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

>The number of the creatures we killed rendered the removal of their

skins a matter of no little time and trouble. It was not an agreeable

task at any time, and when I saw the array of animals the boys had

brought me to flay, I determined to construct a machine which would

considerably lessen the labour.

 

Amongst the ship’s stores, in the surgeon’s chest, I discovered a

large syringe. This, with a few alterations, would serve my purpose

admirably. Within the tube I first fitted a couple of valves, and then,

perforating the stopper, I had in my possession a powerful air pump.

The boys stared at me in blank amazement when, armed with this

instrument, I took up the kangaroo, and declared myself ready to

commence operations.

 

`Skin a kangaroo with a squirt?’ said they, and a roar of laughter

followed the remark.

 

I made no reply to the jests which followed, but silently hung the

kangaroo by its hind legs to the branch of a tree. I then made a small

incision in the skin, and inserting the mouth of the syringe forced air

with all my might between the skin and the body of the animal. By

degrees the hide of the kangaroo distended, altering the shape of the

creature entirely.

 

Still I worked on, forcing in yet more air until it had become a mere

shapeless mass, and I soon found that the skin was almost entirely

separated from the carcase. A bold cut down the belly, and a few

touches here and there where the ligatures still bound the hide to the

body, and the animal was flayed.

 

`What a splendid plan!’ cried the boys. `But why should it do it?’

 

`For a most simple and natural reason,’ I replied. `Do you not know

that the skin of an animal is attached to its flesh merely by slender

and delicate fibres, and that between these exist thousands of little

bladders or air chambers; by forcing air into these bladders the fibres

are stretched, and at length, elastic as they are, cracked. The skin

has now nothing to unite it to the body, and, consequently, may be

drawn off with perfect ease.

 

`This scientific fact has been known for many years; the Greenlanders

make constant use of it; when they have killed a seal or walrus they

distend the skin that they may tow the animal more easily ashore, and

then remove its hide at a moment’s notice.’ The remaining animals were

subjected to the same treatment, and, to my great joy, in a couple of

days the skins were all off, and being prepared for use.

 

I now summoned the boys to assist me in procuring blocks of wood for my

crushing machine, and the following day we set forth with saws, ropes,

axes and other tools. We soon reached the tree I had selected for my

purpose, and I began by sending Fritz and Jack up into the tree with

axes to cut off the larger of the high branches so that, when the tree

fell, it might not injure its neighbours.

 

They then descended, and Fritz and I attacked the stem. As the easiest

and most speedy method we used a saw, such as is employed by sawyers in

a saw-pit and, Fritz taking one end and I the other, the tree was soon

cut half through. We then adjusted ropes that we might guide its fall,

and again began to cut. It was labourious work, but when I considered

that the cut was sufficiently deep we took the ropes and pulled with

our united strength. The trunk cracked, swayed, tottered, and fell with

a crash.

 

The boughs were speedily lopped off, and the trunk sawed into blocks

four feet long. To cut down and divide this tree had taken us a couple

of days, and on the third we carted home four large and two small

blocks, and with the vertebrae joints of the whale I, in a very short

time, completed my machine.

 

While engaged on this undertaking I had paid little attention to our

fields of grain, and, accordingly, great was my surprise when one

evening the fowls returned, showing most evident indifference to their

evening meal, and with their crops perfectly full. It suddenly struck

me that these birds had come from the direction of our cornfield. I

hurried off to see what damage they had done, and then found to my

great joy that the grain was perfectly ripe.

 

The amount of work before us startled my wife. This unexpected

harvest, which added reaping and threshing to the fishing, salting, and

pickling already on hand, quite troubled her.

 

`Only think,’ said she, `of my beloved potatoes and manioc roots! What

is to become of them, I should like to know? It is time to take them

up, and how to manage it, with all this press of work, I can’t see.’

 

`Don’t be downhearted, wife,’ said I; `there is no immediate hurry

about the manioc, and digging potatoes in this fine, light soil is easy

work compared to what it is in Switzerland, while as to planting more,

that will not be necessary if we leave the younger plants in the

ground. The harvest we must conduct after the Italian fashion, which,

although anything but economical, will save time and trouble, and as we

are to have two crops in the year, we need not be too particular.’

 

Without further delay, I commenced leveling a large space of firm

clayey ground to act as a threshing floor; it was well sprinkled with

water, rolled, beaten, and stamped; as the sun dried the moisture it

was watered anew, and the treatment continued until it became a as

flat, hard, and smooth as a threshing floor need be.

 

Our largest wicker basket was then slung between Storm and Grumble; we

armed ourselves with reaping hooks, and went forth to gather in the

corn in the simplest and most expeditious manner imaginable. I told my

reapers not to concern themselves about the length of the straw, but to

grasp the corn where it was convenient to them, without stooping; each

was to wind a stalk around his own handful, and throw it into the

basket; in this way great labour was saved.

 

The plan pleased the boys immensely, and in a short time the basket had

been filled many times, and the field displayed a quantity of tall,

headless stubble, which perfectly horrified the mother, so extravagant

and untidy did she consider our work.

 

`This is dreadful!’ cried she; `you have left numbers of ears growing

on short stalks, and look at that splendid straw completely wasted! I

don’t approve of your Italian fashion at all.’

 

`It is not a bad plan, I can assure you, wife, and the Italians do not

waste the straw by not cutting it with the grain; having more arable

than pasture land, they use this high stubble for their cattle, letting

them feed in it, and eat what grain is left; afterward, allowing the

grass to grow up among it, they mow all together for winter fodder. And

now for threshing, also in Italian fashion. We shall find it spare our

arms and backs as much in that as in reaping.’

 

The little sheaves were laid in a large circle on the floor, the boys

mounted Storm, Grumble, Lightfoot, and Hurry, starting off at a brisk

trot, with many a merry jest, and round they went, trampling and

stamping out the grain, while dust and chaff flew in clouds about them.

 

My wife and I were incessantly occupied with hayforks, by means of

which we shook up and moved the sheaves over which the threshers rode,

so as to throw them in the track.

 

From time to time the animals took mouthfuls of the tempting food they

were beating out; we thought they well deserved it, and called to mind

the command given to the Jews, `Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that

treadeth out the corn.’

 

After threshing, we proceeded to winnowing: by simply throwing the

threshed corn with shovels high in the air when the land or sea-breeze

blew strong, the chaff and refuse was carried away by the wind and the

grain fell to the ground.

 

During these operations our poultry paid the threshing-floor many

visits, testifying a lively interest in the success of our labours, and

gobbling up the grain at such a rate that my wife was obliged to keep

them at a reasonable distance; but I would not have them altogether

stinted in the midst of our plenty. I said, `Let them enjoy themselves;

what we lose in grain, we gain in flesh. I anticipate delicious

chicken-pie, roast goose, and boiled turkey!’

 

When our harvest stores were housed, we found that we had reaped

sixty, eighty, even a hundred-fold what had been sown. Our garner was

truly filled with all manner of store.

 

Expecting a second harvest, we were constrained to prepare the field

for sowing again, and immediately therefore commenced mowing down the

stubble. While engaged in this, flocks of quails and partridges came to

glean among the scattered ears. We did not secure any great number, but

resolved to be prepared for them next season, and by spreading nets, to

catch them in large quantities.

 

My wife was satisfied when she saw the straw carried home and stacked;

our crop of maize, which of course had not been threshed like the other

corn, afforded soft leaves which were used for stuffing mattresses,

while the stalks, when burnt, left ashes so rich in alkali as to be

especially useful.

 

I changed the crops sown on the ground to rye, barley and oats, and

hoped they would ripen before the rainy season.

 

The shoals of herring made their appearance just as we finished our

agricultural operations. This year we pickled only two barrels of them;

but we were not so merciful towards the seals, which arrived on the

coast directly afterwards. We hunted them vigorously, requiring their

skins for many purposes, more especially for the completion of the

cajack. On the little deck of that tiny vessel I had made a kind of

magazine, in which to store pistols, ammunition, water and provisions,

and this I meant to cover with sealskin, so as to be quite watertight.

A couple of harpoons furnished with seal bladders were to be suspended

alongside.