The family Robinson Crusoe

by Johann David Wyss

With a little gentleness and management I found means to succeed. I took the creature in my arms as one would an infant, and I confess I could not help pitying and caressing him. He was not larger than a kitten, and quite unable to help himself: its mother appeared to us to be at least as tall as Fritz.

What shall I do with thee, poor orphan? cried I, and how in our state of necessity shall I be able to maintain thee? We have already more mouths to fill, than food to put into them, and our workmen are too young to afford us soon much hope from their exertions.

Father, cried Fritz, do let me have this little animal in my own keeping. I will take the greatest care of him; I will give him all my share of the milk of the cocoa-nuts till we get our cows and goats; and who knows? his monkey instinct may one day assist us in discovering some different kinds of wholesome fruits.

I have not the least objection, answered I. You have conducted yourself throughout this tragi-comic adventure as a lad of courage and sensibility, and I am well satisfied with every circumstance of your behaviour. It is therefore but just that the little dependent should be given up to your management and discretion; much will depend on your manner of educating him; by and by we shall see whether he will be fittest to aid us with his intelligence, or to injure us by his malice; in this last case we shall have nothing to do but to get rid of him.

While Fritz and I were conversing on the subject of his adoption of the young monkey, Turk was employed in taking his fill of the remains of its unfortunate mother. Fritz would have driven him away from so cannibal-like a repast: but besides the difficulty of restraining him, we had to consider, that we might ourselves be in danger from the pressing hunger of so powerful an animal; all the food we had before given him in the day seeming to be nothing for his voracious and unbounded appetite.

We now again thought of resuming our journey, and accordingly left the ferocious Turk to pursue his sanguinary dispositions; the little orphan jumped again on the shoulder of his protector, while I on my part relieved my boy of the bundle of canes. Scarcely had we proceeded a quarter of a league when Turk overtook us full gallop. Fritz and I received him without the usual marks of kindness, and reproached him with the cruel action he had committed, as if he could feel, and understand us; but he showed no sign of giving himself any concern about the matter, following quietly behind Fritz with an air of cool and perfect satisfaction. The young monkey appeared uneasy, from seeing him so near, and passed round and fixed himself on his protector’s bosom, who did not long bear with so great an inconvenience without having recourse to his invention for a remedy. He tied some string round Turk’s body in such a way, as to admit of the monkey’s being fastened on his back with it, and then in a tone really pathetic addressed the dog as follows: Now, Mr. Turk, since it was you who had the cruelty to destroy the mother, it is for you to take every care of her child. At first the dog was restive and resisted; but by degrees, partly by menaces and partly by caresses, we succeeded in gaining his good will, and he quietly consented to carry the little burden; and the young monkey, who also had made some difficulties, at length found himself perfectly accommodated. Fritz put another string round Turk’s neck, by which he might lead him, a precaution he used to prevent him from going out of sight. I must needs confess, we had not the sin of too great haste to answer for, so that I had sufficient leisure for amusing myself with the idea, that we should arrive at our home with something of the appearance of keepers of rare animals for show. I enjoyed in foresight the jubilations of our young ones when they should see the figure we made. Ah! cried Fritz, I promise you, brother Jack will draw from the occasion materials enough for future malicious jokes. Do you then, my son, said I, take your materials for a model from your admirable mother, who never fails to make allowance for the buoyant spirits so natural to youth. Your reflections on their faults, which, thanks be to heaven, are such as to do injury to none, give me no pleasure; I am aware of their existence without the aid of your observations, and I beg you will leave to me the task of correcting them.

May I however observe, father, that I wish we could cure Turk of his passion for attacking living animals, and tearing them to pieces? It was, I assure you, a most frightful spectacle; the more so, that monkeys so much resemble our own species that I could scarcely convince myself he was not killing a man.

There was reason enough to be disgusted with the sight, though it were only an animal you saw so treated; but, for all this, it would in our situation be dangerous to teach our dogs not to attack and kill, if they can, what unknown animals they meet with. You will see that Turk will soon regard your little monkey as a member of our family; already he is content to carry him on his back; but I assure you we must not discourage him in his fancy for attacking wild beasts. Heaven bestowed the dog on man for his safe-guard and defence, and the horse the same: they may be considered as our allies against the different tribes of pernicious animals. How conspicuous is the goodness of the Almighty in the natural dispositions he has bestowed on these useful creatures, who at all times discover so much affection for man, and so easily submit to the slavery of serving him! A man on horseback, and accompanied by a troop of well conditioned dogs, has no occasion to fear any species of wild beasts, not even the lion, nor the hyena; he may even baffle the voracious rapidity of the tiger.

I see clearly how fortunate we are in the possession of two such creatures, who feel the strongest attachment to our persons and are ever ready to protect us from danger; but what a pity it was that the horses we had on board should have died during our voyage, and have left us with only an ass!

Let us take care how we treat even our ass with disdain. I wish we had him safe on land. Fortunately he is a powerful creature of his species, and not of the common kind. We may train him to do us the same services as are performed by the horse; and it is not improbable that he will even improve under our care, and from the excellent pasture he will find in this climate.