Their island home

In Short

Conceived as a direct continuation of Johann David Wyss’s classic adventure, this story follows the Zermatt family and their companions as they turn a desolate castaway refuge in the Indian Ocean into an organized, prosperous colony called New Switzerland. Through meticulous engineering, inland cartography, and encounters with wild game, the growing community constructs farms, canals, and coastal outposts. Adventure continuously intermingles with domestic industriousness, creating a celebrated, enduring tale of human ingenuity and civilizing optimism.

The Story

The narrative opens on the bustling, self-sustaining island colony established by M. Zermatt and his family after their original shipwreck. Living comfortably at Rock Castle and Falconhurst, the family relies on salvaged goods from their wrecked vessel alongside domestic livestock and natural island resources. The peaceful routine breaks when cannon fire echoes across Deliverance Bay. Fritz and Jack hurry to Shark’s Island in their canoe, signaling the presence of a vessel nearby.

Flashbacks reveal how the family initially established Tent Home using a makeshift tub raft, gradually gathering tools, livestock, and crops to guarantee their survival. During an earlier solitary expedition, Fritz discovers a message tied to an albatross's leg from a stranded castaway, Jenny Montrose. Keeping the message a secret at first, Fritz eventually ventures to Burning Rock, rescues Jenny from her isolated cave, and brings her back to join the family circle at Rock Castle. Her addition brings new vitality and Anglo-Saxon industriousness to the Swiss household.

As months pass, the arrival of the Wolston family expands the community. The combined families embark on grand civilizing enterprises: felling hundreds of sago trees, carving out canals to harness Jackal River, and improving distant farmsteads like Wood Grange and Sugar-cane Grove. To better understand their territory, M. Zermatt organizes expeditions aboard their pinnace, the Elizabeth, and on foot across uncharted regions beyond Cape East and the Green Valley.

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During a survey into the dense interior pine forests, the impetuous Jack pursues a herd of wild elephants into the thickets. He vanishes without a trace, sending Mr. Wolston and Ernest into a desperate, day-long search through dangerous terrain teeming with wild beasts. Exhausted and unable to locate him, they return to Rock Castle to rally a larger rescue team, though Jack eventually finds his way home safely.

As the wet season passes, winter fogs and heavy monsoons settle over the Indian Ocean. The colonists debate constructing coastal lighthouses on False Hope Point to guide passing ships. However, tension mounts as time passes without the expected return of the English corvette, the Unicorn. At the same time, the threat of hostile native canoes landing near Elephant Bay forces the colonists to maintain constant vigilance from Shark’s Island and Prospect Hill. The story closes in early November, with the family standing on the heights of Prospect Hill, torn between hope and apprehension as they watch the empty horizon for a sail.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins M. Zermatt and his sons construct a rudimentary raft out of interconnected tubs to bring their family and salvaged cargo ashore. They establish Tent Home, domesticate livestock, and begin harvesting the island's abundant wildlife and tropical plants.

The rescue of Jenny Fritz intercepts an albatross carrying a plea for help written on linen, leading him on a daring canoe expedition to Burning Rock. He rescues Jenny Montrose from her volcanic island cave and integrates her into the family home at Rock Castle.

Expansion and engineering Joined by the Wolston family, the settlers undertake ambitious agricultural projects, felling sago palms and building waterworks along Jackal River. They expand their domain across Prospect Hill and Sugar-cane Grove while learning English and French together during rainy seasons.

Surveying the uncharted interior M. Zermatt leads land and sea explorations around Cape East and the eastern coastline, discovering stark, arid deserts alongside lush river valleys. Ernest begins mapping the island's geography while the group surveys prospective townsites for future settlement.

Danger in the forest During an inland excursion beyond the Green Valley, Jack recklessly chases a herd of wild elephants into dense woods and disappears. Mr. Wolston and Ernest spend a perilous night and day searching through predator-infested thickets before retreating to gather help.

Vigil on Prospect Hill With winter storms passing and potential native threats looming near Cape East, the family keeps a nervous watch over Deliverance Bay. The narrative concludes as they stand on the high cliffs, anxiously awaiting the delayed return of the British corvette Unicorn.

The People

• M. Zermatt: The practical, devoted patriarch who desires to build a secure, orderly home for his family. Guided by faith and reason, he leads every construction effort and maintains harmony among the settlers.
• Jack Zermatt: The impulsive, energetic younger son whose adventurous spirit repeatedly pushes him into hazard. He resists the idea of over-civilizing the island, preferring hunting and wild explorations.
• Fritz Zermatt: The brave, resourceful eldest son who rescues Jenny Montrose from Burning Rock. He matures into an accomplished navigator and hunter, fluent in multiple languages.
• Ernest Zermatt: The scholarly, observant son who seeks to map New Switzerland accurately. His analytical mind drives the colony's engineering innovations and precise geographical surveys.
• Jenny Montrose: An English castaway rescued from Burning Rock whose arrival brings new skills and warmth to the household. She quickly becomes an integral member of the expanding community.
• Mr. Wolston: A rational, cooperative settler whose arrival with his family expands the labor force and aids M. Zermatt in undertaking large-scale agricultural and survey projects.

In Its Own Voice

"Whoever you may be to whom God may send this message from an unhappy woman, look for a volcanic island which you will know by the flames escaping from one of its craters."

Fritz discovers this desperate message tied to the leg of a captured albatross, revealing the existence of Jenny Montrose stranded on Burning Rock.

"Our two families settled in this district, and their existence assured--what more could we wish for, Mrs. Wolston?"

Jack reflects the original castaway ideal, questioning the need for extensive industrialization when the island already provides complete comfort.

"The probability is that we have never looked carefully enough."

Ernest offers a characteristically logical explanation when the explorers discover a mountain peak they had previously overlooked during earlier surveys.

What It's Really About

Beneath its adventure narrative, the novel explores the 19th-century ideal of civilizing nature through human reason, labor, and faith. It functions as a celebration of domain-building, asking how human beings construct a society from scratch when detached from global civilization. The plot contrasts Jack's wild, romantic desire for untamed wilderness with his father's industrial drive to build roads, canals, and coastal lighthouses. It highlights the transformation of a survival struggle into a structured colonial enterprise, examining whether true happiness lies in primitive self-sufficiency or systematic technological progress.

Why Read It Today

This classic castaway tale appeals to readers who delight in detailed world-building, DIY survival logistics, and vintage island lore. Reading it offers an immersive, comforting escape into a world where every problem yields to hard work, ingenuity, and family cooperation. The prose carries a rhythmic, steady pace that makes the daily work of building homes, clearing fields, and surveying lands as engaging as the encounters with wild animals.

Modern readers should expect period-typical colonial attitudes toward nature and native populations, along with an abundance of 19th-century natural science descriptions that can slow the narrative momentum. Furthermore, the story's episodic nature and extensive focus on agricultural logistics require a patient reader. Yet, what remains with you is the cozy, optimistic charm of turning an isolated tropical outpost into a bustling, affectionate home.