The Swiss Family Robinson - Full Audiobook : Chapter 17-18

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wiss, chapter seventeen.
I rose early and descended the latter a little uneasy
about my kangaroo, and found I was but just in
time to save it. For my dogs had so enjoyed
their repast on the entrails which I had given them

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the night before, that they wished to appropriate the rest.
They had succeeded in tearing off the head which was
in their reach, and were devouring it in a sort
of growling partnership. As we had no store room for
our provision, I decided to administer a little correction As
a warning to these gluttons. I gave them some smart

(00:44):
strokes with a cane, and they fled howling to the
stable under the roots. Their cries roused my wife, who
came down, and though she could not but allow the
chastisement to be just and prudent, she was so moved
by compassion that she consoled the poor sufferers with some
remains of last night's supper. I now carefully stripped the

(01:06):
kangaroo of his elegant skin, and washing myself and changing
my dress. After this unpleasant operation, I joined my family
at breakfast I then announced my plan of visiting the vessel,
and ordered Fritz to begin preparations. My wife resigned herself
mournfully to the necessity. When we were ready to depart,

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Ernest and Jack were not to be found. Their mother
suspected they had gone to get potatoes. This called my apprehension,
but I charged her to reprimand them for going without leave.
We set out towards ted house, leaving Flora to protect
the household and taking our guns as usual. We had

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scarcely left the wood and were approaching Jackal River when
we heard piercing cries, and suddenly Ernest and Jack leaped
from a thicket to light. As Jack said, in having
succeeded in their plan of accompanying us, and moreover, in
making us believe we were beset with savages. They were, however, disappointed.

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I gave them a severe reproof for their disobedience and
sent them home with a message to their mother that
I thought we might be detained all night, and begged
she would not be uneasy. They listened to me in
great confusion and were much mortified at their dismissal. But
I begged Fritz to give Ernest his silver watch that
they might know how the time passed, and I knew

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that I could replace it, as there was a case
of watches in the ship. This reconciled them a little
to their lot, and they left us. We went forward
to our boat, embarked, and aided by the current, soon
reached the vessel. My first care was to construct some
more convenient transport vessel than our boat. Fritz proposed a

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raft similar to those used by savage nations, supported on
skins filled with air. These we had not, but we
found a number of water hogsheads, which we emptied and
closed again, and threw a dozen of them into the
sea between the ship and our boat. Some long planks
were laid on these and secured with ropes. We added

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a raised edge of planks to secure our cargo, and
thus had a solid raft capable of conveying any burden.
This work occupied us the whole day, scarcely interrupted by
eating a little cold meat from our game bags. Exhausted
by fatigue, we were glad to take a good night's
rest in the captain's cabin on an elastic mattress, of

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which our hammocks had made us forget the comfort. Early
next morning we began to load our raft. We began
by entirely stripping our own cabin and that of the captain.
We carried away even the doors and windows. The chests
of the carpenter and the gunner followed. There were cases

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of rich jewelry and caskets of money, which at first
tempted us, but were speedily relinquished. For objects of real utility,
I preferred a case of young plants of European fruits,
carefully packed in moss for transportation. I saw with delight
among these precious plants apple, pear, plum, orange, apricot, peach,

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almond and chestnut trees, and some young shoots of vines.
How I longed to plant these familiar trees of home
in a foreign soil. We secured some bars of iron
and pigs of lead, grindstones, cartwheels ready for mounting tongs, shovels, plowshares,

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packets of copper and iron, wire, sacks of maize, peas,
oats and vetches, and even a small hand mill. The
vessel had been, in fact laden with everything likely to
be used ful in a new colony. We found a
sawmill in pieces, but marked so that it could be
easily put together. It was difficult to select, but we

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took as much as was safe on the raft, heading
a large fishing net and the ship's compass. Fritz begged
to take the harpoons, which he hung by the ropes
over the bow of the boat, and I indulged his fancy.
We were now loaded as far as prudence would allow us,
so attaching our raft firmly to the boat, we hoisted

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our sail and made slowly to the shore. End of
Chapter seventeen. Chapter eighteen. The wind was favorable, but we
advanced slowly, the floating mass that we had to tug
retarding us. Fritz had been some time regarding a large

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object in the water. He called me to steer a
little towards it, that he might see what it was.
I went to the rudder and made the movement. Immediately
I heard the whistling of the cord and felt a shock,
then a second, which was followed by a rapid motion
of the boat. We're going to founder, cried I, what's
the matter. I've caught it, shouted Fritz. I've harpooned it

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in the neck. It is a turtle. I saw the
harpoons shining at a distance, and the turtle was rapidly
drawing us along by the line. I lowered the sail
and rushed forward to cut the line, but Fritz besought
me not to do it. He assured me there was
no danger and that he himself would release us if necessary.

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I reluctantly consented, and saw a whole convoy drawn by
an animal, whose agony increased its strength. As we drew
near the shore, I endeavored to steer so that we
might not strike and be capsized. I saw after a
few minutes that our conductor again wanted to make out
to sea. I therefore hoisted the sail, and the wind,

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being in our favor, he found resistance, vain and tugging
as before, followed up the current, only taking more to
the left towards Falcon's nest and landing us in a
shallow rested on the shore. I leaped out of the boat,
and with a hatchet, soon put our powerful conductor out
of his misery. Fritz uttered a shout of joy and

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fired off his gun as the signal of our arrival.
All came running to greet us, and great was their surprise,
not only at the value of our cargo, but at
the strange mode by which it had been brought into harbor.
My first care was to send them for the sledge
to remove some of our load without delay, And as

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the ebbing tide was leaving our vessels almost dry on
the sand, I profited by the opportunity to secure them.
By the aid of the jackscrew and levers, we raised
and brought to the shore two large pieces of lead
from the raft. These served for anchors, and connected to
the boat and raft by strong cables, fixed them safely.

(08:06):
As soon as the sledge arrived, we placed the turtle,
with some difficulty on it, as it weighed at least
three hundredweight. We added some lighter articles, the mattresses, some
small chests, et cetera, and proceeded with our first load
to Falcon's Nest in great spirits. As we walked on,

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Fritz told them of the wondrous cases of jewelry we
had abandoned for things of use. Jack wished Fritz had
brought him a gold snuff box to hold curious seeds,
and Francis wished for some of the money to buy gingerbread.
At the fair. Everybody laughed at the little simpleton who
could not help laughing himself when he remembered his distance

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from Fairs. Arrived at home. Our first care was to
turn the turtle on his back to get the excellent
meat out of the shell. With my hatchet, I separated
the cartilages that unite the show. The upper shell is convex,
the lower one nearly flat. We had some of the
turtle prepared for dinner, though my wife felt great repugnance

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in touching the green fat, notwithstanding my assurance of it
being the chief delicacy to an epicure. We salted the
remainder of the flesh and gave the offal to the dogs.
The boys were all clamorous to possess the shell, but
I said it belonged to Fritz by right of conquest,
and he must dispose of it as he thought best. Then,

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said he, I will make a basin of it and
place it near the river, that my mother may always
keep it full of fresh water. Very good, said I,
and we will fill our basin as soon as we
find some clay to make a solid foundation. I found
some this morning, said Jack, a whole bed of clay,
and I brought these balls home to show you, and

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I have made a discovery too, said Ernest. Look at
these roots like radishes. I have not eaten any, but
the sow enjoys them very much. A most valuable discovery, indeed,
said I, if I am not mistaken, this is the
root of the manioc, which, with the potatoes, would insure
us from famine. Of this root they make in the

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West Indies a sort of bread called cassava bread. In
its natural state it contains a violent poison, but by
a process of heating it it becomes wholesome. The nutritious
tapioca is a preparation from this root. By this time
we had unloaded and proceeded to the shore to bring

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a second load. Before night came on. We brought up
two chests of our own clothes and property, some chests
of tools, the cart wheels and the hand mill, likely
now to be of use for the cassava. After unloading,
we sat down to an excellent supper of turtle with
potato instead of bread. After supper, my wife said, smiling,

(11:05):
after such a hard day, I think I can give
you something to restore you. She then brought a bottle
in glasses and filled us each a glass of clear
amber colored wine. I found it excellent. Malaga she had
been down to the shore the previous day and there
found a small cask thrown up by the waves. This,

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with the assistance of her sons, she had rolled up
to the foot of our tree, and there covered it
with leaves to keep it cool till our arrival. We
were so invigorated by this cordial that we set briskly
to work to hoist up our mastresses to our dormitory,
which we accomplished by the aid of ropes and pulleys.
My wife received and arranged them, and after our usual

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evening devotions, we gladly lay down on them to enjoy
a night of sweet repose. End of chapter