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

gifts of prudence and

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