IMPROVING OUR TREE DWELLING
Next morning the boys and I started with the cart, laden with our
bundles of bamboos, to attend to the avenue of fruit trees. The buffalo
we left behind, for his services were not needed, and I wished the wound
in his nostrils to become completely cicatrized before I again put him
to work. We were not a moment too soon; many of the young trees, which
before threatened to fall, had now fulfilled their promise, and were
lying prostrate on the ground, others were bent, some few only remained
erect. We raised the trees, and digging deeply at their roots, drove in
stout bamboo props, to which we lashed them firmly with strong broad
fibers.
"Papa," said Franz, as we were thus engaged, and he handed me the fibers
as I required them, "are these wild or tame trees?"
"Oh, these are wild trees, most ferocious trees," laughed Jack, "and we
are tying them up lest they should run away, and in a little while we
will untie them and they will trot about after us and give us fruit
wherever we go. Oh, we will tame them; they shall have a ring through
their noses like the buffalo!"
"That's not true," replied Franz gravely, "but there are wild and tame
trees, the wild ones grow out in the woods like the crab-apples, and the
tame ones in the garden like the pears and peaches at home. Which are
these, papa?"
"They are not wild," I replied, "but grafted or cultivated, or, as you
call them, tame trees. No European tree bears good fruit until it is
grafted!" I saw a puzzled look come over the little boy's face as he
heard this new word, and I hastened to explain it. "Grafting," I
continued, "is the process of inserting a slip or twig of a tree into
what is called an eye; that is, a knot or hole in the branch of another.
This twig or slip then grows and produces, not such fruit as the
original stock would have borne, but such as the tree from which it was
taken would have produced. Thus, if we have a sour crab tree, and an
apple tree bearing fine ribston pippins, we would take a slip of the
latter, insert it in an eye of the former, and in a year or two the
branch which would then grow would be laden with good apples."
"But," asked Ernest, "where did the slips of good fruit trees come from,
if none grow without grafting?"
"From foreign countries," I replied. "It is only in the cold climate of
our parts of the world that they require this grafting; in many parts of
the world, in more southern latitudes than ours, the most luscious fruit
trees are indigenous to the soil, and flourish and bear sweet, wholesome
fruit, without the slightest care or attention being bestowed upon them;
while in England and Germany, and even in France, these same trees
require the utmost exertion of horticultural skill to make them bring
forth any fruit whatever. Thus, when the Romans invaded England they
found there nothing in the way of fruit trees but the crab-apple, nut
bushes, and bramble bushes, but by grafting on these, fine apples,
filberts, and raspberries were produced, and it was the same in our own
dear Switzerland--all our fruit trees were imported."
"Were cherries, father? May we not even call cherries Swiss? I always
thought they grew nowhere else."
"I am afraid we cannot even claim cherries as our own, not even the name
of them; they are called cherries from Cerasus, a state of Pontus, in
Asia, whence they were brought to Europe by Lucullus, a Roman general,
about seventy years before Christ. Hazelnuts also came from Pontus;
walnuts, again, came originally from Persia. As for grapes, they are of
the greatest antiquity. We hear, if you remember, of Noah cultivating
vines, and they have been brought from one place to another until they
now are to be found in most parts of the civilized world."
"Do you think all these trees will grow?" asked Fritz, as we crossed
Jackal River and entered our plantation at Tentholm: "here are lemons,
pomegranates, pistachio nuts, and mulberries."
"I have little doubt of it," I replied; "we are evidently within the
tropics, where such trees as these are sure to flourish. These pines,
now, come from France, Spain, and Italy; the olives from Armenia and
Palestine; the figs originally from the island of Chios; the peaches and
apricots from Persia; plums from Damascus in Syria, and the pears of all
sorts from Greece. However, if our countries have not been blessed in
the same way with fruit, we have been given wisdom and skill, which has
enabled us to import and cultivate the trees of other lands."
We thus talked and worked until every tree that required the treatment
was provided with a stout bamboo prop, and then, with appetites which a
gourmand might well have envied, we returned to Falconhurst. I think
the good mother was almost alarmed at the way we fell upon the corned
beef and palm-cabbage she set before us, but at length these good things
produced the desired effect, and one after another declared himself
satisfied. As we sat reclining after our labor and digesting our dinner,
we discussed the various projects we had in contemplation. "I wish,"
said my wife, "that you would invent some other plan for climbing to the
nest above us; I think that the nest itself is perfect--I really wish
for nothing better, but I should like to be able to get to it without
scaling that dreadful ladder every time; could you not make a flight of
steps to reach it?"
I carefully thought over the project, and turned over every plan for its
accomplishment.
"It would be impossible, I am afraid," said I, "to make stairs outside,
but within the trunk it might be done. More than once have I thought
that this trunk might be hollow, or partly so, and if such be the case
our task would be comparatively easy. Did you not tell me the other day
that you noticed bees coming from a hole in the tree?"
"Oh, yes," said little Franz, "and I went to look at them and one flew
right against my face and stung me, and I almost cried, but I didn't."
"Brave little boy," said I. "Well, now if the trunk be sufficiently
hollow to contain a swarm of bees, it may be, for all we can tell,
hollow the greater part of its length, for like the willow in our own
country it might draw all its nourishment through the bark, and in spite
of its real unsoundness retain a flourishing appearance."
Master Jack, practical as usual, instantly sprang to his feet to put my
conjecture to the proof. The rest followed his example, and they were
all soon climbing about like squirrels, peeping into the hole, and
tapping the wood to discover by sound how far down the cavity extended.
They forgot, in their eagerness, who were the tenants of this
interesting trunk. They were soon reminded of it, however, for the bees,
disturbed by this unusual noise, with an angry buzz burst out, and in an
instant attacked the causers of the annoyance; they swarmed round them,
stung them on the hands, face, and neck, settled in their hair, and
pursued them as they ran to me for assistance. It was with difficulty
that we got rid of the angry insects and were able to attend to the
boys. Jack, who had been the first to reach the hole, had fared the
worst, and was soon a most pitiable sight, his face swelled to an
extraordinary degree, and it was only by the constant application of
cold earth that the pain was alleviated. They were all eager to commence
an organized attack upon the bees at once, but for an hour or more, by
reason of their pain, they were unable to render me much assistance. In
the meanwhile I made my arrangements. I first took a large calabash
gourd, for I intended to make a beehive, that, when we had driven the
insects from their present abode, we might not lose them entirely. The
lower half of the gourd I flattened. I then cut an arched opening in the
front for a doorway, made a straw roof as a protection from the rain and
heat, and the little house was complete.
Nothing more, however, could then be done, for the irritated bees were
still angrily buzzing round the tree. I waited till dark, and then, when
all the bees had again returned to their trunk, with Fritz's assistance
I carefully stopped up every hole in the tree with wet clay, that the
bees might not issue forth next morning before we could begin
operations. Very early were we up and at work. I first took a hollow
cane, and inserted one end through the clay into the tree; down this
tube with pipe and tobacco I smoked most furiously.
The humming and buzzing that went on within was tremendous; the bees
evidently could not understand what was going to happen. I finished my
first pipeful, and putting my thumb over the end of the cane, I gave the
pipe to Fritz to refill. He did so and I again smoked. The buzzing was
now becoming less noisy, and was subsiding into a mere murmur. By the
time I had finished this second pipe all was still; the bees were
stupefied.
"Now then, Fritz," said I, "quick, with a hammer and chisel, and stand
here beside me."
He was up in a moment, and, together, we cut a small door by the side of
the hole; this door, however, we did not take out, but we left it
attached by one corner that it might be removed at a moment's notice;
then giving the bees a final dose of tobacco smoke, we opened it.
Carefully but rapidly we removed the insects, as they clung in clusters
to the sides of the tree, and placed them in the hive prepared for their
reception. As rapidly I then took every atom of wax and honey from their
storehouse, and put it in a cask I had made ready for the purpose.
The bees were now safely removed from the trunk, but I could not tell
whether, when they revived from their temporary stupor, they might not
refuse to occupy the house with which I had presented them, and insist
on returning to their old quarters. To prevent the possibility of this
occurrence, I took a quantity of tobacco, and placing it upon a board
nailed horizontally within the trunk, I lighted it and allowed it to
burn slowly, that the fumes might fill the cavity. It was well I did so,
for, as the bees returned to consciousness, they left their pretty hive
and buzzed away to the trunk of the tree. They seemed astonished at
finding this uninhabitable, and an immense deal of noisy humming ensued.
Round and round they flew, backward and forward between the gourd and
tree, now settling here and now there, until, at length, after due
consideration, they took possession of the hive and abandoned their
former habitation to us, the invaders of their territory. By the evening
they were quite quiet, and we ventured to open the cask in which we had
stored our plunder. We first separated the honey from the honeycomb and
poured it off into jars and pots; the rest we then took and threw into a
vessel of water placed over a slow fire. It soon boiled and the entire
mass became fluid. This we placed in a clean canvas bag, and subjected
to a heavy pressure. The honey was thus soon forced out, and we stored
it in a cask, and, though not perhaps quite equal to the former batch in
quality, it was yet capital. The wax that remained in the bag I also
carefully stored, for I knew it would be of great use to me in the
manufacture of candles. Then after a hard day's work we turned in.
The internal architecture of the tree had now to be attended to, and
early the following morning we prepared for the laborious task. A door
had first to be made, so at the base of the trunk we cut away the bark
and formed an opening just the size of the door we had brought from the
captain's cabin, and which, hinges and all, was ready to be hung. The
clearing of the rotten wood from the center of the trunk occupied us
some time, but at length we had the satisfaction of seeing it entirely
accomplished, and, as we stood below, we could look up the trunk, which
was like a great smooth funnel, and see the sky above. It was now ready
for the staircase, and first we erected in the center a stout sapling to
form an axis round which to build the spiral; in this we cut notches to
receive the steps, and corresponding notches in the tree itself to
support the outer ends. The steps themselves we formed carefully and
neatly of planks from the wreck, and clenched them firmly in their
places with stout nails. Upward and upward we built, cutting windows in
the trunk as we required, to admit light and air, until we were flush
with the top of the center pole. On this pole we erected another to
reach the top of the tree, and securing it firmly, built in the same way
round it until we at length reached the level of the floor of the nest
above. To make the ascent of the stairs perfectly easy we ran a
hand-rail on either side, one round the center pillar, and the other
following the curve of the trunk.
This task occupied us a whole month, and by the end of that period, so
accustomed had we become to having a definite piece of work before us
that we began to consider what other great alteration we should
undertake. We were, however, of course not neglecting the details of our
colonial establishment. There were all the animals to be attended to;
the goats and sheep had both presented us with additions to our flock,
and these frisky youngsters had to be seen after; to prevent them
straying to any great distance--for we had no wish to lose them--we
tied round their necks little bells, which we had found on board the
wreck, and which would assist us to track them. Juno, too, had a fine
litter of puppies, but, in spite of the entreaties of the children, I
could not consent to keep more than two, and the rest disappeared in
that mysterious way in which puppies and kittens are wont to leave the
earth. To console the mother, as he said, but also, I suspect, to save
himself considerable trouble, Jack placed his little jackal beside the
remaining puppies, and, to his joy, found it readily adopted. The other
pets were also flourishing, and were being usefully trained. The
buffalo, after giving us much trouble, had now become perfectly
domesticated, and was a very useful beast of burden, besides being a
capital steed for the boys. They guided him by a bar thrust through the
hole in his nose, which was now perfectly healed, and this served the
purpose just as a bit in the mouth of a horse. I began his education by
securing round him a broad girth of buffalo hide and fastening to it
various articles, to accustom him to carrying a burden. By degrees he
permitted this to be done without making the slightest resistance, and
soon carried the panniers, before borne by the ass, readily and
willingly.
I then made Master Knips sit upon his back and hold the reins I had
prepared for him, that the animal might become accustomed to the feeling
of a rider, and finally allowed Fritz himself to mount. The education of
the eagle was not neglected. Fritz every day shot small birds for his
food, and these he placed, sometimes between the wide-spreading horns of
the buffalo or goat, and sometimes upon the back of the great bustard,
that he might become accustomed to pounce upon living prey. These
lessons had their due effect, and the bird, having been taught to obey
the voice and whistle of his master, he was soon allowed to bring down
small birds upon the wing, when he stooped and struck his quarry in most
sportsmanlike manner. We kept him well away from the poultry yard, lest
his natural instincts should show themselves and he should put an
untimely end to some of our feathered pets.
Neither was Master Knips allowed to remain idle, for Ernest, now that he
was in his possession, wished to train him to be of some use. With
Jack's help he made a little basket of rushes, which he so arranged with
straps that it might be easily fitted on to the monkey's back. Thus
equipped, he was taught to mount cocoanut palms and other lofty trees,
and to bring down their fruit in the hamper.
Jack was not so successful in his educational attempts. Fangs, as he had
christened his jackal, used his fangs, indeed, but only on his own
account; nothing could persuade him that the animals he caught were not
at once to be devoured, consequently poor Jack was never able to save
from his jaws anything but the tattered skin of his prey. Not
disheartened, however, he determined that Fangs could be trained, and
that he would train him.
These, and such like employments, afforded us the rest and recreation we
required while engaged in the laborious task of staircase building.
Among minor occupations, I applied myself to the improvement of our
candles. Though the former batch had greatly delighted us at first, yet
we were soon obliged to acknowledge that the light they gave was
imperfect, and their appearance was unsightly; my wife, too, begged me
to find some substitute for the threads of our cotton neckties, which I
had previously used as wicks. To give the proper shape and smoothness to
the candles, I determined to use the bamboo molds I had prepared. My
first idea was to pour the wax in at the end of the mold, and then when
the candles were cooled to slip them out; but I was soon convinced that
this plan would not succeed. I therefore determined to divide the molds
lengthways, and then having greased them well, we might pour the melted
wax into the two halves bound tightly together, and so be able to take
out the candles when cool without injuring them. The wicks were my next
difficulty, and as the mother positively refused to allow us to devote
our ties and handkerchiefs for the purpose, I took a piece of
inflammable wood from a tree, a native of the Antilles, which I thought
would serve our purpose; this I cut into long slips, and fixed in the
centers of the molds. My wife, too, prepared some wicks from the fibers
of the karata tree, which she declared would beat mine completely out of
the field. We put them to the proof.
On a large fire we placed a pot, in which we prepared our wax
mixture--half beeswax and half wax from the candleberries. The molds,
carefully prepared--half with karata fiber, and half with wooden splint
wicks--stood on their ends in a tub of cold water, ready to receive the
wax. They were filled; the wax cooled; the candles taken out and
subjected to the criticism of all hands. When night drew on, they were
formally tested. The decision was unanimous; neither gave such a good
light as those with the cotton wicks; but even my wife declared that
the light from mine was far preferable to that emitted by hers, for the
former, though rather flaring, burned brilliantly, while the latter gave
out such a feeble and flickering flame that it was almost useless.
I then turned shoemaker, for I had promised myself a pair of waterproof
boots, and now determined to make them.
Taking a pair of socks, I filled them with sand and then coated them
over with a thin layer of clay to form a convenient mold; this was soon
hardened in the sun, and was ready for use. Layer after layer of
caoutchouc I brushed over it, allowing each layer to dry before the next
was put on, until at length I considered that the shoes were of
sufficient thickness. I dried them, broke out the clay, secured
with nails a strip of buffalo hide to the soles, brushed that
over with caoutchouc, and I had a pair of comfortable, durable,
respectable-looking waterproof boots.
I was delighted; orders poured in from all sides, and soon everyone in
the family was likewise provided for.
One objection to Falconhurst was the absence of any spring close by, so
that the boys were obliged to bring water daily from the stream; and
this involving no little trouble, it was proposed that we should carry
the water by pipes from the stream to our present residence. A dam had
to be thrown across the river some way up stream, that the water might
be raised to a sufficient height to run to Falconhurst. From the
reservoir thus made we led the water down by pipes into the turtle's
shell, which we placed near our dwelling, and from which the superfluous
water flowed off through the hole made in it by Fritz's harpoon. This
was an immense convenience, and we formally inaugurated the trough by
washing therein a whole sack of potatoes. Thus day after day brought its
own work, and day after day saw that work completed. We had no time to
be idle, or to lament our separation from our fellow creatures.
One morning, as we were completing our spiral staircase, and giving it
such finish as we were capable of, we were suddenly alarmed by hearing a
most terrific noise, the roaring or bellowing of a wild beast; so
strange a sound was it, that I could not imagine by what animal it was
uttered.
Jack thought it perhaps a lion, Fritz hazarded a gorilla, while Ernest
gave it as his opinion, and I thought it possible that he was right,
that it was a hyena.
"Whatever it is," said I, "we must prepare to receive it; up with you
all to the nest while I secure the door."
Then arming the dogs with their collars, I sent them out to protect the
animals below, closed the door, and joined my family. Every gun was
loaded, every eye was upon the watch. The sound drew nearer, and then
all was still; nothing was to be seen. I determined to descend and
reconnoiter, and Fritz and I carefully crept down; with our guns at full
cock we glided among the trees; noiselessly and quickly we pushed on
further and further; suddenly, close by, we heard the terrific sound
again. Fritz raised his gun, but almost as quickly again dropped it, and
burst into a hearty fit of laughter. There was no mistaking those dulcet
tones--he-haw, he-haw, he-haw--resounded through the forest, and our
ass, braying his approach right merrily, appeared in sight. To our
surprise, however, our friend was not alone: behind him trotted another
animal, an ass no doubt, but slim and graceful as a horse. We watched
their movements anxiously.
"Fritz," I whispered, "that is an onager. Creep back to Falconhurst and
bring me a piece of cord--quietly now!"
While he was gone, I cut a bamboo and split it half-way down to form a
pair of pincers, which I knew would be of use to me should I get near
the animal. Fritz soon returned with the cord, and I was glad to observe
also brought some oats and salt. We made one end of the cord fast to a
tree, and at the other end made a running noose. Silently we watched the
animals as they approached, quietly browsing; Fritz then arose, holding
in one hand the noose and in the other some oats and salt. The ass,
seeing his favorite food thus held out, advanced to take it; Fritz
allowed him to do so, and he was soon munching contentedly. The
stranger, on seeing Fritz, started back; but finding her companion show
no signs of alarm, was reassured, and soon approached sniffing, and was
about to take some of the tempting food. In a moment the noose left
Fritz's adroit hand and fell round her neck; with a single bound she
sprang backward the full length of the cord, the noose drew tight, and
she fell to the earth half strangled. I at once ran up, loosened the
rope, and replaced it by a halter; and placing the pincers upon her
nose, secured her by two cords fastened between two trees, and then left
her to recover herself.
Everyone hastened up to examine the beautiful animal as she rose to the
ground and cast fiery glances around. She lashed out with her heels on
every side; and, giving vent to angry snorts, struggled violently to get
free. All her endeavors were vain: the cords were stout, and after a
while she quieted down and stood exhausted and quivering. I then
approached: she suffered me to lead her to the roots of our tree, which
for the present formed our stables, and there I tied her up close to the
donkey, who was likewise prevented from playing truant.
Next morning I found the onager after her night's rest as wild as ever,
and as I looked at the handsome creature I almost despaired of ever
taming her proud spirit. Every expedient was tried, and at length, when
the animal was subdued by hunger, I thought I might venture to mount
her; and having given her the strongest curb and shackled her feet I
attempted to do so. She was as unruly as ever, and as a last expedient I
resolved to adopt a plan which, though cruel, was I knew attended with
wonderful success by the American Indians, by whom it is practiced.
Watching a favorable opportunity, I sprang upon the onager's back, and
seizing her long ear in my teeth, in spite of her kicking and plunging,
bit it through. The result was marvelous, the animal ceased plunging,
and, quivering violently, stood stock still. From that moment we were
her masters, the children mounted her one after the other, and she
carried them obediently and quietly. Proud, indeed, did I feel as I
watched this animal, which naturalists and travelers have declared to be
beyond the power of man to tame, guided hither and thither by my
youngest son.
Additions to our poultry yard reminded me of the necessity of providing
some substantial shelter for our animals before the rainy season came
on; three broods of chickens had been successfully hatched, and the
little creatures, forty in all, were my wife's pride and delight. We
began by making a roof over the vaulted roots of our tree, forming the
framework of bamboo canes, which we laid close together and bound
tightly down; others we fixed below as supports. The interstices were
filled up with clay and moss; and coating the whole over with a mixture
of tar and lime-water, we obtained a firm balcony, and a capital roof
impervious to the severest fall of rain. I ran a light rail round the
balcony to give it a more ornamental appearance, and below divided the
building into several compartments. Stables, poultry yard, hay and
provision lofts, dairy, kitchen, larder, and dining-hall were united
under one roof.
Our winter quarters were now completed, and we had but to store them
with food. Day after day we worked, bringing in provisions of every
description.
As we were one evening returning from gathering potatoes, it struck me
that we should take in a store of acorns; and sending the two younger
boys home with their mother and the cart, I took a large canvas bag, and
with Fritz and Ernest, the former mounted on his onager, and the latter
carrying his little favorite, Knips, made a detour toward the Acorn
Wood.
We reached the spot, tied Lightfoot to a neighboring tree, and began
rapidly to fill the sack. As we were thus engaged, Knips sprang suddenly
into a bush close by, from which, a moment afterward, issued such
strange cries that Ernest followed to see what could be the matter.
"Come!" he shouted; "come and help me! I've got a couple of birds and
their eggs. Quick! Ruffed grouse!"
We hurried to the spot. There was Ernest with a fluttering, screaming
bird in either hand; while, with his foot, he was endeavoring to prevent
his greedy little monkey from seizing the eggs. We quickly tied the
legs of the birds, and removing the eggs from the nest, placed them in
Ernest's hat; while he gathered some of the long, broad grass, with
which the nest was woven, and which grew luxuriantly around, for Franz
to play at sword-drill with. We then loaded the onager with the acorns,
and moved homeward. The eggs I covered carefully with dry moss, that
they might be kept warm, and as soon as possible I handed them over to
my wife, who managed the mother so cleverly that she induced her to
return to the eggs, and in a few days, to our great delight, we had
fifteen beautiful little Canadian chicks.
Franz was greatly pleased with the "swords" his brother brought him; but
having no small companion on whom to exercise his valor, he amused
himself for a short time in hewing down imaginary foes, and then cut the
reeds in slips, and plaited them to form a whip for Lightfoot. The
leaves seemed so pliable and strong that I examined them to see to what
further use they might be put. Their tissue was composed of long silky
fibers. A sudden thought struck me--this must be New Zealand flax. I
could not rest till I had announced this invaluable discovery to my
wife. She was no less delighted than I was.
"Bring me the leaves!" she exclaimed. "Oh, what a delightful discovery!
No one shall now be clothed in rags; just make me a spindle, and you
shall soon have shirts and stockings and trousers, all good homespun!
Quick, Fritz, and bring your mother more leaves!"
We could not help smiling at her eager zeal; but Fritz and Ernest sprang
on their steeds, and soon the onager and buffalo were galloping home
again, each laden with a great bundle of flax. The boys dismounted and
deposited their offering at their mother's feet.
"Capital!" she exclaimed. "I shall now show you that I am not at all
behindhand in ingenuity. This must be retted, carded, spun, and woven,
and then with scissors, needle, and thread I will make you any article
of clothing you choose."
We decided that Flamingo Marsh would be the best spot for the operation
of steeping or "retting" the flax, and next morning we set out thither
with the cart drawn by the ass, and laden with the bundles, between
which sat Franz and Knips, while the rest of us followed with spades and
hatchets. I described to my boys as we went along the process of
retting, and explained to them how steeping the flax leaves destroys the
useless membrane, while the strong fibers remain.
As we were employed in making beds for the flax and placing it in them,
we observed several nests of the flamingo. These are most curiously and
skillfully made of glutinous clay, so strong that they can neither be
overturned nor washed away. They are formed in the shape of blunted
cones, and placed point downward; at the upper and broader end is built
a little platform to contain the eggs, on which the female bird sits,
with her long legs in the water on either side, until the little birds
are hatched and can take to the water. For a fortnight we left the flax
to steep, and then taking it out and drying it thoroughly in the sun,
stored it for future use at Falconhurst.
Daily did we load our cart with provisions to be brought to our winter
quarters: manioc, potatoes, cocoanuts, sweet acorns, sugar-canes, were
all collected and stored in abundance--for grumbling thunder, lowering
skies, and sharp showers warned us that we had no time to lose. Our corn
was sowed, our animals housed, our provisions stored, when down came the
rain.
To continue in our nest we found impossible, and we were obliged to
retreat to the trunk, where we carried such of our domestic furniture as
might have been injured by the damp. Our dwelling was indeed crowded:
the animals and provisions below, and our beds and household goods
around us, hemmed us in on every side; by dint of patience and better
packing, we obtained sufficient room to work and lie down in; by
degrees, too, we became accustomed to the continual noise of the animals
and the smell of the stables. The smoke from the fire, which we were
occasionally obliged to light, was not agreeable; but in time even that
seemed to become more bearable.
To make more space, we turned such animals as we had captured, and who
therefore might be imagined to know how to shift for themselves, outside
during the daytime, bringing them under the arched roots only at night.
To perform this duty Fritz and I used to sally forth every evening, and
as regularly every evening did we return soaked to the skin. To obviate
this, the mother, who feared these continual wettings might injure our
health, contrived waterproofs: she brushed on several layers of
caoutchouc over stout shirts, to which she attached hoods; she then
fixed to these duck trousers, and thus prepared for each of us a
complete waterproof suit, clad in which we might brave the severest
rain.
In spite of our endeavors to keep ourselves busy, the time dragged
heavily. Our mornings were occupied in tending the animals; the boys
amused themselves with their pets, and assisted me in the manufacture
of carding-combs and a spindle for the mother. The combs I made with
nails, which I placed head downward on a sheet of tin about an inch
wide; holding the nails in their proper positions I poured solder round
their heads to fix them to the tin, which I then folded down on either
side of them to keep them perfectly firm. In the evening, when our room
was illuminated with wax candles, I wrote a journal of all the events
which had occurred since our arrival in this foreign land; and, while
the mother was busy with her needle and Ernest making sketches of birds,
beasts, and flowers with which he had met during the past months, Fritz
and Jack taught little Franz to read.
Week after week rolled by. Week after week saw us still close prisoners.
Incessant rain battered down above us; constant gloom hung over the
desolate scene.