CHAPTER IX.

CHAPTER IX.

The next morning, after prayers, I assembled my family. We took a solemn
leave of our first place of refuge. I cautioned my sons to be prudent,
and on their guard; and especially to remain together during our
journey. We then prepared for departure. We assembled the cattle: the
bags were fixed across the backs of the cow and the ass, and loaded with
all our heavy baggage; our cooking utensils; and provisions, consisting
of biscuits, butter, cheese, and portable soup; our hammocks and
blankets; the captain's service of plate, were all carefully packed in
the bags, equally poised on each side the animals.

All was ready, when my wife came in haste with her inexhaustible bag,
requesting a place for it. Neither would she consent to leave the
poultry, as food for the jackals; above all, Francis must have a place;
he could not possibly walk all the way. I was amused with the exactions
of the sex; but consented to all, and made a good place for Francis
between the bags, on the back of the ass.

The elder boys returned in despair,--they could not succeed in catching
the fowls; but the experienced mother laughed at them, and said she
would soon capture them.

"If you do," said my pert little Jack, "I will be contented to be
roasted in the place of the first chicken taken."

"Then, my poor Jack," said his mother, "you will soon be on the spit.
Remember, that intellect has always more power than mere bodily
exertion. Look here!" She scattered a few handfuls of grain before the
tent, calling the fowls; they soon all assembled, including the pigeons;
then throwing more down inside the tent, they followed her. It was now
only necessary to close the entrance; and they were all soon taken, tied
by the wings and feet, and, being placed in baskets covered with nets,
were added to the rest of our luggage on the backs of the animals.

Finally, we conveyed inside the tent all we could not carry away,
closing the entrance, and barricading it with chests and casks, thus
confiding all our possessions to the care of God. We set out on our
pilgrimage, each carrying a game-bag and a gun. My wife and her eldest
son led the way, followed by the heavily-laden cow and ass; the third
division consisted of the goats, driven by Jack, the little monkey
seated on the back of its nurse, and grimacing, to our great amusement;
next came Ernest, with the sheep; and I followed, superintending the
whole. Our gallant dogs acted as _aides-de-camp,_ and were continually
passing from the front to the rear rank.

Our march was slow, but orderly, and quite patriarchal. "We are now
travelling across the deserts, as our first fathers did," said I, "and
as the Arabs, Tartars, and other nomade nations do to this day, followed
by their flocks and herds. But these people generally have strong camels
to bear their burdens, instead of a poor ass and cow. I hope this may be
the last of our pilgrimages." My wife also hoped that, once under the
shade of her marvellous trees, we should have no temptation to
travel further.

We now crossed our new bridge, and here the party was happily augmented
by a new arrival. The sow had proved very mutinous at setting out, and
we had been compelled to leave her; she now voluntarily joined us,
seeing we were actually departing; but continued to grunt loudly her
disapprobation of our proceedings. After we had crossed the river, we
had another embarrassment. The rich grass tempted our animals to stray
off to feed, and, but for our dogs, we should never have been able to
muster them again. But, for fear of further accident, I commanded my
advanced guard to take the road by the coast, which offered no
temptation to our troops.

We had scarcely left the high grass when our dogs rushed back into it,
barking furiously, and howling as if in combat; Fritz immediately
prepared for action, Ernest drew near his mother, Jack rushed forward
with his gun over his shoulder, and I cautiously advanced, commanding
them to be discreet and cool. But Jack, with his usual impetuosity,
leaped among the high grass to the dogs; and immediately returned,
clapping his hands, and crying out, "Be quick, papa! a huge porcupine,
with quills as long as my arm!"

When I got up, I really found a porcupine, whom the dogs were warmly
attacking. It made a frightful noise, erecting its quills so boldly,
that the wounded animals howled with pain after every attempt to seize
it. As we were looking at them Jack drew a pistol from his belt, and
discharged it directly into the head of the porcupine, which fell dead.
Jack was very proud of his feat, and Fritz, not a little jealous,
suggested that such a little boy should not be trusted with pistols, as
he might have shot one of the dogs, or even one of us. I forbade any
envy or jealousy among the brothers, and declared that all did well who
acted for the public good. Mamma was now summoned to see the curious
animal her son's valour had destroyed. Her first thought was to dress
the wounds made by the quills which had stuck in the noses of the dogs
during their attack. In the mean time, I corrected my son's notions on
the power of this animal to lance its darts when in danger. This is a
popular error; nature has given it a sufficient protection in its
defensive and offensive armour.

As Jack earnestly desired to carry his booty with him, I carefully
imbedded the body in soft grass, to preserve the quills; then packed it
in strong cloth, and placed it on the ass behind Francis.

At last, we arrived at the end of our journey,--and, certainly, the size
of the trees surpassed anything I could have imagined. Jack was certain
they were gigantic walnut-trees; for my own part, I believed them to be
a species of fig-tree--probably the Antilles fig. But all thanks were
given to the kind mother who had sought out such a pleasant home for us;
at all events, we could find a convenient shelter among the roots. And,
if we should ever succeed in perching on the branches, I told her we
should be safe from all wild beasts. I would defy even the bears of our
native mountains to climb these immense trunks, totally destitute
of branches.

We released our animals from their loads, tying their fore legs
together, that they might not stray; except the sow, who, as usual, did
her own way. The fowls and pigeons we released, and left to their own
discretion. We then sat down on the grass, to consider where we should
establish ourselves. I wished to mount the tree that very night.
Suddenly we heard, to our no slight alarm, the report of a gun. But the
next moment the voice of Fritz re-assured us. He had stolen out
unnoticed, and shot a beautiful tiger-cat, which he displayed in
great triumph.

"Well done, noble hunter!" said I; "you deserve the thanks of the fowls
and pigeons; they would most probably have all fallen a sacrifice
to-night, if you had not slain their deadly foe. Pray wage war with all
his kind, or we shall not have a chicken left for the pot."

Ernest then examined the animal with his customary attention, and
declared that the proper name was the _margay_, a fact Fritz did not
dispute, only requesting that Jack might not meddle with the skin, as he
wished to preserve it for a belt. I recommended them to skin it
immediately, and give the flesh to the dogs. Jack, at the same time,
determined to skin his porcupine, to make dog-collars. Part of its
flesh went into the soup-kettle, and the rest was salted for the next
day. We then sought for some flat stones in the bed of the charming
little river that ran at a little distance from us, and set about
constructing a cooking-place. Francis collected dry wood for the fire;
and, while my wife was occupied in preparing our supper, I amused myself
by making some packing-needles for her rude work from the quills of the
porcupine. I held a large nail in the fire till it was red-hot, then,
holding the head in wet linen, I pierced the quills, and made several
needles, of various sizes, to the great contentment of our indefatigable
workwoman.

Still occupied with the idea of our castle in the air, I thought of
making a ladder of ropes; but this would be useless, if we did not
succeed in getting a cord over the lower branches, to draw it up.
Neither my sons nor myself could throw a stone, to which I had fastened
a cord, over these branches, which were thirty feet above us. It was
necessary to think of some other expedient. In the mean time, dinner was
ready. The porcupine made excellent soup, and the flesh was well-tasted,
though rather hard. My wife could not make up her mind to taste it, but
contented herself with a slice of ham and some cheese.

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