Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins, Vol. I. (of II.)

  CHAPTER XXV.

  Youwarkee's account of the stages to Arndrumstake--The author uneasy at her flight--His employment in her absence; and preparations for receiving her father--How he spent the evenings with the children.

  My wife was now upon her journey to her father's; but where that was, orhow far off, it was impossible for me to conceive by her descriptionof the way; for she distinguished it not by miles or leagues, but byswan-geans, and names of rocks, seas, and mountains, which Icould neither comprehend the distance of from each other, nor fromGraundevolet, where I was. I understood by her, indeed, there was agreat sea to be passed, which would take her up almost a day and night,having the children with her, before she reached the next arkoe, thoughshe could do it herself she said, and strain hard, in a summer'snight; but if the children should flag by the way, as there was noresting-place between us and Battringdrigg, the next arkoe, it mightbe dangerous to them, so she would take the above time for their sakes.After this, I found by what she said there was a narrow sea to pass, anda prodigious mountain, before she reached her own country; and that herfather's was but a little beyond that mountain. This was all I couldknow in general about it. At their departure she and the children hadtaken each a small provision for their flight, which hung about theirnecks in a sort of purse.

  I cannot say, notwithstanding this journey was taken with my concurrenceand consent, that I was perfectly easy when they were gone, for myaffection for them all would work up imaginary fears too potent for myreason to dispel, and which at first sat with no easy pressure uponmy mind. This my pretty babies at home perceiving, used all the littlewinning arts they could to divert and keep up my spirits; and from dayto day, by taking them abroad with me, and playing with and amusing themat home, I grew more and more persuaded that all would go right with theabsent, and that in due time I should see them return again.

  But as the winter set in, I went little abroad, and then we employedourselves within doors in preparing several things which might not onlybe useful and ornamental, if the old glumm should come to see us, butmight also divert us, and make the time pass less tediously. The firstthing I went upon was a table, which, as my family consisted of so many,I intended to make big enough for us all. With that view I broke up acouple of chests, and, taking the two sides of one of them, I nailedthem edge to edge by strong thick pieces underneath at each end and inthe middle; then I took two chest-lids with their hinges, nailing oneto each side of my middle piece, which made two good flaps; after this,with my tools, of which I had now a chest-full, I chopped out of newstuff and planed four strong legs quite square, and nailed them stronglyto each corner of my middle board; I then nailed pieces from one leg tothe other, and nailed the bed likewise to them; then I fastened a borderquite round within six inches from the bottom, from foot to foot, whichheld all fast together. When all this was done, still my table wasimperfect; I could not put up the flaps, having no proper support. Toremedy this I sawed out a broad slip from a chest-side, and boring alarge hole through the centre, I spiked it up to the under-side of thetable's bed, with a spindle I contrived just loose enough to play roundthe head of the spike, filing down that part of the spindle which passedthrough the bed of the table, and riveting it close; so that when myflaps were set up I pulled the slip crosswise of the table, and when theflaps were down, the slip turned under the top of the table lengthwise:next, under each flap, I nailed a small slip lengthwise of the flaps,to raise them on a level, when up, with the top of the table. When I hadthus completed the several parts of this needful utensil, I spent sometime and pains by scraping and rubbing, to render it all as elegant ascould be, and the success so well answered my wish, that I was not alittle proud of the performance; and what rendered my work thereon astill more agreeable task, was my pretty infants' company, who stood by,expressing their wonder and approbation at every stroke.

  Now I had gotten a table, I wanted chairs to it; for as yet we hadonly sat round the room upon chests, which formed a bench of the wholecircumference, they stood so thick. There was no moving of them withouta monstrous trouble every time I might have occasion to set out mytable: besides, if I could have dragged them backwards and forwards,they were too low to be commodious for seats; so I resolved to make somechairs and stools also, that might be manageable. I will not trouble youwith the steps I took in the formation of these; only, in general, youmust know, that some more chests I broke up to that purpose served mefor timber, out of which I framed six sizeable handsome chairs, and acompetent number of stools.

  But now that I was turned joiner, I had another convenience to providefor. I had nothing wherein to enclose things, and preserve them fromdust, except the chests, and they were quite unfit for holding liquors,victuals, and such like matters, but open shells, as most of my vesselswere. Wherefore, having several boards now remaining of the boxes I hadbroken up for chairs and stools, I bethought me of supplying this greatdeficiency; so of these spare boards, in a workmanlike way (for by thistime I was become a tolerable mechanic), I composed a very tight closet,holding half-a-dozen broad shelves, shut up by a good pair of doors,with a lock and key to fasten them. These jobs took me up almost threemonths, and I thought I had not employed them idly, but for the creditand service of my family. I was now again at leisure for fartherprojects. I was uncertain as to my wife's return, how soon she might bewith me, or how much longer she might stay; but I was sure I could donothing in the meanwhile more grateful than increasing, by all means inmy power, the accommodations of my house, for the more polite as well asconvenient reception of her father, or any else who might accompany herhome in the way of a retinue, as she talked of. I saw plainly I had notroom for lodging them, and that was a circumstance of main importance tobe provided for. Hereupon I thought of adding a long apartment to oneof my outer-rooms, to range against the side of the rock; but reflectingthat such a thing would be quite useless, unless I could finish it intime, so as to be complete when my guests came, and not knowing how soonthat might be, I resolved to quit this design; and I fell upon anotherwhich might do as well, and required much less labour and fewer days toperfect.

  I remembered that amongst those things my wife had packed up on boardthe ship, and which came home through the gulf, there were two of thelargest sails, and a couple of a smaller size. These I carried tothe wood, and tried them in several places to see where they might bedisposed to most advantage in the nature of a tent, and having found aconvenient spot to my purpose, I cut divers poles for supporters, andmaking straining lines of my matweed, I pitched a noble one, sufficientto cover or entertain a numerous company, and so tight everywhere as tokeep out the weather. The front of this new apartment I hung with bluecloth, which had a very genteel effect. I had almost forgotten to tellyou that I contrived (by hanging one of the smaller sails across, justin the middle, which I could let down or raise up at pleasure) to dividethe tent occasionally into two distinct rooms.

  When I had proceeded thus far, there were still wanting seats for thisadditional building, as I may call it, and though I could spare somechests to sit on, I found they would not half do. For a supplement,then, I took my axe and felled a couple of great trees, one from eachside of the tent, sawed off the tops, and cut each of the trunks in twoabout the middle: these huge cylinders I rolled into the tent with agood deal of toil and difficulty; two of them I thrust into the innerdivision, and left two in the outer. I placed them as benches on bothsides, then, with infinite pains, I shaved the upper face of each smoothand flat, and pared off all the little knots and roughnesses of thefront, so that they were fitted to sit on, and their own weight fixedthem in the place where I intended them to be. At the upper end of thefarther chamber I set three chests lengthwise for seats, or any otheruse I might see fit to put them to.

  During these operations we were all hard at it, and no hand idle butDicky in arms, and Sally, whom he kept in full employ; but Pedro, beinga sturdy lad, could drive a nail, and lift or carry the things I wanted,and Jemmy and David, though so
young, could pick up the chips, hold anail or the lamp, or be some way or other useful; for I always preachedto them the necessity of earning their bread before they ate it, and notthink to live on mine and their brother's labour.

  The nights being pretty long, after work was over, and Sarah had fed herbrother and laid him in his hammock, we used to sit all down to enjoyourselves at a good meal, for we were never regular at that till night;and then after supper, my wife being absent, one or other of the youngones would begin with something they had before heard me speak of, bysaying, "Daddy, how did you use to do this or that in England?" Then allears were immediately open to catch my answer, which certainly broughton something else done either there or elsewhere; and by their littlequestions and my answers they would sometimes draw me into a storyof three hours long, till, perhaps, two or three of my audience werefalling asleep, and then we all went to bed.

  I verily believe my children would, almost any of them, from thefrequent repetition of these stories, have given a sufficient accountof England to have gained a belief from almost any Englishman of theirbeing natives there.

  I frequently observed, that when we had begun upon Cornwall, andtraversed the mines, the sea-coast, or talked of the fine gentlemen'sseats, and such things, one would start up, and, if the discourseflagged ever so little, would cry, "Ay; but, daddy, what did you do whenthe crocodile came after you out of the water?" And another, beforethat subject was half-ended (and I was forced to enter on every one theystarted), would be impatient for the story of the lion; and I alwaystook notice that the part each had made the most reflections on, wasalways most acceptable to the same person: but poor Sally would neverlet the conversation drop without some account of the muletto, it wassuch a pretty, gentle creature, she said.