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

stung me, and I almost cried, but I didn’t.’

 

`Brave little boy,’ said I. `Well, now, if the trunk be sufficiently

hollow to contain a swarm of bees, it may be for all we can tell hollow

the greater part of its length, for like the willow in our own country

it might draw all its nourishment through the bark, and in spite of its

real unsoundness retain a flourishing appearance.’

 

Master Jack, practical as usual, instantly sprang to his feet to put my

conjecture to the proof. The rest followed his example, and they were

all soon climbing about like squirrels peeping into the hole, and

tapping the wood to discover by sound how far down the cavity extended.

 

They forgot, in their eagerness, who were the tenants of this

interesting trunk. They were soon reminded of it, however, for the

bees, disturbed by this unusual noise, with an angry buzz burst out and

in an instant attacked the causers of the annoyance; they swarmed round

them, stung them on the hands, face, and neck, settled in their hair,

and pursued them as they ran to me for assistance.

 

It was with difficulty that we got rid of the angry insects, and were

able to attend to the boys. Jack, who had been the first to reach the

hole, had fared the worst and was soon a most pitiable sight, his face

swelled to an extraordinary degree, and it was only by the constant

application of cold earth that the pain was alleviated. They were all

eager to commence an organized attack upon the bees at once, but for an

hour or more by reason of their pain they were unable to render me much

assistance.

 

In the meanwhile I made my arrangements. I first took a large calabash

gourd, for I intended to make a beehive, that, when we had driven the

insects from their present abode, we might not lose them entirely. The

lower half of the gourd I flattened, I then cut an arched opening in

the front for a doorway, made a straw roof as a protection from the

rain and heat, and the little house was complete.

 

Nothing more however could then be done, for the irritated bees were

still angrily buzzing round the tree. I waited till dark, and then when

all the bees had again returned to their trunk, with Fritz’s assistance

I carefully stopped up every hole in the tree with wet clay, that the

bees might not issue forth next morning before we could begin

operations.

 

Very early were we up and at work. I first took a hollow cane, and

inserted one end through the clay into the tree; down this tube with

pipe and tobacco I smoked most furiously.

 

The humming and buzzing that went on within was tremendous; the bees

evidently could not understand what was going to happen. I finished my

first pipeful, and putting my thumb over the end of the cane, I gave

the pipe to Fritz to refill. He did so and I again smoked. The buzzing

was now becoming less noisy, and was subsiding into a mere murmur. By

the time I had finished this second pipe all was still; the bees were

stupefied.

 

`Now then, Fritz,’ said I, `quick with a hammer and chisel, and stand

here beside me.’

 

He was up in a moment, and, together, we cut a small door by the side

of the hole; this door however, we did not take out, but we left it

attached by one corner that it might be removed at a moment’s notice,

then giving the bees a final dose of tobacco smoke, we opened it.

 

Carefully but rapidly we removed the insects, as they clung in

clusters to the sides of the tree, and placed them in the hive

prepared for their reception. As rapidly I then took every atom of wax

and honey from their storehouse, and put it in a cask I had made ready

for the purpose.

 

The bees were now safely removed from the trunk, but I could not tell

whether, when they revived from their temporary stupor, they might not

refuse to occupy the house with which I had presented them, and insist

on returning to their old quarters. To prevent the possibility of this

occurrence I took a quantity of tobacco, and, placing it upon a board

nailed horizontally within the trunk, I lighted it and allowed it to

burn slowly that the fumes might fill the cavity.

 

It was well I did so, for, as the bees returned to consciousness, they

left their pretty hive and buzzed away to the trunk of the tree. They

seemed astonished at finding this uninhabitable, and an immense deal of

noisy humming ensued. Round and round they flew, backwards and forwards

between the gourd and tree, now settling here and now there, until, at

length, after due consideration, they took possession of the hive and

abandoned their former habitation to us the invaders of their

territory. By the evening they were quite quiet, and we ventured to

open the cask in which we had stored our plunder.

 

We first separated the honey from the honeycomb and poured it off into

jars and pots; the rest we then took and threw into a vessel of water

placed over a slow fire. It soon boiled and the entire mass became

fluid. This we placed in a clean canvas bag, and subjected to a heavy

pressure. The honey was thus soon forced out, and we stored it in a

cask, and, though not perhaps quite equal to the former batch in

quality, it was yet capital. The wax that remained in the bag I also

carefully stored, for I knew it would be of great use to me in the

manufacture of candles. Then after a hard day’s work we turned in.

 

The internal architecture of the tree had now to be attended to, and

early the following morning we prepared for the labourious task. A door

had first to be made, so at the base of the trunk we cut away the bark

and formed an opening just the size of the door we had brought from the

captain’s cabin, and which, hinges and all, was ready to be hung.

 

The clearing of the rotten wood from the centre of the trunk occupied

us some time, but at length we had the satisfaction of seeing it

entirely accomplished, and, as we stood below, we could look up the

trunk, which was like a great smooth funnel, and see the sky above.

 

It was now ready for the staircase, and first we erected in the centre

a stout sapling to form an axis round which to build the spiral stairs;

in this we cut notches to receive the steps, and corresponding notches

in the tree itself to support the outer ends. The steps themselves we

formed carefully and neatly of planks from the wreck, and clenched them

firmly in their places with stout nails.

 

Upwards and upwards we built, cutting windows in the trunk as we

required, to admit light and air, until we were flush with the top of

the centre pole. On this pole we erected another to reach the top of

the tree, and securing it firmly, built in the same way round it until

we at length reached the level of the floor of the nest above.

 

To make the ascent of the stairs perfectly easy we ran a hand-rail on

either side, one round the centre pillar, and the other following the

curve of the trunk.

 

This task occupied us a whole month, and by the end of that period, so

accustomed had we become to having a definite piece of work before us

that we began to consider what other great alteration we should

undertake.

 

We were, however, of course not neglecting the details of our colonial

establishment. There were all the animals to be attended to; the goats

and sheep had both presented us with additions to our flock, and these

frisky youngsters had to be seen after; to prevent them straying to any

great distance, for we had no wish to lose them, we tied round their

necks little bells, which we had found on board the wreck, and which

would assist us to track them.

 

Juno, too, had a fine litter of puppies, but, in spite of the

entreaties of the children, I could not consent to keep more than two,

and the rest disappeared in that mysterious way in which puppies and

kittens are wont to leave the earth. To console the mother, as he said,

but also, I suspect, to save himself considerable trouble, Jack placed

his little jackal beside the remaining puppies, and, to his joy, found

it readily adopted.

 

The other pets were also flourishing, and were being usefully trained.

The buffalo, after giving us much trouble, had now become perfectly

domesticated, and was a very useful beast of burden, besides being a

capital steed for the boys. They guided him by a bar thrust through the

hole in his nose, which was now perfectly healed, and this served the

purpose just as a bit in the mouth of a horse. I began his education by

securing round him a broad girth of buffalo-hide and fastening to it

various articles, to accustom him to carrying a burden. By degrees he

permitted this to be done without making the slightest resistance, and

soon carried the panniers, before borne by the ass, readily and

willingly.

 

I then made Master Knips sit upon his back and hold the reins I had

prepared for him, that the animal might become accustomed to the

feeling of a rider, and finally allowed Fritz himself to mount.

 

The education of the eagle was not neglected. Fritz every day shot

small birds for his food, and these he placed sometimes between the

wide-spreading horns of the buffalo or goat, and sometimes upon the

back of the great bustard, that he might become accustomed to pounce

upon living prey.

 

These lessons had their due effect, and the bird, having been taught to

obey the voice and whistle of his master, was soon allowed to bring

down small birds upon the wing, when he stooped and struck his quarry

in most sportsmanlike manner. We kept him well away from the

poultry-yard lest his natural instincts should show themselves, and he

should put an untimely end to some of our feathered pets.

 

Neither was Master Knips allowed to remain idle, for Ernest, now that

he was in his possession, wished to train him to be of some use. With

Jack’s help he made a little basket of rushes, which he so arranged

with straps that it might be easily fitted on to the monkey’s back.

Thus equipped he was taught to mount cocoanut palms and other lofty

trees, and to bring down their fruit in the hamper.

 

Jack was not so successful in his educational attempts. Fangs, as he

had christened his jackal, used his fangs indeed, but only on his own

account; nothing could persuade him that the animals he caught were not

at once to be devoured, consequently poor Jack was never able to save

from his jaws anything but the tattered skin of his prey. Not

disheartened, however, he determined that Fangs could be trained, and

that he would train him.

 

These, and suchlike employments, afforded us the rest and recreation we

required while engaged in the labourious task of staircase building.

 

Among my minor occupations, I applied myself to the improvement of our

candles. Though the former batch had greatly delighted us at first, yet

we were soon obliged to acknowledge that the light they gave was

imperfect, and their appearance was unsightly; my