The family Robinson Crusoe

by Johann David Wyss

Let us reflect a little first, said my wife: as we had so much difficulty in felling the palm-tree, would it not be a pity to lose our labour by leaving it in this place? It is the one from which Ernest cut out the famous cabbage: as it was thus deprived of future growth and bearing fruit, we wished to reap benefit from it in another way; Ernest assures me it is a sago-tree; if so, the pith would be an excellent ingredient for our soups. I request you will examine it, and let us see if in any way we can turn it to account.

I found she was in the right: but in that case it was necessary to employ a day in the business, since to open from one end to the other the trunk of a tree sixty feet long was not a trivial task. I assented however with some readiness, as, independent of the use of the farinaceous pith, I could, by emptying it, obtain two handsome and large troughs for the conveyance of water from Jackal’s river to my wife’s kitchen garden at Tent House, and thence to my new plantations of trees.

Fritz.—One of the halves, father, will answer that purpose, and the other will serve as a conduit for our little stream from Falcon’s Nest into my pretty bason lined with tortoise-shell; we then shall be constantly regaled with the agreeable view of a fountain close to our dwelling:—I fancy it now before my eyes and that I see its course. And I, for my part, said Ernest, long for a sight of the sago formed into small grains as I have seen it in Europe. Can you, father, make it up into that sort of composition?

With your help I think I could. Come, let us set up a famous manufactory of vermicelli and macaroni! and what other delicacy shall I say?

Francis.—Oh! yes, papa, I intreat you, macaroni! it is so nice, I will assist in making that.

Little glutton! answered I, you would, I imagine, rather assist in eating up all we can make. I do not however promise that our manufactory will produce such good and well made articles as those of Genoa and Naples; but let us first make the sago-paste, and afterwards work it up for such purposes of magnificence as in our profound wisdom we may afterwards be led to desire. Have we not one of our manioc graters here at hand?

Yes certainly, replied Ernest. We were even thinking of making some of them here for our amusement, but we found we were not likely to want employment: and he accordingly scampered away to fetch it me, while the rest crowded round me. Patience, children, patience, exclaimed I; we are not yet in readiness to use it, many other matters are previously requisite: in the first place you must assist me to raise this palm-tree from the ground, and it must be done by fixing at each end two small cross pieces or props to support it; to split it open as it lies, would be a work of too much labour: this done, I shall want several wooden wedges to keep the cleft open while I am sawing it, and afterwards a sufficient quantity of water. There is the difficulty, said my wife; our Falcon’s Stream is too far off, and we have not yet discovered any spring in the neighbourhood of this place.

Ernest.—That is of no consequence, mother; I have seen hereabouts so great an abundance of the plants which contain water, that we need not be at a loss; for they will fully supply us, if I could only contrive to get vessels enough to hold it.

We now produced the enormous reeds we had brought home, which being hollow would answer the purpose of vessels: and as some time was required to draw off the water from such small tubes, he and Francis at once set to work; they cut a number of the plants, which they placed slantingly over the brim of a vessel, and whilst that was filling they were preparing another. The rest of us got round the tree, and with our united strength we soon succeeded in raising the heavy trunk, and the top of it was then sawed off. We next began to split it through the whole length, and this the softness of the wood enabled us to effect with little trouble. We soon reached the pith or marrow that fills up the middle of the trunk the whole of its length. When divided, we laid one half on the ground, and we pressed the pith together with our hands so as to make temporary room for the pith of the other half of the trunk, which rested still on the props. We wished to empty it entirely, that we might employ it as a kneading-trough, leaving merely enough of the pith at both ends to prevent a running out, and then we proceeded to form our paste. We had fastened the grater at one end, for the purpose of squeezing the paste through the small holes as soon as it was made.

My young manufacturers with stripped arms joyfully fell to work, and really surpassed my expectation; they brought water in succession and poured it gradually into the trough, whilst we mixed it with the flour. In a short time the paste appeared sufficiently fermented; I then made an aperture at the bottom of the grater on its outside, and pressed the paste strongly with my hand; the farinaceous parts passed with ease through the small holes of the grater, and the ligneous parts blended with particles of wood, which did not pass, were thrown aside in a heap, in the hope that mushrooms, &c. might spring from them. My boys were in readiness to receive in the reed vessels, what fell from the grater, and conveyed it directly to their mother, whose business was to spread out the small grains in the sun upon sail cloth for the purpose of drying them. The subsequent process was the making of vermicelli, by working up the paste into a thicker consistence and pressing it more forcibly against the perforations of the grater; they passed through in slender rolls of different lengths, which were quickly dried by means of a gentle fire. To remunerate our toil my wife promised to dress us an excellent dish of this new manufacture, with some Dutch cheese, similar to Italian macaroni. Thus we procured a good supply of a wholesome and pleasant food; and should have had a larger stock of it, had we not been restricted as to time; but the privilege of renewing the process at pleasure, by felling a sago-tree, added to some impatience to take home our two pretty conduits and employ them as proposed, prompted us to expedite the business. The paste which remained was thrown upon the mushroom-bed, and watered well to promote a fermentation.