The Swiss family Robinson

Already the tempest had continued six days; on the seventh its fury seemed still increasing; and the morning dawned upon us without a prospect of hope, for we had wandered so fa...

By break of day we were all awake and alert, for hope as well as grief is unfriendly to lengthened slumbers. When we had finished our morning prayer, I said, “We now, my best be...

I was roused at the dawn of day by the crowing of the cocks. I awoke my wife, and we consulted together as to the occupations we should engage in. We agreed that we should seek...

My poor boy now began to complain of fatigue; the sugar-canes galled his shoulders, and he was obliged to shift them often. At last he stopped to take breath.--“No,” cried he, “...

I broke a silence of some moments, with observing to my wife that I could not but view with alarm the many cares and exertions to be made:--“In the first place, a journey to the...

Early the next morning, though it was scarcely light, I mounted the vessel, hoping to gain a sight of our beloved companions through a telescope. Fritz prepared a substantial br...

“You pretend,” said my wife, with a little malicious smile, “to be curious about my history, yet you have not let me speak a single word in all this time: but the longer a torre...

When my wife and I awaked the next morning, we resumed the question of our change of abode. I observed to her that it was a matter of difficulty, and that we might have reason t...

As soon as we were up and had breakfasted the next morning, I assembled all the members of my family together, to take with them a solemn farewell of this our first place of rec...

Our repast ended, I observed to my wife that we should be obliged to pass the night on the ground. I desired her to begin preparing the harness for the animals, that they might...

The next morning we took our breakfast, and fell to work. My wife, having finished her daily occupation of milking the cow, and preparing the breakfast, set off with Ernest, Jac...

The next morning we descended the ladder, and breakfasted on warm milk: we served the animals also with their meal and then we all sat down on the tender grass; the boys full of...

Jack had finished the trial of his arrows: they flew to admiration; and he practised his new art incessantly. Little Francis waited with impatience for the moment when he should...

Conversing on different subjects, we reached the long chain of rocks, over which our pretty Falcon’s Stream made its escape in a cascade, delighting at once the eye and the ear...

I had observed along the shore many pieces of wood, of which I thought I could make a kind of conveyance for our cask of butter and other provisions from Tent House to Falcon’s...

We had harnessed the ass and the cow to our sledge; and, resting our guns upon our shoulders, began our journey. We bade adieu to our companions, and put our animals in motion....

I rose with the first crowing of the cock, descended the ladder, and set about skinning the kangaroo, taking care not to deface its beautiful smooth coat; but I advanced so slow...

The wind was favourable, and briskly swelled our sail. The sea was calm, and we advanced at a considerable rate. Fritz had for some time fixed his eyes on something of a large s...

After breakfast the next morning we returned to the seaside to complete the unloading of the raft, that it might be ready for sea on the flowing of the tide. We were not long in...

From the time of discovering the pinnace, my desire of returning to the vessel grew every moment more irresistible; but one thing I saw was absolutely necessary, which was, to c...

I recommended to my sons to resume the exercise of the shooting of arrows; for I had an extreme solicitude about their preserving and increasing their bodily strength and agilit...

My first thought, the next morning, was to fetch the sledge from the wood. I had a double motive for leaving it there, which I had refrained from explaining to my wife, to avoid...

On the following day, my wife and the boys importuned me to begin my manufactory of candles: I therefore set myself to recollect all I had read on the subject. I soon perceived...

On entering our plantation of fruit-trees forming the avenue to Falcon’s Stream, we observed that they had not a vigorous appearance, and that they inclined to curve a little in...

My wife next morning began the conversation. She told me that the boys had been good and diligent; that they had ascended Cape Disappointment with her, and had gathered wood, an...

Next morning, almost before dawn, all were up and in motion; the bees had returned to their cells, and I stopped the passages with clay, leaving only a sufficient aperture for t...

We were scarcely up one morning, and had just got to work in putting the last hand to our winding staircase, when we heard at a distance two strange kinds of voices, that resemb...

Francis for a short time was highly amused with his sword-leaves, and then, like all children, who are soon tired of their toys, he grew weary of them, and they were thrown asid...

I can hardly describe our joy, when, after many tedious and gloomy weeks of rain, the sky began to brighten, the sun to dart its benign rays on the humid earth, the winds to be...

The lucky discovery of a previously existing cavern in the rock had, as must be supposed, considerably lessened our labour; excavation was no longer requisite. I had more room t...

The enterprise of our dwelling went on, sometimes as a principal, sometimes as an intermediate occupation, according to the greater or less importance of other concerns; but tho...

The trees that I had chosen for the construction of my farmhouse embellishments were for the most part one foot in diameter in the trunk; they presented the form of a tolerably...

One morning, having arisen earlier than the rest of my young family, I occupied myself by counting up the time that had passed away since our shipwreck. I calculated the dates w...

We all remembered the bountiful provision we had derived from the blackbirds and ortolans that had settled upon our giant tree at Falcon’s Nest the preceding year. The time had...

My wife took care of my pigeons, and approved of the plan of a dove-cot; consequently the waggon was immediately loaded with provisions, and all that was necessary for an excurs...

Jack had one day set off on an expedition, the intent and purpose of which nobody but himself had any knowledge of; but his absence was not long, for we soon saw him returning,...

The season of rains was fast approaching, and we used all possible expedition to get in everything necessary. The grain, the fruits of all sorts which surrounded our habitation,...

The end of the month of August was marked by a renewal of the bad weather. The rain, the winds, the thunder redoubled with new fury. How happy we were in the habitation we had m...

After dinner, which we partook of an hour earlier than usual, I made a search for some barrels in which to put the blubber of the whale, I did not want to take the empty barrels...

The day had scarcely dawned when we were all up and ready for work. The four tubs of fat were raised from the ground, and, a strong pressure being applied, we squeezed out as mu...

We had had so much trouble in harvesting our crops the last season that we had resolved, instead of trusting them to the ground without any order or regularity, to prepare a fie...

We had nothing more to fear from the neighbourhood of the boa; but I was afraid it might have either left its mate (it was a female) behind it, or else a nest of little ones, wh...

The next morning, at break of day, we renewed our search. We directed our course to the sugar-cane plantation, where I had built a hut of branches, but we found it all blown dow...

We began our march at daylight, and, after having journeyed on for about two hours, I gave the signal for a halt, as about gunshot from the defile which separated the two countr...

We quitted the borders of the swamp; but, instead of directing our steps through the desert, we followed a little stream of water that led us to the rock where we had reposed on...

We devoted a whole day to the preparation of the bears’ flesh. After having skinned them with the utmost care and precaution, I cut off the hams, and then divided the rest of th...

At the break of day I was up, and awoke my sons; our labours were almost done--our bears’ meat was smoked, our fat all run out into bamboo vessels; and the rainy season, which w...

The day after our arrival at Felsenheim, my wife commenced “cleaning house.” Windows were opened, beds aired, and all swept and garnished. While she and the two younger boys wer...

The rainy season was now rapidly approaching, and we were soon obliged to give up our excursions. The winds and the rain commenced; the sky that had so long been clear became da...

Toward evening we began to grow anxious about the return of the boys, when suddenly Jack appeared in the distance. He arrived at full gallop on his ostrich, having left his brot...

The trial of the cajack was a grand holiday fête; all were anxious to join in it: and when Fritz appeared, clad in his maritime costume, he was formally invited to take his plac...

The drawbridge suffered the fate of all new inventions, admiration evaporates so quickly! and at the end of several days, if any one climbed the stakes, it was that he might hav...

Our next labour was to construct some sort of a fort to shelter us whenever we might visit the defile. We had not strength enough to build a regular fort; and besides, our knowl...

Although I should like to mention the minutest details of our domestic life, yet I have some consideration for my readers, who would throw down the book in disgust and grow wear...

My children would often absent themselves whole days, hunting in the forest, or clambering over the rocks; but when they returned at evening, fatigued and wearied, if I had inte...

We had spent an entire day in preparing our cargo. A fresh and favourable breeze and a slightly ruffled sea induced us to embark immediately. Francis and his mother were left to...

Our first care, on rising the next morning, was to set about the preparation of the boar. Jack had recovered from his fear, and, accompanied by the dogs, we set out to look for...

When we had freed Fritz from our oft-repeated embraces, we commenced asking him all manner of questions; and, speaking all together, the poor fellow was so confused he did not k...

Fritz, seated in his cajack, served as pilot to assist us in penetrating safely through the rocks and shoals into the bay, where at last we all arrived in safety. Everything was...

The story of Fritz had detained us longer than I had anticipated, as upon looking at my watch, I discovered that it was midnight. The audience were not at all sleepy, however, b...

It is with a thousand different sensations that I write the word _conclusion_. It recalls to my mind all that has passed. God is good! God is merciful! is the reigning sentiment...