Tommy and the Ragged Boy--Story of Androcles and the
Lion--Conversation on Slavery--Conversation about an Ass--Tommy's
Present and its consequences--The story of Cyrus--Squire Chase
beats Harry--Harry saves the Squire's life--Making Bread--Story of
the Two Brothers--Story of the Sailors on the Island of
Spitzbergen.
In this manner did Mr Barlow begin the education of Tommy Merton, who
had naturally very good dispositions, although he had been suffered to
acquire many bad habits, that sometimes prevented them from appearing.
He was, in particular, very passionate, and thought he had a right to
command everybody that was not dressed as fine as himself. This opinion
often led him into inconveniences, and once was the occasion of his
being severely mortified.
This accident happened in the following manner:--One day as Tommy was
striking a ball with his bat, he struck it over a hedge into an
adjoining field, and seeing a little ragged boy walking along on that
side, he ordered him, in a very peremptory tone, to bring it to him. The
little boy, without taking any notice of what was said, walked on, and
left the ball; upon which Tommy called out more loudly than before, and
asked if he did not hear what was said. "Yes," said the boy, "for the
matter of that I am not deaf." "Oh! you are not?" replied Tommy, "then
bring me my ball directly." "I don't choose it," said the boy. "Sirrah,"
said Tommy, "if I come to you I shall make you choose it." "Perhaps not,
my pretty little master," said the boy. "You little rascal," said Tommy,
who now began to be very angry, "if I come over the hedge I will thrash
you within an inch of your life." To this the other made no answer but
by a loud laugh, which provoked Tommy so much that he clambered over the
hedge and jumped precipitately down intending to have leaped into the
field; but unfortunately his foot slipped, and down he rolled into a wet
ditch, which was full of mud and water; there poor Tommy tumbled about
for some time, endeavouring to get out; but it was to no purpose, for
his feet stuck in the mud, or slipped off from the bank; his fine
waistcoat was dirtied all over, his white stockings covered with mire,
his breeches filled with puddle water; and, to add to his distress, he
first lost one shoe and then the other--his laced hat tumbled off from
his head and was completely spoiled. In this distress he must probably
have remained a considerable time, had not the little ragged boy taken
pity on him and helped him out. Tommy was so vexed and ashamed that he
could not say a word, but ran home in such a plight that Mr Barlow, who
happened to meet him, was afraid he had been considerably hurt; but,
when he heard the accident which had happened, he could not help
smiling, and he advised Tommy to be more careful for the future how he
attempted to thrash little ragged boys.
The next day Mr Barlow desired Harry, when they were all together in the
arbour, to read the following story of
"ANDROCLES AND THE LION."
"There was a certain slave named Androcles, who was so ill treated by
his master that his life became insupportable. Finding no remedy for
what he suffered, he at length said to himself: 'It is better to die
than to continue to live in such hardships and misery as I am obliged to
suffer. I am determined, therefore, to run away from my master. If I am
taken again, I know that I shall be punished with a cruel death; but it
is better to die at once, than to live in misery. If I escape, I must
betake myself to deserts and woods, inhabited only by beasts; but they
cannot use me more cruelly than I have been used by my fellow-creatures;
therefore, I will rather trust myself with them, than continue to be a
miserable slave.'
"Having formed this resolution, he took an opportunity of leaving his
master's house, and hid himself in a thick forest, which was at some
miles' distance from the city. But here the unhappy man found that he
had only escaped from one kind of misery to experience another. He
wandered about all day through a vast and trackless wood, where his
flesh was continually torn by thorns and brambles; he grew hungry, but
could find no food in this dreary solitude! At length he was ready to
die with fatigue, and lay down in despair in a large cavern which he
found by accident."
"Poor man!" said Harry, whose little heart could scarcely contain itself
at this mournful recital, "I wish I could have met with him; I would
have given him all my dinner, and he should have had my bed. But pray,
sir, tell me why does one man behave so cruelly to another, and why
should one person be the servant of another, and bear so much ill
treatment?"
"As to that," said Tommy, "some folks are born gentlemen, and then they
must command others; and some are born servants, and then they must do
as they are bid. I remember, before I came hither, that there were a
great many black men and women, that my mother said were only born to
wait upon me; and I used to beat them, and kick them, and throw things
at them whenever I was angry; and they never dared strike me again,
because they were slaves."
"And pray, young man," said Mr Barlow, "how came these people to be
slaves?"
_Tommy._--Because my father bought them with his money. _Mr Barlow._--So
then people that are bought with money are slaves, are they? _T._--Yes.
_Mr B._--And those that buy them have a right to kick them, and beat
them, and do as they please with them? _T._--Yes. _Mr B._--Then, if I
was to take and sell you to Farmer Sandford, he would have a right to do
what he pleased with you? No, sir, said Tommy, somewhat warmly; but you
would have no right to sell me, nor he to buy me. _Mr B._--Then it is
not a person's being bought or sold that gives another a right to use
him ill, but one person's having a right to sell another, and the man
who buys having a right to purchase? _T._--Yes, sir. _Mr B._--And what
right have the people who sold the poor negroes to your father to sell
them, or what right has your father to buy them? Here Tommy seemed to be
a good deal puzzled, but at length he said, "They are brought from a
country that is a great way off, in ships, and so they become slaves."
Then, said Mr Barlow, "if I take you to another country, in a ship, I
shall have a right to sell you?" _T._--No, but you won't, sir, because I
was born a gentleman. _Mr B._--What do you mean by that, Tommy? Why
(said Tommy, a little confounded), to have a fine house, and fine
clothes, and a coach, and a great deal of money, as my papa has. _Mr
B._--Then if you were no longer to have a fine house, nor fine clothes,
nor a great deal of money, somebody that had all these things might make
you a slave, and use you ill, and beat you, and insult you, and do
whatever he liked with you? _T._--No, sir, that would not be right
neither, that anybody should use me ill. _Mr B._--Then one person should
not use another ill? _T._--No, sir. _Mr B._--To make a slave of anybody
is to use him ill, is it not? _T._--I think so. _Mr B._--Then no one
ought to make a slave of you? _T._--No, indeed, sir. _Mr B._--But if no
one should use another ill, and making a slave is using him ill, neither
ought you to make a slave of any one else. _T._--Indeed, sir, I think
not; and for the future I never will use our black William ill; nor
pinch him, nor kick him, as I used to do. _Mr B._--Then you will be a
very good boy. But let us now continue our story.
"This unfortunate man had not lain long quiet in the cavern before he
heard a dreadful noise, which seemed to be the roar of some wild beast,
and terrified him very much. He started up with a design to escape, and
had already reached the mouth of the cave, when he saw coming towards
him a lion of prodigious size, who prevented any possibility of retreat.
The unfortunate man now believed his destruction to be inevitable; but,
to his great astonishment, the beast advanced towards him with a gentle
pace, without any mark of enmity or rage, and uttered a kind of mournful
voice, as if he demanded the assistance of the man.
"Androcles, who was naturally of a resolute disposition, acquired
courage, from this circumstance, to examine his monstrous guest, who
gave him sufficient leisure for that purpose. He saw, as the lion
approached him, that he seemed to limp upon one of his legs, and that
the foot was extremely swelled, as if it had been wounded. Acquiring
still more fortitude from the gentle demeanour of the beast, he advanced
up to him, and took hold of the wounded paw, as a surgeon would examine
a patient. He then perceived that a thorn of uncommon size had
penetrated the ball of the foot, and was the occasion of the swelling
and lameness which he had observed. Androcles found that the beast, far
from resenting this familiarity, received it with the greatest
gentleness, and seemed to invite him by his blandishments to proceed. He
therefore extracted the thorn, and, pressing the swelling, discharged a
considerable quantity of matter, which had been the cause of so much
pain and uneasiness.
"As soon as the beast felt himself thus relieved, he began to testify
his joy and gratitude by every expression within his power. He jumped
about like a wanton spaniel, wagged his enormous tail, and licked the
feet and hands of his physician. Nor was he contented with these
demonstrations of kindness: from this moment Androcles became his guest;
nor did the lion ever sally forth in quest of prey without bringing home
the produce of his chase, and sharing it with his friend. In this savage
state of hospitality did the man continue to live during the space of
several months; at length, wandering unguardedly through the woods, he
met with a company of soldiers sent out to apprehend him, and was by
them taken prisoner and conducted back to his master. The laws of that
country being very severe against slaves, he was tried and found guilty
of having fled from his master, and, as a punishment for his pretended
crime, he was sentenced to be torn in pieces by a furious lion, kept
many days without food, to inspire him with additional rage.
"When the destined moment arrived, the unhappy man was exposed, unarmed,
in the midst of a spacious area, enclosed on every side, round which
many thousand people were assembled to view the mournful spectacle.
"Presently a dreadful yell was heard, which struck the spectators with
horror; and a monstrous lion rushed out of a den, which was purposely
set open, and darted forward with erected mane and flaming eyes, and
jaws that gaped like an open sepulchre. A mournful silence instantly
prevailed! All eyes were directly turned upon the destined victim, whose
destruction now appeared inevitable. But the pity of the multitude was
soon converted into astonishment, when they beheld the lion, instead of
destroying his defenceless prey, crouch submissively at his feet, fawn
upon him as a faithful dog would do upon his master, and rejoice over
him as a mother that unexpectedly recovers her offspring. The governor
of the town, who was present, then called out with a loud voice, and
ordered Androcles to explain to them this unintelligible mystery, and
how a savage of the fiercest and most unpitying nature should thus in a
moment have forgotten his innate disposition, and be converted into a
harmless and inoffensive animal.
"Androcles then related to the assembly every circumstance of his
adventures in the woods, and concluded by saying, that the very lion
which now stood before them had been his friend and entertainer in the
woods. All the persons present were astonished and delighted with the
story, to find that even the fiercest beasts are capable of being
softened by gratitude, and moved by humanity; and they unanimously
joined to entreat for the pardon of the unhappy man from the governor of
the place. This was immediately granted to him; and he was also
presented with the lion, who had in this manner twice saved the life of
Androcles."
"Upon my word," said Tommy, "this is a very pretty story; but I never
should have thought that a lion could have grown so tame: I thought that
they, and tigers, and wolves, had been so fierce and cruel that they
would have torn everything they met to pieces."
"When they are hungry," said Mr Barlow, "they kill every animal they
meet; but this is to devour it, for they can only live upon flesh, like,
dogs and cats, and many other kinds of animals. When they are not hungry
they seldom meddle with anything, or do unnecessary mischief; therefore
they are much less cruel than many persons that I have seen, and even
than many children, who plague and torment animals, without any reason
whatsoever."
"Indeed, sir," said Harry, "I think so. And I remember, as I was walking
along the road some days past, I saw a little naughty boy that used a
poor jackass very ill indeed. The poor animal was so lame that he could
hardly stir; and yet the boy beat him with a great stick as violently as
he was able, to make him go on faster." "And what did you say to him?"
said Mr Barlow. _Harry._--Why, sir, I told him how naughty and cruel it
was; and I asked him how he would like to be beaten in that manner by
somebody that was stronger than himself? _Mr B._--And what answer did he
make you? _H._--He said, that it was his daddy's ass, and so that he had
a right to beat it; and that if I said a word more he would beat me. _Mr
B._--And what answer did you make; any? _H._--I told him, if it was his
father's ass, he should not use it ill; for that we were all God's
creatures, and that we should love each other, as He loved us all; and
that as to beating me, if he struck me I had a right to strike him
again, and would do it, though he was almost as big again as I was. _Mr
B._--And did he strike you? _H._--Yes, sir. He endeavoured to strike me
upon the head with his stick, but I dodged, and so it fell upon my
shoulder; and he was going to strike me again, but I darted at him, and
knocked him down, and then he began blubbering, and begged me not to
hurt him. _Mr B._--It is not uncommon for those who are most cruel to be
at the same time most cowardly; but what did you? _H._--Sir, I told him
I did not want to hurt him; but that as he had meddled with me, I would
not let him rise till he had promised not to hurt the poor beast any
more, which he did, and then I let him go about his business.
"You did very right," said Mr Barlow; "and I suppose the boy looked as
foolish, when he was rising, as Tommy did the other day when the little
ragged boy that he was going to beat helped him out of the ditch."
"Sir," answered Tommy, a little confused, "I should not have attempted
to beat him, only he would not bring me my ball." _Mr B._--And what
right had you to oblige him to bring your ball? _T._--Sir, he was a
little ragged boy, and I am a gentleman. _Mr B._--So then, every
gentleman has a right to command little ragged boys? _T._--To be sure,
sir. _Mr B._--Then if your clothes should wear out and become ragged,
every gentleman will have a right to command you? Tommy looked a little
foolish, and said, "But he might have done it, as he was on that side of
the hedge." _Mr B._--And so he probably would have done if you had asked
him civilly to do it; but when persons speak in a haughty tone, they
will find few inclined to serve them. But, as the boy was poor and
ragged, I suppose you hired him with money to fetch your ball?
_T._--Indeed, sir, I did not; I neither gave him anything nor offered
him anything. _Mr B._--Probably you had nothing to give him? _T._--Yes I
had, though; I had all this money (pulling out several shillings). _Mr
B._--Perhaps the boy was as rich as you. _T._--No, he was not, sir, I am
sure; for he had no coat, and his waistcoat and breeches were all
tattered and ragged; besides, he had no stockings, and his shoes were
full of holes. _Mr B._--So, now I see what constitutes a gentleman. A
gentleman is one that, when he has abundance of everything, keeps it all
to himself; beats poor people, if they don't serve him for nothing; and
when they have done him the greatest favour, in spite of his insolence,
never feels any gratitude, or does them any good in return. I find that
Androcles' lion was no gentleman.
Tommy was so affected with this rebuke that he could hardly contain his
tears; and, as he was really a boy of a generous temper, he determined
to give the little ragged boy something the very first time he should
see him again. He did not long wait for an opportunity; for, as he was
walking out that very afternoon, he saw him at some distance gathering
blackberries, and, going up to him, he accosted him thus: "Little boy, I
want to know why you are so ragged; have you no other clothes?" "No,
indeed," said the boy. "I have seven brothers and sisters, and they are
all as ragged as myself; but I should not much mind that if I could have
my belly full of victuals." _Tommy._--And why cannot you have your belly
full of victuals? _Little boy._--Because daddy's ill of a fever, and
can't work this harvest! so that mammy says we must all starve if God
Almighty does not take care of us.
Tommy made no answer, but ran full speed to the house whence he
presently returned, loaded with a loaf of bread, and a complete suit of
his own clothes. "Here, little boy," said he, "you were very
good-natured to me; and so I will give you all this, because I am a
gentleman, and have many more."
Tommy did not wait for the little boy's acknowledgment, but hastened
away and told Mr Barlow, with an air of exultation, what he had done.
Mr Barlow coolly answered, "You have done well in giving the little boy
clothes, because they are your own; but what right have you to give away
my loaf of bread without asking my consent?" _Tommy._--Why, sir, I did
it because the little boy said he was very hungry, and had seven
brothers and sisters, and that his father was ill, and could not work.
_Mr B._--This is a very good reason why you should give them what
belongs to yourself, but not why you should give them what is another's.
What would you say if Harry were to give away all your clothes, without
asking your leave?" _T._--I should not like it at all; and I will not
give away your things any more without asking your leave. "You will do
well," said Mr Barlow; "and here is a little story you may read upon
this very subject:--
"THE STORY OF CYRUS."
"Cyrus was a little boy of good dispositions and humane temper. He was
very fond of drawing, and often went into the fields for the purpose of
taking sketches of trees, houses, &c., which he would show to his
parents. On one occasion he had retired into a shed at the back of his
father's house, and was so much absorbed in planning something with his
compasses, as not to be for a long time aware of his father's presence.
He had several masters, who endeavoured to teach him everything that was
good; and he was educated with several little boys about his own age.
One evening his father asked him what he had done or learned that day.
'Sir,' said Cyrus, 'I was punished to-day for deciding unjustly.' 'How
so?' said his father. _Cyrus._--There were two boys, one of whom was a
great and the other a little boy. Now, it happened that the little boy
had a coat that was much too big for him, but the great boy had one that
scarcely reached below his middle, and was too tight for him in every
part; upon which the great boy proposed to the little boy to change
coats with him, 'because then,' said he, 'we shall be both exactly
fitted; for your coat is as much too big for you as mine is too little
for me.' The little boy would not consent to the proposal, on which the
great boy took his coat away by force, and gave his own to the little
boy in exchange. While they were disputing upon this subject I chanced
to pass by, and they agreed to make me judge of the affair. But I
decided that the little boy should keep the little coat, and the great
boy the great one--for which judgment my master punished me.
"'Why so?' said Cyrus' father; 'was not the little coat most proper for
the little boy, and the large coat for the great boy?' 'Yes, sir,'
answered Cyrus; 'but my master told me I was not made judge to examine
which coat best fitted either of the boys, but to decide whether it was
just that the great boy should take away the coat of the little one
against his consent; and therefore I decided unjustly, and deserved to
be punished.'"
Just as the story was finished, they were surprised to see a little
ragged boy come running up to them, with a bundle of clothes under his
arm. His eyes were black, as if he had been severely beaten, his nose
was swelled, his shirt was bloody, and his waistcoat did but just hang
upon his back, so much was it torn. He came running up to Tommy, and
threw down the bundle before him, saying, "Here master, take your
clothes again; and I wish they had been at the bottom of the ditch I
pulled you out of, instead of upon my back; but I never will put such
frippery on again as long as I have breath in my body."
"What is the matter?" said Mr Barlow, who perceived that some
unfortunate accident had happened in consequence of Tommy's present.
"Sir," answered the little boy, "my little master here was going to beat
me, because I would not fetch his ball. Now, as to the matter of that, I
would have brought his ball with all my heart, if he had but asked me
civilly. But though I am poor, I am not bound to be his slave, as they
say black William is; and so I would not; upon which little master here
was jumping over the hedge to lick me; but, instead of that, he soused
into the ditch, and there he lay rolling about till I helped him out;
and so he gave me these clothes here, all out of good-will; and I put
them on, like a fool as I was, for they are all made of silk, and look
so fine, that all the little boys followed me, and hallooed as I went;
and Jack Dowset threw a handful of dirt at me, and dirtied me all over.
'Oh!' says I, 'Jacky, are you at that work?'--and with that I hit him a
good thump, and sent him roaring away. But Billy Gibson and Ned Kelly
came up, and said I looked like a Frenchman; and so we began fighting,
and I beat them till they both gave out; but I don't choose to be
hallooed after wherever I go, and to look like a Frenchman; and so I
have brought master his clothes again."
Mr Barlow asked the little boy where his father lived; and he told him
that his father lived about two miles off, across the common, and at the
end of Runny Lane; on which Mr Barlow told Harry that he would send the
poor man some broth and victuals if he would carry it when it was ready.
"That I will," said Harry, "if it were five times as far." So Mr Barlow
went into the house to give orders about it.
In the mean time Tommy, who had eyed the little boy for some time in
silence, said, "So, my poor boy, you have been beaten and hurt till you
are all over blood, only because I gave you my clothes. I am really very
sorry for it." "Thank you, little master," said the boy, "but it can't
be helped; you did not intend me any hurt, I know; and I am not such a
chicken as to mind a beating; so I wish you a good afternoon with all my
heart."
As soon as the little boy was gone, Tommy said, "I wish I had but some
clothes that the poor boy could wear, for he seems very good-natured; I
would give them to him." "That you may very easily have," said Harry,
"for there is a shop in the village hard by where they sell all manner
of clothes for the poor people; and, as you have money, you may easily
buy some."
Harry and Tommy then agreed to go early the next morning to buy some
clothes for the poor children. They accordingly set out before
breakfast, and had proceeded nearly half-way, when they heard the noise
of a pack of hounds that seemed to be running full cry at some distance.
Tommy then asked Harry if he knew what they were about. "Yes," said
Harry "I know well enough what they are about; it is Squire Chase and
his dogs worrying a poor hare. But I wonder they are not ashamed to
meddle with such a poor inoffensive creature, that cannot defend itself.
If they have a mind to hunt, why don't they hunt lions and tigers, and
such fierce mischievous creatures, as I have read they do in other
countries?" "Oh! dear," said Tommy, "how is that? it must surely be very
dangerous." "Why, you know," said Harry, "the men are accustomed in some
places to go almost naked; and that makes them so prodigiously nimble,
that they can run like a deer; and, when a lion or tiger comes into
their neighbourhood, and devours their sheep or oxen, they go out, six
and seven together, armed with javelins; and they run over all the
woods, and examine every place, till they have found him; and they make
a noise to provoke him to attack them; then he begins roaring and
foaming, beating his sides with his tail, till, in a violent fury, he
springs at the man that is nearest to him." "Oh! dear," said Tommy, "he
must certainly be torn to pieces." "No such thing," answered Harry; "he
jumps like a greyhound out of the way, while the next man throws his
javelin at the lion, and perhaps wounds him in the side; this enrages
him still more; he springs again like lightning upon the man that
wounded him, but this man avoids him like the other, and at last the
poor beast drops down dead with the number of wounds he has received."
"Oh," said Tommy, "it must be a very strange sight; I should like to see
it out of a window, where I was safe." "So should not I," answered
Harry; "for it must be a great pity to see such a noble animal tortured
and killed; but they are obliged to do it in their own defence. But
these poor hares do nobody any harm, excepting the farmers, by eating a
little of their corn sometimes."
As they were talking in this manner, Harry, casting his eyes on one
side, said, "As I am alive, there is the poor hare skulking along! I
hope they will not be able to find her; and, if they ask me, I will
never tell them which way she is gone."
Presently up came the dogs, who had now lost all scent of their game,
and a gentleman, mounted upon a fine horse, who asked Harry if he had
seen the hare. Harry made no answer; but, upon the gentleman's repeating
the question in a louder tone of voice, he answered that he had. "And
which way is she gone?" said the gentleman. "Sir, I don't choose to tell
you," answered Harry, after some hesitation. "Not choose!" said the
gentleman, leaping off his horse, "but I'll make you choose in an
instant;" and, coming up to Harry who never moved from the place where
he had been standing, began to lash him in a most unmerciful manner with
his whip, continually repeating, "Now, you little rascal, do you choose
to tell me now?" To which Harry made no other answer than this: "If I
would not tell you before, I won't now, though you should kill me."
But this fortitude of Harry, and the tears of Tommy, who cried in the
bitterest manner to see the distress of his friend, made no impression
on this barbarian, who continued his brutality till another gentleman
rode up full speed, and said, "For any sake, Squire, what are you about?
You will kill the child, if you do not take care." "And the little dog
deserves it," said the other; "he has seen the hare, and will not tell
me which way she is gone." "Take care," replied the gentleman, in a low
voice, "you don't involve yourself in a disagreeable affair; I know the
other to be the son of a gentleman of great fortune in the
neighbourhood;" and then turning to Harry, he said, "Why, my dear, would
you not tell the gentleman which way the hare had gone, if you saw her?"
"Because," answered Harry, as soon as he had recovered breath enough to
speak, "I don't choose to betray the unfortunate." "This boy," said the
gentleman, "is a prodigy; and it is a happy thing for you, Squire, that
his age is not equal to his spirit. But you are always passionate----"
At this moment the hounds recovered the scent, and bursting into a full
cry, the Squire mounted his horse and galloped away, attended by all his
companions.
When they were gone, Tommy came up to Harry in the most affectionate
manner, and asked him how he did. "A little sore," said Harry; "but that
does not signify." _Tommy._--I wish I had had a pistol or a sword!
_Harry._--Why, what would you have done with it? _T._--I would have
killed that good-for-nothing man who treated you so cruelly. _H._--That
would have been wrong, Tommy; for I am sure he did not want to kill me.
Indeed, if I had been a man, he should not have used me so; but it is
all over now, and we ought to forgive our enemies, as Mr Barlow tells us
Christ did; and then perhaps they may come to love us, and be sorry for
what they have done. _T._--But how could you bear to be so severely
whipped, without crying out? _H._--Why, crying out would have done me no
good at all, would it? and this is nothing to what many little boys have
suffered without ever flinching, or bemoaning themselves. _T._--Well, I
should have thought a great deal. _H._--Oh! it's nothing to what the
young Spartans used to suffer. _T._--Who were they? _H._--Why, you must
know they were a very brave set of people, that lived a great while ago;
and, as they were but few in number, and were surrounded by a great many
enemies, they used to endeavour to make their little boys very brave and
hardy; and these little boys used to be always running about,
half-naked, in the open air, and wrestling and jumping and exercising
themselves; and then had very coarse food, and hard beds to lie upon,
and were never pampered and indulged; and all this made them so strong
and hardy, and brave, that the like was never seen. _T._--What, and had
they no coaches to ride in, nor sweetmeats, nor wine, nor anybody to
wait upon them? _H._--Oh! dear, no; their fathers thought that would
spoil them, and so they all fared alike, and ate together in great
rooms; and there they were taught to behave orderly and decently; and
when dinner was over, they all went to play together; and, if they
committed any faults, they were severely whipped; but they never minded
it, and scorned to cry out, or make a wry face.
As they were conversing in this manner, they approached the village,
where Tommy laid out all his money, amounting to fifteen shillings and
sixpence, in buying some clothes for the little ragged boy and his
brothers, which were made up in a bundle and given to him; but he
desired Harry to carry them for him. "That I will," said Harry; "but why
don't you choose to carry them yourself?" _Tommy._--Why, it is not fit
for a gentleman to carry things himself. _Harry._--Why, what hurt does
it do him, if he is but strong enough? _T._--I do not know; but I
believe it is that he may not look like the common people. _H._--Then he
should not have hands, or feet, or ears, or mouth, because the common
people have the same. _T._--No, no; he must have all these, because they
are useful. _H._--And is it not useful to be able to do things for
ourselves? _T._--Yes; but gentlemen have others to do what they want for
them. _H._--Then I should think it must be a bad thing to be a
gentleman. _T._--Why so? _H._--Because, if all were gentlemen, nobody
would do anything, and then we should be all starved. _T._--Starved!
_H._--Yes; why, you could not live, could you, without bread? _T._--No;
I know that very well. _H._--And bread is made of a plant that grows in
the earth, and it is called wheat. _T._--Why, then, I would gather it
and eat it. _H._--Then you must do something for yourself; but that
would not do, for wheat is a small hard grain, like the oats which you
have sometimes given to Mr Barlow's horse; and you would not like to eat
them. _T._--No, certainly; but how comes bread then? _H._--Why, they
send the corn to the mill. _T._--What is a mill? _H._--What! did you
never see a mill? _T._--No, never; but I should like to see one, that I
may know how they make bread. _H._--There is one at a little distance;
and if you ask Mr Barlow, he will go with you, for he knows the miller
very well. _T._--That I will, for I should like to see them make bread.
As they were conversing in this manner, they heard a great outcry, and
turning their heads, saw a horse that was galloping violently along, and
dragging his rider along with him, who had fallen off, and, in falling,
hitched his foot in the stirrup. Luckily for the person, it happened to
be wet ground, and the side of a hill, which prevented the horse from
going very fast, and the rider from being much hurt. But Harry, who was
always prepared to do an act of humanity, even with the danger of his
life, and, besides that, was a boy of extraordinary courage and agility,
ran up towards a gap which he saw the horse approaching, and just as he
made a little pause before vaulting over, caught him by the bridle, and
effectually stopped him from proceeding. In an instant another gentleman
came up, with two or three servants, who alighted from their horses,
disengaged the fallen person, and set him upon his legs. He stared
wildly around him for some time; as he was not materially hurt, he soon
recovered his senses, and the first use he made of them was to swear at
his horse, and to ask who had stopped the confounded jade. "Who?" said
his friend, "why, the very little boy you used so scandalously this
morning; had it not been for his dexterity and courage, that numskull of
yours would have had more flaws in it than it ever had before."
The Squire considered Harry with a countenance in which shame and
humiliation seemed yet to struggle with his natural insolence; but at
length, putting his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a guinea, which
he offered to Harry, telling him at the same time he was very sorry for
what had happened; but Harry, with a look of more contempt than he had
ever been seen to assume before, rejected the present, and taking up the
bundle which he had dropped at the time he had seized the Squire's
horse, walked away, accompanied by his companion.
As it was not far out of their way, they agreed to call at the poor
man's cottage, whom they found much better, as Mr Barlow had been there
the preceding night, and given him such medicines as he judged proper
for his disease. Tommy then asked for the little boy, and, on his coming
in, told him that he had now brought him some clothes which he might
wear without fear of being called a Frenchman, as well as some more for
his little brothers. The pleasure with which they were received was so
great, and the acknowledgments and blessings of the good woman and the
poor man, who had just began to sit up, were so many, that little Tommy
could not help shedding tears of compassion, in which he was joined by
Harry. As they were returning, Tommy said that he had never spent any
money with so much pleasure as that with which he had purchased clothes
for this poor family; and that for the future he would take care of all
the money that was given him for that purpose, instead of laying it out
in eatables and playthings.
Some days after this, as Mr Barlow and the two boys were walking out
together, they happened to pass near a windmill; and, on Harry's
telling Tommy what it was, Tommy desired leave to go into it and look
at it. Mr Barlow consented to this, and, being acquainted with the
miller, they all went in and examined every part of it with great
curiosity; and there little Tommy saw with astonishment that the sails
of the mill, being constantly turned round by the wind, moved a great
flat stone, which, by rubbing upon another stone, bruised all the corn
that was put between them till it became a fine powder. "Oh dear!" said
Tommy, "is this the way they make bread?" Mr Barlow told him this was
the method by which the corn was prepared for making bread; but that
many other things were necessary before it arrived at that state. "You
see that what runs from these millstones is only a fine powder, very
different from bread, which is a solid and tolerably hard substance."
As they were going home Harry said to Tommy, "So you see now, if nobody
chose to work, or do anything for himself, we should have no bread to
eat; but you could not even have the corn to make it of without a great
deal of pains and labour." _Tommy._--Why not? does not corn grow in the
ground of itself? _Harry._--Corn grows in the ground, but then first it
is necessary to plough the ground, to break it to pieces. _T._--What is
ploughing? _H._--Did you never see three or four horses drawing
something along the fields in a straight line, while one man drove, and
another walked behind holding the thing by two handles? _T._--Yes, I
have; and is that ploughing? _H._--It is; and there is a sharp iron
underneath, which runs into the ground and turns it up all the way it
goes. _T._--Well, and what then? _H._--When the ground is thus
prepared, they sow the seed all over it, and then they rake it over to
cover the seed, and then the seed begins to grow, and shoots up very
high; and at last the corn ripens, and they reap it, and carry it home.
_T._--I protest it must be very curious, and I should like to sow some
seed myself, and see it grow; do you think I could? _H._--Yes,
certainly, and if you will dig the ground to-morrow I will go home to my
father, in order to procure some seed for you.
The next morning Tommy was up almost as soon as it was light, and went
to work in a corner of the garden, where he dug with great perseverance
till breakfast; when he came in, he could not help telling Mr Barlow
what he had done, and asking him, whether he was not a very good boy for
working so hard to raise corn? "That," said Mr Barlow, "depends upon the
use you intend to make of it when you have raised it; what is it you
intend doing with it?" "Why, sir," said Tommy, "I intend to send it to
the mill that we saw, and have it ground into flour; and then I will get
you to show me how to make bread of it, and then I will eat it, that I
may tell my father that I have eaten bread out of corn of my own
sowing." "That will be very well done," said Mr Barlow; "but where will
be the great goodness that you sow corn for your own eating? That is no
more than all the people round continually do; and if they did not do it
they would be obliged to fast." "But then," said Tommy, "they are not
gentlemen, as I am."
"What then," answered Mr Barlow; "must not gentlemen eat as well as
others, and therefore is it not for their interest to know how to
procure food as well as other people?" "Yes, sir," answered Tommy, "but
they can have other people to raise it for them, so that they are not
obliged to work for themselves." "How does that happen?" said Mr Barlow.
_Tommy._--Why, sir, they pay other people to work for them, or buy bread
when it is made, as much as they want. _Mr B._--Then they pay for it
with money? _T._--Yes, sir. _Mr B._--Then they must have money before
they can buy corn? _T._--Certainly, sir. _Mr B._--But have all gentlemen
money? Tommy hesitated some time at this question; at last he said, "I
believe not always, sir." _Mr B._--Why, then, if they have not money
they will find it difficult to procure corn, unless they raise it for
themselves. "Indeed," said Tommy, "I believe they will; for perhaps they
may not find anybody good-natured enough to give it them." "But," said
Mr Barlow, "as we are talking upon this subject, I will tell you a story
that I read a little time past, if you choose to hear it." Tommy said he
should be very glad if Mr Barlow would take the trouble of telling it to
him, and Mr Barlow told him the following history of
"THE TWO BROTHERS."
"About the time that many people went over to South America, with the
hopes of finding gold and silver, there was a Spaniard, whose name was
Pizarro, who had a great inclination to try his fortune like the rest;
but as he had an elder brother, for whom he had a very great affection,
he went to him, told him his design, and solicited him very much to go
along with him, promising him that he should have an equal share of all
the riches they found. The brother, whose name was Alonzo, was a man of
a contented temper, and a good understanding; he did not therefore much
approve of the project, and endeavoured to dissuade Pizarro from it, by
setting before him the danger to which he exposed himself, and the
uncertainty of his succeeding; but finding all that he said was vain, he
agreed to go with him, but told him at the same time that he wanted no
part of the riches which he might find, and would ask no other favour
than to have his baggage and a few servants taken on board the vessel
with him. Pizarro then sold all that he had, bought a vessel, and
embarked with several other adventurers, who had all great expectations,
like himself, of soon becoming rich. As to Alonzo, he took nothing with
him but a few ploughs, harrows, and other tools, and some corn, together
with a large quantity of potatoes, and some seeds of different
vegetables. Pizarro thought these very odd preparations for a voyage;
but as he did not think proper to expostulate with his brother he said
nothing.
"After sailing some time with prosperous winds, they put into the last
port where they were to stop, before they came to the country where they
were to search for gold. Here Pizarro bought a great number more of
pickaxes, shovels, and various other tools for digging, melting, and
refining the gold he expected to find, besides hiring an additional
number of labourers to assist him in the work. Alonzo, on the contrary,
bought only a few sheep, and four stout oxen, with their harness, and
food enough to subsist them till they should arrive at land.
"As it happened, they met with a favourable voyage, and all landed in
perfect health in America. Alonzo then told his brother that, as he had
only come to accompany and serve him, he would stay near the shore with
his servants and cattle, while he went to search for gold, and when he
had acquired as much as he desired, should be always ready to embark for
Spain with him.
"Pizarro accordingly set out not without feeling so great a contempt for
his brother, that he could not help expressing it to his companions. 'I
always thought,' said he, 'that my brother had been a man of sense; he
bore that character in Spain, but I find people were strangely mistaken
in him. Here he is going to divert himself with his sheep and his oxen,
as if he was living quietly upon his farm at home, and had nothing else
to do than to raise cucumbers and melons. But we know better what to do
with our time; so come along, my lads, and if we have but good luck, we
shall soon be enriched for the rest of our lives.' All that were present
applauded Pizarro's speech, and declared themselves ready to follow
wherever he went; only one old Spaniard shook his head as he went, and
told him he doubted whether he would find his brother so great a fool as
he thought.
"They then travelled on several days' march into the country, sometimes
obliged to cross rivers, at others to pass mountains and forests, where
they could find no paths; sometimes scorched by the violent heat of the
sun, and then wetted to the skin by violent showers of rain. These
difficulties, however, did not discourage them so much as to hinder them
from trying in several places for gold, which they were at length lucky
enough to find in a considerable quantity. This success animated them
very much, and they continued working upon that spot till all their
provisions were consumed; they gathered daily large quantities of ore,
but then they suffered very much from hunger. Still, however, they
persevered in their labours, and sustained themselves with such roots
and berries as they could find. At last even this resource failed them;
and, after several of their company had died from want and hardship, the
rest were just able to crawl back to the place where they had left
Alonzo, carrying with them the gold, to acquire which they had suffered
so many miseries.
"But while they had been employed in this manner, Alonzo, who foresaw
what would happen, had been industriously toiling to a very different
purpose. His skill in husbandry had easily enabled him to find a spot of
considerable extent and very fertile soil, which he ploughed up with the
oxen he had brought with him, and the assistance of his servants. He
then sowed the different seeds he had brought, and planted the potatoes,
which prospered beyond what he could have expected, and yielded him a
most abundant harvest. His sheep he had turned out in a very fine meadow
near the sea, and every one of them had brought him a couple of lambs.
Besides that, he and his servants, at leisure times, employed themselves
in fishing; and the fish they had caught were all dried and salted with
salt they had found upon the sea-shore; so that, by the time of
Pizarro's return, they had laid up a very considerable quantity of
provisions.
"When Pizarro returned, his brother received him with the greatest
cordiality, and asked him what success he had had? Pizarro told him that
they had found an immense quantity of gold, but that several of his
companions had perished, and that the rest were almost starved from the
want of provisions. He then requested that his brother would immediately
give him something to eat, as he assured him he had tasted no food for
the last two days, excepting the roots and bark of trees. Alonzo then
very coolly answered, that he should remember that, when they set out,
they had made an agreement, that neither should interfere with the
other; that he had never desired to have any share of the gold which
Pizarro might acquire, and therefore he wondered that Pizarro should
expect to be supplied with the provisions that he had procured with so
much care and labour; 'but,' added he, 'if you choose to exchange some
of the gold you have found for provisions, I shall perhaps be able to
accommodate you.'
"Pizarro thought this behaviour very unkind in his brother; but, as he
and his companions were almost starved, they were obliged to comply with
his demands, which were so exorbitant, that, in a very short time, they
parted with all the gold they had brought with them, merely to purchase
food. Alonzo then proposed to his brother to embark for Spain in the
vessel which had brought them thither, as the winds and weather seemed
most to be favourable; but Pizarro, with an angry look, told him that,
since he had deprived him of everything he had gained, and treated him
in so unfriendly a manner, he should go without him; for, as to himself,
he would rather perish upon that desert shore than embark with so
inhuman a brother.
"But Alonzo, instead of resenting these reproaches, embraced his brother
with the greatest tenderness, and spoke to him in the following
manner:--'Could you then believe, my dearest Pizarro, that I really
meant to deprive you of the fruits of all your labours, which you have
acquired with so much toil and danger? Rather may all the gold in the
universe perish than I should be capable of such behaviour to my dearest
brother! But I saw the rash, impetuous desire you had of riches, and
wished to correct this fault in you, and serve you at the same time. You
despised my prudence and industry, and imagined that nothing could be
wanting to him that had once acquired wealth; but you have now learned
that, without that foresight and industry, all the gold you have brought
with you would not have prevented you from perishing miserably. You are
now, I hope, wiser; and therefore take back your riches, which I hope
you have now learned to make a proper use of.' Pizarro was equally
filled with gratitude and astonishment at this generosity of his
brother, and he acknowledged, from experience, that industry was better
than gold. They then embarked for Spain, where they all safely arrived.
During the voyage Pizarro often solicited his brother to accept of half
his riches, which Alonzo constantly refused, telling him that he could
raise food enough to maintain himself, and was in no want of gold."
"Indeed," said Tommy, when Mr Barlow had finished the story, "I think
Alonzo was a very sensible man; and, if it had not been for him, his
brother and all his companions must have been starved; but then this was
only because they were in a desert uninhabited country. This could never
have happened in England; there they could always have had as much corn
or bread as they chose for their money." "But," said Mr Barlow, "is a
man sure to be always in England, or some place where he can purchase
bread?" _Tommy._--I believe so, sir. _Mr B._--Why, are there not
countries in the world where there are no inhabitants, and where no corn
is raised? _T._--Certainly, sir; this country, which the two brothers
went to, was such a place. _Mr B._--And there are many other such
countries in the world. _T._--But then a man need not go to them; he may
stay at home. _Mr B._--Then he must not pass the seas in a ship.
_T._--Why so, sir? _Mr B._--Because the ship may happen to be wrecked on
some such country, where there are no inhabitants; and then, although he
should escape the danger of the sea, what will he do for food? _T._--And
have such accidents sometimes happened? _Mr B._--Yes, several; there
was, in particular, one Selkirk, who was shipwrecked, and obliged to
live several years upon a desert island. _T._--That was very
extraordinary indeed; and how did he get victuals? _Mr B._--He sometimes
procured roots, sometimes fruits; he also at last became so active, that
he was able to pursue and catch wild goats, with which the island
abounded. _T._--And did not such a hard disagreeable way of life kill
him at last? _Mr B._--By no means; he never enjoyed better health in his
life; and you have heard that he became so active as to be able to
overtake the very wild beasts. But a still more extraordinary story is
that of some Russians, who were left on the coast of Spitzbergen, where
they were obliged to stay several years. _T._--Where is Spitzbergen,
sir? _Mr B._--It is a country very far to the north, which is constantly
covered with snow and ice, because the weather is unremittingly severe.
Scarcely any vegetables will grow upon the soil, and scarcely any
animals are found in the country. To add to this, a great part of the
year it is covered with perpetual darkness and is inaccessible to ships;
so that it is impossible to conceive a more dreary country, or where it
must be more difficult to support human life. Yet four men were capable
of struggling with all these difficulties during several years, and
three of them returned at last safe to their own country. _T._--This
must be a very curious story indeed; I would give anything to be able to
see it. _Mr B._--That you may very easily. When I read it, I copied off
several parts of it, I thought it so curious and interesting, which I
can easily find, and will show you. Here it is; but it is necessary
first to inform you, that those northern seas, from the intense cold of
the climate, are so full of ice as frequently to render it extremely
dangerous to ships, lest they should be crushed between two pieces of
immense size, or so completely surrounded as not to be able to extricate
themselves. Having given you this previous information, you will easily
understand the distressful situation of a Russian ship, which, as it was
sailing on those seas, was on a sudden so surrounded by ice as not to be
able to move. My extracts begin here, and you may read them.
_Extracts from a Narrative of the Extraordinary Adventures of Four
Russian Sailors, who were cast away on the Desert Island of East
Spitzbergen._
"In this alarming state (that is, when the ship was surrounded with ice)
a council was held, when the mate, Alexis Hinkof, informed them, that he
recollected to have heard that some of the people of Mesen, some time
before, having formed a resolution of wintering upon this island, had
carried from that city timber proper for building a hut, and had
actually erected one at some distance from the shore. This information
induced the whole company to resolve on wintering there, if the hut, as
they hoped, still existed; for they clearly perceived the imminent
danger they were in, and that they must inevitably perish if they
continued in the ship. They despatched, therefore, four of their crew in
search of the hut, or any other succour they could meet with. These were
Alexis Hinkof, the mate, Iwan Hinkof, his godson, Stephen Scharassof,
and Feodor Weregin.
"As the shore on which they were to land was uninhabited, it was
necessary that they should make some provision for their expedition.
They had almost two miles to travel over those ridges of ice, which
being raised by the waves, and driven against each other by the wind,
rendered the way equally difficult and dangerous; prudence, therefore,
forbade their loading themselves too much, lest, by being overburdened,
they might sink in between the pieces of ice, and perish. Having thus
maturely considered the nature of their undertaking, they provided
themselves with a musket and powder-horn, containing twelve charges of
powder, with as many balls, an axe, a small kettle, a bag with about
twenty pounds of flower, a knife, a tinder-box and tinder, a bladder
filled with tobacco, and every man his wooden pipe.
"Thus accoutred, these four sailors quickly arrived on the island,
little expecting the misfortunes that would befall them. They began with
exploring the country, and soon discovered the hut they were in search
of, about an English mile and a half from the shore. It was thirty-six
feet in length, eighteen feet in height, and as many in breadth; it
contained a small antechamber, about twelve feet broad, which had two
doors, the one to shut it up from the outer air, the other to form a
communication with the inner room; this contributed greatly to keep the
large room warm when once heated. In the large room was an earthen
stove, constructed in the Russian manner; that is, a kind of oven
without a chimney, which served occasionally either for baking, for
heating the room, or, as is customary among the Russian peasants in very
cold weather, for a place to sleep upon. Our adventurers rejoiced
greatly at having discovered the hut, which had, however, suffered much
from the weather, it having now been built a considerable time; they,
however, contrived to pass the night in it.
"Early next morning they hastened to the shore, impatient to inform
their comrades of their success, and also to procure from their vessel
such provision, ammunition, and other necessaries, as might better
enable them to winter on the island. I leave my readers to figure to
themselves the astonishment and agony of mind these poor people must
have felt, when on reaching the place of their landing, they saw nothing
but an open sea, free from the ice, which but the day before had covered
the ocean. A violent storm, which had risen during the night, had
certainly been the cause of this disastrous event; but they could not
tell whether the ice, which had before hemmed in the vessel, agitated by
the violence of the waves, had been driven against her, and shattered
her to pieces; or, whether she had been carried by the current into the
main--a circumstance which frequently happens in those seas. Whatever
accident had befallen the ship, they saw her no more; and as no tidings
were ever afterwards received of her, it is most probable that she sunk,
and that all on board of her perished.
"This melancholy event depriving the unhappy wretches of all hope of
ever being able to quit the island, they returned to the hut, whence
they had come, full of horror and despair."
"Oh dear!" cried Tommy, at this passage, "what a dreadful situation
these poor people must have been in. To be in such a cold country,
covered with snow and frozen with ice, without anybody to help them, or
give them victuals; I should think they must all have died." "That you
will soon see," said Mr Barlow, "when you have read the rest of the
story; but tell me one thing, Tommy, before you proceed. These four men
were poor sailors, who had always been accustomed to danger and
hardships, and to work for their living; do you think it would have been
better for them to have been bred up gentlemen, that is, to do nothing,
but to have other people wait upon them in everything?" "Why, to be
sure," answered Tommy, "it was much better for them that they had been
used to work, for that might enable them to contrive and do something to
assist themselves, for, without doing a great deal, they must certainly
all have perished."
"Their first attention was employed, as may easily be imagined, in
devising means of providing subsistence, and for repairing their hut.
The twelve charges of powder which they had brought with them soon
procured them as many reindeer--the island, fortunately for them,
abounding in these animals. I have before observed, that the hut, which
the sailors were so fortunate as to find, had sustained some damage, and
it was this--there were cracks in many places between the boards of the
building, which freely admitted the air. This inconveniency was,
however, easily remedied, as they had an axe, and the beams were still
sound (for wood in those cold climates continues through a length of
years unimpaired by worms or decay), so it was easy for them to make the
boards join again very tolerably; besides, moss growing in great
abundance all over the island, there was more than sufficient to stop up
the crevices, which wooden houses must always be liable to. Repairs of
this kind cost the unhappy men less trouble, as they were Russians; for
all Russian peasants are known to be good carpenters--they build their
own houses, and are very expert in handling the axe. The intense cold,
which makes these climates habitable to so few species of animals,
renders them equally unfit for the production of vegetables. No species
of tree or even shrub is found in any of the islands of Spitzbergen--a
circumstance of the most alarming nature to our sailors.
"Without fire it was impossible to resist the rigour of the climate,
and, without wood, how was the fire to be produced or supported?
However, in wandering along the beach, they collected plenty of wood,
which had been driven ashore by the waves, and which at first consisted
of the wrecks of ships, and afterwards of whole trees with their
roots--the produce of some hospitable (but to them unknown) climate,
which the overflowings of rivers or other accidents had sent into the
ocean. Nothing proved of more essential service to these unfortunate
men, during the first year of their exile, than some boards they found
upon the beach, having a long iron hook, some nails of about five or six
inches long, and proportionably thick, and other bits of old iron fixed
in them--the melancholy relics of some vessels cast away in those remote
parts. These were thrown ashore by the waves, at the time when the want
of powder gave our men reason to apprehend that they must fall a prey to
hunger, as they had nearly consumed those reindeer they had killed.
This lucky circumstance was attended with another equally fortunate;
they found on the shore the root of a fir-tree, which nearly approached
to the figure of a bow. As necessity has ever been the mother of
invention, so they soon fashioned this root to a good bow by the help of
a knife; but still they wanted a string and arrows. Not knowing how to
procure them at present, they resolved upon making a couple of lances,
to defend themselves against the white bears, by far the most ferocious
of their kind, whose attacks they had great reason to dread. Finding
they could neither make the heads of their lances nor of their arrows
without the help of a hammer, they contrived to form the above-mentioned
large iron hook into one, by beating it, and widening a hole it happened
to have about its middle with the help of one of their largest
nails--this received the handle; a round button at one end of the hook
served for the face of the hammer. A large pebble supplied the place of
an anvil, and a couple of reindeer's horns made the tongs. By the means
of such tools they made two heads of spears, and, after polishing and
sharpening them on stones, they tied them as fast as possible, with
thongs made of reindeer's skins, to sticks about the thickness of a
man's arm, which they got from some branches of trees that had been cast
on shore. Thus equipped with spears, they resolved to attack a white
bear, and, after a most dangerous encounter, they killed the formidable
creature, and thereby made a new supply of provisions. The flesh of this
animal they relished exceedingly, as they thought it much resembled
beef in taste and flavour. The tendons, they saw with much pleasure,
could, with little or no trouble, be divided into filaments of what
fineness they thought fit. This, perhaps, was the most fortunate
discovery these men could have made, for, besides other advantages,
which will be hereafter mentioned, they were hereby furnished with
strings for their bow.
"The success of our unfortunate islanders in making the spears, and the
use these proved of, encouraged them to proceed, and forge some pieces
of iron into heads of arrows of the same shape, though somewhat smaller
in size than the spears above-mentioned. Having ground and sharpened
these like the former, they tied them with the sinews of the white bears
to pieces of fir, to which, by the help of fine threads of the same,
they fastened feathers of sea-fowl, and thus became possessed of a
complete bow and arrows. Their ingenuity in this respect was crowned
with success far beyond their expectation; for, during the time of their
continuance upon the island, with these arrows they killed no less than
two hundred and fifty reindeer, besides a great number of blue and white
foxes. The flesh of these animals served them also for food, and their
skins for clothing and other necessary preservatives against the intense
coldness of a climate so near the Pole. They killed, however, not more
than ten white bears in all, and that not without the utmost danger; for
these animals, being prodigiously strong, defended themselves with
astonishing vigour and fury. The first our men attacked designedly; the
other nine they slew in defending themselves from their assaults, for
some of these creatures even ventured to enter the outer room of the
hut, in order to devour them. It is true that all the bears did not show
(if I may be allowed the expression) equal intrepidity, either owing to
some being less pressed by hunger, or to their being by nature less
carnivorous than the others; for some of them which entered the hut
immediately betook themselves to flight on the first attempt of the
sailors to drive them away. A repetition, however, of these ferocious
attacks threw the poor men into great terror and anxiety, as they were
in almost a perpetual danger of being devoured."
[Illustration: "Some of these creatures even ventured to enter the outer
room of the hut, in order to devour them."
_P. 86._]
"Sure," exclaimed Tommy, "such a life as that must have been miserable
and dreadful indeed." "Why so?" said Mr Barlow. _Tommy._--Because, being
always in danger of being devoured by wild beasts, those men must have
been always unhappy. _Mr B._--And yet they never were devoured.
_T._--No, sir; because they made weapons to defend themselves. _Mr
B._--Perhaps, then, a person is not unhappy merely because he is exposed
to danger, for he may escape from it, but because he does not know how
to defend himself. _T._--I do not exactly understand you, sir. _Mr
B._--I will give you an instance. Were you not very unhappy when the
snake coiled itself round your leg, because you imagined it would bite
you? _T._--Yes, sir. _Mr B._--But Harry was not unhappy. _T._--That is
very true, sir. _Mr B._--And yet he was in more danger of being bitten
than yourself, because he took hold of it. _T._--Indeed he did. _Mr
B._--But he knew that by boldly seizing it, and flinging it away, he
was in very little danger; had you, therefore, known the same, you
probably would neither have feared so much nor have been so unhappy as
you were. _T._--Indeed, sir, that is true; and, were such an accident to
happen again, I think I should have courage enough to do the same. _Mr
B._--Should you then be as unhappy now as you were the first time?
_T._--By no means, because I have a great deal more courage. _Mr
B._--Why, then, persons that have courage are not so unhappy as those
that are cowardly when they are exposed to danger. _T._--Certainly not,
sir. _Mr B._--And that must be equally true in every kind of danger.
_T._--Indeed, it must; for I have sometimes heard my mother shriek out
when she was passing in a coach through a small stream of water, while
my father only laughed at her. _Mr B._--Why, then, if she had possessed
as much courage, perhaps she would have laughed too. _T._--Indeed, I
believe she might; for I have sometimes seen her laugh at herself, when
it was over, for being so cowardly. _Mr B._--Why, then, it is possible
that when these men found they were so well able to defend themselves
against the bears, they might no longer be afraid of them; and, not
being afraid, they would not be unhappy. _T._--Indeed, I believe so. _Mr
B._--Let us now continue.
"The three different kinds of animals above mentioned--viz., the
reindeer, the blue and white foxes, and the white bears--were the only
food these wretched mariners tasted during their continuance in this
dreary abode. We do not at once see every resource; it is generally
necessity which quickens our invention, opening by degrees our eyes,
and pointing out expedients which otherwise might never have occurred to
our thoughts. The truth of this observation our four sailors experienced
in various instances. They were for some time reduced to the necessity
of eating their meat almost raw, and without either bread or salt, for
they were quite destitute of both. The intenseness of the cold, together
with the want of proper conveniences, prevented them from cooking their
victuals in a proper manner. There was but one stove in the hut, and
that being set up agreeable to the Russian taste, was more like an oven,
and consequently not well adapted for boiling anything. Wood also was
too precious a commodity to be wasted in keeping up two fires; and the
one they might have made out of their habitation to dress their victuals
would in no way have served to warm them. Another reason against their
cooking in the open air was the continual danger of an attack from the
white bears. And here I must observe that, suppose they had made the
attempt it would still have been practicable for only some part of the
year; for the cold, which in such a climate for some months scarcely
ever abates, from the long absence of the sun, then enlightening the
opposite hemisphere,--the inconceivable quantity of snow, which is
continually falling through the greatest part of the winter, together
with the almost incessant rains at certain seasons,--all these were
almost insurmountable to that expedient. To remedy, therefore, in some
degree the hardship of eating their meat raw, they bethought themselves
of drying some of their provisions during the summer in the open air,
and afterwards of hanging it up in the upper part of the hut, which, as
I mentioned before, was continually filled with smoke down to the
windows; it was thus dried thoroughly by the help of that smoke. This
meat so prepared, they used for bread, and it made them relish their
other flesh the better, as they could only half-dress it. Finding this
experiment answer in every respect to their wishes, they continued to
practise it during the whole time of their confinement upon the island,
and always kept up, by that means, a sufficient stock of provisions.
Water they had in summer from small rivulets that fell from the rocks,
and in winter from the snow and ice thawed. This was of course their
only beverage; and their small kettle was the only vessel they could
make use of for this and other purposes. I have mentioned above that our
sailors brought a small bag of flour with them to the island. Of this
they had consumed about one-half with their meat; the remainder they
employed in a different manner equally useful. They soon saw the
necessity of keeping up a continual fire in so cold a climate, and found
that, if it should unfortunately go out, they had no means of lighting
it again; for though they had a steel and flints, yet they wanted both
match and tinder. In their excursions through the island they had met
with a slimy loam, or a kind of clay nearly in the middle of it. Out of
this they found means to form a utensil which might serve for a lamp,
and they proposed to keep it constantly burning with the fat of the
animals they should kill. This was certainly the most rational scheme
they could have thought of; for to be without a light in a climate
where, during winter, darkness reigns for several months together, would
have added much to their other calamities----"
_Tommy._--Pray, sir, stop. What! are there countries in the world where
it is night continually for several months together? _Mr
Barlow._--Indeed there are. _T._--How can that be? _Mr B._--How happens
it that there is night at all? _T._--How happens it! It must be so, must
it not? _Mr B._--That is only saying that you do not know the reason.
But do you observe no difference here between night and day? _T._--Yes,
sir, it is light in the day and dark in the night. _Mr B._--But why is
it dark in the night? _T._--Really I do not know. _Mr B._--What! does
the sun shine every night? _T._--No, sir, certainly not. _Mr B._--Then
it only shines on some nights, and not on others. _T._--It never shines
at all in the night. _Mr B._--And does it in the day? _T._--Yes, sir.
_Mr B._--Every day? _T._--Every day, I believe, only sometimes the
clouds prevent you from seeing it. _Mr B._--And what becomes of it in
the night? _T._--It goes away, so that we cannot see it. _Mr B._--So,
then, when you can see the sun, it is never night. _T._--No, sir. _Mr
B._--But when the sun goes away the night comes on. _T._--Yes, sir. _Mr
B._--And when the sun comes again what happens? _T._--Then it is day
again; for I have seen the day break, and the sun always rises presently
after. _Mr B._--Then if the sun were not to rise for several months
together, what would happen? _T._--Sure, it would always remain night,
and be dark. _Mr B._--That is exactly the case with the countries we
are reading about.
"Having therefore fashioned a kind of lamp, they filled it with
reindeer's fat, and stuck into it some twisted linen shaped into a wick;
but they had the mortification to find that, as soon as the fat melted,
it not only soaked into the clay but fairly ran out of it on all sides.
The thing, therefore, was to devise some means of preventing this
inconvenience, not arising from cracks, but from the substance of which
the lamp was made being too porous. They made, therefore, a new one,
dried it thoroughly in the air, then heated it red-hot, and afterwards
quenched it in their kettle, wherein they had boiled a quantity of flour
down to the consistence of thin starch. The lamp being thus dried and
filled with melted fat, they now found, to their great joy, that it did
not leak; but for greater security they dipped linen rags in their
paste, and with them covered all its outside. Succeeding in this
attempt, they immediately made another lamp for fear of an accident,
that at all events they might not be destitute of light; and, when they
had done so much, they thought proper to save the remainder of their
flour for similar purposes. As they had carefully collected whatever
happened to be cast on shore, to supply them with fuel, they had found
amongst the wrecks of vessels some cordage and a small quantity of oakum
(a kind of hemp used for caulking ships), which served them to make
wicks for their lamps. When these stores began to fail, their shirts and
their drawers (which are worn by almost all the Russian peasants) were
employed to make good the deficiency. By these means they kept their
lamp burning without intermission, from the day they first made it (a
work they set about soon after their arrival on the island) until that
of their embarkation for their native country.
"The necessity of converting the most essential part of their clothing,
such as their shirts and drawers, to the use above specified, exposed
them the more to the rigour of the climate. They also found themselves
in want of shoes, boots, and other articles of dress; and as winter was
approaching, they were again obliged to have recourse to that ingenuity
which necessity suggests, and which seldom fails in the trying hour of
distress. They had skins of reindeer and foxes in plenty, that had
hitherto served them for bedding, and which they now thought of
employing in some more essential service; but the question was how to
tan them. After deliberating on this subject, they took to the following
method: they soaked the skins for several days in fresh water till they
could pull off the hair very easily; they then rubbed the wet leather
with their hands till it was nearly dry, when they spread some melted
reindeer fat over it, and again rubbed it well. By this process the
leather became soft, pliant, and supple--proper for answering every
purpose they wanted it for. Those skins which they designed for furs
they only soaked one day, to prepare them for being wrought, and then
proceeded in the manner before-mentioned, except only that they did not
remove the hair. Thus they soon provided themselves with the necessary
materials for all the parts of dress they wanted. But here another
difficulty occurred; they had neither awls for making shoes or boots,
nor needles for sewing their garments. This want, however, they soon
supplied by means of the pieces of iron they had occasionally collected.
Out of these they made both, and by their industry even brought them to
a certain degree of perfection. The making eyes to their needles gave
them indeed no little trouble, but this they also performed with the
assistance of their knife; for, having ground it to a very sharp point,
and heated red-hot a kind of wire forged for that purpose, they pierced
a hole through one end; and by whetting and smoothing it on stones,
brought the other to a point, and thus gave the whole needle a very
tolerable form. Scissors to cut out the skin were what they next had
occasion for; but having none, their place they supplied with the knife;
and, though there was neither shoemaker nor tailor amongst them, yet
they had contrived to cut out the leather and furs well enough for their
purpose. The sinews of the bears and the reindeer--which, as I mentioned
before, they had found means to split--served them for thread; and thus,
provided with the necessary implements, they proceeded to make their new
clothes."
"These," said Mr Barlow, "are the extracts which I have made from this
very extraordinary story; and they are sufficient to show both the many
accidents to which men are exposed, and the wonderful expedients which
may be found out, even in the most dismal circumstances." "It is very
true, indeed," answered Tommy; "but pray what became of these poor men
at last?" "After they had lived more than six years upon this dreary and
inhospitable coast," answered Mr Barlow, "a ship arrived there by
accident, which took three of them on board, and carried them in safety
to their own country." "And what became of the fourth?" said Tommy.
"He," said Mr Barlow, "was seized with a dangerous disease, called the
scurvy; and, being of an indolent temper, and therefore not using the
exercise which was necessary to preserve his life, after having lingered
some time, died, and was buried in the snow by his companions."