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 neighbors 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 endeavor 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
neighbors' 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
watercourses 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
plows 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 cheese 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, nor 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 cheese.
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 skillful 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 neighborhood.
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 I
scales, is able to roll himself into a ball at the approach of
danger, and, clothed in his impervious armor, is proof against
any attacks except those of man. These animals are so common that the
plain is in many cases quite honeycombed 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 neighboring 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 Jose 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 afterward 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 labor
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 roof, 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 plowed 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 plow 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 labor. 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 burned 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-colored 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 color 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 coloring 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 color.
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 neighboring 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 labor, 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.