Johann David Wyss

“ A good sportsman, Ernest, always holds himself in readiness, this being, as I understand, the great art of a sportsman; for you must know, that birds never send messages to give notice of their coming.
I wish I could but know, said Jack, what bird it was; I never saw any the least like it.
I am sure it was an eagle, said the little Francis, for I have read in my book of fables that an eagle can carry off a sheep; and this bird was terribly large.
O yes, said Ernest scoffingly, as if all large birds must be eagles! Why, do you not know that there are some birds much larger even than eagles? ”

“ Scarcely had the young ones joined their brother, than they again began their joyful exclamations: A monkey, a live monkey! Papa, mamma, a live monkey! Oh, how delightful! how happy shall we be! How did you catch him? What a droll face he has! He is very ugly, said little Francis, half afraid to touch him. He is much prettier than you, retorted Jack; only see, he is laughing; I wish I could see him eat. Ah! if we had but some cocoa-nut! said Ernest; could you not find any? Are they nice? Have you brought me any milk of almonds? said Francis. Have you met with any unfortunate adventure? ”

“ Ernest.—It ought to be called, simply, Tree Castle.
Fritz.—No, no, that will not do at all; that is the same as if, when we wanted to name a town, we called it The Town. Let us invent a more noble name.
Jack.—Yes, so we will. I say Fig Town.
Fritz.—Ha, ha, ha! a noble name, it must be confessed! Let us call it The Eagle’s Nest, which I am sure has a much better sound. Besides, our habitation in the tree, is really much more like a nest, than a town, and the eagle cannot but ennoble it, since he is the king of birds. ”

“ Ernest, always a little disposed to vent uneasiness by crying, now began to sob; but Jack, with a curious mixture of a tragi-comic bravery upon his features, darted his eager eyes upon the mountain traveller, and taking off his hat made a profound bow, roaring out, as if for the bird to hear: Have the goodness, Mr. Traveller, to indulge me once more with a little visit, only for a single minute: you cannot imagine what good sort of people we are: I entreat that we may have the pleasure of seeing you once again..... ”

“ What an ugly monster! cried Jack, as he stood over him: but far from being terrified by his ugliness, it only served to quicken my ardour:—one must always be glad to deliver the earth of such a monster.
You would have something to do, my young Hercules, said I, tapping him on the shoulder; no animal is so common as the crab on the shores of the sea: they are of numerous kinds, and may be seen by millions, all equally ugly. This, if I mistake not, is distinguished by the name of the poet’s crab. ”

“ By the pointed snout I supposed the largest to be sturgeons, while the smallest I pronounced to be salmon. Jack now strutted and exulted as if he had gained the command of a regiment of soldiers:—What say you, now, father? said he, this is nothing like your little paltry herrings! A single fish of this troop would fill a tub!—No doubt, answered I: and with great gravity I added,—Pr’ythee, Jack, step into the river, and fling them to me one by one, that I may take them home to salt and dry. ”

“ I trusted in the same goodness for restoring us once more to the society of our fellow-men, or for bestowing upon us the means of founding in this desert a happy and flourishing colony of human beings, and waiting in silence for the further manifestation of his holy will, we passed our days in a course of industry, innocent pleasures, and reciprocal affection. Nearly two years have elapsed without our perceiving the smallest trace of civilised or savage man; without the appearance of a single vessel or canoe upon the vast sea, by which we are surrounded. ”

“ Fritz deemed himself remarkably clever in placing it near the parrot on the root of a tree; he fastened it with a piece of packthread of sufficient length to allow it free motion, and uncovered its eyes: till then the bird had been tolerably quiet; but the instant it was restored to light, it fell into a species of rage that surprised us; it proudly raised its head; its feathers became ruffled, and its eye-balls seemed to whirl in their orbits and dart out vivid lightnings. All the poultry was terrified and fled; but the poor luckless parrot was too near the sanguinary creature to escape. ”

“ Fritz jumped like lightning on the back of his onagra and galloped over every thing that intervened in the direction the bird had taken, and we soon lost sight of him.
We now beheld a spectacle which in the highest degree excited our curiosity and interest: the eagle had soon his prey in view; he mounted above the bustard in a direct line, without losing sight of it for an instant, and then darted suddenly down; the bustards flew about in utter confusion, now seeking shelter in the bushes, then crossing each other in every direction, in the attempt to evade the common enemy ”

“ Francis.—Why, do potatoe plants bear fruit on their branches as well as at the roots?
Ernest.—Little blockhead! do you think, then, that the roots bear blossoms? Do you not know that the vegetable called the potatoe, is only the root of the plant, or at least a part of the root, and not a fruit? The fruit, in all plants, is the depository of the seed, which must ripen in the sun, and consequently above ground: these little green balls, therefore, are the real fruit which succeed to the blossom, and contain the seed. ”

“ While we were seated, and appeasing the calls of hunger, Fritz and I consulted what should be our first occupation; when, to my great surprise, the advice he gave was, that we should immediately contrive a sail for our boat. In the name of Heaven, cried I, what makes you think of such a thing at so critical a moment, and when we have so many other things of indispensable necessity to arrange? We will think of a sail when we have leisure, with all my heart, for it is an affair which will take a considerable time to accomplish. ”

“ When Ernest now showed himself at the very top of the tree, Fritz and Jack burst into an immoderate fit of laughter:—Pains enough for nothing, master Ernest, bawled they as loud as they could: in your sublime wisdom, master Ernest, you have chosen a tree which has no fruit upon it. Not a single cocoa-nut will you bring down, your most devoted fellow-subjects can truly assure you! ”

“ Fritz burst into a fit of laughter. You do not rate my remark very high when you say this, father, cried he, for of what use would a hundred crowns be to you at present? If you had said a good soup or a hundred cocoa-nuts, I should be much prouder for having made it.
But as it is, my son, you have a right to be proud. I am well pleased to find you are beginning to estimate things according to their real value and usefulness, instead of considering them as good or bad, like children, upon feeble views. Money is only a means of exchange in human society ”

“ As your best friend, I feel it to be my duty to balk you of the expected success. I therefore adjudge your dish of delicious soup to our faithful followers, Turk and Ponto. For ourselves, we will all fare alike, you as well as the rest; we will simply dip our oyster-shells into the pot till hunger is appeased; but the picked dish for the dogs, Ernest, and all the rest alike! ”

“ Ah! said Jack, if you had seen how he darted out all his quills against the dogs, and the noise they made, rattling one against another! He is a most terrible creature; but what of that? I did not mind going up to him, and I dispatched two or three balls at his head, and it was over with him in an instant!
He cannot be so terrible an animal, said Ernest, if it was so easy for a mere child to destroy him. A mere child! replied Jack, much mortified, and drawing up his head. ”

“ We soon accomplished this; but the nut, alas, from lying on the ground had perished, and appeared but little different from a bit of dried skin, and not the least inviting to the palate.
Fritz was much amused at this discovery. How I wish Ernest could have been here! cried he. How he envied me the fine large cocoa-nuts I was to find, and the whole tea cup full of sweet delicious milk, which was to spring out upon me from the inside! But, father, I myself believed that the cocoa-nut contained a sweet refreshing liquid, a little like the juice of almonds; travellers surely tell untruths! ”

“ Ernest.—But, father, are all flamingoes like this, of such a beautiful red colour, and the wings so exquisitely tinted with purple? I think I have seen the flamingo in my Natural History, and the colours were not like these: so perhaps this is not a flamingo at last?
Father.—I believe it is a flamingo, Ernest, and that this difference in the plumage denotes the age of the bird: when very young they are gray, at a more advanced age they are white; and it is only when they are full grown, that they are adorned with this beautifully tinted plumage. ”

“ Father. This was well thought, my love; but we must not despise the trips to the vessel neither; this very day we unexpectedly discovered in her a new and handsome little pinnace, which at some time or other may be of the greatest service to us.
Mother. I cannot say that this discovery gives me very much pleasure; I have no desire to trust myself again on the sea; but should it at any time be absolutely necessary, I must confess I should prefer a well made solid vessel to our miserable raft composed of tubs. ”

“ Fritz.—Pardon me, father, every one will recollect perfectly what relates to his favourite fruit, and we shall often talk on the subject in our walks under the shade of the very trees so principally concerned.
Father.—Well, be it so! Thus it is in fact with all the sciences; we do not easily forget what we wish to know, what is connected with our desires and hopes;—propose your questions then, and I will answer you as fully as I am able. ”