QUIET TIMES.
'After a storm comes a calm:' a saying true in the case of the Hardys,
as in that of most others. All their neighbours agreed that, after the
very severe loss of the Indians, and the capture of the whole of their
horses, there was no chance whatever of another attack, at any rate, for
many months. After that it was possible, and indeed probable, that they
would endeavour to take vengeance for their disastrous defeat; but that
at present they would be too crippled and disheartened to think of it.
The settlers were now, therefore, able to give their whole attention to
the farm. The first operation was the sheep-shearing. Four men had been
hired to do the shearing at Canterbury, and then to come over to Mount
Pleasant. Charley rode over to their neighbours' with Mrs. Hardy and his
sisters, Mr. Hardy and Hubert remaining at home--the latter laid up
with the wound in his leg.
It was an amusing sight to see three or four hundred sheep driven into
an enclosure, and then dragged out by the shearers. These men were paid
according to the number shorn, and were very expert, a good hand getting
through a hundred a day. They were rather rough, though, in their work,
and the girls soon went away from the shearing-place with a feeling of
pity and disgust, for the shearers often cut the sheep badly. Each man
had a pot of tar by his side, with which he smeared over any wound. A
certain sum was stopped from their pay for each sheep upon which they
made a cut of over a certain length; but although this made them careful
to a certain extent, they still wounded a great many of the poor
creatures.
A much more exciting amusement was seeing the branding of the cattle,
which took place after the shearing was over. The animals were let out,
one by one, from their enclosure, and, as they passed along a sort of
lane formed of hurdles, they were lassoed and thrown on to the ground.
The hot branding-iron was then clapped against their shoulder, and was
received by a roar of rage and pain. The lasso was then loosened, and
the animal went off at a gallop to join his companions on the plain.
Some caution was required in this process, for sometimes the animals,
upon being released, would charge their tormenters, who then had to make
a hasty leap over the hurdles; Terence, who stood behind them, being in
readiness to thrust a goad against the animals' rear, and this always
had the effect of turning them. For a few days after this the cattle
were rather wild, but they soon forgot their fright and pain, and
returned to their usual ways.
Mr. Hardy had by this time been long enough in the country to feel sure
of his position. He therefore determined to embark the rest of his
capital in agricultural operations. He engaged ten native peons, and
set-to to extend the land under tillage. The water-courses from the dam
were deepened and lengthened, and side channels cut, so that the work of
irrigation could be effectually carried on over the whole of the
low-lying land, the water being sufficient for the purpose for nearly
ten months in the year. Four ploughs were kept steadily at work, and the
ground was sown with alfalfa or lucern, as fast as it was got into
condition. Patches of Indian corn, pumpkins, and other vegetables, were
also planted. Mr. Hardy resolved that, until the country beyond him
became so settled that there could be little danger from Indian
incursions, he would not increase his stock of sheep and cattle, but
would each year sell off the increase.
He also decided upon entering extensively upon dairy operations. He had
already ascertained that a ready sale could be obtained, among the
European residents of Rosario and Buenos Ayres, of any amount of butter
and fresh cheeses that he could produce, and that European prices would
be readily given for them. Up to the present time, the butter made had
been obtained from the milk of two cows only, but he now determined to
try the experiment upon a large scale.
A dairy was first to be made. This was partially cut out of the side of
the slope, and lined with sun-baked bricks. Against the walls, which
projected above the ground, earth was piled, to make them of a very
considerable thickness. Strong beams were placed across the roof; over
these rafters was nailed felt, whitewashed upon both sides to keep out
insects. Upon this was placed a considerable thickness of rushes, and,
over all, puddled clay was spread a foot deep. Ventilation was given by
a wide chimney rising behind it, and light entered by two windows in
front. The whole of the interior was whitewashed.
In this way a dairy was obtained, which, from the thickness of its
walls, was cool enough for the purpose during the hottest weather.
Preparations were now made for breaking in the cows to be milked. A sort
of lane was made of two strong fences of iron wire. This lane was of
the shape of a funnel, narrowing at one end to little more than the
width of a cow. At the end of this was a gate, and attached to the gate
a light trough, filled with fresh alfalfa.
Half a dozen cows which had recently calved were now separated from the
herd, and driven into the wide end of the enclosure. One by one they
approached the narrow end, and when one had reached the extremity, and
had begun to devour the alfalfa, of which they are very fond, a bar was
let down behind her, so that she could now neither advance, retreat, or
turn round.
One of the boys now began cautiously and quietly to milk her, and the
cows in few cases offered any resistance. One or two animals were,
however, very obstreperous, but were speedily subdued by having their
legs firmly fastened to the posts behind. In a few days all were
reconciled to the process, and ere long would come in night and morning
to be milked, with as much regularity as English cows would have done.
The wives of the peons were now taught to milk; and more and more cows
were gradually added to the number, until in six months there were fifty
cows in full milk. Maud and Ethel had now no longer anything to do with
the house, Mrs. Hardy undertaking the entire management of that
department, while the girls had charge of the fowl-house and dairy.
The milk was made partly into butter, partly into fresh cheeses. These
were sent off once a week to catch the steamer for Buenos Ayres. Mr.
Hardy had a light cart made for one horse, and by this conveyance the
butter--starting as soon as the sun went down--arrived in Rosario in
time for the early boat to the capital. It was sent in large baskets
made of rushes, and packed in many layers of cool, fresh leaves; so that
it arrived at Buenos Ayres, forty hours after leaving Mount Pleasant,
perfectly fresh and good. The skim milk was given to the pigs, who had
already increased to quite a numerous colony.
Although they had been planted less than a year, the fruit trees round
the house had thriven in a surprising manner, and already bore a crop of
fruit more than sufficient for the utmost wants of the household.
Peaches and nectarines, apricots and plums, appeared at every meal,
either fresh, stewed, or in puddings, and afforded a very pleasant
change and addition to their diet. As Maud said one day, they would have
been perfectly happy had it not been for the frogs.
These animals were a very great nuisance. They literally swarmed. Do
what they would, the Hardys could not get rid of them. If they would but
have kept out of the house, no one would have minded them; indeed, as
they destroyed a good many insects, they would have been welcome
visitors in the garden; but this was just what they would not do. The
door always stood open, and they evidently considered that as an
invitation to walk in. There they would hide behind boxes, or get under
beds, and into water-jugs and baths, and, in fact, into every possible
corner. They would even get into boots; and these had always to be
shaken before being put on, in case frogs or insects should have taken
up their abode there.
It used at first to be quite a matter of difficulty to know what to do
with the frogs after they were caught; but after a time a covered basket
was kept outside the door, and into this the frogs were popped, and
taken once a day and emptied into the stream. At first they had got into
the well, and had proved a great nuisance; and they were only got rid of
by nearly emptying the well out with buckets, and by then building a
wall round its mouth, with a tightly-fitting lid.
Insects of all kinds were indeed a great pest, scorpions being by no
means uncommon, while large centipedes occasionally intruded into the
house. These creatures were a great trouble to the girls in their dairy,
for the frogs and toads would climb up the walls, and fall squash into
the milk-pans. The only way that they could be at all kept out was by
having the door sawn asunder three feet from the ground, so that the
lower half could be shut while the girls were engaged inside. However,
in spite of the utmost pains, the little ones would crawl in through
crevices, or leap in at the window; and at last the girls had to get
wicker-work covers made for all the pans; and as the natives are very
skilful at this work, they were thus enabled to keep the milk clean.
Almost as great a trouble as the frogs were the brocachas, who committed
terrible havoc in the garden and among the crops. They are about the
size, and have somewhat the appearance of hares, and burrow in immense
quantities in the Pampas. The only way to get rid of them was by puffing
the fumes of burning sulphur down into their holes; and it was quite a
part of the boys' regular work to go out with the machine for the
purpose, and to suffocate these troublesome creatures. Their holes,
however, are not so dangerous to horsemen as are those of the
armadillos, as the ground is always bare in their neighbourhood.
The armadillos are of three or four species, all of them small. The
peludo is about a foot in length, and has hair sticking out between his
scales. The muletas are smaller. Both are excellent eating; but the
girls were some time before they could bring themselves to touch them.
The matajo, in addition to the protection of his scales, is able to roll
himself into a ball at the approach of danger, and, clothed in his
impervious armour, is proof against any attacks except those of man.
These animals are so common, that the plain is in many cases quite
honey-combed with them.
The girls had a great scare the first time they came upon an iguana,
thinking that it was a crocodile. These great lizards are about five
feet long, and are ferocious-looking, but very harmless unless attacked.
Then they will defend themselves, and can inflict a sharp blow with
their tails, or a severe bite with their teeth. They are very common,
and the Indians eat them, and say that the meat is excellent; but the
young Hardys could never be persuaded to taste it. Thus matters
proceeded for some time without any noteworthy incident. Their circle of
acquaintances grew little by little. Several neighbouring plots had been
taken up; and although the new settlers had little time for making
visits, still the very fact of their presence near, gave a feeling of
companionship and security. Very frequently young men would arrive with
letters of introduction, and would stay a few days with them while they
inspected the country.
Their household, too, had received an increase. A young Englishman named
Fitzgerald, the son of some very old friend of the Hardys, had written
expressing a very strong desire to come out, and asking their advice in
the matter. Several letters had been exchanged, and at length, at Mr.
Fitzgerald's earnest request, Mr. Hardy agreed to receive his son for a
year, to learn the business of a Pampas farmer, before he embarked upon
his own account. A small room was accordingly cleared out for him, and
Mr. Hardy never had any reason to regret having received him. He was a
pleasant, light-hearted young fellow of about twenty years of age.
One change, however, had taken place which deserves mention. Sarah one
day came to her mistress, and with much blushing and hesitation said
that Terence Kelly had asked her to marry him.
Mrs. Hardy had long suspected that an attachment had sprung up between
the Irishman and her servant, so she only smiled and said, 'Well, Sarah,
and what did you say to Terence? The year you agreed to stop with us is
over, so you are at liberty to do as you like, you know.'
'Oh, ma'am, but I don't want to leave you. That is just what I told
Terence. "If master and mistress are willing that I shall marry you and
stay on with them as before, I won't say no, Terence; but if they say
that they would not take a married servant, then, Terence, we must stay
as we are."'
'I have no objection at all, Sarah, and I think I can answer for Mr.
Hardy having none. Terence is a very good, steady fellow, and I know
that Mr. Hardy has a high opinion of him; so you could not make a
marriage which would please us more. We should be very sorry to lose
you, but we could not in any case have opposed you marrying whom you
liked, and now we shall have the satisfaction of keeping you here with
us.'
And so it was settled; and a fortnight afterwards, Terence and Sarah had
two days' holiday, and went down to Buenos Ayres, where there was an
English church, and came back again man and wife. After that each went
back to work as usual, and the only change was, that Terence now took
his meals and lived in the house instead of down in the men's huts. By
this time they had begun to find out which of the crops peculiar to warm
countries would pay, and which would not, or rather--for they all paid
more or less--which was the most suitable.
The cotton crop had proved a success; the field had in time been covered
with cotton plants, which had burst first into a bright yellow blossom,
and had then been covered with many balls of white fluff. The picking
the cotton had been looked upon at first as great fun, although it had
proved hard work before it was finished. Its weight had rather exceeded
Mr. Hardy's anticipation. The process of cleaning the cotton from the
pods and seeds had proved a long and troublesome operation, and had
taken an immense time. Judging by the progress that they at first made
with it, they really began to despair of ever finishing it, but with
practice they became more adroit. Still it was found to be too great a
labour during the heat of the day, although carried on within doors. It
had been a dirty work too; the light particles of fluff had got
everywhere, and at the end of a couple of hours' work the party had
looked like a family of bakers. Indeed, before more than a quarter of
the quantity raised was cleaned, they were heartily sick of the job, and
the remainder was sold in the pod to an Englishman who had brought out
machinery, and was attempting to raise cotton near Buenos Ayres.
Although the profits had been considerable, it was unanimously
determined that the experiment should not be repeated, at any rate for
the present.
Mr. Hardy had not at first carried out his idea of planting a couple of
acres with tobacco and sugar-cane, the ground having been required for
other purposes. He had not, however, abandoned the idea; and about two
months before the marriage of Terence and Sarah, he had planted some
tobacco, which was, upon their return from Buenos Ayres, ready to be
picked.
The culture of tobacco requires considerable care. The ground is first
prepared with great care, and is well and thoroughly manured; but this
was not required in the present case, as the rich virgin soil needed no
artificial aid. It is then dug in beds something like asparagus beds,
about two feet wide, with a deep trench between each. The seeds are
raised in a seed-bed, and when nine or ten inches high, they are taken
up and carefully transplanted into the beds, two rows being placed in
each, and the plants being a foot apart.
There are various methods of cultivation, but this was the one adopted
by Mr. Hardy. The plants grew rapidly, the ground between them being
occasionally hoed, and kept free from weeds. When they were four feet
high the tops were nipped off, and any leaves which showed signs of
disease were removed. Each stem had from eight to ten leaves. When the
leaves began to turn rather yellow, Mr. Hardy announced that the time
for cutting had arrived, and one morning all hands were mustered to the
work. It consisted merely in cutting the stems at a level with the
earth, and laying the plants down gently upon the ground. By
breakfast-time the two acres were cleared. They were left all day to dry
in the sun, and a little before sunset they were taken up, and carried
up to one of the store-sheds, which had been cleared and prepared for
the purpose. Here they were placed in a heap on the ground, covered over
with raw hides and mats, and left for three days to heat. After this
they were uncovered, and hung up on laths from the roofs, close to each
other and yet sufficiently far apart to allow the air to circulate
between them. Here they remained until they were quite dry, and were
then taken down, a damp covering being chosen for the operation, as
otherwise the dry leaves would have crumbled to dust. They were again
laid in a heap, and covered up to allow them to heat once more. This
second heating required some days to accomplish, and this operation
required great attention, as the tobacco would have been worthless if
the plants had heated too much.
In ten days the operation was complete. The leaves were then stripped
off, the upper leaves were placed by themselves, as also the middle and
the lower leaves; the higher ones being of the finest quality. They were
then tied in bundles of twelve leaves each, and were packed in layers in
barrels, a great pressure being applied with a weighted lever, to press
them down into an almost solid mass. In all they filled three barrels,
the smallest of which, containing sixty pounds of the finest tobacco,
Mr. Hardy kept for his own use and that of his friends; the rest he sold
at Buenos Ayres at a profitable rate. The venture, like that of the
cotton, had proved a success, but the trouble and care required had been
very great, and Mr. Hardy determined in future to plant only sufficient
for his own use and that of the men employed upon the estate.
The next experiment which was perfected was that with the sugar-cane. In
this, far more than in the others, Mrs. Hardy and the girls took a
lively interest. Sugar had been one of the few articles of consumption
which had cost money, and it had been used in considerable quantities
for converting the fruit into fine puddings and preserves. It was not
contemplated to make sugar for sale, but only for the supply of the
house: two acres, therefore, was the extent of the plantation. Mr. Hardy
procured the cuttings from a friend who had a small sugar plantation
near Buenos Ayres.
The cultivation of sugar is simple. The land having been got in perfect
order, deep furrows were ploughed at a distance of five feet apart. In
these the cuttings, which are pieces of the upper part of the cane,
containing two or three knots, were laid at a distance of three feet
apart. The plough was then taken along by the side of the furrow, so as
to fill it up again and cover the cuttings. In sugar plantations the
rows of canes are close together, but Mr. Hardy had chosen this
distance, as it enabled his horse-hoe to work between them, and thus
keep the ground turned up and free from weeds, without the expense of
hard labour. In a short time the shoots appeared above the soil. In four
months they had gained the height of fourteen feet, and their glossy
stems showed that they were ready to cut.
'Now, Clara,' Mr. Hardy said, 'this is your manufacture, you know, and
we are only to work under your superintendence. The canes are ready to
cut: how do you intend to crush the juice out? because that is really an
important question.'
The young Hardys looked aghast at each other, for in the pressure of
other matters the question of apparatus for the sugar manufacture had
been quite forgotten.
'Have you really no idea how to do it, Frank?'
'No, really I have not, my dear. We have certainly no wood on the place
which would make the rollers; besides, it would be rather a difficult
business.'
Mrs. Hardy thought for a minute, and then said, 'I should think that the
mangle would do it.'
There was a general exclamation of 'Capital, mamma!' and then a burst of
laughter at the idea of making sugar with a mangle. The mangle in
question was part of a patent washing apparatus which Mr. Hardy had
brought with him from England, and consisted of two strong iron rollers,
kept together by strong springs, and turning with a handle.
'I do think that the mangle would do, Clara,' Mr. Hardy said, 'and we
are all much obliged to you for the idea. I had thought of the great
washing copper for boiling the sugar, but the mangle altogether escaped
me. We will begin to-morrow. Please get all the tubs scrubbed out and
scalded, and put out in the sun to dry.'
'How long will it take, papa?'
'Some days, Ethel; we must only cut the canes as fast as the boiler can
boil the juice down.'
The next day the work began. The canes were cut at a level with the
ground, the tops were taken off, and the canes cut into lengths of three
feet. They were then packed on a bullock-cart and taken up to the house.
They were next passed through the mangle, which succeeded admirably, the
juice flowing out in streams into the tub placed below to receive it.
When all the canes had been passed through the mangle, the screws were
tightened to increase the pressure, and they were again passed through;
by which time, although the juice was not so thoroughly extracted as it
would have been by a more powerful machine, the quantity that remained
was not important. As the tub was filled, the contents were taken to the
great copper, under which a fire was then lighted. The crushing of the
canes was continued until the copper was nearly full, when Mr. Hardy
ordered the cutting of the canes to be discontinued for the day. The
fire under the copper was fed with the crushed canes, which burnt very
freely. Mr. Hardy now added a small quantity of lime and some sheep's
blood, which last ingredient caused many exclamations of horror from
Mrs. Hardy and the young ones. The blood, however, Mr. Hardy informed
them, was necessary to clarify the sugar, as the albumen contained in
the blood would rise to the surface, bringing the impurities with it.
The fire was continued until the thermometer showed that the syrup was
within a few degrees of boiling, and the surface was covered with a
thick, dark-coloured scum. The fire was then removed, and the liquor
allowed to cool, the family now going about other work, as so large a
quantity of liquor would not be really cold until the next day.
The following morning the tap at the bottom of the boiler was turned,
and the syrup came out bright and clear,--about the colour of sherry
wine. The scum descended unbroken on the surface of the liquor; and when
the copper was nearly empty the tap was closed, and the scum and what
little liquor remained was taken out. The bright syrup was now again
poured into the boiler, the fire re-lighted, and the syrup was kept
boiling, to evaporate the water and condense the syrup down to the point
at which it would crystallize. It required many hours' boiling to effect
this, any scum which rose to the surface being carefully taken off with
a skimmer. At last it was found that the syrup on the skimmer began to
crystallize, and Mr. Hardy pronounced it to be fit to draw off into the
large washing tubs to crystallize. A fresh batch of canes was now
crushed, and so the process was repeated until all the canes were cut.
It took a fortnight altogether, but only five days of this were
actually occupied in cutting and crushing the canes. As the sugar
crystallized it was taken out,--a dark, pulpy-looking mass, at which the
young Hardys looked very doubtfully,--and was placed in a large sugar
hogshead, which had been procured for the purpose. In the bottom of this
eight large holes were bored, and these were stopped up with pieces of
plantain stalk. Through the porous substance of these stalks the
molasses or treacle slowly drained off. As the wet sugar was placed in
the cask, layers of slices of plantain stems were laid upon it, as the
spongy substance draws the dark colouring matter out from the sugar. The
plantain grows freely in South America, and Mr. Hardy had planted a
number of this graceful tree near his house; but these had not been
advanced enough to cut, and he had therefore procured a sufficient
quantity from a friend at Rosario. It was three months before the
drainage of the molasses quite ceased; and the Hardys were greatly
pleased, on emptying the hogshead and removing the plantain stems, to
find that their sugar was dry, and of a very fairly light colour. The
sugar-canes did not require planting again, as they will grow for many
years from the same roots; and although the canes from old stools, as
they are called, produce less sugar than those of the first year's
planting, the juice is clearer, and requires far less trouble to prepare
and refine. Before another year came round, the boys made a pair of
wooden rollers of eighteen inches in diameter. These were covered with
strips of hoop iron, nailed lengthways upon them at short intervals from
each other, thereby obtaining a better grip upon the canes, and
preventing the wood from being bruised and grooved. These rollers were
worked by a horse mill, which Mr. Hardy had ordered from England. It was
made for five horses, and did a great deal of useful work, grinding the
Indian corn into fine flour for home consumption and for sale to
neighbouring settlers, and into coarse meal, and pulping the pumpkins
and roots for the pigs and other animals.
Mr. Hardy also tried many other experiments, as the climate is suited to
almost every kind of plant and vegetable. Among them was the cultivation
of ginger, of the vanilla bean, of flax, hemp, and coffee. In all of
them he obtained more or less success; but the difficulty of obtaining
labour, and the necessity of devoting more and more attention to the
increasing flocks, herds, and irrigated land, prevented him from
carrying them out on a large scale. However, they served the purpose for
which he principally undertook them,--of giving objects of interest and
amusement to his children.