Part 8 (1/2)

Modest woraundee

Youwarkee seehted with this new-fancied dress, and worked day and night at it against the cold weather Whilst she e my winter stores, which I was forced to do alone now, herself and children taking up all un , she presented herself to own; and, truly, considering the scanty description I had given her of such a garh it had not one plait about the body, it sat very tight thereto, and yet hung down full enough for a countess; for she would have put it all in (all the stuff she had) had there been asbefore, so asked her how she got it on She told h the plaits at the bottoot her hands and arh the sleeves I wondered at her contrivance; and, s, showed her how she should put it on, and also how to pin it before: and after she had done that, and I had turned up about half a yard of sleeve, which then hung down to her fingers'

ends, I kissed her, and called her own, she was very proud for a long tiets a breed of poultry, and by what ed to keep the the woods to view reat trees on ht hand, I saood-hen (a bird I used to call so, frolish poultry) co or what had disturbed it; but I let her pass, and she ran away before ht, I stepped up, and found she had a nest and sixteen eggs there I exactly s, I broke it, at some distance from the nest, to see hoard they were; and I had no sooner broke the shell but out caain, and taking up s, I found the I had i them up tame; but I was afraid if I took thethened under the hen, they would all die; so I let them remain till next day In theof such a proper size as I conceived would do, and with this I contrived, by fastening it to stakes which I fixed in the ground, to surround the nest, andthis, the hen did not stir, so that I thought she had either been absent when I ca ones As to her being gone I was under no concern; for I had no design to catch her, but only to confine the chickens within my net if they were hatched But, however, I went nearer, and peeping in, found she sat still, squeezing herself as flat to the ground as she could I was in twenty minds whether to take her first, and then catch the chickens, or to let her go off, and then clap upon theht if she would sit still till I had got the chickens, that would be the best way; so I softly kneeled down before her, and sliding ently drew out two, and put theain, taking two every turn; but going a fourth ti out my prize, the hen juh I the minute before saw six or seven more chicks in a lump where she had sat, and kept ot into one, and in three hours' search I could not find one of theh I was sure they could not pass my net, and must be within the co nofor theot

I told Youwarkee what I had done, and how I intended tothem up tame We kept them some days very warm by the fire, and fed them often, as I had seen ht's time they were as stout and fa while in the house; and when I fed them I always used theht -ti, upon the usual sound, like barn-door fowls to the name of Biddy

There happened in this brood to be five hens and three cocks; and they were now so tas, I let them out, when the weather favoured, at et the best part of their subsistence; and having used them to roost in a corner of ht and took their places My hens, at the usual season, laid s, and hatched me a brood or two each of chickens; so that noas at a loss to knohat to do with theer a proper receptacle of such a flock, and therefore I built a little house, at a small distance from my own, on purpose for their reception and entertainround on one side ofup the timber and underhich had covered it: this I enclosed, and within that enclosure I raised my aviary, and my poultry thrived very well there, seerew very fat

My wife and I tookthem, and it was a fine diversion also to my boys; but at the end of suht, aent every one of my new-raised brood with them, and one ofvery quiet with me all the winter The next surew up a little, I cut their wings, and by that means preserved all but one, which I suppose was either not cut so close as the rest, or his wings had grown again Fro experience, that not two out of a hundred that had once wintered with s; but all of the sao off with the wild ones, if they could any ways ot a breed of blacknecks, which was a naave them from the peculiar blackness of their necks, let the rest of their bodies be of what colour they would, as they are, indeed, of all colours These birds were as big, or bigger, than a turkey, of a delicious flavour, and were bred froreat plenty I was forced to clip these as I did the other young fowl, to keep therew very tareatest difficulty noas to get meat for all these animals in the winter, when they would sit on the roost two days together if I did not call and feed theht, or they would have starved in cloudy weather But I overcame that want of food by an accidental discovery; for I observed ether at a sort of little round heads, or pods, very dry, which hung plentifully upon a shrub that grew in great abundance there

I cut several of these heads, and carrying them home with me, broke them, and took out a spoonful orto reedily devoured them, I soon laid in a stock for twice my number of mouths, so that they never after wanted I tried several tis under my hens; but not one in ten of the sorts, when hatched, were fit to eat; and those that ould never live and thrive withno sort of water nearer n of water-fowl as i my land-fowl so constantly in my farmyard, I never wanted of that sort at my table, where we eat abundance of them; for my whole side of the lake in a few years was like a farmyard, so full of poultry that I never knew my stock; and upon the usual whistle they would flock roundnow but cattle, not only for the support, but convenience and pleasure of life; and so happily should I have fared here, if I had had but a cow and bull, a raed land

CHAPTER XXII

Reflections on oing, but perceives it ioes--An account of her transactions on board-Reoods through the gulf to the lake--An account of a danger she escaped--The Author has a fit of sickness

Strange is the temper of mankind, who, the more they enjoy, the more they covet Before I received any return froht upon what I had left behindmyself happy in what I had, and completely so since ot what I could never have expected, I grew ht I should never enjoy true happiness while even a plank of the shi+p remained My head, be I where I would, or at what I would, was ever on board I wished for her in the lake, and could I but have got her thither, I thought I should be an e to ood a wife and five children I was very fond of, yet the one thing I had not, reduced the comfort of all the rest to a scanty pattern, even so low as to destroy h to think of venturing up the cavern again, but was restrained from the atteht Youwarkee shouldfrom it, says I to myself, in respect of what must be left behind? Her whole life will not suffice to clear it in, at the rate she can fetch the loading hither in parcels At last a project started, that as there were so many chests on board, Youwarkee should fill soulf to take their chance for the lake

This, at first sight, seeot froain, that they would never keep out the water, and if they filled with a lading in theht be dashed to pieces against the crags in the cavern These apprehensions stopped ht, ”True,” says I, ”this et but one in five, it is better than nothing” Thus I turned and wound the affair in my mind; but objections still started too obstinate to be conquered

In the height ofof it I told her plainly that I could get no rest from day to day ever since she first went to the shi+p, to think such a nus lay there to be a prey to the sea, as the shi+p wasted, when they ht be of such infinite service here; and that, since her last flight, I had suffered the ulf was to the shi+p; so that could I but get thither oods in the chests that were on board, and carrying theht of the water, which of itself would suck theulf; and when they were passed through the cavern, I ht take them up in the lake ”Well,” says she, ”Peter, and why cannot I do this for you?”--”No,” says I, ”even this has its objections” Then I told her what I feared of their taking water, or dashi+ng against the rock, and twenty other ways of frustrating e and weighty things to the gulf without a boat? There is another impossibility! it won't do”

Youwarkee eyed me attentively ”Pr'ythee, my dear Peter,” says she, ”set your heart at rest about that I can only try; if no good is to be done, you shall soon know it, and must rest contented under the disappoints out of the chests, and then melt some pitch and pour into every crack, to keep out the water when they were set afloat ”Pitch!” says she, ”what's that?”--”Why,” says I, ”that is a nasty, hard, black sticking thing that stands in tubs in the shi+p, and which being put over the fire in anything to ain, and will resist the water and keep it out”--Says she, ”How can I put this pitch within-side of the chest-lid when I have tied it up?”--”It is to no manner of purpose,” says I, ”to talk of it; so there's an end of it”--”But,” says she, ”suppose yourself there, what things would you bring first?”--I then entered into a long detail of particulars; saying I would have this and that, and so on, till I had scarce left out a thing I either knew of or could suppose to be in the shi+p; and for fear I had not mentioned all, says I at last, if I was there, I believe I should leave but little portable behind me

”So, so, my dear,” says Youwarkee, ”you would roll in riches, I find; but you have own for me”--”Why, aye!” says I, ”I would have that too”--”But hoould you melt the pitch?” says she--”Oh,” says I, ”there is a tinder-box and matches in a room below, upon the side of the fire-hearth” And then I let her see one I had brought with me, and showed her the use of the flint and steel--”Well, my dear,” says she, ”will you oncewould be of little ; but if she was desirous, I would let her ht, on her pro she set out, and stayed two days, and till the night of the third I would here observe that though it was hter on the outside of the rock where the shi+p lay than with us at Graundevolet, yet having always her spectacles with her, I heard no ht she used to be so much afraid of: indeed, she always avoided the fire and laenerally took off her spectacles within doors; but when at any tih

Upon her return again, she told oods to sea for me, which she hoped would arrive safe (for by this ti terms so often over, she could apply them very properly), and that they were in six chests, which she had pitched after my directions--”Aye!” says I, ”you have pitched them into the sea perhaps; but after my directions, I alunorant; but I'll satisfy you we are not so dull of apprehension as you would make us Did you not show me one day how your boat was tarred and caulked, as you call it?”--”I did,” says I; ”what then?”--”I'll tell you,” says she ”When I had emptied the first chest, and set it properly, I looked about for your pitch, which at last I found by its sticking to ood piece into a sort of little kettle, with a long handle, that lay upon the pitch”--”Oh, the pitch-ladle!” says I--”I know not what you call it,” says she; ”but then I made a fire, as you toldup the chest side-ways, and then end-ways, I poured it into it, and let it settle in the cracks, and with an old stocking, such as yours, dipped into the pitch, I rubbed every place where the boards joined I then set the chest on the side of the shi+p, and when the pitch was cold and hardened in it, filled it top-full of things: but when I had done thus, and shut the lid, I found that would not coh anywhere between it and the chest; whereupon I cut so thee of the chest, I dipped them into the pitch, and laid them on hot; and where one slip would not do, I put two; and shutting the lid down close upon thes, quite round; then tying a rope to the handle, I tipped the chest into the sea, holding the rope

I watched it soht with the rope in ulf, when, letting go the rope, away it went I served five more in the same manner: and now, my dearest, I am here to tell you I hope you will be able to see at least some of them, one time or other, in the lake”

I adawrys Alas! thinks I, what narrow-hearted creatures are mankind! Did I not heretofore look upon the poor blacks in Africa as little better than beasts, tillthe crocodile, the passage of the river, and several other achieveht have perished in a desert without his genius; and nohat could I, or almost any of us masterpieces of the creation (as we think ourselves) and Heaven's peculiar favourites, have done in this present case, that has been omitted by this woree), and that in a way to which she was bred an utter stranger?

After what I had heard frorew much more cheerful; which she, poor creature, was remarkably pleased with She ith me constantly once, and soether, to see what success at the lake; till at length she grew very impatient, for fear, as she afterwards told me, I should either think she had not done what she said, or had done it in an ineffectual ht I saw soreat distance ”Youwarkee,” says I, ”I spy a sail!”

Then running toed to see what it was At nearer view I perceived it to be one of my wife's fleet But what added to my satisfaction was to see Youwarkee so pleased, for she could scarcely contain herself