THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON

TOLD IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE

By Mary Godolphin

CHAPTER I. 

WHEN one has a good tale to tell, he should try to be brief, and not saymore than he can help ere he makes a fair start; so I shall not say aword of what took place on board the ship till we had been six days ina storm. The barque had gone far out of her true course, and no one onboard knew where we were. The masts lay in splints on the deck, a leakin the side of the ship let more in than the crew could pump out, andeach one felt that ere long he would find a grave in the deep sea, whichsent its spray from side to side of what was now but a mere hulk. 

"Come, boys, " said I to my four sons, who were with me, "God can save usif it please Him so to do; but, if this is to be our last hour, let usbow to His will--we shall at least go down side by side. "

My dear wife could not hide the tears that fell down her cheeks as Ithus spoke to my sons, but she was calm, and knelt down to pray, whilethe boys clung round her as if they thought she could help them. 

Just then we heard a cry of "Land! land!" felt a shock, and it was clearthat we had struck on a rock, for we heard a loud cry from one of themen, "We are lost! Launch the boat; try for your lives!"

I went at once on deck, and found that all the boats had been let down, and that the last of the crew had just left the ship. I cried out forthe men to come back and take us with them, but it was in vain. 

I then thought that our last chance was gone. Still, as I felt the shipdid not sink, I went to the stern, and found, to my joy, that she washeld up by a piece of rock on each side, and made fast like a wedge. Atthe same time I saw some trace of land, which lay to the south, and thismade me go back with some hope that we had still a faint chance. 

 As soon as I got down stairs I took my wife by the hand, and said, "Beof good cheer, we are at least safe for some time, and if the windshould veer round, we may yet reach the land that lies but a short wayoff. "

I said this to calm the fears of my wife and sons, and it did so farmore than I had a right to hope. 

"Let us now take some food, " said my wife. "We are sure to need it, forthis will no doubt be a night to try our strength. "

My wife got some food for her boys, which we were glad to see them eat, poor as it was; but we could not share their meal. Three out of the fourwere put to bed in their berths, and soon went to sleep; but Fritz, whowas our first child, would not leave us. He said, like a good son, thathe would try to be of some use, and think what could be done. 

"If we could but find some cork, " said Fritz to me in a low tone, "wemight make floats. You and I will not need them, for we can swim, butthe rest will want some such means to keep them up. "

"A good thought, " said I. "Let us try to find what things there are inthe ship that we can thus make use of. "

We soon found some casks and ropes, and with these we made a kind offloat for each of the three boys, and then my wife made one for her ownuse. This done, we got some knives, string, and such things as we couldmake fast to our belts. We did not fail to look for and find a flint andsteel, and the box in which the burnt rags were kept, for these were atthat time in use as the means to strike a light. 

Fritz, who was now well-nigh worn out, lay down on his bed and sleptlike the rest. As for me and my poor wife, we kept watch, each in fearlest the next wave should lift the ship off the rock and break it up. 

I need not tell you how glad we were when we saw the first gleam oflight. At dawn the wind did not blow so strong, the sky was clear ofclouds, and we saw the sun rise, and with it rose our hopes. I soon hadmy wife and sons on deck. 

"Where are the men?" said they. "How can we steer the ship?"

"My dear boys, " said I, "He who has kept us safe till now will still aidus. Let all hands set to work, and leave the rest to God. "

At these words we all went to work with a will. My wife went to feed thelive stock; Fritz set off in search of arms, and the means to make useof them; and Ernest made his way to the tool chest. Jack ran to pick upwhat he could find, but as he got to one of the doors he gave it a push, and two huge dogs sprang out and leaped at him. He thought at first thatthey would bite him, but he soon found that they meant him no harm, andone of them let him get on his back and ride up to me as I came from thehold of the ship. 

When the boys had done their search, and the spoil was brought on deck, we thought we had found all that we should need. "As for me, " said mywife, "I have brought good news, for I find we have still on board acow, an ass, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, and a sow, and I havefound food for them all. "

"All that you bring will be of use, " said I; "but I fear that Jack'sdogs will do us more harm than good. "

"Not at all, " said Jack, "for they can help us to hunt when we get toland. "

"Well said, Jack. And now let us see what we can do that will aid us toget there. "

We then took the casks that we had found, and Ernest and I soon cut themin half. With these tubs we made a kind of raft, though it was no slighttask. The tubs, in fact, were a fleet of eight small round boats, madeso fast to some planks that no one of them could float from the rest. The next thing to be done was to launch the raft. This we at length did, and when the boys saw it slide down the side of the ship and float onthe sea, they gave a loud shout, and each one tried who should be thefirst to get on it. I made it fast to the ship, and there left it. 

I then told my wife to change her dress for that of one of the crewwhich she had found, as her skirts would have got in her way when shehad to climb. She did not at first like this, but did so as soon as shesaw the truth of what I told her. 

At last, when all was done, we went to bed, and slept as sound as if wehad been on land. 

CHAPTER II. 

WE were all up at the break of day, and knelt down to thank God that Hehad kept us from harm through the night. 

We then put all the things on the raft, and ten live hens and two cockswere put in one of the tubs. Some ducks and geese we let go, in the hopethat they would swim to the shore; and a pair of doves were set free, asthey could fly to the land. 

There was a place in the raft for each of us. In the first tub sat mywife; in the next Frank, who was eight years old; in the third Fritz, not quite twice the age of Frank; in the fourth were the fowls, and someold sails that would make us a tent; the fifth was full of good thingsin the way of food; in the sixth stood Jack, a bold lad, ten years old;in the next Ernest, twelve years of age, well taught, but too fond ofself, and less fond of work than the rest; while I sat in the eighth, toguide the raft that was to save all that was dear to me in the world. 

As soon as the dogs (Bill and Turk by name) saw us push off from theship they leaped in the sea, swam near the raft, and kept well up withus. 

The sea was calm; so that we felt quite safe. We made good use of theoars, and the raft bore its freight straight to the land; but as we drewnear to the shore the sight of the bare rocks led us to think that wemight still be in need of food and drink when that which we had wasgone. 

As we got near, the coast lost its bare look, and we were glad to seethat there was no lack of trees. We soon found a bay, to which the ducksand geese had found their way, and here we saw a place where we couldland. 

As soon as we had made the raft fast with a strong rope, we took out allour wealth, and made a tent with the old sail cloth we had brought withus, and stuck a pole in the ground to keep it up. This done, I sentthe boys to get some moss and dry grass to make our beds with. With theflint and steel we soon set fire to some dry twigs, and my wife made apot of soup with what she had brought from the ship. 

Fritz, who had charge of the guns, chose one, and took a stroll by theside of a stream, while Jack went in search of shell fish, which hethought he might find on the rocks. My share of the work was to save twolarge casks which were near the shore. While I was up to my knees in thesea I heard a shrill cry, which I knew to come from Jack. I got out atonce, took up an axe, and ran to his help. I found him with his legs ina rock pool, where a large crab held him by his toes. It soon made offas I came near; but I struck at it with the axe, and brought it out ofthe pool. Jack then took it up, though it gave him a pinch or two ere hefound out how to hold it, and ran off in high glee to show what he hadcaught. 

When I got back to the tent, I found that Ernest had brought us newsthat he had seen salt in the chinks of the rocks, and that shell fishwere not scarce. 

"Well, my boy, if you are sure you saw them, I will ask you to go backfor some. We must each do some work for the good of all. "

He went, and soon found the salt, left by the sea on the rocks, whichthe sun had made quite dry. There was some sand with it, but my wife didnot take long to find a way to cure that. She had been to a fresh streamwith a large jug; from this I saw her pour some on the salt, strain itthrough a cloth, and let it drip in a cup, so that all the sand was lefton the cloth. 

When the soup was made hot we had each a taste, and all said that it wasgood. 

"Be not in too great haste, " said my wife, "we must wait for Fritz; butif he were here, I do not see how we are to take our soup, for we haveno plates nor spoons. "

"If we had but some large nuts, " said Ernest, "we might cut them inhalf, and they would make good bowls. "

"Quite true, " said I; "but as there are none, we may as well wish fordelf bowls and real spoons at once. "

"Now I have it, " quoth Ernest. "Let us use the shells I saw on theshore. "

Off ran Jack to the shore, with Ernest at his heels, and back they bothcame with large and small shells for us all. 

Just then Fritz came in, with a look of gloom on his face, which I couldsee was a sham. 

"You do not mean to tell me you have come back with nought?" said I, ashe put out his hands as if to prove that such was the case. But Jack, who had been round him, cried out, "No, no! he's got a pig!--such a fineone. Tell us where you found it. "

Fritz now brought forth his prize. When I saw it, I knew, from whatI had read, that it was not a pig, but a swift beast, known in theseparts, that lives on fruit and nuts, and hides in the earth. (*TheAgouti. )

"I like the place much more than I do this spot, " said he. "The shorelies low, and there are planks, casks, chests, and all sorts of things, that the sea has thrown up. Why not leave this place at once, and gothere?"

"There is a time for all things, " said I. "We must at least rest herefor one night. "

We all sat down to take our soup with the shell spoons. Ernest took fromhis coat a large shell, which he had hid till now, put it in the soup, and then set it down to cool. 

"You do not show want of thought, " said I to him. "But I am not glad tosee that you think so of your-self, and do so much for your own ease, when all the rest do so much for yours. Now, that shell full of soup youmust give to our two dogs. We can all dip our small shells in the pot, and you must do as we do. "

I knew he felt hurt at this, but he gave it to the dogs at once, andthey soon made quick work of their share of the soup. 

The sun was low when our meal came to an end. The fowls came round us topick up the stray crumbs we had let fall, and my wife took out her bagof grain and fed the cocks and hens, and sent them to roost on the topof our tent. 

We took care to load our fire-arms, in case we might need them in thenight; sang a hymn of praise to God, and then left our fate in Hishands. 

CHAPTER III. 

As soon as I heard the cock crow, and saw by the light that it was breakof day, I got out of bed and spoke to my wife as to what we should donext. 

"First, " said I, "Fritz and I will make a tour of the coast and try tofind some of the men who left the ship, for if they are here they may bein want. "

"But, " said Fritz, who had heard me from his bed, "why should we searchfor those who left us to die on the wreck?"

"Well, I will tell you, " said I. "First, we should do to them as wewould wish them to do to us, not as they have done; next, we know thatthey took no food with them, and we should not leave them to starve;and last, it may be that they can help us, though now they stand more inneed of our aid. "

The boys were soon up, and we all sat down to a good meal. That done, Fritz and I got our guns. I put a pair of small arms in his belt, gavehim a game bag, and told him to take an axe. I took some food for usboth, and a full flask, out of which we could drink if we should strayfar from a stream. 

When we took our leave, my wife and the three boys were in tears. Thedog Bill we left to guard the tent, but Turk went with us, and ran byour side. 

We soon got to the banks of a stream; but then had to make our way downits course. It took us some time to reach the sea shore. There was not aboat to be seen, or any sign that the ship's crew had found the land. Weleft the shore, and went through a wood full of tall trees. Here Fritzstruck some hard thing on the ground with his foot, which we found to bea CO-COA NUT. He gave it a blow with his axe, and broke the shell, andwe both sat down to rest, and eat the nut. 

At the end of the wood we came to a plain which gave us a clear viewof the place. Fritz, who was on the look out, ran off with Turk to somestrange trees that he saw on the right. 

When I got up to him, it gave me no small joy to find that it was agourd tree. 

"Try, " said I, "if you can get hold of one of those queer lumps thatgrow on it. "

With that he brought one down, and we had a look at it. 

"Now, of this, " said I, "we can make a plate, a dish, or a flask. Wildmen set great store by its shell, which they use to hold their food anddrink. "

We then set to work to make plates of the gourds. When we had made someeight or ten bowls, and some flat ones for plates, we laid them out inthe sun to dry, and then went on our way. 

We could see, not far off, a grove of fine palm trees, but to reach themwe should have to pass through reeds and long grass. I knew this wasjust the place to find snakes, so we each cut a cane, that we might beatthem off should we meet with any. As I took hold of my staff, I felt agum or juice ooze out of the end. I put my tongue to it, and found it ofa sweet taste. This led me to suck the reed, and I then knew that we hadmet with the SUG-AR CANE. By this time Fritz had done the same, for Icould see that he held his cane to his mouth. 

"Do not suck too much of it, " said I, "or it will make you ill; but letus cut some of the best and take them back with us, for those at homewill prize so great a treat. "

It did not take us long to reach the place where the palms grew, andthen we sat down in the shade to eat the food we had brought with us. 

"Do you see those nuts at the top of the trees, Fritz?" said I. 

"To be sure I do; but they are far too high to reach. Look, look!" hecried, "there are some MON-KEYS; let me have a shot at them. " "Do notdo that, " I said, and held his arm; "it will do us no good to kill them, and I think I can make use of them. " With that I threw some stones up atthe tree where they were, though they had got safe out of my reach. Theythen made a loud noise, took hold of the nuts that were near, and flungthem straight at us. The trick made Fritz laugh, who soon had hard workto pick up the nuts that were thrown at him. 

We broke some of the nuts, and put the juice of the canes in the thickwhite cream which forms close to the shell; and this made us a dish thatFritz said was fit for a king. 

Fritz and I then made fast some nuts to a string, which I tied round mywaist, while he took up his canes, and we both set off on our road home. 

CHAPTER IV. 

ON our way back we took up the gourd bowls and plates, which we foundquite dry and hard as bone, and put them in our bags. We had scarce gotthrough the wood, when Turk made a dart in front of us, and we saw atroop of apes rush out of the way. But he gave a leap and brought downone that could not climb so fast as the rest, for she had a young onein her arms. Turk made short work of the poor thing, for ere Fritz couldcall the dog off, the ape was dead. The young one, as soon as it sawFritz, sprang on his back, put its paws in his curls, and would not letgo. I at length got the ape from Fritz's back, and took it up in my armslike a child. We found that it was too young to seek its own food, and, as Fritz said he should like to take it home, we put it on Turk's back. Turk did not at first like this, but we soon got him to bear the ape, which held so tight by the hair on the dog's neck that it could not wellfall off. Fritz then led Turk with a string, that he might not stray outof sight, or throw off his charge, which I think he would have done hadwe not been on the watch. 

It did not take us long to reach the bank of the stream near to ourhome. 

I need not tell you how glad my wife and sons were to see us safe back, or with what joy the boys took the "real live ape" out of Fritz's arms. 

At length, when they got more staid, I told them that we had broughtthem all sorts of good things, but that we had not met with any of themen of whom we went in search. "God's will be done, " said my wife, "letus thank Him that you have come back safe to us. This day to me has beenan age; but put down your loads, for we must now go in and hear what youhave to tell. "

Fritz and I then told them, by turns, where we found the things webrought with us, how we made and dried the plates and bowls, cut thecanes, and caught the ape in the wood. Our tales had not come to an endwhen we were told that it was time to sup. Ernest had shot a wild goose, and some fish had been caught in the stream. With these, and the Dutchcheese that we brought from the ship, we made a good meal; but the boyswould not rest till we broke some of the nuts, from which they drank themilk, made sweet with the juice of the canes. I must tell you that weate our food in great state from our gourd rind plates, which my wifesaid she should prize more than if they were made of pure gold. 

That night the ape went to bed with Jack and Fritz, and we all slept inpeace till the cocks on the roof of the tent woke us up. 

Next day Fritz and I went back to the wreck to save the live stock, andget what else we had left that might be of use to us. We found it nolight task, for we had to make floats for the cow, the ass, the sheep, and the goats, throw them in the sea, and tie them with ropes to ourraft. We put on board the raft a vast deal of food that had not beenspoiled by the sea, though the waves had made a breach in the sides ofthe wreck. We then put to sea with our train of live stock made fast tothe stern. 

We had not gone far when I heard a loud cry of fear from Fritz, "We arelost! We are lost! See what a great shark is on its way to us!"

Though pale with fright, he took aim with his gun, and shot the fish inthe head. It sank at once, but left a track of blood in the sea, which Iknew to be a sign that we were once more safe. We then got to land, andmade fast our freight to the shore. Ere we had done this our friendscame to give us what help they could to get the beasts out of thestream, and take them up to the tent. The poor things were well nighworn out; but we took good care of them, and put them to rest on somedry grass that my wife had laid out for them. 

That night we did not sup on the ground. My wife had spread a cloth onthe top of a cask, and we each sat on a tub. With the knives and forksthat we had found in the ship we ate a dish of hot ham and eggs, nor didwe fail to test the wine that I had brought with me in a small cask fromthe wreck. 

Ere bed-time my wife had told me that while I was at the wreck she hadgone in search of some place in which we could build a house. 

"And did you find one, my dear?" I said. 

"Oh, yes, " said she. "We can take you to a great tree that will serve uswell, if we can but get across the stream with our goods. "

"But would you have us roost, like fowls, in a tree? How do you think wecould get up to our perch?"

"Was there not a large lime tree in our town in which they built a ballroom, with stairs up the trunk?"

"To be sure there was, " said I; "and if we can not build in it, we canat least make use of its shade, and dwell in a hut on the roots. "

Ernest said that he took a string, and found that it was twelve yardsround. This led me to think that my wife's scheme was by no means a badone, and that I would have a look at the tree the next day. 

When I had heard all they had to tell, we knelt down to pray, and thensought a good night's rest, which the toils of the day made us much inneed of. 

CHAPTER V. 

WHEN I rose from my bed the next day, I said to my wife: "Does it notseem, my dear, as if God had led us to this place, and that we should dowrong to leave it?"

"What you say may be quite true, so far as it goes, " she said; "but Imust tell you that the mid-day heat is more than we can bear, and thatif we stay here we may have to keep watch at night, for there are, nodoubt, wild beasts of some kind that will find us out; and we shouldnot trust too much to our dogs, who may lose their lives in a fight withthem. "

"I dare say you are right, " said I; "but I do not yet see how we cancross the stream. We shall first have to build a bridge. "

The boys were now all out of their beds; and while my wife went to milkthe cow and cook some food, I made my plans known to them. They were allglad when they heard that we were to leave, and each said he, would helpto build the bridge. 

The first thing to be done was to find some strong planks; and Fritz, Ernest, and I went down to the shore, and got in the boat, which thetide took down to the bay. 

On a piece of land which lay to the left we could see some large darkthing, round which flew a flock of sea gulls. We put up a sail andcaught a gust of wind which had sprung up, and this soon brought theboat to the spot. We made no noise, but crept up the shore step by step, and we got so near that Ernest brought down some of the birds with astick. Fritz was the first to find out that what the sea gulls had justleft was the huge fish he had shot in the sea. We cut off some roughskin, which we thought might serve for files, and then went back to theboat. I took a glance at the shore ere I got in, and to my great joy sawsome of the planks and spars from the wreck lay on the ground not faroff. Our next care was to bind these so as to make a raft, which we tiedto the stern of the boat, and then, by the use of our oars, soon madeour way up the stream to the place where the bridge was to be built. Ouryoung friends were glad to see us back so soon, and ran to meet us; Jackhad a cloth in his hand, in which was a store of cray fish and crabsjust caught in some of the nooks of a rock up the stream. 

"Do not fail to give God thanks, " said I, "that our lot has been castwhere we can pick up more food than we can eat. "

It would take a long time to tell how we brought all the wood up to thespot, built piers of stone in the stream, and put the planks one by onein the place; it was late at night when we left off work, and once moresought our tent. 

The next day we saw the sun rise, and took our first meal in haste, forwe knew we should have a long day's toil. All the stores that we couldnot take with us were laid by in the tent, the door of which was madesafe by a row of casks, that we put round it. My wife and Fritz soon ledthe way; the cow went next; then the ass, with Frank on its back. Jackled the goats, and on the back of one of them sat the ape. Ernest tookcharge of the sheep, and I brought up the rear as chief guard. We tookcare to cross the bridge one at a time, and found it bore our weightwell; but once or twice we thought the cow would step in the stream, orfall off the boards, when she went to the sides to drink. 

Just as we had left the bridge, Jack cried out, "Be quick! here is astrange beast with quills as long as my arm. " The dogs ran, and I withthem, and found a large POR-CU-PINE, in the grass. It made a loud noise, and shot out its quills at the dogs, and made them bleed. At this Jackshot at the beast, which fell dead on the spot. My wife's first thoughtwas to dress the wounds made by the quills, which had stuck in thenose of one of the dogs, while the boys made haste to pluck some of thequills from the skin of their strange prize. 

At last our march came to an end, and I saw for the first time the greattrees that my wife had told me of. They were of vast size, and were, Ithought, fig trees. "If we can but fix our tent up there, " I said, "weshall have no cause to dread, for no wild beasts can reach us. " We sentFrank off to find sticks, with which to make a fire, and my wife madesome soup of the flesh of the beast we had slain, though we did not likeit so well as we did the ham and cheese we brought with us. 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE meal at an end, my first thought was to make some steps by means ofwhich we could reach the first strong branch of the tree. Ernest and Iwent in search of some thick canes that grew in the sands hard by. Thesewe cut down, bound them to four long poles, and thus made a pair ofsteps that would, we thought, reach far up the trunk. 

On our way back from the sands, one of the dogs made a dart at a clumpof reeds, and a troop of large birds rose on the wing with a loud noise. Fritz let fly at them, and brought down two at a shot. One of them fellquite dead, but its mate, though hurt in the wing, made use of its longlegs so well that it would have got off if Bill had not held it. The joyof Fritz, to have caught such a strange bird, was so great that he wouldhave us at once bind it by the neck and take it back with us. "Look, "said Ernest, "what fine plumes he has, and you see he has web feet likea goose, and has long legs like a stork: thus he can run on land as fastas he can swim. "

"Yes, " said I, "and he can fly with more speed through the air, forthese birds have great strength in their wings. In fact, few birds havesuch means of flight as the FLA-MIN-GO. "

My wife thought the great bird might need more food than we could spare. I told her that it would feed on small fish and worms, and not rob ourgeese of their grain. I then tied him to a stake near the stream; andin a few days we were glad to find that he knew us, and would come at acall, like a tame bird. 

While I sat on the grass with my sons, late in the day, I thought Iwould try to make a bow and thus save our shot. This I did with a longcane and a piece of string, and then made a dart with a sharp point, which I shot off and found it would go straight. The branch of the treeon which we were to fix our hut was so high that our steps would notnear reach it. I tied some strong thread to the dart, and shot it overthe branch; then tied a piece of rope to the end of the thread, and drewthat up, and at last made a long row of cane steps, with a rope at eachside, which we drew up to the first strong branch. The boys were nowall in haste to climb the tree, but I chose that Jack, who was light ofbuild and sure of foot, should go up first and try the strength of ourwork. Fritz went up next with some nails, and made the ropes fast to thetree, while I drove stakes in the ground to keep them firm at the foot. It was now time for me to mount, and up I went with an axe to lop offthe twigs and smooth the bough that was to form the ground of our newhouse. I sent the boys down out of my way, and kept hard at work till itwas late, for the sky was clear, and the moon lent me her beams of lightto see by. 

When I came down my wife spread a good meal on the ground, which we ateas best we could, and then made our beds of dry moss, round which we putheaps of twigs. These we set light to, as watch fires to keep off wildbeasts and snakes. The toils of the day had made the boys tired, andthey were soon in a sound sleep, but my wife and I took it in turns towatch through the whole night. 

We were all out of bed as soon as light was in the sky, and set to workto hoist up the planks that were to form the floor of our hut. These welaid down on the branch, with their ends made fast to a cross piece ofwood that we had to fix to the trunk of the tree. Our nails were long, and we drove each one of them home, so that we had no cause to fearthe strength of our work. By the time we had done this the day was farspent, and we were all glad to lay by our tools and rest our limbs. Thatnight we lit our fires round the tree, tied the dogs to the roots, andwent up to sleep out of harm's way for the first time since we left theship. When the steps were drawn up we all felt that we were now safe atlast, and that we had brought the toils of the day to a good end. 

CHAPTER VII. 

WE did not wake next day till the sun shone in upon us. I told my wifeand sons that as it was the Lord's day we would do no work. Our beastsand birds had first to be fed. This was done by my wife, who thenbrought us some hot milk, and made us sit down on the grass and take it. When our meal was done, I got on a log in front of my sons, and we allsang a psalm we knew by heart. Then I sought to teach them and spoke tothem thus:

"There was once on a time a Great King, who had two vast realms, theLand of Light and Truth, and the Land of Night and Sloth. Those whodwelt in the first were full of life and joy. The King held his court atthe Place of Rest where all was bright. 

"This King had a land, not far off, where those for whom he had so muchlove should dwell ere they went one by one to the Place of Rest. Thisland was the Home of Earth. He gave to his Son the right to rule thehost that dwelt in the Home of Earth, and set forth to think what theywere to do, and all the ills that would come to them if they did not doas they were bid. 

"At first they were all glad to hear the way in which they were to live, and the terms on which they could reach the Land of Light and Truth. Sadto tell, they soon broke the King's laws, and paid no heed to what theyknew to be his will. Still there were a few who did as they had beentaught, and dwelt in peace, in the hope that they would please the Kingand at last reach the place where he held his court. 

"From time to time ships came to the Home of Earth, and at last a greatship was sent, the name of which was The Grave, which bore the flag ofDeath. To the good it was a sign of hope, but the bad were thrown by thesight of it into a state of gloom. These ships were not seen till theycame close to the shore, and then the crew were sent forth to find thosewhom they were told to seize. Some went back with them full of joy, but most were seen to weep and mourn their fate. So soon as they werebrought in sight of the Great King, the Prince took those who had donewell, and put a white robe on them; but those who went their own waywhen on the Home of Earth, he sent down to toil in deep, dark mines tilltime shall be no more. "

When my sons had heard my tale to the end they all knew what it meant;I then drew from them their views of what they ought to do to please andserve the Great King. We then sang a hymn; and my wife drew from her bagthe BIBLE, which I gave to one of the boys, who read from it in a clear, loud voice. When this was brought to a close, we all knelt down on thegrass to pray, and to ask God to bless the means we took to learn Hiswill. 

We did no work that day, but took a long stroll up the banks of thestream. 

The next day Ernest and Jack tried their skill with the bow, and broughtdown some small birds that came to the great tree in quest of figs. Igave them leave to kill what they could; for I knew if put in casks madeair tight with grease, they would keep for a time, and might prove aboon, if our stock of food should get low. 

When we sat down to dine, the thought struck me that it would be well togive some name to each part of the land that was known to us. This wasat first the source of some fun, for Fritz said we should call the baywhere we had found the shell spoons by the name of Spoon Bay; but Jack, who still had a mark on his toe where the crab gave him a pinch, thoughtwe ought to term it Crab Bay. 

"If you will let me give it a name, " said my wife, "I should wish toknow it by some term that will make us bear in mind how good God was tolead our raft there, and I don't think Safe Bay will be a bad name forit. "

"So let it be, " said I; and from that time Safe Bay had a name. "Whatshall be the name of the spot where we spent our first night on shore?You shall give that its name, " said I to Fritz. 

"Let us call it Tent House. "

"That will do, " said I. "And now for the spot at the mouth of Safe Bay, where we found our planks?"

"Sharp Point, " said Ernest. The place from which Fritz and I sought fora trace of out ship mates was to be known as No Man's Cape. Then we hadthe Boys' Bridge, which name I gave it from a wish to please my sons, who had done so much to build it. 

"But what shall we call the place which is most dear to us all?"

"Now, my dear, " said I to my wife, "it is your turn. What shall we say?"

"Let us call it The Nest, " said she; and with that I gave each of myyoung birds a glass of sweet wine. 

"Here's to 'The Nest, '" said I; "and may we live long to bless the dayand the means that brought us here. "

When the heat of the day was past, I told my sons that I should be gladto take a walk with them. My wife said that she should like to go withus; so we left The Nest in charge of Turk, and bent our course to thebanks of the stream. On our way we went past some shrubs and rare herbs, which my wife knew well how to make use of should we fall sick; andErnest found a large spot of ground on which grew a fine kind ofPO-TA-TO. At these the boys set to work with such zeal, that we soon hada full bag of the ripe fruit. We then went on to Tent House, which wefound in the same state as when we left it to cross the stream on ourway to the great tree. 

We found that our ducks and geese had grown so wild that they would notcome near us; so, while my wife and I went to pick up such things as wethought we might take back with us, Ernest and Fritz were sent to catchthem, and to tie their legs and wings, and in this way we got them atlast to The Nest. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

IT took the whole of the next day to make a sledge, to which we tiedthe ass, and drove to Tent House. On our sledge we put such of the caskswhich held food, and took them back to The Nest. Fritz and I went oncemore to the wreck, and this time we brought off chests of clothes, pigsof lead, cart wheels, sacks of maize, oats, peas, and wheat. With astrong bar we broke down some of the doors, and took such parts of theship as we thought would aid us to build our house, which as yet was farless safe than I could wish. These we bound with cords, and made themfloat back at the stern of the raft. 

When we got to the shore my wife and the three boys were there to greetus. My first care was to send for the sledge, and with this we took mostof our new wealth up to The Nest. 

The next day I told my sons that they must now learn to run, to leap, toclimb, and to throw stones straight at a mark, as all these things wouldbe of great use to them in their new mode of life. 

I next taught them to use the LAS-SO, by means of which men catch thewild horse on the vast plains of the New World. I tied two stones to theends of a cord some yards in length, and flung off one of them at thetrunk of a young tree; the cord went round and round it in a coil andbound it so tight that I could have drawn it to me had it not been fastin the ground. This trick the boys were not slow to learn; and Fritz, in a short time, could take an aim as well with a stone as he could withhis gun. 

As yet we had not seen much of the isle; for it took most of our timeto build the house. But one day we made up our minds that we would allstart on a tour. We rose at dawn, put the ass in the sledge, took whatfood we thought we should need, and set out from The Nest just as thesun rose. 

When we came to the wood where Fritz found the ape, he told them by whatmeans we got the nuts, but now there were no apes there to throw themdown. 

"Oh, if one would but fall from the trees, " he said. 

The words had but just left his lips when a large nut fell at his feet. He made a start back, and two more came down near the same spot. 

As the nuts were far from ripe, I was at a loss to know how they couldfall off the tree, for I could not see an ape nor a bird near. 

I went close up to the tree, and saw a large land crab on its way downthe trunk. Jack struck a blow at him with a stick, but did not hit thebeast. He then took off his coat and threw it on the crab's head, whileI made an end of him with an axe. I told them that these crabs climbthe trees and break off the nuts, as we had seen, and then come down tofeast on them at their ease. 

"But how do they crack the nuts?" said Jack. 

"They make a hole through the shell at the thin end, and then suck themdry. "

The dead crab was put in the sledge, and we went on through the wood. When we came to the Gourd Wood, we sat down to make some more bowls andflasks to take back with us. Ernest had gone to try what new thing hecould find, but he had not been from us long, when we heard him call out, "A wild boar! A great wild boar! Come here, pray!"

We took up our guns, and went at once with the dogs to the spot. We soonheard Turk give a loud bark, and just then we heard Ernest laugh, andsaw the two dogs come through a clump of brush wood, with our old sowfast by the ears. She did not seem to like the way in which they hadput an end to her feast of fruit, so she ran back as soon as we told thedogs to let go their hold of her ears. 

"But with all our sport, " said Fritz, "we have a poor show of game. Let us leave the young ones, and set off to see what we can meet with. "Ernest sat down with Frank, and we left them and my wife at the gourdtree, while Fritz and Jack set off with me to a high rock which we sawon the right. 

"Fritz, look here, " said Jack, as he made his way to the rock. 

"What have you found now?" said Fritz. 

"I don't know what it is, but it's a fine prize. "

When I went up I saw at once that it was a large I-GUA-NA, the flesh andeggs of which are both good for food. I had heard that these and suchlike beasts will stand still if you play an air on a pipe. So I creptnear, and made a low sound with my lips, while I held in my right handa stout stick, to which I had tied a cord with a noose, and in my lefthand a slight wand. I saw it first move its tail, and then draw its headfrom side to side, as if to look where the sound came from. I then threwthe noose round its neck, drew it tight, got on its back with a leap andthrust the wand up its nose, which is the sole part of the beast wherethere are no hard scales. It bled at once, and was soon dead, nor did itseem to feel any pain. Our prize, which was near five feet long was noslight weight to lift. I got it at last on my back, and thus we wentback to the gourd tree, where we found the rest quite safe. 

It took us a long time to reach The Nest that night. My wife did herbest to dress some of the flesh of the land crab, but it was tough, anddid not taste so nice as the soup made from the beast that we had caughtby the nose. 

CHAPTER IX. 

FRITZ and I spent the whole of the next day in the woods. We took theass and one of the dogs with us, but left all else at home. 

Our way first lay through a dense wood, where we saw no end of smallbirds, but such game could not now tempt Fritz to waste his shot. Wethen had to cross a vast plain, and to wade through the high grass, which we did with care, lest we should tread on some strange thing thatmight turn and bite us. 

We came at last to a grove of small trees, and in their midst I saw abush, which I knew to be the wax tree, for the wax grew on it like whitebeads. I need not say how glad I was to find so great a prize. We hadup to this time gone to bed as soon as the sun went down, for we had nolamp to use; but as we could now make wax lights, I told Fritz that wehad found what would add two or three hours per day to our lives. Wetook as much of the wax as would serve us for some time, and then madeour way out of the grove. 

"How came you, " said Fritz, "to know so much of the queer beasts, trees, and plants that we have found here?"

"When young, " said I, "I used to read all the books that fell in my way;and those that told of strange lands and what was to be seen in them hadfor me as great a charm as they have for Ernest, who has read a greatdeal, and knows more of plants than you do. "

"Well, " said he, "I will do the same if I but get the chance. Can youtell what is the name of that huge tree on the right? See, there areballs on the bark. "

We went close to it, and found that these balls were of thick gum, whichthe sun had made quite hard. Fritz tried to pull one of them off, butfelt that it clung tight to the bark, though he could change its shapewith his warm hands. "Look, " said he, "I feel sure that this is theIN-DI-A RUB-BER which we used to clean our school books. " I took a pieceof it in my hand, and said, "To be sure it is. What shall we not findin this rich land?" I then told him how the men in the New World madeflasks of this gum, in which form it is sent to all parts of the world. "And I do not see why we should not make boots of it in the same way. Wehave but to fill a sock with sand, then put gum all round it, while in asoft state, till it is as thick as we need, then pour the sand out, and we shall have made a shoe or a boot that will at least keep out thedamp, and that is more than mine do just now. "

Not far from this we came to a bush, the leaves of which were strewnwith a white dust; and close by were two or three more in the samestate. I cut a slit in the trunk of one of these, and found it full ofthe white dust, which I knew by the taste to be SA-GO. We took all ofthis that we could get out of the tree, for it would add to our stock offood; and when our bags were full we laid them on the back of the ass, and set off to find our way back to The Nest. 

"Each day brings us fresh wealth, " said my wife; "but I think we mightnow try to add to our goods. " I knew that she had some fear lest weshould one day get lost in the woods, or meet with wild beasts, so I atonce said that we would now stay at home, at least for some days. 

My first work was to make some wax lights, for my wife could then mendour clothes at night, while we sat down to talk. This done, the nexttask they gave me was to make a churn. I took a large gourd, made asmall hole in the side, and cut out as much as I could, so as to leavebut the rind. In this I put the cream, laid a piece on the hole, andbound it up so that none could come out. The boys then held a cloth, andon it I put the gourd, which they rolled from side to side. They kept upthis game with great mirth for near an hour, when my wife took off thestring, and found that the churn had done its work well. 

As our sledge was not fit to use on rough roads, my next work was tomake a cart. I had brought a pair of wheels from the wreck, so that mytask did not prove a hard one. 

While I was thus at work, my wife and the boys took some of the fruittrees we had brought with us, and put them in the ground where theythought they would grow best. On each side of the path that led from TheNest to the Boy's Bridge they put a row of young nut trees. To make thepath hard we laid down sand from the sea shore, and then beat it downwith our spades. 

We were for six weeks at this and such like work. We were loth to spareany pains to make The Nest, and all that could be seen near it, lookneat and trim, though there were no eyes but our own to view the scene. 

One day I told my sons that I would try to make a flight of stairs inplace of the cane steps with rope sides, which were, to tell the truth, the worst part of our house. As yet we had not used them much, but therain would some day force us to keep in The Nest, and then we shouldlike to go up and down stairs with more ease than we could now climbthe rude steps. I knew that a swarm of bees had built their nest in thetrunk of our tree, and this led me to think that there might be a voidspace in it some way up. "Should this prove to be the case, " I said, "our work will be half done, for we shall then have but to fix thestairs in the tree round the trunk. " The boys got up and went to the topof the root to tap the trunk, and to judge by the sound how far up thehole went. But they had to pay for their want of thought; the wholeswarm of bees came out as soon as they heard the noise, stung theircheeks, stuck to their hair and clothes, and soon put them to flight. 

We found that Jack, who was at all times rash, had struck the bees' nestwith his axe, and was much more hurt by them than the rest. Ernest, whowent to his work in his slow way, got up to it last, and thus did notget more than a sting or two, but the rest were some hours ere theycould see out of their eyes. I took a large gourd, which had long beenmeant to serve for a hive, and put it on a stand, We then made a strawroof to keep it from the sun and wind, and as by this time it grew dark, we left the hive there for the night. 

Next day, the boys, whose wounds were now quite well, went with me tohelp to move the bees to the new home we had made for them. Our firstwork was to stop with clay all the holes in the tree but one throughwhich the bees were wont to go in to their nest. To this I put the bowlof a pipe, and blew in the smoke of the weed as fast as I could. Atfirst we heard a loud buzz like the noise of a storm afar off; but themore I blew my pipe the less grew the sound, till at last the bees werequite still. 

We now cut out a piece of the trunk, three feet square, and this gave usa full view of the nest. Our joy was great to find such a stock of wax, for I could see the comb reached far up the tree. I took some of thecomb, in which the bees lay in swarms, and put it by on the plank. 

We then put the gourd on the comb that held the swarm, and took carethat the queen bee was not left out. By these means we soon got a hiveof fine bees, and the trunk of the tree was left free for our use. 

We had now to try the length of the hole. This we did with a long pole, and found it reached as far up as the branch on which our house stood. 

We now cut a square hole in that side of the trunk next the sea shore, and made one of the doors that we had brought from the ship to fit inthe space. We then made the sides smooth all the way up, and with planksand the staves of some old casks, built up the stairs round a pole whichwe made fast in the ground. To do this we had to make a notch in thepole and one in the side of the trunk for each stair, and thus go upstep by step till we came to the top. Each day we spent a part of ourtime at what we could now call the farm, where the beasts and fowls werekept, and did odd jobs as well, so that we should not make too great atoil of the flight of stairs, which took us some six weeks to put up. 

One day Fritz caught a fine EA-GLE, which he tied by the leg to a branchof the tree, and fed with small birds. It took him a long while to tame, but in time he taught it to perch on his wrist, and to feed from hishand. He once let it go, and thought he would have lost it, but the birdknew it had a good friend, for it came back to the tree at night. Fromthat time it was left free, though we thought that some day its love ofwar and wild sports would tempt it to leave us for the rocks of the seashore, where Fritz had first found it. 

Each of my boys had now some pet to take care of, and, I may say, totease, for they all thought they had a fair right to get some fun out ofthe pets they could call their own; but they were kind to them, fed themwell, and kept them clean. 

In what I may term my spare time, which was when I left off work out ofdoors, I made a pair of gum shoes for each of my sons, in the way I hadtold Fritz it could be done. I do not know what we should have done hadwe not found the gum tree, for the stones soon wore out the boots wehad, and we could not have gone through the woods or trod the hard rockswith bare feet. 

By this time our sow had brought forth ten young pigs, and the hens hadeach a brood of fine chicks. Some we kept near us, but most of them wentto the wood, where my wife said she could find them when she had need touse them. 

I knew the time must now be near when, in this clime, the rain comesdown day by day for weeks, and that it would wash us out of The Nest ifwe did not make a good roof to our house. Then our live stock would needsome place where they could rest out of the rain. The thatch for TheNest was of course our first care; then we made a long roof of canes forour live stock, and on this we spread clay and moss, and then a thickcoat of tar, so that it was rain proof from end to end. This was held upby thick canes stuck deep in the ground, with planks made fast to themto form the walls, and round the whole we put a row of cask staves toserve for rails. In this way we soon had a barn, store room, and hayloft, with stalls for the cow, the ass, and what else we kept that hadneed of a place to live in. 

CHAPTER X. 

FRANK one day found some long leaves, to which, from their shape, hegave the name of sword leaves. These he brought home to play with, andthen, when he grew tired of them, threw them down. As they lay on thefloor, Fritz took some of them in his hand, and found them so limp, that he said he could plait them, and make a whip for Frank to drive thesheep and goats with. As he split them up to do this, I could not butnote their strength. This led me to try them, and I found that we hadnow a kind of flax plant, which was a source of great joy to my wife. 

"You have not yet found a thing, " she said, "that will be of more use tous than this. Go at once and search for some more of these leaves, and bring me the most you can of them. With these I can make you hose, shirts, clothes, thread, rope; in short, give me flax, and make me aloom and some frames, and I shall be at no loss for work when the raincomes. "

I could not help a smile at my wife's joy when she heard the name offlax; for there was still much to do ere the leaves could take the shapeof cloth. But two of the boys set off at once to try to find some moreof the flax. 

While they were gone, my wife, full of new life, and with some show ofpride, told me how I should make the loom by means of which she was toclothe us from head to foot. In a short time they came back, and broughtwith them a good load of the plant, which they laid at her feet. She nowsaid she would lay by all else till she had tried what she could make ofit. The first thing to be done was to steep the flax. To do this we tookthe plant down to the marsh, tied up in small bales, as they pack hempfor sale. The leaves were then spread out in the pond, and kept downwith stones, and left there in that state till it was time to take themout and set them in the sun to dry, when they would be so soft that wecould peel them with ease. It was two weeks ere the flax was fit forus to take out of the marsh. We spread it out on the grass in the sun, where it dried so quick that we took it home to The Nest the same day. It was then put by till we could find time to make the wheels, reels, and combs which my wife said that she would want to turn our new foundplant to its best use. 

We now made haste to lay up a store of canes, nuts, wood, and suchthings as we thought we might want; and took care, while it was stillfine, to sow wheat, and all the grain we had left in our bags was soonput in the ground. The fear that the rain might come and put a stop toour work led us to take our meals in haste, and to make the days as longas we could see. We knew the rain was close at hand, for the nights werecold; large clouds could be seen in the sky, and the wind blew as we hadnot felt it since the night our ship had struck on the rock. 

The great change came at last. One night we were woke up out of oursleep with the noise made by the rush of the wind through the woods, and we could hear the loud roar of the sea far off. Then the dense stormclouds which we had seen in the sky burst on us, and the rain came downin floods. The streams, pools, and ponds on all sides were soon full, and the whole plain round us met our view as one vast lake. By goodluck, the site of our house stood up out of the flood, and our group oftrees had the look of a small isle in the midst of the lake. 

We soon found that The Nest was not built so well as we thought, for therain came in at the sides, and we had good cause to fear that the windwould blow the roof off. Once the storm made such a rush at it that weheard the beams creak, and the planks gave signs that there was morestrain on them than they could bear. This drove us from our room to thestairs in the trunk, on which we sat in a state of fear till the worstof the storm was past. Then we went down to the shed we had built on theground at the root of the tree, and made the best shift we could. Allour stores were kept here, so that the space was too small to hold us, and the smell from the beasts made it far from a fit place for six of usto dwell in; but it was at least safe for a time, and this was of coursethe first thing to be thought of. To dress our food we had to make afire in the barn, and as there was no place to let out the smoke, it gotdown our throats and made us cough all the day long. 

It was now for the first time that my wife gave a sigh for her old Swisshome. But we all knew that it was of no use to grieve, and each set towork to do all he could to make the place look neat and clean. Some ofour stores we took up the stairs out of our way, and this gave us moreroom. As we had cut square holes in the trunk of the tree all the wayup, and put in frames of glass that we got from the ship, my wife couldsit on the stairs, with Frank at her feet, and mend our clothes. Eachday I drove from the barn such beasts as could bear to be out in therain. That we might not lose them, I tied bells round their necks; andif we found that they did not come back when the sun went down, Fritzand I went out to bring them in. We oft got wet through to the skin, which gave us a chill, and might have laid us up if my wife had not madecloth capes and hoods for us to wear. To make these rain proof, I spreadsome of the gum on them while hot, and this, when dry, had the look ofoil cloth, and kept the head, arms, chest, and back free from damp. Ourgum boots came far up our legs, so that we could go out in the rain andcome back quite free from cold and damp. 

We made but few fires, for the air was not cold, save for an hour or twolate at night, and we did not cook more than we could help, but ate thedried meat, fowls, and fish we had by us. 

The care of our beasts took us a great part of the day; then we made ourcakes and set them to bake in a tin plate on a slow fire. I had cut ahole in the wall to give us light, and put a pane of glass in it to keepout the wind, but the thick clouds hid the sun from the earth, and theshade of the tree threw a gloom round our barn, so that our day lightwas but short, and night came on far too soon. We then made use of ourwax lights, and all sat round a bench. My wife had as much as she couldwell do to mend the rents we made in our clothes. I kept a log, Inwhich I put down, day by day, what we did and what we had seen; andthen Ernest wrote this out in a neat, clear hand, and made a book of it. Fritz and Jack drew the plants, trees, and beasts which they had found, and these were stuck in our book. Each night we took it in turns to readthe Word of God, and then all knelt down to pray ere we went to bed. Ours was not a life of ease, it is true, but it was one of peace andhope; and we felt that God had been so kind to us that it would be agreat sin to wish for what it did not please Him to grant us. 

My wife did all she could to cheer us, and it was no strange thing forus to find that while we were out in the rain with the live stock, shehad made some new dish, which we would scent as soon as we put our headsin at the door. One night it was a thrush pie, the next a roast fowl, or some wild duck soup; and once in a while she would give us a grandfeast, and bring out some of all the good things we had in store. 

In the course of our stay in doors we made up our minds that we wouldnot spend the next time of storm and rain, when it should come round, inthe same place. The Nest would serve us well in that time of year whenit was fine and dry, but we should have to look out for some spot wherewe could build a house that would keep us from the rain the next timethe storms came. 

Fritz thought that we might find a cave, or cut one out of the rocks bythe sea shore. I told him that this would be a good plan, but would takea long while to do. By this time the boys were all well used to hardwork, and they thought they would much like to try their skill at somenew kind of work. 

"Well, " said I, "we will go to the rocks round Tent House the first fineday that comes, and try to find some place that will serve to keep usfrom the next year's storms. "

CHAPTER XI. 

I CAN not tell how glad we all were when we at last saw a change inthe sky, and felt once more the warm rays of the sun. In a few days thefloods sank in the earth, and left the ground of a bright green hue; theair grew warm and dry, and there were no more dark clouds to be seen inthe sky. 

We found our young trees had put forth new leaves, and the seed we hadsown had come up through the moist ground. The air had a fresh sweetsmell, for it bore the scent of the bloom which hung like snow flakes onthe boughs of the fruit trees; the songs and cries of the birds were tobe heard on all sides, and we could see them fly from tree to tree insearch of twigs to build their nests. This in fact was the spring of theyear, when all things put forth new life; and we knew that the time wasnow come when we could once more range the woods and till the soil, andthis made the boys leap for joy. 

Some planks had been blown off the roof of The Nest, and the rain hadgot in here and there; so our first job was to mend our house, and makeit fit to sleep in. 

This done, Jack, Fritz, and I set out to Tent House. We found it in asad state. The storm had thrown down the tent, blown off some of thesail cloth, and let in the rain on our casks, some of which held a storeof food. Our boat was still safe, but the raft of tubs had broken Lip, and what there was left of it lay in splints on the shore. 

Our loss in the storm had been so great that I felt we ought at once toseek for some place on the rocks where we could put what was left. 

We went all round the cliffs, in the hope that we might find a cave, butin vain. 

"There is no way but to hew one out of the rock", said Fritz, "we mustnot be beat. "

"Well said, Fritz, " said Jack; "we have each an axe. Why not try thiscliff at once?"

I gave them leave to try, and we soon set to work at the rock. From thisspot we had a good view of the whole bay, and could see both banks ofthe stream. 

With a piece of chalk I made a mark on the side of the cliff, to showthe width and height that the cave should be cut. Then each took an axeto try what kind of stuff our rock was made of. We found it a hard kindof stone; and, as we were not used to this sort of work, we had not donemuch when the time came for us to leave off. 

We came back next day, and got on with more speed, though we thoughtit would not take us less than six months to make the cave, if our workwere done at the same rate each day. 

At the end of five or six days we had got through the face of the rock, and we found the stone soft. In a day or two more we came to what wasbut hard clay, which gave way at a slight blow from the axe. 

"We need not fear now, " said I, "for we shall soon have a hole as largeas we want. "

With the earth we took out we made a ridge in front of the cliff. Theboys now got on so well, and dug so much out, that I had hard work tothrow up the earth on the bank. 

One day, as Jack stuck his pick in at the back of the cave, which wasnow more than eight feet from the front, a great mass of the rock fellin, and he cried out, "Look here! I have got through. "

"Through what?" said I. "Not through your hand, I hope. "

"No, no, but through the rock. "

At this, Fritz set up a loud laugh. 

"Why not say through the world at once, and push your crow bar in tillyou reach EU-ROPE, which, Ernest says, lies in a straight line from ourfeet. I should like to have a peep down, such a hole, for I might thusget a sight of our dear Swiss home. "

Fritz and I went up to the wall and found that Jack was right, for hehad come to a clear space. His first thought was to jump in; but as Iknew that there might be foul air in the cave, I would not let him riskhis life. 

The boys then set fire to some dry grass, and thrust it in the hole, butit went out at once, which was a sure sign that the air was not fit tobreathe. 

I knew that we had brought from the wreck a box full of fire works, which were used on board to make signs to ships far out at sea. I sentFritz to Tent House for these, though I thought that they might be toodamp to make use of. When he came back, I set light to some of them, and threw them in the hole. They flew round, and threw out a stream ofsparks that lit up the cave. When these were burnt out, we put in a heapof straw and threw a light on it. This was now soon in a blaze, and gaveus a clear view of the cave; but it was too deep for us to see the end. 

Our joy was so great that we sent Jack off home to The Nest to tell thegood news, and to bring back some wax lights. I did not deem it safe forus to go in the cave in the dark, for there might be pools or deep drypits in the ground. 

Fritz and I had just thrown up on the bank the last spade full of earththat had been dug out, when we heard a loud shout. We got up on the topof the cave, and saw that Jack had brought back a tribe at his heels. The large cart, drawn by the cow and the ass, came on at a slow pace, led by Jack on a black ox, and in it were my wife, Frank, and Ernest. 

By the help of a flint and steel I soon lit some of the wax lights, andgave one to each. I went in first and led the way, and the rest keptclose at my back. We had not gone on more than a few steps when we cameto a dead stop, struck with awe at the grand sight that met our view. The walls and roof of the cave were lit up, as it were, with star-likegems, while some hung down like glass drops from the roof, and some roseup from the ground at its sides like blocks of spar. I broke off a pieceand put it on my tongue. 

"What does it taste like?" said Jack. 

"I find, " said I, "that we are in a cave of rock salt. "

"We shall not have to scrape the rocks to get our salt now, " saidErnest, "for there is more here than would serve a whole town for alifetime. "

When we went back to The Nest that night we laid out a plan for our newhome, for there could be no doubt that the cave was the best place forus to dwell in, though we should still sleep in The Nest when we went onthat side of the stream. 

The next day we all set to work; the floor of the cave was quite smooth, and the walls dry, so that we could build at once. We first cut holes inthe sides of the rock to let in the light, and then brought frames andpanes of glass from The Nest, and put them in. We then brought all theplanks and wood we could find, and built a strong wall in the midst ofthe cave. On the right side of this wall we made three rooms, two ofwhich were to be used as bed rooms, and one to take our meals in. On theleft side was a room for my wife to cook in, one to work in, to whichwe gave the name of the shop, and a place with stalls in it for our livestock. At the back of these was a store house, where we could keep ourstock of food and the whole of our spare goods. 

I need not say that it took us some months to do all this, nor that wehad to toil hard day by day, from morn till night, ere we got to the endof our task; but the end did come at last, and then the joy we felt thatwe had done all this with our own hands more than paid us for our toil. 

CHAPTER XII. 

OUR fields near Tent House had by this time brought forth good crops ofwheat, maize, beans, and peas; but as the work of the Cave had for someweeks kept us on this side of the stream, we did not know in what statewe should find our crops at The Nest. 

One day we all set out for our old home. We found our corn fields of arich brown hue, and saw that the wheat was, for the most part, fit toreap. This, and a large patch of rye we cut down, and, as we did so, whole flocks of birds took to wing when we got near them, while quailswere seen to run off at the sight of our dogs, who had no lack of sportthat day. 

We laid by the seed that was quite ripe till the time should come for usto sow it, and put the rest in sacks. Some of the wheat was laid up insheaves till we should have time to beat out the grain. 

When we left The Nest for the Cave, we could not find the hand mill thatwe had brought from the ship. This now came to light, and we took careto pack it up to take with us, as we should want it to grind our corn. 

That night we slept once more in the great tree; but I must say that wedid not now sleep so sound there as we used to do, nor did we feel sosafe as we did in our rooms at Rock House. 

The next day we were to start a plan by means of which our live stockwould not want so much of our care. They had bred so fast that we couldwell spare some of them, and these I thought might be left in some placeto seek their own food, and yet be in reach should we want them. 

My wife took from her hen roost ten young fowls, and I took four youngpigs, four sheep, and two goats. These we put in our large cart, withsuch tools as we thought we should need, tied the black ox, the cow, andthe ass to the shafts, and then set off from The Nest. 

We had to cross a wide plain, and here we met with some dwarf plants onwhich, as Jack would have it, grew snow balls. 

Fritz ran to see what they were, and brought me a twig to which clungballs of snow white down. I held it up to show my wife, for I knew thesight would please her still more than her sons. 

"See, " said I, "this is the COT-TON plant, which you have oft tried tofind. It seems to grow here as thick as weeds, and, if I am a judge, itis of the best kind. "

We got as much of this as our bags would hold, and my wife took care topluck some of the ripe seed, that we might raise a crop in our groundsat Tent House. 

At the end of the plain we came to the brow of a high hill, from whichthe eye fell on a view the like of which we had not yet seen. Trees ofall kinds grew on the sides of the hill, and a clear stream ran throughthe plain at its base, and shone bright in the rays of the sun. 

We said at once that this should be the site of our new farm. Close bywe found a group of trees, the trunks of which, as they stood, would dofor the main props of the house. 

I had long had a mind to build a boat, and here I at last came on a treethat would suit. Fritz and I went for a mile or two in search of what wecould find, and by the time we came back my wife had put up our tent forthe night. We then all sat down to sup, and went to rest on beds made ofthe bags of the white down that we brought from the trees on the plain. 

The next day we rose at dawn. The trees which were to form the frame ofour farm house stood on a piece of land eight yards long by five wide. Imade a deep cut in each of the trunks, ten feet from the ground, and putup cross beams to form a roof, on which we laid some bark in such a waythat the rain would run off. 

We were hard at work for some days at the Farm House. The walls we builtof thin laths and long reeds, wove close for six feet from the ground, but the rest we made of thin cross bars to let in both light and air. Wemade racks to store bay and such like food for the live stock, and putby some grain for the fowls, for our plan was to come from time to timeto feed them, till they got used to the place. 

Our work took us more time than we thought; and as our store of food gotlow, we sent Fritz and Jack home to bring us a fresh stock, and to feedthe beasts we had left at Tent House. 

While they were gone, Ernest and I made a tour of the woods for somemiles round the new Farm. We first took the course of the stream thatran by the foot of the hill. Some way up we came to a marsh on the edgeof a small lake, and here in the swamp grew a kind of wild rice, nowripe on the stalk, round which flew flocks of birds. We shot five or sixof these, and I was glad to note the skill with which Ernest now usedhis gun. I took some of the rice, that my wife might judge how far itwas of use to us as food. 

We went quite round the lake, and saw plants and trees that were notknown to me, and birds that Ernest said he had not seen in any of thewoods near The Nest. But we were most struck with the sight of a pair ofblack swans, and a troop of young ones that came in their train. Ernestwould have shot at them, but I told him not to kill what we did not wantfor use. 

We did not get back till late in the day. Jack and Fritz, whom we metjust as we came round the foot of the bill, had done their task well, for they had a good stock of food in a sack that lay on the back of theass, and they brought the good news that all was well at home. 

We spent four more days at the Farm, and then left it in such a state asto be fit for our use when we chose to go back to it. 

The Farm House was but a part of our plan, for we had made up our mindsto build a sort of half way house, or cot, in which we could rest on ourway to the Farm. This took us six days to do. The spot we chose lay bythe side of a brook, and was just such a place as would tempt, one tostop and rest in the shade of the trees, that grew on the bank. While atthe brook, I made a boat out of the tree we found at the Farm, and tookit back with us to Tent House in the cart. 

We had still two months ere the rain would set in, and this left us timeto put the last touch to our cave. We laid the whole floor with clay, and spread on it some fine sand, which we beat down till it was quitesmooth and firm. On this we put sail cloth, and threw down goat's hairand wool made moist with gum. This was well beat, and, when dry, made akind of felt mat that was warm and soft to tread on, and would keep thedamp from our feet. 

By the time these works were done, our cave was in a fit state for usto dwell in. We did not now dread the rain, for we were safe out of itsreach, and there was no need that we should go out in it. We had a warmlight shop to work in by day, a snug place where we could take our mealsand dry bed rooms in which we could sleep in peace. Our live stock wekept in a shed at the back of the cave, and our store room held all thatwe could want. 

When the rain at length set in, we all had some task that kept us closeat work in the cave. My wife took her wheel or her loom, both of whichI had made for her, for this kind of work fell to her share from choice. By the help of the wheels of one of the ship's guns I had made a lathe, and with this I could turn legs for stools and chairs. Ernest, too, wasfond of the lathe, and soon learned to do such work quite as well as I. 

At dusk, when we had done our work for the day, we brought out our stockof books, and sat down to read by the light of a lamp. 

At times, Jack and Prank would play a tune on their flutes, which I hadmade out of reeds; and my wife, who had a sweet voice, would sing someof the old Swiss songs, that brought to our minds the joys of home. 

Though we were by no means dull, nor in want of work to fill up ourtime, we were glad when the time came for the rain to cease, and whenwe could gaze once more on the green fields. We went out the first fineday, and took a long walk by the base of the cliff. On the shore wefound a dead whale, which the sea had no doubt thrown up in the storm. We had long felt the need of oil; for though we had a lamp, we hadnaught but our wax lights to put in it, and these gave a poor light toread by. The next day we cut up the whale, and put the flesh in tubs. Itwas far from a clean job, for the oil ran down our clothes and made themsmell; but as we could change them for new ones, thanks to the hemp andmy wife's skill, we did not mind that, for the oil was now worth more tous than our clothes, though at one time we should not have thought so. 

One day we all set out on a tour to the Farm. Jack and Frank had goneon first, while my wife and I were as yet close to the Cave. All at oncethe boys came back, and Fritz said, "Look at that strange thing on itsway up the path. What can it be?"

I cast my eye on the spot and cried out, "Fly all of you to the Cave!fly for your lives!" for I saw it was a huge snake, or boa, that wouldmake a meal of one of us, if we did not get out of its way. 

We all ran in doors, and put bars up to the door of the Cave. A largedove cote had been made on the roof, and to this we got up through ahole in the rock. 

Ernest took aim with his gun, and shot at the snake, so did Fritz andJack, but it gave no sign that they had hit it. I then tried my skill, but it did not seem to feel my shot any more than theirs, though I wassure I must have struck its head. Just as we took aim at it once more, we saw it turn round and glide through the reeds in the marsh. 

Our fears kept us for three long days in the Cave. The snake gave nosign that could lead us to think it was still near, but the ducks andgeese had left the spot where their nests were, and this we knew to bea bad sign. On the fourth day I went to the door, with a view to let outsome of the beasts to graze, for we were short of food for them. The asswas just at my back, and as soon as it saw the light, made a rush to getout. Off it went, straight to the sands, with its heels in the air, butjust as it got to the marsh we saw the boa glide out from the reeds, part its wide jaws and make for its prey. The ass at once saw its foe, but stood still as if struck with fear, and in less time than I take totell it, our old friend was tight in the folds of the boa. 

This was a sad sight for all of us, yet we could not take our eyes offthe snake, but saw it crush the poor beast, and then gorge its prey. When it had put the whole of the ass out of sight, it lay down on thesand quite still, as if it had gone to sleep or died. 

"Now is the time to seal the fate of our foe, " said I to Fritz; andwith that we went out with our guns. When we got near, we both took astraight aim, and each put a ball in its head. This made it move with astart, and writhe as if in pain. 

"See how its eyes glare on us with rage. Now load your gun, and let usput a bit more lead in him. "

Our next shot went in his eyes. It then shook as with a strong spasm, and fell dead on the sand. 

A shout of joy brought my wife and the three boys to the spot. The stateof fear they had been kept in for three whole days had made them quiteill, but now the joy of Jack and Frank knew no bounds, for they leapedon the snake and beat it as if they would go mad. 

My wife said that the death of the boa took a great weight off her mind, for she thought it would lie in wait for us near the Cave, starve usout, and then kill us as it had done the poor ass. 

We slit up the snake, and took out the flesh of the ass, which the boyslaid in a grave near Tent House. The boa's skin we hung up at the doorof the Cave, over which Ernest wrote the words, "No ass to be foundhere, " which we all thought to be a good joke. 

One day late in the spring I went with my three sons a long way from theCave. My wife and Frank were left at our Half Way House, to wait till wecame back, but the dogs went with us. Our route lay far up the course ofa small stream, which had its source some miles north of the Farm House. The ground was new to us, but we could not well lose our way, for on theright stood a hill from which we could see the whole of the plain. 

Ernest had gone with one of the dogs to a cave that he had spied at thefoot of the hill, but we saw him turn round and run back with Turk athis heels. As soon as he thought his voice would reach us, he cried out, "A bear! A bear! come to my help!"

We could now see that there were two great beasts at the mouth of thecave. At a word from us both the dogs, flew to fight the bear that stoodin front. 

Fritz took up his post at my side, while Jack and Ernest kept in therear. Our first shot was "a miss, " as Jack said; but we took a sure aimthe next time, and both shots told. We would have let fly at them oncemore from this spot, but as we thought we might hit our brave dogs, whowere now in the heat of a hard fight with their foes, we ran up close tothem. 

"Now, Fritz, " said I, "take a straight aim at the head of the first, while I fire on the one at his back. "

We both shot at once; the bears gave a loud growl, and then, with amoan, fell dead at our feet. 

As it was now time to go back, we put the bears in the cave, but tookcare to cut off their paws, which form a dish fit to grace the feast ofa king. 

We had a long walk back to the place where I had left my wife. The boystold her what a hard fight the dogs had with the bears, and how Fritzand I had shot them, and then gave her the paws. With the aid of Frankshe had fed our live stock and brought in wood to make up our watch firefor the night, so we sat down to sup at once, and then went to rest. 

Next day we put our beasts to the cart and drove as far as the bear'sden. As we came near to the spot a flock of birds flew out of the mouthof the cave, two or three of which Fritz brought down with his gun. Ittook us the whole day to cut up the bears. The hams were laid by to besmoke dried; while my wife took charge of the fat and the skins. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

WE had now so much work to do, and the days and weeks came and went soquick, that I do not think we should have known the time of year had itnot been for our log. 

Some days were spent at the Cave, where we made our goods, ground ourflour, stored our food, and kept our tame live stock. Then we had totake care of our crops in the fields near The Nest, and this took us twoor three days in each month. Once in ten days at least we went to theFarm on the hill, and at the same time made a call at the Half WayHouse; so that there was not a day that we had not our hands quite full. Now and then we went out to hunt for sport or to add to our stock ofbeasts, which had grown so large that there were few we could name thathad not been caught and brought home. We had birds of the air, fowls ofthe land, and beasts of all kinds' from the great black ox of the plainto the small wild RAB-BIT that came and made its hole close by our cave. 

But there was one bird that we had not yet caught, though we had seenit two or three times in the woods. This was the OS-TRICH. Fritz found anest with some eggs in it, and this led us to make a tour with a view tocatch one of the old birds. We rose that day ere it was light, and setout at dawn, each on the back of a good steed. 

As we should have to hunt through the woods, my wife was left at home;and Ernest, who did not like rough work, chose to stay with her. We madeit a rule to take one of the dogs with us when we went out to hunt, buton this day we thought it wise to let them both come. 

Fritz took us straight to where he had seen the nest, which was not morethan a few miles up the stream. When we came in sight of the spot, wesaw four great birds, as if on their way to meet us. As they drew nearwe kept the dogs well in, and made no noise, so that they did not stoptill they came near us. 

Fritz had brought his Ea-gle with him, which he now let fly. At oneswoop the bird came down on the head of the Os-trich, held on with itsbeak, and struck out its wings with great force, as if to stun it. 

We now rode up close to the scene of war. Jack first flung a cord roundthe legs of the bird, which made it fall to the ground. I then threw mypouch on its head, and, strange to say, it lay down as still as a lamb. 

I now tied both its legs with cords, but left it just room to walk. Wethen made it fast to the two bulls that had brought Jack and Frank allthe way from home, and put one of them on each side. They next got up ontheir steeds, and I took the pouch from the head of the bird. As soon asit could see, it gave a wild stare, and then fought to get free. 

The boys then put spurs to the flanks of their steeds, and when the birdhad made a few starts back, as if to try the strength of the cords whichheld it, it set off with a run, and the bulls at each side made it keepup a smart pace. 

Fritz and I now went in search of the nest, which we soon found. I tookthe eggs from it and put them in a bag I had brought to hold them, inwhich I put some wool and moss, so that they should not break. 

It did not take us long to get up to the two boys, who had gone onfirst, and we were glad to find that the poor bird had made up its mindto its fate, and kept up well with the pace of the bulls. 

When we got in sight of home, my wife and Ernest, who had been on thelook out for us, came forth to meet us; and the strange way in which webrought home our new prize made them laugh. I need not say that we tookgreat care of it. 

The next day we built it a house, with a space in front for it to walkup and down, round which were put rails, so that it could not get out. At first it was shy, and would not take any food, so that we had toforce some balls of maize down its throat; but in a short time it tookgrain from the hands of my wife, and soon grew quite tame. 

The boys now set to work to break it in for use. They taught it firstto bear them on its back. Then they put a pair of string reins in itsmouth, and made it turn which way they chose to pull, and to walk, orrun, or stand still, as it was bid. Thus, in a month from the time wecaught it, the boys made it take them on its back to and from the Farmor The Nest, in less than half the time an ox would go; so that it cameto be the best steed we had to ride on. 

The eggs we found in the nest were put in a warm dry place, and thoughwe scarce thought our care would bring live birds out of the shells, we had the joy to hatch three of them, and this led us to hope that weshould ere long have a steed for each of our sons. 

My work at this time was by no means light. Our hats and caps were allworn out, and with skins of the musk cat I had to make new ones. Thebears' skins were laid in the sun to dry, and of these we made furcoats, which would keep us warm when the cold wet nights came round, andthere were some left to serve as quilts or rugs for our beds. 

I now tried my hand at a new craft. I dug some clay out of the bed ofthe stream, and taught the boys to knead it up with sand, and some talcthat had been ground as fine as road drift. I had made a lathe with awheel, and by its aid the clay left my bands in the shape of plates, cups, pots, and pans. We then burnt them in a rude kiln, and though atleast one half broke with the heat and our want of skill, still thosethat came out whole more than paid me for my toil, and kept up my wife'sstock of delf. Some of the jars were set round with red and blue beads, and these were put on a shelf as works of art, and kept full of longdried grass. 

The time was now at hand when we must reap our grain and store the ripecrops that were still on the ground; and, in fact, there was so much tobe done, that we scarce knew what to do first. The truth must be toldthat our wants did not keep pace with the growth of our wealth, for theland was rich, and we had but a few mouths to fill. 

We knew that we might leave the roots in the ground for some time, asthe soil was dry, but that the grain would soon spoil; so we made thecorn our first care. When it was all cut and brought home, our next taskwas to thresh it. The floor of our store room was now as hard as a rock, for the sun had dried it, and there was not a crack to be seen. On thiswe laid the ears of ripe corn, from which the long straw had been cut, and sent the boys to bring in such of our live stock as were fit for thework to be next done. 

Jack and Fritz were soon on the backs of their steeds, and thought itfine fun to make them course round the floor and tread out the grain. Ernest and I had each a long fork, with which we threw the corn at theirfeet, so that all of it might be trod on. The ox on which Jack sat putdown his head and took a bunch of the ears in his mouth. 

"Come, " said Jack, "it is not put there for you to eat, off you go!" andwith that he gave it a lash with his whip. 

"Nay, " said I, "do you not know what God has said in his Word? We mustnot bind up the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. This bringsto my mind the fact that the means we now take to thresh our wheat werethose used by the Jews in the days of old. "

To sort the chaff from the grain we threw it up with our spades whilethe land or sea breeze blew strong. The draught which came in at thedoor took the light chaff with it to one side of the room, while thegrain fell straight to the ground by its own weight. 

The maize we left to dry in the sun, and then beat out the grain withlong skin thongs. By this means we got a store of the soft leaves ofthis plant, which my wife made use of to stuff our beds. 

When all the grain had been put in our store room, some in sacks and therest in dry casks, we took a walk one day to our fields, and found thatflocks of birds, most of which were quails, had come there to feed. Thisgave us a fine day's sport with our guns, and the next year we did notfail to look for them, so that the fields were made to yield a stock ofgame as well as a crop of grain. 

With but slight change in our mode of life, we spent ten long years inour strange home. Yet the time did not seem long to us. Each day broughtwith it quite as much work as we could do, so that weeks and months andyears flew past, till at last we gave up all hope that we should leavethe isle or see our old Swiss home, the thought of which was still dearto us. 

But the lapse of ten years had wrought a great change in our sons. Frank, who was but a mere child when we first came, had grown up to bea strong youth; and Jack was as brave a lad as one could wish to see. Fritz, of course, was now a young man, and took a large share of thework off my hands. Ernest had just come of age, and his shrewd mode ofthought and great tact was as great a help to us as was the strength andskill of the rest. 

To crown all, it was a rare thing for them to be ill; and they were freefrom those sins which too oft tempt young men to stray from the rightpath. My wife and I did our best to train them, so that they might knowright from wrong; and it gave us great joy to find that what we toldthem sunk deep in their hearts, and, like ripe seed sown in rich soil, brought forth good fruit. 

I need not say that in the course of ten years we had made great stridesin those arts which our wants had first led us to learn. When we firstcame the land near Tent House was a bare waste; now it bore fine crops, and was kept as neat as a Swiss farm. At the foot of the hill by theside of Rock Cave was a large plot of ground, which we laid out in beds, and here we grew herbs and shrubs, and such plants as we used for food. Near this we dug a pond, and by means of a sluice which led from thestream, we kept our plants fresh in times of drought. Nor was this thesole use we made of the pond; for in it we kept small fish and crabs, and took them out with a rod and line when we had need of food, and timeto spare for that kind of sport. In the ground round the mouth of theCave we drove a row of strong canes, bound at the top to a piece ofwood, so as to form a fence, up which grew a vine, and, at each side, plants that threw a good show of gay bloom crept up to meet it. Shellsof great size and strange shapes were got from the shore, and these webuilt up here and there with burnt clay, so as to form clumps of rockwork, on which grew ferns and rare plants. All this gave a charm to ourhome, and made the grounds round it a source of joy when, we laid by ourwork for the day. In fact, we thought there was now scarce a thing towish for that we had not got. 

Our cares were few, and our life was as full of joy and peace as wecould well wish; yet I oft cast a look on the sea, in the hope thatsome day I should spy a sail, and once more greet a friend from the wideworld from which we had been so long shut out. This hope, vague as itwas, led me to store up such things as would bring a price, if we hadthe chance to sell them; they might prove a source of wealth to us if aship came that way, or would at least help to pay the charge of a cruiseback to the land we came from. 

It is but just to say that the boys did not share my hopes, nor did theyseem to wish that we should leave the place where they had been broughtup. It was their world, and the cave, to which we gave the name RockHouse, was more dear to them than any spot on the earth. 

"Go back!" Fritz would say; "to leave our cave, that we dug with our ownhands; to part with our dear kind beasts and birds; to bid good-by toour farms, and so much that is our own, and which no one in the worldwants. No, no! You can not wish us to leave such a spot. "

My dear wife and I both felt that age would soon creep on us, and wecould not help some doubts as to the fate of our sons. Should we stayand end our days here, some one of us would out-live the rest, and thisthought came oft to my mind, and brought with it a sense of dread Icould not get rid of. It made me pray to God that He would save us allfrom so dire a fate as to die far from the sound of the voice of man, with no one to hear our last words, or lay us in the earth when Heshould call us to our rest. 

My wife did not share this dread. "Why should we go back?" she wouldsay. "We have here all that we can wish for. The boys lead a life ofhealth, free from sin, and live with us, which might not be the case ifwe went out in the world. Let us leave our fate in the hands of God. "

CHAPTER XIV. 

As Fritz and Ernest were now men, they were of course free to go wherethey chose, and to come back when their will led them home. Thus, fromtime to time they took long trips, and went far from Rock House. Theyhad fine boats and strong steeds, and of these they made such good usethat there was scarce a spot for leagues round that was not well knownto them. 

At one time, Fritz had been so long from home that we had a dread lesthe should have lost his way, or fallen a prey to wild beasts. When hecame back he told us a long tale of what he had seen and where he hadbeen, and how he had brought with him birds, beasts, moths, and suchstrange things as he thought Ernest would like to see. When he had done, he drew me out into our grounds and said he had a strange thing to tellme. It seems that he found a piece of white cloth tied to the foot of abird which he had struck down with a stick, on which were these words:"Save a poor soul, who is on the rock from which you may see the smokerise. "

He thought that this rock could not be far off, and that he ought to setoff at once in search of it. 

"I have a thought, " said he; "I will tie a piece of cloth, like that Ifound, to the leg of the bird, and on it I will write, 'Have faith inGod: help is near. ' If the bird goes back to the place from whence itcame, our brief note may reach the eye of the lone one in the rock. Atany rate, it can do no harm, and may do some good. "

He at once took the bird, which was an AL-BA-TROSS, tied the strip ofcloth to its foot, and let it go. 

"And now, " said he, "tell me what you think of this. If we should, finda new friend, what a source of joy it will be. Will you join me in thesearch?"

"To be sure I will, " said I; "and so shall the rest; but we will not yettell them of this. "

They were all glad to take a trip in the large boat, but they could notmake out why we went in such haste. 

"The fact is, " said Jack, "Fritz has found some queer thing on the coastthat he can't bring home, and wants us to see it. But I dare say weshall know what it all means in good time. "

Fritz was our guide, and went first in his bark boat, or CA-NOE. In thishe could go round the rocks and shoals that girt the coast, which wouldnot have been safe for the large boat. He went up all the small creekswe met with on the way, and kept a sharp look-out for the smoke by whichhe would know the rock we came out to find. 

I must tell you that once when he came to these parts with Ernest he metwith a TI-GER, and would have lost his life had it not been for his petEa-gle. The brave bird, to save Fritz from the beast, made a swoop downon its head. Fritz thus got off with a scratch or two, but the poor birdwas struck dead by a blow from the paw of its foe. This was a sad lossto Fritz, for his pet had been a kind friend, and would go with him atall times when he went far from home. 

There was scarce a spot we came to that did not bring to the mind ofone of us some such tale as this, so that we were full of talk while theboat bore us on. 

We had been out some days, but could find no trace of what we went insearch. I rose from my berth at dawn, and went on deck with Fritz. Itold him that as we had no clue to the place, we must now give up thesearch. He did not seem to like this, but no more was said. That day wespent on shore, and came back to our boat to sleep at night. Next day wewere to change our course, and trace our way back, for the wind now blewfrom the sea. 

When I went on deck next day I found a short note from Fritz, in whichhe told me that he could not give up the search, but had gone some wayup the coast in his small boat. "Let me beg of you, " he wrote, "to liein wait for me here till I come back. "

When he had been gone two days, I felt that I ought to tell my wife thecause of our trip, as it might ease her mind, and she now had some fearlest her son should not be safe. She heard me to the end, and then saidthat she was sure he would not fail, but soon bring back good news. 

As we were all on the look-out for Fritz, we saw his boat a long wayoff. 

"There is no one with him in the boat, " said I to my wife; "that doesnot say much for our hopes. "

"Oh, where have you been?" said the boys, all at once, as he came onboard. But they scarce got a word from him. He then drew me on one side, and said, with a smile of joy, "What do you think is the news I bring?"

"Let me hear it, " said I. 

"Then I have found what I went forth to seek, and our search has notbeen in vain. "

"And who is it that you have found?"

"Not a man, " he said, "but a girl. The dress she wears is that of a man, and she does not wish at first that her sex should be known to more thatwe can help, for she would not like to meet Ernest and the rest in thatstate, if they knew that she was a girl. And, strange to tell, " saidFritz, "she has been on shore three years. "

While I went to tell the news to my wife, Fritz had gone down to hisberth to change his clothes, and I must say that he took more care tolook neat in his dress than was his wont at home. 

He was not long, and when he came on deck he bid me say no word to therest of whom he had found. He leaped like a frog in to his light craft, and led the way. We were soon on our course through the rocks andshoals, and an hour's sail, with the aid of a good breeze, brought us toa small tract of land, the trees of which hid the soil from our view. 

Here we got close in to the shore, and made our bark safe. We all gotout, and ran up the banks, led by the marks that Fritz had made in thesoil with his feet. We soon found a path that led to a clump of trees, and there saw a hut, with a fire in front, from which rose a stream ofsmoke. 

As we drew near I could see that the boys did not know what to make ofit, for they gave me a stare, as if to ask what they were to see next. They did not know how to give vent to their joy when they saw Fritz comeout of the hut with a strange youth, whose slight make, fair face, andgrace of form, did not seem to match well with the clothes that hungupon his limbs. 

It was so long since we had seen a strange face, that we were all lothto speak first. When I could gain my speech I took our new friend by thehand, and told her in words as kind as I could call to my aid, how, gladwe were to have thus found her. 

Fritz, when he bade Ernest and Jack shake bands with her, spoke of ournew friend as James, but she could not hide her sex from my wife, forher first act was to fall on her breast and weep. The boys were not slowto see through the trick, and made Fritz tell them that "James" was notthe name they should call her by. 

I could not but note that our strange mode of life had made my sonsrough, and that years of rude toil had worn off that grace and easewhich is one of the charms of well-bred youth. 

I saw that this made the girl shy of them, and that the garb she worebrought a blush to her cheek. I bade my wife take charge of her, andlead her down to the boat, while the boys and I stood a while to speakof our fair guest. 

When we got on board we sat down to hear Fritz tell how he came to findMiss Jane, for that was her real name; but he had not told half his talewhen he saw my wife and her new friend come up on deck. She still had ashy look, but as soon as she saw Fritz she held out her hand to him witha smile, and this made us feel more at our ease. 

The next day we were to go back to our home, and on the way Fritz was totell us what he knew of Miss Jane, for his tale had been cut short whenshe came on the deck with my wife. The boys did all they could to makeher feel at home with them, and by the end of the day they were the bestof friends. 

The next day we set sail at sun rise; for we had far to go, and the boyshad a strange wish to hear Fritz tell his tale. 

When the boat had made a fair start, we all sat down on the deck, withJane in our midst, while Fritz told his tale to the end. 

Jane Rose was born in IN-DI-A. She was the child of one Cap-tain Rose, whose wife died when Jane was but a babe in arms. When ten years of agehe sent her to a first class school, where she was taught all that wasfit for the child of a rich man to know. In course of time she couldride a horse with some skill, and she then grew fond of most of thefield sports of the East. As the Captain had to go from place to placewith his troops, he thought that this kind of sport would train her forthe mode of life she would lead when she came to live with him. But thiswas not to be, for one day he told Jane that he must leave the East, and take home the troops. As it was a rule that no girl should sail ina ship with troops on board, he left her to the care of a friend who wasto leave near the same time. He thought fit that she should dress in thegarb of a young man while at sea, as there would then be no need forher to keep in her berth, and he knew that she was strong and brave, andwould like to go on deck, and see the crew at their work. It gave theCaptain pain to part with his child, but there was, no help for it. 

The ship had been some weeks at sea, when one day a storm broke overit, and the wind drove it for days out of its course. The crew did theirbest to steer clear of the rocks, but she struck on a reef and sprung aleak. The boats then put off from the wreck, but a wave broke over theone in which Jane left, and she was borne, half dead with fright, to theplace where we found her. She had been thrown high up on the beach, andthough faint and sick, got out of the reach of the waves. She did notknow if those who were in the boat with her had lost their lives, butshe had seen no trace of them since. 

When she had strength to walk, she found some birds' eggs and shellfish, which she ate, and then went in search of some safe place whereshe could rest for the night. By good chance she had a flint and aknife; with these she set light to some dry twigs, and made a fire, which she did not once let out till the day she left. Her life was atfirst hard to bear, but she was full of hope that some day a ship wouldcome near the shore, to which she could make signs for help. The wildsports of the East in which she took part had made her strong of limb, and she had been taught to make light of such things as would vex mostof her sex. 

She built a hut to sleep in, and made snares to catch birds. Some ofthem she made use of for food, and some she let go with bits of clothtied to their legs, on which she wrote words, in the hope that theymight meet the eye of some one who could help her. This, as we knew, hadled Fritz to make his search, the end of which had brought as much joyto us as to the young friend who now sat in our midst. 

When Fritz had told us this, and much more, we came in sight of SafeBay. He then took Ernest with him in his small boat, and left us to goup the stream as fast as he could to Rock House, so as to make the placelook neat by the time we brought home our guest. The two boys--for to usthey were still boys--met us on the beach. Fritz, with a look of pride, gave his hand to Jane, and I could see a slight blush rise to her cheekas she gave him hers. He then led her up the path, on each side of whichgrew a row of young trees, and took her to a seat in our grounds. Therehe and Ernest had spread out a feast of our best food--fish, fowls, andfruit, and some of my wife's choice jam--whilst our burnt clay platemade a great show on the board, for it was set out with some taste. Wehad a wish to show Jane that, though the coast was a wild kind of place, still there were means to make life a joy to those who dwelt on it, ifthey chose to use them. As for Jane, the sight of our home, the styleof our feast, and the kind words of the boys, were things so new to her, that she knew not what to say. 

"I shall tell no more than the truth, " she said, "when I say that whatyou have shown me is of far more worth than all the wealth I have seenin the East, and that I feel more joy this day than I have felt in allthe days of my life. I can use no terms less strong than these to showhow much I thank you. "

This was just the kind of speech to please the boys, for there had beenno one to praise their work till now. When the meal was done, my wifebrought out some of her best wine, and we drank to the health of ourguest in great state, and with loud cheers. We then made a tour of ourhouse and grounds, that Jane might see the whole of the place that fromthis time she was to make her home. It would take me a long time to tellwhat she thought of all she saw, or the neat things she said in praiseof our skill, as we took her from place to place. My wife's room, inwhich were kept the pots and pans to dress our food, and the plates, bowls, and cups, out of which we ate, took her some time to view; forshe had long felt the want of such things as she now saw we had made forour own use out of what we could find. 

The next day we all went to The Nest, and when the rainy season cameround, Jane knew the place quite as well as we did. My wife found inher a true friend, for she soon took a large share of the work offher hands, and did it with so much skill, and with so strong a wish toplease us, that we grew to love her as if she had been our own child. 

When the time came for us to keep in doors from the rain, the boys wouldoft lay by their work, and sit to hear Jane talk of what she had seen inthe East, and Ernest and Fritz would read to her by turns such books asshe might choose. I was glad to see that this wrought a great change inmy sons, whose mode of life had made them rough in their ways and loudin their speech--faults which we did not think of so long as there wasno one to see or hear them. 

When the spring came, the boys went in our boat to the spot where theyhad found Jane, which we now knew by the name of "Jane's Isle, " andbrought back some beans, which were new to them. These we found to beCOF-FEE. Jane told us that they were by no means scarce, but that shehad not made use of them, as she knew no way to roast or grind thebeans, which she found in a green state. 

"Do you think, " said my wife, "that the plant would grow here?"

I then thought for the first time how fond she was of it. There had beensome bags on board the ship, but I had not brought them from the wreck;and my wife had once said that she would like to see the plant in ourground. Now that we knew where to get it, she told me that it was one ofthe few things that she felt the loss of. When the boys heard this, theyset out on a trip to Jane's Isle, and while there they went to the spotwhere she had dwelt for so long, and sought for what things she had leftwhen she came to live with us. 

All these were brought to Rock, House, and I may tell you that Fritz setgreat store by them. There were all sorts of odd clothes, which she hadmade of the skin of the sea calf; fish lines wrought out of the hair ofher head; pins made from the bones of fish; a lamp made out of a shell, with a wick of the threads which she had drawn from her hose. There werethe shells she used to cook her food in; a hat made from the breast of alarge bird, the tail of which she had spread out so as to shade her neckfrom the sun; belts, shoes, and odd things of a like kind. 

My wife, who had now a friend of her own sex to talk with, did not feeldull when the boys left us for a time, so they had leave to roam wheretheir wish led them, and to stay as long as they chose. In the courseof time they knew the whole of the isle on which we dwelt. Ernest drewa map of it to scale, so that we could trace their course from placeto place with ease. When they went for a long trip they took some doveswith them, and these birds brought us notes tied to their wings fromtime to time, so that we knew where they were, and could point out thespot on the map. 

I will not dwell on what took place now for some time, for I find thateach year was very much like the last. We had our fields to sow, ourcrops to reap, our beasts to feed and train; and these cares kept ourhands at work, and our minds free from the least thought of our lonemode of life. 

I turn to my log as I write this, and on each page my eye falls on something that brings back to my mind the glad time we spent at Rock House. 

CHAPTER XV. 

IN the spring time of the year, when the rain was past, Fritz and Jackset off on a trip in their boat to Shark Isle. The day was fine, the skyclear, and there was no wind, yet the waves rose and fell as in a storm. 

"See!" cried Jack, "here comes a shoal of whales. They will eat us up. "

"There is no fear of that, " said Fritz; "whales will do us no harm, ifwe do not touch them. " This proved to be the case. Though any one ofthem might have broken up the boat with a stroke of its tail, they didnot touch it, but swam by in a line, two by two, like a file of troops. 

On Shark Isle, near the shore, we had thrown up a mound, and built afort, on which were set two of the ship's guns. These the boys made arule to fire off, with a view to let us know that they were safe, andto try if the guns were still fit for use. This time they found theircharge quite dry, and the guns went off with a loud bang. 

They had just put a plug in the hole of one of the guns, to keep out thewet, when they heard a sound roll through the air. 

"Did you bear that?" said Jack. "I am sure that noise must have comefrom some ship at sea. Let us fire once more. "

But Fritz thought they ought to go home at once and tell me what theyhad heard. They both ran to the boat with all speed, and put out theirstrength to reach home ere the sun went down. 

The day was fine, and as the rain had kept us in doors for two months, we were glad to go down on the beach for a change. All at once I sawthe boys come up the stream in their boat, at a great speed, and the waythey used their sculls led me to think that all was not right. 

"What have you seen, that should thus put two brave youths to flight?"said I. 

Then they told me what had brought them back so soon. I had heard thesound of the two guns which they had fired off, but no more. I toldthem I thought their ears must be at fault, and that the sounds theyhad heard were no more than those of their own guns, which the hills hadsent back through the air. This view of the case did not at all pleasethem, as by this time they well knew what sounds their guns made. 

"It will be a strange thing, " said I, "if the hope to which I have solong clung should at last come to be a fact; but we must have a carethat we do not hail a ship the crew of which may rob and kill us for thesake of our wealth. I feel that we have as much cause to dread a foe aswe have grounds of hope that we may meet with friends. "

Our first course was to make the cave quite safe, and then to mountguard where we could see a ship if one should come near the coast. Thatnight the rain came down in a flood, and a storm broke over us, and wewere thus kept in doors for two days and two nights. 

On the third day I set out with Jack to Shark Isle, with a view to seekfor the strange ship which he said he knew must be in some place notfar from the coast. I went to the top of a high rock, but though my eyeswept the sea for miles round, I could see no signs of a sail. I thenmade Jack fire three more shots, to try if they would give the samesound as the two boys had heard. You may judge how I felt, when I heardone! two! three! boom through the air. 

There was now no room for doubt that, though I could not see it, theremust be a ship near Shark's Isle. Jack heard me say this with greatglee, and cried out, "What can we now do to find it?"

We had brought a flag with us, and I told Jack to haul this up twice tothe top of the staff, by means of which sign those who saw it would knowthat we had good news to tell them. 

I then left Jack on the fort with the guns, and told him to fire as soonas a ship hove in sight. I bent my way at once back to Rock House, totalk with my wife, Jane, and the boys, as to what steps we should nowtake. They all met me on the beach, and made me tell them the news whileI was still in the boat. 

"We know no more, " said I, "than the fact that there is still a shipon the coast. You must all now keep in doors, while Fritz and I go insearch of it. "

We set off at noon, and went straight to the west part of the coast, where we thought the sound must have come from. We knew a cape therefrom which we could get a good view of the sea, and by the side of whichlay a small bay. 

When we got round the cape, great was our joy to find a fine ship inthe bay. It was not far off from us, for we could see the ENG-LISH flagfloat in the breeze from one of its masts. I seek in vain to find wordsby means of which I can set forth in print what I then felt. Both Fritzand I fell on our knees and gave thanks to God that He had thus led theship to our coast. If I had not held him back, Fritz would have goneinto the sea with a leap and swum off to the ship. 

"Stay, " said I, "till we are quite sure what they are. There are bad menon the seas who put up false flags to lure ships out of their course, and then rob and kill the crew. "

We could now see all that took place on board. Two tents had been setup on the shore, in front of which was a fire; and we could see thatmen went to and fro with planks. There were two men left on guard onthe deck of the ship, and to these we made signs. When they saw us theyspoke to some one who stood near, and whom we thought had charge of theship. He then put his glass up to his eye and took a good view of usthrough it. 

We did not at first like to go too near, but kept our boat some way off. Fritz said he could see that the faces of the men were not so dark asour own. 

"If that be the case, " said I, "we are safe, and we may trust theirflag. "

We both sang a Swiss song, and then I cried out at the top of my voicethese words: "Ship ahoy! good men!" But they made no sign that theyheard us. Our song, our boat, and, more than all, our dress, made themno doubt guess that we were wild men of the wood; for at last one ofthe crew on board held up knives and glass beads, which I knew the wildtribes of the New World were fond of. This made us laugh, but we wouldnot as yet draw nigh to the ship, as we thought we ought to meet our newfriends in our best trim. 

We then gave a shout and a wave of the hand, and shot off round the capeas fast as our boat would take us. We soon got back to Rock House, whereour dear ones were on the look-out for us. My wife said we had donequite right to come back, but Jane thought we should have found out whothey were. 

That night none of us slept well; our guest thought there might now bea chance for her to reach her home, and she dreamed she heard thewell-known voice of her sire call her to come to him. The boys were halfcrazed with vague hopes, and lay for hours ere they went to sleep. Mywife and I sat up late to think and talk of the use that might be madeof this chance. We felt that we were now full of years, and should notlike in our old age to leave the place where we had spent the best partof our lives; still we might do some trade with the land from which theship came, if it were but known that we were here, and we might hearnews of our dear Swiss home. 

At break of day we put on board our boat a stock of fruit and freshfood of all kinds, such as we thought the crew of the ship would like tohave, and Fritz and I set sail for the bay. We took with us all the armswe could find, so as not to be at a loss should the crew prove false totheir flag, and turn out to be a set of thieves. 

As we drew near the ship I fired a gun, and told Fritz to hoist a flaglike theirs to the top of our mast, and as we did so the crew gave aloud cheer. I then went on board, and the mate of the ship led me to hischief, who soon put me at my ease by a frank shake of the hand. I thentold him who we were, and how we came to dwell on the isle. I learnedfrom him, in turn, that he was bound for New South Wales; that he knewCaptain Rose, who had lost his child, and that he had made a search forher on the coast. He told me that a storm had thrown him off his course, and that the wind drove him on this coast, where he took care to fillhis casks from a fresh stream that ran by the side of a hill, and totake in a stock of wood. 

"It was then, " he said, "that we first heard your guns; and when on thethird day the same sound came to our ears, we knew that there must besome one on the coast, and this led us to put up our tents and wait tillthe crew should search the land round the bay. "

I then made the crew a gift of what we had brought in our boat, and saidto Captain Stone, for that was his name: "I hope, sir, that you will nowgo with me to Rock House, the place where we live, and where you willsee Miss Rose, who will be glad to hear some news of home. "

"To be sure I will, and thank you much, " said he; "and I have no doubtthat Mr. West would like to go with us. " This Mr. West was on his way, with his wife and two girls, to New South Wales, where he meant to builda house and clear a piece of land. 

We all three then left the ship in our boat, and as we came in sight ofShark Isle, Jack, who was on the fort, fired his guns. 

When we came to the beach, my wife and the rest were there to meetus. Jane was half wild with joy when she heard that Captain Stone hadbrought her good news from home. 

We led them round our house and through the grounds and Mr. West tooknote of all he saw. When we came to talk, I found that he had made uphis mind to stay with us. I need not say how glad I was to hear this, for he had brought out with him a large stock of farm tools, of which wehad long been in want. 

The boys were of course in high glee at all this, but I did not sharetheir joy so much as I could wish. The ship which now lay close to ourshore was the first we had seen since we came to the isle, and no onecould tell when the next might come. My wife and I did not wish toleave. I had a love for the kind of life we led, and we were both at anage when ease and rest should take the place of toil. But then our sonswere young--not yet in the prime of life--and I did not think it rightthat we should keep them from the world. Jane, I could tell, would notstay with us, nor did she hide from us the fact that her heart drew herto the dear one at home, from whom she had been kept so long. So I toldmy wife that I would ask my boys to choose what they would do--to staywith us on the isle, or leave with Captain Stone in the ship. 

Fritz and Jack said they would not leave us; Ernest spoke not a word, but I saw that he had made up his mind to go. I did not grieve at this, as I felt that our isle was too small for the scope of his mind, and didnot give him the means to learn all he could wish. I told him to speakout, when he said he should like to leave the place for a few years, andhe knew Frank had a wish to go with him. 

I thought this would give my wife pain, but she said that the boys hadmade a good choice, and that she knew Ernest and Frank would make theirway in the world. 

Captain Stone gave Jane, Ernest, and Frank leave to go with him, asthere was room in the ship now that the Wests were to stay with us. 

The ship was brought round to Safe Bay, and Fritz and Jack went on boardto fetch Mrs. West and her two girls, who were glad to find that theywere not to go back to the ship, for the storm had made them dread thesea. 

I may here say, by the way, that my wife soon found that her two sonsgrew fond of their fair friends, and gave me a hint that some day weshould see them wed, which would be a fresh source of joy to us. 

I have not much more to tell. The stores I had laid up--furs, pearls, spice, and fruits--were put on board the ship, and left to the care ofmy sons, who were to sell them. And then the time came for us to part. Ineed not say that it was a hard trial for my wife; but she bore up well, for she had made up her mind that it was all for the best, and that hersons would some day come back to see her. I felt, too, that with thehelp of our new friends, we should not miss them so much as we at firstthought, and this we found to be the case. 

As the next day my boys were to leave me, I had a long talk with them. Itold them to act well their part in the new sphere in which they were tomove, and to take as their guide the Word of God. They then knelt downfor me to bless them, and went to their beds in Rock House for the lasttime. 

I got no sleep all that night, nor did the two boys, who were to startthe next day. 

As Ernest takes this Tale with him--which I gave him leave to print, that all may know how good God has been to us--I have no time to addmore than a few words. 

The ship that is to take from us our two sons and our fair guest willsail from this coast in a few hours, and by the close of the day threewho are dear to us will have gone from our midst. I can not put downwhat I feel, or tell the grief of my poor wife. 

I add these lines while the boat waits for my sons. May God grant themhealth and strength for the trials they may have to pass through; maythey gain the love of those with whom they are now to dwell; and maythey keep free from taint the good name of the Swiss Family Robinson. 

THE END.