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

>larger animals, with whose hoof-prints his had mingled.

 

I now almost turned back in despair, but Jack urged me to continue the

search. `For,’ said he, `if we once get upon a hill we shall see such a

large herd as this must be at almost any distance. Do let us go on,

father.’

 

I consented, and we again pushed forwards, through bushes, and over

torrents, sometimes cutting our way with an axe, and sometimes plunging

knee-deep through a swamp. We at length reached the border of a wide

plain, and on it, in the distance, I could see a herd of animals,

browsing on the rich grass. It struck me that it might be the very herd

to which our good donkey had joined himself; and, wishing to ascertain

whether this was so, I resolved to make a detour through a bamboo

marsh, and get as near as possible to the animals without disturbing

them.

 

The bamboos were huge, many of them over thirty feet in height; and, as

we made our way through them, I remembered an account of the giant cane

of South America, which is greatly prized by the Indians on account of

its extreme usefulness; the reeds themselves make masts for their

canoes, while each joint will form a cask or box.

 

I was delighted, for I had little doubt that the bamboos we were among

were of the same species. I explained this to Jack, and as we discussed

the possibility of cutting one down and carrying a portion of it home,

we reached the border of the marsh, and emerged upon the plain.

 

There we suddenly found ourselves face to face with the herd which we

sought—a herd of buffaloes. They looked up, and stared at us

inquisitively, but without moving. Jack would have fired, but I checked

him. `Back to the thicket,’ I said, `and keep back the dogs!’

 

We began to retreat, but before we were again under cover, the dogs

joined us; and, in spite of our shouts and efforts to restrain them,

they dashed forwards, and seized a buffalo calf.

 

This was a signal to the whole herd to attack us. They bellowed

loudly, pawed the ground, and tore it up with their horns, and then

dashed madly towards us. We had not time to step behind a rock before

the leader was upon us. So close was he that my gun was useless. I drew

a pistol and fired. He fell dead at my feet.

 

His fall checked the advance of the rest. They halted, snuffed the air,

turned tail and galloped off across the plain. They were gone, but the

dogs still held gallantly to the calf. They dragged and tussled with

him, but with their utmost efforts could not bring him to the ground.

 

How to assist them without shooting the poor beast, I knew not; and

this I was unwilling to do, for I hoped that, if we could but capture

him alive, we might in time manage to tame him, and use him as a beast

of burden. Jack’s clever little head, however, suddenly devised a plan

for their aid, and with his usual promptitude he at once put it into

execution.

 

He unwound the lasso, which was coiled round his body, and, as the

young bull flung up his heels, he cast it and caught him by his hind

legs. The noose drew tight, and in a twinkling the beast was upon the

ground. We fastened the other end of the cord round a stout bamboo,

called off the dogs, and the animal was at our mercy.

 

`Now we have got him,’ said Jack, as he looked at the poor beast,

lying panting on the ground, `what are we to do with him?’

 

`I will show you,’ said I; `help me to fasten his forelegs together,

and you shall see the next operation.’

 

The bull, thus secured, could not move; and while Jack held his head I

drew my knife and pierced the cartilage of his nose, and when the blood

flowed less freely, passed a stout cord through the hole. I felt some

repugnance at thus paining the animal, but it was a case of necessity,

and I could not hesitate. We united the ends of the cord, freed the

animal, set him upon his legs, and subdued and overawed, he followed us

without resistance.

 

I now turned my attention to the dead buffalo, but as I could not then

skin it, I contented myself with cutting off the most delicate parts,

its tongue, and a couple of steaks, and, packing them in salt in my

wallet, abandoned the rest to the dogs. They fell upon it greedily, and

we retired under the shade to enjoy a meal after our hard work.

 

The dogs, however, were not to have undisputed possession of the

carcase; vultures, crows and other birds of prey, with that marvellous

instinct which always leads them to a dead body, quickly filled the

air, and, with discordant cries, swooped down upon the buffalo. An

amusing contest ensued; the dogs again and again drove off the

intruders, and they, as often, returned reinforced by others who

swarmed to the spot. Jack, with his usual impetuosity, wished to send a

shot in amongst the robber band, but I prevented him, for I knew that

the bird or two he might kill would be of no use to us, while his shot

would not drive away the rest, even had we wished it.

 

Both we and the dogs were at length satisfied, and as it was getting

late, I determined to give up for the present the search for the ass,

and to return to our camp.

 

We again made our way through the bamboos, but before we left the

thicket, I cut down one of the smallest of the reeds, the largest of

whose joints would form capital little barrels, while those near the

tapering top would serve as moulds for our next batch of candles.

 

The buffalo, with a dog on either side and the rope through his nose,

was following us passively, and we presently induced him to submit to a

package of our goods laid upon his back. We pushed rapidly forward,

Jack eager to display our latest acquisition.

 

As we repassed the rocky bed of a stream we had crossed in the

morning, Juno dashed ahead, and was about to rush into a cleft between

the rocks, when the appearance of a large jackal suddenly checked her

further progress. Both dogs instantly flew at the animal, and though

she fought desperately, quickly overpowered and throttled her. From the

way the beast had shown fight, I concluded that her young must be close

by, probably within the very cleft Juno was about to enter.

 

Directly Jack heard this, he wished to creep in and bring out the

young jackals. I hesitated to allow him to do so, for I thought it

possible that the male jackal might be still lying in wait within the

cave. We peered into the darkness, and after a while, Jack declared he

could discern the little yellow jackals, and that he was quite sure the

old one was not there.

 

He then crept in, followed closely by the dogs, and presently emerged

bearing in his arms a handsome cub of a beautiful golden yellow and

about the size of a small cat. He was the only one of the brood he had

managed to save, for Turk and Juno, without pity for their youth or

beauty, had worried all the rest. I did not much regret this, however,

for I firmly believe that, had he saved them, Jack would have insisted

upon bringing up the whole litter. As it was I considered that one

jackal was, with our young bull, quite sufficient an addition to our

livestock.

 

During the halt we had made, I had fastened the buffalo to a small

tree, and as I now was again about to move on, I recognized it as the

dwarf-palm, whose long sharp leaves form an excellent barrier if it is

planted as a hedge. I determined to return and get some young plants to

strengthen our hedge at Tentholm. It was late before we reached our

camp, where we found our family anxiously awaiting our return.

 

The sight of the new animals delighted the children immensely, and in

their opinion amply compensated for the loss of our poor donkey. Jack

had to answer a host of questions concerning their capture, and to give

a minute account of the affray with the buffaloes. This he did, with

graphic power certainly, but with so much boasting and

self-glorification, that I was obliged to check him, and give a plain

and unvarnished account of the affair.

 

Supper-time arrived, and as we sat at that meal, for which Jack and I

were heartily thankful, my wife and her party proceeded to give an

account of their day’s work.

 

Ernest had discovered a sago-palm, and had, after much labour,

contrived to fell it. Franz and his mother had collected dry wood, of

which a huge heap now stood before the tent sufficient to keep up a

fire all the rest of the time we should stay on the spot.

 

Fritz had gone off shooting and had secured a good bag. While they had

been thus variously employed, a troop of apes had visited the tent, and

when they returned, they found the place ransacked and turned upside

down. The provisions were eaten and gnawed, the potatoes thrown about,

the milk drunk and spilt, every box had been peeped into, every pot and

pan had been divested of its lid, the palisade round the hut had been

partly destroyed, nothing had been left untouched.

 

Industriously had the boys worked to repair the damage, and when we

returned not a sign was to be seen of the disorder. No one would have

guessed what had occurred from the delicious supper we were eating.

 

After matters had been again arranged, Fritz had gone down to the

shore and, amongst the rocks at Cape Disappointment, had discovered a

young eaglet which Ernest declared to be a Malabar or Indian eagle; he

was much pleased with his discovery, and I recommended him to bring the

bird up and try to train it to hunt as a falcon.

 

`Look here though, boys,’ said I, `you are now collecting a good many

pets, and I am not going to have your mother troubled with the care of

them all; each must look after his own, and if I find one neglected,

whether beast or bird, I set it at liberty. Mark that and remember it!’

 

My wife looked greatly relieved at this announcement, and the boys

promised to obey my directions. Before we retired for the night I

prepared the buffalo-meat I had brought; I lit a large fire of green

wood, and in the smoke of this thoroughly dried both the tongue and

steaks. We then properly secured all the animals, Jack took his little

pet in his arms, and we lay down and were soon fast asleep.

 

At daybreak we were on foot, and began to prepare for a return to

Falconhurst.

 

`You are not going to despise my sago, I hope,’ said Ernest, `you have

no idea what a trouble it was to cut it down, and I have been thinking

too that if we could but split the tree, we might make a couple of long

useful troughs which might, I think, be made to carry water from Jackal

River to Tentholm. Is my plan worth consideration?’

 

`Indeed it is,’ I replied, `and at all events we must not abandon such

a valuable prize as a sago-palm. I would