138

A TROOP OF ARCHERS.

tity of fruit, good to eat, but of a sickly taste, and whose ripeness attracted the birds,-called the "ortolans of the Antilles," on account of their great delicacy.

Master Ernest's exploits brought the pastime of archery into favour: Rudly, and even little Fritz, begged also to be furnished with bow and arrows. I yielded to their desire all the more willingly, that I was not sorry to see my boys exercising themselves in this fashion. The bow, which had been the weapon of our fathers, and, indeed, of all peoples before the invention of gunpowder, might with us supply the place of the latter, when our stock became exhausted, and it was prudent to anticipate its failure. I therefore fashioned them a couple of bows, and a quiver each in which to carry their arrows; these quivers I made of a piece of thin flexible bark, which I rolled round like a tube; the bottom was of bark; and having attached to it a strap for suspensory purposes, I equipped my two little boys to their intense delight.

Frederick was busy preparing the skin of the tiger-cat which he had killed a few days previously. He thought of converting it into a belt for his pistols; but the disagreeable smell still lingering about Rudly's, induced him to bestow more care on its preparation. In accordance with my instructions, he gave it several washings, and rubbed it with a mixture of wood-ashes and butter, which, by softening the skin, rendered it fit for the use he intended to make of it.

These different pursuits occupied part of the morning of the

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Monday, until our good housekeeper duly summoned us to dinner. The ortolans killed by Ernest, cur hens' eggs-for they had laid in heaps of dry herbs my wife had arranged on purpose-and a few slices of fried ham, furnished us with a repast at once savoury and substantial. The day being too far advanced for us to undertake anything of importance, we dallied over our dinner; and while discussing our projects for the improvement of our establishment, I made a proposal to my boys which pleased them extremely it was to bestow appropriate names on all the principal points of the country we had colonized.

"As for the country itself," I added, "we will leave it without any name; for who knows but that some navigator may have already christened it? And, perhaps, it already figures on the map under the invocation of a famous saint, or the patronage of a celebrated hero. We will name, however, the different localities where we may form an establishment, or which may in any respect appear to us remarkable, so that when speaking of them we may have some means of identifying the places meant, and, by a sweet illusion, may even believe at times that we live in an inhabited country."

Good, good," cried my boys; "it is a charming idea!"

But, papa," said Rudly, we must invent strange and very difficult names, like Zanguebar, Coromandel, Monomotapa; words which will blister the tongues of those who may hereafter visit our island!"

"What a fine invention!" said I, "when we should be the first to suffer, if the names we invent are to blister the tongues of those who pronounce them! No; let us be content to give to the places around us names which shall designate them clearly; and for this purpose let us take good homely German words. The language of our beloved Fatherland is so noble, that we need not seek in any other the denominations henceforth to be borne by the different parts of our present abode."

"Well, well, be it so!" cried the hasty little fellow; "but where shall we begin?"

"At the bay where we landed. Let us see, what name shall we give it?"

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THE FALCONS AND THEIR NEST.

Each gave his opinion, and I was amused to find in the more or less boyish suggestions of my sons some traits of their characters. My wife also declared her idea.

"It seems to me that, in gratitude to the God who saved us, we ought to call it Safety Bay."

All our votes were given in favour of this appellation; and we proceeded to designate, by some natural or accidental circumstance, the different points already known. Thus, the eminence from whose summit we had sought in vain for traces of our lost and unfortunate comrades we named " Cape Hope Deceived;" the brook was called "Jackal River," because the carcass of that animal had made known to us one of our most precious resources-the freshwater crabs. We christened our bridge "Family Bridge," in acknowledgment of the assistance which all had rendered in its construction; so, too, "Flamingo Swamp" and " Porcupine Plain" were chosen in allusion to the incidents that had rendered those places remarkable; but we found the most difficult place to name appropriately was our last establishment, the aerial castle of the giant tree. One would fain have called it Baumschloss, or “Tree Castle;" another proposed Feigenberg, or "Fig-Town;" Frederick wished to bestow upon it the superb appellation of Aldershorst, or "Eagle's-Nest;" but Ernest effectually ridiculed this high-sounding title by observing that eagles never built their nests in trees.

"I would venture to propose," said I, in my turn, "that we baptize it Falkenhorst, or Falcon's-Nest.' You are a young brood of pillaging birds, but nevertheless of noble race, susceptible of instruction, obedient, gifted with courage and vivacity like falcons; and Master Ernest himself will object nothing to this designation, because the falcons often build their nests on the crests of lofty oaks."

My advice prevailed. There only then remained unchristened. the locality of our first habitation on the sea-shore; we named it Zeltheim, or Tent-Town."

It was thus that in pleasant gossip we laid the foundations of the geography of our new home. After the meal was over, Frederick and Rudly returned to their occupations as curriers: one to complete the belt and pistol-cases which he wished to make out of his margai's hide; the other, to convert the spiry skin of the porcu

OFF ON THE MARCH,

141

pine into a defensive cuirass for our dog. The good and patient animal very complacently allowed himself to be enclosed in this warlike apparel, in which, it seemed to me, he might confront a tiger or a hyæna. Juno was not so well pleased with the costume as her comrade; for every time that the gallant dog approached her, the quills with which he bristled pricked her cruelly; she howled grievously, and was unable to shelter herself from her companion's incessant approaches. Rudly terminated his labours by fashioning out of the skin of the porcupine's head a kind of cap for his own wear as strange and as formidable as poor Turk's cuirass.

However, the sun sank, the heat decreased, everything invited us to enjoy a ramble, and I proposed to my family that the remainder of the day, already far too advanced for undertaking any important labours, should be so employed. Opinions at first were divided as to what direction we should take; but as our provisions were falling short, it was agreed we should go to Tent-Town, where our stores were placed, to obtain a fresh supply, but that we should take a different road for the sake of varying our walk. With this decision everybody was pleased: my eldest son wanted gunpowder, my wife butter, for the curriers had consumed a large quantity; Ernest wished to make an attempt to bring back from Tent-Town a couple of geese and ducks to establish them in the brook even little Fritz had his project; he had furnished himself with a small net, and calculated upon catching some dozens of crabs in Jackal River. Rudly alone was without a scheme; but he rejoiced in all those of his brothers, and, wearing his strange bristling cap, strutted on before them in a most diverting manner.

:

We set out on our expedition, Frederick decorated with his belt of margai's skin, Ernest carrying a roll of cord on his shoulder, Rudly with the head-gear which gave him the air of a Carib―all armed with a gun a-piece, and Fritz carrying a bow and quiverful of arrows: as for my wife, she was loaded with a great empty pot and a bag, which she intended to fill with provisions. Turk and Billy led the advance; the former gravely, for his terrific accoutrements tempered to some extent his natural agility; his companion, still mindful of her wounds, kept at a respectful distance. Master Knips-such was the name the boys had given to our

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A TREASURE-TROVE.

monkey, on account of his small stature and grotesque mannerswas somewhat disconcerted at finding Turk's back covered with a multitude of bristles; he consoled himself, however, by leaping gently upon Juno, for he could not dispense with the assistance of a steed. Even our stately flamingo would not allow us to travel without him; but after having kept company with my sons for some few minutes, disgusted, no doubt, by their tricks and jokes, he quitted them and placed himself under my wife's protection, very certain of not being tormented during the rest of the journey.

The route which we took, ascending the course of the stream, proved very agreeable: great trees overshadowed it, and the smooth crisp sward tempted us to wander hither and thither, without making any decided progress. My sons, following the bent of their inclinations, roamed first on one side, then on the other; but as soon as we got clear of the wood, the country appearing to me somewhat exposed, I was about to recall them, when I saw them hastening towards us, with Ernest at their head.

"Papa!" he exclaimed, out of breath, and his eyes shining with joy -"papa, such a treasure-trove! What do you think I have found?"