Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (microsoft ebook reader TXT) 📖
- Author: Johann David Wyss
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`Brave little boy,’ said I. `Well, now, if the trunk be sufficiently
hollow to contain a swarm of bees, it may be for all we can tell hollow
the greater part of its length, for like the willow in our own country
it might draw all its nourishment through the bark, and in spite of its
real unsoundness retain a flourishing appearance.’
Master Jack, practical as usual, instantly sprang to his feet to put my
conjecture to the proof. The rest followed his example, and they were
all soon climbing about like squirrels peeping into the hole, and
tapping the wood to discover by sound how far down the cavity extended.
They forgot, in their eagerness, who were the tenants of this
interesting trunk. They were soon reminded of it, however, for the
bees, disturbed by this unusual noise, with an angry buzz burst out and
in an instant attacked the causers of the annoyance; they swarmed round
them, stung them on the hands, face, and neck, settled in their hair,
and pursued them as they ran to me for assistance.
It was with difficulty that we got rid of the angry insects, and were
able to attend to the boys. Jack, who had been the first to reach the
hole, had fared the worst and was soon a most pitiable sight, his face
swelled to an extraordinary degree, and it was only by the constant
application of cold earth that the pain was alleviated. They were all
eager to commence an organized attack upon the bees at once, but for an
hour or more by reason of their pain they were unable to render me much
assistance.
In the meanwhile I made my arrangements. I first took a large calabash
gourd, for I intended to make a beehive, that, when we had driven the
insects from their present abode, we might not lose them entirely. The
lower half of the gourd I flattened, I then cut an arched opening in
the front for a doorway, made a straw roof as a protection from the
rain and heat, and the little house was complete.
Nothing more however could then be done, for the irritated bees were
still angrily buzzing round the tree. I waited till dark, and then when
all the bees had again returned to their trunk, with Fritz’s assistance
I carefully stopped up every hole in the tree with wet clay, that the
bees might not issue forth next morning before we could begin
operations.
Very early were we up and at work. I first took a hollow cane, and
inserted one end through the clay into the tree; down this tube with
pipe and tobacco I smoked most furiously.
The humming and buzzing that went on within was tremendous; the bees
evidently could not understand what was going to happen. I finished my
first pipeful, and putting my thumb over the end of the cane, I gave
the pipe to Fritz to refill. He did so and I again smoked. The buzzing
was now becoming less noisy, and was subsiding into a mere murmur. By
the time I had finished this second pipe all was still; the bees were
stupefied.
`Now then, Fritz,’ said I, `quick with a hammer and chisel, and stand
here beside me.’
He was up in a moment, and, together, we cut a small door by the side
of the hole; this door however, we did not take out, but we left it
attached by one corner that it might be removed at a moment’s notice,
then giving the bees a final dose of tobacco smoke, we opened it.
Carefully but rapidly we removed the insects, as they clung in
clusters to the sides of the tree, and placed them in the hive
prepared for their reception. As rapidly I then took every atom of wax
and honey from their storehouse, and put it in a cask I had made ready
for the purpose.
The bees were now safely removed from the trunk, but I could not tell
whether, when they revived from their temporary stupor, they might not
refuse to occupy the house with which I had presented them, and insist
on returning to their old quarters. To prevent the possibility of this
occurrence I took a quantity of tobacco, and, placing it upon a board
nailed horizontally within the trunk, I lighted it and allowed it to
burn slowly that the fumes might fill the cavity.
It was well I did so, for, as the bees returned to consciousness, they
left their pretty hive and buzzed away to the trunk of the tree. They
seemed astonished at finding this uninhabitable, and an immense deal of
noisy humming ensued. Round and round they flew, backwards and forwards
between the gourd and tree, now settling here and now there, until, at
length, after due consideration, they took possession of the hive and
abandoned their former habitation to us the invaders of their
territory. By the evening they were quite quiet, and we ventured to
open the cask in which we had stored our plunder.
We first separated the honey from the honeycomb and poured it off into
jars and pots; the rest we then took and threw into a vessel of water
placed over a slow fire. It soon boiled and the entire mass became
fluid. This we placed in a clean canvas bag, and subjected to a heavy
pressure. The honey was thus soon forced out, and we stored it in a
cask, and, though not perhaps quite equal to the former batch in
quality, it was yet capital. The wax that remained in the bag I also
carefully stored, for I knew it would be of great use to me in the
manufacture of candles. Then after a hard day’s work we turned in.
The internal architecture of the tree had now to be attended to, and
early the following morning we prepared for the labourious task. A door
had first to be made, so at the base of the trunk we cut away the bark
and formed an opening just the size of the door we had brought from the
captain’s cabin, and which, hinges and all, was ready to be hung.
The clearing of the rotten wood from the centre of the trunk occupied
us some time, but at length we had the satisfaction of seeing it
entirely accomplished, and, as we stood below, we could look up the
trunk, which was like a great smooth funnel, and see the sky above.
It was now ready for the staircase, and first we erected in the centre
a stout sapling to form an axis round which to build the spiral stairs;
in this we cut notches to receive the steps, and corresponding notches
in the tree itself to support the outer ends. The steps themselves we
formed carefully and neatly of planks from the wreck, and clenched them
firmly in their places with stout nails.
Upwards and upwards we built, cutting windows in the trunk as we
required, to admit light and air, until we were flush with the top of
the centre pole. On this pole we erected another to reach the top of
the tree, and securing it firmly, built in the same way round it until
we at length reached the level of the floor of the nest above.
To make the ascent of the stairs perfectly easy we ran a hand-rail on
either side, one round the centre pillar, and the other following the
curve of the trunk.
This task occupied us a whole month, and by the end of that period, so
accustomed had we become to having a definite piece of work before us
that we began to consider what other great alteration we should
undertake.
We were, however, of course not neglecting the details of our colonial
establishment. There were all the animals to be attended to; the goats
and sheep had both presented us with additions to our flock, and these
frisky youngsters had to be seen after; to prevent them straying to any
great distance, for we had no wish to lose them, we tied round their
necks little bells, which we had found on board the wreck, and which
would assist us to track them.
Juno, too, had a fine litter of puppies, but, in spite of the
entreaties of the children, I could not consent to keep more than two,
and the rest disappeared in that mysterious way in which puppies and
kittens are wont to leave the earth. To console the mother, as he said,
but also, I suspect, to save himself considerable trouble, Jack placed
his little jackal beside the remaining puppies, and, to his joy, found
it readily adopted.
The other pets were also flourishing, and were being usefully trained.
The buffalo, after giving us much trouble, had now become perfectly
domesticated, and was a very useful beast of burden, besides being a
capital steed for the boys. They guided him by a bar thrust through the
hole in his nose, which was now perfectly healed, and this served the
purpose just as a bit in the mouth of a horse. I began his education by
securing round him a broad girth of buffalo-hide and fastening to it
various articles, to accustom him to carrying a burden. By degrees he
permitted this to be done without making the slightest resistance, and
soon carried the panniers, before borne by the ass, readily and
willingly.
I then made Master Knips sit upon his back and hold the reins I had
prepared for him, that the animal might become accustomed to the
feeling of a rider, and finally allowed Fritz himself to mount.
The education of the eagle was not neglected. Fritz every day shot
small birds for his food, and these he placed sometimes between the
wide-spreading horns of the buffalo or goat, and sometimes upon the
back of the great bustard, that he might become accustomed to pounce
upon living prey.
These lessons had their due effect, and the bird, having been taught to
obey the voice and whistle of his master, was soon allowed to bring
down small birds upon the wing, when he stooped and struck his quarry
in most sportsmanlike manner. We kept him well away from the
poultry-yard lest his natural instincts should show themselves, and he
should put an untimely end to some of our feathered pets.
Neither was Master Knips allowed to remain idle, for Ernest, now that
he was in his possession, wished to train him to be of some use. With
Jack’s help he made a little basket of rushes, which he so arranged
with straps that it might be easily fitted on to the monkey’s back.
Thus equipped he was taught to mount cocoanut palms and other lofty
trees, and to bring down their fruit in the hamper.
Jack was not so successful in his educational attempts. Fangs, as he
had christened his jackal, used his fangs indeed, but only on his own
account; nothing could persuade him that the animals he caught were not
at once to be devoured, consequently poor Jack was never able to save
from his jaws anything but the tattered skin of his prey. Not
disheartened, however, he determined that Fangs could be trained, and
that he would train him.
These, and suchlike employments, afforded us the rest and recreation we
required while engaged in the labourious task of staircase building.
Among my minor occupations, I applied myself to the improvement of our
candles. Though the former batch had greatly delighted us at first, yet
we were soon obliged to acknowledge that the light they gave was
imperfect, and their appearance was unsightly; my
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