300

THE MONKEY'S ROOT.

and soon caught sight of them in the distance; they returned at a swift gallop, one mounted on the onagra, the other on the buffalo.

"Well," said I, "have you succeeded in your mission?"

"Succeeded!" replied Ernest, in a singular tone, "I should think so, papa!"

They leaped to the ground, and showed us what they had brought. First, they displayed a piece of anise, which Rudly had stowed away in his buffalo's pannier; a root wrapped up in leaves, which they called "monkey's root; " two calabashes filled with caoutchouc, another half-full of terebinth, a bag crammed with waxberries, and, finally, a crane, which Frederick's eagle had brought down and killed. But while exhibiting these treasures, their speeches grew so incoherent that I was compelled to request them to make their narrative a little more connected.

Rudly related how he gained possession of the anise and the terebinth. Of these two articles the former was certainly superfluous in our position, but the latter could not fail to prove of great utility. The resin would answer much better than oil in the bird-lime I intended to spread about the fig-tree. As I was making inquiries in reference to the so-called "monkey's root," Frederick took up the tale :

"Of what, if any, importance this root may be to us, I am unable to say; but this, at least, I may affirm—that its taste is very agreeable, and that the manioc approaches it neither in savour nor fragrance. We found it at a short distance from the farm, and owe its discovery to a company of apes who were regaling themselves upon it. You would have laughed to have seen these hideous and mischievous animals tearing it out of the ground. They employed in doing so a method which, I daresay, is not familiar to our European labourers, and which would be ludicrous enough if they practised it in gathering turnips or carrots; they plucked it by turning head over heels."

"What! head over heels?" we all exclaimed simultaneously; 'why, your tale is really marvellous!"

"Yes, head over heels," answered Frederick, "and this is how they manage. Each ape, after having cleared away with his claws

A SCENE OF DESOLATION.

301

a little of the earth round the root he covets, seizes the top of it with his teeth, and throws himself head over heels without letting go; he repeats this exercise until his efforts have drawn from the soil the much-desired root. We stood for some time watching the grimaces and contortions of these ugly animals, but, curious to judge for ourselves of the merits of a plant which they seemed to relish so greedily, we resolved to disperse them, and occupy the field of battle. A discharge of musketry would have put to flight. the whole legion, but, remembering my father's instructions, we contented ourselves with galloping through the midst of the gourmands, who scattered in all directions. Then we tasted the root, and as it seemed to us delicious, we brought away a few pieces, carefully wrapped up in leaves, to see if you could find for it any better name than monkey's root."

Here Frederick paused.

I again examined the root, and after tasting it, gravely informed my sons that their discovery was one of some value, for I believed it to be no other than the ginseng; a sacred plant in China, where the people look upon it as an universal panacea, and the emperor alone has a right to the crop.

Sentinels are stationed about the places where it grows, I added, but this does not prevent the Americans from smuggling a prodigious quantity into China.

"Blessed be the apes," cried Ernest, "for having put into our possession this precious treasure of the mandarins!"

"Bless them as much as you please," replied Frederick, with an expression of chagrin; "but as for me, I curse them! After gathering the roots now before you," he continued, "we continued our course to the caoutchouc-trees. The calabashes were full.

We emptied their contents into others which were easier to carry, and as the sun was still high in the heavens, we thought we would see how our colonists fared in the new farm. But imagine our surprise and grief to find the farm all in disorder, the walls of the hut thrown down, and the planks scattered here and there! The hens were strangled; the goats and sheep were huddled up together, and trembling with alarm; everywhere, everywhere destruction and devastation! Our beautiful settlement had been

302

PROCLAMATION OF WAR.

sacked and plundered from top to bottom by a host of implacable enemies, and these enemies were the monkeys! Oh, how I then repented that I had dispersed the villains by simply riding through them, and had not punished them for their hideous outrages by striking down half-a-dozen of the wretches! We collected as best we could our poor frightened cattle, which came running up to us at the welcome sound of our voices; we also did our best to repair the gaps in the enclosure; but instead of resting among the ruins of our beloved abode we turned towards Swan Lake. It was there my eagle brought down the bird you see. We then began to think of returning, proud of our discoveries, and of all the riches we had acquired, but overwhelmed with grief at the destruction of our farm, and at the sorrow you would experience on hearing our melancholy tidings."

Frederick ceased speaking.

The news he had brought filled every heart with sadness. I immediately perceived the necessity we were under of inflicting a signal vengeance on the malignant tribe, for unless we could make them fear us, it would be wholly impossible to preserve anything in the island.

I consoled my sons with the assurance that we would quickly retrieve our losses, and that, to prevent the recurrence of a similar calamity, I would organize a grand monkey-hunt, in which they would have numerous opportunities of distinguishing themselves. Then we had supper.

The ginseng was pronounced excellent, but as, from its aromatic nature, I looked upon it more as a medicinal remedy than as an article of food, I forbade its too frequent use, while requesting my wife to include a few roots of it among our choicer plants. The sad impression produced by Frederick's narrative of the ravages of the apes gradually wore away, and we separated after our evening devotions, deciding that the first task on the morrow should be the preparation of the bird-lime. This was a new thing, and my sons were too young-that is, too fond of novelty-not to look forward to it with pleasant anticipations.

S soon as we had exhausted, next day, our customary and diurnal occupations; had read prayers, breakfasted, and fed our cattle and poultry, my young family reminded me of my promises. They were impatient to see my

projected device in full activity, and anticipated much amusement from this new kind of sport. Accordingly I commenced the manufacture of the bird-lime: mixing a certain quantity of the liquid caoutchouc with some terebinth, I placed it over the fire. While the mixture was boiling and thickening into consistency, I employed the lads in cutting a number of little sticks from the bushes. All that remained for us then to do was to dip each stick in the bird-lime, and arrange them among the fig-tree branches, where the fruit attracted hundreds of ortolans, finches, thrushes, and other birds. And so eager were they, and in such crowds did they come, that a blind man beating about the tree could not have failed to bring down numbers. This plentifulness of game suggested to me another idea. If the ortolans came in such flocks during the day, I thought they would hardly be less numerous by night; and I resolved upon a torch-light hunt, after the manner of the Virginians, in the belief it would be both more expeditious and more productive than the process of trapping.

Meanwhile, the boys, who laboured steadily at the construction of their traps, were themselves ensnared. Hands, clothes, face, all

304

A FORAY AMONG THE ORTOLANS.

were besmeared with bird-lime, and to such an extent that you could not touch them without being covered. Their consternation was excessive, and that of our good manageress almost amusing; she had little linen to give them for a change. I comforted her and them with the information that a few ashes and some clean water would suffice for cleansing purposes, and get rid of all the smears and stains that so alarmed her. As for the boys, I rallied them on their want of skill.

"I was prepared to see my bird-lime catch larger birds than ortolans," said I; "but I never thought it would catch three or four clumsy lads."

They tried to defend themselves, but were not very successful, and I showed them how to avoid the inconvenience of smearing their fingers, by taking a pair of pincers, and plunging into the mixture seven or eight sticks at a time, instead of dipping them in singly. They found this a much pleasanter method. When I thought they had got ready a sufficient quantity, I ordered Rudly and Frederick to climb the tree and arrange among the branches as many as possible, and in a short time the unfortunate ortolans began to fall at our feet, limed about the claws and wings, and still attached to the treacherous sticks on which they had perched. By degrees the sport became so hot that it was as much as Fritz, Ernest, and my wife could do to pick up our victims and kill them, while the two climbers replaced among the branches the baits which had fallen with the birds, the same trap serving three or four times. But, abundant as was the game, I soon perceived that the results would not be proportionate to the fatigue imposed upon us, especially as Frederick and Rudly, in replacing the traps, had to climb from sixty to seventy feet. I therefore meditated seriously upon a torch-light hunt, and commenced my preparations, in which I found the terebinth a powerful auxiliary.

While thus occupied, my attention was called by Rudly to a very elegant bird, much larger than an ortolan, which he had just ensnared.

"Is not this a pretty creature?" cried the young sportsman; "what a pity to kill it! See, papa, it is almost tame; I declare, it seems to recollect me as an old acquaintance."