At break of day I was waked by the crowing of the cock. I summoned my
wife to council, to consider on the business of the day. We agreed that
our first duty was to seek for our shipmates, and to examine the country
beyond the river before we came to any decisive resolution.
My wife saw we could not all go on this expedition, and courageously
agreed to remain with her three youngest sons, while Fritz, as the
eldest and boldest, should accompany me. I begged her to prepare
breakfast immediately, which she warned me would be scanty, as no soup
was provided. I asked for Jack’s lobster; but it was not to be found.
Whilst my wife made the fire, and put on the pot, I called the children,
and asking Jack for the lobster, he brought it from a crevice in the
rock, where he had hidden it from the dogs, he said, who did not despise
anything eatable.
“I am glad to see you profit by the misfortunes of others,” said I; “and
now will you give up that large claw that caught your leg, and which I
promised you, to Fritz, as a provision for his journey?” All were
anxious to go on this journey, and leaped round me like little kids. But
I told them we could not all go. They must remain with their mother,
with Flora for a protector. Fritz and I would take Turk; with him and a
loaded gun I thought we should inspire respect. I then ordered Fritz to
tie up Flora, and get the guns ready.
Fritz blushed, and tried in vain to straighten his crooked gun. I let
him go on for some time, and then allowed him to take another; for I saw
he was penitent. The dogs, too, snarled, and would not let him approach
them. He wept, and begged some biscuit from his mother, declaring he
would give up his own breakfast to make his peace with the dogs. He fed
them, caressed them, and seemed to ask pardon. The dog is always
grateful; Flora soon licked his hands; Turk was more unrelenting,
appearing to distrust him. “Give him a claw of the lobster,” said Jack;
“for I make you a present of the whole for your journey.”
“Don’t be uneasy about them,” said Ernest, “they will certainly meet
with cocoa-nuts, as Robinson did, very different food to your wretched
lobster. Think of an almond as big as my head, with a large cup full of
rich milk.”
“Pray, brother, bring me one, if you find any,” said Francis.
We began our preparation; we each took a game-bag and a hatchet. I gave
Fritz a pair of pistols in addition to his gun, equipped myself in the
same way, and took care to carry biscuit and a flask of fresh water. The
lobster proved so hard at breakfast, that the boys did not object to our
carrying off the remainder; and, though the flesh is coarse, it is very
nutritious.
I proposed before we departed, to have prayers, and my thoughtless Jack
began to imitate the sound of church-bells—“Ding, dong! to prayers! to
prayers! ding, dong!” I was really angry, and reproved him severely for
jesting about sacred things. Then, kneeling down, I prayed God’s
blessing on our undertaking, and his pardon for us all, especially for
him who had now so grievously sinned. Poor Jack came and kneeled by me,
weeping and begging for forgiveness from me and from God. I embraced
him, and enjoined him and his brothers to obey their mother. I then
loaded the guns I left with them, and charged my wife to keep near the
boat, their best refuge. We took leave of our friends with many tears,
as we did not know what dangers might assail us in an unknown region.
But the murmur of the river, which we were now approaching, drowned the
sound of their sobs, and we bent our thoughts on our journey.
The bank of the river was so steep, that we could only reach the bed at
one little opening, near the sea, where we had procured our water; but
here the opposite side was guarded by a ridge of lofty perpendicular
rocks. We were obliged to ascend the river to a place where it fell over
some rocks, some fragments of which having fallen, made a sort of
stepping-stones, which enabled us to cross with some hazard. We made our
way, with difficulty, through the high grass, withered by the sun,
directing our course towards the sea, in hopes of discovering some
traces of the boats, or the crew. We had scarcely gone a hundred yards,
when we heard a loud noise and rustling in the grass, which was as tall
as we were. We imagined we were pursued by some wild beast, and I was
gratified to observe the courage of Fritz, who, instead of running away,
calmly turned round and presented his piece. What was our joy when we
discovered that the formidable enemy was only our faithful Turk, whom we
had forgotten in our distress, and our friends had doubtless dispatched
him after us! I applauded my son’s presence of mind; a rash act might
have deprived us of this valuable friend.
We continued our way: the sea lay to our left; on our right, at a short
distance, ran the chain of rocks, which were continued from our
landing-place, in a line parallel to the sea; the summits clothed with
verdure and various trees. Between the rocks and the sea, several little
woods extended, even to the shore, to which we kept as close as
possible, vainly looking out on land or sea for any trace of our crew.
Fritz proposed to fire his gun, as a signal to them, if they should be
near us; but I reminded him that this signal might bring the ravages
round us, instead of our friends.
[Illustration: “We rested in the shade, near a clear stream, and took
some refreshment.”]
He then inquired why we should search after those persons at all, who
so unfeelingly abandoned us on the wreck.
“First,” said I, “we must not return evil for evil. Besides, they may
assist us, or be in need of our assistance. Above all, remember, they
could save nothing but themselves. We have got many useful things which
they have as much right to as we.”
“But we might be saving the lives of our cattle,” said he.
“We should do our duty better by saving the life of a man,” answered I;
“besides, our cattle have food for some days, and the sea is so calm
there is no immediate danger.”
We proceeded, and entering a little wood that extended to the sea, we
rested in the shade, near a clear stream, and took some refreshment. We
were surrounded by unknown birds, more remarkable for brilliant plumage
than for the charm of their voice. Fritz thought he saw some monkeys
among the leaves, and Turk began to be restless, smelling about, and
barking very loud. Fritz was gazing up into the trees, when he fell over
a large round substance, which he brought to me, observing that it might
be a bird’s nest. I thought it more likely to be a cocoa-nut. The
fibrous covering had reminded him of the description he had read of the
nests of certain birds; but, on breaking the shell, we found it was
indeed a cocoa-nut, but quite decayed and uneatable.
Fritz was astonished; where was the sweet milk that Ernest had talked
of?
I told him the milk was only in the half-ripe nuts; that it thickened
and hardened as the nut ripened, becoming a kernel. This nut had
perished from remaining above ground. If it had been in the earth, it
would have vegetated, and burst the shell. I advised my son to try if he
could not find a perfect nut.
After some search, we found one, and sat down to eat it, keeping our own
provision for dinner. The nut was somewhat rancid; but we enjoyed it,
and then continued our journey. We were some time before we got through
the wood, being frequently obliged to clear a road for ourselves,
through the entangled brushwood, with our hatchets. At last we entered
the open plain again, and had a clear view before us. The forest still
extended about a stone’s throw to our right, and Fritz, who was always
on the look-out for discoveries, observed a remarkable tree, here and
there, which he approached to examine; and he soon called me to see this
wonderful tree, with wens growing on the trunk.
On coming up, I was overjoyed to find this tree, of which there were a
great number, was the gourd-tree, which bears fruit on the trunk. Fritz
asked if these were sponges. I told him to bring me one, and I would
explain the mystery.
“There is one,” said he, “very like a pumpkin, only harder outside.”
“Of this shell,” said I, “we can make plates, dishes, basins, and
flasks. We call it the gourd-tree.”
Fritz leaped for joy. “Now my dear mother will be able to serve her soup
properly.” I asked him if he knew why the tree bore the fruit on its
trunk, or on the thick branches only. He immediately replied, that the
smaller branches would not bear the weight of the fruit. He asked me if
this fruit was eatable. “Harmless, I believe,” said I; “but by no means
delicate. Its great value to savage nations consists in the shell, which
they use to contain their food, and drink, and even cook in it.” Fritz
could not comprehend how they could cook in the shell without burning
it. I told him the shell was not placed on the fire; but, being filled
with cold water, and the fish or meat placed in it, red-hot stones are,
by degrees, introduced into the water, till it attains sufficient heat
to cook the food, without injuring the vessel. We then set about making
our dishes and plates. I showed Fritz a better plan of dividing the
gourd than with a knife. I tied a string tightly round the nut, struck
it with the handle of my knife till an incision was made, then tightened
it till the nut was separated into two equally-sized bowls. Fritz had
spoiled his gourd by cutting it irregularly with his knife. I advised
him to try and make spoons of it, as it would not do for basins now. I
told him I had learnt my plan from books of travels. It is the practice
of the savages, who have no knives, to use a sort of string, made from
the bark of trees, for this purpose. “But how can they make bottles,”
said he. “That requires some preparation,” replied I. “They tie a
bandage round the young gourd near the stalk, so that the part at
liberty expands in a round form, and the compressed part remains narrow.
They then open the top, and extract the contents by putting in pebbles
and shaking it. By this means they have a complete bottle.”
We worked on. Fritz completed a dish and some plates, to his great
satisfaction, but we considered, that being so frail, we could not
carry them with us. We therefore filled them with sand, that the sun
might not warp them, and left them to dry, till we returned.
As we went on, Fritz amused himself with cutting spoons from the rind of
the gourd, and I tried to do the same with the fragments of the
cocoa-nut; but I must confess my performances were inferior to those I
had seen in the museum in London, the work of the South Sea islanders.
We laughed at our spoons, which would have required mouths from ear to
ear to eat with them. Fritz declared that the curve of the rind was the
cause of that defect: if the spoons had been smaller, they would have
been flat; and you might as well eat soup with an oyster-shell as with
a shovel.
While we talked, we did not neglect looking about for our lost
companions, but in vain. At last, we arrived at a place where a tongue
of land ran to some distance into the sea, on which was an elevated
spot, favourable for observation. We attained the summit with great
labour, and saw before us a magnificent prospect of land and water; but
with all the aid our excellent telescope gave us, we could in no
direction discover any trace of man. Nature only appeared in her
greatest beauty. The shore enclosed a large bay, which terminated on the
other side in a promontory. The gentle rippling of the waves, the varied
verdure of the woods, and the multitude of novelties around us, would
have filled us with delight, but for the painful recollection of those
who, we now were compelled to believe, were buried beneath that
glittering water. We did not feel less, however, the mercy of God, who
had preserved us, and given us a home, with a prospect of subsistence
and safety. We had not yet met with any dangerous animals, nor could we
perceive any huts of savages. I remarked to my son that God seemed to
have destined us to a solitary life in this rich country, unless some
vessel should reach these shores. “And His will be done!” added I; “it
must be for the best. Now let us retire to that pretty wood to rest
ourselves, and eat our dinner, before we return.”
We proceeded towards a pleasant wood of palm-trees; but before reaching
it, had to pass through an immense number of reeds, which greatly
obstructed our road. We were, moreover, fearful of treading on the
deadly serpents who choose such retreats. We made Turk walk before us to
give notice, and I cut a long, thick cane as a weapon of defence. I was
surprised to see a glutinous juice oozing from the end of the cut cane;
I tasted it, and was convinced that we had met with a plantation of
sugar-canes. I sucked more of it, and found myself singularly refreshed.
I said nothing to Fritz, that he might have the pleasure of making the
discovery himself. He was walking a few paces before me, and I called to
him to cut himself a cane like mine, which he did, and soon found out
the riches it contained. He cried out in ecstasy, “Oh, papa! papa! syrup
of sugar-cane! delicious! How delighted will dear mamma, and my brothers
be, when I carry some to them!” He went on, sucking pieces of cane so
greedily, that I checked him, recommending moderation. He was then
content to take some pieces to regale himself as he walked home, loading
himself with a huge burden for his mother and brothers. We now entered
the wood of palms to eat our dinner, when suddenly a number of monkeys,
alarmed by our approach, and the barking of the dog, fled like lightning
to the tops of the trees; and then grinned frightfully at us, with loud
cries of defiance. As I saw the trees were cocoa-palms, I hoped to
obtain, by means of the monkeys, a supply of the nuts in the half-ripe
state, when filled with milk. I held Fritz’s arm, who was preparing to
shoot at them, to his great vexation, as he was irritated against the
poor monkeys for their derisive gestures; but I told him, that though no
patron of monkeys myself, I could not allow it. We had no right to kill
any animal except in defence, or as a means of supporting life. Besides,
the monkeys would be of more use to us living than dead, as I would show
him. I began to throw stones at the monkeys, not being able, of course,
to reach the place of their retreat, and they, in their anger, and in
the spirit of imitation, gathered the nuts and hurled them on us in such
quantities, that we had some difficulty in escaping from them. We had
soon a large stock of cocoa-nuts. Fritz enjoyed the success of the
stratagem, and, when the shower subsided, he collected as many as he
wished. We then sat down, and tasted some of the milk through the three
small holes, which we opened with our knives. We then divided some with
our hatchets, and quenched our thirst with the liquor, which has not,
however, a very agreeable flavour. We liked best a sort of thick cream
which adheres to the shells, from which we scraped it with our spoons,
and mixing it with the juice of the sugar-cane, we produced a delicious
dish. Turk had the rest of the lobster, which we now despised, with
some biscuit.
We then got up, I tied some nuts together by their stems, and threw
them over my shoulder. Fritz took his bundle of canes, and we set out
homewards.
* * * * *