Conversing on different subjects, we reached the long chain of rocks, over which our pretty Falcon Stream made its escape in the form of a cascade, whose gentle murmurs delighted the ear, as much as its wild and various aspect gratified the eye. We kept along the chain of rocks which led to Jackall’s River, and from thence to Tent-House, having first, with difficulty, pushed through the high grass which presented itself in our path. Our fatigue, however, was relieved by the uncommon beauty of the scenery around; on the right hand was a boundless sea; on the left, the island, with the bay by which it was accessible, and the chain of rocks, presenting altogether, an assemblage of the picturesque, equal to what the liveliest fancy could desire. The view reminded me of the large flower-stands common in Europe; the shelvings, the projections, the cornices of which, instead of pots of flowers, were covered with plants most rare and contrasted, and in a vigorous state of vegetation. In the greatest number of these, were distinguishable the different families of grasses, many of them of the thorn-leaved species, and more flourishing than those which are cultivated in the greenhouses of Europe. There was also in abundance the Indian fig, with its large broad leaf; aloes of different forms and colours; the superb prickly candle, or cactus, bearing straight stalks, taller than a man, and crowned with long straight branches, forming a sort of star. The broad plantain spread along the rocks its innumerable boughs twisted with each other, hanging down perpendicularly, and ornamented with flowers, which grew in large tufts, and were of the brightest rose-colour; while that which pleased us best, and which was found there in great abundance, was the king of fruits, both for figure and relish, the crowned pineapple. We immediately fell on this fruit with avidity, because we knew its value and its innocence, and because it was fit to be eaten without any further preparation than merely gathering it. The monkey was not the last to seize one for himself; and as he could make higher jumps than the boys, they formed the scheme of making him angry by little tricks, so as to induce him to fling pineapples at them. This game they continued so long, that I thought it prudent to interrupt them, fearing that the unripe state of the fruit might affect their health. My wife and I ate one or two with great pleasure; and after bestowing the commendations so fine a fruit deserved, we agreed that we would frequently return to the place, and eat them as a dessert. + 

Soon after, I was fortunate enough to discover, among the multitude of plants which grew either at the foot or in the clefts of the rock, the karata (the Bromelia Karata of Linnaeus), many of which were now in blossom, and of others the flowers had lately fallen off. They resembled young trees; and travellers have given so perfect a description of them in their books of natural history, that it was impossible I should mistake them. But what further confirmed their identity, was their straight slender stalk, crowned with blossoms, and proceeding from a tuft of leaves like the pineapple, with its large foliage terminating in a sharp point, and forming altogether, a plant remarkably pleasing to the eye. I pointed out to the boys the immense size of these leaves, which were hollowed in the middle like a saucer, in which the rain is for a long time preserved; and also its beautiful red flowers. As I was acquainted with the properties of this useful plant, the pith of which is used as tinder by the Negroes, who also make a strong kind of thread from the fibres of its leaves, I was not less satisfied with my discovery, than I had been with that of the potatoes; and I did not hesitate to assure them, that I preferred it to the pineapples. All answered me, their mouths at the same time full of the fruit, that they would resign these trees with all their flowers to me, if I would leave them the pineapples. The pineapples are better than all the rest, said they, even than the potatoes. What is a handsome-looking tree worth, if it does not bear any fruit? Your most devoted humble servant, Mr. Karata, but pineapples for us! + 

Little gluttons! cried I, half angry, your preference is as senseless as that of a man who prefers a woman with a handsome face, to one possessed of those valuable and lasting virtues which soothe the cares of human life. The flavour of the pineapple gratifies your palate; but it is not of necessary use, and I will immediately give you a proof that I am not wrong in my preference of the karata. Ernest, take out my flint and steel, and strike me a light. + 

Ernest.⁠—But, father, what am I to do for tinder? what can I put to receive the sparks? + 

Father.⁠—This is precisely to the purpose. When the tinder which we brought from the vessel is all consumed, how shall we be able to make a fire? and without a fire, how shall we dress a dinner, or prepare numberless other matters we have occasion for? + 

Ernest.⁠—Oh, I should not be in the least at a loss. We would do like the savages; rub two pieces of wood against each other, till at length they catch fire. + 

Father.⁠—Many thanks for your information: but for us who are not savages, and not in the habit of such exercise, the expedient would be somewhat inconvenient. I would lay a wager, that if you were to rub two pieces of wood together for a whole day, you would not produce a single spark; or if you did, you would wait so long for the end you had in view, as to make it almost useless. + 

Ernest.⁠—If this is the case, we must endeavour to have patience till we can find a tree that bears tinder, just as we found one that bears gourds. + 

Father.⁠—We might make tinder by burning some linen rag, and putting it in a close box: but we have, unfortunately, none to spare; and, therefore, the best thing for us would be to find tinder ready prepared in some plant; and in this we may succeed by examining our new prize, the karata tree. + 

I then took a dried stalk of the tree, stripped off the bark, and there appeared a kind of dry and spongy substance, which I laid upon the flint; and then striking it with a steel, it instantly caught fire. The boys looked on with astonishment, and then began to caper about, exclaiming: Long live the tinder tree! + 

Here then, said I, we have an article of greater usefulness than if it served merely to gratify the appetite. Your mother will next inform us, what materials she will use for sewing your clothes, when her provision of thread from the enchanted bag is exhausted. + 

My Wife.⁠—I have long been uneasy upon this very subject, and would willingly give all the pineapples in the world, in exchange for some hemp or flax. + 

Father.⁠—And your wish shall be accomplished, said I. For once I shall have the pleasure of presenting you with something you eagerly desire to have. If you examine, you will find some excellent thread under the leaves of this extraordinary plant, where all-provident nature has placed a storehouse of this valuable article, though the lengths of thread will be found not longer than the leaf. I accordingly examined one of the leaves, and drew out of it a strong piece of thread of a red colour, which I gave to my wife. How fortunate it is for us, said she, that you have had the habit of reading and of study! None of us would have had a thought about this plant, or have conceived that it could be of any use; but will it not be a little difficult to draw out the little lengths of thread through the prickles that surround them? + 

Father.⁠—Not in the least; we shall put the leaves to dry, either in the sun, or by a gentle fire. The useless part of the leaf will then separate by being beaten, and the mass of thread will remain. + 

Fritz.⁠—I see clearly, father, that we ought not to trust to appearances; it is the same with this tree as with mankind; the most merit is often found in an individual that was least supposed to possess it: but I believe it would be difficult to find any good qualities in the prickly plants which are growing here in all directions, and wounding the persons who go near them: of what use can they possibly be? + 

Father.⁠—Again, my son, you form your judgement from appearances. The greatest part of these plants possess medicinal virtues; great use is made in pharmacy of the aloe, which produces such abundance of beautiful flowers; in greenhouses in Europe, some have been seen to bear more than three thousand blossoms. At Carlsbad, upon the estates of Count de Limbourg, there was an aloe tree twenty-six feet in height; it had twenty-eight branches, which branches bore more than three thousand blossoms in the space of a month. At Paris, at Leyden, in Denmark, there have been also seen some exceedingly curious specimens of this tree; many of them are full of a resinous sort of sap, of which valuable gums are made. But look, here, too, is the Indian fig or prickly pear, a vegetable of no common interest; it grows in the poorest soils, and, as you see, upon the rocks; the poorer the soil, the more its leaves are thick and succulent; I should be tempted to believe that it was nourished by the air, rather than by the earth. It is also called the racket-tree, from the resemblance of its long, thick, flat leaves to that well-known instrument. This plant bears a kind of fig, which is said to be sweet and palatable, when ripened in its native sun, and it is both a salutary and refreshing food. This, then, is another plant of great utility. Scarcely had I pronounced these words, than our light-footed Jack was on the rock, trying to gather some of the fruit; but this time he had reason to repent his precipitation; for the fruit of this tree is covered with fine prickles, which assail the skin of the bold hand that dares to gather them. Poor Jack soon came down again, crying heartily, striking his feet upon the ground, and shaking his hand with the pain the prickles occasioned. I had not the courage to make this the moment for a lesson of morality founded upon the effects of his gluttony, for which he was sufficiently punished; and I reproved his brothers, who stood by laughing while I was drawing out the thorns. I then instructed them how to gather this fruit without incurring the same inconvenience. I threw up a stone, and brought down a fig, which I caught upon my hat; I cut off its two ends, and was thus enabled to hold it without injury, while I peeled off the skin. I then resigned it to the curiosity of my young companions. + 

The novelty, rather than the taste, of the fruit, made them think it excellent: they all found means to gather some of the figs, and each was busied in inventing the best method of taking off the skins: but that of Fritz had the best success; he gathered his figs, by plunging the sharp point of his stick into them, and then pulling the stick a little sideways to bring them down: he peeled them quite neatly while they were still on the stick, and presented several to his mother, who partook of them with pleasure. + 

In the meantime, I perceived Ernest holding a fig upon the end of his knife, turning it about in all directions, and bringing it close to his eye with a look of curious inquiry. I wish I could know, said at length our young observer, what little animals these are in the fig, which feed so eagerly upon it, and are as red as scarlet. + 

Father.⁠—Ha, ha! this too will perhaps turn out a new discovery, and an additional source of usefulness, which this plant possesses. Let me look at your fig; I will lay a wager that it is the insect called the cochineal. + 

Jack.⁠—The cochineal! what a droll name! What is the cochineal, father? + 

Father.⁠—It is an insect of the kind called suckers, or kermes; he feeds upon the Indian fig, which, no doubt, is the cause of his beautiful colour, which forms an object of considerable importance in the trade of a dyer; for nothing else produces so fine a scarlet. In America, they stretch pieces of linen under the branches, and then shake the tree; and when the insects have fallen in great numbers, the ends of the linen are folded together to enclose them; the insects are sprinkled with vinegar or cold water, and then dried, and sent to Europe, for the use of dyers, who pay a high price for the commodity. + 

Ernest.⁠—I now perfectly agree with you, that this plant is of ten times more use than the finest pineapple: the latter, however, has also its merit, and we are not obliged to reject the one, if we choose the other: yet, as we have not any occasion for a scarlet dye, and that the fruit of the fig-tree is certainly inferior to the pineapple, so I think it is but reasonable to prefer the last. + 

Father.⁠—In this you are to blame; I have not yet mentioned a still superior usefulness peculiar to the Indian fig-tree; it serves as a protection to man. + 

Fritz.⁠—As a protection to man! Why, how can that be, father? + 

Father.⁠—It is used for making hedges round the habitations of man, its prickly surface effectually preventing the approach of animals; for you see, that besides the prickles which took such a fancy to Jack’s hand, there is a large thorn at each of the knots, which appear in the plant. + 

My Wife.⁠—The largest serve very well for pins, and even for nails; see how they keep my gown well fastened. + 

Father.⁠—This, then, you see is a third usefulness the Indian fig-tree can boast, and of which I was not at first aware. You must perceive of what importance these enclosures are; and the rather, as they are made with so little trouble; for, if you plant only one of its leaves in the ground, it immediately takes root, and grows with astonishing rapidity: it is therefore not only a defence against wild beasts, but against enemies in general; for they could not get over it without cutting through the hedge; and during such an operation, which also would be attended with some danger, the persons within, gain time to escape, or to prepare an effectual defence. + 

Jack, the king of the thoughtless race, asserted that this plant was extremely soft, and yielding in its nature; and that with the assistance of a knife, or even a stick, it would be easy to get over such a hedge: to prove his assertion, he began to cut down, with his clasp knife, a pretty large plant, striking everywhere to right and left with all his might, till at length one of the divided leaves fell with such violence on his leg, that the thorns struck into the flesh, and Jack roared out piteously, and quickly seated himself upon a stone to disengage it as quickly as possible. I could not now, as I assisted him to draw out the thorns, refrain from laughing a little at this second attack of the figs, which was caused solely by his obstinacy and his imprudence; I observed to him, how difficult it must be, for savages, who wear no clothes, to force such a barrier as they formed, and for this once, I had the pleasure of convincing him. + 

Ernest.⁠—Ah, papa, do let us make such a hedge round our tree; we shall then have no further occasion to light fires to preserve us from wild beasts, or even from the savages, who from one day to another may arrive in their canoes, as they did on Robinson Crusoe’s Island. + 

Fritz.⁠—And we could, then, easily gather the cochineal, and try to make the same beautiful scarlet colour. + 

Father.⁠—We shall have time enough for many things, my dear children; but for the present, it is sufficient to prove to you, that God has not made anything to be wholly useless; and that it is the duty of men, on whom he has bestowed the gifts of wisdom and intelligence, to employ those faculties, in discovering the utility of the different productions he has allowed to exist. + 

Jack.⁠—For my part, I have done with the Indian fig-tree, its fruit, its cochineal, and its ugly thorns, and I will never go near it again. + 

Father.⁠—If the plant could speak, it would most likely say: That little boy shall not come near me any more. Without any reason, or any necessity, but purely out of contradiction to his father, he attacks and destroys me; me, who would have done him service, if he would but have treated me with kindness, and have been careful in coming near me. And now, Jack, if your leg is still painful, apply a leaf of the karata to it, for I recollect that the plant possesses the property of curing wounds. He accordingly took my advice, and in a few minutes was able to join us on our road to Tent-House. + 

Now then, said Ernest, I have had an opportunity of learning the valuable properties of the karata tree, and of the Indian fig-tree; but I wish I could also be informed respecting those tall plants which look like sticks covered with thorns, that I perceive everywhere about us; I see neither fruits nor insects on them: of what use then, father, do you think they can be? + 

Father.⁠—It is not in my power, my dear boy, to explain to you the uses of all the plants in the world; I presume that many exist which have no other use than contributing to the sustenance of different kinds of animals; and, as I have already told you, it is for man, by his superior intelligence, to discover those that can be applied to his own use. Many possess medicinal qualities of which I am ignorant, and which will become better known as the world advances in age. It occurred to me that one of the plants we saw today, named the prickly candle, is of the kind which Bruce describes in his Travels to Abyssinia, and of which he gives a drawing; the only difference that I perceive, being the size. They serve, says he, for food to the elephant and the rhinoceros; the first with his strong teeth, or his trunk, and the latter with his horn, lay hold of this seeming stick, and rip it up from one end to the other; they then devour the pith, and sometimes the rind. + 

Ernest.⁠—The palate of these animals must surely be made of iron, to be able to chew such a thorny substance without injury. + 

Fritz.⁠—Why so? Camels and asses are very fond of thistles, and appear to digest them extremely well. It is probable, therefore, that the stomach of these animals is so formed, that these prickly substances occasion in it only an agreeable excitation, favourable to their appetite and their digestion. + 

Father.⁠—Your idea is not a bad one; and if it be not true, it is at least probable. + 

Fritz.⁠—Will you tell me, father, the precise difference between true and probable? + 

Father.⁠—Your question is one of those which have occupied the attention of philosophers for two thousand years. It would therefore be too tedious to discuss at this moment; I will, however, endeavour to make my answer such, as to be of use to you, in the science of logic, or the art of reasoning. Let us see, if you will understand it. What we call true, is that which cannot in any way be contradicted, and which exactly agrees, in every point, with the idea we conceive of a certain object, or as it really exists before our eyes: for example, when I make an impression with my seal on some warm wax, it is absolutely true that the figure impressed on the wax, is the same as that on the seal. A thing is probable, when we have a variety of motives for believing it true, without, however, being able to bring any proof. Again, we call false, that which is in positive contradiction to all our notions, our reason, and our experience. Is it true, probable, or false, that a man can fly up into the air? + 

All.⁠—It is false, absolutely false. + 

Father.⁠—How so? + 

Jack.⁠—Because the thing is impossible. + 

Father.⁠—Very well, my young philosopher, and why is the thing impossible? + 

Jack.⁠—Because it is not possible. + 

Father.⁠—Ha, ha, ha! here is a pretty round of possible and impossible. It is false, because no such thing can be done, and no such thing can be done, because it is not possible. Presently you will tell me that it is impossible because it is false. Try again, my lads, we must have some better reasons. What say you, Ernest? + 

Ernest.⁠—I say, that the thing cannot be done, because it is not in the nature of man to fly; that, having no wings, he is not formed for flying. + 

Father.⁠—Well, but if someone should assert, that a man is able to make a machine, by the assistance of which he can raise and support himself in the air without wings, and without the machine’s resting upon anything; would this be probable or improbable? What think you, Fritz? + 

Fritz.⁠—I think I should have said improbable, if I had not known that people have accomplished what you describe by the invention of balloons. + 

Father.⁠—And why should you have thought it improbable? + 

Fritz.⁠—Because man is, in his nature, heavier than the air; and I should have supposed, that a machine of whatever kind, instead of diminishing, would only add to his weight. + 

Father.⁠—Very well reasoned. But you would be told that this machine is of large dimensions, and composed of a close, light kind of silk, and that it is filled with air chemically prepared, which being much lighter than atmospheric air, tends perpetually to ascend, and supports the man in the air, as bladders support you upon the water. Do you understand all this, my boy? and what have you to say in answer? + 

Fritz.⁠—Yes, father, I understand it; and I perceive how it might be probable, that since man has discovered a means to be sustained upon water, he might also find the means to raise and sustain himself in the air. + 

Father.⁠—And when a multitude of persons of veracity, and of different ages, shall declare, that with their own eyes they saw a balloon, to which a parachute was fastened filled with men, and that all mounted in the air together, and disappeared above the clouds; should you still maintain that it is false that a man can fly? + 

All.⁠—No, to be sure, we should say that it is quite true that he can fly. + 

Father.⁠—And yet you all said but a minute ago, that it was absolutely false. + 

Fritz.⁠—Ah! but we said that, father, of a man by himself, independently of any machine he might construct; for though nature has refused him wings, she has not failed to bestow on him an inventive mind, which more than compensates for that deficiency. + 

Father.⁠—Your observation is perfectly just, and I hope you will not fail to profit by it. With the aid of his intelligence, and his reason, there is scarcely anything which man cannot attain to. But to return to our example: you will find in it the definition of the words which you ask me about: it is false, that man of himself can fly; it is probable, that by the aid of a machine of his own invention, he may be enabled to mount and sustain himself in the air; and it is absolutely true, that this has been effected by man, though without his having yet found a certain means of guiding these factitious wings; a defect, which in a great measure renders his discovery useless. + 

My Wife.⁠—Well, now we have had a long lesson upon the subject, during which I have not been able to put in one single little word; I am afraid you will make your boys so learned, that I shall not know on what subjects to converse with them. + 

Father.⁠—There is no fear of that, my dear; for even should I teach them all I know myself, they would not be very learned. A man should always endeavour to acquire knowledge: if he lives in the world, he is in consequence the more esteemed, the more respected, and knows the better how to manage his affairs: if, as will most likely be the case with our sons, their lot is to live in a kind of solitude, it will be less tiresome to them, if they have cultivated the habit of thinking and reflecting; so that even the little information in my power to give them, may be of use. I have never had occasion to regret that I knew so much, but often that I knew too little, particularly in our present situation, where no other master can be obtained for them than myself and nature. If the boys could conceive what advantages they would derive from study, they would impose upon themselves the strictest application, while at the age when learning is so easy. Conversing thus, we reached Jackall’s River, which we crossed, stepping with great care from stone to stone, and very shortly arrived at our old habitation, where we found everything in perfect order as we had left it; and we immediately dispersed, each in pursuit of what he intended to take away. Fritz loaded himself with powder and shot; I and my wife and Francis employed ourselves in filling our pot with butter, the carrying of which on our return it was agreed was to fall on me. Ernest and Jack looked about for the geese and ducks; but as they were become somewhat savage, the boys could not succeed in catching one of them. The idea then occurred to Ernest, of taking a small bit of cheese, and tying it to the end of a piece of string, and holding it to float in the water. The voracious animals hastened eagerly to seize it. In this way, Ernest drew them towards him, one by one, with the cheese in its mouth, till he had caught the whole: he put them in their pocket handkerchiefs, leaving only their heads at liberty; and then we fastened them as a parcel to our game-bags, so that each had his share in carrying them. + 

We had thought of taking back with us a provision of salt; but we could not carry so much as we wished, the sacks being occupied with potatoes. I, however, thought of throwing in a certain quantity loose into one of them, to fill up the space between the potatoes: in this way we secured a tolerable supply; but it made the sack so heavy, that no one was willing to be encumbered with it. Fritz proposed that our faithful Turk should carry it; and accordingly we took off his superb coat of mail, and left it at Tent-House, and the sack was tied on the back of the quiet, kind-tempered animal. Ponto was to carry the monkey as before. + 

We set out on our return, loaded with treasures, and the appearance of our caravan was even more amusing than it had been before: the ducks and geese, with their heads and necks stretching out at our shoulders, cackling with all their might, gave us a truly singular and ludicrous appearance: we could not help laughing immoderately as we passed the bridge, one after the other, loaded in so strange a fashion. Our mutual jokes, and the general good humour which prevailed, served to shorten the length of the walk, and we none of us were sensible of fatigue, till we were seated under our tree at Falcon’s Stream. My wife now prepared to console us, by putting some of the potatoes which we so eagerly desired to taste, immediately on the fire. She next milked the cow and the goat, and refreshed us with a draught of their warm milk, giving us a proof how the natural strength may be increased, by the feelings of conjugal and maternal love. The kindhearted woman was at least as much fatigued as any of us; yet she made no attempt to rest herself, till she had provided us with all she had to give for our refreshment. At length, after dining heartily on our potatoes, on which we bestowed abundance of commendation, we concluded the day with evening-prayers, and then joyfully climbed our ladder to seek the blessing of repose in our aerial castle. + 