خونه‌ی درختی

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Tree House

I was worried, at first. I didn’t feel that we were in a very safe place. I heard a strange sound. No, it was only the movement of the trees. The fire was getting low. What were those shadows? Was that a wild animal moving nearer. nearer? I got up and put more wood on the fire. At last, I felt safer and went to sleep.

It was light when I woke up. All the others were already awake.

We had breakfast, and then we started work again. My wife milked the goats. Then she went down to the beach with Ernest, Jack, Franz and the donkey to get wood for the tree house. Fritz and I climbed up the ladder into the tree, and planned our new home.

‘These branches,’ I said, ‘are thick and close together, and they come straight out from the tree. The floor of the house can be here, and the tree will be one of the walls.’

Fritz looked up and said, ‘Those higher branches will hold up the roof. But what sort of roof?’

‘We’ll put a sail over the branches and bring it down to the floor on two sides.’

That, as you will hear later, was a great mistake. I was very stupid! But at the time, Fritz and I were very pleased with our simple plans.

‘This fourth side,’ I said, ‘ will be open. We can look out from there. Perhaps we’ll make a place where we can sit outside in the daytime.’

‘It’ll be a beautiful house!’ said Fritz.

Then my wife and Ernest arrived. The donkey was pulling a lot of wood behind it. More wood was tied on its back, and Franz was sitting on top of that. They left the wood and went back for more.

‘How shall we get it up here?’ said Fritz. ‘Shall I carry it up the ladder?’

‘No, we must pull it up. Now where did I see.? Yes, I remember. It was in Ernest’s box of tools.’

Fritz found the little wheel. We tied it to a branch and pulled up the pieces of wood. Then I started to make the floor.

When evening came, the floor was finished. We hung our sailcloth over the higher branches and nailed it down to the floor on two sides. On the fourth side, we could see across the country round us, and plenty of air could come into the house.

‘There!’ I said. ‘Our house is finished.’ Then I saw that there were more pieces of wood. ‘We’ll make a table and some chairs from these tomorrow. Tonight we’ll sleep in our new house.’

The three older boys quickly went up the ladder, carrying everything for their beds. My wife was afraid of the ladder, but she reached the top safely. Then I took Franz on my back. I untied the ladder from the posts in the ground, climbed up and pulled the ladder up after me.

‘Now we’re safe in our Tree House,’ said Jack. ‘Nothing can climb up here!’

‘Oh!’ cried Fritz. ‘Where’s the monkey?’

‘There!’ said Ernest, pointing to Fritz’s bed. ‘A monkey can climb up anywhere!’

I kept my gun by my side. I was still not sure that the animals below were safe. But the night passed quietly.