After
breakfast, we begged Madame Hirtel to resume her interesting narrative.
She continued:
"After the reflections on my situation, which I told you of last night,
I determined only to return to the sea-shore, when our food failed us in
the woods; but I acquired other means of procuring it. Encouraged by
the success of my fishing, I made a sort of net from the filaments of
the bark of a tree and a plant resembling hemp. With these I succeeded
in catching some birds: one, resembling our thrush, was very fat, and of
delicious flavour. I had the greatest difficulty in overcoming my
repugnance to taking away their life; nothing but the obligation of
preserving our own could have reconciled me to it. My children plucked
them; I then spitted them on a slender branch and roasted them before
the fire. I also found some nests of eggs, which I concluded were those
of the wild ducks which frequented our stream. I made myself acquainted
with all the fruits which the monkeys and parroquets eat, and which were
not out of my reach. I found a sort of acorn which had the flavour of a
nut. The children also discovered plenty of large strawberries, a
delicious repast; and I found a quantity of honeycomb in the hollow of a
tree, which I obtained by stupifying the bees with a smoking brand.
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