The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
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. some_of_these we brought away alive . the rest, not liking such a reception, took to_the water, and were soon out of sight .I scolded jack for_his useless rashness, for_the flesh of_the penguin is by no means a delicacy .

we now filled our three wheelbarrows with_such things as we_could carry, not forgetting the sheets of iron and_the graters, and trudged home . our dogs announced our approach, and all rushed out to meet us .a curious and merry examination commenced . they laughed at my graters; but I let them laugh, for I had a project in my head . the penguins I intended for_our poultry- yard; and, for_the_present, I ordered the boys to tie each of_them by a leg to one_of_our geese or ducks, who opposed the bondage very clamorously; but necessity made them submissive .

my wife showed me a large store of potatoes and manioc roots, which she and her children had dug up the evening before . we then went to supper, and talked of all we had seen in_the vessel, especially of_the pinnace, which we had_been obliged to leave . my wife did_not feel much regret on_this account, as she dreaded maritime expeditions, though she agreed she might_have felt less uneasiness if_we had had a vessel of_this description . I_gave my sons a charge to rise early next morning, as_we had an important business on hand; and curiosity roused them all in very_good time . after our usual preparations for_the day, I addressed them thus: " gentlemen, I_am going to teach you all a new business,-- that of a baker . give_me the plates of iron and_the graters we brought yesterday ." my wife was astonished; but I requested her to wait patiently and she should_have bread, not perhaps light buns, but eatable flat cakes . but first she was to_make me two small bags of sailcloth . she obeyed me; but, at_the same time, I observed she put the potatoes on_the fire, a proof she had_not much faith in my bread-making .I then spread a cloth over the ground, and, giving each of_the boys a grater, we began to grate the carefully- washed manioc roots, resting the end on_the cloth . in a short time we had a heap of what appeared to_be moist white sawdust; certainly not tempting to_the appetite; but the little workmen were amused with their labour, and jested no little about_the cakes made of scraped radishes .

" laugh now, boys," said I; " we_shall see, after a while . but you, Ernest, ought to_know that_the manioc is one_of_the_most precious of alimentary roots, forming the principal sustenance of many nations of America, and often preferred by Europeans, who inhabit those countries, to wheaten bread ."

when all the roots were grated, I filled the two bags closely with_the pollard, and my wife sewed the ends up firmly . it_was now necessary to apply strong pressure to extract the juice from_the root, as_this juice is a deadly poison .I selected an oak beam, one end of_which we fixed between_the roots of_our tree; beneath this I placed our bags on a row of little blocks of wood; I then took a large bough, which I had cut from a tree, and prepared for_the_purpose, and laid it across them . we all united then in drawing down the opposite end of_the plank over the bough, till we got it to a certain point, when we suspended to_it the heaviest substances we possessed; hammers, bars of iron, and masses of lead . this acting upon_the manioc, the sap burst through_the cloth, and flowed on_the ground copiously . when i_thought the pressure was complete, we relieved the bags from_the lever, and opening one, drew out a handful of_the pollard, still rather moist, resembling coarse maize- flour .

" it only wants a little heat to complete our success," said I, in great delight .I ordered a fire to_be lighted, and fixing one_of_our iron plates, which_was round in form, and rather concave, on two stones placed on each side of_the fire, I covered it with_the flour which we took from_the bag with a small wooden shovel . it soon formed a solid cake, which we turned, that_it might_be equally baked .

it smelled so good, that_they all wished to commence eating immediately; and I had some difficulty in convincing them that_this was only a trial, and_that our baking was still imperfect . besides, as i_told them there were three kinds of manioc, of_which one contained more poison than_the rest, i_thought it prudent to_try whether we had perfectly extracted it, by giving a small quantity to our fowls . as soon, therefore, as_the cake was cold, I_gave some to two chickens, which I kept apart; and also some to master Knips, the monkey, that he might, for_the first time, do us a little service . he ate it with so_much relish, and such grimaces of enjoyment, that my young party were quite anxious to share his feast; but I ordered them to wait till we_could judge of_the effect, and, leaving our employment, we went to our dinner of potatoes, to_which my wife had added one_of_the penguins, which_was truly rather tough and fishy; but as jack would_not allow this, and declared it_was a dish fit for a king, we allowed him to regale on_it as_much as he liked . during dinner, i_talked to_them of_the various preparations made from_the manioc; i_told my wife we_could obtain an excellent starch from_the expressed juice; but this_did_not interest her much, as at present she usually wore the dress of a sailor, for convenience, and had neither caps nor collars to starch .

the cake made from_the root is called by_the natives of_the Antilles _cassava_, and in no savage nation do we_find any word signifying _bread_; an article of food unknown to_them .

we spoke of poisons; and I explained to my sons the different nature and effects of_them . especially I warned them against the manchineel_, which ought to grow in_this part of_the world .I described the fruit to_them, as resembling atempting yellow apple, with red spots, which_is one_of_the_most deadly poisons: it_is said that even to sleep under the tree is dangerous .I forbade them to taste any unknown fruit, and_they promised to obey me .

on leaving the table, we went to visit the victims of_our experiment . jack whistled for Knips, who came in three bounds from_the summit of a high tree, where he had doubtless been plundering some nest; and_his vivacity, and_the peaceful cackling of_the fowls, assured us our preparation was harmless .

" now, gentlemen," said I, laughing, " to_the bakehouse, and let_us_see what we_can do ." I wished them each to_try to make_the cakes . they immediately kindled the fire and heated the iron plate . in_the mean time, I broke up the grated cassava, and mixed it with a little milk; and giving each of_them a cocoa- nut basin filled with_the paste, I showed them how to pour it with a spoon upon_the plate, and spread it about; when_the paste began to puff up, I judged it_was baked on one side, and turned it, like a pancake, with a fork; and after a little time, we had a quantity of nice yellow biscuits, which, with ajug of milk, made us a delicious collation; and determined us, without delay, to set about cultivating the manioc .

the rest of_the day was employed in bringing up the remainder of_our cargo, by_means of_the sledge and_the useful wheelbarrows .

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chapter XX .

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 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 pinnace . it_was contained in_the after- hold of_the vessel, immediately below the officers' berths . my sons, with all the ardour 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, 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 chinks 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 . 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 us in sight, and spare us the unnecessary labour 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 falcon's nest; and in return I showed her the treasures we had brought her from_the vessel, consisting of two barrels of salt butter, three 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 poultry and other household cares, got accustomed to our absence . with much hard labour, 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 caulked all the seams with tow dipped in melted tar; and we even indulged ourselves by placing the two small guns in_it, fastened by chains .

and there stood the beautiful little bark, immovable on_the stocks . 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 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 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 introduce 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 whole, to_give it greater solidity .I proceeded to suspend this infernal machine against the side of_the 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 sons 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 abeating heart, and proceeded to_the shore .

as_soon_as we reached our harbour, 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 was heard . all trembled, and threw down their load in terror .

" what can it be ? " cried they ." perhaps a signal from some vessel in distress . let_us 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, 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 . 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 the stocks . at_the sight I cried out, in a transport that amazed my sons, " victory ! victory ! the charming vessel is our own; it_will_be easy now to launch her ."

"Ah ! I comprehend now," said Fritz ."Papa has blown up the ship; but how could you manage to_do_it so exactly ? "

I explained all to him, as_we entered through_the broken side of_the devoted

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