CHAPTER XXIV.

CHAPTER XXIV.

As we went along the avenue of fruit-trees, I was concerned to see my
young plants beginning to droop, and I immediately resolved to proceed
to Cape Disappointment the next morning, to cut bamboos to make props
for them. It was determined we should all go, as, on our arrival at
Falcon's Nest, we discovered many other supplies wanting. The candles
were failing: we must have more berries, for now my wife sewed by
candlelight, while I wrote my journal. She wanted, also, some
wild-fowls' eggs to set under her hens. Jack wanted some guavas, and
Francis wished for some sugar-canes. So we made a family tour of it,
taking the cart, with the cow and ass, to contain our provision, and a
large sailcloth, to make a tent. The weather was delightful, and we set
out singing, in great spirits.

We crossed the potato and manioc plantations, and the wood of guavas, on
which my boys feasted to their great satisfaction. The road was rugged,
but we assisted to move the cart, and rested frequently. We stopped to
see the bird colony, which greatly delighted them all, and Ernest
declared they belonged to the species of _Loxia gregaria_, the sociable
grosbeak. He pointed out to us their wonderful instinct in forming their
colony in the midst of the candle-berry bushes, on which they feed. We
filled two bags with these berries, and another with guavas, my wife
proposing to make jelly from them.

We then proceeded to the caoutchouc-tree, and here I determined to rest
awhile, to collect some of the valuable gum. I had brought some large
gourd-shells with me for the purpose. I made incisions in the trees, and
placed these bowls to receive the gum, which soon began to run out in a
milky stream, and we hoped to find them filled on our return. We turned
a little to the left, and entered a beautiful and fertile plain, bounded
on one side by the sugar-canes, behind which rose a wood of palms, on
the other by the bamboos; and before us was Cape Disappointment, backed
by the ocean--a magnificent picture.

We at once decided to make this our resting-place; we even thought of
transferring our residence from Falcon's Nest to this spot; but we
dismissed the thought, when we reflected on the perfect security of our
dear castle in the air. We contented ourselves with arranging to make
this always our station for refreshment in our excursions. We loosed our
animals, and allowed them to graze on the rich grass around us. We
arranged to spend the night here, and, taking a light repast, we
separated on our several employments--some to cut sugar-canes, others
bamboos, and, after stripping them, to make them into bundles, and place
them in the cart. This hard work made the boys hungry; they refreshed
themselves with sugar-canes, but had a great desire to have some
cocoa-nuts. Unfortunately, there were neither monkeys nor crabs to
bestow them, and the many attempts they made to climb the lofty, bare
trunk of the palm ended only in disappointment and confusion. I went to
their assistance. I gave them pieces of the rough skin of the shark,
which I had brought for the purpose, to brace on their legs, and showing
them how to climb, by the aid of a cord fastened round the tree with a
running noose, a method practised with success by the savages, my little
climbers soon reached the summit of the trees; they then used their
hatchets, which they had carried up in their girdles, and a shower of
cocoa-nuts fell down. These furnished a pleasant dessert, enlivened by
the jests of Fritz and Jack, who, being the climbers, did not spare
Doctor Ernest, who had contented himself with looking up at them; and
even now, regardless of their banter, he was lost in some new idea.
Rising suddenly, and looking at the palms, he took a cocoa-nut cup, and
a tin flask with a handle, and gravely addressed us thus:--

"Gentlemen and lady! this exercise of climbing is really very
disagreeable and difficult; but since it confers so much honour on the
undertakers, I should like also to attempt an adventure, hoping to do
something at once glorious and agreeable to the company."

He then bound his legs with the pieces of shark's skin, and with
singular vigour and agility sprung up a palm which he had long been
attentively examining. His brothers laughed loudly at his taking the
trouble to ascend a tree that had not a single nut on it. Ernest took no
notice of their ridicule, but, as soon as he reached the top, struck
with his hatchet, and a tuft of tender yellow leaves fell at our feet,
which I recognized as the product of the cabbage-palm, a delicate food,
highly valued in America. His mother thought it a mischievous act, to
destroy the tree thus; but he assured her his prize was worth many
cocoa-nuts. But our hero did not descend; and I asked him if he wanted
to replace the cabbage he had cut off?

"Wait a little," said he; "I am bringing you some wine to drink my
health; but it comes slower than I could wish."

He now descended, holding his cocoa-cup, into which he poured from the
flask a clear rose-coloured liquor, and, presenting it to me, begged me
to drink. It was, indeed, the true palm-wine, which is as pleasant as
champaign, and, taken moderately, a great restorative.

We all drank; and Ernest was praised and thanked by all, till he forgot
all the scoffs he had received.

As it was getting late, we set about putting up our tent for the night,
when suddenly our ass, who had been quietly grazing near us, began to
bray furiously, erected his ears, kicking right and left, and, plunging
into the bamboos, disappeared. This made us very uneasy. I could not
submit to lose the useful animal; and, moreover, I was afraid his
agitation announced the approach of some wild beast. The dogs and I
sought for any trace of it in vain; I therefore, to guard against any
danger, made a large fire before our tent, which I continued to watch
till midnight, when, all being still, I crept into the tent, to my bed
of moss, and slept undisturbed till morning.

In the morning we thanked God for our health and safety, and then began
to lament our poor donkey, which, I hoped, might have been attracted by
the light of our fire, and have returned; but we saw nothing of him, and
we decided that his services were so indispensable, that I should go,
with one of my sons, and the two dogs, in search of him, and cross the
thickets of bamboo. I chose to take Jack with me, to his great
satisfaction, for Fritz and Ernest formed a better guard for their
mother in a strange place. We set out, well armed, with bags of
provisions on our back, and after an hour's fruitless search among the
canes, We emerged beyond them, in an extensive plain on the borders of
the great bay. We saw that the ridge of rocks still extended on the
right till it nearly reached the shore, when it abruptly terminated in a
perpendicular precipice. A considerable river flowed into the bay here,
and between the river and the rock was a narrow passage, which at high
water would be overflowed. We thought it most likely that our ass had
passed by this defile; and I wished to see whether these rocks merely
bordered or divided the island; we therefore went forward till we met
with a stream, which fell in a cascade from a mass of rocks into the
river. We ascended the stream till we found a place shallow enough to
cross. Here we saw the shoemarks of our ass, mingled with the footsteps
of other animals, and at a distance we saw a herd of animals, but could
not distinguish what they were. We ascended a little hill, and, through
our telescope, saw a most beautiful and fertile country, breathing peace
and repose. To our right rose the majestic chain of rocks that divided
the island. On our left a succession of beautiful green hills spread to
the horizon. Woods of palms and various unknown trees were scattered
over the scene. The beautiful stream meandered across the valley like a
silver ribbon, bordered by rushes and other aquatic plants. There was no
trace of the footstep of man. The country had all the purity of its
first creation; no living creatures but some beautiful birds and
brilliant butterflies appeared.

But, at a distance, we saw some specks, which I concluded were the
animals we had first seen, and I resolved to go nearer, in hopes our ass
might have joined them. We made towards the spot, and, to shorten the
road, crossed a little wood of bamboos, the stalks of which, as thick as
a man's thigh, rose to the height of thirty feet. I suspected this to be
the giant reed of America, so useful for the masts of boats and canoes.
I promised Jack to allow him to cut some on our return; but at present
the ass was my sole care. When we had crossed the wood, we suddenly came
face to face on a herd of buffaloes, not numerous certainly, but
formidable in appearance. At the sight, I was absolutely petrified, and
my gun useless. Fortunately the dogs were in the rear, and the animals,
lifting their heads, and fixing their large eyes on us, seemed more
astonished than angry--we were the first men probably they had
ever seen.

We drew back a little, prepared our arms, and endeavoured to retreat,
when the dogs arrived, and, notwithstanding our efforts to restrain
them, flew at the buffaloes. It was no time now to retreat; the combat
was begun. The whole troop uttered the most frightful roars, beat the
ground with their feet, and butted with their horns. Our brave dogs were
not intimidated, but marched straight upon the enemy, and, falling on a
young buffalo that had strayed before the rest, seized it by the ears.
The creature began to bellow, and struggle to escape; its mother ran to
its assistance, and, with her, the whole herd. At that moment,--I
tremble as I write it, I gave the signal to my brave Jack, who behaved
with admirable coolness, and at the same moment we fired on the herd.
The effect was wonderful: they paused a moment, and then, even before
the smoke was dissipated, took to flight with incredible rapidity,
forded the river, and were soon out of sight. My dogs still held their
prize, and the mother, though wounded by our shot, tore up the ground in
her fury, and was advancing on the dogs to destroy them; but I stepped
forward, and discharging a pistol between the horns, put an end to
her life.

We began to breathe. We had looked death in the face,--a most horrible
death; and thanked God for our preservation. I praised Jack for his
courage and presence of mind; any fear or agitation on his part would
have unnerved me, and rendered our fate certain. The dogs still held the
young calf by the ears, it bellowed incessantly, and I feared they would
either be injured or lose their prize. I went up to their assistance. I
hardly knew how to act. I could easily have killed it; but I had a great
desire to carry it off alive, and try to tame it, to replace our ass,
whom I did not intend to follow farther. A happy idea struck Jack: he
always carried his lasso in his pocket; he drew it out, retired a
little, and flung it so dexterously that he completely wound it round
the hind legs of the calf, and threw it down. I now approached; I
replaced the lasso by a stronger cord, and used another to bind his fore
legs loosely. Jack cried victory, and already thought how his mother and
brothers would be delighted, when we presented it; but that was no easy
matter. At last I thought of the method used in Italy to tame the wild
bulls, and I resolved to try it, though it was a little cruel.

I began by tying to the foot of a tree the cords that held the legs;
then making the dogs seize him again by the ears, I caught hold of his
mouth, and with a sharp knife perforated the nostril, and quickly passed
a cord through the opening. This cord was to serve as my rein, to guide
the animal. The operation was successful; and, as soon as the blood
ceased to flow, I took the cord, uniting the two ends, and the poor
suffering creature, completely subdued, followed me without resistance.

I was unwilling to abandon the whole of the buffalo I had killed, as it
is excellent meat; I therefore cut out the tongue, and some of the best
parts from the loin, and covered them well with salt, of which we had
taken a provision with us. I then carefully skinned the four legs,
remembering that the American hunters use these skins for boots, being
remarkably soft and flexible. We permitted the dogs to feast on the
remainder; and while they were enjoying themselves, we washed ourselves,
and sat down under a tree to rest and refresh ourselves. But the poor
beasts had soon many guests at their banquet. Clouds of birds of prey
came from every part; an incessant combat was kept up; no sooner was one
troop of brigands satisfied, than another succeeded; and soon all that
remained of the poor buffalo was the bones. I noticed amongst these
ravenous birds the royal vulture, an elegant bird, remarkable for a
brilliant collar of down. We could easily have killed some of these
robbers, but I thought it useless to destroy for mere curiosity, and I
preferred employing our time in cutting, with a small saw we had
brought, some of the gigantic reeds that grew round us. We cut several
of the very thick ones, which make excellent vessels when separated at
the joints; but I perceived that Jack was cutting some of small
dimensions, and I inquired if he was going to make a Pandean pipe, to
celebrate his triumphal return with the buffalo.

"No," said he; "I don't recollect that Robinson Crusoe amused himself
with music in his island; but I have thought of something that will be
useful to mamma. I am cutting these reeds to make moulds for
our candles."

"An excellent thought, my dear boy!" said I; "and if even we break our
moulds in getting out the candles, which I suspect we may, we know where
they grow, and can come for more."

We collected all our reeds in bundles, and then set out. The calf,
intimidated by the dogs, and galled by the rein, went on tolerably well.
We crossed the narrow pass in the rocks, and here our dogs killed a
large jackal which was coming from her den in the rock. The furious
animals then entered the den, followed by Jack, who saved, with
difficulty, one of the young cubs, the others being immediately worried.
It was a pretty little gold-coloured creature, about the size of a cat.
Jack petitioned earnestly to have it to bring up; and I made him happy
by granting his request.

In the mean time I had tied the calf to a low tree, which I discovered
was the thorny dwarf palm, which grows quickly, and is extremely useful
for fences. It bears an oblong fruit, about the size of a pigeon's egg,
from which is extracted an oil which is an excellent substitute for
butter. I determined to return for some young plants of this palm to
plant at Tent House.

It was almost night when we joined our family; and endless were the
questions the sight of the buffalo produced, and great was the boasting
of Jack the dauntless. I was compelled to lower his pride a little by an
unvarnished statement, though I gave him much credit for his coolness
and resolution; and, supper-time arriving, my wife had time to tell me
what had passed while we had been on our expedition.

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