbers of openings into the irregular sides of the group of
dwellings, the nests resembling different apartments in a house common
to all; twigs and small branches emerged here and there from the walls,
and served as perches for the young birds, and resting-places and posts
of observation for all. The general appearance of the establishment
reminded us of a huge bath-sponge.
The feathered inhabitants swarmed in and out by thousands, and we saw
among them many beautiful little parrots, who seemed in many instances
to contest possession of the nest with the lawful owners.
Fritz, being an expert climber and exceedingly anxious to examine the
nests more closely, ascended the tree, hoping to obtain one or two
young birds, if any were hatched. He put his hand into several holes,
which were empty; but at last his intended theft and robbery met with
repulse and chastisement he little expected; for, reaching far back
into a nest, his finger was seized and sharply bitten by a very strong
beak, so that with a cry he withdrew his hand, and shook it vigorously
to lessen the pain.
Recovering from the surprise, he again and more resolutely seized the
unkind bird, and, despite its shrieks and screams, drew it from its
retreat, crammed it into his pocket, buttoned up his coat and slid
quickly to the ground, pursued by numbers of the captive’s relations,
who darted from the other holes and flew round the robber, screeching
and pecking at him in a rage.
Fritz’s prize was not one of the real owners of the nests, which were
those of the sociable grosbeak, but a very pretty, small, green parrot,
with which he was greatly pleased, and which he at once determined to
tame and teach to speak; for the present, it was carefully remanded to
prison in his pocket.
This curious colony of birds afforded us matter of conversation as we
went on our way; their cheerful sociable habits, and the instinct which
prompted them to unite in labour for the common good, appearing most
wonderful to us.
`Examples of the kind, however,’ said I, `are numerous, in various
classes of animals. Beavers, for instance, build and live together in a
very remarkable way. Among insects, bees, wasps, and ants are well
known as social architects; in like manner, the coral insect works
wonders beneath the ocean waves, by force of perseverance and united
effort.’
`I have often watched ants at work,’ said Fritz; `it is most amusing to
see how they carry on the various works and duties of their
commonwealth.’
`Have you ever noticed how much trouble they take with the eggs?’
inquired I, to see how far he understood the process; `carrying them
about in the warmth of the sun until they are hatched?’
`Ah! That is rather the chrysalis of the antworm, or larva, which is
produced from an egg. I know they are called ants’ eggs, but strictly
speaking, that is incorrect.’
`You are perfectly right, my boy. Well,
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