10.6 M̄-nā sûi-sî ū iûⁿ-bah, mā ū iûⁿ-leng
Kú-kú chi̍t-chūn in m̄-khéng chia̍h, kàu góa iā hó-chia̍h ê chhek-á kā siâⁿ, in chiah khai-sí sûn-ho̍k. Taⁿ góa chai-iáⁿ, hóe-io̍h a̍h chhèng-chí iōng-liáu í-āu, nā siūⁿ boeh chia̍h iûⁿ-bah, ûi-it ê hoat-tō͘ sī chhī chi̍t-tīn soaⁿ-iûⁿ, hō͘ in ná chi̍t-tīn mî-iûⁿ án-ne, tī chhù ê sì chiu-ûi. Āu-lâi, góa hoat-hiān, góa tio̍h kā sûn-ho̍k ê iûⁿ-á hām iá-seng ê hun-khui, nā-bô in tōa-chiah tō ē cháu khì, piàn-chò iá-seng ê iûⁿ. Ûi-it ê hoat-tō͘ sī kō͘ kian-kò͘ lî-pa ûi-tio̍h ê chi̍t-tè tē, kā in hó-hó koaiⁿ tio̍h, lāi-té ê cháu bē chhut, gōa-kháu ê mā chông bē ji̍p.
Tùi góa ko͘ chi̍t-lâng lâi kóng, che sī tōa sū-gia̍p, m̄-koh, góa chai che sī pit-iàu ê khang-khòe, siōng tāi-seng góa tio̍h chhōe chi̍t-tè sek-ha̍p ê thó͘-tē, hia tio̍h ū chháu hō͘ in chia̍h, tio̍h ū chúi hō͘ in lim, mā tio̍h ū chhiū-iáⁿ hō͘ in jia-ji̍t.
Liáu-kái khian-tē chhī iûⁿ ê lâng, tiāⁿ-tio̍h siūⁿ-kóng góa bô iōng thâu-náu, tō kéng chi̍t-tè sek-ha̍p it-chhè ê só͘-chāi (chi̍t-tè pêⁿ-tháⁿ, khui-khoah ê chháu-tē, lán-lâng tī se-pō͘ ê si̍t-bîn-tē kā he kiò chháu-goân [savannah]), kî-tiong ū nn̄g/saⁿ tiâu chiáⁿ-chúi sio-khe, lēng-gōa chi̍t-thâu ū chē-chē chhiū-á -- góa siong-sìn, tī góa kā in kóng, góa khai-sí ûi chit-tè tē ê sî, góa ê kó͘-kè lî-pa siōng-bô tio̍h nn̄g mai [3.2 km], in tiāⁿ-tio̍h ē chhiò góa. Lî-pa tn̂g-té ê būn-tê iáu bô hoān-ûi hiah giâm-tiōng, tō-kóng 10 mai ê lî-pa, góa mā ū sî-kan thang oân-sêng, m̄-koh, góa bô khó-lī, hoān-ûi siuⁿ tōa, iûⁿ-á tō ē sì-kè cháu, bē-su tī iá-gōa, tī kui-ê tó kāng-khoán, góa tō bô châi-tiāu jiok tio̍h in, kā in lia̍h tio̍h.
Góa ê lî-pa í-keng khai-sí ûi, tāi-khài ûi 50 bā [46 bí] ah, góa chiah siūⁿ-tio̍h chit-ê būn-tê. Só͘-tì, góa sûi thêng-kang, koat-tēng boeh seng ûi chi̍t-ê tn̂g 150 bā, khoah 100 bā [135 bí x 91 bí] ê só͘-chāi, tī siong-tong sî-kan lāi án-ne tō ū-kàu góa chhī iûⁿ, tán iûⁿ-tīn cheng-ka, góa chiah koh khok-tōa.
Án-ne chò ū khah thò-tòng, góa tō tōa-táⁿ kā chìn-hêng. Khai cpt 3-kò goe̍h sî-kan, góa ûi hó tē-it tè iûⁿ-khian. Iûⁿ-khian bōe oân-sêng chìn-chêng, góa kā hit saⁿ-chiah iûⁿ pa̍k tī chit lāi-bīn siōng hó ê só͘-chāi, chīn-liōng hō͘ in tī góa sin-piⁿ chia̍h-chháu, hō͘ in kap góa se̍k-sāi. Góa tiāⁿ-tiāⁿ chah chi̍t-kóa tōa-be̍h sūi a̍h chi̍t-me bí, the̍h tī chhiú hō͘ in chia̍h. Tán iûⁿ-khian ûi hó, góa chiah kā in pàng khui, in tō kā góa tîⁿ chêng tòe āu, mĕ-mĕ kiò, thó boeh chia̍h mi̍h-kiāⁿ.
Án-ne tō ta̍t-kàu góa ê bo̍k-tek, chi̍t-nî pòaⁿ liáu-āu, góa ê iûⁿ tōa-tōa sè-sè tāi-khài ū 12-chiah. Koh kòe 2-nî, tî-liáu thâi khì chia̍h ê, góa í-keng ū 43-chiah. Án-ne liáu-āu, góa koh ûi gō͘-tè tē lâi chhī iûⁿ, lāi-bīn koh chò sió ûi-lân, boeh lia̍h iûⁿ ê sî, tō kā iûⁿ kóaⁿ ji̍p ûi-lân khì. Iûⁿ-khian tiong-kan koh chò mn̂g hō͘ in ē-tit sio thong.
Tāi-chì put-chí án-ne. Taⁿ góa m̄-nā sûi-sî ū iûⁿ-bah thang chia̍h, góa mā ū iûⁿ-leng thang lim -- chit-ê tāi-chì, khak-si̍t, tú khai-sí góa lóng bô siūⁿ-tio̍h, tán góa chi̍t-ē siūⁿ-tio̍h che, chèng-keng hō͘ góa hoaⁿ-hí kah tio̍h-kiaⁿ, in-ūi góa taⁿ ū chi̍t-keng jek-leng pâng, ū-sî chi̍t-kang ū chi̍t/nn̄g gallon [4.5-9.1 liter] ê iûⁿ-leng. Tōa-chū-jiân m̄-nā thê-kiong chia̍h-mi̍h hō͘ kok-chióng tōng-bu̍t, mā chí-tō in tio̍h án-chóaⁿ lī-iōng. Chit sì-lâng góa m̄-bat kā gû jek-leng, koh-khah bián kóng soaⁿ-iûⁿ, góa kan-ta bat tī gín-á sî-tāi khòaⁿ-kòe lâng chò butter /ba.tah/ a̍h chhiz, keng-kòe chē-chē gián-kiù hām sit-pāi, góa chóng-sǹg chò chhut butter hām chhiz, sīm-chì chò chhut iâm (sui-bóng chí-sī kō͘ chhiú ùi hái-bīn chio̍h-thâu siu-chi̍p ji̍t-thâu pha̍k-ta ê iâm), chū án-ne góa bô-koh khiàm iōng. Lán ê Chō-bu̍t-chú tùi i ê chhòng-chō-bu̍t si̍t-chāi ū-kàu chû-pi, sīm-chì tī in tú-tio̍h húi-bia̍t-sèng ê chōng-hóng! I hòa khó͘-thòng chò tiⁿ-bi̍t, hō͘ lán tī tē-lô hām kaⁿ-ga̍k mā ū lí-iû o-ló I! Taⁿ tī chit-ê hong-iá ūi góa pān-toh, chia thâu-khí-seng góa khòaⁿ-tio̍h ê, tî-liáu iau-sí bô pa̍t-hāng!
(2022-04-20)
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10.6 毋但隨時有羊肉, mā 有羊奶
久久一陣 in 毋肯食, 到我掖好食 ê 粟仔 kā 唌, in 才開始馴服. 今我知影, 火藥 a̍h 銃子用了以後, 若想欲食羊肉, 唯一 ê 法度是飼一陣山羊, 予 in ná 一陣綿羊 án-ne, tī 厝 ê 四周圍. 後來, 我發現, 我著 kā 馴服 ê 羊仔和野生 ê 分開, 若無 in 大隻 tō 會走去, 變做野生 ê 羊. 唯一 ê 法度是 kō͘ 堅固籬笆圍著 ê 一塊地, kā in 好好關著, 內底 ê 走袂出, 外口 ê mā 傱袂入.
對我孤一人來講, 這是大事業, m̄-koh, 我知這是必要 ê 工課, 上代先我著揣一塊適合 ê 土地, hia 著有草予 in 食, 著有水予 in 啉, mā 著有樹影予 in 遮日.
了解圈地飼羊 ê 人, 定著想講我無用頭腦, tō 揀一塊適合一切 ê 所在 (一塊平坦, 開闊 ê 草地, 咱人 tī 西部 ê 殖民地 kā he 叫草原 [savannah]), 其中有兩三條汫水小溪, 另外一頭有濟濟樹仔 -- 我相信, tī 我 kā in 講, 我開始圍這塊地 ê 時, 我 ê 估計籬笆上無著兩 mai [3.2 km], in 定著會笑我. 籬笆長短 ê 問題猶無範圍 hiah 嚴重, tō 講 10 mai ê 籬笆, 我 mā 有時間 thang 完成, m̄-koh, 我無考慮, 範圍 siuⁿ 大, 羊仔 tō 會四界走, 袂輸 tī 野外, tī 規个島仝款, 我 tō 無才調逐著 in, kā in 掠著.
我 ê 籬笆已經開始圍, 大概圍 50 bā [46 米] ah, 我才想著這个問題. 所致, 我隨停工, 決定欲先圍一个長 150 bā, 闊 100 bā [135 米 x 91 米] ê 所在, tī 相當時間內 án-ne tō 有夠我飼羊, 等羊陣增加, 我才 koh 擴大.
Án-ne 做有較妥當, 我 tō 大膽 kā 進行. 開 cpt 3 個月時間, 我圍好第一塊羊圈. 羊圈未完成進前, 我 kā 彼三隻羊 pa̍k tī 這內面上好 ê 所在, 盡量予 in tī 我身邊食草, 予 in kap 我熟似. 我定定扎一寡大麥穗 a̍h 一搣米, 提 tī 手予 in 食. 等羊圈圍好, 我才 kā in 放開, in tō kā 我纏前綴後, mĕ-mĕ 叫, 討欲食物件.
Án-ne tō 達到我 ê 目的, 一年半了後, 我 ê 羊大大細細大概有 12 隻. Koh 過 2 年, 除了刣去食 ê, 我已經有 43 隻. Án-ne 了後, 我 koh 圍五塊地來飼羊, 內面 koh 做小圍欄, 欲掠羊 ê 時, tō kā 羊趕入圍欄去. 羊圈中間 koh 做門予 in 會得相通.
代誌不止 án-ne. 今我毋但隨時有羊肉 thang 食, 我 mā 有羊奶 thang 啉 -- 這个代誌, 確實, 拄開始我 lóng 無想著, 等我一下想著這, 正經予我歡喜 kah 著驚, 因為我今有一間 jek 奶房, 有時一工有一兩 gallon [4.5-9.1 liter] ê 羊奶. 大自然毋但提供 chia̍h-mi̍h 予各種動物, mā 指導 in 著按怎利用. 這世人我 m̄-bat kā 牛 jek 奶, 閣較免講山羊, 我干焦 bat tī 囡仔時代看過人做 butter /ba.tah/ a̍h chhiz, 經過濟濟研究和失敗, 我總算做出 butter 和 chhiz, 甚至做出鹽 (雖罔只是 kō͘ 手 ùi 海面石頭收集日頭曝焦 ê 鹽), 自 án-ne 我無閣欠用. 咱 ê 造物主對伊 ê 創造物實在有夠慈悲, 甚至 tī in 拄著毀滅性 ê 狀況! 伊化苦痛做甜蜜, 予咱 tī 地牢和監獄 mā 有理由 o-ló 伊! 今 tī 這个荒野為我辦桌, chia 頭起先我看著 ê, 除了枵死無別項!
(2022-04-20)
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10.6
It was a good while before they would feed; but throwing them some sweet corn, it tempted them, and they began to be tame. And now I found that if I expected to supply myself with goats’ flesh, when I had no powder or shot left, breeding some up tame was my only way, when, perhaps, I might have them about my house like a flock of sheep. But then it occurred to me that I must keep the tame from the wild, or else they would always run wild when they grew up; and the only way for this was to have some enclosed piece of ground, well fenced either with hedge or pale, to keep them in so effectually, that those within might not break out, or those without break in.
This was a great undertaking for one pair of hands yet, as I saw there was an absolute necessity for doing it, my first work was to find out a proper piece of ground, where there was likely to be herbage for them to eat, water for them to drink, and cover to keep them from the sun.
Those who understand such enclosures will think I had very little contrivance when I pitched upon a place very proper for all these (being a plain, open piece of meadow land, or savannah, as our people call it in the western colonies), which had two or three little drills of fresh water in it, and at one end was very woody—I say, they will smile at my forecast, when I shall tell them I began by enclosing this piece of ground in such a manner that, my hedge or pale must have been at least two miles about. Nor was the madness of it so great as to the compass, for if it was ten miles about, I was like to have time enough to do it in; but I did not consider that my goats would be as wild in so much compass as if they had had the whole island, and I should have so much room to chase them in that I should never catch them.
My hedge was begun and carried on, I believe, about fifty yards when this thought occurred to me; so I presently stopped short, and, for the beginning, I resolved to enclose a piece of about one hundred and fifty yards in length, and one hundred yards in breadth, which, as it would maintain as many as I should have in any reasonable time, so, as my stock increased, I could add more ground to my enclosure.
This was acting with some prudence, and I went to work with courage. I was about three months hedging in the first piece; and, till I had done it, I tethered the three kids in the best part of it, and used them to feed as near me as possible, to make them familiar; and very often I would go and carry them some ears of barley, or a handful of rice, and feed them out of my hand; so that after my enclosure was finished and I let them loose, they would follow me up and down, bleating after me for a handful of corn.
This answered my end, and in about a year and a half I had a flock of about twelve goats, kids and all; and in two years more I had three-and-forty, besides several that I took and killed for my food. After that, I enclosed five several pieces of ground to feed them in, with little pens to drive them to take them as I wanted, and gates out of one piece of ground into another.
But this was not all; for now I not only had goat’s flesh to feed on when I pleased, but milk too—a thing which, indeed, in the beginning, I did not so much as think of, and which, when it came into my thoughts, was really an agreeable surprise, for now I set up my dairy, and had sometimes a gallon or two of milk in a day. And as Nature, who gives supplies of food to every creature, dictates even naturally how to make use of it, so I, that had never milked a cow, much less a goat, or seen butter or cheese made only when I was a boy, after a great many essays and miscarriages, made both butter and cheese at last, also salt (though I found it partly made to my hand by the heat of the sun upon some of the rocks of the sea), and never wanted it afterwards. How mercifully can our Creator treat His creatures, even in those conditions in which they seemed to be overwhelmed in destruction! How can He sweeten the bitterest providences, and give us cause to praise Him for dungeons and prisons! What a table was here spread for me in the wilderness, where I saw nothing at first but to perish for hunger!
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