CHAPTER IX

Change of Abode

As soon as we were up and had breakfasted the next morning, I assembled all the members of my family together, to take with them a solemn farewell of this our first place of reception from the awful disaster of the shipwreck. I directed my sons to assemble our whole flock of animals, and to leave the ass and the cow to me, that I might load them with the sacks which my wife had made; I had filled these, and made a slit longways in the middle of each, and to each side of the slits I tied several long pieces of cord, which crossing each other, and being again brought round and fastened, served to hold the sacks firmly on the back of the animal. We next began to put together all the things we should stand most in need of for the two or three first days in our new abode: working implements, kitchen utensils, the captain’s service of plate, and a small provision of butter, etc., etc. I put these articles into the two ends of each sack, taking care that the sides should be equally heavy, and then fastened them on. I afterwards added our hammocks to complete the load, and we were about to begin to march, when my wife stopped me.—“We must not,” said she, “leave our fowls behind, for fear they should become the prey of the jackals. We must contrive a place for them among the luggage, and also one for our little Francis, who cannot walk so far, and would interrupt our speed. There is also my enchanted bag, which I recommend to your particular care,” said she, smiling, “for who can tell what may yet pop out of it for your good pleasure?”

I now placed the child on the ass’s back, fixing the enchanted bag in such a way as to support him, and I tied them together with so many cords, that the animal might even have galloped without danger of his falling off.

We packed and placed in the tent everything we were to leave, and for greater security, fastened down the ends of the sail-cloth, at the entrance, by driving stakes through them into the ground. We ranged a number of vessels, both full and empty, round the tent, to serve as a rampart, and thus we confided to the protection of Heaven our remaining treasures. At length, we set ourselves in motion: each of us, great and small, carried a gun upon his shoulder, and a game-bag at his back. My wife led the way with her eldest son, the cow and the ass immediately behind them; the goats, conducted by Jack, came next; the little monkey was seated on the back of his nurse, and made a thousand grimaces. After the goats came Ernest, conducting the sheep, while I, in my capacity of general superintendent, followed behind, and brought up the rear; the dogs for the most part pranced backwards and forwards, like adjutants to a troop of soldiers. Our march was slow, and there was something solemn and patriarchal in the spectacle we exhibited; I fancied we must resemble our forefathers journeying in the deserts, accompanied by their families and their possessions.

On the other side of the river we experienced an inconvenience wholly unexpected. The tempting aspect of the grass, which grew here in profusion, drew off our animals, who strayed from us to feed upon it; so that, without the dogs, we should not have been able to bring them back to the line of our procession. The active creatures were of great use to us on this occasion; and when everything was restored to proper order, we were able to continue our journey. For fear, however, of a similar occurrence, I directed our march to the left, along the seaside, where the produce of the soil was not of a quality to attract them.

But scarcely had we advanced a few steps on the sands, when our two dogs, which had strayed behind among the grass, set up a sort of howl, as if engaged in an encounter with some formidable animal. Fritz in an instant raised his gun to his cheek, and was ready to fire; Ernest, always somewhat timid, drew back to his mother’s side; Jack ran bravely after Fritz with his gun upon his shoulder; while I, fearing the dogs might be attacked by some dangerous wild beast, prepared myself to advance to their assistance. But youth is always full of ardour: and in spite of my exhortations to proceed with caution, the boys, eager for the event, made but three jumps to the place from which the noise proceeded. In an instant Jack had turned to meet me, clapping his hands, and calling out, “Come quickly, father, come quickly, here is a monstrous porcupine!”

I soon reached the spot, and perceived that it was really as he said, bating a little exaggeration. The dogs were running to and fro with bleeding noses about the animal; and when they approached too near him, he made a frightful noise, and pierced them with his quills so deeply and suddenly that the pain the wounds occasioned made them howl violently.

While we were looking on, Jack determined on an attack, which succeeded well. He took one of the pistols which he carried in his belt, and aimed it so exactly at the head of the porcupine, that he fell dead the instant he fired, and before we had a notion of what he was about. We now all got round the extraordinary animal, on whom nature has bestowed a strong defence by arming his body all over with long spears. The boys were at a loss what means to use for carrying away his carcass. They thought of dragging it along the ground; but as often as they attempted to take hold, there was nothing but squalling, and running to show the marks made by his quills on their hands.—“We must leave him behind,” said they, “but it is a great pity.”

While the boys were talking, my wife and I had hastened to relieve the dogs, by examining the wounds which had been inflicted by the quills. Fritz had run on before with his gun, hoping he should meet with some animal of prey. We followed him at our leisure, taking care not to expose our health by unnecessary fatigue; till at last, without further accident or adventure, we arrived at the place of the giant trees. Such indeed we found them, and our astonishment exceeded all description.—“Good heavens! what trees! what a height! what trunks! I never heard of any so prodigious!” exclaimed one and all.—“Nothing can be more rational than your admiration,” answered I, measuring them with my eyes as I spoke. “I must confess I had not myself formed an idea of the reality. To you be all the honour, my dear wife, of the discovery of this agreeable abode, in which we shall enjoy so many comforts and advantages. The great point we have to gain is the fixing a tent large enough to receive us all in one of these trees, by which means we shall be perfectly secure from the invasion of wild beasts. I defy even one of the bears, who are so famous for mounting trees, to climb up by a trunk so immense, and so destitute of branches.”

We began now to release our animals from their burdens, having first thrown our own on the grass. We next used the precaution of tying their two fore-legs together with a cord, that they might not go far away or lose themselves. We restored the fowls to liberty; and then seating ourselves upon the grass, we held a family council on the subject of our future establishment. I was myself somewhat uneasy on the question of our safety during the ensuing night; for I was ignorant of the nature of the extensive country I beheld around me, and what chance there might be of our being attacked by different kinds of wild beasts. I accordingly observed to my wife, that I would make an endeavour for us all to sleep in the tree that very night. While I was deliberating with her on the subject, Fritz had stolen away to a short distance, and we heard the report of a gun. This would have alarmed me, if at the same moment we had not recognized Fritz’s voice crying out, “I touched him! I touched him!” and in a moment we saw him running towards us, holding a dead animal of uncommon beauty by the paws.—“Father, father, look, here is a superb tiger-cat,” said he, proudly raising it in the air, to show it to the best advantage.—“Bravo! bravo!” cried I: “bravo, Nimrod the undaunted! Your exploit will call forth the gratitude of our cocks, hens, and pigeons, for you have rendered them what they cannot fail to think an important service. If you had not killed this animal, he would no doubt have demolished in one night our whole stock of poultry. One idea occurs to me: skin the animal carefully, so as not to injure it, particularly the parts which cover the fore-legs and the tail. You may then make yourself a belt with it, like your brother Jack’s. The odd pieces will serve to make some cases to contain our utensils for the table, such as knives, forks and spoons. Go then, boy, and put away its head, and we will see how to set about preparing the skin.”

The boys left me no moment of repose till I had shown them how to take off the skins of the animals without tearing them. In the meanwhile Ernest looked about for a flat stone as a sort of foundation for a fireplace, and little Francis collected some pieces of dry wood for his mother to light a fire. Ernest was not long in finding what he wanted, and then he ran to join us, and give us his assistance, or rather to reason, right or wrong, on the subject of skinning animals; and then on that of trees, making various comments and inquiries respecting the real name of those we intended to inhabit.—“It is my opinion,” said he, “that they are, really and simply, enormously large hazel trees; see if the leaf is not of exactly the same form.”—“But that is no proof,” interrupted I; “for many trees bear leaves of the same shape, but nevertheless are of different kinds.”

Presently little Francis came running, with his mouth crammed full of something, and calling out, “Mamma, mamma! I have found a nice fruit to eat, and I have brought you home some of it!”

“Little glutton!” replied his mother, quite alarmed, “what have you got there? For Heaven’s sake, do not swallow, in this imprudent manner, the first thing that falls in your way; for by this means you may be poisoned, and then you would die.” She made him open his mouth, and took out with her finger what he was eating with so keen a relish. With some difficulty she drew out the remains of a fig.—“A fig!” exclaimed I: “where did you get this fig?”

Francis.—I got it among the grass, papa; and there are a great many more. I thought it must be good to eat, for the fowls and the pigeons, and even the pig, came to the place, and ate them in large quantities.

Father.—“You see then, my dear,” said I to my wife, “that our beautiful trees are fig-trees, at least the kind which are thus named at the Antilles.” I took this occasion to give the boys another lesson on the necessity of being cautious, and never to venture on tasting anything they met with, till they had seen it eaten by birds and monkeys. At the word monkeys, they all ran to visit the little orphan, whom they found seated on the root of a tree, and examining with the oddest grimaces the half-skinned tiger-cat, which lay near him. Francis offered him a fig, which he first turned round and round, then smelled at it, and concluded by eating it voraciously.—“Bravo! bravo! Mr. Monkey,” exclaimed the boys, clapping their hands; “so then these figs are good to eat!”

In the meanwhile my wife had been busy in making a fire, putting on the pot, and preparing for our dinner. The tiger-cat was bestowed upon the dogs, who waited impatiently to receive it. While our dinner was dressing, I employed my time in making some packing-needles with some of the quills of the porcupine, which the boys had contrived to draw from his skin, and bring home. I put the point of a large nail into the fire till it was red-hot; then taking hold of it with some wet linen in my hand, by way of guard, I with great ease perforated the thick end of the quills with it. I had soon the pleasure of presenting my wife with a large packet of long, stout needles, which were the more valuable in her estimation as she had formed the intention of contriving some better harness for our animals, and had been perplexed how to set about it without some larger needles.

I had singled out the highest fig-tree; and while we were waiting for dinner, I made the boys try how high they could throw a stick or stone into it. I also tried myself; but the lowest branches were so far from the ground, that none of us could touch them. I perceived, therefore, that we should want some new inventions for fastening the ends of my ladder to them. I allowed a short pause to my imagination, during which I assisted Jack and Fritz in carrying the skin of the tiger-cat to a near rivulet, where we confined it under water with some large stones. After this we returned and dined heartily on some slices of ham and bread and cheese, under the shade of our favourite trees.