The river was broad and deep, but Robert was not afraid. He had been on
the water a great deal for a little boy, and he was sure that his raft
was strong enough to bear a pretty hard knock upon the rocks.
Poor pussy kept up a constant crying, in the box, and once in a while
she scratched, with all her might, against the sides; but she could not
get out.
Trip behaved himself much better, but he gazed up in his young master’s
face all the time, and did not know what to make of this very singular
voyage.
Robert was much pleased with his success thus far, and was satisfied
that he should make a very good Robinson Crusoe, Jr. The raft worked
quite well, and with the great oar at the stern, he could steer it as
easily as though it had been a real boat.
He had not yet reached the dangerous part of the river, which was
called the _Rapids_. This was the place where Joe Birch had been
wrecked. He had some doubts about being able to pass with safety
between the rocks, which here rose above the surface of the water.
But he was a bold, brave boy, and he was almost sure that, if any thing
happened, he could swim ashore.
As he thought of the raft being dashed to pieces against a rock, he
wondered what would become of poor pussy.
He did not want to drown her; so he decided to give her a fair chance
to save her life in case of any accident. He opened the box, and pussy
was glad enough to get out.
As she jumped from the box, Robert saw that she had made a sad mess of
the provisions he had obtained for use on the island. She had scratched
open the papers, and the gingerbread was broken into a hundred pieces.
The cheese was all mashed up and ground in with the gingerbread, and
the whole mass was well mixed with black hairs from the cat’s back.
Robert was so angry when he saw the wreck within the box, that he was
tempted to throw pussy overboard for the mischief she had done. But the
thought that it was not the cat’s fault saved her from a cold bath.
It was not of her own will that she had taken up her quarters in the
box. She did not want to go in there, or stay there after she was in;
and all the mischief had been done by her efforts to be free.
Pussy was even more astonished at the prospect around her than the dog,
and she jumped from one end of the raft to the other a dozen times,
seeking to find some way to escape. She was no sailor, on the one
hand, and did not like her position in the midst of the waters. And
she did not like the idea of wetting her soft black coat by swimming
ashore, on the other hand.
When she found there was no way to get ashore without taking to the
water, she took her stand next to Trip, and began to mew in a most
sorrowful manner. The dog looked at her, and bow-wowed two or three
times, as much as to say, “What are you afraid of, pussy? Don’t you see
I’m not scared?”
Robert went to work upon the contents of the box, to save some of his
food, if he could. The hatchet and the nails were covered with soft
cheese, and it took him some time to put things in order again.
While he was busy at the box, he did not pay much attention to the
raft, and it kept turning round and round, as it floated with the
current down the river.
While the little navigator was thus engaged, the raft bumped against
something, and Robert sprang to his feet. The whirling craft had run up
against the shore, and got aground.
This did not hurt the raft any; but pussy, who had kept both of her
sharp eyes fixed upon the land all the time, no sooner saw the vessel
touch, than she improved her chance and jumped ashore.
“Pussy, pussy, pussy,” called Robert, when he saw that one of his
companions had given him the slip.
It was of no use to call her, for she was scampering away as fast as
her nimble feet would carry her in the direction of home. She had no
idea of sharing the fortunes of Mr. Robinson Crusoe, Jr., on his lonely
island.
“That’s real mean--isn’t it, Trip?” said he, as he turned to the dog.
But it was very clear that Trip did not think it was mean, for he was
in the very act of springing ashore himself.
“Here, Trip. Come here, sir,” cried he, as he tried to get hold of the
dog’s collar.
Trip did not stop to hear any argument on the subject, but, with a long
leap, placed himself on the shore. He did not run off, as pussy had
done, but stood on the bank of the river, and barked with all his might.
The raft had now floated off a short distance, and Robert took his
oars and rowed it to the shore, for he could not think of such a thing
as losing both of his friends, and before he landed on the island.
“Come here, Trip. Poor fellow. Come here, sir,” said he, whistling, and
patting his knees, to entice the dog to him.
Pushing the raft up a little distance upon the shore, he stepped on
the beach to catch the dog. As he did so, the raft, lightened by the
removal of his weight, slid off and went to sea again “on its own hook.”
As the loss of his vessel seemed to be a greater misfortune than the
loss of the dog, he turned from the latter to recover the former.
The raft floated out about a rod from the shore, and began to go down
stream. The water was quite shallow, and Robert waded in till he got
hold of the truant craft; but in attempting to jump upon the platform,
he slipped, and went all over into the water.
His courage was good, however, and he managed to pick himself up, and
climb upon the raft. The ducking did him no harm; but the day was cool,
and his wet clothes did not add to his comfort.
Pulling to the shore again, he fastened the raft to a tree with a rope
he had brought for the purpose. Taking off all his clothes, he wrung
them as dry as he could, and put them on again.
“Now, come here, Trip,” said he to the dog, which had been watching all
his movements. “Now we will try again. You needn’t try to sneak off,
for you are going with me to the island, any how.”
After some coaxing he got near enough to Trip to seize hold of his
collar, to which he tied the rope that fastened the raft.
“I didn’t think you would be so mean as to run away and leave me, as
pussy did,” said Robert, as he dragged Trip upon the raft once more.
“But you shall go with me on the voyage, whether you like it or not.”
Having secured his prisoner, he pushed off again, and the raft floated
slowly down the river. He passed the Rapids in safety, though the raft
got two or three pretty hard knocks upon the rocks.
When he reached the pond, he had to take his oars, for the current
would not carry him to the island, where he wished to go. He had to
work very hard for as much as an hour, before he could bring the raft
to the island. But at last he reached it, and began to feel that he was
“monarch of all he surveyed.”
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Building the House.]