CHAPTER XIV

Continuation of Preceding Chapter—Discoveries

Conversing on different subjects, we reached the long chain of rocks, over which our pretty Falcon’s Stream made its escape in a cascade, delighting at once the eye and the ear in its progress. We thus reached Jackal’s River, and from thence proceeded to Tent House, having with difficulty pushed through the high grass which presented itself. Our fatigue, however, was relieved by the beauty of the scenery around: on the right hand was a boundless sea: on the left, the island, with the bay by which it was accessible, and the chain of rocks, forming altogether an assemblage of the picturesque, equal to what the liveliest fancy could desire. We distinguished different families of grasses, many of them of the thorn-leaved species, and stronger than those cultivated in the green-houses of Europe. There was also in abundance the Indian fig, with its large broad leaf; aloes of different forms and colours; the superb prickly candle, or cactus, bearing straight stalks, taller than a man, and crowned with long straight branches, forming a sort of star; while that which pleased us best, and which was found there in great abundance, was the king of fruits, both for figure and relish, the crowned pineapple, of which we all partook with avidity.

Soon after, I was fortunate enough to discover among the multitude of plants which grew either at the foot or in the clefts of the rocks, the karata, many of which were now in blossom. As I was acquainted with the properties of this useful plant, the pith of which is used for tinder by the negroes, who also make a strong kind of thread from the fibres of its leaves, I was not less satisfied with this discovery than I had been with any we had previously made. Wishing to exhibit one of its uses to my children, I desired Ernest to take out my flint and steel.

I took a dried stalk of the tree, stripped off the bark, and there appeared a kind of dry spongy substance, which I laid upon the flint; and then striking it with a steel, it instantly caught fire. The boys looked on with astonishment, and soon began to caper about, exclaiming, “Long live the tinder-tree!”

“Here, then,” said I, “we have an article of greater usefulness than if it served merely to gratify the appetite. Your mother will next inform us what materials she will use for sewing your clothes, when her provision of thread from the enchanted bag is exhausted.”

My Wife.—I have long been uneasy upon this very subject, and would willingly exchange our greatest luxury for some hemp or flax.

Father.—And your wish shall be accomplished. If you examine, you will find some excellent thread under the leaves of this extraordinary plant, where all-provident nature has placed a storehouse of this valuable article, though the lengths of thread will be found not longer than the leaf. I accordingly drew out of one of the leaves a strong piece of thread of a red colour, which I gave to my wife. “How fortunate it is for us,” said she, “that you have had the habit of reading and of study! None of us would have had a thought about this plant, or have conceived that it could be of any use:—but will it not be difficult to draw out the lengths of thread through the prickles that surround them?”

Father.—Not in the least; we shall put the leaves to dry, either in the sun, or by a gentle fire. The useless part of the leaf will then separate by being beaten, and the mass of thread will remain.

Fritz.—I see clearly, father, that we ought not to trust to appearances; but one may, I suppose, assert that there are no good qualities in the prickly plants, which are growing here in all directions, and wounding the persons who go near them: of what use can they possibly be?

Father.—The greatest part of these possess medicinal virtues; great use is made in pharmacy of the aloe, which produces such abundance of beautiful flowers: in green-houses in Europe some have been seen to bear more than three thousand blossoms. But look—here, too, is the Indian fig, or prickly pear, a vegetable of no common interest; it grows in the poorest soils, and, as you see, upon the rocks: the poorer the soil, the more luxuriant and succulent its leaves. I should be tempted to believe that it was nourished by the air rather than by the earth. The plant bears a kind of fig, which is said to be sweet and palatable when ripened in its native sun, and it is a salutary and refreshing food. This, then, is another plant of great utility. I next instructed them how to gather this prickly fruit without injury to their fingers. I threw up a stone, and brought down a fig, which I caught upon my hat; I cut off one end, and was thus enabled to hold it on a knife while I peeled off the skin. I then resigned it to the curiosity of my young companions.

In the meantime, I perceived Ernest holding a leaf upon the end of his knife, turning it about in all directions, and bringing it close to his eye with a look of curious inquiry.—“I wish I could know,” said at length our young observer, “what little animals these are on the leaf, which feed so eagerly upon it, and are of quite a scarlet colour.”

Father.—Ha, ha! this too will perhaps turn out a new discovery, and an additional source of usefulness. Let me look at your leaf: I will wager that it is the insect called the cochineal.

Jack.—The cochineal! what a droll name! What is the cochineal, father?

Father.—It is an insect of the kind called suckers, or kermes. It lives by sucking the juice of the leaves of the Indian fig, which, no doubt, is the cause of its beautiful colour, so much esteemed in dyeing; for nothing else produces so fine a scarlet.

We reached Jackal’s River, which we crossed, stepping with great care from stone to stone, and shortly arrived at our old habitation, where we found everything as we had left it; and each went in pursuit of what he intended to take away. Fritz loaded himself with powder and shot: I and my wife and Francis employed ourselves in filling our pot with butter. Ernest and Jack looked about for the geese and ducks; but as they were become somewhat savage, the boys could not succeed in catching one of them. The idea then occurred to Ernest of taking a small bit of cheese, and tying it to the end of a piece of string, and holding it to float in the water. The voracious animals hastened eagerly to seize it. In this way Ernest drew them towards him, one by one, with the cheese in its mouth, till he had caught the whole: each bird was then tied in a pocket-handkerchief, leaving the head at liberty, and fastened one to each game-bag, so that all had a share in carrying them.

We now set out loaded on our return. The ducks and geese, with their heads and necks stretching out at our shoulders, cackling with all their might, gave us a truly singular and ludicrous appearance; and we could not help laughing immoderately as we passed the bridge, one after another, accoutred in so strange a fashion. Our mutual jokes, and the general good humour which prevailed, served to shorten the length of the walk, and none complained of fatigue, till seated under our tree at Falcon’s Stream.