Page:The Swiss Family Robinson (Kingston).djvu/370

324 We sat down to supper, Franz eager to partake of his capybara. Even he himself made a face at the peculiar flavour of the meat.

“It is the musk which you taste,” said I; and I described to them the various animals in which this strange liquid is found; called the musk-deer, musk-ox, crocodile, musk-rat of India (also soudeli, which taints a corked bottle of wine, if it only runs across it), concluding with an account of the civet, called also civet-cat. “The civet,” said I, “is a handsome black and white animal, and the perfume obtained from it was formerly considered a valuable medicine; in the present day it is used chiefly as a scent. This odoriferous substance is secreted, i.e. formed, in a double glandular pouch near the tail, and the Dutch keep the creature in captivity, so that it shall afford them a continual supply.

“The method of removing the civet perfume is ingenious. The animal is very quick and elastic in its movements, and having sharp teeth it is not pleasant to handle. So it is put into a long narrow cage in which it cannot turn round, a horn spoon is then introduced, and the perfume, a thick oily stuff something like butter, is coolly scraped from the pouch, the plundered civet being then released from strait durance, until the supply is re-formed.”

Presently Jack ran for his game-bag, producing some fruit which he had forg e o tten. Several pale-green apples, quite new to us, excited general attention.

“Why, what are those? Are they good?” I asked.

“I hope so, for we sadly want something to take away the taste of Franz's beast,” said Jack; “but Fritz and I were afraid of eating some awful poison or other, like the manchineel, so we brought them for the inspection of the learned master Knips.”

I took one and cut it in two, remarking that it contained a circle of seeds or pips, instead of the stone of the manchineel. At that moment Knips slyly came behind me, and snatching up one half, began to munch it with the liveliest satisfaction, an example