Our dwelling was indeed
crowded: the animals and provisions below, and our beds and household
goods around us, hemmed us in on every side; by degrees, by dint of
patience and better packing, we obtained sufficient room to work and
lie down in; by degrees, too, we became accustomed to the continual
noise of the animals and the smell of the stables.
The smoke from the fire, which we were occasionally obliged to light,
was not agreeable; but in time even that seemed to become more
bearable.
To make more space, we turned such animals as we had captured, and who
therefore might be imagined to know how to shift for themselves,
outside during the daytime, bringing them under the arched roots only
at night. To perform this duty Fritz and I used to sally forth every
evening, and as regularly every evening did we return soaked to the
skin.
To obviate this, my wife, who feared these continual wettings might
injure our health, contrived waterproofs: she brushed on several layers
of caoutchouc over stout shirts, to which she attached hoods; she then
fixed to these duck trousers, and thus prepared for each of us a
complete waterproof suit, clad in which we might brave the severest
rain.
In spite of our endeavours to keep ourselves busy, the time dragged
heavily.
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