CHAPTER LIII

The Redoubt—Valuable Discoveries—The Cacao Tree—The Banana—Crocodiles and Alligators—Tea Plant—Artillery and Fortification of Shark Island

Our next labour was to construct some sort of a fort to shelter us whenever we might visit the defile. We had not strength enough to build a regular fort; and besides, our knowledge of fortification was very limited. At last Fritz thought of a plan of a Kamschatdale fort, which he had read of somewhere, and which I thought, with a little improvement, would answer admirably.

The Kamschatdale fort simply consists of four high stones, upon which are laid planks and boards, forming a platform upon which a hut of bark or branches is constructed—not a very formidable fortress certainly; but yet capable of defending us in case of an attack from wild beasts.

Instead of four stones for the foundation, we chose out four trees to answer the same purpose. We did not cut the branches off close, but left them as rests for the beams of our platform. We surrounded our platform with a high and strong network of rushes and branches, leaving an opening for entrance; and we covered the roof with the waterproof leaves of the Talipot palm. These leaves grow so large that ten men can be covered by one of them. Our fort bore a strong resemblance to Falcon’s Nest; and, surrounded as it was by green trees and flourishing verdure, it did not look much like a military construction.

To ascend to the platform, we employed one of the simplest means I could imagine: it was by a beam which descended perpendicularly to the ground, and notched deeply into steps. We also arranged this so that it could be raised and lowered at pleasure.

Fritz and Jack promised themselves wonders from our new fort, which overlooked the savanna for a great distance, and we could see the river running like a silver thread through the immense plain; and by means of spy-glasses we could discern troops of buffaloes and other animals feeding around the brink.

Our labours at the fort were diversified by some important discoveries. One day Fritz made an excursion to the river of the savanna, and found among the rich vegetation there some unknown shrubs, of which he brought me specimens to examine. One kind bore, in large clusters, a beautiful green fruit, tipped at the end with violet, and shaped like a large gherkin; the others were covered with quantities of small flowers, interspersed with large fruits like cucumbers. On examination, I recognized them as being two of the most precious productions of the tropics: the largest of the fruits was the cacao-bean, of which chocolate is made; the other was the banana, that forms an article of food for the inhabitants of several countries in America.

We tasted these far-famed fruits, but did not find them very excellent. The beans of the cacao are filled with a sort of viscous matter, like thick cream, but of an insipid taste and an odour like that of an over-ripe pear.

My wife, who had opened several bananas, sought in vain for some seeds which she might take home to plant in her kitchen-garden. I told her that the banana contained no seeds, and was always propagated from cuttings, which will easily grow if planted in rich, wet earth. My wife also wished to plant some of the cacao-beans in her garden: but she was obliged to renounce her project, as Ernest told her that unless the seeds were put in when the fruit was gathered they would be useless. It was resolved, in consequence, that Fritz should set out the next day in his cajack, and go in search of the elements necessary for the reproduction of these two precious plants. My wife never forgot her kitchen-garden; and whenever she came across a useful addition, she immediately planted a specimen there.

The next day Fritz embarked; and fearing that his cajack would not be large enough to hold the cargo he intended to bring home, he fastened a raft of rushes behind it. He was ashamed, he said, to go for some banana cuttings only, and he intended to bring home something else. We occupied ourselves during the day in preparing to set out for Felsenheim; and Fritz did not return till late in the evening, when we saw him coming toward us, the cajack and the raft loaded down to the water’s edge.

“Bravo! bravo!” cried his brothers, as they saw Fritz advancing, laden with green branches. The cargo was soon unloaded, and dragged up to the hut with as much contentment as if it had been the galleons of silver that Admiral Anson captured.

Fritz now came up, holding in his hand a superb bird, the feet and wings of which he had fastened, and which he presented to us as the principal booty of the day.

It was the Sultan Cock of Buffon, the king of water-fowls, so called from its beauty of form, and the brilliancy of its plumage. I easily recognized its long red legs, and its beautiful green and violet plumage, with a red spot in the forehead. My wife wished to add it to the inhabitants of the farmyard; and as it was very gentle, it soon became as tame as the rest of our domestic fowls, who appeared jealous of the new-comer.

Fritz now recounted to us the details of the day. He informed us that he had ascended the river for a great distance, and that he had been astonished at the majestic forests which bordered it, and threw a sombre shade over its waters. He had encountered several families of turkeys, pintadoes, and peacocks, whose cries and screams imparted an air of life to the sombre river. Farther on the scene had changed: there were enormous elephants feeding along the bank, in troops of twenty or thirty; some were playing in the water, and squirting the cooling fluid over the heated bodies of their companions; tigers and panthers, too, lay sleeping in the sun, their magnificent fur contrasting strangely with the green bank upon which they reclined; but not one of these animals paid the least attention to the young navigator.

“I felt my inability and weakness,” said Fritz, “on finding myself face to face with these terrible enemies; my gun, my balls, and my skill would have been of little use, and I thought I had better retrace my steps. I commenced to turn my cajack round, when what was my surprise to see, at about the distance of two gun-shots before me, a long and large mouth, armed with rows of formidable teeth, and the whole apparatus moving directly toward me. I cannot say how I found strength enough to escape, I felt so frightened at the apparition. I took a lesson then in natural history that I have no desire soon to repeat.”

“What animal was it,” asked Francis, “the mouth and teeth of which Fritz saw coming out of the water?”

“An alligator, probably,” said Ernest; “or, if you would prefer using a name more familiar to you, a crocodile.”

We finished our preparations for departure, and set off at break of day the next morning for Felsenheim. Fritz asked my permission to allow him to make the journey by water, in his cajack, and to return home by doubling Cape Disappointment. I readily consented, as the ease with which he managed his little boat gave me nothing to fear, and besides, I was anxious to know more about the cape.

We both set out at the same time, and both arrived home safely. The sailor, in doubling the cape, had made two new discoveries: among the bushes which covered the rock he remarked two shrubs, one of which was covered with very highly-scented, rose-coloured flowers, and had long, narrow leaves; the other had numerous small white flowers, and in its whole appearance very much resembled the myrtle. He brought home to us specimens of these two shrubs, one of which my wife recognized as the caper-tree, used in pickling; the other was a sort of Chinese tea-plant, which was received with marked distinction.

When we were a little rested from our fatigue, my wife recalled to mind Falcon’s Nest and its aërial chateau, which we had almost forgotten since our discovery of the salt cavern.

“It is wrong,” said she, “to let that beautiful habitation go to ruin. Although Felsenheim offers us a sure protection in winter, yet Falcon’s Nest, with its gigantic branches and pleasant verdure, is the most agreeable habitation we could possess.”

My wife spoke reasonably, and I promised her that I would do as she wished. We left Felsenheim and took up our residence in our old habitation. The roof that we had made over the roots was now plastered with gum and resin; the staircase was repaired: we substituted a bark roof for the old linen one over our chamber in the tree; we made a balcony all around it, and repaired everything, so that it was a clean, agreeable habitation.

But the embellishments at Falcon’s Nest were but a prelude to more considerable and difficult works. Fritz had conceived the idea of fortifying Shark Island, and making that a sort of rallying point in case of danger. He teased me so about it, and his head was so full of plans and projects, that it was impossible to resist him, and the work was at length begun. One can easily conceive how great were the obstacles that a man and four boys had to contend with, in order to convey two cannons to the island, and level them on a platform more than fifty feet in height. It cost us immense labour even to effect the transport of the cannons. I then placed on the platform we had built a large capstan; and, to shorten the time and reduce the labour in passing round the rock, I let down a rope, made into loops, so that we could easily ascend and descend. The cannons were attached by strong ropes, and then hauled up by the capstan. This work cost us a whole day of hard labour; but at last the cannons were landed on the platform, and established with their mouths toward the sea. We placed a long pole in the rock, with a string and pulley, so that we could hoist up a flag at any time. How glad we felt when our work was done, and how proud we were of our ingenuity! When we had crowned this military construction with a flag, a cry of joy was uttered; and, as economical as I felt we must be in powder, six times we fired our cannons, and the rocks repeated the echo over a vast extent of ocean.