CHAPTER XXII.

CHAPTER XXII.

_Gymnastic exercises;—various discoveries; singular animals,

&c._

Neither our voyages to the wreck, nor the laboriousness of our

occupations at Tent House had made us forget the regular observance

of our duties on the sabbath-day, which now again occurred the day

after our return to Falcon’s Stream; and we accordingly distinguished

it by consecrating the forenoon to reading the church prayers,

some chapters in the Bible, singing psalms, and lastly, the recital

of a new parable I had invented, and which I had named the _Arabian

Travellers_. I reminded my children in it, by the help of imagery

and fictitious names, of all the aid and all the benefits bestowed

upon us by an all-beneficent Providence, from the moment of our

being cast upon our present abode;—that it was his compassion

for our station which had endued us with sagacity and perseverance

in the discovery of so many things necessary for our existence;

and one treasure, valuable above all the rest—a talisman, bestowed

by the good genius who watched over poor defenceless wanderers.

This talisman was such as to inspire them on every occasion with

the knowledge of what was best for their happiness, and that

by listening to these inspirations, they might be sure of always

keeping in the right path, and finding every want supplied. I need

not explain that by the good genius I alluded to the ever-watchful

care of the exemplary wife and mother; and by the talisman, the

sacred volume she had so miraculously preserved and concealed

in her enchanted bag. I was well understood by my hearers; and

as I finished my discourse, the children all ran spontaneously

at once to embrace their mother, addressing her by the term _Good

Genius_, and thanking her for having been the means of securing the

Bible, to which we might all resort for consolation and instruction.

After dinner I again addressed my family with a short moral

discourse, and then allowed them to use whatever kind of recreation

they pleased; one feature of my system being, not to tire them with

the subjects I wished them to feel an attachment for. I recommended

to them, for the sake of uniting usefulness with their amusement,

to resume the exercise we began upon the first Sunday of our

abode in these regions, the shooting of arrows; for I had an

extreme solicitude about their preserving and increasing their

bodily strength and agility, which in a situation like ours,

might prove of such critical importance. Nothing tends more to

the extinction of personal courage in a human being, than the

consciousness of wanting that strength of limb, or that address,

which may be necessary to aid us in defending ourselves, or in

escaping from dangers. On this occasion, I added the exercises

of running, jumping, getting up trees, both by means of climbing

by the trunk, or by a suspended rope, as sailors are obliged

to do to get to the mast-head. We began at first by making knots

in the rope at a foot distance from each other; then we reduced

the number of knots, and before we left off, we contrived to

succeed without any. I next taught them an exercise of a different

nature, with which they were unacquainted, and which was to be

effected by means of two balls made of lead, fastened one to

each end of a string about a fathom in length. While I was preparing

this machinery, all eyes were fixed upon me.—What can it be intended

for? cried one: How can we use it? asked another: Will it soon

be ready? continued a third.

_Father._—Have a little patience, boys, if it be not quite impossible

for you to practise this precious virtue; for though the thing

I am endeavouring to make for you may turn out extremely useful,

yet this said virtue of patience is much more likely to be a

constant, steady, and efficient friend.—But now for the object

of your curiosity. It is nothing less than an imitation of the

arms used by a valiant nation remarkable for their skill in the

chase, and whom you all must have heard of: I mean the Patagonians,

inhabitants of the most southern point of America; but instead

of balls, which they are not able to procure, they tie two heavy

stones, one at each end of a cord, but considerably longer than

the one I am working with: every Patagonian is armed with this

simple instrument, which they use with singular dexterity. If

they desire to kill or wound an enemy or an animal, they fling

one of the ends of this cord at him, and begin instantly to draw

it back by the other, which they keep carefully in their hand,

to be ready for another throw if necessary: but if they wish

to take an animal alive, and without hurting it, they possess

the singular art of throwing it in such a way as to make it run

several times round the neck of the prey, occasioning a perplexing

tightness; they then throw the second stone, and with so certain

an aim, that they scarcely ever miss their object: the operation

of the second is, the so twisting itself about the animal as

to impede his progress, even though he were at a full gallop.

The stones continue turning, and carrying with them the cord:

the poor animal is at length so entangled, that he can neither

advance nor retire, and thus falls a prey to the enemy.

This description of the field sports of the Patagonians was heard

with much interest by the boys, who now all entreated I would

that instant try the effect of my own instrument upon a small

trunk of a tree which we saw at a certain distance. My throws

entirely succeeded; and the string with the balls at the ends

so completely surrounded the tree that the skill of the Patagonian

huntsmen required no further illustration. Each of the boys must

then needs have a similar instrument; and in a short time Fritz

became quite expert in the art, as indeed he was in every kind

of exercise that required strength or address: he was not only

the most alert of my children, but being the eldest, his muscles

were more formed, and his intelligence was more developed, than

could yet be expected in the other three.

The next morning, as I was dressing, I remarked from my window

in the tree that the sea was violently agitated, and the waves

swelled with the wind. I rejoiced to find myself in safety in

my home, and that the day had not been destined for out-of-door

occupation. Though such a wind was in reality quite harmless

for skilful sailors, for us it might be truly dangerous, from

our ignorance in these matters. I observed then to my wife that

I should not leave her the whole day, and should therefore hold

myself ready to execute any little concerns she found wanting

in our domestic arrangement. We now fell to a more minute examination

than I had hitherto had time for, of all our various possessions

at Falcon’s Stream. She showed me many things she had herself

found means to add to them during my repeated absences from home:

among these was a large barrel filled with small birds half-roasted

and stowed away in butter to preserve them fresh: this she called

her _game_, which she had found means to ensnare with birdlime

in the branches of the neighbouring bushes. Next she showed me

a pair of young pigeons which had been lately hatched, and were

already beginning to try their wings, while their mother was

again sitting on her eggs. From these we passed to the fruit-trees

we had laid in earth to be planted, and which were in real need

of our assistance, being almost in a decaying state. I immediately

set myself to prevent so important an injury. I had promised

the boys the evening before, to go all together to the wood of

gourds, for the purpose of providing ourselves with vessels of

different sizes to keep our provisions in: they were enchanted

with the idea, but I bargained that they must first assist me

to plant all the young trees; which was no sooner said than executed,

excited as we were by our eager desire for the promised excursion.

When we had finished, a little disappointment however occurred;

the evening, I thought, seemed too far advanced for so long a

walk, especially as my wife and little Francis were to be of

the party. By the time that all were ready, it was too late to think

of setting out, and we accordingly postponed the expected pleasure

till the following day, when we made the necessary preparations

for leaving Falcon’s Stream very early in the morning. By sun-rise

all were on foot; for nothing can exceed the alertness of young

persons who act in expectation of a pleasurable change of scene.

The ass, harnessed to the sledge, played on this occasion the

principal character; his office was to be the drawing home the

empty gourds for the service of our kitchen and the table, and

in addition, little Francis, if he should be tired: in the journey

out, he carried our dinner, a bottle of the Canary wine, and

some powder and shot. Turk, according to custom, led the way

as our advanced guard; next followed the three eldest boys, equipped

for sporting; after them, their amiable mother, leading the little

one; and Ponto brought up the rear with the monkey on his back,

to which the boys had given the name of Knips. On this occasion

I took with me a double-barreled gun, loaded on one side with

shot for game, and on the other with ball, in case of meeting

with an enemy.

In this manner we set out, full of good humour and high spirits,

from Falcon’s Stream. Turning round Flamingo Marsh, we soon reached

the pleasant spot which before had so delighted us. My wife,

who now beheld for the first time its various beauties, was never

tired of praising and admiring it. Fritz, who longed to be engaged

in some sporting adventure, took a direction a little further

from the sea-shore; and sending Turk into the tall grass, he

followed himself, and both disappeared. Soon, however, we heard

Turk barking loud, a large bird sprang up, and almost at the

same moment a shot from Fritz brought it down: but the bird though

wounded was not killed; it raised itself and got off with incredible

swiftness, not by flying, but by running. Turk pursued with the

eagerness of an animal enraged; Fritz, bawling out like a mad

creature, followed; and Ponto, seeing what was going on, threw

the monkey off his back, and fell speedily into the same track.

It was Ponto that seized the bird, and held it fast till Fritz

came up. But now a different sort of scene succeeded from that

which took place at the capture of the flamingo. The legs of

that bird are long and weak, and it was able to make but a poor

resistance. The present captive was large in size, and

proportionately strong; it struck the dogs, or whoever came near,

with its legs, with so much force, that Fritz, who had received a

blow or two, retired from the field of battle, and dared not again

approach this feathered antagonist. Turk, who had gallantly assailed

the bird, was also discouraged by some severities applied to his

head by the sturdy combatant, and yielded the contest. The brave

Ponto alone withstood the animal’s attacks; he seized one of

its wings, and did not let it go till I reached the spot, which

I was long in doing on account of the height of the grass and

the great weight of my gun; but when I was near enough to distinguish

the bird as it lay on the ground, I was overjoyed to see that

it was a female bustard of the largest size[2]. I had long wished

to possess and to tame a bird of this species for our poultry-yard,

though I foresaw that it would be somewhat difficult.

To effect the complete capture of the bird without injuring it,

I took out my pocket-handkerchief, and seizing a favourable moment,

I threw it over the head of the bustard; it could not disengage

itself, and its efforts only served to entangle it the more.

As in this situation it could not see me, I got sufficiently

near to pass a string with a running knot over its legs, which,

for the present, I drew tight, to prevent further mischief from

such powerful weapons. I gently released its wing, which was

still in the possession of Ponto, and tied that and its fellow

close to the bird’s body. In short, the bustard was at length

vanquished, though not till each and all of us had felt the powerful

blows it was capable of inflicting.—But it was our own, and that

in a condition to promise its preservation when we should once

have conveyed it to Falcon’s Stream, and could administer abundance

of care and kindness to compensate for the rough treatment it

had experienced at our hands.

Without further delay we removed the prisoner to the spot on

the shore where some of our companions had been waiting our return.

On seeing us, Ernest and Jack ran briskly forward, bawling out,

Oh what a handsome bird! And what a size! What beautiful feathers!—I

will lay a wager that it is a female bustard, said Ernest, the

instant he had cast his eyes upon it. And you would win, my boy,

answered I; it is a female bustard; its flesh is excellent, having

somewhat of the flavour of the turkey, to which it also in some

other respects has a resemblance. The male spreads its tail in

the form of a wheel, as is said, to please its female. Let us

endeavour to tame and preserve it by all means.

_Mother._—If I had the choice, I would give it back its liberty:

most likely it has young ones which stand in need of its assistance.

_Father._—For this once, my dear, the kindness of your heart

misleads you; the poor bird, being wounded, would perish if set

at liberty, for want of care. If, when I have examined its wound,

I find it too serious to admit of cure, I shall kill it, and

thus secure an excellent dish. But if the wound is slight, we

shall have gained for our poultry yard a bird of rare value on

account of its size, and which will, it may be hoped, attract

its mate, and thus furnish us with a brood of its species: should

it even happen that it has at this time a young brood, it is not

improbable that they will find the way to take care of themselves,

for no doubt, like chickens, they were able to run as soon as

they came out of the egg.

While conversing on this subject I had been fixing the bustard

on the sledge, taking care to place it in such a posture as to

be the least painful, and to avoid exciting it to struggle against

its fetters. We then pursued our way towards the wood where Fritz

and I had seen such troops of monkeys, who in their spite thought

to beat us from the field by assailing us with showers of cocoa-nuts.

Fritz now again repeated the adventure with much humour to his

mother. During this recital, Ernest was employed in going a little

from us in every direction, in admiration of the height and beauty

of the trees: he stopped in ecstasy at the sight of one in particular

which stood alone, gazing with rapturous wonder at the prodigious

distance from the root to the nearest bunches of cocoa-nuts,

which he saw hanging in clusters under their crown of leaves,

and which excited an eager desire to possess some of them. I

glided behind him without his perceiving me, and was highly amused

with the expression of his features: at length he drew a deep

sigh and uttered these words:—Heavens! What a height!

_Father._—Yes, my Ernest, they are indeed at a most unaccommodating

height, and not a monkey in the way to throw them down to you!

Even were I to set Knips at liberty, besides that he is not in

the habit of giving away what he might keep for himself, he would

perhaps take it into his head to stay in the tree when once there,

so fond is every creature that lives of liberty! It is really

a pity, and I am sure you are of my opinion, that those fine

cocoa-nuts cannot find a way to drop down into your mouth.

_Ernest._—No indeed, father, this is not the case; I have no

great mind to them, I assure you; they are too hard, and would

fall from too great a height: I should expect to have a tooth

or two knocked out at least.

Scarcely had he ended his sentence, when a nut of the very largest

size fell down. Ernest, alarmed, stepped aside, and looked up

at the tree: another fell, and almost near enough to touch me;

so that I was no less surprised than he, not being able to imagine

the cause of the phenomenon. Not the smallest sign of a living

creature appeared, and I was certain that cocoa-nuts never fall

of themselves, but when in a state of over-ripeness, while those

were absolutely hard and immature.

_Ernest._—This is somewhat like the adventures of Fairy-land,

father, I think—No sooner do the personages form a wish, than

it is granted.

_Father._—I begin indeed to think so. However, it may be that

the magician who is so ready to oblige us, may lie concealed

behind some of the leaves in the tree in the form of a wicked

little monkey, which all the time may not intend so much to do

us a favour, as to drive us from the place.

Ernest now ventured to take up the nuts. We found them even too

unripe to be made use of, and were more than ever at a loss to

account for their falling from the tree, round which we continually

paced, endeavouring to explain the mystery. In vain, however,

we strained our eyes; we saw nothing, but now and then a slight

motion of the leaves: but neither bird nor beast appeared; and

not a breath of wind was stirring.

Fritz had by this time concluded his narration to his mother;

and observing that Ernest and I seemed occupied by something

of a perplexing kind, and looked up repeatedly at one tree, he

supposed we must have discovered some animal in it, and ran to

have his share of the adventure, bringing also his younger brothers.

We told him what had passed:—he shewed us that he had the eyes

of a lynx. I shall soon, said he, see what it all means, raising

his face to gaze at the tree; if one would but fall at this moment,

I would soon tell you who threw it.—At the very instant two nuts

fell, and so near to the speaker as to bruise his lip and his

chin. Ernest could not refrain from laughing heartily. The magician

is at least polite, said he; he conducts his gifts to your very

mouth; and it is no fault of his if the dimensions of yours are

not large enough to receive it:—but look, look, there are two

more falling close to our mother and Francis. How well-behaved

this magician shows himself;—In proportion as the guests increase,

he takes care to send one for each. Let us quickly open one of

them and refresh ourselves with the liquor it contains, in drinking

to the health of our unknown friend. We did so; and each obtained

a small quantity of the milk, in the fragments of the shell;

and all called out together as they drank it, looking up at the

tree, Long life and thanks to the good magician!—Ah, ah, I see

him; there he is, exclaimed Jack. Oh, heavens! what a hideous

creature! what an ugly shape he has! he is as large as my hat,

and has two monstrous pincer claws.

Where is he then? said I, for I do not see him.—There, that is

he, father, crawling slowly down the tree; do you see him now?—It

was a land crab, an animal that, to say the truth, deserved Jack’s

description of him. The land crab resembles the sea crab, but

is ten times more hideous: some kinds of them are excellent food,

and are the principal subsistence of the natives where they are

found. The one we now met with was of the kind called cocoa crab,

on account of its fondness for that fruit. It crawls with great

difficulty and slowly, up the trunk of the tree; when it has

reached the clumps of leaves, it conceals itself in them, and

falls to pinching off the bunches of cocoa-nuts at the stalks;

he separates and then throws them down one by one, which often

bruises them considerably. The crab then descends, and finds

below a plentiful regale. It is said by some that their claws

are strong enough to break the shell of the nut; but for myself,

I doubt this, having always believed rather that they suck the

milk by means of the small hole found in the fruit near the stalk.

The land crab is not dangerous unless you are within reach of

its claws, or, which is rarely the case, when they are found

together in great numbers. Little Francis on seeing the animal

was terribly frightened, and hid himself behind his mother; even

Ernest drew back, and looked for a place of refuge: Jack, with

a menacing air, raised the end of his gun; and we all cast some

looks of curiosity as the creature slowly descended the tree.

The moment he was on the ground, the intrepid Jack aimed a blow

at him with his gun, which missed him. The crab, finding himself

attacked, turned round and advanced with his claws stretched

open towards his enemy. My little ruffian defended himself valiantly;

he did not retreat a single step, but his attempts to strike,

entirely failed, for the crab was perfect in the art of evading

every blow. I however determined not to interfere: I saw that

there could be no danger to the boy, and that the scene would

conclude by his subduing the animal, if he conducted the affair

with prudence and address. I must observe that nothing could

be more amusing than this exhibition of a fight between a little

boy and a crab.

After some time, being tired out with so many fruitless attempts,

and perhaps recollecting that the pinches he might get from the

animal’s claws would not be very agreeable, and finding himself

likely to be brought to close quarters with him, suddenly gave

him the slip and ran off. The other boys now burst into peals

of laughter, bawling out: So the magician has conquered you!

he has made you run away! poor Jack! but why did you engage with

a magician, Jack? On this, the lad piqued by their jeers, stopped

short, threw his gun and his game-bag on the ground, stripped off

his coat, spread it before him, and made a stand at his adversary,

who was making up to him with his claws stretched out in a menacing

sort of motion. Jack, without a moment’s hesitation, threw his

coat upon the creature, and wrapped him round in it; then tapping

on the outside upon his shell: Wicked magician, cried he, I have

you at last! I will teach you to brandish your horns another

time.

I laughed so heartily at this scene, that I had not the power

to give him any assistance. I saw by the motion under the coat

that the crab was still alert and angry. I therefore took my

hatchet and applied two or three powerful blows with it on the

coat, which I took for granted would finish the affair at once.

I lifted up the coat; and, as I expected, the terrible animal

was dead, but still preserved a menacing posture.

What an ugly monster! cried Jack, as he stood over him: but far

from being terrified by his ugliness, it only served to quicken

my ardour:—one must always be glad to deliver the earth of such

a monster.

You would have something to do, my young Hercules, said I, tapping

him on the shoulder; no animal is so common as the crab on the

shores of the sea: they are of numerous kinds, and may be seen by

millions, all equally ugly. This, if I mistake not, is distinguished

by the name of _the poet’s crab_. What say you, Jack, to a thought

just come into my head, of creating an order of knighthood for

you, in which you shall be dubbed—_Sir Crab_? This is the second

time that you have engaged in combat with these pincer-clawed

animals. We will say nothing of the first, in which you got a

bite by the leg; but this time you have evinced considerable

courage and presence of mind. The thought of throwing your coat

over the creature was well imagined; I doubt if you would have

subdued him by any other means. It must be an animal of prodigious

strength for its size, to be able to open a cocoa-nut, so that

it was no inconsiderable enemy you were engaged with: but human

prudence and reason give man the advantage over even the most

formidable of the brute creation.

_Jack._—May we eat crabs, father?—they are so very ugly!

_Father._—Use makes all things easy. Many ugly things find their

way to the most delicately served tables. For our crab, it is the

favourite food of the negro slaves of the Antilles, and frequently

of their masters also. I should think its flesh must be hard

and indigestible; but we will make trial of it for dinner.

I put the famous animal along with the cocoa nuts it had been

the means of procuring us, together on the sledge, and we resumed

our march. As we advanced, the wood became thicker and more difficult

to pass; I was frequently obliged to use the hatchet to make

a free passage for the ass. The heat also increased, and we were

all complaining of thirst, when Ernest, whose discoveries were

generally of a kind to be of use, made one at this moment of

a most agreeable nature. He has already been described as a great

lover of natural history, and now he was continually gathering,

as he proceeded, such plants as he met with, and examining them

with care, with the view of adding to his stock of knowledge.

He found a kind of hollow stalk of a tolerable height, which

grew at the foot of the trees, and frequently entangled our feet

in walking. He cut some of the plants with his knife, and was

much surprised in about a minute to see a drop of pure fresh

water issue from them at the place where the knife had been applied:

he showed it to us, put it to his lips, and found it perfectly

agreeable, and felt much regret that there was no more. I then

fell to examining the phenomenon myself, and soon perceived that

the want of air prevented a more considerable issue of water.

I made some more incisions, and presently water flowed out as

if from a small conduit. Ernest, and after him the other boys,

refreshed themselves and quenched their thirst at this new fountain,

in the completest manner. For my own part, touched with deep

gratitude for the goodness of God towards me and my beloved family,

I raised my eyes to heaven: See, children, said I, what a blessing

is sent us by Providence in these beneficial plants, the name

of which I am much concerned to be unacquainted with. What would

become of poor travellers in this burning climate, in crossing

such immense forests far from the relief of water-springs! they

must inevitably perish with heat and thirst, if the Almighty

did not extend his goodness to the providing these necessary

benefits.

I tried the experiment of dividing the plants longways, and they

soon gave out water enough to supply even the ass, the monkey,

and the wounded bustard. We were still compelled to fight our

way through thick bushes, till at length we arrived at the wood

of gourds, which was the object of our excursion, and we were

not long in finding the spot where Fritz and I had once before

enjoyed so agreeable a repose. Our companions had not soon done

admiring and wondering at the magnificence of the trees they

now beheld, and the prodigious size of the fruit which grew in so

singular a manner upon the trunk. Fritz, who was already acquainted

with particulars respecting them, now performed the office of

lecturer to the rest, as I before had done to him. I was glad

to observe that he had not forgot any part of the detail he received

from me during our first visit; and while he was talking, I strolled

about the wood, choosing among the numerous sizes of the gourds,

such as were particularly suited for our necessities, and marking

the places in my mind’s eye. I sought also to discover whether the

malicious horde of monkeys were not still in the same neighbourhood,

for I a little apprehended being molested by them during our

occupation. I, however, to my great satisfaction, discovered

no trace of them, and I returned to my companions.

I found Jack and Ernest actively employed in collecting dried

branches and flints, while their mother was occupied in attending

to the poor bustard, which however she saw reason to believe

was not materially injured. She remarked to me that it was cruel

to keep her any longer blinded and her legs tied together on

the sledge. To please her, I took off the covering and loosened

the string on the legs, but still left it so as to be a guard

against its running away or inflicting blows on those who might

approach. I contented myself with tying her by a long string

to the trunk of a tree, that she might relieve herself by walking

about. She had by no means the savageness of manners I should

have expected, excepting when the dogs went near her. She did

not appear to have any dread of man; which confirmed my previous

belief, that the island in which we existed, had absolutely no

human inhabitants but ourselves.

The boys now amused themselves with making a large fire, which

they joyously surrounded. I took the liberty to laugh at them,

and asked if they had become salamanders, or inhabitants of the

planet Mercury, who, it is said, make fires to refresh themselves

from the burning heat of the sun; the heat of our island could

scarcely be less ardent, and this irony was therefore fair and

admissible.

The fire, father, is to enable us to cook the magician.—Ah, hah,

that is quite another thing, replied I. It was then for the same

purpose, I suppose, that I saw you picking up some large shells:

you mean no doubt to use them in the cooking, instead of the

rind of the gourds which would not bear sufficient heat.

They all agreed to my conclusion. Begin then, continued I, by

making the dish you will want for dressing your crab, before

you make a large fire and get roasted yourself by its side.

I require also, said my wife, that some vessels to contain milk,

and a large flat spoon to cut out my butter by pieces, and next

some pretty plates for serving it at table, should be completed,

gentlemen, among you all.

_Father._—You are perfectly reasonable in your demand, dear wife,

said I; and for me there must be manufactured some nests for

the pigeons, some baskets for eggs, and some hives for bees.

_All._—Oh yes, these things must all be made, we will set earnestly

to work.

_Jack._—But first, father, let me make a dish for my crab; the

excessive heat would certainly make him unfit to be eaten by

the evening, and I should be sorry to be obliged to throw away

what it cost me so much trouble to obtain: I should soon have

finished, if you will tell me how to divide one of the rinds

with a string.

_Father._—Well, well, it is but fair to allow you to enjoy the

fruit of your victory. As to the cutting with a string, it was

good for something when we had no saw. I will however show you,

for fear of the worst, how to do it, though I took care to bring

here the different instruments I thought we might want. Gather

then a sufficient quantity of the gourds, of different sizes,

and you shall see how soon we will cut them.

They all began to gather or collect, and we were soon in possession

of a sufficient number of this valuable commodity. We found a

certain quantity already dry upon the tree, and these we considered

fit for immediate use: many also were so bruised or broken in

falling, and others so immature, that we threw them aside as

useless. We now began our work: some had to cut; others to saw,

scoop out, and model into agreeable forms. It was a real pleasure

to witness the activity exhibited in this manufacture of porcelain:

each tried what specimens of imagination he could present for

the applause of his companions. For my own part, I made a pretty

basket, large enough to carry eggs, with one of the gourds, leaving

an arch at the top to serve as a cover. I likewise accomplished

a certain number of vessels, also with covers, fit to hold our

milk, and then some spoons to skim the cream. My next attempt

was to execute some bottles large enough to contain a supply

of fresh water, and these occasioned me more trouble than all

the rest. It was necessary to empty the gourd through the small

opening of the size of one’s finger which I had cut in it; I

was obliged after loosening the contents by means of a stick,

to get them out by the friction of shot and water well shaken

on the inside. Lastly, to please my wife I undertook the labour

of a set of plates for her use. Fritz and Jack engaged to make

the hives for the bees, and nests for the pigeons and hens. For

this last object, they took the largest gourds, and cut a hole

in front proportioned to the size of the animal for whose use

it was intended: they had when finished so very pretty an appearance,

that little Francis was ready to cry that he was not quite small

enough to get into and live in one of them. The pigeons’ nests

were intended to be tied to the branches of our tree; those for

the hens, the geese, and the ducks, were to be placed between

its roots or on the sea-shore, and to represent a sort of hen-coop.

When the most essential of the utensils were finished, I allowed

them, as they had requested, to add a dish to dress their crab

in. This also was soon accomplished; but when the cooking was

completed, they discovered that they had no water. We found nothing

on this spot like our providential _fountain_ plants, as we had

named them. The boys entreated me to go about with them in different

directions, and try to find a small supply of this precious article,

not daring by themselves to venture further into the wood.

I was therefore of necessity compelled to accompany them. Ernest

with great eagerness proposed relieving me of this trouble, and

putting himself in my place. He had found it impossible to succeed

in assisting to make the utensils; he broke more than half the pieces

of gourd he took in hand, and to make amends for his awkwardness,

he exerted himself in every direction to discover a water-spring,

or to do something else that might be useful. It was not long

before we heard him calling loudly to us, and saw him returning

in great alarm. Run quick, father, said he, here is an immense

wild boar. Oh, how he frightened me! I heard him grunting quite

close to me, and then he scampered away to the wood, and I hear

him at this very moment.

Here, here! I then called out to the boys: call the dogs quickly;

here is fine game for us, if we are so lucky as to catch it.

Halloo, here, Turk, Ponto! The dogs arrived full gallop. Ernest

was our leader, and conducted us to the place where the boar

had approached him; but he was gone, and we saw nothing but a

plot of potatoes which had the appearance of having been ransacked

by the animal. The ardour for the chase had been somewhat checked

in Jack and Ernest, when they considered for a moment that they

had so formidable a creature as a boar to encounter; they stopped

short, and began to dig potatoes, and left it to Fritz and me

to follow the traces of the dogs. We soon heard the cry of the

latter; for they had overtaken the runaway, and soon after the

most hideous growling assailed our ears from the same quarter.

We advanced with caution to the spot, holding our guns before

us in readiness to fire together, the instant the animal should

show itself within the proper distance. Presently the spectacle

of the two brave creatures attacking him on the right and left

presented itself; each held one of his ears between their teeth.

But the beast was not a boar, as the account of Ernest had made

me suppose, but a pig of the true common breed, which on our

approach, appeared rather to ask for our assistance, than to

have any inclination to attack us. Contrary to our expectation,

Fritz and myself also suddenly lost the relish for sporting against

this animal; for we immediately recognised in the supposed boar,

our own sow which had run away and had so long been lost. After

the first surprise we could not resist a hearty laugh; and then

we hastened to disincumber our old friend of the teeth of her

two adversaries. Her frightful squalling resounded through the

wood and drew the attention of our companions, who now ran to

the place, when a warfare of banter and accusation went round

among the parties:—Fritz knew certain persons whose passion for

the chase ended in digging potatoes! Jack and Ernest returned

the sally by complimenting Fritz on the fine martial appearance

of the wild boar they had been so fortunate as to make captive!—Why,

Fritz, we knew in a moment, by the grunting, that it was only

our old sow.—You however believed it to be a wild boar, Mr. Ernest,

returned Fritz, and even after you had seen it.

I know not what Ernest would have answered; for the attention

of all was attracted to a kind of small potatoe which we observed

lying thick on the grass around us, and which had fallen from

some trees which appeared loaded with the same production: our

sow devoured them greedily, thus consoling herself for the fright

she had been put into, and the pain the dogs had occasioned her.

The fruit was of different colours, and extremely pleasing to the

eye. Fritz expressed his apprehension that it was the pernicious kind

of apple called the Mancenilla, against which I had so strenuously

cautioned them; but the sow ate them with so much eagerness, and

the tree which bore them being neither so high, and having neither

the form nor foliage ascribed by naturalists to the Mancenilla,

made me doubt of the truth of his idea. I forbore from immediately

pronouncing its condemnation; but I desired my sons to put some

of the fruit in their pockets, to make an experiment with them

upon the monkey. I was shortly after nearly satisfied of their

harmless quality, from seeing that the two dogs also fell upon

them with eagerness; but I persisted in forbidding the boys to

taste them till I had further examined into their nature and

properties; and they all of course obeyed me. We now again, from

extreme thirst, began to recollect our want of water, and determined

to seek for some in every direction. Jack sprang off and sought

among the rocks, hoping, and with reason, that he should discover

some little stream: but scarcely had he left the wood, than he

bawled to us that he had found a crocodile . . . . .

A crocodile! cried I with a hearty laugh, you have a fine

imagination, my boy! who ever saw a crocodile on such scorching

rocks as these, and with not a drop of water near? Now, Jack, you

are surely dreaming . . . . .

Not so much of a dream as you may think, father, answered Jack,

trying to speak in a low voice;—fortunately he is asleep;—he

lies here on a stone at his full length;—he is exactly like our

mother.

_Father._—This is excellent, upon my word! So then your mother

is like a crocodile?—This is really an indiscreet sort of a joke.

_Jack._—I meant, father, that the crocodile is about as long

as the height of our mother; I had not, I assure you, the least

idea of a joke; for it is certainly a crocodile, though perhaps

only a young one . . . . . Do, father, step here and look at it, it

does not stir in the least.

I knew not what to think: we stole softly to the place where

the animal lay; but instead of a crocodile I saw before me an

individual of a large sort of lizard, named by naturalists _Leguana_

or _Yguana_[3], and the flesh of which is considered in the West

Indies as the greatest delicacy. I explained this to my sons,

and tranquillised them as to the danger of approaching this animal,

formed by nature of a mild character, and excellent as food.

All were then immediately seized with the hope of seizing the

lizard and presenting so rare a prize to their mother. Fritz

in a moment had his gun ready, and was taking his aim, but that

I was in time to lay hold of his arm and prevent him: You are

always too quick, said I, in your determinations; your piece

might have missed, or you might have wounded him only slightly;

for this sort of animal is protected by a coat of scales as you

see, and it is extremely difficult to destroy him. I think too

that he is known to be extremely dangerous if approached when

he is angry. Let us try another sort of experiment; as he is

asleep, we need not be in a hurry: only a little contrivance

is necessary to have him safe in our power alive, and the process

will afford us all an amusing spectacle.

I cut a stout stick from a bush, to the extremity of which I

tied a string with a running knot. I guarded my other hand simply

with a little switch, and thus with cautious steps approached

the sleeping animal. When I was very near to him, I began to

whistle a lively air, taking care to make the sounds low at first,

and to increase in loudness till the lizard was awaked[4]. The

creature appeared entranced with pleasure as the sounds fell upon

his ear; he raised his head to receive them still more distinctly,

and looked round on all sides to discover from whence they came.

I now advanced by a step at a time, without a moment’s interval

in the music, which fixed him like a statue to the place. At

length I was near enough to reach him with my switch, with which

I tickled him gently, still continuing to whistle, one after

the other, the different airs I could recollect. The lizard was

bewildered by the charms of the music; the attitudes he threw

himself into were expressive of a delirious voluptuousness; he

stretched himself at full length, made undulating motions with

his long tail, threw his head about, raised it up, and by this

sort of action, disclosed the formidable range of his sharp-pointed

teeth, which were capable of tearing us to pieces if we had excited

his hostility. I dexterously seized the moment of his raising

his head, to throw my noose over him. When this was accomplished,

the boys drew near also, and wanted instantly to draw it tight

and strangle him at once; but this I positively forbad, being

unwilling to cause the poor animal so unmerited a suffering.

I had used the noose only to make sure of him in case it should

happen that a milder mode of killing him, which I intended to

try, failed of success, in which case I should have looked to

the noose for protection; but this was rendered unnecessary.

Continuing to whistle my most affecting melodies, I seized a

favourable moment to plunge my switch into one of his nostrils;

the blood flowed in abundance, and soon deprived him of life,

without his exhibiting the least appearance of being in pain;

on the contrary, to the last moment he seemed to be still listening

to the music.

As soon as he was dead I allowed the boys to come quite near

and to tighten the noose, which we now found useful to draw him

to the ground from the large stone on which he lay. My sons were

delighted with the means I had used for killing him without pain.

But little praise is due to me, I replied; for I have often in

books of travels, read the description of the manner of deluding

and destroying this animal, so well known in the West Indies.

But now let us consider of the best way for transporting to Falcon’s

Stream so large and valuable a booty. After a moment of reflection,

I perceived that I had better come at once to the determination

of carrying him across my shoulders: and the figure I made with

so singular an animal on my back, with his tail dragging on the

ground, was not the least amusing circumstance of the adventure.

Fritz and Jack presented themselves as pages, contending which should

support my train, as they called the tail, which, independently

of the good-humour inspired amongst us, considerably eased me

of the weight, and gave me the air of an old Chinese emperor

habited in a superb royal mantle of many colours, for those of

the lizard shone like precious stones in the eyes of the sun.

We were already far advanced in our return, when we distinguished the

voice of my wife calling upon my name in a tone which indicated great

uneasiness; and in addition, we heard loud sobs from little Francis.

Our long absence had excited painful apprehensions concerning

us: we had forgot on this occasion to give them notice of our

approach, by firing our gun, and they had imagined some terrible

disaster must have befallen us. No sooner, however, did our cheerful

notes in speaking reach their ear, than their fears and lamentations

were changed to joy, and we soon found ourselves assembled together,

the happiest of beings, under a large gourd-tree, where we related

to our dear companions every particular of the excursion we had

made; not forgetting Jack’s singular fancy of finding a resemblance

between his mother and the lizard, who now lay extended at her

feet. We had so many things to inform her of, that we lost sight

of the principal object which caused our separation; and till

she reminded us with some regret at our ill success, we forgot

to mention that we had failed of procuring any water. My sons

had taken out some of the unknown apples from their pockets,

and they lay on the ground by our side. Knips soon scented them,

and according to custom he came slily up and stole several, and

fell to chewing them with great eagerness. I myself threw one

or two to the bustard, who also ate them without hesitation.

Being now convinced that the apples were not of a poisonous nature,

I announced to the boys, who had looked on with envy all the

time, that they also might now begin to eat them, and I myself

set the example. We found them excellent in quality, and I began

to suspect that they might be the sort of fruit called _guava_,

which is much esteemed in such countries. The tree which bears

them is sometimes twenty feet in height; no doubt therefore,

those from which we procured the fruit, were too young to have

attained their full stature. The tree itself is of so fertile

a nature, that in inhabited countries they are constantly obliged

to be thinned and cut down, on account of the quantity of land

they would occupy.

This regale of the apples had in some measure relieved our thirst;

but on the other hand, they had increased our hunger; and as

we had not time for preparing a portion of the lizard, we were

obliged to content ourselves with the cold provisions we had

brought with us. But we contrived to have an excellent dessert

of potatoes, which the boys had had the foresight to lay under

the cinders of the fire they had made to cook their crab.

We had scarcely finished taking this refreshment, before my wife

earnestly entreated that we might immediately begin our journey

home, to be sure of arriving before dark. In fact, it appeared

to me, as the evening was so far advanced, that it would be prudent

to return this once without the sledge, which was heavy laden,

and the ass would have drawn it but slowly: I was besides, inclined

to take a shorter road by a narrow path that divided a plantation

of thick bushes, which would have been too difficult a passage

for the ass burthened with the sledge. I therefore determined

to leave it on the spot till the following day, when I could

return and fetch it, contenting myself with loading the ass for

the present, with the bags which contained our new sets of porcelain;

with the lizard, which I feared might not keep fresh so long;

and our little Francis, who began to complain of being tired.

I took these arrangements upon myself, and left to my wife and

Fritz, the care of confining the bustard in such a manner that

she could walk before us without danger of escaping.

When these preparations were complete, our little caravan was

put in motion, taking the direction of a straight line to Falcon’s

Stream. On leaving the wood of gourds, we arrived at a spot where

we found more of the guava trees, and could not resist the temptation

to stay a few moments and secure a new supply. The course of our

route lay next along a majestic wood of oaks, agreeably interspersed

with fig-trees of luxuriant growth, and of the same species as

those at Falcon’s Stream. The ground in this place was absolutely

covered with acorns. My young travellers, ever on the watch for

something new and gratifying to the palate, could not refrain

from tasting them: in form they exactly resembled the same fruit

in Europe, though from the difference of climate, they would

probably not be the same in regard to quality and flavour. One

of the boys bit an acorn in two; and finding it both sweet and

mild to the taste, he told his brothers, who soon fell eagerly

to filling their own pockets with them, as well as mine and those

of their mother. I always hailed with satisfaction every occasion

that presented, of increasing the number of our resources for

support: in the one that now presented itself, I perceived the

hope that we might not only be ourselves nourished but our poultry

also: I more than ever admired the magnificence of the trees

which at this moment covered us with their shade, and made us

a present of so inestimable a value: on considering, I recognised

that they were a kind of oak which remains always green, and

are a common production of the woods in Florida, and that the

Indians of North America extract from its fruit an excellent

kind of sweet oil, which they use in cooking their rice. Numerous

kinds of birds subsist upon these acorns. This we were led to

remark, by the wild and discordant cries of several sorts of

jays and parrots, which were skipping merrily among the foliage

and the branches. The boys would instantly have fired their guns;

and I could only prevail upon them to desist, by observing how

late it was, and promising that we would return another time,

and thus procure them an opportunity for their favourite amusement.

We arrived shortly, and sooner than we expected, at Falcon’s

Stream; the path we had taken had so considerably lessened the

distance, that we were in time to employ ourselves in some trifling

arrangements, before it was completely dark. My wife had great

pleasure in taking out her service of porcelain and using some

of the articles that very evening; particularly the handsome

egg-basket and the vessels for the milk. Fritz was instructed

to dig a place in the ground to serve for a kind of cooler, the

better to preserve the milk; and we covered it with boards and

put heavy stones to keep them down. Jack took the pigeons’ nests,

and scampered up the tree, where he nailed them to the branches;

he next laid some dry moss within, and placed one of the female

pigeons we had contrived to tame, and which at the time was brooding,

upon it; he put the eggs carefully under the mother, who seemed

to accept his services, and to coo in return, with gratitude.

Ernest was occupied in distributing and fixing those intended

for the fowls among the roots of the trees: when he had finished,

it was of importance to observe how well they would accustom

themselves to this their new abode; they were already on their

perches, with their head under their wing and half asleep, and

took very much amiss the being thus disturbed; while Ernest,

for his part, was enraged at the little inclination they discovered

to inhabit their new abode.

My own employment was to clean the inside of the lizard and prepare

a piece of it for our supper, my wife having expressed an extreme

repugnance to both the lizard and the crab; we therefore added

some potatoes and some acorns, and dressed them together, and

thus suited every palate. Francis had the care of turning the

spit, and liked his office all the better, for its allowing of

his being constantly near his mother. We all drew near a clear

brisk fire while the supper was in hand: a sea breeze had refreshed

the air, and after great fatigue, a good fire seldom fails to

occasion agreeable sensations. This well-spent and useful day

was concluded by a refreshing repast, at which all but my wife

bestowed encomiums on the palatable properties of the leguana.

My wife could not prevail upon herself even to taste it; she

therefore supped on the potatoes. The crab was found to have

but little flavour, and was put aside as useless. We concluded

the exertions of the day, by contriving a comfortable bed for

the bustard by the side of the flamingo, and then hastened to

stretch our weary limbs upon the homely couch, but rendered by

fatigue luxurious, that waited for us in the giant tree.