THE RAFT AND ITS CARGO. 163 This arduous labour occupied the whole day. We scarcely left off to lunch very hurriedly on a morsel of cold meat, which my wife had placed in our hunting-bags. Exhausted with fatigue, we retired, as soon as night came on, to the captain's cabin; but not without first examining the ship, and assuring ourselves that no immediate danger was to be apprehended. Stretched upon elastic mattresses, which our uncomfortable hammocks had almost driven from our memory, we enjoyed a most delightful repose. At daybreak, after pouring out our gratitude to Providence for having protected our sleep and recruited our strength, we rose full of energy and ardour, and began to load our raft. First we cleared out the cabin in which we had passed the night. I thought my wife would be heartily delighted to receive the different articles which had formerly belonged to us. We visited every corner of the vessel, detaching, with hammer and pincers, whatever we could remove; furniture, chests, windows, doors: we regarded everything as fair plunder, because some day or other it might all prove useful. Though the ship's crew had carried off their principal valuables, we nevertheless found a store of abundant wealth—some cases of jewellery, and bags full of gold and silver coins; these we were at first tempted to seize upon, but objects of greater utility and more real interest obtained the preference. I only permitted Frederick to take a few watches, partly to replace his own, and partly that from time to time I might reward my boys with a present I knew they would appreciate. The carpenter's and armourer's chests, filled with all kinds of tools, seemed to us infinitely preferable to these glittering trifles, these barren riches; and especially did I value a small box which contained some slips of our European fruit-trees, carefully packed up in moss, and ready for immediate planting. Among these precious shrubs I recognized, with indescribable joy, the pear, and the apple, and the orange, the almond, the peach, the plum, and the chestnut, and, finally, a few shoots of the vine. We transported them to our raft, as well as several bags of grain, such as maize, oats, pease, lentils; numerous implements, for the ship's cargo having been intended for the supply of a young colony, we found a host of useful articles—a grindstone, all the fittings-up 164 CATCHING A TURTLE. of a smith's forge, a plough, various agricultural machines, and a quantity of lead, iron, and copper. To all this wealth we added a great fishing-net, the ship's compass, and its binnacle, and a harpoon with a couple of reels, such as is used in the whale-fishery. Frederick asked me to take this harpoon, and to attach one of the reels to the fore-part of our boat, that we might be in a position to strike at a shark if one presented himself on our homeward voyage. There was still a host of articles to be carried in the boat; but both our craft were in due time so heavily loaded that it would have been imprudent to increase their cargoes. Before starting we fastened a stout towing-rope to our raft, and then loosening our sheet, and bidding farewell to the pillaged wreck, we began to row laboriously and slowly towards the shore. Soon, however, the wind rose, and swelling out our canvas, considerably lightened our toil. Still our progress was slow; the floating mass which we towed in our rear retarded our bark. Frederick, standing at the bow, was attentively observing a strange body which seemed to swim on the surface of the water. He called out to me to port the helm, that he might satisfy himself as to its nature. I steered aside as he desired; but at the same moment I heard the whirr of the cord upon the reel, and our boat trembled under a strong shock, quickly followed by another. "Frederick my boy!" I exclaimed, "what are you doing? We shall be capsized!" "I have struck it! I have got it!" shouted Frederick; "it cannot escape us." "But what is it?" "A turtle, father, an enormous turtle! I hurled the harpoon at it, and with such good luck, that I hit it in the neck." And truly I could see the steel of the harpoon gleaming in the distance, while the wounded turtle fled away rapidly, dragging us after it by means of the rope fastened to our boat. I lowered the sail immediately, and sprang forward to the bow, to cut the rope, and let the turtle go where it would; but Frederick begged me to do nothing, assuring me that there was no danger, and that if any threatened, he himself would sever the cable. I consented, though with some reluctance. I saw our boat dragged swiftly on ward by the animal, whose agony inspired it with fresh strength; but as we were thus drawn to the eastward, I applied myself, by means of the helm, to the task of keeping our boat's head straight, that a blow against her broadside might not capsize her. At the end of a few minutes our new conductor changed his course, and made for the open sea. To this 166 LOADING THE SLEDGE. current like an arrow; and keeping a little to the left, we grounded in the neighbourhood of Falcon's-Nest, in shallow water, where, fortunately, there was no reef. The turtle, fatigued with swimming, was brought up on the strand. I sprang from the boat, and, axe in hand, hastened to terminate the agonies of the poor creature which had so miraculously conducted us into a safe harbour. I severed the rope, and as the turtle still struggled with great fury, cut off its head and feet, and completed our conquest. Frederick indulged in a succession of hearty shouts, and announced our arrival by firing off his musket. These welcome signals brought our family to the spot, much surprised to find us on that side of the island, and absolutely astounded at the riches we had conveyed, and at the manner in which the turtle had expedited our voyage. After receiving the congratulations of my dear ones, my first thought was to send for the sledge, that we might immediately remove a portion of the cargo to Falcon's-Nest. My wife, accompanied by the two younger boys, started off to harness the ass and cow; and as the ebbing tide began to leave our bark high and dry upon the shore, I availed myself of the opportunity to moor her securely. With the screw-jack and a couple of levers, we hoisted off the raft two blocks of lead, which served instead of anchors; and thus, with some strong cables, we contrived to moor not only the boat, but the raft also. As soon as the sledge arrived, we loaded it in the first place with the dead turtle-a task of no ordinary difficulty, as it weighed fully three hundred pounds; with some mattresses, small chests, and other miscellaneous articles. Our first convoy we escorted to Falcon's-Nest, in high spirits. On the road the children plied us with a thousand questions in reference to our treasures, and especially to the cases of jewellery left aboard the wreck, for Frederick had already chattered about them. On our declaring that we preferred things of real utility to these dangerous frivolities, Rudly expressed his great regret that Frederick had not brought him a few gold and silver snuff-boxes for the rare seeds of which he wished to form a collection. Little Fritz added: And at all events you might have brought me a bag of money, since you saw such lots of it, and then I could buy some spicecakes and gingerbread when fair-time comes." Everybody jested at the little simple fellow, who himself began to laugh at his foolish speech. Having arrived at our establishment, I began to detach the turtle from its shell, in order that we might profit by its excellent flesh. We turned it over on its back, and propping it a little on one side, I severed with my hatchet the cartilages which connected the upper shell with the lower portion; the former is named the carapace, the latter the plastron. I cut from the animal a sufficient quantity for our dinner, and desired my wife to cook it, adding that it would require no other seasoning than a little salt. "Take care what you are doing," cried I; you will spoil all the goodness of our roast: when you have once tasted it, you will own you never partook of anything more delicious than that same fat." I finished my work on the turtle, removed all the shell, covered the remainder of the flesh with salt, and flung the feet, head, and tail to the dogs, who fully appreciated the gift. "Now," said I to my sons, "what shall we do with the shell?" 66 Oh, papa," cried Rudly, "give it to me! I will make a pretty little boat to go sailing down the stream." "If it were mine," said Ernest, "I would convert it into a buckler, to be of service in case of any attack from savages." "And I." added little Fritz, "would make a beautiful little house." "You forget, my lads," said Frederick, mildly, "that the spoils of the animal belong to him who killed it." |