Journeys Through Bookland V3

C >> Charles H. Sylvester >> Journeys Through Bookland V3

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Instead of reckless oaths, the seamen uttered frantic cries to God for
mercy, mingled with strange and often ludicrous vows, to be performed
should deliverance be granted.

Every man on board alternately commended his soul to his Creator, and
strove to bethink himself of some means of saving his life.

My heart sank as I looked around upon my family in the midst of these
horrors. Our four young sons were overpowered by terror. "Dear
children," said I, "if the Lord will, he can save us even from this
fearful peril; if not, let us calmly yield our lives into his hand,
and think of the joy and blessedness of finding ourselves forever and
ever united in that happy home above."

At these words my weeping wife looked bravely up, and, as the boys
clustered round her, she began to cheer and encourage them with calm
and loving words. I rejoiced to see her fortitude, though my heart was
ready to break as I gazed on my dear ones. We knelt down together, one
after another praying with deep earnestness and emotion. Fritz, in
particular, besought help and deliverance for his dear parents and
brothers, as though quite forgetting himself.

Our hearts were soothed by the never-failing comfort of childlike,
confiding prayer, and the horror of our situation seemed less
overwhelming. "Ah," thought I, "the Lord will hear our prayer! He will
help us."

Amid the roar of the thundering waves I suddenly heard the cry of
"Land, land!" while at the same instant the ship struck with a
frightful shock, which threw every one to the deck, and seemed to
threaten her immediate destruction.

Dreadful sounds betokened the breaking up of the ship, and the roaring
waters poured in on all sides.

[Illustration: THE SHIP WAS JAMMED BETWEEN HIGH ROCKS]

Then the voice of the captain was heard above the tumult, shouting,
"Lower away the boats! We are lost!"

"Lost!" I exclaimed, and the word went like a dagger to my heart; but
seeing my children's terror renewed, I composed myself, calling out
cheerfully, "Take courage, my boys! we are all above water yet. There
is the land not far off; let us do our best to reach it. You know God
helps those that help themselves!" With that, I left them and went on
deck. What was my horror when through the foam and spray I beheld the
only remaining boat leave the ship, the last of the seamen spring into
her and push off, regardless of my cries and entreaties that we might
be allowed to share their slender chance of preserving their lives. My
voice was drowned in the howling of the blast; and even had the crew
wished it, the return of the boat was impossible.

Casting my eyes despairingly around, I became gradually aware that our
position was by no means hopeless, inasmuch as the stern of the ship,
containing our cabin, was jammed between two high rocks, and was
partly raised from among the breakers which dashed the forepart to
pieces. As the clouds of mist and rain drove past, I could make out,
through rents in the vaporous curtain, a line of rocky coast; and
rugged as it was, my heart bounded toward it as a sign of help in the
hour of need. Yet the sense of our lonely and forsaken condition
weighed heavily upon me as I returned to my family, constraining
myself to say with a smile, "Courage, dear ones! Although our good
ship will never sail more, she is so placed that our cabin will remain
above water, and to-morrow, if the wind and waves abate, I see no
reason why we should not be able to get ashore."

These few words had an immediate effect on the spirits of my children,
who at once regarded our problematical chance of escaping as a happy
certainty, and began to enjoy the relief from the violent pitching and
rolling of the vessel. My wife, however, perceived my distress and
anxiety, in spite of my forced composure, and I made her comprehend
our real situation, greatly fearing the effect of the intelligence on
her nerves. Not for a moment did her courage and trust in Providence
forsake her, and on seeing this, my fortitude revived.

"We must find some food, and take a good supper," said she; "it will
never do to grow faint by fasting too long. We shall require our
utmost strength to-morrow."

Night drew on apace, the storm was as fierce as ever, and at intervals
we were startled by crashes announcing further damage to our
unfortunate ship.

A good meal being now ready, my youngsters ate heartily, and retiring
to rest, were speedily fast asleep. Fritz, who was of an age to be
aware of the real danger we were in, kept watch with us.

We searched about and fortunately got hold of a number of empty flasks
and tin canisters, which we connected two and two together so as to
form floats sufficiently buoyant to support a person in the water, and
my wife and young sons each willingly put one on. I then provided
myself with matches, knives, cord and other portable articles,
trusting that, should the vessel go to pieces before daylight, we
might gain the shore not wholly destitute.

Fritz, as well as his brothers, now slept soundly. Throughout the
night my wife and I maintained our prayerful watch, dreading at every
fresh sound some fatal change in the position of the wreck.

At length the faint dawn of day appeared, the long, weary night was
over, and with thankful hearts we perceived that the gale had begun to
moderate; blue sky was seen above us, and the lovely hues of sunrise
adorned the eastern horizon.

I aroused the boys, and we assembled on the remaining portion of the
deck, when they, to their surprise, discovered that no one else was on
board.

"Hello, papa! what has become of everybody? Are the sailors gone? Have
they taken away the boats? Oh, papa! why did they leave us behind?
What can we do by ourselves?"

"My good children," I replied, "we must not despair, although we seem
deserted. Only let us bestir ourselves, and each cheerily do his best.
Who has anything to propose?"

"The sea will soon be calm enough for swimming," said Fritz.

"And that would be all very fine for you," exclaimed Ernest, "but
think of mother and the rest of us! Why not build a raft and all get
on shore together?"

"We should find it difficult, I think, to make a raft that would carry
us safe to shore. However, we must contrive something, and first let
each try to procure what will be of most use to us."

Away we all went to see what was to be found, I myself proceeding to
examine, as of great consequence, the supplies of provisions and fresh
water within our reach.

My wife took her youngest son, Franz, to help her to feed the
unfortunate animals on board, who were in a pitiful plight, having
been neglected for several days.

Fritz hastened to the arm chest, Ernest to look for tools; and Jack
went toward the captain's cabin, the door of which he no sooner opened
than out sprang two splendid large dogs, who testified their extreme
delight and gratitude by such tremendous bounds that they knocked
their little deliverer completely head over heels, frightening him
nearly out of his wits. Jack did not long yield either to fear or to
anger; he presently recovered himself; the dogs seemed to ask pardon
by vehemently licking his face and hands, and so, seizing the larger
by the ears, he jumped on his back, and, to my great amusement, coolly
rode to meet me as I came up the hatchway.

When we reassembled in the cabin, we all displayed our treasures.

Fritz brought a couple of guns, shot belt, powder flasks, and plenty
of bullets.

Ernest produced a cap full of nails, an ax, and a hammer, while
pincers, chisels, and augers stuck out of all his pockets.

Little Franz carried a box, and eagerly began to show us the "nice
sharp little hooks" it contained.

Said my dear wife, "I have nothing to show, but I can give you good
news. Some useful animals are still alive; a cow, a donkey, two goats,
six sheep, a ram, and a fine sow. I was but just in time to save their
lives by taking food to them."

"All these things are excellent indeed," said I; "but my friend Jack
here has presented me with a couple of huge, hungry, useless dogs, who
will eat more than any of us."

"Oh, papa! they will be of use! Why, they will help us to hunt when we
get on shore!"

[Illustration: THEY MADE A RAFT OF CASKS]

We very soon found four large casks, made of sound wood, and strongly
bound with iron hoops; they were floating with many other things in
the water in the hold, but we managed to fish them out, and drag them
to a suitable place for launching them. They were exactly what I
wanted, and I succeeded in sawing them across the middle. Hard work it
was, and we were glad enough to stop and refresh ourselves with
biscuits. My eight tubs now stood ranged in a row near the water's
edge, and I looked at them with great satisfaction; to my surprise, my
wife did not seem to share my pleasure.

"I shall never," said she, "muster courage to get into one of these!"

"Do not be too sure of that, dear wife," I replied.

I next procured a long, thin plank, on which my tubs could be fixed,
and the two ends of this I bent upward so as to form a keel. Other two
planks were nailed along the sides of the tubs; they also being
flexible, were brought to a point at each end, and all firmly secured
and nailed together. I felt satisfied that in smooth water this craft
would be perfectly trustworthy. But when we thought all was ready for
the launch, we found, to our dismay, that the grand contrivance was so
heavy and clumsy that even our united efforts could not move it an
inch.

"I must have a lever," cried I. "Run and fetch the capstan bar!"

Fritz quickly brought one, and, having formed rollers by cutting up a
long spar, I raised the fore part of my boat with the bar, and my sons
placed a roller under it.

I now made fast a long rope to the stern of our boat, attaching the
other end to a beam; then placing a second and third roller under it,
we once more began to push, this time with success, and soon our
gallant craft was safely launched: so swiftly indeed did she glide
into the water that, but for the rope, she would have passed beyond
our reach. The boys wished to jump in directly; but, alas, she leaned
so much on one side that they could not venture to do so. Some heavy
things being thrown in, however, the boat righted itself by degrees,
and the boys were so delighted that they struggled which should first
leap in to have the fun of sitting down in the tubs. To make her
perfectly safe, I contrived outriggers to preserve the balance, by
nailing long poles at the stem and stern, and fixing at the ends of
each empty brandy casks. Then, the boat appearing steady, I got in;
and turning it toward the most open side of the wreck, I cut and
cleared away obstructions, so as to leave a free passage for our
departure, and the boys brought oars to be ready for the voyage. This
important undertaking we were forced to postpone until the next day,
as it was by this time far too late to attempt it. It was not pleasant
to have to spend another night in so precarious a situation; but
yielding to necessity, we sat down to enjoy a comfortable supper, for
during our exciting and incessant work all day we had taken nothing
but an occasional biscuit and a little water.

We prepared for rest in a much happier frame of mind than on the
preceding day, but I did not forget the possibility of a renewed
storm, and therefore made every one put on the belts as before.

I persuaded my wife (not without considerable difficulty), to put on a
sailor's dress, assuring her she would find it much more comfortable
and convenient for all she would have to go through. She at last
consented to do this, and left us for a short time, reappearing with
much embarrassment and many blushes, in a most becoming suit, which
she had found in a midshipman's chest. We all admired her costume, and
any awkwardness she felt soon began to pass off; we then retired to
our berths, and peaceful sleep prepared us all for the exertions of
the coming day,

We rose up betimes, for sleep weighs lightly on the hopeful, as well
as on the anxious. After kneeling together in prayer, "Now, my beloved
ones," said I, "with God's help we are about to effect our escape. Let
the poor animals we must leave behind be well fed, and put plenty of
fodder within their reach; in a few days we may be able to return, and
save them likewise. After that, collect everything you can think of
which may be of use to us."

The boys joyfully obeyed me, and I selected from the large quantity of
stores they got together canvas to make a tent, a chest of carpenter's
tools, guns, pistols, powder, shot, and bullets, rods and fishing
tackle, an iron pot, a case of portable soup, and another of biscuit.
These useful articles, of course, took the place of the ballast I had
hastily thrown in the day before.

With a hearty prayer for God's blessing, we now began to take our
seats, each in his tub. Just then we heard the cocks begin to crow, as
though to reproach us for deserting them.

"Why should not the fowls go with us!" exclaimed I. "If we find no
food for THEM, they can be food for US!" Ten hens and a couple of
cocks were accordingly placed in one of the tubs, and secured with
some wire netting over them.

The ducks and geese were set at liberty, and took to the water at
once, while the pigeons, rejoicing to find themselves on the wing,
swiftly made for the shore. My wife, who managed all this for me, kept
us waiting for her some little time, and came at last with a bag as
big as a pillow in her arms. "This is MY contribution," said she,
throwing the bag to little Franz, to be, as I thought, a cushion for
him to sit upon.

All being ready, we cast off, and moved away from the wreck. My good,
brave wife sat in the first compartment of the boat; next her was
Franz, nearly eight years old. Then came Fritz, a spirited young
fellow of fifteen; the two center tubs contained the valuable cargo;
then came our bold, thoughtless Jack; next him Ernest, my second son,
intelligent, well-formed, and rather indolent. I myself stood in the
stern, endeavoring to guide the raft with its precious burden to a
safe landing place.

The elder boys took the oars; every one wore a float belt, and had
something useful close to him in case of being thrown into the water.

The tide was flowing, which was a great help to the young oarsmen. We
emerged from the wreck and glided into the open sea. All eyes were
strained to get a full view of the land, and the boys pulled with a
will; but for some time we made no progress, as the boat kept turning
round and round, until I hit upon the right way to steer it, after
which we merrily made for the shore.

We had left the two dogs, Turk and Juno, on the wreck, as they were
both large mastiffs, and we did not care to have their additional
weight on board our craft; but when they saw us apparently deserting
them, they set up a piteous howl, and sprang into the sea. I was sorry
to see this, for the distance to the land was so great that I scarcely
expected them to be able to accomplish it. They followed us, however,
and, occasionally resting their fore paws on the out-riggers, kept up
with us well.

Our passage, though tedious, was safe; but the nearer we approached
the shore the less inviting it appeared; the barren rocks seemed to
threaten us with misery and want.

Many casks, boxes, and bales of goods floated on the water around us.
Fritz and I managed to secure a couple of hogsheads, so as to tow them
alongside. With the prospect of famine before us, it was desirable to
lay hold of anything likely to contain provisions.

By and by we began to perceive that, between and beyond the cliffs,
green grass and trees were discernible. Fritz could distinguish many
tall palms, and Ernest hoped they would prove to be cocoanut trees,
and enjoyed the thoughts of drinking the refreshing milk.

"I am very sorry I never thought of bringing away the captain's
telescope," said I.

"Oh, look here, father!" cried Jack, drawing a little spyglass
joyfully out of his pocket.

By means of this glass, I made out that at some distance to the left
the coast was much more inviting; a strong current, however, carried
us directly toward the frowning rocks, but I presently observed an
opening, where a stream flowed into the sea, and saw that our geese
and ducks were swimming toward this place. I steered after them into
the creek, and we found ourselves in a small bay or inlet where the
water was perfectly smooth and of moderate depth. The ground sloped
gently upward from the low banks to the cliffs, which here retired
inland, leaving a small plain, on which it was easy for us to land.

Every one sprang gladly out of the boat but little Franz, who, lying
packed in his tub like a potted shrimp, had to be lifted out by his
mother.

The dogs had scrambled on shore before us; they received us with loud
barking and the wildest demonstrations of delight. The geese and ducks
kept up an incessant din, added to which was the screaming and
croaking of flamingoes and penguins, whose dominion we were invading.
The noise was deafening, but far from unwelcome to me, as I thought of
the good dinners the birds might furnish.

As soon as we could gather our children around us on dry land, we
knelt to offer thanks and praise for our merciful escape, and with
full hearts we commended ourselves to God's good keeping for the time
to come.

All hands then briskly fell to the work of unloading, and oh, how rich
we felt ourselves as we did so! The poultry we left at liberty to
forage for themselves, and set about finding a suitable place to erect
a tent in which to pass the night. This we speedily did; thrusting a
long spar into a hole in the rock, and supporting the other end by a
pole firmly planted in the ground, we formed a framework over which we
stretched the sailcloth we had brought; besides fastening this down
with pegs, we placed our heavy chest and boxes on the border of the
canvas, and arranged hooks so as to be able to close up the entrance
during the night.

When this was accomplished, the boys ran to collect moss and grass, to
spread in the tent for our beds, while I arranged a fireplace with
some large flat stones, near the brook which flowed close by. Dry
twigs and seaweed were soon in a blaze on the hearth; I filled the
iron pot with water, and giving my wife several cakes of the portable
soup, told her to establish herself as our cook, with little Franz to
help her.

Fritz, meanwhile, leaving a loaded gun with me, took another himself,
and went along the rough coast to see what lay beyond the stream; this
fatiguing sort of walk not suiting Ernest's fancy, he sauntered down
to the beach, and Jack scrambled among the rocks, searching for
shellfish.

I was anxious to land the two casks which were floating alongside our
boat, but on attempting to do so, I found that I could not get them up
the bank on which we had landed, and was therefore obliged to look for
a more convenient spot. As I did so, I was startled by hearing Jack
shouting for help, as though in great danger. He was at some distance,
and I hurried toward him with a hatchet in my hand. The little fellow
stood screaming in a deep pool, and as I approached, I saw that a huge
lobster had caught his leg in its powerful claw. Poor Jack was in a
terrible fright; kick as he would, his enemy still clung on. I waded
into the water, and seizing the lobster firmly by the back, managed to
make it loosen its hold, and we brought it safe to land. Jack, having
speedily recovered his spirits, and anxious to take such a prize to
his mother, caught the lobster in both hands, but instantly received
such a severe blow from its tail that he flung it down. Once more
lifting the lobster, Jack ran triumphantly toward the tent.

"Mother, mother! a lobster, Ernest! look here, Franz! mind, he'll bite
you! Where's Fritz?" All came crowding round Jack and his prize,
wondering at its unusual size, and Ernest wanted his mother to make
lobster soup directly, by adding it to what she was now boiling.

She, however, begged to decline making any such experiment, and said
she preferred cooking one dish at a time. Having remarked that the
scene of Jack's adventure afforded a convenient place for getting my
casks on shore, I returned thither and succeeded in drawing them up on
the beach, where I set them on end, and for the present left them.

On my return I resumed the subject of Jack's lobster, and told him he
should have the offending claw all to himself, when it was ready to be
eaten, congratulating him on being the first to discover anything
useful.

"As to that," said Ernest, "I found something very good to eat, as
well as Jack, only I could not get at them without wetting my feet."

"Pooh!" cried Jack, "I know what he saw---nothing but some nasty
mussels; I saw them too. Who wants to eat trash like that! Lobster for
me!"

"I believe them to be oysters, not mussels," returned Ernest calmly.

"Be good enough, my philosophical young friend, to fetch a few
specimens of these oysters in time for our next meal," said I; "we
must all exert ourselves, Ernest, for the common good, and pray never
let me hear you object to wetting your feet. See how quickly the sun
has dried Jack and me."

"I can bring some salt at the same time," said Ernest; "I remarked a
good deal lying in the crevices of the rocks; it tasted very pure and
good."

"If you had brought a bagful of this good salt it would have been more
to the purpose. Run and fetch some directly."

"Now," said my wife, tasting the soup with the stick with which she
had been stirring it, "dinner is ready; but where can Fritz be?" she
continued, a little anxiously.

"How are we to eat our soup when he does come?" I asked; "we have
neither plates nor spoons, and we can scarcely lift the boiling pot to
our mouths. We are in as uncomfortable position as was the fox to whom
the stork served up a dinner in a jug with a long neck. [Footnote:
This is a reference to one of the famous old fables, which you will
find in Volume I.] Off with you, my boys; get oysters, and clean out a
few shells. What though our spoons have no handles, and we do burn our
fingers a little in bailing the soup out."

Jack was away and up to his knees in the water in a moment, detaching
the oysters. Ernest followed more leisurely, and still unwilling to
wet his feet, stood by the margin of the pool and gathered in his
handkerchief the oysters his brother threw him; as he thus stood, he
picked up and pocketed a large mussel shell for his own use. As they
returned with a good supply we heard a shout from Fritz in the
distance; we replied to him joyfully, and presently he appeared before
us.

"Oh, Fritz!" exclaimed his brothers, "a sucking-pig, a little sucking-
pig. Where did you get it? How did you shoot it? Do let us see it!"

Fritz then with sparkling eyes exhibited his prize.

He told us how he had been to the other side of the stream. "So
different from this," he said; "it is really a beautiful country, and
the shore, which runs down to the sea in a gentle slope, is covered
with all sorts of useful things from the wreck. Do let us go and
collect them."

[Illustration: THE AGOUTI]

"But the sucking-pig," said Jack; "where did you get it?"

"It was one of several," said Fritz, "which I found on the shore; most
curious animals they are; they hopped rather than walked, and every
now and then would squat down on their legs and rub their snouts with
their fore paws. Had not I been afraid of losing them all, I would
have tried to catch one alive, they seemed so tame."

Meanwhile Ernest had been carefully examining the animal in question.

"This is no pig," he said, "and except for its bristly skin, does not
look like one. See, its teeth are not like those of a pig, but rather
like those of a squirrel. "In fact," he continued, looking at Fritz,
"your sucking-pig is an agouti."

"Dear me," said Fritz; "listen to that professor lecturing! He is
going to prove that a pig is not a pig!"

"You need not be so quick to laugh at your brother," said I, in my
turn; "he is quite right. The little animal makes its nest under the
roots of trees, and lives upon fruit. But, Ernest, the agouti
[Footnote: This animal, which is about the size of a hare, is a native
of South America and the West Indies.] not only looks something like a
pig, but most decidedly grunts like a porker."

While we were thus talking, Jack had been vainly endeavoring to open
an oyster with his large knife. "Here is a simpler way," said I,
placing an oyster on the fire; it immediately opened. "Now," I
continued, "who will try this delicacy?" All at first hesitated to
partake of them, so unattractive did they appear. Jack, however,
tightly closing his eyes and making a face as though about to take
medicine, gulped one down. We followed his example, one after the
other, each doing so rather to provide himself with a spoon than with
any hope of cultivating a taste for oysters.

Our spoons were now ready, and gathering round the pot we dipped them
in, not, however, without sundry scalded fingers. Ernest then drew
from his pocket the large shell he had procured for his own use, and
scooping up a good quantity of soup he put it down to cool, smiling at
his own fore-sight.

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