Swiss Family Robinson Part 42

Astonishment and dismay were depicted on the face of my wife as we approached.

'My dear husband,' she exclaimed, 'do you think our provisions so abundant that you must scour the deserts to find some great beast to a.s.sist us to devour them? You must discover an iron mine next, for iron is what ostriches chiefly live on, is it not?

'Oh! I do wish you would be content with the menagerie you have already collected, instead of bringing in a specimen of every beast you come across. And this is such a useless monster!'

'Useless! Mother,' exclaimed Jack, 'you would not say so had you seen him run; why he will be the fleetest courser in our stables. I am going to make a saddle and bridle for him, and in future he shall be my only steed. Then as for his appet.i.te, father declares it is most delicate, he only wants a little fruit and gra.s.s, and a few stones and tenpenny nails to help his digestion.'

The way in which Jack a.s.sumed the proprietors.h.i.+p of our new prize seemed to strike his brothers as rather cool, and there was instantly a cry raised on the subject.

'Very well,' said Jack, 'let us each take possession of the part of the ostrich we captured. Your bird, Fritz, seized the head; keep that; father shall have the body, I'll have the legs, and Franz a couple of feathers from the tail.'

'Come, come,' said I, 'I think that Jack has a very good right to the ostrich, seeing that he brought it to the ground, and if he succeeds in taming it and converting it into a saddle-horse it shall be his. From this time, therefore, he is responsible for its training.'

The day was now too far advanced to allow us to think of setting out for Rockburg, so we fastened up the ostrich between two trees, and devoted the remainder of the evening to making preparations for our departure.

At early dawn our picturesque caravan was moving homewards. The ostrich continued so refractory that we were obliged to make him again march between Storm and Grumble, and as these gallant steeds were thus employed, the cow was harnessed to the cart, laden with our treasures.

Room was left in the cart for my wife, Jack and Franz mounted Storm and Grumble, I rode Lightfoot, and Fritz brought up the rear on Swift.

At the mouth of the Gap we called a halt, and replaced the cord the boys had strung with ostrich feathers by a stout palisade of bamboos. I also took the opportunity of collecting a store of pipe-clay, as I intended during the winter months, which were close at hand, to try my hand at china making.

When we reached the sugar-cane grove, we again stopped to collect the peccary hams we had left to be smoked; and my wife begged me to gather some seeds of an aromatic plant which grew in the neighbourhood, and which had the scent of vanilla. I obtained a good supply, and we moved forward towards Woodlands, where we intended to rest for the night, after our long and fatiguing march.

Our tent was pitched, and on our beds of cotton we slept soundly.

Next morning early we examined our farmyard, which appeared in a most prosperous and flouris.h.i.+ng condition. The sight of all these domestic animals made us long even more than ever for our home at Rockburg, and we determined to hasten thither with all possible speed.

The number of our pigs, goats and poultry had greatly increased since we had last visited our colony; and some of these, two fine broods of chickens especially, my wife wished to take back with her.

We found that the herd of antelopes which Fritz and Jack had driven through the Gap, had taken up their abode in the neighbourhood, and several times we saw the beautiful animals browsing amongst the trees.

While at the farm, we repaired both the animals' stalls, and our dwelling-room, that the former might be more secure against the attacks of wild beasts, and the latter fitted for our accommodation when we should visit the spot.

Everything at length being satisfactorily arranged, we again retired to rest, and early next morning completed our journey to Rockburg.

By midday we were once more settled at home. Windows and doors were thrown open to admit fresh air; the animals established in their stalls; and the cart's miscellaneous cargo discharged and arranged.

As much time as I could spare, I devoted to the ostrich, whom we fastened, for the present, between two bamboo posts in front of our dwelling.

I then turned my attention to the eggs we had brought, and which I determined to hatch, if possible by artificial heat. For this purpose I arranged a stove, which I maintained at a uniform temperature, and on it I placed the eggs carefully wrapped in cotton wool.

Next morning Fritz and I went off in the boat first to Whale Island, there to establish our colonists, the angora rabbits, and then to Shark Island, where we placed the dainty little antelopes.

Having made them happy with their liberty and abundance of food, we returned as quickly as possible to cure the bears' skins, and add the provisions we had brought to the stores lying in our cellar.

As we returned, we caught up Jack, making his way in great glee towards Rockburg. He was carrying, in a basket, an immense eel, which he and Ernest had secured.

Ernest had set, on the previous night, a couple of lines; one had been dragged away, but on the other they found this splendid fellow.

It proved delicious. Half was prepared for dinner, and the other half salted and stowed away.

We now, for a short time, again turned our attention to our duties about the house.

Thinking that the verandah would be greatly improved by some creepers, I sowed round the foot of each bamboo pillar, vanilla, and pepper-seed, as well as that of other creeping plants, which would not only give the house a pleasanter aspect, but also afford us shade during the summer months.

I constructed a couple of hen-coops too, for the hens and their little chicks which we had brought from Woodlands, for I knew that if I left them unprotected, the inquisitive dispositions of Knips and Fangs might induce them to make anatomical experiments which would be detrimental to the welfare of the youngsters.

Ernest's rat-skins were voted a nuisance within doors, and were tied together and hung up outside; so powerful was the odour they emitted, that even then Jack would pretend to faint every time he pa.s.sed near them.

The museum received its additions: the condor and vulture were placed there, to be stuffed when we should find time during the rainy season.

The mica and asbestos, too, were brought in for the present, not to lie there idle, but to wait until I could use them as I intended, for china and lamp-wicks.

Having occupied two days in this way, we turned our attention to other duties: the cultivation of a wheat, barley and maize field, the management of the ostrich's eggs, and the taming of the captives.

As agriculture was, though the least to our taste, the most important of these several duties, we set about it first. The animals drew the plough, but the digging and hoeing taxed our powers of endurance to the utmost.

We worked two hours in the morning and two in the evening. Fully did we realize the words of Scripture: 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.'

In the interval we devoted our attention to the ostrich. But our efforts on behalf of his education seemed all in vain. He appeared as untameable as ever. I determined, therefore, to adopt the plan which had subdued the refractory eagle.

The effect of the tobacco fumes almost alarmed me. The ostrich sank to the ground and lay motionless. Slowly, at length, he arose, and paced up and down between the bamboo posts. He was subdued, but to my dismay resolutely refused all food. I feared he would die; for three days he pined, growing weaker and weaker each day.

'Food he must have!' cried I. 'Food he must have!'

My wife determined to attempt an experiment. She prepared b.a.l.l.s of maize flour, mixed with b.u.t.ter. One of these she placed within the bird's beak. He swallowed it, and stretched out his long neck, looking inquiringly for a second mouthful. A second, third, and fourth ball followed the first. His appet.i.te returned, and his strength came again.

All the wild nature of the bird had gone, and I saw with delight that we might begin his education as soon as we chose. Rice, guavas, maize and corn he ate readily--'was.h.i.+ng it down', as Jack expressed it, with small pebbles, to the great surprise of Franz, to whom I explained that the ostrich was merely following the instinct common to all birds; that he required these pebbles to digest his food, just as smaller birds require gravel.

After a month of careful training, our captive would trot, gallop, obey the sound of our voice, feed from our hand; and, in fact, showed himself perfectly docile. Now our ingenuity was taxed to the utmost.

How were we to saddle and bridle a bird? First, for a bit for his beak.

Vague ideas pa.s.sed through my mind, but every one I was obliged to reject. A plan at length occurred to me. I recollected the effect of light and its absence upon the ostrich, how his movements were checked by sudden darkness, and how, with the light, power returned to his limbs.

I immediately constructed a leathern hood, to reach from the neck to the beak, cutting holes in it for the eyes and ears. Over the eyes-holes I contrived square flaps or blinkers, which were so arranged with whalebone springs that they closed tightly of themselves. The reins were connected with these blinkers, so that the flaps might be raised or allowed to close at the rider's pleasure.

When both blinkers were open, the ostrich would gallop straight ahead; close his right eye and he turned to the left, close his left and he turned to the right, shut both and he stood stock still.

I was justly proud of my contrivance, but, before I could really test its utility, I was obliged to make a saddle. After several failures, I succeeded in manufacturing one to my liking and in properly securing it; it was something like an old-fas.h.i.+oned trooper's saddle, peaked before and behind--for my great fear was lest the boys should fall.

This curious-looking contrivance I placed upon the shoulders as near the neck as possible, and secured it with strong girths round the wings and across the breast, to avoid all possibility of the saddle slipping down the bird's sloping back.

I soon saw that my plan would succeed, though skill and considerable practise was necessary in the use of my patent bridle. It was difficult to remember that to check the courser's speed it was necessary to slacken rein, and that the tighter the reins were drawn, the faster he would fly. We at length, however, all learned to manage Master Hurricane, and the distance between Rockburg and Falconhurst was traversed in an almost incredibly short s.p.a.ce of time. The marvellous speed of the bird again revived the dispute as to the owners.h.i.+p, and I was obliged to interfere.

'Jack shall retain the ostrich,' said I, 'for it is most suited to him; he is a lighter weight than either of you his elder brothers, and Franz is not yet strong enough to manage such a fleet courser. But he is so far to be considered common property, that all may practise on him occasionally; and, in a case of necessity, anyone may mount him.'

Our field-work was by this time over. The land had been ploughed and sown with wheat, barley, and maize. On the other side of Jackal River we had planted potatoes and ca.s.sava roots, and all sorts of other seeds had been carefully sown.

We had not neglected the ostrich's eggs, and one day Fritz introduced me with great glee to three little ostriches. But alas, the little creatures were not destined to enjoy life for long. One died almost as soon as it was hatched, and the others, after tottering about on their stilt-like legs for a few days, followed its example.

I now found time to turn my attention to the bears' skins, which required preparation before they would be fit for use as leather. They had been salted and dried, and now required tanning. I had no tan, however. This was unfortunate; but not to be deterred from my purpose, I determined to use a mixture of honey and water in its place.

The experiment proved successful. When the skins were dried they remained flexible and free from smell, while the fur was soft and glossy.