Page:The Swiss Family Robinson (Kingston).djvu/178

138 to that we attached all the heaviest weights we could think of, such as an anvil, iron bars, and masses of lead. The consequent pressure on the bag was enormous, and the sap flowed from it to the ground.

“Will this stuff keep any time?” inquired my wife, who came to see how we were getting on. “Or must all this great bagful be used at once? In that case we shall have to spend the whole of to-morrow in baking cakes.”

“Not at all,” I replied; “once dry, the flour in barrels will keep fresh a long time. We shall use a great deal of this, however, as you shall see.” “Do you think we might begin now, father?” said Fritz. “There does not seem the least moisture remaining.”

“Certainly,” said I. “But I shall only make one cake to-day for an experiment; we must see how it agrees with Master Knips and the hens before we set up a bakehouse in regular style.”

I took out a couple of handfuls of flour for this purpose, and with a stick loosened and stirred the remainder, which I intended should again be pressed. While an iron plate placed over a good fire was getting hot, I mixed the meal with water and a little salt, kneaded it well, and forming a thickish cake, laid it on the hot plate, when one side presently becoming a nice yellow brown colour, it was turned and was quickly baked.

It smelt so delicious, that the boys quite envied the two hens and the monkey, who were selected as the subjects of this interesting experiment, and they silently watched them gobbling up the bits of cake I gave them, until Fritz turned to me, saying, “Suppose the cake is poisonous, what effect will it have on the creatures? Will they be stupefied, or will they suffer pain?”

“That depends upon the nature of the poison. Some cause violent pain, as colchicum, hellebore, and aconite. Others produce stupefaction and paralysis, as opium, hemlock, and prussic acid; while others again, as strychnine, are followed by violent convulsions, or, as belladonna, by delirium. The effects of course vary