style="font-size:15px;"> `Really!' I replied. `Never mind, my boy, better luck next time.'7
`Oh, Fritz!' exclaimed his brothers who had looked behind him. `A sucking-pig, a little sucking-pig. Where did you get it? How did you shoot it? Do let us see it!'
Fritz then with sparkling eyes exhibited his prize.
`I am glad to see the result of your prowess, my boy,' said I; `but I cannot approve of deceit, even as a joke; stick to the truth in jest and earnest.'
Fritz then told us how he had been to the other side of the stream. `So different from this,' he said, `it is really a beautiful country, and the shore, which runs down to the sea in a gentle slope, is covered with all sorts of useful things from the wreck. Do let us go and collect them. And, father, why should we not return to the wreck and bring off some of the animals? Just think of what value
the cow would be to us, and what a pity it would be to lose her. Let us get her on shore, and we will move over the stream, where she will have good pasturage, and we shall be in the shade instead of on this desert, and, father, I do wish--'
`Stop, stop, my boy!' cried I. `All will be done in good time. Tomorrow and the day after will bring work of their own. And tell me, did you see no traces of our shipmates?'
`Not a sign of them, either on land or sea, living or dead,' he replied.
`But the sucking-pig,' said Jack, `where did you get it?'
`It was one of several,' said Fritz, `which I found on the shore; along with some very curious little animals that hopped rather than walked, and every now and then would squat down on their hind legs and rub their snouts with their forepaws. Had not I been afraid of losing all, I would have tried to catch one alive, they seemed so tame. But this was more easily taken.'
Meanwhile, Ernest had been carefully examining the animal in question.
`This is no pig,' he said, `and except for its bristly skin, does not look like one. See, its teeth are not like those of a pig, but rather those of a squirrel. In fact,' he continued, looking at Fritz, `your sucking-pig is an agouti.'
`Dear me,' said Fritz, `listen to the great professor lecturing! He is going to prove that a pig is not a pig!'
`You need not be so quick to laugh at your brother,' said I, in my turn, `he is quite right. I, too, know the agouti by descriptions and pictures, and there is little doubt that this is a specimen. The little animal makes its nest under the roots of trees, and lives upon fruit. Its meat is white but dry, having no fat, and never entirely loses a certain wild flavour, which is disagreeable to Europeans. It is held
in great esteem by the natives where it lives, especially when the animal has been feeding near the sea on plants impregnated with salt. But, Ernest, the agouti not only looks something like a pig, but most decidedly grunts like a porker.'
While we were thus talking, Jack had been vainly endeavouring to open an oyster with his large knife. `Here is a simpler way,' said I, placing an oyster on the fire; it immediately opened.
`Now,' I continued, `who will try this delicacy?' All at first hesitated to partake of them, so unattractive did they appear. Jack, however, tightly closing his eyes and making a face as though about to take medicine, gulped one down. We followed his example, one after the other, each doing so rather to provide himself with a spoon than with any hope of cultivating a taste for oysters.
Our spoons were now ready, and gathering round the pot we dipped them in, not, however, without sundry scalded fingers. Ernest then drew from his pocket the large shell he had procured for his own use, and scooping up a good quantity of soup he put it down to cool, smiling at his own foresight.
`Prudence should be exercised for others, not just for oneself,' I remarked. `Are you so much better than your brothers? Your cool soup will do capitally for the dogs, my boy; take it to them, and then come and eat like the rest of us.'
Ernest winced at this, but silently taking up his shell he placed it on the ground before the hungry dogs, who lapped up its contents in a moment; he then returned, and after waiting for the soup to cool some more, we all went merrily on with our dinner.
While we were thus busily employed, we suddenly discovered that our dogs, not satisfied with their mouthful of soup, had espied the agouti, and were rapidly devouring it. The boys all began to yell, and Fritz first threw a stone at the dogs and then, seizing his gun, flew to rescue it from their hungry jaws. Before I could prevent him, he struck one of them with such force that his gun was bent.
8
The poor beasts ran off howling, followed by a shower of stones from Fritz, who shouted and yelled at them so fiercely, that if I
had not interfered, it was probable he would have killed them.
I followed him, and as soon as he would listen to me, represented to him how despicable as well as wicked was such an outbreak
of temper. `For,' said I, `you have hurt, if not actually wounded, the dogs; you have distressed and frightened your mother, and you have spoiled your gun, which would have been so useful.'
Though Fritz's passion was easily aroused it never lasted long, and speedily recovering himself, immediately he entreated his mother's pardon, and expressed his sorrow for his fault.
By this time the sun was sinking beneath the horizon, and the poultry, which had been straying to some little distance, gathered round us, and began to pick up the crumbs of biscuit which had fallen during our repast. My wife hereupon drew from her mysterious bag some handfuls of oats, peas, and other grain, and with them began to feed the poultry.
She at the same time showed me several other seeds of various vegetables. `That was indeed thoughtful,' said I, `but pray be careful of what will be of such value to us; we can bring plenty of damaged biscuits from the wreck, which though of no use as food for us, will suit the fowls very well indeed.'
The pigeons now flew up to crevices in the rocks, the fowls perched themselves on our tent pole, and the ducks and geese waddled off cackling and quacking to the marshy margin of the river. We too were ready for repose, and having loaded our guns, and offered up our prayers to God, thanking him for his many mercies to us, we commended ourselves to his protecting care, and as the last ray of light departed, closed our tent and lay down to rest.
The children remarked the suddenness of nightfall, for indeed there had been little or no twilight. This convinced me that we must be not far from the equator, for twilight results from the refraction of the sun's rays; the more obliquely these rays fall, the further does the partial light extend, while the more perpendicularly they strike the earth the longer do they continue their undiminished force, until when the sun sinks, they totally disappear, thus producing sudden darkness.
Chapter 2
We should have been badly off without the shelter of our tent, for the night proved as cold as the day had been hot, but we managed to sleep comfortably, every one being thoroughly fatigued by the labours of the day.
The voice of our vigilant cock, which as he loudly saluted the rising moon, was the last sound I heard at night, roused me at daybreak, and I then awoke my wife, that in the quiet interval while yet our children slept, we might take counsel together on our situation and prospects. It was plain to both of us that in the first place, we should ascertain if possible the fate of our late companions, and then examine into the nature and resources of the country on which we were stranded.
