برگشت به چادر

CHAPTER EIGHT

Back to the Tent

After breakfast, Fritz and I started to make a table. Suddenly, we heard a loud BANG, and a small bird fell almost at our feet.

‘That was a good shot!’ said Ernest, picking it up. He was very proud.

‘It wasn’t good,’ I said. ‘We can’t use our gunpowder like that. We can use the guns to shoot large animals for food.

But for birds and small animals, we must use bows and arrows. Look at the bow and arrow that I’ve made, Ernest. Try to make better ones - and learn to use them.’

When midday came, we put some barrels round the new table. We were ready to eat our first meal at it.

‘Where are Ernest and Jack?’ asked my wife.

‘Let’s start. If they come late, they won’t have any lunch.’

‘Maybe something has happened to them,’ said my wife. ‘I can’t eat if they’re not here.’

We waited.

‘I’m sure nothing has happened to them,’ I said at last. ‘They’re young and silly and don’t notice the time. Put the food on the table.’

Then Ernest and Jack arrived, carrying bows and arrows.

‘Look!’ said Jack, before I could speak. He held out two very small birds. ‘We shot them with our bows and arrows!’

‘I’m very pleased about that. But I’m angry because you’re late. Your mother’s been worried about you. Sit down and eat your lunch.’

We only had meat and a little bread for lunch. The bread was very hard. The meat was an animal that I shot the day before.

‘I left some things at the tent,’ said my wife. ‘If we get them, I can give you better meals.’

We left and walked towards the beach. The dogs went in front; this time, the little monkey was riding on Turk’s back.

Then came Fritz, Ernest and Jack with their bows and arrows. My wife and Franz and I came last. There was still a lot of wood on the beach, and I noticed two long pieces, just the same shape. Their ends were turned up.

‘Now where,’ I thought, ‘have I seen pieces of wood shaped like that? Ah! I remember! In Switzerland, of course!’

We reached the tent and found everything in the same place as before. Everyone looked for the things that they wanted. Fritz got some gunpowder, while I found the butter. My wife pointed to a bag that I remembered putting into our boat.

‘What is it?’ I asked.

‘Ah!’ she said. ‘That’s what I wanted for our lunch. Potatoes!’

‘There are only enough for one meal,’ I said. ‘But if we plant them, we’ll have plenty next year - enough for all our meals.’ Jack was listening to this. ‘We can eat these potatoes and then we can find wild potatoes,’ he said. ‘You found sugar and coconuts.’

‘No, Jack. Wild potatoes grow on the top of high mountains. And they’re very small and not very good to eat. These potatoes are different from wild ones. We must make a garden and grow potatoes in it.’

‘But what can we eat now?’ asked Jack.

‘I’ll see what I can find,’ I answered, ‘until our garden’s ready. There are some wild plants that we can use.’

Next, Fritz and I went to get salt. The sea water dried on the rocks and left salt behind. We were able to get enough to give our food some taste. But we were stupid not to take more than that!