FARMING OPERATIONS--I MAKE A PLOUGH AND A CART--A DONKEY HUNT--DUMB
HELPERS--MY LIVE STOCK.
My first few days were spent pleasantly enough, but as soon as the sun
had set my spirits would droop, and I felt anything but jolly, but like
Mark Tapley, I firmly made up my mind to be happy under all
circumstances.
I had a deal of unpacking to do, and determined, as my stay was to be a
lengthy one, "to find a place for everything, and keep everything in its
place." My initial motto was a good one, and I worked for quite a week
scheming and contriving all kinds of receptacles and appliances for my
heterogeneous goods and chattels.
My goat and donkey I turned loose, and as for my pigs, I had not seen
them since I landed; but I trusted that they were not like the
evil-tempered swine of the Bible, who cast themselves headlong into the
sea, for if that were the case they could commence their suicide at any
moment by rolling down any of the steep sides of the island into the
sea. I trusted that my pigs were sweet-tempered beasts, and of a
non-suicidal variety, and so they afterwards proved, and toothsome into
the bargain.
The boathouse received my canoe, fishing gear, carpenter's tools, and
gunpowder, for I was afraid to keep the latter near the house, as I had
a large quantity, nearly half a hundredweight. I had this large quantity
for several reasons, the principal being that I wished to shoot a large
collection of sea fowl, and still have plenty for the big cannon which
was to summon aid from Herm or Guernsey, should it be required. My good
father had made arrangements for me to signal as follows:
If I fired a single gun, the coastguard from Herm would put off to my
aid; if two guns were fired, help was to be considered very urgent, and
either the coastguard or one of the peasants of Herm would put over, if
the weather were calm enough to allow of a boat being launched. If I
fired minute guns, either by night or day, they would be reported to the
harbour master of St. Peter Port, who had my father's instructions to
send out a doctor immediately. Thus I felt comparatively easy in my mind
as to help in case of great need, either by accident or sickness. My
gunpowder was therefore kept in the lower floor of the boathouse, as I
thought it the safest place. I took only a pound at a time to the house
for shooting purposes.
Having got everything stowed away to my satisfaction, my next step was
to look over the island and see how I could employ my time in
cultivating the soil. Near the top I found a large patch of arable land
fenced in with wire netting, but it was greatly overgrown, having
apparently been some time out of cultivation. I stepped it out in as
correct yards as I could command by striding, and to my dismay found
there were just two acres, which discovery somewhat nonplussed me for a
time; for to dig over two acres with a spade was no light task, and I
took time to reflect and see if I could not concoct some easier means of
turning the soil than by digging.
Down I sat upon a stone and lighted my pipe--the solitary man's
comforter--and with my gun across my knees ready for a stray shot, I
made out my plan of campaign, after much cogitation. Why not make a
plough? Nothing is made of nothing! What had I to turn into a plough?
Then the idea of a real Saxon plough came into my head, and there the
idea took tangible form, as I saw close by me a tree which would answer
my purpose. Down went my gun, and away I trotted down the rocky path to
the house, and quickly returned with an axe. I was quite out of breath
when I regained the tree, having made as much haste as if the tree were
provided with means of locomotion, or as if I had to cut down the tree
in a given time; but that is just my way, I am much too impulsive.
A few strokes laid the tree low, and I soon had it trimmed ready for my
purpose. My next care was to make a pair of wheels, and this took me
much longer. I had noticed during one of my walks a large tree that had
been felled for some purpose, but never used, and to it I repaired with
a saw and worked away for several hours, cutting two slices from the
fairly symmetrical bole, about four inches wide. These gave me a pair
of solid wheels about twenty inches in diameter, which were large enough
for my purpose. These I attached to a short axle and bolted to the tree
which I felled, and by horizontally thrusting an iron rod, two feet
long, through the nose of my plough, about eighteen inches from the end,
I had my implement complete. The iron rod was to keep the pointed end of
my oak tree from burying itself too deeply in the ground. It was not a
beautiful object, but its usefulness condoned its ugliness.
[Illustration: MY PLOUGH.--UTILITY, NOT BEAUTY.]
I placed my handiwork aside for a season, and the next two days made
myself a curious sideless cart, which I could not help thinking bore a
great resemblance to a ladder on wheels. Two more sections from the big
tree formed the wheels, while a square piece of quartering thrust
through formed an axletree. The shafts and body of my vehicle were two
thick ash saplings twelve feet long, joined together with barrel staves
two and a half feet long, with the convex sides downward; then fore and
aft of the wheels I erected a species of gibbet to prevent my load from
shifting, which having done, my antediluvian chariot was complete.
[Illustration: AN ANTEDILUVIAN CHARIOT.]
Having provided my implements I now proceeded to till my land. I took a
whole back-aching day to pluck all the large weeds and stones off my
farm, and retired weary at night to dream of my flourishing crops of the
future.
Up with the lark next morning, I set out to find my noble long-eared
steed, Edward; but although I roamed about for an hour and a half I
could not discover him anywhere, so breakfasted and searched again, but
to no purpose. I gave him up as having been drowned whilst browsing on
the toothsome but truculent thistle or gorse. I looked at my plough and
cart in dismay, saying, "Man proposes, and an ass disposes." But shortly
after this dismal reflection, judge of my joy when I heard his musical
voice lifted up in sweet song, and borne to my enraptured ears on the
balmy noontide breeze. Laugh not, reader, for the poor brute's voice
_was_ sweeter to me in my loneliness than that of the greatest operatic
singer who ever trilled her wondrous notes.
Even after hearing the ass's braying I was a long time before I came
upon him quite down upon the stony shore, with not a blade of grass nor
even a thistle for him to nibble at. How he got there is to me a problem
to this day; but how I laboured to get him up again will ever remain in
my mind, for it makes me feel sore all over to think of it.
Where I found him was at the south end of the island, facing rocky
Fauconnaire. How I wandered up and down seeking a place for him to
regain the lower path of the island. But all in vain. No place could I
find; and all the afternoon I worked like a Titan, getting him up to the
pathway again. Poor fellow! he was very docile, and I had thoughts of
trying to carry him up; but although I got under him and lifted him, I
could not climb with him, so at last had recourse to a block and fall,
and after bruising and battering the poor creature somewhat, I got him
to a safe ledge of rock, from whence by pushing, and tugging, and
lifting, I got him up, foot after foot, till the perspiration streamed
down my face. The real Robinson Crusoe never had anything half so
difficult as this to contend with, and yet here was I at the outset
working harder than a galley slave! I envied Robinson Crusoe number one,
and went at my donkey again, till towards evening I got him to the lower
path, and after a rest rode him home in triumph, lecturing him severely
all the way "not to be such an ass again."
Next day I was _not_ up with the lark--in fact it was past nine before
I opened my eyes, so much had the previous day's exertions tired me. I
felt tired and stiff all over, but my morning tub and breakfast quickly
restored me nearly to par.
Edward was now domiciled in the stable, so putting on his collar and a
pair of home-made traces I harnessed him, with the help of various
contrivances of cord and staples, to my mediæval cart, and _bumped_ (for
my cart was springless) down to the beach to gather seaweed. All day
long we worked, "Eddy" and I, taking load after load to the top of the
island; and the next day too was occupied in carting up seaweed or
"vraic," as the natives call it, except that we also took up two or
three loads of withered bracken, leaves, and other rubbish, which I
burned and spread over the land.
After the ash and seaweed were spread I ploughed it in after a fashion,
streaking long shallow trenches with my pointed wooden plough, till I
had gone over the whole of the land. I looked at the tumbled ground with
no great satisfaction, for as much of the manure-seaweed was upon the
surface as under, so I turned to and ploughed crossways, which gave it a
little better appearance. Then I allowed it a week to rest, taking my
spade in the meantime and breaking the lumps and digging in the straying
"vraic." At length I had my land in tolerable order, although the
seaweed refused to rot as quickly as I desired. I reckoned, however,
that it would rot in time, and thus nourish the seed I put in, and so it
did.
I will not weary the readers with too much of my farming cares, but have
written a little about it to show what obstacles a Crusoe has to
overcome, and how hard he has to work to gain his ends. He has no one to
pat his back when he is triumphant, nor anyone to sympathise with him
over a failure. He is his own critic and censor. Suffice it to say that
in due course I had patches of barley, clover, lucerne, mangold,
carrots, etc., sown, and when once the seeds were in I had plenty of
leisure for other pursuits.
Although early spring, the weather was very mild to what I had been used
to on the Norfolk coast; in fact the temperature was as warm in April as
it is in the East of England at the end of May.
The garden by the house also had my care, for I planted enough edibles
in it to have maintained a large family, instead of a solitary being
like myself. Still, I counted my animals as my family, and got to love
them all, even to the little pigs. I named them all. There was my dog
"Begum," the donkey "Eddy," the goat "Unicorn," which I contracted to
"Corny." This name was derived from the fact that she had broken off one
horn close to her head. The pigs being twins were "Romulus" and "Remus,"
and, like the first Romans of that name, had frequent family quarrels,
which were, however, soon ended, the brothers rolling over each other in
delight in their pig stye.
"Corny" gave me about a pint to a pint and a half of milk a day, which I
found quite sufficient for my wants, as I only used it for breakfast and
tea, water forming my invariable drink for dinner. Breakfast and
tea-supper I usually took with some show of punctuality, but my dinner
was eaten in all sorts of places--on the Creviçon, in my canoe, on the
beach, or in the grove--in fact, just where I happened to be when I felt
hungry and had my wallet with me.
"Begum" always took his meals with me, except when I was on the sea,
when the poor fellow would follow my canoe round the island, and watch
till I came back again. Then his joy knew no bounds. He would go fairly
mad with delight, and I must confess I used to look for my comrade as
fondly as if he were a brother awaiting my landing. He would carry quite
a big load for me up the rocky cliff path, and esteem it quite a
pleasure; but when I had anything extra heavy to take up I made him
fetch "Eddy" to my aid. Strange as it may seem, this was a very simple
proceeding, for I taught him in a couple of days, thus:
On the stable door I fastened a piece of wood to act as a fall-latch,
which worked so easily that "Begum" could lift it with his nose and
allow the door to swing open. Then "Eddy" would march out, and wherever
I happened to be, would trot to me at the sound of my voice. Indeed, at
length he used to follow "Begum," directly he was released, to any part
of the island. Therefore, if I required "Eddy's" services when I was
quite at the south end of the island, I had only to send "Begum" to
fetch him, and away they would come together. This proceeding had only
one drawback, and that was, that "Eddy" would always help himself to a
mouthful of anything in the way of green food, which happened to be
growing within his reach, if he had to come near my little farm. I
verily believe that "Begum" used to take his friend past my crops on
purpose, although it was by no means the easiest way to get to the
Cotils, where my potato crop grew, and where I often used to go to get a
shot at the sea fowl on the Fauconnaire. As the crops were principally
for his own winter maintenance, I could not grudge him a bite of his
food in advance.
Many a time when I have landed from my boat very tired, after a long
cruise or fishing expedition, I have always found "Begum" waiting for
me, ready to fetch "Eddy," at my word, to help to beach the boat and
carry my gear up the cliff. This used to be of such frequent occurrence
that upon the end of the boat's painter I worked a kind of collar for
"Eddy" to pull upon in comfort. This collar I made of old sacking sewed
over with sennet, and I must say it was quite a success, for he would
hold his head out as naturally to receive the collar as a beggar would
hold out his hat for the reception of an alms.
The pigeons I brought with me and placed in the cote or tower soon
departed or died; possibly they were killed by hawks or other birds, but
that I never could discover. Anyway, the tower was not long tenantless,
for a pair of owls took up their abode there, and soon had a family of
six fluffy little fellows. Instead of destroying these birds as many
persons do in England, I allowed them to haunt the tower, in return for
which they kept the mice down, and I could not find that they did me any
kind of damage. I got quite to like their "to-whitting" and "to-wooing"
more than the monotonous "cooing" of the pigeons which never did sound
like music to my ears.
My six hens and a cockerel were located in the watch-house, from whence
they had the run of a large piece of wild ground overhanging the cliff.
Eggs I had in abundance, and even to spare, and before I left the island
had over thirty fowls. Beside the fowls' eggs I could, in the spring,
gather the eggs of the wild fowl inhabiting the islands by the score.
Enough of animals and birds; let us open another chapter on another
topic.
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