Journeys Through Bookland V3

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

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"Prudence should be exercised for others," I remarked; "your cool soup
will do capitally for the dogs, my boy; take it to them, and then come
and eat like the rest of us."

Ernest winced at this, but silently taking up his shell he placed it
on the ground before the hungry dogs, who lapped up its contents in a
moment; he then returned, and we all went merrily on with our dinner.
While we were thus busily employed, we suddenly discovered that our
dogs, not satisfied with their mouthful of soup, had espied the
agouti, and were rapidly devouring it. Fritz, seizing his gun, flew to
rescue it from their hungry jaws, and before I could prevent him,
struck one of them with such force that his gun was bent. The poor
beasts ran off howling, followed by a shower of stones from Fritz, who
shouted and yelled at them so fiercely that his mother was actually
terrified. I followed him, and as soon as he would listen to me,
represented to him how despicable was such an outbreak of temper:
"for," said I, "you have hurt, if not actually wounded, the dogs; you
have distressed and terrified your mother, and spoiled your gun."

Though Fritz's passion was easily aroused, it never lasted long, and
speedily recovering himself, immediately he entreated his mother's
pardon, and expressed his sorrow.

By this time the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, and the poultry,
which had been straying to some little distance, gathered round us,
and began to pick up the crumbs of biscuit which had fallen during our
repast. My wife hereupon drew from her mysterious bag some handfuls of
oats, peas, and other grain, and with them began to feed the poultry.
She at the same time showed me several other seeds of various kinds.
The pigeons now flew up to crevices in the rocks, the fowls perched
themselves on our tent pole, and the ducks and geese waddled off,
cackling and quacking, to the marshy margin of the river. We, too,
were ready for repose, and having loaded our guns, and offered up our
prayers as the last ray of light departed, we closed our tent and lay
down to rest.

The children remarked the suddenness of nightfall, for indeed there
had been little or no twilight. This convinced me that we must be not
far from the equator.

II

EXCURSION AND SETTLEMENT

We should have been badly off without the shelter of our tent, for the
night proved as cold as the day had been hot, but we managed to sleep
comfortably, every one being thoroughly fatigued by the labors of the
day. The voice of our vigilant cock roused me at daybreak, and I awoke
my wife, that in the quiet interval while yet our children slept, we
might take counsel together on our situation and prospects. It was
plain to both of us that we should ascertain if possible the fate of
our late companions, and then examine into the nature and resources of
the country on which we were stranded.

We therefore came to the resolution that, as soon as he had
breakfasted, Fritz and I should start on an expedition with these
objects in view, while my wife remained near our landing place with
the three younger boys.

"Rouse up, rouse up, my boys," cried I, awakening the children
cheerfully. "Come and help your mother to get breakfast ready."

"As to that," said she, smiling, "we can but set on the pot, and boil
some more soup!"

"Why, you forget Jack's fine lobster! It is well the lobster is so
large, for we shall want to take part with us on our excursion to-
day."

At the mention of an excursion, the four children were wild with
delight, and capering around me, clapped their hands for joy.

"Steady there, steady!" said I, "you cannot expect all to go. Such an
expedition as this would be too dangerous and fatiguing for you
younger ones. Fritz and I will go alone this time, with one of the
dogs, leaving the other to defend you."

We then armed ourselves, each taking a gun and a game bag; Fritz in
addition sticking a pair of pistols in his belt, and I a small hatchet
in mine. Breakfast being over, we stowed away the remainder of the
lobster and some biscuits, with a flask of water, and were ready for a
start. I took leave of my wife and children, bidding them not to
wander far from the boat and tent, and we parted, not without some
anxiety on either side.

We now found that the banks of the stream were on both sides so rocky
that we could get down to the water by only one passage, and there was
no corresponding path on the other side. I was glad to see this,
however, for I now knew that my wife and children were on a
comparatively inaccessible spot, the other side of the tent being
protected by the steep and precipitous cliffs. Fritz and I pursued our
way up the stream until we reached a point where the waters fell from
a considerable height in a cascade, and where several large rocks lay
half covered by the water; by means of these we succeeded in crossing
the stream. We thus had the sea on our left, and a long line of rocky
heights, here and there adorned with clumps of trees, stretching away
inland to the right. We had forced our way scarcely fifty yards
through the long rank grass, which was here partly withered by the sun
and much tangled, when we heard behind us a rustling, and looking
around saw our trusty dog Turk, whom in our anxiety at parting we had
forgotten, and who had been sent after us, doubtless by my thoughtful
wife.

From this little incident, however, we saw how dangerous was our
position, and how difficult escape would be should any fierce beast
steal upon us unawares; we therefore hastened to make our way to the
open seashore. Here the scene which presented itself was indeed
delightful. A background of hills, the green, waving grass, the
pleasant groups of trees stretching here and there to the water's
edge, formed a lovely prospect. On the smooth sand we searched
carefully for any trace of our hapless companions, but not a mark of a
footstep could we find.

We pushed on until we came to a pleasant grove which stretched down to
the water's edge; here we halted to rest, seating ourselves under a
large tree, by a rivulet which murmured and splashed along its pebbly
bed into the great ocean before us. Gayly plumaged birds flew
twittering above us, and Fritz and I gazed up at them.

My son suddenly started up. "A monkey," he exclaimed; "I am nearly
sure I saw a monkey."

As he spoke he sprang round to the other side of the tree, and in
doing so stumbled over a round substance, which he handed to me,
remarking, as he did so, that it was a round bird's nest, of which he
had often heard.

"You may have done so," said I, laughing, "but you need not
necessarily conclude that every round hairy thing is a bird's nest;
this, for instance, is not one, but a cocoanut."

We split open the nut, but, to our disgust, found the kernel dry and
uneatable.

"Hullo," cried Fritz, "I always thought a cocoanut was full of
delicious sweet liquid, like almond milk."

"So it is," I replied, "when young and fresh; but as it ripens the
milk becomes congealed, and in the course of time is solidified into a
kernel."

As cocoanuts must be overripe before they fall naturally from the
tree, it was not without difficulty that we obtained one in which the
kernel was not dried up.

Continuing our way through a thicket, which was so densely overgrown
with lianas [Footnote: Lianas are climbing plants which have thick,
woody stems, and which wind themselves about other plants for support.
They are particularly plentiful in the Amazon region of South America]
that we had to clear a passage with our hatchets, we again emerged on
the seashore beyond, and found an open view, the forest sweeping
inland, while on the space before us stood at intervals single trees
of remarkable appearance.

We approached to examine them, and I recognized them as calabash
trees, the fruit of which grows in a curious way on the stems, and is
a species of gourd, from the hard rind of which bowls, spoons and
bottles can be made. "The savages," I remarked, "are said to form
these things most ingeniously, using them to contain liquids; indeed,
they actually cook food in them. When the gourd is divided in two, and
the shell or rind emptied of its contents, it is filled with water,
into which the fish, or whatever is to be cooked, is put; red-hot
stones are added until the water boils; the food becomes fit to eat,
and the gourd rind remains uninjured. Now suppose we prepare some of
these calabashes, that they may be ready for use when we take them
home."

Fritz instantly took up one of the gourds, and tried to split it
equally with his knife, but in vain; the blade slipped, and the
calabash was cut jaggedly. "What a nuisance!" said Fritz, flinging it
down; "the thing is spoiled; and yet it seemed so simple to divide it
properly."

"Stay," said I; "you are too impatient; those pieces are not useless.
Do you try to fashion from them a spoon or two while I provide a
dish."

I then took from my pocket a piece of string, which I tied tightly
round a gourd, as near one end of it as I could; I then tapped the
string with the back of my knife, so that it penetrated the outer
shell. When this was accomplished, I tied the string yet tighter; and
drawing the ends with all my might, I divided the gourd exactly as I
wished.

"That is clever! It certainly makes a capital soup tureen, and a soup
plate, too," said Fritz, examining the gourd. We made a number of
gourd dishes, and I filled them with sand, and left them to dry;
marking the spot that we might return for them on our way back.

For three hours or more we pushed forward, keeping a sharp lookout on
either side for any trace of our companions, till we reached a bold
promontory, stretching some way into the sea, from whose rocky summit
I knew that we should obtain a good and comprehensive view of the
surrounding country. With little difficulty we reached the top, but
the most careful survey of the beautiful landscape failed to show us
the slightest sign or trace of human beings. Before us stretched a
wide and lovely bay, fringed with yellow sands, either side extending
into the distance, and almost lost to view in two shadowy
promontories; inclosed by these two arms lay a sheet of rippling
water, which reflected in its depths the glorious sun above. The scene
inland was no less beautiful; and yet Fritz and I both felt a shade of
loneliness stealing over us as we gazed on its utter solitude.

"Cheer up, Fritz, my boy," said I, presently. "Remember that we chose
a settler's life long ago, before we left our own dear country; we
certainly did not expect to be so entirely alone--but what matters a
few people, more or less? With God's help, let us endeavor to live
here contentedly, thankful that we were not cast upon some bare and
inhospitable island. But come, the heat here is getting unbearable;
let us find some shady place before we are completely broiled away."

We descended the hill and made for a clump of palm trees, which we saw
at a little distance. To reach this, we had to pass through a dense
thicket of reeds, no pleasant or easy task; for besides the difficulty
of forcing our way through, I feared at every step that we might tread
on some venomous snake. Sending Turk in advance, I cut one of the
reeds, thinking it would be a more useful weapon against a reptile
than my gun. I had carried it but a little way, when I noticed a thick
juice exuding from one end. I tasted it, and to my delight found it
sweet and pleasant. I at once knew that I was standing amongst sugar
canes.

My son cut a dozen or more of the largest canes, and stripping them of
their leaves, carried them under his arm. We then pushed through the
cane-brake, and reached the clump of palms for which we had been
making; as we entered it a troop of monkeys, who had been disporting
themselves on the ground, sprang up, chattering and grimacing, and
before we could clearly distinguish them were at the very top of the
trees.

Fritz was so provoked by their impertinent gestures that he raised his
gun and would have shot one of the poor beasts.

"Stay," cried I, "never take the life of any animal needlessly. A live
monkey up in that tree is of more use to us than a dozen dead ones at
our feet, as I will show you."

Saying this, I gathered a handful of small stones, and threw them up
toward the apes. The stones did not go near them, but influenced by
their instinctive mania for imitation, they instantly seized all the
cocoanuts within their reach, and sent a perfect hail of them down
upon us.

[Illustration: THE MONKEYS THREW DOWN COCOANUTS]

Fritz was delighted with my stratagem, and rushing forward picked up
some of the finest of the nuts. We drank the milk they contained,
drawing it through the holes, which I pierced, and then, splitting the
nuts open with the hatchet, ate the cream which lined their shells.
After this delicious meal, we thoroughly despised the lobster we had
been carrying, and threw it to Turk, who ate it gratefully; but far
from being satisfied, the poor beast began to gnaw the ends of the
sugar canes, and to beg for cocoanut. I slung a couple of the nuts
over my shoulder, fastening them together by their stalks, and Fritz
having resumed his burden, we began our homeward march.

Just as we had passed through the grove in which we had breakfasted,
Turk suddenly darted away from us and sprang furiously among a troop
of monkeys, which were gamboling playfully on the turf at a little
distance from the trees. They were taken by surprise completely, and
the dog, now really ravenous from hunger, had seized and was fiercely
tearing one to pieces before we could approach the spot.

His luckless victim was the mother of a tiny little monkey, which,
being on her back when the dog flew at her, hindered her flight. The
little creature attempted to hide among the grass, and in trembling
fear watched its mother. On perceiving Turk's bloodthirsty design,
Fritz had eagerly rushed to the rescue, flinging away all he was
carrying, and losing his hat in his haste. All to no purpose as far as
the mother ape was concerned, and a laughable scene ensued, for no
sooner did the young monkey catch sight of him, than at one bound it
was on his shoulders; and, holding fast by his hair, it firmly kept
its seat in spite of all he could do to dislodge it. He screamed and
plunged about as he endeavored to shake or pull the creature off, but
all in vain; it only clung the closer to his neck, making the most
absurd grimaces.

I laughed so much at this ridiculous scene, that I could scarcely
assist my terrified boy out of his awkward predicament. At last, by
coaxing the monkey, offering it a bit of biscuit, and gradually
disentangling its small sinewy paws from the curls it grasped so
tightly, I managed to relieve poor Fritz, who then looked with
interest at the baby ape, no bigger than a kitten, as it lay in my
arms.

"What a jolly little fellow it is!" exclaimed he; "do let me try to
rear it, father. I dare say cocoanut milk would do until we can bring
the cow and the goats from the wreck. If he lives, he might be useful
to us. I believe monkeys instinctively know what fruits are wholesome
and what are poisonous."

"Well," said I, "let the little orphan be yours."

Turk was meanwhile devouring with great satisfaction the little
animal's unfortunate mother. I could not grudge it him, and continued
hunger might have made him dangerous to ourselves. We did not think it
necessary to wait until he had dined, so we prepared to resume our
march.

The tiny ape seated itself in the coolest way imaginable on Fritz's
shoulder, I helped to carry his canes, and we were on some distance
before Turk overtook us.

He took no notice of the monkey, but it was very uneasy at sight of
him, and scrambled down into Fritz's arms, which was so inconvenient
to him that he devised a plan to relieve himself of his burden.
Calling Turk, and seriously enjoining obedience, he seated the monkey
on his back, securing it there with a cord; and then, putting a second
string round the dog's neck that he might lead him, he put a loop of
the knot into the comical rider's hand, saying gravely: "Having slain
the parent, Mr. Turk, you will please to carry the son."

At first this arrangement mightily displeased them both, but by and by
they yielded to it quietly; the monkey especially amused us by riding
along with the air of a person perfectly at his ease.

"We look just like a couple of mountebanks on their way to a fair with
animals to exhibit," said I. "What an outcry the children will make
when we appear!"

Juno was the first to be aware of our approach, and gave notice of it
by loud barking, to which Turk replied with such hearty good will that
his little rider, terrified at the noise his steed was making, slipped
from under the cord and fled to his refuge on Fritz's shoulder, where
he regained his composure and settled himself comfortably.

Turk, who by this time knew where he was, finding himself free, dashed
forward to rejoin his friends, and announce our coming.

One after another our dear ones came running to the opposite bank,
testifying in various ways their delight at our return, and hastening
up on their side of the river, as we on ours, to the ford at which we
had crossed in the morning.

The boys, suddenly perceiving the little animal which was clinging
close to their brother, in alarm at the tumult of voices, shouted in
ecstasy:

"A monkey! a monkey! oh, how splendid! Where did Fritz find him? What
may we give him to eat? Oh, what a bundle of sticks! Look at those
curious, great nuts father has got!"

We could neither check this confused torrent of questions, nor get in
a word in answer to them.

At length, when the excitement subsided a little, I was able to say a
few words with a chance of being listened to.

Jack shouldered my gun, Ernest took the cocoanuts, and little Franz
carried the gourds; Fritz distributed the sugar canes amongst his
brothers, and handing Ernest his gun, replaced the monkey on Turk's
back.

My wife, as a prudent housekeeper, was no less delighted than the
children with what we had brought back; the sight of the dishes
pleased her greatly, for she longed to see us eat once more like
civilized beings. We went into the kitchen, and there found
preparations for a truly sumptuous meal. Two forked sticks were
planted in the ground on either side of the fire; on these rested a
rod from which hung several tempting-looking fish; opposite them hung
a goose from a similar contrivance, slowly roasting, while the gravy
dropped into a large shell placed beneath it. In the center sat the
great pot, from which issued the smell of a most delicious soup. To
crown this splendid array, stood an open hogshead full of Dutch
cheeses. All this was very pleasant to two hungry travelers, but I was
about to beg my wife to spare the poultry until our stock should have
increased, when she, perceiving my thought, quickly relieved my
anxiety. "This is not one of our geese," she said, "but a wild bird
Ernest killed."

"Yes," said Ernest, "it is a penguin, I think; it let me get quite
close, so that I knocked it on the head with a stick. Here are its
head and feet, which I preserved to show you; the bill is, you see,
narrow and curved downward, and the feet are webbed.
It had funny little bits of useless wings, and its eyes looked so
solemnly and sedately at me that I was almost ashamed to kill it."

We then sat down before the appetizing meal prepared for us, our
gourds coming for the first time into use, and having done it full
justice, produced the cocoanuts by way of dessert.

"Here is better food for your little friend," said I to Fritz, who had
been vainly endeavoring to persuade the monkey to taste dainty morsels
of the food we had been eating; "the poor little animal has been
accustomed to nothing but its mother's milk; fetch me a saw, one of
you."

I then, after extracting the milk of the nuts from their natural
holes, carefully cut the shells in half, thus providing several more
useful basins. The monkey was perfectly satisfied with the milk, and
eagerly sucked the corner of a handkerchief dipped in it.

The sun was now rapidly sinking below the horizon, and the poultry,
retiring for the night, warned us that we must follow their example.

We did not, however, long enjoy this repose; a loud barking from our
dogs, who were on guard outside the tent, awakened us, and the
fluttering and cackling of our poultry warned us that a foe was
approaching. Fritz and I sprang up, and seizing our guns rushed out.
There we found a desperate combat going on; our gallant dogs,
surrounded by a dozen or more large jackals, were fighting bravely.
Four of their opponents lay dead, but the others were in no way
deterred by the fate of their comrades. Fritz and I, however, sent
bullets through the heads of a couple more, and the rest galloped off.
Turk and Juno did not intend that they should escape so cheaply, and
pursuing them, they caught, killed, and devoured another of the
animals, regardless of their near relationship.

Soundly and peacefully we slept until cock-crow next morning, when my
wife and I awoke, and began to discuss the business of the day.

"It seems absolutely necessary, my dear wife," I began, "to return at
once to the wreck while it is yet calm, that we may save the poor
animals left there, and bring on shore many articles of infinite value
to us, which, if we do not now recover, we may finally lose entirely.
On the other hand, I feel that there is an immense deal to be done on
shore, and that I ought not to leave you in such an insecure shelter
as this tent."

"Return to the wreck by all means," replied my wife, cheerfully.
"Patience, order, and perseverance will help us through all our work,
and I agree with you that a visit to the wreck is without doubt our
first duty. Come, let us wake the children, and set to work without
delay."

So severely had we dealt with our supper the previous night that we
had little to eat but the biscuits, which were so dry and hard that,
hungry as we were, we could not swallow much. Fritz and I took some
cheese to help them down, while my wife and younger sons soaked theirs
in water.

"See here, father," and Ernest pointed to a large cask; "that barrel
contains butter of some sort, for it is oozing out at the end."

"Really, Ernest," I said, "we are indebted to you. I will open the
cask." So saying, I took a knife and carefully cut a small hole, so
that I could extract the butter without exposing the mass of it to the
effects of the air and heat. Filling a cocoanut shell, we once more
sat down, and toasting our biscuits before the fire, spread them with
the good Dutch butter. We found this vastly better than the dry
biscuits, and while we were thus employed I noticed that the two dogs
were lying unusually quiet by my side. I at first attributed this
drowsiness to their large meal during the night, but I soon discovered
that it arose from a different cause; the faithful animals had not
escaped unhurt from their late combat, but had received several deep
and painful wounds, especially about the neck. The dogs began to lick
each other on the places which they could not reach with their own
tongues, and my wife carefully dressed the wounds with butter, from
which she had extracted the salt by washing.

I begged the party who were to remain on shore to keep together as
much as possible, and having arranged a set of signals with my wife,
that we might exchange communications, asked a blessing on our
enterprise. I erected a signal post, and, while Fritz was making
preparations for our departure, hoisted a strip of sailcloth as a
flag; this flag was to remain hoisted so long as all was well on
shore, but should our return be desired, three shots were to be fired
and the flag was to be lowered.

All was now ready, and warning my wife that we might find it necessary
to remain all night on the vessel, we tenderly bade adieu and
embarked. Except our guns and ammunition, we were taking nothing, that
we might leave as much space as possible for the stowage of a large
cargo. Fritz, however, had resolved to take his little monkey, that he
might obtain milk for it as soon as possible. We had not got far from
the shore, when I perceived that a current from the river set in
directly for the vessel, and though my nautical knowledge was not
great, I succeeded in steering the boat into the favorable stream,
which carried us nearly three-fourths of our passage with little or no
trouble to ourselves; then by dint of hard pulling, we accomplished
the whole distance, and entering through the breach, gladly made fast
our boat and stepped on board. Our first care was to see the animals,
who greeted us with joy--lowing, bellowing, and bleating as we
approached; not that the poor beasts were hungry, for they were all
still well supplied with food, but they were apparently pleased by the
mere sight of human beings. Fritz then placed his monkey by one of the
goats, and the little animal immediately sucked the milk with evident
relish, chattering and grinning all the while; the monkey provided
for, we refreshed ourselves with some wine and biscuits.

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