CHAPTER XLI

Weaving Machine—Basket making—The Alarm—A Dangerous Visitor—The Ass Falls a Victim

We had had so much trouble in harvesting our crops the last season that we had resolved, instead of trusting them to the ground without any order or regularity, to prepare a field which could receive them all at the same time, and where they could ripen together. But as our animals were not yet sufficiently accustomed to the yoke to warrant our undertaking the task, I was obliged to defer it till some future period.

In the meantime, I employed myself in constructing a weaving-machine for my wife: our garments had become so tattered and torn that the machine was of incalculable benefit to us. It was neither perfect nor handsome, and nothing more could be expected. As we had none of the wheat flour that the weavers use to make paste, which they employ in hardening the warp, and preventing the threads from tangling, I substituted the glue of fish; and I may confess, without self-praise, that my composition was better than that of the weavers, for the fish-glue preserves a humidity that the ordinary glue does not, and by employing it one can weave in a dry situation, instead of descending into cellars, where the weavers from time immemorial have been obliged to confine themselves. From this fish-glue I also made window-panes, not well calculated, it is true, for windows exposed to the rain; but they answered for ours, which, on account of their deep embrasures, were protected from storm.

These two successes encouraged me, and I resolved to try my hand at another thing, or, to speak poetically, “add another flower to my wreath.” My little cavaliers had long tormented me to make them saddles and bridles, and our beasts had need of yokes and other harness. I commenced my work and established myself as saddler; kangaroos and sea-dogs furnished me with the necessary leather, and I used for wadding the moss that the Molucca pigeons had discovered to us. But as this moss would have matted together, and grown hard under the rider, I employed my sons in twisting it into cords, in which state it was left some time, and then untwisted; by that means we obtained frizzed hair, as elastic as that of horses. In a short time we had saddles and stirrups, bits and bridles, yokes and collars, each adapted to the strength of the animal for which it was intended.

But this sedentary course of life did not suit the restless minds of my young people, and they earnestly begged me to take them hunting in the country. I put the matter off, and took in hand another sort of work, the want of which we felt sensibly. I speak of the making of baskets, a number of which articles we needed to carry our rice, roots, grain, etc. Our first attempts were clumsy enough, and we reserved them for our potato baskets. We gradually improved, and when I thought we were skilful enough, I ventured to use those Spanish rushes that had cost Jack so dear, and we made a number of fine baskets; they were not as finished workmanship as more skilful hands would have effected, but they were light and strong, and that was all we cared for.

My sons had made a large basket to put manioc roots in, and, in a fit of mischief, Jack and Ernest had passed a bamboo cane through the handles, and, putting little Francis in the basket, set off on a full run, while the poor fellow endeavoured in vain to stop them.

Fritz, who had been looking at them, turned to me, saying, “An idea has struck me, papa; why cannot we make a litter of rushes for mamma, and then she will be able to accompany us in our distant excursions?”

“Really,” I replied, “a litter would be much more convenient than the back of the ass, and much easier than the cart: we will try what can be done.”

My children were delighted at the plan; but my wife laughingly observed, “that she would make but a poor figure seated in a wicker basket.”

“Never fear,” said I, “we will make you a fine palanquin such as are used in Persia and Hindostan.”

We immediately put the design into execution: the buffalo and the bull were brought out; two poles, which supported a large basket, were suspended by cords on each side, and Ernest jumped in to make the first trial. Jack mounted Storm, who was placed at the head, and Francis Broumm, who supported the hinder part, and they set off. The first steps answered admirably; the basket, balanced between the poles, resembled a luxurious carriage on its springs of steel. But it was not exactly a pleasant carriage-drive that Ernest enjoyed; for, at a given signal agreed on by his coachmen, they whipped up their beasts, and set off at full gallop, subjecting Ernest to a punishment as novel as it was ridiculous, which consisted in forcing him to perform a sort of basket-dance at each jump of his conductors. The fun was violent, but it was harmless, and we could not help laughing to see the phlegmatic Ernest so tossed about.

We then all returned to our basket-making; but we had scarcely recommenced, when Fritz, whose eagle eye was always making discoveries, suddenly started up as if frightened at a cloud of dust which had arisen on the other side of the river, in the direction of Falcon’s Nest.

“There is some large animal there,” said he, “to judge from the dust it has raised; besides, it is plainly coming in this direction.”

“I cannot imagine what it is,” I answered; “our large animals are in the stable, resting themselves after the experiment of the palanquin.”

“Probably two or three sheep, or, perhaps, our sow, frolicking in the sand,” observed my wife.

“No, no,” replied Fritz, quickly; “it is some singular animal: I can perceive its movements: it rolls and unrolls itself alternately; I can see the rings of which it is formed. See, it is raising itself up, and looks like a huge mast in the dust; it advances—stops—marches on; but I cannot distinguish either feet or legs.”

I ran for the spy-glass we had saved from the wreck, and directed it toward the dust.

“I can see it plainly,” said Fritz; “it has a greenish-coloured body. What do you think of it, papa?”

“That we must fly as fast as possible, and entrench ourselves in the grotto.”

“What do you think it is?”

“A serpent—a huge serpent, advancing directly for us.”

“Shall I run for the guns, to be ready to receive him?”

“Not here. The serpent is too powerful to permit of our attacking him, unless we are ourselves in a place of safety.”

We hastened to gain the interior of the grotto, and prepared to receive our enemy. It was a boa-constrictor, and he advanced so quickly that it was too late to take up the boards on Family Bridge.

We watched all his movements, and saw him stretching out his enormous length along the bank of the river. From time to time the reptile would raise up the forepart of his body twenty feet from the ground, and turn his head gently from right to left, as if seeking for his prey, while he darted a triple-barbed tongued from his half-open jaws. He crossed the bridge, and directed his course straight for the grotto: we had barricaded the door and the windows as well as we were able, and ascended into the dove-cot, to which we had made an interior entrance; we passed our muskets through the holes in the door, and waited silently for the enemy—it was the silence of terror.

But the boa, in advancing, had perceived the traces of man’s handiwork, and he came on hesitatingly, until at last he stopped, about thirty paces directly in front of our position. He had scarcely advanced thus far when Ernest, more through fear than through any war-like ardour, discharged his gun, and thus gave a false signal. Jack and Francis followed his example; and my wife, whom the danger had rendered bold, also discharged her gun.

The monster raised his head; but either because none of the shots had touched him, or because the scales of his skin were impenetrable to balls, he appeared to have received no wound. Fritz and I then fired, but without any effect, and the serpent glided away with inconceivable rapidity toward the marsh which our ducks and geese inhabited, and disappeared in the rushes.

The neighbourhood of the boa threw me into the most unenviable state of mind; for I could think of no way to rid ourselves of him, and our united forces were as nothing against such an enemy. I expressly commanded my whole family to remain in the grotto, and forbade them opening the door without my permission.

The fear of our terrible neighbour kept us shut up three days in our retreat—three long days of anguish and alarm—during which time I suffered no one to break the rule I had established; the interior service of the grotto was the only consideration that could induce me to break it, and even then I allowed no one to go beyond the reservoir of the fountain.

The monster had given us no signs of his presence, and we would have supposed him departed, either by traversing the marsh, or by some unknown passage in the rock, if the agitation which reigned among our aquatic animals had not assured us of his presence. Every evening the whole colony of ducks and geese would direct their course to the bay, making a terrible noise, and sail away for Whale Island, where they found a safe asylum.

My embarrassment daily increased; and the immovability of the enemy rendered our position very painful. I was afraid that a direct attack might cost us the lives of one or more of our little family. Our dogs could do nothing against such a foe; and to have exposed any one of our beasts of burden would have been certain destruction to it. On the other hand, our provisions daily diminished, as the season was not yet far enough advanced for us to have laid in any winter stores. In a word, we were in a most deplorable situation, when Heaven came to our aid. The instrument that effected our deliverance was our poor old jackass, the companion of our wanderings, and faithful servant.

The fodder that we happened to have in the grotto had diminished frightfully: it was necessary to nourish the cow, as she contributed in great part to our subsistence, and some must be taken from the other animals. In this dilemma I resolved to set them at liberty, and let them provide for their own nourishment. As inconvenient as this measure was, it was better than to see us all dying of hunger, shut up in the grotto. I thought that if we could get them on the other side of the river they would find a plentiful supply of food, and be in safety as long as the boa remained buried in the rushes. I was afraid to cross Family Bridge, lest I should arouse the monster, and I decided to ford at the spot where our first crossing was made. My plan was to attach the animals together. Fritz, mounted on his onagra, would direct the front of the procession, while I would take care that the marsh was effected in good order. I recommended to my son, at the first sign of the serpent’s presence, to fly, as fast as his beast would carry him, to Falcon’s Nest. As to our animals, I left to Providence the care of watching over and saving them. For my part, I proposed to post myself on a rock that overlooked the marsh, and in case of an attack on the part of the serpent, retreat to the grotto, where a well-directed discharge of firearms would rid us of him.

I then loaded all our arms; my sons were placed as videttes in the dove-cot, with orders to observe the movements of the enemy, while Fritz and I arranged our beasts as aforesaid. But a little misunderstanding put an end to all my plans. My wife, who had charge of the door, did not wait for the signal, and opened it before the animals were attached together. The ass, who had grown very lively, considering his age, by his three days’ rest and good feed, no sooner saw a ray of light than he shot out of the door like an arrow, and was away in the open plain before we could stop him. It was a comical sight to see him kicking his heels in the air; and Fritz would have mounted his onagra, and ridden out after him, but I restrained him, and contented myself by trying every manner of persuasion to induce the poor animal to come back. We called him by his name; we made use of our cow-horn; but all was useless—the unruly fellow exulted in his liberty, and, as if urged on by some fatality, he advanced direct to the marsh. But what horror froze our veins when, suddenly, we saw the horrid serpent emerging from the rushes! He elevated his head about ten feet from the ground, darted out his forked tongue, and crawled swiftly on toward the ass. The poor fellow soon saw his danger, and began to run, braying with all his might; but neither his cries nor his legs could save him from his terrible enemy, and in a moment he was seized, enveloped, and crushed in the monstrous rings that the serpent threw around him.

My wife and sons uttered a cry of terror, and we fled in haste to the grotto, from whence we could view the horrible combat between the boa and the ass. My children wanted to fire, and deliver, said they, the poor jackass; but I forbade them to do it.

“What can you do,” said I, “with firearms? The boa is too much occupied with his prey to abandon it, and, besides, if you wound him, perhaps we may become the victims of his fury.” The loss of our ass was great, it was true, but I hoped that it would save us from a greater.

The boa proceeded with horrible avidity to his repast. The ass was dead; we had heard his last bray stifled by the pressure of the boa, and we could now distinctly hear the cracking of his bones. The monster, to give himself more power, had wound his tail about a piece of rock, which gave it the force of a lever. When the monster judged his preparation sufficient, he commenced to swallow the prey he had secured. We observed that as he advanced the animal lost his strength; and when all had been swallowed he remained perfectly torpid and insensible.

I saw that the time had now arrived, and I exclaimed, “Now, my children, now the serpent is in our power!”

I then set out from the grotto, carrying my loaded gun in my hand; Fritz followed close by my side; Jack came next, but the more timid Ernest lingered behind. On approaching the reptile, I found that my suppositions were right, and that it was the giant boa of the naturalists. The serpent raised its head, and darting on me a look of powerless anger, again let it fall.

Fritz and I fired together, and both our shots entered the skull of the animal; but they did not produce death, and the eyes of the serpent sparkled with rage. We advanced nearer, and, firing our pistols directly through the eye, we saw its rings contract, a slight quiver ran through its body, and it lay dead upon the sand before us, stretched out like the mast of a ship.