CHAPTER XXVI.
The Author's concern at Youwarkees stay--Reflections on his condition--Hears a voice call him--Youwarhee's brother Quangrollart visits him with a companion--He treats them at the grotto--The brother discovers himself by accident-- Wilkins produces his children to him
My head, as well as my hands, had now been employed for five months inadjusting all things in the most suitable manner for the reception ofYouwarkee and her friends; but nobody coming, and light days gettingforward apace, I begin to grow very uneasy, and had formed diversimaginations of what might occasion her stay. Thought I, I am afraidall the pains I have been taking will be to no purpose; for either herfather will not let her return, or she has of herself come to such aresolution; for she knows I cannot follow her, and had rather, perhaps,live and enjoy the three children she has with her, amidst a number ofher friends and acquaintance, than spend the remainder of her days withme and all our offspring in this solitude.
But then I reflected she chose it herself, or at least declared herselfperfectly satisfied, yea, delighted therewith. And here are her childrenwith me, the major part of them; yet, what can I think? since her returnis put off till the swangeans are over this arkoe, she will never bringher relations now in this unseasonable time for flight; therefore I mustthink, if she intended to return at all, it would have been beforenow; and as the case is not so, my fear of losing her entirely prevailsgreatly. Oh! says I, that we had but a post here as we have in England;there we can communicate our thoughts at a distance to each otherwithout any trouble, and for little charge! What a country is this tolive in! and what an improper creature am I to live in it! Had I butthe graundee, I would have found her out by this time, be she where shewould; but, whilst every one about me can pass, repass, and act as theyplease, I am fixed here like one of my trees, bound to the spot, or,upon removal, to die in the attempt. Alas! why did I beget childrenhere, but to make them as wretched and inconsolable as myself! Some ofthem are so formed, indeed, as to shift for themselves; but they owe itto their mother, not to me. What! am I a father of children who willbe bound one day to curse me? Severe reflection! Yet I never thought ofthis till now. But am I the only father in such a case? No, surely! foram not I as much bound to curse my father as my children are to curseme? He might have left me happy if he would; I would them if I could.Again, are there not others who, by improper junction with personsdiseased in body or vicious in mind, have entailed greater miseryupon their posterity than I have on mine! My children are all healthy,strong, and sound, both in body and mind; and is not that the greatestblessing that can be bestowed on our beings? But they are imprisonedin this arkoe! What then? With industry, here is no want; and as theyincrease they may settle in communities, and be helpful to each other.I have lived here well nigh sixteen years, and it was God's pleasureI should be here; and can I think I was placed here with an injunctioncontrary to the great command, "Increase and multiply?" If that were so,can it be possible I should have received the only means of propagating,as it were, from Heaven itself? No, it was certainly as much my Maker'swill that I should have posterity here, as that I myself should at firstbe brought thither. This is a large and plentiful spot, and capable ofgreat improvement, when there shall be hands sufficient. How many pettystates are less than these my dominions! I have here a compass of neartwenty miles round, and how many thousands grow voluntarily grey in afar less circuit?
I had hardly finished my reflections (for I was sitting by myself in mytent upon one of the trees I had turned into benches), when I heard amusical voice call, "Peter! Peter!" I started. "What's this?" says I."It is not Youwarkee's voice! What can this mean?" Listening, I heard itagain, but at so great a distance I could but just perceive the sound."Be it where it will," says I, "I will face it!" Thus speaking, I wentout of the tent, and hearkened very attentively, but could hear nothing.I then ran for my gun, and walked through the wood as fast as I couldto the plain; but still I neither saw nor heard anything. I was thenin hopes of seeing somebody on the lake, but no one appeared; for I wasfully determined to make myself known to whomsoever I should meet; and,if possible, to gain some intelligence of my wife. But after so muchfruitless pains, my hopes being at an end, I was returning when I heard,"Peter! Peter!" again at a great distance, the sound coming from adifferent quarter than at first. Upon this I stopped, and heard itrepeated; and it was as if the speaker approached nearer and nearer.Hereupon I stepped out of the wood (for I had just re-entered it uponmy return home), when I saw two persons upon the swangean just over myhead. I cried out, "Who's that?" And they immediately called again,"Peter! Peter!"--_Ors clam gee_, says I; that is, Here am I.--On thisthey directly took a small sweep round (for they had overshot me beforethey heard me) and alighted just by me; when I perceived them to bemy wife's countrymen, being dressed like her, with vol. only broaderchaplets about their heads, as she had told me the glumms all wore.After a short obeisance, they asked me if I was the glumm Peter,barkett* to Youwarkee. I answered I was. They then told me theycame with a message from Pendlehamby, colamb** of Arndrumn-stake, mygoppo,*** and from Youwarkee his daughter. I was vastly rejoiced to seethem, and to hear only the name of my wife. But though I longed to knowtheir message, I trembled to think of their mentioning it, as oneof them was just going to do, for fear of hearing something verydispleasing; so I begged them to go through the wood with me to thegrotto, where we should have more leisure and convenience for talk, andwhere, at the same time, they might take some refreshment. But though Ihad thus put off their message, I could not forbear inquiring by the wayafter the health of my goppo, and my wife and children, how they got toArndrumnstake, and how they found their relations and friends. They toldme all were well; and that Youwarkee, as she did on me, desired I wouldthink on her with true affection. I found this was the phrase of thecountry. As for the rest, I hoped it would turn out well at last, thoughI dreaded to hear it.
* Husband.
** Governor.
*** Father-in-law.
Being arrived at the grotto, I desired my guests to sit down, and takesuch refreshment as I could prepare them. When they were seated, I wentto work in order to provide them a repast. Seeing my fire piled up veryhigh, and burning fierce, and the children about it, they wondered wherethey were got, and who they had come to, and turned their faces from it;but I setting some chairs, so that the light might not strike on theireyes, they liked the warmth well enough; though, I remarked, the lightdid not affect them so much as it had done Youwarkee.
Whilst I was cooking, the poor children got all up in a corner, andstared at the strangers, not being able to conceive where they camefrom; and by degrees crept all backwards into the bedchamber, and hidthemselves; for they had never before seen anybody but my own family.
I observed that one of my guests paid more than ordinary respect to theother; and though their graundees made no distinction between them,yet there was something I thought much more noble in the address andbehaviour of the latter; and taking notice that he was also the chiefspokesman, I judged it proper to pay my respects to him in a somewhatmore distinguishing manner, though so as not to offend the other if Ishould happen to be mistaken.
I first presented a can of my Madeira, and took care, as if by accident,to give it to Mr. Uppermost, as I thought him, who drank half of it,and would have given the remainder to his companion, but I begged him todrink it all up, and his friend should be served with some presently: hedid so, and thanked me by lifting his hand to his chin. I then gave theother a can of the same liquor, which he drank, and returned thanks ashis companion had before. I then took a can myself, and telling themI begged leave to use the ceremony of my own country to them, I drank,wishing their own health, and that of all relations at Arndrumnstake.He that I took for the superior fell a-laughing heartily: "Ha, ha,ha!" says he, "this is the very way my sister does every day atArndrumnstake."--"Your sister, sir!" says I, "pray has she ever been inEurope or England?"--"Well!" says he, "I have plainly discove
red myself,which I did not intend to do yet; but, truly, brother Peter, I mean noneother than your own wife Youwarkee."
The moment I knew who he was, I rose up and taking him by the righthand, lifted it to my lips and kissed it. He likewise immediately stoodup, and we embraced each other with great tenderness. I then begged him,as I had so worthy and near a relation of my wife's with me, that hewould not delay the happiness I hoped for, in a narrative from hismouth, how it fared with my father, wife, and children, and all theirkinsfolks and friends whom I had so often heard mentioned by my dearestYouwarkee, and so earnestly desired to see.
My brother Quangrollart (for that, he told me, was his name)was preparing to gratify my impatience; but seeing I had set theentertainment on the table, which consisted chiefly of bread, severalsorts of pickles and preserves, with some cold salted fish, he said thateating would but interrupt the thread of his discourse; and therefore,with my leave, he would defer the relating of what I desired for alittle while; which we all thinking most proper, I desired him andhis friend (who might be another brother for aught I knew) to refreshthemselves with the poor modicum I was able to provide them.
Whilst my brother Quangrollart was looking upon and handling his plate,being what he had never before seen, his friend had got the handleof one of the knives in his mouth, biting it with all his force; butfinding he could make nothing of that end he tried the other, and gotchamping the blade. Perceiving what he was at, though I could not helplaughing, I rose, and begging pardon, took the knife from him; tellinghim I believed he was not acquainted with the use of that instrument,which was one of my country implements; and that the design of it, whichwas called a knife, and of that other (pointing to it), called a fork,was the one to reduce the food into pieces proper for chewing, and theother to convey it to the mouth without daubing the fingers, which musthappen in handling the food itself; and I then showed him what use I putthem to, by helping each of them therewith to somewhat, and by cutting apiece for myself, and putting it to my mouth with the fork.
They both smiled and looked very well pleased; and then I told themthat the plate was the only thing that need be daubed, and when that wastaken away the table remained clean. So, after I had helped each of themfor the first time, I desired them to help themselves where they likedbest; and, to say the truth, they did so more dexterously than I couldhave expected.
During our repast we had frequent sketches of the observations they madein their flight, and of the places where they had rested; and I couldplainly see that neither of them had ever been at this arkoe before, byhinting that if they had not taken such a course they had missed me.
I took particular notice which part of my entertainment they ate mostof, that I might bring a fresh supply of that when wanted; and I foundthat though they eat heartily of my bread and preserves, and tastedalmost of everything else, they never once touched the fish; which putme upon desiring I might help them to some. At this they looked uponeach other, which I readily knew the meaning of, and excused themselves,expressing great satisfaction in what they had already gotten. I took,however, a piece of fish on my own plate, and eating very heartilythereof, my brother desired me to give him a bit of it; I did so, takingcare to cut it as free from bones as I could, and for greater securitycautioning him, in case there should be any, to pick them out, and notswallow them. He had no sooner put a piece in his mouth, but, "Rosig,"says he to his friend, "this is padsi."--I thought indeed I had puzzledmy brother when I gave him the fish, but by what he said of it, hepuzzled me; for I knew not what he meant by padsi, my wife having toldme they had no fish, or else I should have taken that word for theirname of it. However, I cut Rosig a slice; and he agreeing it was padsi,they both ate heartily of it.
While we were at dinner, my brother told me he thought he saw some of mychildren just now; for his sister had informed him she had five more athome; and he asked me why they did not appear and eat with us. I excusedtheir coming, as fearing they would only be troublesome; and said, "Whenwe had done they should have some victuals." But he would not be putoff, and entreated me to admit them. So I called them by their names,and they came, all but Dicky, who was asleep in his hammock. I told themthat Reglumm,* pointing to Quangrollart, was their uncle, their mamma'sbrother, and ordered them to pay their obeisance to him, which theyseverally did. I then made them salute Rosig. This last would have hadthem sit down at table; but I positively forbade that; and giving eachof them a little of what we had before us, they carried it to the chestsand eat it there.
* Gentleman.
When we had done, the children helped me to clear the table, and wereretiring out of the room; but then I recalled them and desired theiruncle to excuse their stay, for as he had promised me news of theirmammy and her family, it would be the height of pleasure to them to hearhim. He seemed very much pleased with this motion, desiring by all meansthey might be present while he told his story. Whereupon I ordered themto the chests again, while Quangrollart delivered his narrative.
Life And Adventures Of Peter Wilkins, Vol. I. (of II.) Page 30
