“Well, my dear,” I began, “I feel rather alarmed at all the labours I
see before me. A voyage to the vessel is indispensable, if we wish to
save our cattle, and many other things that may be useful to us; on the
other hand, I should like to have a more secure shelter for ourselves
and our property than this tent.”
“With patience, order, and perseverance, all may be done,” said my good
counsellor; “and whatever uneasiness your voyage may give me, I yield to
the importance and utility of it. Let it be done to-day; and have no
care for the morrow: sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, as our
blessed Lord has said.”
It was then agreed that the three youngest children should remain with
my wife; and Fritz, the strongest and most active, should accompany me.
I then arose, and woke my children for the important duties of the day.
Fritz jumped up the first, and ran for his jackal, which had stiffened
in the cold of the night. He placed it on its four legs, at the entrance
of the tent, to surprise his brothers; but no sooner did the dogs see it
erect, than they flew at it, and would have torn it to pieces, if he had
not soothed them and called them off. However, their barking effectually
roused the boys, who rushed out to see the cause. Jack issued first with
the monkey on his shoulder; but no sooner did the little creature see
the jackal, than he sprang into the tent, and hid himself among the
moss, till only the tip of his nose was visible. All were astonished to
see this large yellow animal standing; Francis thought it was a wolf;
Jack said it was only a dead dog, and Ernest, in a pompous tone,
pronounced it to be a golden fox.
Fritz laughed at the learned professor, who knew the agouti immediately,
and now called a jackal a golden fox!
“I judged by the peculiar characteristics,” said Ernest, examining it
carefully.
“Oh! the characteristics!” said Fritz, ironically, “don’t you think it
may be a golden wolf?”
“Pray don’t be so cross, brother,” said Ernest, with tears in his eyes,
“perhaps you would not have known the name, if papa had not told you.”
I reproved Fritz for his ridicule of his brother, and Ernest for so
easily taking offence; and, to reconcile all, I told them that the
jackal partook of the nature of the wolf, the fox, and the dog. This
discussion terminated, I summoned them to prayers, after which we
thought of breakfast. We had nothing but biscuit, which was certainly
dry and hard. Fritz begged for a little cheese with it; and Ernest, who
was never satisfied like other people, took a survey of the unopened
hogshead. He soon returned, crying “If we only had a little butter with
our biscuit, it would be so good, papa!”
I allowed it would be good, but it was no use thinking of such a thing.
“Let us open the other cask,” said he, displaying a piece of butter he
had extracted through a small crack on the side.
“Your instinct for good things has been fortunate for us,” said I.
“Come, boys, who wants bread and butter?”
We began to consider how we should come at the contents of the hogshead,
without exposing the perishable matter to the heat of the sun. Finally,
I pierced a hole in the lower part of the cask, large enough for us to
draw out the butter as we wanted it, by means of a little wooden shovel,
which I soon made. We then sat down to breakfast with a cocoa-nut basin
filled with good salt Dutch butter. We toasted our biscuit, buttered it
hot, and agreed that it was excellent. Our dogs were sleeping by us as
we breakfasted; and I remarked that they had bloody marks of the last
night’s fray, in some deep and dangerous wounds, especially about the
neck; my wife instantly dressed the wounds with butter, well washed in
cold water; and the poor animals seemed grateful for the ease it gave
them. Ernest judiciously remarked, that they ought to have spiked
collars, to defend them from any wild beasts they might encounter.
“I will make them collars,” said Jack, who never hesitated at anything.
I was glad to employ his inventive powers; and, ordering my children,
not to leave their mother, during our absence, but to pray to God to
bless our undertaking, we began our preparations for the voyage.
While Fritz made ready the boat, I erected a signal-post, with a piece
of sailcloth for a flag, to float as long as all was going on well; but
if we were wanted, they were to lower the flag, and fire a gun three
times, when we would immediately return; for I had informed my dear wife
it might be necessary for us to remain on board all night; and she
consented to the plan, on my promising to pass the night in our tubs,
instead of the vessel. We took nothing but our guns and ammunition;
relying on the ship’s provisions. Fritz would, however, take the monkey,
that he might give it some milk from the cow.
We took a tender leave of each other, and embarked. When we had rowed
into the middle of the bay, I perceived a strong current formed by the
water of the river which issued at a little distance, which I was glad
to take advantage of, to spare our labour. It carried us three parts of
our voyage, and we rowed the remainder; and entering the opening in the
vessel, we secured our boat firmly, and went on board.
The first care of Fritz was to feed the animals, who were on deck, and
who all saluted us after their fashion, rejoiced to see their friends
again, as well as to have their wants supplied. We put the young monkey
to a goat, which he sucked with extraordinary grimaces, to our infinite
amusement. We then took some refreshment ourselves, and Fritz, to my
great surprise, proposed that we should begin by adding a sail to our
boat. He said the current which helped us to the vessel, could not carry
us back, but the wind which blew so strongly against us, and made our
rowing so fatiguing, would be of great service, if we had a sail.
I thanked my counsellor for his good advice, and we immediately set to
the task. I selected a strong pole for a mast, and a triangular sail,
which was fixed to a yard. We made a hole in a plank, to receive the
mast, secured the plank on our fourth tub, forming a deck, and then, by
aid of a block used to hoist and lower the sails, raised our mast.
Finally, two ropes fastened by one end to the yard, and by the other to
each extremity of the boat, enabled us to direct the sail at pleasure.
Fritz next ornamented the top of the mast with a little red streamer. He
then gave our boat the name of the _Deliverance_, and requested it might
henceforward be called the little vessel. To complete its equipment, I
contrived a rudder, so that I could direct the boat from either end.
After signalling to our friends that we should not return that night, we
spent the rest of the day in emptying the tubs of the stones we had used
for ballast, and replacing them with useful things. Powder and shot,
nails and tools of all kinds, pieces of cloth; above all, we did not
forget knives, forks, spoons, and kitchen utensils, including a
roasting-jack. In the captain’s cabin we found some services of silver,
pewter plates and dishes, and a small chest filled with bottles of
choice wines. All these we took, as well as a chest of eatables,
intended for the officers’ table, portable soup, Westphalian hams,
Bologna sausages, &c.; also some bags of maize, wheat, and other seeds,
and some potatoes. We collected all the implements of husbandry we could
spare room for, and, at the request of Fritz, some hammocks and
blankets; two or three handsome guns, and an armful of sabres, swords,
and hunting-knives. Lastly, I embarked a barrel of sulphur, all the cord
and string I could lay my hands on, and a large roll of sailcloth. The
sulphur was intended to produce matches with. Our tubs were loaded to
the edge; there was barely room left for us to sit, and it would have
been dangerous to attempt our return if the sea had not been so calm.
Night arrived, we exchanged signals, to announce security on sea and
land, and, after prayers for the dear islanders, we sought our tubs, not
the most luxurious of dormitories, but safer than the ship. Fritz slept
soundly; but I could not close my eyes, thinking of the jackals. I was,
however, thankful for the protection they had in the dogs.
* * * * *