CHAPTER III

Voyage of Discovery

I was roused at the dawn of day by the crowing of the cocks. I awoke my wife, and we consulted together as to the occupations we should engage in. We agreed that we should seek for traces of our late ship companions, and at the same time examine the nature of the soil on the other side of the river, before we determined on a fixed place of abode.—My wife easily perceived that such an excursion could not be undertaken by all the members of the family; and she courageously consented to my proposal of leaving her with the three youngest boys, and proceeding myself with Fritz on a journey of discovery.

The children were soon roused; even our slothful Ernest submitted to the hard fate of rising so early in the morning.

We now prepared for our departure: we took each a bag for game, and a hatchet: I put a pair of pistols in the leather band round Fritz’s waist, in addition to the gun, and provided myself with the same articles, not forgetting a stock of biscuit and a flask of fresh river water. My wife now called us to breakfast, when all attacked the lobster; but its flesh proved so hard, that there was a great deal left when our meal was finished, and we packed it for our journey without further regret from any one.

In about an hour we had completed the preparations for our journey. I had loaded the guns we left behind, and I now enjoined my wife to keep by day as near the boat as possible, which in case of danger was the best and most speedy means of escape. My next concern was to shorten the moment of separation, judging by my own feelings those of my dear wife; for neither could be without painful apprehensions of what new misfortune might occur on either side during the interval. We all melted into tears:—I seized this instant for drawing Fritz away, and in a few moments the sobs and often repeated adieus of those we left behind died away in the noise of the waves which we now approached, and which turned our thoughts upon ourselves and the immediate object of our journey.

The banks of the river were everywhere steep and difficult, excepting at one narrow slip near the mouth on our side, where we had drawn our fresh water. The other side presented an unbroken line of sharp, high, perpendicular rocks. We therefore followed the course of the river till we arrived at a cluster of rocks at which the stream formed a cascade: a few paces beyond, we found some large fragments of rock which had fallen into the bed of the river: by stepping upon these, and making now and then some hazardous leaps, we contrived to reach the other side. We proceeded a short way along the rock we ascended in landing, forcing ourselves a passage through tall grass, which twined with other plants, and was rendered more capable of resistance by being half dried by the sun. Perceiving, however, that walking on this kind of surface in so hot a sun would exhaust our strength, we looked for a path to descend and proceed along the river, where we hoped to meet with fewer obstacles, and perhaps to discover traces of our ship companions.

When we had walked about a hundred paces, we heard a loud noise behind us, as if we were pursued, and perceived a rustling motion in the grass, which was almost as tall as ourselves. I was a good deal alarmed, thinking that it might be occasioned by some frightful serpent, a tiger, or other ferocious animal. Our alarm was, however, short; for what was our joy on seeing rush out, not an enemy, but our faithful Turk, whom in the distress of the parting scene we had forgotten, and whom no doubt our anxious relatives had sent on to us!

We again pursued our way. On our left was the sea, and on our right the continuation of the ridge of rocks which began at the place of our landing, and ran along the shore, the summit everywhere adorned with fresh verdure and a great variety of trees. We were careful to proceed in a course as near the shore as possible, casting our eyes alternately upon its smooth expanse and upon the land in all directions to discover our ship companions, or the boats which had conveyed them from us; but our endeavours were in vain.

When we had gone about two leagues, we entered a wood situated a little further from the sea: here we threw ourselves on the ground, under the shade of a tree, by the side of a clear running stream, and took out some provisions and refreshed ourselves. We heard the chirping, singing, and motion of birds in the trees, and observed, as they now and then came out to view, that they were more attractive by their splendid plumage than by any charm of note. Fritz assured me that he had caught a glimpse of some animals like apes among the bushes, and this was confirmed by the restless movements of Turk, who began to smell about him, and to bark so loud that the wood resounded with the noise. Fritz stole softly about to be sure, and presently stumbled on a small round body which lay on the ground: he brought it to me, observing that it must be the nest of some bird.—“What makes you of that opinion?” said I. “It is, I think, much more like a cocoa-nut.”

“But I have read that there are some kinds of birds which build their nests quite round: and look, father, how the outside is crossed and twined.”

“But do you not perceive that what you take for straws crossed and twined by the beak of a bird, is in fact a coat of fibres formed by the hand of Nature? Do you not remember to have read that the cocoa-nut is enclosed within a round, fibrous covering, which again is surrounded by a skin of a thin and fragile texture? I see that in the one you hold in your hand, this skin has been destroyed by time, which is the reason that the twisted fibres (or inner covering) are so apparent: but now let us break the shell, and you will see the nut inside.”

We soon accomplished this; but the nut, alas! from lying on the ground, had perished, and appeared but little different from a bit of dried skin, and not the least inviting to the palate.

A little later we had the good luck to meet with another nut. We opened it, and finding it sound, we sat down and ate it for our dinner, by which means we were enabled to husband the provisions we had brought. The nut, it is true, was a little oily and rancid; yet, as this was not a time to be nice, we made a hearty meal, and then continued our route. We did not quit the wood, but pushed our way across it, being often obliged to cut a path through the bushes overrun by creeping plants, with our hatchet. At length we reached a plain, which afforded a more extensive prospect, and a path less perplexed and intricate.

We next entered a forest to the right, and soon observed that some of the trees were of a singular kind. Fritz, whose sharp eye was continually on a journey of discovery, went up to examine them closely. “Oh, heavens! father, what odd trees, with wens growing all about their trunks!” I had soon the surprise and satisfaction of assuring him that they were bottle gourds, the trunks of which bear fruit. Fritz, who had never heard of such a plant, could not conceive the meaning of what he saw, and asked me if the fruit was a sponge or a wen.—“We will see,” I replied, “if I cannot unravel the mystery. Try to get down one of them, and we will examine it minutely.”

“I have got one,” cried Fritz, “and it is exactly like a gourd, only the rind is thicker and harder.”

“It then, like the rind of that fruit, can be used for making various utensils,” observed I; “plates, dishes, basins, flasks. We will give it the name of the gourd-tree.”

Fritz jumped for joy.—“How happy my mother will be!” cried he in ecstasy; “she will no longer have the vexation of thinking, when she makes soup, that we shall all scald our fingers.”

We accordingly proceeded to the manufacture of our plates and dishes. I taught my son how to divide the gourd with a bit of string, which would cut more equally than a knife; I tied the string round the middle of the gourd as tight as possible, striking it pretty hard with the handle of my knife, and I drew it tighter and tighter till the gourd fell apart, forming two regular-shaped bowls or vessels; while Fritz, who had used a knife for the same operation, had entirely spoiled his gourd by the irregular pressure of his instrument. I recommended his making some spoons with the spoiled rind, as it was good for no other purpose. I, on my part, had soon completed two dishes of convenient size, and some smaller ones to serve as plates.

Fritz was in the utmost astonishment at my success. “I cannot imagine, father,” said he, “how this way of cutting the gourd could occur to you!”

“I have read the description of such a process,” replied I, “in books of travels; and also that such of the savages as have no knives, and who make a sort of twine from the bark of trees, are accustomed to use it for this kind of purpose.”

“And the flasks, father; in what manner are they made?”

“For this branch of their ingenuity they make preparation a long time beforehand. If a negro wishes to have a flask, or bottle with a neck, he binds a piece of string, linen, or bark of a tree, or anything he can get, round the part nearest the stalk of a very young gourd; he draws this bandage so tight that the part at liberty soon forms itself to a round shape, while the part which is confined contracts, and remains ever after narrow. By this method it is that they obtain flasks or bottles of a perfect form.”

Our conversation and our labour thus went on together. Fritz had completed some plates, and was not a little proud of the achievement. “Ah, how delighted my mother will be to eat upon them!” cried he. “But how shall we convey them to her? They will not, I fear, bear travelling well.”

“We must leave them here on the sand for the sun to dry them thoroughly; this will be accomplished by the time of our return this way, and we can then carry them with us; but care must be taken to fill them with sand, that they may not shrink or warp in so ardent a heat.” My boy did not dislike this task; for he had no great fancy for the idea of carrying such a load on our journey of further discovery. Our sumptuous service of porcelain was accordingly spread upon the ground, and for the present abandoned to its fate.

We amused ourselves, as we proceeded, in endeavouring to fashion some spoons from the fragments of the gourd-rinds. I had the fancy to try my skill upon a piece of cocoa-nut; but I must needs confess that what we produced had not the least resemblance to those I had seen in the Museum at London, and which were shown there as the work of some of the islanders of the Southern Seas.

Meanwhile, we had not neglected the great object of our pursuit,—the making every practicable search for our ship companions. But our endeavours, alas! were all in vain.

After a walk of about four leagues in all, we arrived at a spot where a slip of land reached far out into the sea, on which we observed a rising piece of ground or hill. On a moment’s reflection we determined to ascend it, concluding we should obtain a clear view of all adjacent parts, which would save us the fatigue of further rambles. We accordingly accomplished the design.

We did not reach the top of the hill without many efforts and a plentiful perspiration: but when there, we beheld a scene of wild and solitary beauty, comprehending a vast extent of land and water. It was however in vain that we used our telescope in all directions; no trace of man appeared. A truly embellished nature presented herself; and we were in the highest degree sensible of her thousand charms. The shore, rounded by a bay of some extent, the bank of which ended in a promontory on the farther side; the agreeable blue tint of its surface; the sea, gently agitated by waves in which the rays of the sun were reflected; the woods, of variegated hues and verdure, formed altogether a picture of such magnificence, of such new and exquisite delight, that, if the recollection of our unfortunate companions, engulfed perhaps in this very ocean, had not intruded to depress our spirits, we should have yielded to the ecstasy the scene was calculated to inspire. In reality, from this moment we began to lose even the feeble hope we had entertained, and sadness stole involuntarily into our hearts. We, however, became but the more sensible of the goodness of the Divine Being, in the special protection afforded to ourselves, in conducting us to a home where there was no present cause for fear of danger from without, where we had not experienced the want of food, and where there was a prospect of future safety for us all.

We descended the hill, and made our way to a wood of palms: our path was clothed with reeds, entwined with other plants, which greatly obstructed our march. We advanced slowly and cautiously, fearing at every step to receive a mortal bite from some serpent that might be concealed among them. We made Turk go before, to give us timely notice of anything dangerous. I also cut a reed-stalk of uncommon length and thickness, for my defence against any enemy. It was not without surprise that I perceived a glutinous sap proceed from the divided end of the stalk. Prompted by curiosity, I tasted this liquid, and found it sweet and of a pleasant flavour, so that not a doubt remained that we were passing through a plantation of sugar-canes. I again applied the cane to my lips, and sucked it for some moments, and felt singularly refreshed and strengthened. I determined not to tell Fritz immediately of the fortunate discovery I had made, preferring that he should find it out for himself. As he was at some distance before me, I called out to him to cut a reed for his defence. This he did, and without any remark, used it simply for a stick, striking lustily with it on all sides to clear a passage. The motion occasioned the sap to run out abundantly upon his hand, and he stopped to examine so strange a circumstance. He lifted it up, and still a larger quantity escaped. He now tasted what was on his fingers. Oh! then for the exclamations—“Father, father, I have found some sugar!—some syrup! I have a sugar-cane in my hand! Run quickly, father!”—We were soon together, jointly partaking of the pleasure we had in store for his dear mother and the younger brothers.

Fritz cut at least a dozen of the largest canes, tore off their leaves, tied them together, and putting them under his arm, dragged them, as well as he was able, through thick and thin to the end of the plantation. We regained the wood of palms without accident; here we stretched our limbs in the shade, and finished our repast. We were scarcely settled, when a great number of large monkeys, terrified by the sight of us and the barking of Turk, stole so nimbly, and yet so quietly up the trees, that we scarcely perceived them till they had reached the topmost parts. From this height they fixed their eyes upon us, grinding their teeth, making horrible grimaces, and saluting us with screams of hostile import.—Being now satisfied that the trees were palms, bearing cocoa-nuts, I conceived the hope of obtaining some of this fruit in a milky state, through the monkeys. Fritz, on his part, prepared to shoot at them instantly. He threw his burdens on the ground, and it was with difficulty I, by pulling his arm, could prevent him from firing.

I now began to throw some stones at the monkeys; and though I could not make them reach to half the height at which they had taken refuge, they showed every mark of excessive anger. With their accustomed trick of imitation, they furiously tore off, nut by nut, all that grew upon the trunk near them, to hurl them down upon us; so that it was with difficulty we avoided the blows; and in a short time a great number of cocoa-nuts lay on the ground round us. Fritz laughed heartily at the excellent success of our stratagem; and as the shower of cocoa-nuts began to subside, we set about collecting them. We chose a place where we could repose at our ease, to feast on this rich harvest. We opened the shells with a hatchet, but first enjoyed the sucking of some of the milk through the three small holes, where we found it easy to insert the point of a knife. The milk of the cocoa-nut has not a pleasant flavour; but it is excellent for quenching thirst. What we liked best was a kind of solid cream which adheres to the shell, and which we scraped off with our spoons. We mixed with it a little of the sap of our sugar-canes, and it made a delicious repast.

Our meal being finished, we prepared to leave the wood of palms. I tied all the cocoa-nuts which had stalks together, and threw them across my shoulder. Fritz resumed his bundle of sugar-canes. We divided the rest of the things between us, and continued our way towards home.