Swiss Family Robinson Part 3

'It was one of several,' said Fritz, 'which I found on the sh.o.r.e; along with some very curious little animals that hopped rather than walked, and every now and then would squat down on their hind legs and rub their snouts with their forepaws. Had not I been afraid of losing all, I would have tried to catch one alive, they seemed so tame. But this was more easily taken.'

Meanwhile, Ernest had been carefully examining the animal in question.

'This is no pig,' he said, 'and except for its bristly skin, does not look like one. See, its teeth are not like those of a pig, but rather those of a squirrel. In fact,' he continued, looking at Fritz, 'your sucking-pig is an agouti.'

'Dear me,' said Fritz, 'listen to the great professor lecturing!

He is going to prove that a pig is not a pig!'

'You need not be so quick to laugh at your brother,' said I, in my turn, 'he is quite right. I, too, know the agouti by descriptions and pictures, and there is little doubt that this is a specimen.

The little animal makes its nest under the roots of trees, and lives upon fruit. Its meat is white but dry, having no fat, and never entirely loses a certain wild flavour, which is disagreeable to Europeans. It is held in great esteem by the natives where it lives, especially when the animal has been feeding near the sea on plants impregnated with salt. But, Ernest, the agouti not only looks something like a pig, but most decidedly grunts like a porker.'

While we were thus talking, Jack had been vainly endeavouring to open an oyster with his large knife. 'Here is a simpler way,' said I, placing an oyster on the fire; it immediately opened.

'Now,' I continued, 'who will try this delicacy?' All at first hesitated to partake of them, so unattractive did they appear.

Jack, however, tightly closing his eyes and making a face as though about to take medicine, gulped one down. We followed his example, one after the other, each doing so rather to provide himself with a spoon than with any hope of cultivating a taste for oysters.

Our spoons were now ready, and gathering round the pot we dipped them in, not, however, without sundry scalded fingers. Ernest then drew from his pocket the large sh.e.l.l he had procured for his own use, and scooping up a good quant.i.ty of soup he put it down to cool, smiling at his own foresight.

'Prudence should be exercised for others, not just for oneself,'

I remarked. 'Are you so much better than your brothers? Your cool soup will do capitally for the dogs, my boy; take it to them, and then come and eat like the rest of us.'

Ernest winced at this, but silently taking up his sh.e.l.l he placed it on the ground before the hungry dogs, who lapped up its contents in a moment; he then returned, and after waiting for the soup to cool some more, we all went merrily on with our dinner.

While we were thus busily employed, we suddenly discovered that our dogs, not satisfied with their mouthful of soup, had espied the agouti, and were rapidly devouring it. The boys all began to yell, and Fritz first threw a stone at the dogs and then, seizing his gun, flew to rescue it from their hungry jaws. Before I could prevent him, he struck one of them with such force that his gun was bent. The poor beasts ran off howling, followed by a shower of stones from Fritz, who shouted and yelled at them so fiercely, that if I had not interfered, it was probable he would have killed them.

I followed him, and as soon as he would listen to me, represented to him how despicable as well as wicked was such an outbreak of temper. 'For,' said I, 'you have hurt, if not actually wounded, the dogs; you have distressed and frightened your mother, and you have spoiled your gun, which would have been so useful.'

Though Fritz's pa.s.sion was easily aroused it never lasted long, and speedily recovering himself, immediately he entreated his mother's pardon, and expressed his sorrow for his fault.

By this time the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, and the poultry, which had been straying to some little distance, gathered round us, and began to pick up the crumbs of biscuit which had fallen during our repast. My wife hereupon drew from her mysterious bag some handfuls of oats, peas, and other grain, and with them began to feed the poultry.

She at the same time showed me several other seeds of various vegetables. 'That was indeed thoughtful,' said I, 'but pray be careful of what will be of such value to us; we can bring plenty of damaged biscuits from the wreck, which though of no use as food for us, will suit the fowls very well indeed.'

The pigeons now flew up to crevices in the rocks, the fowls perched themselves on our tent pole, and the ducks and geese waddled off cackling and quacking to the marshy margin of the river. We too were ready for repose, and having loaded our guns, and offered up our prayers to G.o.d, thanking him for his many mercies to us, we commended ourselves to his protecting care, and as the last ray of light departed, closed our tent and lay down to rest.

The children remarked the suddenness of nightfall, for indeed there had been little or no twilight. This convinced me that we must be not far from the equator, for twilight results from the refraction of the sun's rays; the more obliquely these rays fall, the further does the partial light extend, while the more perpendicularly they strike the earth the longer do they continue their undiminished force, until when the sun sinks, they totally disappear, thus producing sudden darkness.

Chapter 2

We should have been badly off without the shelter of our tent, for the night proved as cold as the day had been hot, but we managed to sleep comfortably, every one being thoroughly fatigued by the labours of the day.

The voice of our vigilant c.o.c.k, which as he loudly saluted the rising moon, was the last sound I heard at night, roused me at daybreak, and I then awoke my wife, that in the quiet interval while yet our children slept, we might take counsel together on our situation and prospects. It was plain to both of us that in the first place, we should ascertain if possible the fate of our late companions, and then examine into the nature and resources of the country on which we were stranded.

We therefore came to the resolution that, as soon as we had breakfasted, Fritz and I should start on an expedition with these objects in view, while my wife remained near our landing- place with the three younger boys.

'Rouse up, rouse up, my boys,' cried I, awakening the children cheerfully. 'Come and help your mother to get breakfast ready.'

'As to that,' said she, smiling, 'we can but set on the pot, and boil some more soup!'

'Why! You forget Jack's fine lobster!' replied I. 'What has become of it, Jack?'

'It has been safe in this hole in the rock all night, father. You see, I thought as the dogs seem to like good things, they might take a fancy to that as well as to the agouti.'

'A very sensible precaution,' remarked I. 'I believe even my heedless Jack will learn wisdom in time. It is well the lobster is so large, for we shall want to take part with us on our excursion to-day.'

At the mention of an excursion, the four children were wild with delight, and, capering around me, clapped their hands for joy.

'Steady there, steady!' said I, 'you cannot expect all to go.

Such an expedition as this would be too dangerous and fatiguing for you younger ones, and this place seems perfectly safe. Fritz and I will go alone this time, with one of the dogs, leaving the other to defend you. Fritz, prepare the guns, and tie up Flora so that she will not follow us.'

At the word 'guns' the poor boy blushed shamefully. He tried in vain to straighten his weapon. I left him alone for a short time, but at length I gave him leave to take another, perceiving with pleasure that the vexation had produced a proper feeling in his mind.

A moment later he tried to lay hold of Flora to tie her up, but the dog, recollecting the blows she had so lately received, began to snarl and would not go near him. Turk behaved the same, and I found it necessary to call with my own voice to induce them to approach us. Fritz then, in tears, entreated some biscuit of his mother, declaring that he would rather go without the rest of his breakfast to make his peace with the dogs. He accordingly carried them some biscuit, stroked and caressed them, and in every motion seemed to ask their pardon. As of all animals, without excepting man, the dog is least addicted to revenge, and at the same time is the most sensible of kind usage, Flora instantly relented and began to lick the hands which fed her; but Turk, who was of a more fierce and independent temper, still held off, and seemed to lack confidence in Fritz's advances.

'Give him a claw of my lobster,' cried Jack, 'for I meant to give it to you anyway, for your journey.'

With that treat, Turk seemed ready to forgive Fritz. We then armed ourselves, each taking a gun and a game-bag; Fritz, in addition, sticking a pair of pistols in his belt, and I a small hatchet in mine; breakfast being over, we stowed away the remainder of the lobster and some biscuits, with a flask of water, and were ready for a start.

'Stop!' I exclaimed, 'we have still left something very important undone.'

'Surely not,' said Fritz.

'Yes,' said I, 'we have not yet joined in morning prayer. We are only too ready, amid the cares and pleasures of this life, to forget the G.o.d to whom we owe all things.' Then having commended ourselves to his protecting care, I took leave of my wife and children, and bidding them not wander far from the boat and tent, we parted not without some anxiety on either side, for we knew not what might a.s.sail us in this unknown region.

We now found that the banks of the stream were on both sides so rocky that we could get down to the water by only one narrow pa.s.sage, and there was no corresponding path on the other side.

I was glad to see this, however, for I now knew that my wife and children were on a comparatively inaccessible spot, the other side of the tent being protected by steep and precipitous cliffs.

Fritz and I pursued our way up the stream until we reached a point where the waters fell from a considerable height in a cascade, and where several large rocks lay half covered by the water; by means of these we succeeded in crossing the stream in safety. We thus had the sea on our left, and a long line of rocky heights, here and there adorned with clumps of trees, stretching away inland to the right.

We had forced our way scarcely fifty yards through the long rank gra.s.s, which was here partly withered by the sun and much tangled, when we were much alarmed on hearing behind us a rustling, and on looking round, we saw the gra.s.s waving to and fro, as if some animal were pa.s.sing through it. Fritz instantly turned and brought his gun to his shoulder, ready to fire the moment the beast should appear.

I was much pleased with my son's coolness and presence of mind, for it showed me that I might thoroughly rely upon him on any future occasion when real danger might occur. This time, however, no savage beast rushed out, but our trusty dog Turk, whom, in our anxiety at parting, we had forgotten, and who had been sent after us doubtless by my thoughtful wife. I did not fail to commend both the bravery and the discretion of my son, in not yielding to even a rational alarm, and for waiting until he was sure of the object before he resolved to fire.

From this little incident, however, we saw how dangerous was our position, and how difficult escape would be should any fierce beast steal upon us unawares: we therefore hastened to make our way to the open seash.o.r.e. Here the scene which presented itself was indeed delightful. A background of hills, the green waving gra.s.s, the pleasant groups of trees stretching here and there to the very water's edge, formed a lovely prospect.

On the smooth sand we searched carefully for any trace of our hapless companions, but not the mark of a footstep could we find.

'Shall I fire a shot or two?' said Fritz. 'That would bring our companions, if they are within hearing.'

'It would indeed,' I replied, 'or any savages that may be here.

No, no; let us search diligently, but as quietly as possible.'

'But why, father, should we trouble ourselves about them at all?

They left us to s.h.i.+ft for ourselves, and I for one don't care to set eyes on them again.'

'You are wrong, my boy,' said I. 'In the first place, we should not return evil for evil; then, again, they might be of great a.s.sistance to us in building a house of some sort; and lastly, you must remember that they took nothing with them from the vessel, and may be peris.h.i.+ng of hunger.'

'But father, while we are wandering here and losing our time almost without a hope of benefit to them, why should we not instead return to the vessel and save the animals on board?'