Swiss Family Robinson - Johann David Wyss (poetry books to read txt) 📗

their little deliverer

completely head over heels, frightening him nearly out of his

wits.

 

Jack did not long yield either to fear or anger, he presently

recovered himself, the dogs seemed to ask pardon by vehemently

licking his face and hands, and so, seizing the larger by the

ears, he jumped on his back, and, to my great amusement, coolly r

ode to meet me as I came up the hatchway. I could not refrain

from laughing at the site, and I praised his courage, but warned

him to be cautious and remember that animals of this species might,

in a state of hunger, be dangerous.

 

When we reassembled in the cabin, we all displayed our treasures.

 

Fritz brought a couple of guns, shot belt, powder-flasks, and

plenty of bullets.

 

Ernest produced a cap full of nails, a pair of large scissors,

an axe, and a hammer, while pincers, chisels and augers stuck

out of all his pockets.

 

Even little Franz* carried a box of no small size, and eagerly

began to show us the `nice sharp little hooks’ it contained.

His brothers smiled scornfully.

 

* Some editions translate this to Francis,

apparently to avoid confusion with Fritz.

I see no reason for the change, and am

retaining the original spelling. Ed.

 

`Well, done, Franz!’ cried I, `these fish hooks, which you the

youngest have found, may contribute more than anything else in

the ship to save our lives by procuring food for us. Fritz and

Ernest, you have chosen well.’

 

`Will you praise me too?’ said my dear wife. `I have nothing to

show, but I can give you good news. Some useful animals are still

alive: a donkey, two goats, six sheep, a ram, and a cow and a

fine sow both big with young. I was but just in time to save

their lives by taking food to them. The goats I milked, though

I do not know how I shall preserve the milk in this dreadful heat.’

 

`All these things are excellent indeed,’ said I, `but my friend

Jack here has presented me with a couple of huge hungry useless

dogs, who will eat more than any of us.’

 

`Oh, papa! They will be of use! Why, they will help us to hunt

when we get on shore!’

 

`No doubt they will, if ever we do get on shore, Jack; but I

must say I don’t know how it is to be done.’

 

`Can’t we each get into a big tub, and float there?’ returned he.

`I have often sailed splendidly like that, round the pond at home.’

 

`My child, you have hit on a capital idea,’ cried I. `That is

certainly worth trying. Now, Ernest, let me have your tools,

hammers, nails, saws, augers, and all; and then make haste to

collect any tubs you can find!’

 

We very soon found four large casks, made of sound wood and

strongly bound with iron hoops; they were floating with many

other things in the water in the hold, but we managed to fish

them out, and place them on the lower deck, which was at that

time scarcely above water. They were exactly what I wanted, and

I succeeded in sawing them across the middle. Hard work it was,

and we were glad enough to stop and refresh ourselves with goat’s

milk, wine,* and biscuits.

 

* Even as late as this book was written, public

water was likely to be polluted. Children as well

as adults drank alcoholic beverages, often

considerably diluted with water, because it had

been observed that children who did not drink

plain water were more likely to survive childhood.

 

My eight tubs now stood ranged in a row near the water’s edge,

and I looked at them with great satisfaction; to my surprise,

my wife did not seem to share my pleasure!

 

`I shall never,’ said she, `muster courage to get into one

of these!’

 

`Do not be too sure of that, dear wife; when you see my contrivance

completed, you will perhaps prefer it to this immovable wreck.’

 

I next procured a long thin plank on which my tubs could be fixed,

and the two ends of this I bent upwards so as to form a keel.

Other two planks were nailed along the sides of the tubs; they,

also being flexible, were brought to a point at each end, and

all firmly secured and nailed together, producing a kind of

narrow boat, divided into eight compartments, which I had no

doubt would float adequately in calm water. But when we thought

all was ready for the launch, we found, to our dismay, that the

grand contrivance was so heavy and clumsy that even our united

efforts could not move it an inch.

 

`I must have a lever,’ cried I. `Run and fetch the capstan bar!’

 

Fritz quickly brought one and, having formed rollers by cutting

up a long spar, I raised the forepart of my boat with the bar,

and my sons placed a roller under it.

 

`How is it, father,’ inquired Ernest, `that with that thing you

alone can do more than all of us together?’

 

I explained, as well as I could in a hurry, the principle of

Archimedes’ lever; from which he said he could move the world

if he had a point from which his mechanism might operate, and

promised to have a long talk on the subject of mechanics when

we should be safe on land.

 

I now made fast a long rope to the stern of our boat, attaching

the other end to a beam; then placing a second and third roller

under it, we once more began to push, this time with success, and

soon our gallant craft was safely launched: so swiftly indeed did

she glide into the water that, if the rope had not been well

secured, she would have passed beyond our reach. The boys wished

to jump in directly; but, alas, she leaned so much on one side

that they could not venture to do so.

 

Some heavy things being thrown in, however, the boat righted

itself by degrees, and the boys were so delighted that they

struggled which should first leap in to have the fun of sitting

down in the tubs. But it was plain to me at once that something

more was required to make her perfectly safe, so I contrived

outriggers to preserve the balance, by nailing long poles across

at the stem and stern, and fixing at the ends of each empty

brandy cask.

 

Then, the boat appearing steady, I got in; and turning it towards

the most open side of the wreck, I cut and cleared away

obstructions, so as to leave a free passage for our departure,

and the boys brought oars to be ready for the voyage. This

important undertaking we were forced to postpone until the

next day, as it was by this time far too late to attempt it.

 

It was not pleasant to have to spend another night in so precarious

a situation; but, yielding to necessity, we sat down to enjoy a

comfortable supper, for during our exciting and incessant work

all day we had taken nothing but an occasional biscuit and a

little wine.

 

We prepared for rest in a much happier frame of mind than on the

preceding day, but I did not forget the possibility of a renewed

storm, and therefore made every one put on the belts as before.

I persuaded my wife (not without considerable difficulty), to

put on a sailor’s dress, assuring her she would find it much

more comfortable and convenient for all she would have to go

through.

 

She at last consented to do this, and left us for a short time,

reappearing with much embarrassment and many blushes, in a most

becoming suit, which she had found in a midshipman’s chest.* We

all admired her costume, and any awkwardness she felt soon

began to pass off; then we retired to our hammocks, where peaceful

sleep prepared us all for the exertions of the coming day.

 

* At the time this book was written, women always

wore long skirts. A woman wearing trousers would

be considered so shocking that if she were so garbed

on a public street she would probably be arrested

for indecency.

 

We rose up betimes, for sleep weighs lightly on the hopeful as

well as on the anxious. After kneeling together in prayer, `Now

my beloved ones,’ said I, `with God’s help we are about to effect

our escape. Let the poor animals we must leave behind, be well

fed, and put plenty of fodder within their reach: in a few days

we may be able to return, and save them likewise. After that,

collect everything you can think of which may be of use to us.’

 

The boys joyfully obeyed me; and I selected, from the large

quantity of stores they got together, canvas to make a tent,

a chest of carpenter’s tools, guns, pistols, powder, shot,

and bullets, rods and fishing tackle, an iron pot, a case of

portable soup and another of biscuit. These useful articles of

course took the place of the ballast I had hastily thrown in

the day before; even so, the boys had brought so many things

that we were obliged to leave some of them for a future trip.

 

With a hearty prayer for God’s blessing, we now began to take

our seats, each in his tub. Just then we heard the cocks begin

to crow and the chickens to cackle, as though to reproach us

for deserting them.

 

`Why should not the fowls go with us!’ exclaimed I. `If we find

no food for them, they can be food for us!’ Ten hens and a couple

of cocks were accordingly placed in one of the tubs, and secured

with some wire-netting over them.

 

The ducks and geese were set at liberty, and took to the water at

once, while the pigeons, rejoicing to find themselves on the wing,

swiftly made for the shore. My wife, who managed all this for me,

kept us waiting for her some little time, and came at last with a

bag as big as a pillow in her arms. `This is my contribution,’

said she, throwing the bag to little Franz, to be, as I thought,

a cushion for him to sit upon, or to protect himself from being

tossed from side to side.

 

All being ready, we cast off, and moved away from the wreck. My

good, brave wife sat in the first compartment of the boat; next

her was Franz, a sweet-tempered, affectionate little boy, nearly

six years old. Then came Fritz, a handsome, spirited young fellow

of fourteen; the two centre tubs contained the valuable cargo;

then came our bold, thoughtless Jack, ten years old; next him

twelve-year-old Ernest, my second son, intelligent, well-informed,

and rather indolent. I myself, the anxious, loving father, stood

in the stern, endeavouring to guide the raft with its precious

burden to a safe landing-place.

 

The elder boys took the oars; everyone wore a float belt, and

had something useful close to him in case of being thrown into

the water.

 

The tide was flowing, which was a great help to the young oarsmen.

We emerged from the wreck and glided into the open sea. All eyes

were strained to get a full view of the land, and the boys pulled

with a will; but for some time we made no progress, as the boat

kept turning round and round, until I hit upon the right way to

steer it, after which we merrily made for the shore.

 

We had left the two dogs, Turk and Juno, on the wreck, as being

both large