The Swiss Family Robinson - Full Audiobook : Chapter 07

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wiss, Chapter seven.
I will spare you the history of the first day,
said my good Elizabeth, spent in anxiety about you and
attending to the signals. But this morning, being satisfied that
all was going right, I sought before the boys got

(00:23):
up a shady place to rest in. But in vain,
I believe this baron shore has not a single tree
on it. Then I began to consider on the necessity
of searching for a more comfortable spot for our residence,
and determined, after a slight repast, to set out with
my children across the river on a journey of discovery.

(00:46):
The day before, Jack had busied himself in skinning the jackal,
with his knife sharpened on the rock, ernest declining to
assist him in his dirty work, for which I reproved him,
sorry that any fastidiousness should deter him from a labor
of benefit to society. Jack proceeded to clean the skin
as well as he was able, then procured from the

(01:08):
nailed chests some long, flat headed nails and inserted them
closely through the long pieces of skin he had cut
for collars. He then cut some sailcloth, and made a
double lining over the heads of the nails, and finished
by giving me the delicate office of sewing them together,
which I could not but comply. With his belt, he

(01:30):
first stretched on a plank, nailing it down and exposing
it to the sun, lest it should shrink in drying.
Now for our journey, we took our game bags and
some hounting knives. The boys carried provisions, and I had
a large flask of water. I took a small hatchet
and gave Ernest a carbine which might be loaded with ball,

(01:52):
Keeping his light gun for myself, I carefully secured the
opening of the tent with the hooks. Turk went before,
evidently considering himself our guide, and we crossed the river
with some difficulty. As we proceeded, I could not help
feeling thankful that you had so early taught the boys

(02:12):
to use firearms properly, as the defense of my youngest
boy and myself now depended on the two boys of
ten and twelve years of age. When we attained the
hill you described to us, I was charmed with the
smiling prospect, and, for the first time since our shipwreck,
ventured to hope for better things, I had remarked, a

(02:35):
beautiful wood to which I determined to make our way
for little shade, and a most painful progress. It was
through grass that was higher than the children's heads. As
we were struggling through it, we heard a strange rustling
sound among the grass, and at the same moment a
bird of prodigious size arose and flew away before the

(02:58):
poor boys could get their guns ready. They were much mortified,
and I recommended them always to have their guns in readiness,
for the birds would not be likely to wait till
they loaded them. Francis thought the bird was so large
it must be an eagle, but Ernest ridiculed the idea
and added that he thought it must be of the

(03:19):
Bustard tribe. We went forward to the spot from which
it had arisen, when suddenly another bird of the same kind,
though still larger, sprung up close to our feet, and
was soon soaring above our heads. I could not help
laughing to see the look of astonishment and confusion with
which the boys looked upwards after it. At last, Jack

(03:43):
took off his hat, and, making a low bow, said, pray,
mister bird, be kind enough to pay us another visit.
You will find us very good children. We found the
large nest they had left. It was rudely formed of
dry grass and empty, but some fragments of eggshells were
scattered near, as if the young had just been recently hatched.

(04:05):
We therefore concluded that they had escaped among the grass.
Doctor Ernest immediately began a lecture. You observe, Francis, these
birds could not be eagles, which do not form their
nests on the ground, neither do their young run as
soon as they are hatched. These must be the Gallinacious tribe,

(04:26):
an odor of birds such as quails, partridges, turkeys, et cetera.
And from the sort of feathered mustache which I observed
at the corner of the beak, I should pronounce that
these were bustards. And we had now reached the little wood,
and our learned friend had sufficient employment in scrutinizing and

(04:46):
endeavoring to classify the immense number of beautiful unknown birds
which sung and fluttered about us. Apparently regardless of our intrusion,
we found that what we thought a wood was merely
a group of a dozen trees of a height far
beyond any I had ever seen, and apparently belonging rather

(05:07):
to the air than the earth. The trunks springing from roots,
which formed a series of supporting arches. Jack climbed one
of the arches and measured the trunk of the wood
with a piece of pack thread. He found it to
be thirty four feet. I made thirty two steps round
the roots. Between the roots and the lowest branches, it

(05:30):
seemed about forty or fifty feet. The branches are thick
and strong, and the leaves are of a moderate size
and resemble our wallet tree. A thick, short, smooth turf
clothed the ground beneath and around the detached roots of
the trees, and everything combined to render this one of
the most delicious spots the mine could conceive. Here we

(05:53):
rested and made our noonday repast. A clear rivulet ran
near us and offered its agreeable waters for our refreshment.
Our dogs soon joined us, but I was astonished to
find they did not crave for food, but laid down
to sleep at our feet. For myself, so safe and
happy did I feel that I could not but think

(06:15):
that if we could contrive a dwelling on the branches
of one of these trees, we should be in perfect
peace and safety. We set out on our return, taking
the road by the seashore in case the waves had
cast up anything from the wreck of the vessel. We
found a quantity of timber chests and casks, but all

(06:36):
too heavy to bring. We succeeded in dragging them as
well as we could out of the reach of the tide.
Our dogs, in the meantime fishing for crabs, with which
they regaled themselves, much to their own satisfaction and to mine,
as I now saw they would be able to provide
their own food. As we rested from our rough labor,

(07:00):
I saw Flora scratching in the sand and swallowing something
with great relish. Ernest watched and then said, very quietly,
they are turtles eggs. We drove away the dog and
collected about two dozen, leaving her the rest as a
reward for her discovery. While we carefully deposited our spoil

(07:22):
in the game bags. We were astonished at the sight
of a sail. Ernest was certain it was Papa and Fritz,
and though Francis was in dread that it should be
the savages who visited Robinson Crusoe's Island coming to eat
us up. We were soon enabled to calm his fears.
We crossed the river by leaping from stone to stone,

(07:44):
and hastening to the landing place, arrived to greet you
on your happy return. And I understand, my dear, said I,
that you have discovered a tree sixty feet high where
you wish we should perch like fowls. But how are
we to get up? Oh? You must remember, answered she,

(08:05):
the large lime tree near our native town, in which
was a ball room. We used to ascend to it
by wooden staircase. Could you not contrive something of the
sort in one of these gigantic trees, where we might
sleep in peace, fearing neither jackals nor any other terrible
nocturnal enemy. I promised to consider this plan, hoping at

(08:28):
least that we might make a commodious and shady dwelling
among the roots. Tomorrow we were to examine it. We
then performed our evening devotions and retired to rest. End
of Chapter seven