The Swiss Family Robinson - Full Audiobook : Chapter 20

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wiss, chapter twenty.
The next morning I decided on returning to the wreck.
The idea of the pinnace continually haunted my mind and
left me no repose. But it was necessary to take
all the hands I could raise, and with difficulty I

(00:22):
got my wife's consent to take my three elder sons,
on promising her we would return in the evening. We
set out, taking provision for the day, and soon arrived
at the vessel when my boys began to load the
raft with all manner of portable things. But the great
matter was the pennace. It was contained in the afterhold

(00:43):
of the vessel, immediately below the officer's berths. My sons,
with all the ardor of their age, begged to begin
by clearing a space in the vessel to put the
pinnace together, and we might afterwards think how we should
launch it. Under any other circumstances, I should have shown
them the folly of such an undertaking, but in truth

(01:05):
I had myself a vague hope of success that encouraged me,
and I cried out to work. To work, the hold
was lighted by some chink in the ship's side. We
set diligently to work, hacking, cutting, and sawing away all obstacles,
and before evening we had a clear space round us.

(01:26):
But now it was necessary to return, and we put
to sea with our cargo, purposing to continue our work daily.
On reaching the Bay of Safety, we had the pleasure
of finding my wife and Francis, who had established themselves
at tent house, intending to continue there till our visits
to the vessel were concluded, that they might always keep

(01:46):
us in sight and spare us the unnecessary labor of
a walk after our day's work. I thanked my wife
tenderly for this kind sacrifice, for I knew how much
she enjoyed the cool shade of falcons, and in return
I showed her the treasures we had brought her from
the vessel, consisting of two barrels of salt butter, three

(02:08):
hogsheads of flour, several bags of millet, rice and other grains,
and a variety of useful household articles, which she conveyed
with great delight to our storehouse in the rocks. For
a week, we spent every day in the vessel, returning
in the evening to enjoy a good supper and talk
of our progress, and my wife, happily engrossed with her

(02:30):
poultry and other household cares, got accustomed to our absence.
With much hard labor, the pinnace was at last put together.
Its construction was light and elegant. It looked as if
it would sail well. At the head was a short
half deck. The masts and sails were like those of
a brigantine. We carefully calked all the seams with tao

(02:53):
dipped in melted tar, and we even indulged our cells
by placing the two small guns in it, fastened by chains.
And there stood the beautiful little bark, immovable on the stalks.
We admired it incessantly, But what could we do to
get it afloat the difficulty of forcing a way through
the mighty timbers lined with copper that formed the side

(03:16):
of the ship was insurmountable. Suddenly, suggested, by the excess
of my despair, a bold but dangerous idea presented itself
to me, in which all might be lost as well
as all gained. I said nothing about this to my children,
to avoid the vexation of a possible disappointment, but began

(03:38):
to execute my plan. I found a cast iron mortar,
exactly fitted for my purpose, which I filled with gunpowder.
I then took a strong oak plank to cover it,
to which I fixed iron hooks so that they could
reach the handles of the mortar. I cut a groove
in the side of the plank that I might enter

(04:00):
reduce a long match, which should burn at least two
hours before it reached the powder. I placed the plank,
then over the mortar, fastened the hooks through the handles,
surrounded it with pitch, and then bound some strong chains
round the hole to give it greater solidity. I proceeded
to suspend this infernal machine against the side of the

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ship near our work, taking care to place it where
the recoil from the explosion should not injure the pinnace.
When all was ready, I gave the signal of departure,
my son's having been employed in the boat and not
observing my preparations. I remained a moment to fire the match,
and then hastily joined them with a beating heart, and

(04:43):
proceeded to the shore. As soon as we reached our harbor,
I detached the raft that I might return in the
boat As soon as I heard the explosion, we began
actively to unload the boat, and while thus employed a
report like thunder would heard, all trembled and threw down
their load in terror. What can it be, cried they

(05:07):
perhaps a signal from some vessel in distress. Let's go
to their assistance. It came from the vessel, said my wife.
It must have blown up. You have not been careful
of fire and have left some near a barrel of gunpowder.
At all events, said I. We will go and ascertain
the cause. Who'll go with me? By way of reply,

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my three sons leaped into the boat, and, consoling the
anxious mother by a promise to return immediately away, we rowed.
We never made the voyage so quickly. Curiosity quickened the
movements of my sons, and I was all impatience to
see the result of my project. As we approached, I
was glad to see no appearance of flames or even smoke.

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The position of the vessel did not seem altered. Instead
of entering the vessel as usual, we rounded the prow
and came opposite the other side. The greater part of
the side of the ship was gone. The sea was
covered with the remains of it. In its place stood
our beautiful pinnace, quite uninjured, only leaning a little over

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the stalks. At the sight, I cried out in a
transport that admazed my son's victory. Victory, The charming vessel
is our own. It will be easy now to launcher ah.
I comprehend now, said Fritz, Papa has blown up the ship.
But how could you manage to do it so exactly?

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I explained all to him. As we entered through the
broken side of the devoted vessel. I soon ascertained that
no fire remained, and that the pinnace had escaped any injury.
We set to work to clear away all the broken
timbers in our way, and by the aid of the
jackscrew and levers, we moved the pinnace, which we had
taken care to build on rollers, to the opening. Then,

(07:00):
attaching a strong cable to her head, and fixing the
other end to the most solid part of the ship,
we easily launched her. It was too late to do
any more now except carefully securing our prize, and we
returned to the good mother, to whom, wishing to give
her an agreeable surprise, we merely said that the side

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of the vessel was blown out with powder, but we
were still able to obtain more from it, at which
she sighed, and in her heart, I have no doubt,
wished the vessel and all it contained at the bottom
of the sea. We had two days of incessant labor
in fitting and loading the pinnace. Finally, after putting up

(07:41):
our masts, ropes and sails, we selected a cargo of
things our boats could not bring. When all was ready,
my boys obtained permission as the reward for their industry,
to salute their mamma as we entered the bay by
firing our two guns. Fritz was capton, and Ernest and
Jack at his command, put their matches to the guns

(08:04):
and fired. My wife and little boy rushed out in alarm,
but our joyful shouts soon reassured them, and they were
ready to welcome us with astonishment and delight. Fritz placed
a plank from the pinnace to the shore, and, assisting
his mother, she came on board. They gave her a
new salute and christened the vessel the Elizabeth after her.

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My wife praised our skill in perseverance, but begged we
would not suppose that Frances and she had been idle
during our long absence. We moored the little fleet safely
to the shore and followed her up the river to
the cascade, where we saw a neat garden laid out
in beds and walks. This is our work, said she.

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The soil here, being chiefly composed of decayed leaves, is
light and easy to dig. There. I have my potatoes
there maniac roots. These are sown with peas, beans and lentils.
In this row of beds are sown lettuces, radishes, cabbages,
and other European vegetables. I have reserved one part for

(09:12):
sugar canes. On the high ground, I have transplanted pineapples
and sown melons. Finally, round every bed I have sown
a border of maize, that the high bushy stems may
protect the young plants from the sun. I was delighted
with the result of the labor and industry of a
delicate female and a child, and could scarcely believe it

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was accomplished in so short a time. I must confess
I had no great hope of success at first, said
my wife, and this made me averse to speaking of
it afterwards. When I suspected you had a secret. I
determined to have one too, and give you a surprise.
After again applauding these useful labors, we returned to discharge

(09:58):
our cargo. As we went, my good Elizabeth, still full
of horticultural plans, reminded me of the young fruit trees
we had brought from the vessel. I promised to look
after them next day, and to establish my orchard near
her kitchen garden. We unloaded our vessels, placed on the
sledge all that might be useful at Falcon's Nest, and

(10:21):
arranging the rest under the tent, fixed our pinnace to
the shore by means of the anchor and a cord
fastened to a heavy stone, and at length set out
to Falcon's Nest, where we arrived soon to the great
comfort of my wife, who dreaded the burning plain at
tent house. End of Chapter twenty