The Swiss Family Robinson, Told in Words of One Syllable

by Johann David Wyss

  CHAPTER XII.

  OUR fields near Tent House had by this time brought forth good crops ofwheat, maize, beans, and peas; but as the work of the Cave had for someweeks kept us on this side of the stream, we did not know in what statewe should find our crops at The Nest.

  One day we all set out for our old home. We found our corn fields of arich brown hue, and saw that the wheat was, for the most part, fit toreap. This, and a large patch of rye we cut down, and, as we did so,whole flocks of birds took to wing when we got near them, while quailswere seen to run off at the sight of our dogs, who had no lack of sportthat day.

  We laid by the seed that was quite ripe till the time should come for usto sow it, and put the rest in sacks. Some of the wheat was laid up insheaves till we should have time to beat out the grain.

  When we left The Nest for the Cave, we could not find the hand mill thatwe had brought from the ship. This now came to light, and we took careto pack it up to take with us, as we should want it to grind our corn.

  That night we slept once more in the great tree; but I must say that wedid not now sleep so sound there as we used to do, nor did we feel sosafe as we did in our rooms at Rock House.

  The next day we were to start a plan by means of which our live stockwould not want so much of our care. They had bred so fast that we couldwell spare some of them, and these I thought might be left in some placeto seek their own food, and yet be in reach should we want them.

  My wife took from her hen roost ten young fowls, and I took four youngpigs, four sheep, and two goats. These we put in our large cart, withsuch tools as we thought we should need, tied the black ox, the cow, andthe ass to the shafts, and then set off from The Nest.

  We had to cross a wide plain, and here we met with some dwarf plants onwhich, as Jack would have it, grew snow balls.

  Fritz ran to see what they were, and brought me a twig to which clungballs of snow white down. I held it up to show my wife, for I knew thesight would please her still more than her sons.

  "See," said I, "this is the COT-TON plant, which you have oft tried tofind. It seems to grow here as thick as weeds, and, if I am a judge, itis of the best kind."

  We got as much of this as our bags would hold, and my wife took care topluck some of the ripe seed, that we might raise a crop in our groundsat Tent House.

  At the end of the plain we came to the brow of a high hill, from whichthe eye fell on a view the like of which we had not yet seen. Trees ofall kinds grew on the sides of the hill, and a clear stream ran throughthe plain at its base, and shone bright in the rays of the sun.

  We said at once that this should be the site of our new farm. Close bywe found a group of trees, the trunks of which, as they stood, would dofor the main props of the house.

  I had long had a mind to build a boat, and here I at last came on a treethat would suit. Fritz and I went for a mile or two in search of what wecould find, and by the time we came back my wife had put up our tent forthe night. We then all sat down to sup, and went to rest on beds made ofthe bags of the white down that we brought from the trees on the plain.

  The next day we rose at dawn. The trees which were to form the frame ofour farm house stood on a piece of land eight yards long by five wide. Imade a deep cut in each of the trunks, ten feet from the ground, and putup cross beams to form a roof, on which we laid some bark in such a waythat the rain would run off.

  We were hard at work for some days at the Farm House. The walls we builtof thin laths and long reeds, wove close for six feet from the ground,but the rest we made of thin cross bars to let in both light and air. Wemade racks to store bay and such like food for the live stock, and putby some grain for the fowls, for our plan was to come from time to timeto feed them, till they got used to the place.

  Our work took us more time than we thought; and as our store of food gotlow, we sent Fritz and Jack home to bring us a fresh stock, and to feedthe beasts we had left at Tent House.

  While they were gone, Ernest and I made a tour of the woods for somemiles round the new Farm. We first took the course of the stream thatran by the foot of the hill. Some way up we came to a marsh on the edgeof a small lake, and here in the swamp grew a kind of wild rice, nowripe on the stalk, round which flew flocks of birds. We shot five or sixof these, and I was glad to note the skill with which Ernest now usedhis gun. I took some of the rice, that my wife might judge how far itwas of use to us as food.

  We went quite round the lake, and saw plants and trees that were notknown to me, and birds that Ernest said he had not seen in any of thewoods near The Nest. But we were most struck with the sight of a pair ofblack swans, and a troop of young ones that came in their train. Ernestwould have shot at them, but I told him not to kill what we did not wantfor use.

  We did not get back till late in the day. Jack and Fritz, whom we metjust as we came round the foot of the bill, had done their task well,for they had a good stock of food in a sack that lay on the back of theass, and they brought the good news that all was well at home.

  We spent four more days at the Farm, and then left it in such a state asto be fit for our use when we chose to go back to it.

  The Farm House was but a part of our plan, for we had made up our mindsto build a sort of half way house, or cot, in which we could rest on ourway to the Farm. This took us six days to do. The spot we chose lay bythe side of a brook, and was just such a place as would tempt, one tostop and rest in the shade of the trees, that grew on the bank. While atthe brook, I made a boat out of the tree we found at the Farm, and tookit back with us to Tent House in the cart.

  We had still two months ere the rain would set in, and this left us timeto put the last touch to our cave. We laid the whole floor with clay,and spread on it some fine sand, which we beat down till it was quitesmooth and firm. On this we put sail cloth, and threw down goat's hairand wool made moist with gum. This was well beat, and, when dry, made akind of felt mat that was warm and soft to tread on, and would keep thedamp from our feet.

  By the time these works were done, our cave was in a fit state for usto dwell in. We did not now dread the rain, for we were safe out of itsreach, and there was no need that we should go out in it. We had a warmlight shop to work in by day, a snug place where we could take our mealsand dry bed rooms in which we could sleep in peace. Our live stock wekept in a shed at the back of the cave, and our store room held all thatwe could want.

  When the rain at length set in, we all had some task that kept us closeat work in the cave. My wife took her wheel or her loom, both of whichI had made for her, for this kind of work fell to her share from choice.By the help of the wheels of one of the ship's guns I had made a lathe,and with this I could turn legs for stools and chairs. Ernest, too, wasfond of the lathe, and soon learned to do such work quite as well as I.

  At dusk, when we had done our work for the day, we brought out our stockof books, and sat down to read by the light of a lamp.

  At times, Jack and Prank would play a tune on their flutes, which I hadmade out of reeds; and my wife, who had a sweet voice, would sing someof the old Swiss songs, that brought to our minds the joys of home.

  Though we were by no means dull, nor in want of work to fill up ourtime, we were glad when the time came for the rain to cease, and whenwe could gaze once more on the green fields. We went out the first fineday, and took a long walk by the base of the cliff. On the shore wefound a dead whale, which the sea had no doubt thrown up in the storm.We had long felt the need of oil; for though we had a lamp, we hadnaught but our wax lights to put in it, and these gave a poor light toread by. The next day we cut up the whale, and put the flesh in tubs. Itwas far from a clean job, for the oil ran down our clothes and made themsmell; but as we could change them for new ones, thanks to the hemp andmy wife's skill, we did not mind that, for the oil was now worth more tous than our clothes, though at one time we should not have thought so.

  One day we all set out on a tour to the Farm. Jack and Frank had goneon first, while my wife and I were as yet close
to the Cave. All at oncethe boys came back, and Fritz said, "Look at that strange thing on itsway up the path. What can it be?"

  I cast my eye on the spot and cried out, "Fly all of you to the Cave!fly for your lives!" for I saw it was a huge snake, or boa, that wouldmake a meal of one of us, if we did not get out of its way.

  We all ran in doors, and put bars up to the door of the Cave. A largedove cote had been made on the roof, and to this we got up through ahole in the rock.

  Ernest took aim with his gun, and shot at the snake, so did Fritz andJack, but it gave no sign that they had hit it. I then tried my skill,but it did not seem to feel my shot any more than theirs, though I wassure I must have struck its head. Just as we took aim at it once more,we saw it turn round and glide through the reeds in the marsh.

  Our fears kept us for three long days in the Cave. The snake gave nosign that could lead us to think it was still near, but the ducks andgeese had left the spot where their nests were, and this we knew to bea bad sign. On the fourth day I went to the door, with a view to let outsome of the beasts to graze, for we were short of food for them. The asswas just at my back, and as soon as it saw the light, made a rush to getout. Off it went, straight to the sands, with its heels in the air, butjust as it got to the marsh we saw the boa glide out from the reeds,part its wide jaws and make for its prey. The ass at once saw its foe,but stood still as if struck with fear, and in less time than I take totell it, our old friend was tight in the folds of the boa.

  This was a sad sight for all of us, yet we could not take our eyes offthe snake, but saw it crush the poor beast, and then gorge its prey.When it had put the whole of the ass out of sight, it lay down on thesand quite still, as if it had gone to sleep or died.

  "Now is the time to seal the fate of our foe," said I to Fritz; andwith that we went out with our guns. When we got near, we both took astraight aim, and each put a ball in its head. This made it move with astart, and writhe as if in pain.

  "See how its eyes glare on us with rage. Now load your gun, and let usput a bit more lead in him."

  Our next shot went in his eyes. It then shook as with a strong spasm,and fell dead on the sand.

  A shout of joy brought my wife and the three boys to the spot. The stateof fear they had been kept in for three whole days had made them quiteill, but now the joy of Jack and Frank knew no bounds, for they leapedon the snake and beat it as if they would go mad.

  My wife said that the death of the boa took a great weight off her mind,for she thought it would lie in wait for us near the Cave, starve usout, and then kill us as it had done the poor ass.

  We slit up the snake, and took out the flesh of the ass, which the boyslaid in a grave near Tent House. The boa's skin we hung up at the doorof the Cave, over which Ernest wrote the words, "No ass to be foundhere," which we all thought to be a good joke.

  One day late in the spring I went with my three sons a long way from theCave. My wife and Frank were left at our Half Way House, to wait till wecame back, but the dogs went with us. Our route lay far up the course ofa small stream, which had its source some miles north of the Farm House.The ground was new to us, but we could not well lose our way, for on theright stood a hill from which we could see the whole of the plain.

  Ernest had gone with one of the dogs to a cave that he had spied at thefoot of the hill, but we saw him turn round and run back with Turk athis heels. As soon as he thought his voice would reach us, he cried out,"A bear! A bear! come to my help!"

  We could now see that there were two great beasts at the mouth of thecave. At a word from us both the dogs, flew to fight the bear that stoodin front.

  Fritz took up his post at my side, while Jack and Ernest kept in therear. Our first shot was "a miss," as Jack said; but we took a sure aimthe next time, and both shots told. We would have let fly at them oncemore from this spot, but as we thought we might hit our brave dogs, whowere now in the heat of a hard fight with their foes, we ran up close tothem.

  "Now, Fritz," said I, "take a straight aim at the head of the first,while I fire on the one at his back."

  We both shot at once; the bears gave a loud growl, and then, with amoan, fell dead at our feet.

  As it was now time to go back, we put the bears in the cave, but tookcare to cut off their paws, which form a dish fit to grace the feast ofa king.

  We had a long walk back to the place where I had left my wife. The boystold her what a hard fight the dogs had with the bears, and how Fritzand I had shot them, and then gave her the paws. With the aid of Frankshe had fed our live stock and brought in wood to make up our watch firefor the night, so we sat down to sup at once, and then went to rest.

  Next day we put our beasts to the cart and drove as far as the bear'sden. As we came near to the spot a flock of birds flew out of the mouthof the cave, two or three of which Fritz brought down with his gun. Ittook us the whole day to cut up the bears. The hams were laid by to besmoke dried; while my wife took charge of the fat and the skins.