My Wife.—So you have made a partnership with the sharks, my boy! I hope, however, that you entertain a higher idea than you profess, of your own nature; and that upon more reflection you will perceive, that in equity and justice, we ought to consider, not only these utensils, but all the other things of value we took from the vessel, as a trust committed to our care; and which we ought to use our utmost endeavours to preserve. I am, however, of opinion, that having rescued them at the risk of our lives, we have a right to use them for our own convenience, while we remain destitute of all human aid; but that, if we should ever find the persons to whom they belong, it is a duty incumbent on us to return them.
Fritz.—And I, for my part, am of opinion, that the captain, however great a man he may be, will not be sorry to receive them in a magnificent case made from the skin of the tiger-cat, with which I shall present him, in return for the use of his utensils.
I was laughing at the vanity of my young pretender, when suddenly, we heard the firing of a gun, which proceeded from our tent in the tree, and two birds at the same time fell dead at our feet. We were at once surprised and alarmed, and all eyes were turned upwards to the place. There we saw Ernest standing outside the tent, a gun in his hand, and heard him triumphantly exclaiming, Catch them! catch them there! I have hit them; and you see I did not run away for nothing. He descended the ladder joyfully and precipitately, and ran with Francis to take up the two birds; while Fritz and Jack mounted to our castle in the tree, hoping to meet with the same luck. I observed them when they were got near the top, and called after them,—What are you going about? Have you already forgot the Great King, who commands that the birds of the air and the beasts of the field should rest on the day he has consecrated to himself?
These words suddenly interrupted the zeal of the young sportsmen, and diminished the pleasure of Ernest. He blushed, and cast his eyes on the ground, without attempting an excuse; while his brothers quietly descended the ladder, and began to examine the birds which had fallen from the tree. One of the dead birds proved to be a sort of thrush, and the other was a very small kind of pigeon, which in the Antilles is called an ortolan: they are very fat, and of a delicious taste. We now observed, for the first time, on looking about, that the wild figs began to ripen, and that they attracted a great number of these birds. I foresaw, in consequence, that we were about to have our larder well stored, and our table furnished with a dish which even a nobleman might envy us. I consoled the boys for the reproach I had made them, by giving them permission to kill as many of these birds, in future, as they liked. I knew that, half roasted and put into barrels with melted butter thrown over them, it was a food that would keep a long time, and might prove an excellent resource in time of need. My wife set about stripping off the feathers of the birds Ernest had killed, to dress them for our supper. I seated myself by her side, and proceeded in my work of arrow-making for Francis; and observed to my wife, that she would find an excellent substitute in the figs, for the grain we should want to feed our fowls, who no doubt would be found to have as high a relish for them, as was evinced by the ortolans.
Thus finished our day of rest. The birds proved excellent; but in point of quantity, we ran no risk of indigestion. Supper ended, and prayers said, we ascended the ladder in procession; and each withdrew to his hammock to taste the sweets of a tranquil sleep, though unprompted by such fatigue as we had experienced the preceding day.
CHAPTER XIII.
Conversation, a walk, and important discoveries.
Jack had finished the trial of his arrows: they flew to admiration; and he practised his new art incessantly. Little Francis waited with impatience for the moment when he should do the same, and followed with his eyes every stroke I made. But when I had finished my bow, and prepared some little arrows for him, I must next undertake to make him a quiver; for, said he, an archer can no more be without a quiver, than a sportsman without a game-bag. I found I must submit. I took some bark from the branch of a tree, which came off in a round form; and folding the edges over each other, I stuck them together with some glue produced from the soup cakes, and which answered the purpose extremely well. I next stuck on a round piece to serve for the bottom; and then tied to it a loop of string, which I hung round his neck. He put his arrows into it; and, happy as a chevalier in full armour, he took his bow in his hand, and ran to try his skill by the side of his brother. Fritz had also cleaned and prepared his materials for the cases, when his mother summoned us to dinner. We cheerfully placed ourselves under the shade of our tree, round the table I had manufactured. At the end of the repast, I made the following proposition to the boys, which I was sure would give them pleasure.
What think you, my good friends, said I, of giving a name to the place of our abode, and to the different parts of the country which are known to us? I do not mean a general name to the whole island, for who knows, but that some illustrious European traveller may have already bestowed on it the name either of a great navigator, or of some saint; and that our island may not already make a figure in certain maps of geography? But this need not prevent us from also giving names to the objects we are concerned with, and which will make us better understand each other, when we are conversing about them: this ceremony will also present to us the soothing illusion, of inhabiting a country already known and peopled.
They all exclaimed, joyfully, that the idea was excellent.
Jack.—Oh! pray, papa, let us invent some very long names, and that are very difficult to be pronounced. I should be glad that those who shall read about us, should be a little puzzled to remember the names of the places and things that belonged to us. What pains has it not cost me to remember their Monomolapa, their Zanguebar, their Coromandel, and many other still more difficult appellations! Ah! now we shall take our revenge of them.