At last the birds came, and I procured some of their eggs, which were a
very agreeable change, after living so long upon dried meat. My want of
occupation occasioned me also to employ some of my time in fishing,
which I seldom had done while Jackson was alive; and this created a
variety in my food, to which, for a long while, I had been a stranger.
Jackson did not care for fish, as to cook it we were obliged to go up
the ravine for wood, and he did not like the trouble. When the birds
came, I had recourse to my book on Natural History, to read over again
the accounts of the Man-of-War birds, Gannets, and other birds mentioned
in it; and there was a vignette of a Chinaman with tame cormorants on a
pole, and in the letter-press an account of how they were trained and
employed to catch fish for their masters. This gave me the idea that I
would have some birds tame, as companions, and, if possible, teach them
to catch fish for me; but I knew that I must wait till the young birds
were fit to be taken from the nest.
I now resolved that during the time the birds were mating, I would go to
the ravine and remain there several days, to collect bundles of
firewood. The firewood was chiefly cut from a sort of low bush, like
the sallow or willow, fit for making baskets, indeed fit for anything
better than firewood; however, there were some bushes which were of a
harder texture, and which burnt well. It was Jackson who told me that
the former were called Willow and used for making baskets, and he also
showed me how to tie the faggots up by twisting the sallows together.
They were not, however, what Jackson said they were--from after
knowledge, I should say that they were a species of Oleander, or
something of the kind.
Having roasted several dozen of eggs quite hard, by way of provision, I
set off one morning, and went to the ravine. As Jackson had said
before, you had to walk under a wall of rock thirty feet high, and then
pass through a water-course to get up to the ravine, which increased the
distance to where the shrubs grew, at least half a mile. It was over
this wall that the captain fell and was killed, because Jackson would
not assist him. I gained the thicket where the bushes grew, and for
three days I worked very hard, and had cut down and tied about fifty
large faggots, when I thought that I had collected enough to last me for
a long while; but I had still to carry them down, and this was a heavy
task, as I could not carry more than one at a time. It occurred to me
that if I threw my faggots over the wall opposite to where they had been
cut down, I should save myself nearly a mile of carriage, as otherwise I
had to walk all the way to the water-course which divided the wall of
rock, and then walk back again. Indeed, where I cut down the wood was
not more than a quarter of a mile from the bathing-pool, and all down
hill. I was delighted at this idea, which I wondered had never occurred
to Jackson, and I commenced putting it into execution. The top of the
wall of rock was slippery from the constant trickling of the water over
the surface, but this was only in some places. I carried my faggots
down one by one, and threw them over, being careful not to lose my
footing in so doing. I had carried all but three or four, and had
become careless, when, on heaving one over, my heels were thrown up, and
before I could recover myself I slid down the remainder of the ledge and
was precipitated down below, a distance of more than thirty feet. I
must have remained there many hours insensible, but at last I recovered
and found myself lying on the faggots which I had thrown down. It was
my falling on the faggots, instead of the hard rock, which had saved my
life. I rose as soon as I could collect my scattered senses. I felt
very sore and very much shaken, and the blood was running out of my
mouth, but there were no bones broken. I was, however, too ill to
attempt anything more that day. I walked home at a very slow pace and
went to bed. A sound sleep restored me, and in a day or two I was quite
recovered. I watered my plants, which I found drooping, as if they had
grieved at my being so long away from them, and then I returned to where
my faggots had been left; and to lighten my labour I resolved to carry
them down to the bathing-pool and stack them up there on the rocks near
to it. I mention this for reasons that the reader will comprehend
by-and-bye. This occupied me two days, for I was not inclined, after my
fall, to work hard; and very glad was I when the labour was over.
The young birds were now hatched, but I had to wait four or five weeks
before they were fit to be taken. I began again to find solitude
tedious. The flowers in my garden had all bloomed and withered, and
there was not so much to interest me. I recommenced reading the Bible,
and the narratives in the Old and New Testaments again afforded me
pleasure. I hardly need say to the reader that I read the Bible as I
would have read any other book--for amusement, and not for instruction.
I had learnt little from Jackson--indeed, as regards the true nature of
the Christian religion, I may say, nothing at all. I do not believe
that he knew anything about it himself. It is true that the precepts in
the New Testament struck me, and that I was more interested about Our
Saviour than anybody else; but I could not comprehend him, or his
mission. In short, I read in darkness; and I may say that I almost knew
the Bible by heart without understanding it.--How could I? How many
thousands are there who do the same, without having an excuse to offer
for their blindness!
At last the time for taking the birds arrived, and I had then sufficient
employment to keep me from being melancholy. I collected quite as many
as we had done when Jackson and I had to be provided for; and with my
new knives my labour was comparatively easy. As soon as I had completed
my provision, I went back to take the young birds which already I had
selected and left for that purpose. It was high time, for I found that
when I went to take them they were ready to fly. However, after a good
battle with the old birds (for I had taken six young ones--two from each
nest, which arrayed a force of six old ones against me, who fought very
valiantly in defence of their offspring), I succeeded in carrying them
off, but followed by the old birds, who now screamed and darted close to
me as they came pursuing me to the cabin. As soon as I got safe back, I
took the young birds into the cabin, tying each of them by the leg with
a piece of fishing-line, and the other end of the line I fastened to
some pieces of rock which I had collected ready on the platform outside
of the cabin. The old birds continued to persecute me till it was dark,
and then they went away, and I, tired with my day's labour, was not
sorry to go to sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I found the old birds on the platform,
in company with the young ones, I presume trying to persuade them to fly
away with them; but the lines on their legs prevented that. They did
not leave at my approach for some little while; at last they all took
wing, and went off to sea; but in the course of a few minutes they
returned with some small fish in their mouths, with which they fed their
young ones. They continued to do this for the two following days, when
there was a general break up, announcing the departure of the main body,
which, after much soaring and wheeling in the air, flew off in a
northerly direction. The six parent birds, who were with their young
ones at the cabin, appeared for some time very uneasy, flying round and
round and screaming wildly; at last they soared in the air with loud
shrieks, and flew away after the main body, which was still in sight--
their love for their young overpowered by their instinctive habits. I
was not sorry when they were gone, as I wanted to have my new family all
to myself. I went down to the rocks and caught a fish, which was large
enough to supply them for three or four days. I fed them with the
inside of the fish, and they ate it very heartily. For several days
they appeared very uneasy; but gradually they settled, and not only
appeared to know me, but to welcome my coming, which was to me a source
of great pleasure.
I now neglected my flowers for the birds, which were the more animated
of the two; and I sat down for hours on the platform with my six
companions, who I must own were not over-lively and intelligent, but
they were alive, and had eyes. They seldom roused up, unless I brought
them fish, of which they had a supply four times a day, and then they
would stand on their legs and open their beaks far apart, each waiting
for its share. They were a great happiness to me, and I watched their
gradual increase of plumage and of size, which was very rapid. I gave
them all names out of my natural history book. One was Lion, then
Tiger, Panther, Bear, Horse, and Jackass (at the time that I named them,
the last would have been very appropriate to them all); and as I always
called them by their names as I fed them, I soon found, to my great joy,
that they knew them well enough. This delighted me. I read my books to
them by way of amusement; I sang my songs to them; I talked to them; I
would even narrate the various histories out of the Bible to them, such
as that of Joseph and his brethren, etcetera; and the stolid air with
which the communications were received made me almost imagine they were
listened to.
After a time, I took the line off the legs of two of them, with the
precaution of first cutting their wings, and these two became much more
lively, following me into the cabin, and generally staying there during
the night. As I found that no attempt was made to escape, I let them
all loose, after having cut their wings, and they all behaved equally
well with the two first to which I had given their liberty.
The perfect obedience and good behaviour of my new companions again gave
me leisure that was not altogether desirable, as it left a vacuum to
fill up. But I returned to my garden. I could do no more at present
but water my plants and look at the increased daily growth of the
climbers, as they now boldly ascended the sides of the cabin; but I
thought it was high time to go up into the ravine and about the island,
to see if I could not add to my collection.
One morning I set off up the ravine. I was not successful, so I
contented myself with carrying, by the long road, those faggots which I
had left behind me on the day when I fell over the precipice. This
labour I finished, and then returned to the cabin, where I was met by my
birds with half-extended wings and open mouths, as if they were very
glad to see me, and very hungry into the bargain. I ought to observe
that my birds appeared now to separate into pairs, male and female, as
their difference of plumage denoted. Lion and Horse were always side by
side, as were Jackass and Bear, and Tiger and Panther. I now fed them
one by one, calling them by name, to which they immediately responded,
and if any one came who was not called, it was switched for its trouble.
The next morning I set off on another voyage of discovery after plants,
and this time I resolved upon trying what I could find among the
crevices of the rocks, for I had seen at a distance what appeared to me
to be a very pretty flower on the ledge of one of the clefts. I did not
go up the ravine this time, but commenced climbing the rocks behind
where the cabin was built. It was hard work, but I was not easily
discouraged, and after a couple of hours, I arrived at a level which I
had in view when I commenced my labour, and here I was amply rewarded;
for I found several plants quite new to me, and a variety of ferns,
which I thought very beautiful, although they had no flowers. The
scene, from where I stood, was awful and beautiful. I looked down upon
the rocks below, and the cabin, which appeared very small, and I thought
that I could see my birds like dots upon the platform. It was a bright
day and smooth water, and I could clearly distinguish the other islands
in the distance, and I thought that I saw something like a white speck
close to them--perhaps it was a vessel. This made me melancholy, and I
could not help asking myself whether I was to remain all my life upon
the island, alone, or if there were any chance of my ever being taken
off it. As I looked down upon the cabin, I was surprised at the
steepness of the rocks which I had climbed, and felt alarmed, as if I
never should be able to get back again. But these thoughts were soon
chased away. I turned from the seaward, and looked inland. I found
that on one side of me there was a chasm between the rocks, the bottom
of which was so far down that I could not see it; and on the other side
the rock rose up as straight as a wall. My attention was soon diverted
by discovering another plant, and I now commenced my task of digging
them all up. I obtained, with the ferns, about twenty new varieties,
which I made up in a bundle ready for carrying down slung round my neck;
for I knew that I should require both hands to descend with. Then I sat
down to rest myself a little before I commenced my return, and after I
had been seated a few minutes, I thought I would sing a song by way of
amusement.