The family Robinson Crusoe

by Johann David Wyss

Jack ran the first, and was up to his knees in the water before Ernest could reach the place. Jack tore off the fish with eagerness, and threw them to the slothful Ernest, who put them into his pocket handkerchief, having first secured in his pocket, one shell he had met with of a large size. The boys came back together with their booty.

Fritz not having yet returned, his mother was beginning to be uneasy, when we heard him shouting to us from a small distance, to which we answered by similar sounds. In a few minutes he was among us; his two hands behind him, and with a sort of would-be melancholy air, which none of us could well understand. What have you brought? asked his brothers; let us see your booty, and you shall see ours. Ah! said he, I have unfortunately nothing, for I have seen nothing. What! nothing at all? said I. Nothing at all, said he. But now, on fixing my eye upon him, I perceived a smile of proud success through his assumed dissatisfaction. At the same instant Jack, having stolen behind him, exclaimed: A sucking pig! A sucking pig! Fritz, finding his trick discovered, now proudly displayed his prize, which I immediately perceived, from the description I had read in different books of travels, was an agouti, an animal common in that country, and not a sucking pig, as the boys had supposed. The agouti, says M. de Courtills in his Voyage to St. Domingo, is of the size of a hare, and runs with the same swiftness; but its form is more like the pig, and he makes the same grunting noise. He is not a voracious animal, but is nice in the choice of his food. When his appetite is satiated, he buries what remains, and keeps it for another time. He is naturally of a gentle temper; but if provoked, his hair becomes erect, he bites, and strikes the ground with his hind feet like the rabbit, which he also resembles in digging himself a burrow under ground: but this burrow has but one entrance; he conceals himself in it during the hottest part of the day, taking care to provide himself with a store of patates and bananas. He is usually taken by coursing, and sometimes by dogs, or with nets. When it is found difficult to seize him, the sportsman has only to whistle. As soon as the agouti hears the sound, he is instantly still, remains resting on his hind feet, and suffers himself to be taken. His flesh is white, like that of the rabbit; but it is dry, has no fat, and never entirely loses a certain wild flavour, which is extremely disagreeable to Europeans. He is held in great esteem by the natives, particularly when the animal has been feeding near the sea on plants impregnated with salt. They are therefore caught in great numbers, and for this reason the species is much diminished.—Where did you find him? How did you get at him? Did he make you run a great way? asked all at once the young brothers. Tell me, tell us all.... &c. I, for my part, assumed a somewhat serious tone. I should have preferred, said I, that you had in reality brought us nothing, rather than to have heard you assert a falsehood. Never allow yourself, even in jest, my dear boy, to assert what you know to be an untruth. By such trifles as these, a habit of lying, the most disgusting and frightful of vices, may be induced. Now then that I have given you this caution, let us look at the animal. Where did you find it?

Fritz related, that he had passed over to the other side of the river. Ah! continued he, it is quite another thing from this place; the shore is low, and you can have no notion of the quantity of casks, chests, and planks, and different sorts of things washed there by the sea. Ought we not to go and try to obtain some of these treasures? We ought also, said I, to make our little voyage to the vessel, and fetch away our animals; at least you will all agree that of the cow we are pretty much in want. If our biscuit were soaked in milk, it would not be so hard, but much improved, said our glutton Ernest. I must tell you too, said Fritz, that over on the other side there is as much grass for pasturage as we can desire, and besides a pretty wood, in the shade of which we could repose. Why then should we remain on this barren desert side? Patience, patience, replied I, there is a time for every thing, friend Fritz; we shall not be without something to undertake tomorrow, and even after tomorrow. But, above all, I am eager to know if you discovered in your excursion any traces of our ship companions. Not the smallest trace of man, dead or alive, on land or water; but I have seen some other animals that more resembled pigs than the one I have brought you, but with paws more like those of the hare: the animal I am speaking of, leaps from place to place on the grass, now sitting on his hind legs, rubbing his face with his front feet, and then seeking for roots and gnawing them like the squirrel. If I had not been afraid of his escaping me, I should have tried to catch him with my hands, for he appeared almost tame.

Ernest, with the look and manner of a deep observer, now turned the agouti backwards and forwards to examine him on all sides. After a long silence, he said with importance, I cannot be sure that this animal, as you all believe, is a sucking pig; his hair and his snout pretty much resemble, it is true, those of a pig: but pray observe his teeth; he has but four incisores in front similar to the genus Voracious animals: in general he has a greater resemblance to the rabbit than to the hare. I have seen an engraving of him in our book of natural history; if I am not mistaken he is named the agouti.

Ah! ha! said Fritz, here is a learned professor, profound in the subject of natural history!

And who this once is not mistaken? cried I. Spare your raillery, Fritz, for it is really an agouti. I do not myself know any thing of the animal: but by his description in books or engravings, with which his appearance perfectly corresponds; he is a native of America, lives under ground on the roots of trees, and is, as travellers report, excellent food. But of this we will judge for ourselves.

While we were speaking, Jack was trying with all his might to open one of the oysters with his knife; but he could not succeed. I laughed heartily at his disappointment, and put a few of them on the fire, where they soon opened of themselves. Now then, boys, you may have as fine and choice a regale as if you were in a palace. I swallowed one myself; but I have never been fond of oysters; and the boys, observing the wry face I made, all looked at me with surprise. I thought every body was fond of oysters, papa, said one of them. I do not mean to dispute the taste of others, replied I; but, for myself, nothing but a craving hunger could force me to make a meal of them; but you can yourselves try the experiment, and perhaps you will like them. This sort of shell-fish is so little agreeable to the eye of those unaccustomed to see them, that not one of the boys had any inclination to touch them. Shortly, however, Jack, in the character of the most courageous, swallowed one hastily, shutting and squeezing up his eyes as if it were a medicine, and the others followed his example; but one and all declared that the oyster was a fish not at all to their taste, and each hastened to dip his shell into the pot to get out a little soup; but, as I had foreseen, each drew out a scalded finger, and it was who could scream the loudest. Ernest was the only one who had been too cautious to expose himself to this misfortune; he quietly took his muscle-shell, as large and deep as a plate, from his pocket, and carefully dipping it into the pot, drew it out filled with as much soup as was his fair share; and casting a look of exultation on his brothers, he set it down to wait till it should be cold enough to eat.

You have taken excellent care of yourself, I perceive, said I. But now answer me, dear boy, is the advantage worth the pains you take to be better off than your companions? Yet this is the constant failing of your character. As your best friend, I feel it to be my duty to balk you of the expected success. I therefore adjudge your dish of delicious soup to our faithful followers, Turk and Ponto. For ourselves, we will all fare alike, you as well as the rest; we will simply dip our oyster-shells into the pot till hunger is appeased; but the picked dish for the dogs, Ernest, and all the rest alike!

This gentle reproach sunk, I perceived, into his heart; he placed the shell, filled with soup, upon the ground, and in the twinkling of an eye the dogs had licked up every drop. We on our parts were almost as sharp set as they, and every eye was fixed on the pot, watching when the steam would subside a little, that we might begin dipping; when on looking round we saw Turk and Ponto standing over the agouti, gnawing and tearing him fiercely with their teeth and paws. The boys all screamed together; Fritz seized his gun, and struck them with it; called them the unkindest names, threw stones at them, and was so furious, that, if I had not interfered, it is probable he would have killed them. He had already bent his gun with the blows he had aimed at them, and his voice was raised so high as to be reechoed from the rocks.

When he had grown a little cool, I seriously remonstrated with him on his violence of temper. I represented to him what distress he had occasioned his mother and myself for the event of a rage so alarming; that his gun, which might have been so useful, was now entirely spoiled; and that the poor animals, upon whose assistance we should probably so much depend, he had, no doubt, greatly injured. Anger, continued I, is always a bad counsellor, and may even lead the way to crimes; you are not ignorant of the history of Cain, who, in a moment of violent anger, killed his brother. Say no more, my dearest father, interrupted Fritz in a tone of horror.—Happy am I to recollect on this occasion, resumed I, that they were animals, and not human creatures, you treated thus. But an angry person never reasons; he scarcely knows whom he attacks. The most convincing proof of this, is, that you just now fell upon two dumb animals incapable of judgement, and who most likely thought that your agouti was placed there, as the soup had been before, for them to eat. Confess too, that it was vanity which excited the furious temper you exhibited. If another than yourself had killed the agouti, you would have been more patient under that accident. Fritz agreed that I was right, and, half drowned in tears, entreated my forgiveness.