Swiss Family Robinson - Johann David Wyss (poetry books to read txt) 📗
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shallow water, lashing fearfully with his tail, and dyeing the waves
around him with blood. Approaching the infuriated animal as nearly as I
dared, we again fired.
The struggles of the whale seemed for a few moments to become even yet
more frantic, and then, with a quiver from head to tail, he lay
motionless—dead!
The boys were about to raise a cry of victory, but checked the shout
upon their very lips; for darting behind a rock they espied a canoe
paddled by a tall and muscular savage, who now stood up in his skiff
and appeared to be examining us attentively. Seeing that we were
standing towards him, the swarthy native seized his paddle and again
darted behind a rock. An awful thought now took possession of me. There
must be a tribe of blacks lurking on these shores, and Fritz must have
fallen into their hands.
We, however, I determined, should not be easily taken; and our guns
were loaded and run out.
Presently a dusky face appeared, peeping at us from a lofty rock: it
vanished, and we saw another peeping at us from lower down.
Then again the skiff put out as though to make a further reconnoitre.
All, even Jack, looked anxious, and glanced at me for orders.
`Hoist a white flag,’ said I, `and hand me the speaking-trumpet.’ I
seized the instrument and uttered such peaceable words in the Malay
language as I could recall: neither the flag nor my words seemed to
produce any effect, and the savage was about to return to the shore.
Jack hereupon lost patience, and in his turn took up the trumpet.
`Come here, you black son of a gun,’ he exclaimed. `Come on board and
make friends, or we’ll blow you and your—’
`Stop! Stop! You foolish boy,’ I said. `You will but alarm the man,
with your wild words and gestures.’
`No! But see,’ he cried, `he is paddling towards us!’
And sure enough the canoe was rapidly approaching.
Presently a cry from Franz alarmed me. `Look! Look!’ he shrieked. `The
villain is in Fritz’s cajack. I can see the walrus’ head.’
Ernest alone remained unmoved. He took the speaking-trumpet: `Fritz,
ahoy!’ he shouted. `Welcome, old fellow!’
The words were scarcely out of his mouth when I, too, recognized the
well-known face, beneath its dusky disguise.
In another minute the brave boy was on board, and in spite of his
blackened face was kissed and welcomed heartily. He was now assailed
with a storm of questions from all sides: Where had he been? What had
kept him so long, and why had he turned blackamoor?
`The last question,’ replied he, with a smile, `is the only one I will
now answer; the others shall be explained when I give a full account of
my adventures. Hearing guns fired, my mind was instantly filled with
ideas of Malay pirates, for I never dreamed that you could be here in
the yacht, so I disguised myself as you now see me, and came forth to
reconnoitre. When you addressed me in Malay you only added to my
terror, for it left not a doubt in my mind that you were pirates.’
Having in our turn described to him our adventure with the cachalot
whale, I asked him if he knew of a suitable spot for the anchorage of
the yacht.
`Certainly,’ he replied, casting towards me a glance full of meaning.
`I can lead you to an island where there is splendid anchorage, and
which is itself well worth seeing, for it contains all sorts of strange
things.’ And after removing the stains from his skin, he again sprang
into his canoe and piloted us to a picturesque little island in the
bay.
Now that there could be no doubt as to the success of Fritz’s
expedition, I no longer hesitated to give to my wife an account of his
project, and to prepare her mind for the surprise which awaited her.
She was greatly startled, as I expected, and seemed almost overcome
with emotion at the idea of seeing a human being, and that being one of
her own sex.
`But why,’ she asked, `did you not tell me of this at first? Why wait
until the last moment with such joyful news?’
`I was unwilling,’ I replied, `to raise hopes which might never be
realized; but now, thank Heaven, he has succeeded, and there is no need
for concealment.’
The boys could not at all understand the evident air of mystery and
suppressed excitement which neither their mother, Fritz, nor I could
entirely conceal. They cast glances of the greatest curiosity towards
the island, and as soon as the sails were furled and the anchor
dropped, they sprang eagerly ashore. In a body we followed Fritz,
maintaining perfect silence.
Presently we emerged from the thicket through which we were passing,
and saw before us a hut of sheltering boughs, at the entrance of which
burned a cheerful fire.
Into this leafy bower Fritz dived, leaving his brothers without, mute
with astonishment. In another moment he emerged, leading by the hand a
slight, handsome youth, by his dress apparently a young English naval
officer. The pair advanced to meet us; and Fritz, with a countenance
radiant with joy, briefly introduced his companion as Edward Montrose.
`And,’ he continued, looking at his mother and me, `will you not
welcome him as a friend and a brother to our family circle?’
`That will we, indeed!’ I exclaimed, advancing and holding out my
hands to the fair young stranger. `Our wild life may have roughened our
looks and manners, but it has not hardened our hearts, I trust.’
The mother, too, embraced the seeming youth most heartily. The lads,
and even the dogs, were not behindhand in testifying their
gratification at the appearance of their new friend—the former
delighted at the idea of a fresh companion, and the latter won by her
sweet voice and appearance.
From the expressions made use of by Fritz I perceived that the girl
wished her sex to remain unrevealed to the rest of the party until my
wife could obtain for her a costume more suited to her real character.
The young men then ran down to the yacht to bring up what was
necessary for supper, as well as to make preparations for a camp in
which we might spend the night. This done, my wife hastened to set
before us a substantial meal, while the boys, anxious to make their new
acquaintance feel at home amongst them, were doing their best to amuse
her. She herself, after the first feeling of strangeness had worn off,
entered fully into all their fun; and by the time they sat down to
supper was laughing and chatting as gaily as any one of the rest. She
admired the various dishes, tasted our mead and, without alluding once
to her previous life, kept up a lively conversation.
The mere fact of meeting with any human being after so many years of
isolation was in itself sufficient to raise the boys to the greatest
state of excitement; but that this being should be one so handsome; so
gay, so perfectly charming, seemed completely to have fumed their
heads; and when I gave the sign for the breaking-up of the feast, and
their new friend was about to be led to the night-quarters which had
been prepared for her on board the yacht, the health of Edward Montrose
was proposed, and drunk in fragrant mead, amidst the cheers and
acclamations of all hands.
When she was gone, and silence had been restored, Jack exclaimed:
`Now, then, Fritz, if you please, just tell me where you came across
this jolly fellow. Did you take your mysterious voyage in search of
him, or did you meet him by chance? Out with your adventures, while we
sit comfortably round the fire.’
So saying, Jack cast more wood upon the blazing pile, and throwing
himself down in his usual careless fashion, prepared to listen
attentively.
Fritz, after a few moments’ hesitation, began: `Perhaps you remember,’
said he, `how, when I returned from my expedition in the cajack the
other day, I struck down an albatross. None but my father at the time
knew, however, what became of the wounded bird, or even thought more
about it. Yet it was that albatross who brought me notice of the
shipwrecked stranger; and he, too, I determined should carry back a
message, to cheer and encourage the sender.
`I first, as you know, prepared my cajack to carry two persons; and
then, with a heart full of hope and trust, left you and the yacht, and,
with Pounce seated before me, made for the open sea. For several hours
I paddled steadily on, till, the wind freshening, I thought it
advisable to keep in nearer shore; that, should a regular storm arise,
I might find some sheltered bay in which to weather it.
`It was well I did so; for, scarcely had I reached a quiet cove which
promised to afford me the protection I desired, than the sea appeared
one mass of foam: great surging waves arose; and even in the
comparative calm of the bay I felt that I was in some danger.
`I passed the night in my cajack; and next morning, after a frugal meal
of pemmican, and a draught of water from my flask, once more ventured
forth. The wind had subsided, the sea was tolerably smooth; and,
keeping my eyes busily employed in seeking in every direction to
detect, if possible, the slightest trace of smoke, or other sign of
human life, I paddled on till noon.
`The aspect of the coast now began to change: the shores were sandy,
while further inland lay dense forests, from whose gloomy depths I
could ever and anon hear the fierce roar of beasts of prey, the yell of
apes, the fiendish laugh of the hyaena, or the despairing death cry of
a hapless deer. Seldom have I experienced a greater feeling of solitude
than whilst listening to these strange sounds, and knowing that I in
this frail canoe was the only human being near. Giving myself up to
contemplation, I rested my paddle, and allowed my cajack to drift
slowly on.
`As I neared the shore, I noticed a large number of strange-looking
birds, who would sometimes flutter round me, and then dart back again
to the border of the forest, where they were feeding on what appeared
to be the pepper-plant; they seized the berries in their great
ponderous beaks, threw them up into the air and then dexterously caught
them in their fall. Their beaks were really something extraordinary:
they looked as though they must give their owners a perpetual headache,
from their immense weight. The only thing that relieved the extreme
ugliness of these great appendages was their gorgeous colour, which was
only rivalled by the gay hue of the plumage.
`I wish now that I had brought home a specimen; but, at the time, I was
so much amused by watching the grotesque antics of the birds, that I
did not think of obtaining one. When I left the spot, I settled in my
own mind that they were toucans: was I right, Ernest?’
The `Professor’, unwilling to interrupt the narrative, merely gave an
oracular nod, and Fritz continued:
`For some hours after this I paddled quickly on, sometimes passing the
mouth of a stream, sometimes that of a broad river. Had I been merely
on an exploring expedition, I should have been tempted, doubtless, to
cruise a little way up one of these pathways into the forest; but now
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