CHAPTER XXXIII.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

_House in the salt-rock;—herring fishery._

The lucky discovery of a previously-existing cavern in the rock, had,

as must be supposed, considerably lessened our labour: excavation

was no longer requisite: I had more room than was wanted for

the construction of our dwelling; to render it habitable was

the present object, and to do this did not seem a difficult task.

The upper bed of the rock in front of the cavern, through which

my little Jack had dug so easily, was of a soft nature, and to

be worked with moderate effort. I hoped also that, being now

exposed to the air and heat of the sun, it would become by degrees

as hard and compact as the first layer that had given me so much

trouble. From this consideration I began, while it retained its

soft state, to make openings for the door and windows of the

front. This I regulated by the measurement of those I had fixed

in my winding stair-case, which I had removed for the purpose

of placing them in our winter tenement. Intending Falcon’s Nest

in future as a rural retreat for the hottest days of summer,

the windows of the stair-case became unnecessary; and as to the

door, I preferred making one of bark similar to that of the tree

itself, as it would conceal our abode the better, should we at

any time experience invasion from savages or other enemies: the

doors and windows were therefore taken to Tent-house, and afterwards

properly fixed in the rock. I had previously marked out the openings

to be cut for the frames, which were received into grooves for

greater convenience and solidity. I took care not to break the

stone taken from the apertures, or at least to preserve it in

large pieces, and these I cut with the saw and chisel into oblongs

an inch and half in thickness, to serve as tiles. I laid them

in the sun, and was gratified in seeing they hardened quickly;

I then removed them, and my sons placed them in order against the

side of the rock till they were wanted for our internal arrangements.

When I could enter the cavern freely through a good door-way,

and it was sufficiently lighted by the windows, I erected a partition

for the distribution of our apartments and other conveniences.

The extent of the place afforded ample room for my design, and

even allowed me to leave several spaces in which salt and other

articles could be stored. At the request of my children, I was

cautious to injure as little as possible the natural embellishments

of this new family mansion; but with all my care, I could not avoid

demolishing them in the division allotted to the stables:—cattle

are fond of salt, and would not have failed to eat away these

ornaments, and perhaps in a prejudicial quantity: however, to

gratify and reward my obedient children, I preserved the finest

of the pillars and the most beautiful pieces to decorate our

saloon. The large ones served us for chairs and tables, and the

brilliant pilasters at once enlivened and adorned the apartment,

and at night multiplied the reflection of the lights. I laid

out the interior in the following manner:—A very considerable

space was first partitioned off in two divisions; the one on

the right was appropriated to our residence; that on the left

was to contain the kitchen, stables, and work-room. At the end

of the second division, where windows could not be placed, the

cellar and store-room were to be formed; the whole separated

by partition boards, with doors of communication, so as to give

us a pleasant and comfortable abode. Favoured so unexpectedly

by what nature had already effected of the necessary labour,

we were far from repining ungratefully at what remained to be

done, and entertained full hope of completing the undertaking,

or at least the chief parts, before winter.

The side we designed to lodge in, was divided into three chambers;

the first, next the door, was the bed-room for my wife and me,

the second a dining-parlour, and the last a bed-chamber for the

boys. As we had only three windows, we put one in each sleeping-room;

the third was fixed in the kitchen, where my wife would often

be. A grating for the present fell to the lot of our dining-room,

which, when too cold, was to be exchanged for one of the other

apartments. I contrived a good fire-place in the kitchen near

the window; I pierced the rock a little above, and four planks

nailed together and passed through this opening answered the

purpose of a chimney. We made the work-room near the kitchen,

of sufficient dimensions for the performance of undertakings

of some magnitude; it served also to keep our cart and sledge

in: lastly, the stables, which were formed into four compartments

to separate the different species of animals, occupied all the

bottom of the cavern on this side; on the other were the cellar

and magazine.

It is readily imagined that a plan of this extent was not to

be executed as if by enchantment, and that we satisfied ourselves

in the first instance with doing what was most urgent, reserving

the residue of our arrangements for winter; yet every day forwarded

the business more than we had been aware of. On every excursion,

we brought something from Falcon’s Stream, that found its place

in the new house, where we deposited likewise in safety the remaining

provisions from the tent.

The long stay we made at Tent-House during these employments,

furnished us an opportunity of perceiving several advantages

we had not reckoned upon, and which we did not defer availing

ourselves of. Immense turtles were very often seen on the shore,

where they deposited their eggs in the sand, and they regaled

us with a rich treat; but, extending our wishes, we thought of

getting possession of the turtles themselves for live stock,

and of feasting on them whenever we pleased. As soon as we saw

one on the sands, one of my boys was dispatched to cut off its

retreat; meanwhile we approached the animal, quickly and quietly

without doing it any injury turned it on its back, passed a long

cord through the shell and tied the end of it to a stake, which

we fixed close to the edge of the water. This done, we set the

prisoner on his legs again; it hastened into the sea, but could

not go beyond the length of the cord: apparently it was all the

happier, finding food with more facility along shore than out

at sea; and we enjoyed the idea of being able to take it when

wanted. I say nothing of sea-lobsters, oysters, and many other

small fishes which we could catch in any number. We at length

got used to and to like oysters, and occasionally had a treat

of them. The large lobsters, whose flesh was tough and coarse,

were given to the dogs, who preferred them to potatoes; but we

shortly after became possessors of another excellent winter provision

which chance unexpectedly procured us.

We left Falcon’s Stream very early one morning; when near Safety

Bay we observed at some distance in the sea, a singular sort

of spectacle which we had not before witnessed, though we had

gone that way so many times. An extensive surface of the water

seemed in a state of ebullition as if heated by a subterraneous

fire; it swelled, subsided, foaming like boiling water: a large

number of aquatic birds hovered over it, gulls, man of war birds,

boobies, albatrosses, and a crowd of others we were strangers

to, whose shrill cries pierced our ears; the feathered throng

were in motion: sometimes they darted along the surface of the

water, sometimes rose in the air, flying in a circle, pursuing

each other in every direction; we were at a loss to judge whether

sportiveness, pleasure or warfare produced their varied flights.

The space too of seemingly boiling surface exhibited a peculiar

aspect; small lights issued from it on all sides like flames

disappearing and rekindling every moment. We perceived also that

the motion of this part was from the main sea towards the land,

and particularly Safety Bay, whither we hastened to examine this

phenomenon. On our way we formed a thousand conjectures about

it: my wife had accompanied us for the purpose of arranging the

provisions in the new magazines; she supposed it to be merely

a large sand bank, to which the tide gave the semblance of motion,

and which by reflecting the beauteous tints of aurora, imparted

a flame colour to the waves and caused an optical deception.

This was too simple a solution for the vivid imagination of Fritz,

who maintained that something extraordinary was operating at

the bottom of the deep; some secret fire seeking a vent, or perhaps

an earthquake; possibly the approaching irruption of a fresh

volcano somewhere. Ernest strongly controverted this idea: The

birds, said he, would instinctively fly from the spot, instead

of collecting in heaps over it and gaily fluttering, so as to

excite the surmise of there being another body in the air as

large and as agitated as that in the sea: see how they plunge

into it, said he; were the water hot, as Fritz thinks, they would

scald their feet and beaks. The latter had little to say in reply;

Well then, said he, tell us, Mr. Professor, what it is, instead

of what it is not.

_Ernest._—I am much disposed to think it is some huge sea-monster,

a grampus or a whale that raises up its back sometimes like an

isle, on which are a quantity of small fishes that offer an easy

prey to the birds; on this account they follow the monster, striving

greedily to seize all they can in darting on it: those that succeed,

fly off with their prey, and the rest pursue to snatch it from

them. I feel assured that this is the case, and that if we look

closely we shall observe this aquatic giant stretch out its immense

fins, and when sufficiently warmed by the sun and it has inhaled

a fresh supply of air, it will dive into the ocean, and form

a vortex capable of sinking a large ship, if near it.

_Jack._—Yes, father, Ernest is quite right. At the very edge

of the bank, and in proportion to its approach, I distinctly

see something fall and rise again; one of its monstrous fins

no doubt; I perceive its enormous claws too, certainly. If this

great creature leaped out of the water, should we not all be

in imminent danger?

_Father._—Yes, yes, it might perhaps swallow my son Jack as people

swallow a pill. But, boys, these suppositions are at best but

flimsy fancies, and it is a pity that the pains you take should

not produce the least semblance of truth; and I am really surprised

to find you so ready to believe in the existence of a monster

equal in length to this moving bank.

_Ernest._—Upon my word, father, I have read of whales upsetting

the largest ships by getting under them, and that sailors have

often mistaken them for islands, got on them, sunk, and been

devoured by the monster.

_Father._—You must allow, Ernest, for a good deal of exaggeration

in such accounts, if they be not altogether fabulous. It is possible

a marine animal of huge dimensions may have upset a small vessel,

though I presume that would be difficult; I likewise believe

it possible for a whale’s back to have been taken at some distance

for a diminutive island; but when near, its shape and motions

would soon destroy the illusion. It is certain that the whale-fishers

get on the back of the animal to harpoon it; and this I believe

is the foundation of these wonderful narratives. As to the moveable

bank before us, I will now, on the observation I have taken,

venture to inform you that it is neither more nor less than a

shoal of herrings about to enter Safety Bay and fall into our

hands; they will be well received by me, I assure you; and it

is worth our while to get on speedily, that we may be sure of

securing so valuable a booty.

_Francis._—But, dear father, what is a herring-shoal?

_Father._—It is an immense number of small fishes called herrings,

which you ought to know, having often eaten of them in Europe.

They swim so close together and occupy such a space, that they

appear like a bank or island of sand several leagues in breadth,

some fathoms deep, and sometimes above a hundred thousand long,

at the moment of leaving the frozen sea together in a heap: they

afterwards divide into bodies which cross the ocean on all sides,

directing their course to the coasts and bays, where they spawn,

that is, leave their eggs among the stones and sea plants, and

to these spots fishermen from all parts go to catch them. The

shoal is invariably followed by a legion of the largest fishes,

such as bonittas, dories, sturgeons, dolphins, sea-dogs, &c.

which are very fond of them. These are not their only enemies;

they also draw after them, as you see, flocks of voracious birds,

that rush like banditti along the surface of the water and seize

all they can. The herrings appear eager to reach those parts

where the tide is lowest, to escape from the voracity of the

sea monsters, by getting into shallow water; but in doing this

they become an easier prey to the birds and to man. Exposed to

destruction in so many ways, one might wonder the species is

not extinct, if nature had not provided against these accidents

by their astonishing fecundity; 68,656 eggs have been found in a

moderate-sized female: thus they continue undiminished

notwithstanding the vast numbers which are destroyed; in some seasons

and latitudes they appear in such numerous and compact bodies that

the fishery is relinquished. What Jack took for arms or fins, is, I

imagine, the water spouted in the air by the dolphins, which keenly

pursue the herrings. The whale and the grampus join in the chase, and

from their size must commit enormous devastations.

_Fritz._—It is well they have left us a few; see how the shoal

enters the bay. And in reality the entrance of it was entirely

filled with them: they made a loud rustling noise in the water,

leaping over each other, and displaying their scales of silver

hue. This accounted for the luminous sparks we had seen emitted

from the sea, and which we could not previously explain. We had

no time for further contemplation, but hastened to unharness

our team and supply the want of nets with our hands in catching

the herrings: the boys used the largest gourds in lieu of pails,

which were no sooner dipped in than filled; and we should have

been at a loss where to stow them, had I not thought of employing

the condemned boat of tubs. No sooner thought than accomplished;

I had it immediately drawn to the water’s edge by the buffalo,

and placed it on rollers; my wife and the two youngest lads cleaned

it, whilst the other two went to the cavern for salt, and I quickly

fitted up a sort of tent of sail-cloth on the strand, so as to

keep off the rays of the sun while we were busied in salting.

We then all engaged in the task, and I allotted to each a share

adequate to his strength and skill. Fritz took his station in

the water to bring us the herrings as fast as caught; Ernest

and Jack cleaned them with knives; their mother pounded the salt;

Francis helped all, and I placed them in the tubs as I had seen

done in Europe. A joyous shout declared the general activity, though

we did not get at once into a regular train with our proceedings;

one of us was occasionally disengaged whilst the others were

overborne with labour: this however was speedily arranged, and

the business so well managed, that it was performed with speed

and pleasure. I put a layer of salt at the bottom of the barrel,

then of fish, the heads towards the staves, proceeding thus till

my tubs were nearly full: I spread over the last layer of salt,

large palm-tree leaves, on these a piece of sail cloth, and fitted

in two half-rounded planks for a heading, which I pressed down

with stones. This effected, I put the buffalo and the ass to

the cart again, and conveyed it to our cool cellar in the rock.

In a few days, when the herrings were sunk, I closed the barrels

more accurately by means of a coating of clay and flax over the

cloth, which kept out air and moisture completely, and secured

us an excellent food for winter.

This work, in which we were engaged several days, kept us at

Tent-House the whole week. Working from morning till night, we

could only prepare and salt two large casks of them, and we wished

to have at least eight. During this time fresh herrings were

our chief aliment, and we from the novelty relished them exceedingly.

Scarcely had we finished our salting when another business arising

out of it occurred; a number of sea dogs came into the bay and

river[21], that had followed the herrings with the utmost greediness,

sporting in the water along shore, without evincing any fear of

us. This fish, which is scarcely eatable, offered little attraction

to our palate and table, but in a different point of view the

possession of it would be very beneficial; its skin tanned and

dressed, makes excellent leather. I was in great need of it for

straps and harness, to make saddles for Fritz and Jack to ride

the onagra and buffalo, and in short for our own use to cut up

into soles, belts, and pantaloons, of which articles we much

wanted a fresh supply: besides, I knew the fat yielded good lamp

oil, that might be substituted for tapers in the long evenings

of winter; and that it would be further useful in tanning and

rendering the leather pliant.

I directed my three eldest boys to kill a dozen of these large

fishes with sticks and pickaxes instead of using powder, and

they promptly began the attack. It is remarkable that boys in

general have a disposition for the destruction of animals, which

by degrees leads them to view their sufferings with indifference.

I felt regret in being urged occasionally by circumstances to

encourage this propensity; it therefore gave me pleasure to see

them return in a few minutes and entreat me to allow them a little

powder and some bullets, that they might dispatch the poor harmless

creatures at once without much pain. I acquiesced of course in

their entreaty and commended the humane idea, which I thought

well worth the ammunition expended in the execution of it. It

was in our peculiar situation impracticable for us to yield to

that morbid sensibility which shudders at inflicting the smallest

suffering upon an animal; nor can I help thinking such exhibitions

somewhat absurd, since those very persons do not scruple to have

on their table a nice chicken, a large fish, lobsters, and many

other animals that have as valid a right to live as those we

were necessitated to kill: however, I represented constantly

to my children that cruelty and the passion of immolating without

necessity, any of the brute creation, degrade man, and may lead

on to the worst of crimes. On this occasion I was gratified in

seeing they had surpassed me in consideration and humanity. In

a very short time, after a few firings, the number of fishes

was completed; we skinned them while fresh with little trouble,

well rubbed them with salt on both sides, and hung them to dry

in the sun, to be afterwards dressed in our grotto. Curiosity

induced my wife to cook a piece of one of them, but it proved

so bad that we threw it to our dogs, the eagle, and jackal, who

made a hearty meal of it. The fat we preserved carefully, of

which we collected a quantity; it was first put into a copper,

melted and cleansed properly, then poured into casks and kept

for the tan-house and lamp. When time should allow, I purposed

making soap with it, and this design excited my wife’s zeal in

the unpleasant though ultimately useful task we were engaged

in. We also took care of the bladders, which are very large,

for the purpose of holding liquids; the remaining parts that

could be turned to no account were thrown into the adjoining

stream; and this last act most unexpectedly procured us a regular

supply of a far more palatable food—a number of fine fresh-water

lobsters which came to feed on these offals. We bored through

the sides of some empty chests, which we placed and kept down

in the water with stones, and thus caught and preserved as in

a reservoir as many lobsters as we wanted. A similar contrivance

was fixed in Safety-Bay, which first became filled with live

herrings, and subsequently with various kinds of small fishes

that were caught with ease.

At this time I likewise made some improvements in our sledge,

to facilitate the carrying of our stores from Falcon’s Stream

to our dwelling in the rock at Tent House. I raised it on two

beams, or axle-trees, at the extremities of which I put on the

four gun-carriage wheels I had taken off the cannon from the

vessel; by this alteration I obtained a light and very convenient

vehicle, of moderate height, on which boxes and casks could be

placed with little difficulty. Pleased with the operations of

the week, we set out all together with cheerful hearts for Falcon’s

Stream to pass our Sunday there, and once more offer our pious

thanks to the Almighty for all the benefits he had bestowed upon

his defenceless creatures.