Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (portable ebook reader .txt) 📕

Chapter 3

`I will spare you a description,’ said my wife, `of our first day’s

occupations; truth to tell, I spent the time chiefly in anxious thought

and watching your progress and signals. I rose very early this morning,

and with the utmost joy perceiving your signal that all was right,

hastened to reply to it, and then while my sons yet slumbered, I sat

down and began to consider how our position could be improved.

 

`“For it is perfectly impossible,” said I to myself, “to live much

longer where we are now. The sun beats burningly the livelong day on

this bare rocky spot, our only shelter is this poor tent, beneath the

canvas of which the heat is even more oppressive than on the open

shore. Why should not I and my little boys exert ourselves as well as

my husband and Fritz? Why should not we too try to accomplish something

useful?

 

`“If we could but exchange this melancholy and unwholesome abode for

a pleasant shady dwelling-place, we should all improve in health and

spirits. Among those delightful woods and groves where Fritz and his

father saw so many charming things, I feel sure there must be some

little retreat where we could establish ourselves comfortably; there

must be, and I will find it.”

 

`By this time the boys were up, and I observed Jack very quietly and

busily occupied with his knife about the spot where Fritz’s jackal lay.

Watching his proceedings, I saw that he had cut two long narrow strips

of the animal’s skin, which he cleaned and scraped very carefully, and

then taking a handful of great nails out of his pocket, he stuck them

through the skin points outwards, after which he cut strips of canvas

sailcloth twice as broad as the thongs, doubled them, and laid them on

the raw side of the skin so as to cover the broad flat nail heads.

 

`At this point of the performance, Master Jack came to me with the

agreeable request that I would kindly stitch the canvas and (moist)

skin together for him. I gave him needles and thread, but could not

think of depriving him of the pleasure of doing it himself.

 

`However, when I saw how good-humouredly he persevered in the work with

his awkward unskilful fingers, I took pity upon him, and conquering the

disgust I felt, finished lining the skin dog-collars he had so

ingeniously contrived. After this I was called upon to complete in the

same way a fine belt of skin he had made for himself. I advised him to

think of some means by which the skin might be kept from shrinking.

 

`Ernest, although rather treating Jack’s manufacture with ridicule,

proposed a sensible-enough plan, which Jack forthwith put in execution.

He nailed the skin, stretched flat, on a board, and put it in the sun

to dry.

 

`My scheme of a journey was agreed to joyously by my young companions.

Preparations were instantly set on foot: weapons and provisions

provided: the two elder boys carrying guns, while they gave me charge

of the water flask, and a small hatchet.

 

`Leaving everything in as good order as we could at the tent, we

proceeded towards the stream, accompanied by the dogs. Turk, who had

accompanied you on your first expedition, seemed immediately to

understand that we wished to pursue the same route, and proudly led the

way.

 

`As I looked at my two young sons, each with his gun, and considered

how much the safety of the party depended on these little fellows, I

felt grateful to you, dear husband, for having acquainted them in

childhood with the use of firearms.

 

`Filling our water-jar, we crossed the stream, and went on to the

height from whence, as you described, a lovely prospect is obtained, at

the sight of which a pleasurable sensation of buoyant hope, to which I

had long been a stranger, awoke within my breast.

 

`A pretty little wood in the distance attracted my notice

particularly, and thither we directed our course. But soon finding it

impossible to force our way through the tall strong grass which grew in

dense luxuriance higher than the children’s heads, we turned towards

the open beach on our left, and following it we reached a point much

nearer the little wood, when, quitting the strand, we made towards it.

 

`We had not entirely escaped the tall grass, however and with the

utmost fatigue and difficulty were struggling through the reeds, when

suddenly a great rushing noise terrified us all dreadfully. A very

large and powerful bird sprang upward on the wing. Both boys attempted

to take aim, but the bird was far away before they were ready to fire.

 

`“Oh dear, what a pity!” exclaimed Ernest; “now if I had only had my

light gun, and if the bird had not flown quite so fast, I should have

brought him down directly!”

 

`“Oh yes,” said I, “no doubt you would be a capital sportsman if only

your game would always give you time to make ready comfortably.”

 

`“But I had no notion that anything was going to fly up just at our

feet like that,” cried he.

 

`“A good shot,” I replied, “must be prepared for surprises: neither

wild birds nor wild beasts will send you notice that they are about to

fly or to run.”

 

`“What sort of bird can it have been?’ inquired Jack.

 

`“Oh, it certainly must have been an eagle,” answered little Franz, “it

was so very big!”

 

`“Just as if every big bird must be an eagle!” replied Ernest, in a

tone of derision.

 

`“Let’s see where he was sitting, at all events!” said I.

 

`Jack sprang towards the place, and instantly a second bird, rather

larger than the first, rushed upward into the air, with a most

startling noise.

 

`The boys stood staring upwards, perfectly stupefied, while I laughed

heartily, saying, “Well, you are first-rate sportsmen, to be sure! You

certainly will keep my larder famously well supplied!”

 

`At this, Ernest coloured up, and looked inclined to cry, while Jack

put on a comical face, pulled off his cap, and with a low bow, called

after the fugitive, “Adieu for the present, sir! I live in hopes of

another meeting!”

 

`On searching the ground carefully, we discovered a rude sort of nest

made untidily of dry grass. It was empty, although we perceived broken

egg-shells at no great distance, and concluded that the young brood had

escaped among the grass, which, in fact, we could see was waving at a

little distance, as the little birds ran through it.

 

`“Now look here, Franz,” said Ernest, presently, “just consider how

this bird could by any possibility have been an eagle. Eagles never

build on the ground, neither can their young leave the nest and run as

soon as they are out of the egg. That is a peculiarity of the

gallinaceous tribe of birds alone, to which then these must belong. The

species, I think, is indicated by the white belly and dull red colour

of the wing coverts which I observed in these specimens, and I believe

them to be bustards, especially as I noticed in the largest the fine

moustache-like feathers over the beak, peculiar to the Great Bustard.”

 

`“My dear boy!” I said, “your eyes were actively employed, I must

confess, if your fingers were unready with the gun. And after all, it

is just as well, perhaps, that we have not thrown the bustard’s family

into mourning.”

 

`Thus chatting, we at length approached my pretty wood. Numbers of

birds fluttered and sang among the high branches, but I did not

encourage the boys in their wish to try to shoot any of the happy

little creatures. We were lost in admiration of the trees of this

grove, and I cannot describe to you how wonderful they are, nor can you

form the least idea of their enormous size without seeing them

yourself. What we had been calling a wood proved to be a group of about

a dozen trees only, and, what was strange, the roots sustained the

massive trunks exalted in the air, forming strong arches, and props and

stays all around each individual stem, which was firmly rooted in the

centre.

 

`I gave Jack some twine, and scrambling up one of the curious open-air

roots, he succeeded in measuring round the trunk itself, and made it

out to be about eighteen yards. I saw no sort of fruit, but the foliage

is thick and abundant, throwing delicious shade on the ground beneath,

which is carpeted with soft green herbage, and entirely free from

thorns, briars, or bushes of any kind. It is the most charming

resting-place that ever was seen, and I and the boys enjoyed our midday

meal immensely in this glorious palace of the woods, so grateful to our

senses after the glare and heat of our journey thither.

 

`The dogs joined us after a while. They had lingered behind on the

seashore, and I was surprised to see them lie down and go comfortably

to sleep without begging for food, as they do usually when we eat.

 

`The longer we remained in this enchanting place, the more did it

charm my fancy; and if we could but manage to live in some sort of

dwelling up among the branches of those grand, noble trees, I should

feel perfectly safe and happy. It seemed to me absurd to suppose we

should ever find another place half so lovely, so I determined to

search no further, but return to the beach and see if anything from the

wreck had been cast up by the waves, which we could carry away with us.

 

`Before starting, Jack persuaded me to sit quietly a little longer, and

finish making his belt and the spike-collars for the dogs, for you must

know that the child had actually been carrying the board on which these

were stretched all this time, so that they should get the full benefit

of the sun.

 

`As they were now quite dry, I completed them easily, and Jack girded

on the belt with great pride, placing his pistols in it, and marching

about in a most self-important style, while Ernest fitted the collars

on the two dogs.

 

`On reaching the shore, we found it strewed with many articles,

doubtless of value, but all too heavy for us to lift. We rolled some

casks, however, beyond high-water mark, and dragged a chest or two also

higher on the beach; and, while doing so, observed that our dogs were

busy among the rocks. They were carefully watching the crevices and

pools, and every now and then would pounce downwards and seize

something which they swallowed with apparent relish.

 

`“They are eating crabs,” said Jack. “No wonder they have not seemed

hungry lately.”

 

`And, sure enough, they were catching the little green crabs with

which the water abounded. These, however, did not apparently entirely

satisfy them.

 

`Some time afterwards, just as we were about to