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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Stories about Animals: with Pictures to
+Match, by Francis C. Woodworth
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match
+
+
+Author: Francis C. Woodworth
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 6, 2006  [eBook #18767]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS: WITH
+PICTURES TO MATCH***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Ben Beasley, Paul Ereaut, and the Project Gutenberg
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/) from page
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+
+
+
+
+
+STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS.
+
+WITH
+
+PICTURES TO MATCH
+
+
+by
+
+FRANCIS C. WOODWORTH,
+
+Editor of "The Youth's Cabinet," Author of "Stories
+About Birds," &C.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Boston.
+Phillips, Sampson and Company.
+1851.
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in
+the year 1849,
+By D. A. Woodworth,
+in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for
+the Southern District of New York.
+
+
+
+
+
+Preface.
+
+
+In the following pages are grouped together anecdotes illustrative of
+the peculiarities of different animals--mostly quadrupeds--their habits,
+dispositions, intelligence, and affection. Nothing like a scientific
+treatise of any of these animals has been attempted. I do not even give
+a generic or specific history of one of them, except so far as they are
+all casually and incidentally described in these anecdotes. Their
+natural history, in detail, I leave for others, as the historian or
+biographer of men, bent only on a record of the thoughts, words, and
+acts of men, passes by the abstract details, however interesting they
+may be, of human physiology, and the general characteristics of the
+species. I have not aimed to introduce to the reader, in this volume,
+all the animals belonging to the race of quadrupeds, who have a claim to
+such a distinction. I have preferred rather to make a selection from the
+great multitude, and to present such facts and anecdotes respecting
+those selected as shall, while they interest and entertain the young
+reader, tend to make him familiar with this branch of useful knowledge.
+
+I ought, in justice to myself, to explain the reason why I have
+restricted my anecdotes almost exclusively to animals belonging to the
+race of quadrupeds. It is seldom wise, in my judgment, for an author to
+define, very minutely, any plan he may have, to be developed in future
+years--as so many circumstances may thwart that plan altogether, or very
+materially modify it. Yet I may say, in this connection, that the
+general plan I had marked out for myself, when I set about the task of
+collecting materials for these familiar anecdotes, is by no means
+exhausted in this volume, and that, should my stories respecting
+quadrupeds prove as acceptable to my young friends as I hope, it is my
+intention eventually to pursue the same, or a similar course, in
+relation to the other great divisions of the animal kingdom--Birds,
+Reptiles, Insects, Fishes, etc.
+
+The stories I tell I have picked up wherever I could find them--having
+been generally content when I have judged a particular story to be, in
+the first place, a good story, and in the second place, a reliable one.
+I have not thought it either necessary or desirable, to give, in every
+case, the source from which I have derived my facts. Some of them I
+obtained by actual observation; quite as many were communicated by
+personal friends and casual acquaintances; and by far the greater
+portion were gleaned from the current newspapers of the day, and from
+the many valuable works on natural history, published in England and in
+this country. Among the books I have consulted, I am mostly indebted to
+the following: Bingley's Anecdotes illustrative of the Instincts of
+Animals; Knight's Library of Entertaining Knowledge; Bell's Phenomena of
+Nature; the Young Naturalist's Rambles; Natural History of the Earth and
+Man; Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge; Animal
+Biography; and the Penny Magazine.
+
+The task of preparing this volume for the press has been an exceedingly
+pleasant one. Indeed, it has been rather recreation than toil, in
+comparison with other and severer literary labors. I trust my young
+friends will take as much pleasure in reading these stories as I have
+taken in collecting them. I hope too, that no one of my readers will
+fail to discover, as he proceeds, the evidences of the wisdom, power,
+and goodness of the Being who formed and who controls and governs the
+animal kingdom. Here, as in every department of nature's works, these
+evidences abound, if we will but perceive them. Look at them, dear
+reader, and in your admiration of nature, forget not the love and
+reverence you owe to nature's God.
+
+[Illustration: (signed) Francis C. Woodworth]
+
+
+
+
+Contents.
+
+
+The Dog
+
+The Wolf
+
+The Horse
+
+The Panther
+
+The Elephant
+
+The Lion
+
+The Galago
+
+The Bear
+
+The Rat
+
+The Mouse
+
+The Rabbit
+
+The Hare
+
+The Cat
+
+The Jackal
+
+The Sheep
+
+The Deer
+
+The Hippopotamus
+
+The Weasel
+
+The Squirrel
+
+The Giraffe
+
+The Monkey Tribe
+
+The Zebra
+
+The Ox and Cow
+
+The Lama
+
+
+[Illustration: "Engravings." Heading.]
+
+
+Rover and his Play-fellow
+
+The Dog at his Master's Grave
+
+Nero, saving Little Ellen
+
+The Servant and the Mastiff
+
+The Child discovered by the Indian's Dog
+
+The Dog of St. Bernard, rescuing the Child
+
+The Bloodhound
+
+Exploit of the New England Dog
+
+A Shepherd Dog feeding a lost Child
+
+A Newfoundland, saving a Child from drowning
+
+The Adventure with the Serpent
+
+The Russian Dog-Sledge
+
+The Skirmish with Wolves
+
+A Scene in the old Wolf Story
+
+The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
+
+The Horse watching over the Trumpeter
+
+Parting with the Favorite Horse
+
+Alexander taming Bucephalus
+
+Uncle Peter and his queer Old Mare
+
+The Horse sentenced to die
+
+The Leopard and the Serpent
+
+The Elephant
+
+The Lion
+
+The Lioness and her Cubs
+
+The Convention of Animals
+
+The Galago
+
+Portrait of Goldsmith
+
+The Juggler and his Pupils
+
+Field Mice
+
+The Rabbit Trap
+
+The Rabbit
+
+Tame Hares
+
+Portrait of Cowper
+
+Wonderful Feat of a Goat
+
+The Tiger
+
+The Rhinoceros
+
+The Alligator
+
+The Cat
+
+The Jackal
+
+The Wounded Traveler
+
+Giotto, sketching among his Sheep
+
+The Invalid and the Sheep
+
+The Deer
+
+The Hippopotamus
+
+The Ferret Weasel
+
+A Hawk pouncing on a Weasel
+
+The Squirrel
+
+The Giraffe
+
+The Orang-outang
+
+The Zebra
+
+Cows, taking their comfort
+
+
+
+
+Stories about Animals.
+
+
+
+
+The Dog.
+
+
+Whatever may be thought of the somewhat aristocratic pretensions of the
+lion, as the dog, after all, has the reputation of being the most
+intelligent of the inferior animals, I will allow this interesting
+family the precedence in these stories, and introduce them first to the
+reader. For the same reason, too--because they exhibit such wonderful
+marks of intelligence, approaching, sometimes, almost to the boundary of
+human reason--I shall occupy much more time in relating stories about
+them than about any other animal. Let me see. Where shall I begin? With
+Rover, my old friend Rover--my companion and play-fellow, when a little
+boy? I have a good mind to do so; for he endeared himself to me by
+thousands of acts of kindness and affection, and he has still a place
+of honor in my memory. He frequently went to school with me. As soon as
+he saw me get my satchel of books, he was at my side, and off he ran
+before me toward the school-house. When he had conducted me to school,
+he usually took leave of me, and returned home. But he came back again,
+before school was out, so as to be my companion homeward. I might tell a
+great many stories about the smartness of Rover; but on the whole I
+think I will forbear. I am afraid if I should talk half an hour about
+him, some of you would accuse me of too much partiality for my
+favorite, and would think I had fallen into the same foolish mistake
+that is sometimes noticed in over-fond fathers and mothers, who talk
+about a little boy or girl of theirs, as if there never was another such
+a prodigy. So I will just pass over Rover's wonderful exploits--for he
+had some, let me whisper it in your ear--and tell my stories about other
+people's dogs.
+
+[Illustration: ROVER AND HIS PLAY-FELLOW.]
+
+"Going to the dogs," is a favorite expression with a great many people.
+They understand by it a condition in the last degree deplorable. To "go
+to the dogs," is spoken of as being just about the worst thing that can
+happen to a poor fellow. I think differently, however. I wish from my
+heart, that some selfish persons whom I could name would go to the dogs.
+They would learn there, I am sure, what they have never learned
+before--most valuable lessons in gratitude, and affection, and
+self-sacrifice--to say nothing about common sense, a little more of
+which would not hurt them.
+
+There is an exceedingly affecting story of a dog that lived in Scotland
+as long ago as 1716: This dog belonged to a Mr. Stewart, of Argyleshire,
+and was a great favorite with his master. He was a Highland greyhound, I
+believe. One afternoon, while his master was hunting in company with
+this dog, he was attacked with inflammation in his side. He returned
+home, and died the same evening. Some three days afterward his funeral
+took place, when the dog followed the remains of his master to the
+grave-yard, which was nearly ten miles from the residence of the family.
+He remained until the interment was completed, when he returned home
+with those who attended the funeral. When he entered the house he found
+the plaid cloak, formerly his master's, hanging in the entry. He pulled
+it down, and in defiance of all attempts to take it from him, lay on it
+all night, and would not even allow any person to touch it. Every
+evening afterward, about sunset, he left home, traveled to the
+grave-yard, reposed on the grave of his late master all night, and
+returned home regularly in the morning. But, what was still more
+remarkable, he could not be persuaded to eat a morsel. Children near the
+grave-yard, who watched his motions, again and again carried him food;
+but he resolutely refused it, and it was never known by what means he
+existed. While at home he was always dull and sorrowful; he usually lay
+in a sleeping posture, and frequently uttered long and mournful groans.
+
+[Illustration: THE DOG AT HIS MASTER'S GRAVE.]
+
+In the western part of our own country, some years since, an exploit was
+performed by a Newfoundland dog, which I must tell my readers. It is
+related by Mrs. Phelan. A man by the name of Wilson, residing near a
+river which was navigable, although the current was somewhat rapid, kept
+a pleasure boat. One day he invited a small party to accompany him in an
+excursion on the river. They set out. Among the number were Mr. Wilson's
+wife and little girl, about three years of age. The child was delighted
+with the boat, and with the water lilies that floated on the surface of
+the river. Meanwhile, a fine Newfoundland dog trotted along the bank of
+the stream, looking occasionally at the boat, and thinking, perhaps,
+that he should like a sail himself.
+
+Pleasantly onward went the boat, and the party were in the highest
+spirits, when little Ellen, trying to get a pretty lily, stretched out
+her hand over the side of the boat, and in a moment she lost her balance
+and fell into the river. What language can describe the agony of those
+parents when they saw the current close over their dear child! The
+mother, in her terror, could hardly be prevented from throwing herself
+into the river to rescue her drowning girl, and her husband had to hold
+her back by force. Vain was the help of man at that dreadful moment; but
+prayer was offered up to God, and he heard it.
+
+No one took any notice of Nero, the faithful dog. But he had kept his
+eye upon the boat, it seems. He saw all that was going on; he plunged
+into the river at the critical moment when the child had sunk to the
+bottom, and dived beneath the surface. Suddenly a strange noise was
+heard on the side of the boat opposite to the one toward which the party
+were anxiously looking, and something seemed to be splashing in the
+water. It was the dog. Nero had dived to the bottom of that deep river,
+and found the very spot where the poor child had settled down into her
+cold, strange cradle of weeds and slime. Seizing her clothes, and
+holding them fast in his teeth, he brought her up to the surface of the
+water, a very little distance from the boat, and with looks that told
+his joy, he gave the little girl into the hands of her astonished
+father. Then, swimming back to the shore, he shook the water from his
+long, shaggy coat, and laid himself down, panting, to recover from the
+fatigue of his adventure.
+
+[Illustration: NERO SAVING LITTLE ELLEN.]
+
+Ellen seemed for awhile to be dead; her face was deadly pale; it hung
+on her shoulder; her dress showed that she had sunk to the bottom. But
+by and by she recovered gradually, and in less than a week she was as
+well as ever.
+
+But the Glasgow Chronicle tells a story of the most supremely humane dog
+I ever heard of--so humane, in fact, that his humanity was somewhat
+troublesome. This dog--a fine Newfoundland--resided near Edinburgh.
+Every day he was seen visiting all the ponds and brooks in the
+neighborhood of his master's residence. He had been instrumental more
+than once in saving persons from drowning. He was respected for his
+magnanimity, and caressed for his amiable qualities, till, strange as it
+may be considered, this flattery completely turned his head. Saving life
+became a passion. He took to it as men take to dram-drinking. Not having
+sufficient scope for the exercise of his diseased benevolence in the
+district, he took to a very questionable method of supplying the
+deficiency. Whenever he found a child on the brink of a pond, he watched
+patiently for the opportunity to place his fore-paws suddenly on its
+person, and plunged it in before it was aware. Now all this was done for
+the mere purpose of fetching them out again. He appeared to find intense
+pleasure in this nonsensical sort of work. At last the outcry became so
+great by parents alarmed for their children, although no life was ever
+lost by the indulgence of such a singular taste, that the poor dog was
+reluctantly destroyed.
+
+Mr. Bingley, an English writer, has contributed not a little to the
+amusement and instruction of the young, by a book which he published a
+few years ago, relating to the instinct of the dog. Among the stories
+told in this book, are several which I must transfer for my own readers.
+Here is one about the fatal adventure of a large mastiff with a robber.
+I shall give it nearly in the words of Mr. Bingley.
+
+Not a great many years ago, a lady, who resided in a lonely house in
+Cheshire, England, permitted all her domestics, save one female, to go
+to a supper at an inn about three miles distant, which was kept by the
+uncle of the girl who remained at home with her mistress. As the
+servants were not expected to return till the morning, all the doors and
+windows were as usual secured, and the lady and her companion were about
+to retire to bed, when they were alarmed by the noise of some persons
+apparently attempting to break into the house. A large mastiff, which
+fortunately happened to be in the kitchen, set up a tremendous barking;
+but this had not the effect of intimidating the robbers.
+
+After listening attentively for some time, the maid-servant discovered
+that the robbers were attempting to enter the house by forcing their way
+through a hole under the sunk story in the back kitchen. Being a young
+woman of courage, she went toward the spot, accompanied by the dog, and
+patting him on the back, exclaimed, "At him, Cæsar!" The dog leaped into
+the hole, made a furious attack upon the intruder, and gave something a
+violent shake. In a few minutes all became quiet, and the animal
+returned with his mouth full of blood. A slight bustle was now heard
+outside the house, but in a short time all again became still. The lady
+and servant, too much terrified to think of going to bed, sat up until
+morning without further molestation. When day dawned they discovered a
+quantity of blood outside of the wall in the court-yard.
+
+When her fellow-servants came home, they brought word to the girl that
+her uncle, the inn-keeper, had died suddenly of apoplexy during the
+night, and that it was intended that the funeral should take place in
+the course of the day. Having obtained leave to go to the funeral, she
+was surprised to learn, on her arrival, that the coffin was screwed
+down. She insisted, however, on taking a last look at the body, which
+was most unwillingly granted; when, to her great surprise and horror,
+she discovered that his death had been occasioned by a large wound in
+the throat. The events of the preceding night rushed on her mind, and it
+soon became evident to her that she had been the innocent and unwilling
+cause of her uncle's death. It turned out, that he and one of his
+servants had formed the design of robbing the house and murdering the
+lady during the absence of her servants, but that their wicked design
+had been frustrated by the courage and watchfulness of her faithful
+mastiff.
+
+[Illustration: THE SERVANT AND THE MASTIFF.]
+
+There is another anecdote told of a wild Indian dog which I am sure my
+young friends will like. It is from the same source with the one about
+the mastiff. A man by the name of Le Fevre, many years ago, lived on a
+farm in the United States, near the Blue mountains. Those mountains at
+that time abounded in deer and other animals. One day, the youngest of
+Le Fevre's children, who was four years old, disappeared early in the
+morning. The family, after a partial search, becoming alarmed, had
+recourse to the assistance of some neighbors. These separated into
+parties, and explored the woods in every direction, but without success.
+Next day the search was renewed, but with no better result. In the
+midst of their distress Tewenissa, a native Indian from Anaguaga, on the
+eastern branch of the river Susquehannah, who happened to be journeying
+in that quarter, accompanied by his dog Oniah, happily went into the
+house of the planter with the design of reposing himself. Observing the
+distress of the family, and being informed of the circumstances, he
+requested that the shoes and stockings last worn by the child should be
+brought to him. He then ordered his dog to smell them; and taking the
+house for a centre, described a semicircle of a quarter of a mile,
+urging the dog to find out the scent. They had not gone far before the
+sagacious animal began to bark. The track was followed up by the dog
+with still louder barking, till at last, darting off at full speed, he
+was lost in the thickness of the woods. Half an hour after they saw him
+returning. His countenance was animated, bearing even an expression of
+joy; it was evident he had found the child--but was he dead or alive?
+This was a moment of cruel suspense, but it was of short continuance.
+The Indian followed his dog, and the excellent animal conducted him to
+the lost child, who was found unharmed, lying at the foot of a great
+tree. Tewenissa took him in his arms, and returned with him to the
+distressed parents and their friends, who had not been able to
+advance with the same speed. He restored little Derick to his father and
+mother, who ran to meet him; when a scene of tenderness and gratitude
+ensued, which may be easier felt than described. The child was in a
+state of extreme weakness, but, by means of a little care, he was in a
+short time restored to his usual vigor.
+
+[Illustration: THE CHILD DISCOVERED BY THE INDIAN'S DOG.]
+
+In one of the churches at Lambeth, England, there is a painting on a
+window, representing a man with his dog. There is a story connected with
+this painting which is worth telling. Tradition informs us that a piece
+of ground near Westminster bridge, containing a little over an acre, was
+left to that parish by a pedler, upon condition that his picture,
+accompanied by his dog, should be faithfully painted on the glass of one
+of the windows. The parishioners, as the story goes, had this picture
+executed accordingly, and came in possession of the land. This was in
+the year 1504. The property rented at that time for about a dollar a
+year. It now commands a rent of nearly fifteen hundred dollars. The
+reason given for the pedler's request is, that he was once very poor,
+when, one day, having occasion to pass across this piece of ground, and
+being weary, he sat down under a tree to rest. While seated here, he
+noticed that his dog, who was with him, acted strangely. At a distance
+of several rods from the place where he sat, the dog busied himself for
+awhile in scratching at a particular spot of earth, after which he
+returned to his master, looked earnestly up to his face, and endeavored
+to draw him toward the spot where he had been digging. The pedler,
+however, paid but little attention to the movements of the dog, until he
+had repeated them several times, when he was induced to accompany the
+dog. To his surprise he found, on doing so, that there was a pot of gold
+buried there. With a part of this gold he purchased the lot of ground on
+which it had been discovered, and bequeathed it to the parish on the
+conditions mentioned above. The pedler and his dog are represented in
+the picture which ornaments the window of that church. "But is the story
+a true one?" methinks I hear my little friends inquire. I confess it has
+the air of one of Baron Munchausen's yarns, and I am somewhat doubtful
+about it. But that is the tradition in the Lambeth parish, where the
+picture may still be seen by any body who takes the trouble to visit the
+place. The story may be true. Stranger things have happened.
+
+Those who have studied geography do not need to be informed that there
+is a chain of high mountains running through Switzerland, called the
+Alps. The tops of some of these mountains are covered with snow nearly
+all the year. In the winter it is very difficult and dangerous traveling
+over the Alps; for the snow frequently rolls down the sides of the
+mountain, in a great mass, called an _avalanche_, and buries the
+traveler beneath it. On one of these mountains there is the convent of
+St. Bernard. It is situated ten thousand feet above the base of the
+mountain, and is on one of the most dangerous passes between Switzerland
+and Savoy. It is said to be the highest inhabited spot in the old world.
+It is tenanted by a race of monks, who are very kind to travelers. Among
+other good services they render to the strangers who pass near their
+convent, they search for unhappy persons who have been overtaken by
+sudden storms, and who are liable to perish.
+
+These monks have a peculiar variety of the dog, called the dog of St.
+Bernard, or the Alpine Spaniel, which they train to hunt for travelers
+who are overtaken by a storm, and who are in danger of perishing. The
+dog of St. Bernard is one of the most sagacious of his species. He is
+covered with thick, curly hair, which is frequently of great service in
+warming the traveler, when he is almost dead with cold.
+
+One of these dogs, named Barry, had, it was reckoned, in twelve years
+saved the lives of forty individuals. Whenever the mountain was
+enveloped in fogs and snow, away scoured Barry, barking and searching
+all about for any person who might have fallen a victim to the storm.
+When he was successful in finding any one, if his own strength was
+insufficient to rescue him, he would run back to the convent in search
+of assistance.
+
+I think I must translate for my young readers an affecting story about
+this dog Barry, which I read the other day in a little French book,
+entitled "Modèles des Enfans." It seems that a great while ago there was
+a poor woman wandering about these mountains, in the vicinity of the
+convent of St. Bernard, in company with her son, a very small boy. The
+story does not inform us what they were doing, and why they were walking
+in such a dangerous place. Perhaps they were gathering fuel to keep them
+warm; and very likely when they left home the weather was mild, and that
+they did not anticipate a storm. However that may be, they were
+overtaken by an avalanche, the mother was buried beneath it, and the
+child saw her no more. But I must tell the remainder of the story in the
+language of the French writer.
+
+[Illustration: THE DOG OF ST. BERNARD, RESCUING THE CHILD.]
+
+"Poor boy! the storm increased; the wind howled, and whirled the snow
+into huge heaps. In the hope that he might possibly meet a traveler, the
+child forced his way for awhile through the snow; but at last,
+exhausted, benumbed with the cold, and discouraged, he fell upon his
+knees, joined his hands devoutly together, and cried, as he raised his
+face, bathed in tears, toward heaven, 'O my God! have mercy on a poor
+child, who has nobody in the world to care for him!' As he lay in the
+place where he fell down, which was sheltered a little by a rock, he
+grew colder and colder, and he thought he must die. But still, from time
+to time, he prayed, 'Have mercy, O my God! on a poor child, who has
+nobody in the world to care for him!' At last he fell asleep, but was
+wakened by feeling a warm paw on his face. As he opened his eyes he saw
+with terror an enormous dog holding his head near his own. He uttered a
+cry of fear, and started back a little way from the dog. The dog
+approached the boy again, and tried, after his own fashion, to make the
+little fellow understand that he came there to do him good, and not to
+hurt him. Then he licked the face and hands of the child. By and by the
+child confided in his visitor, and began to entertain a hope that he
+might yet be saved. When Barry saw that his errand was understood, he
+lifted his head, and showed the child a bottle covered with willow,
+which was hanging around his neck. This bottle contained wine, some of
+which the little fellow drank, and felt refreshed. Then the dog lay down
+by the side of the child, and gave him the benefit of the heat of his
+own body for a long time. After this, the dog made a sign for the boy to
+get upon his back. It was some time before the boy could understand what
+the sign meant. But it was repeated again and again, and at last the
+child mounted the back of the kind animal, who carried him safely to the
+convent."
+
+Here is a capital story about a bloodhound, taken from the excellent
+book by Mr. Bingley, to which I have before alluded. Aubri de Mondidier,
+a gentleman of family and fortune, traveling alone through the Forest of
+Bondy, in France, was murdered, and buried under a tree. His dog, a
+bloodhound, would not quit his master's grave for several days; till at
+length, compelled by hunger, he proceeded to the house of an intimate
+friend of the unfortunate Aubri at Paris, and, by his melancholy
+howling, seemed desirous of expressing the loss they had both sustained.
+He repeated his cries, ran to the door, looked back to see if any one
+followed him, returned to his master's friend, pulled him by the
+sleeve, and with dumb eloquence, entreated him to go with him. The
+singularity of all these actions of the dog, added to the circumstance
+of his coming there without his master, whose faithful companion he had
+always been, prompted the company to follow the animal. He conducted
+them to the foot of a tree, where he renewed his howling, scratching the
+earth with his feet, and significantly entreating them to search the
+particular spot. Accordingly, on digging, the body of the unhappy Aubri
+was found.
+
+[Illustration: THE BLOODHOUND]
+
+Some time after, the dog accidentally met the assassin, who is styled,
+by all the historians who relate the story, the Chevalier Macaire, when,
+instantly seizing him by the throat, he was with great difficulty
+compelled to quit his victim. In short, whenever the dog saw the
+chevalier, he continued to pursue and attack him with equal fury. Such
+obstinate violence, confined only to Macaire, appeared very
+extraordinary, especially to those who at once recalled the dog's
+remarkable attachment to his master, and several instances in which
+Macaire's envy and hatred to Aubri de Mondidier had been conspicuous.
+
+Additional circumstances increased suspicion, and at length the affair
+reached the royal ear. The king accordingly sent for the dog, which
+appeared extremely gentle, till he perceived Macaire in the midst of
+several noblemen, when he ran fiercely toward him, growling at and
+attacking him, as usual. Struck with such a combination of
+circumstantial evidence against Macaire, the king determined to refer
+the decision to the chance of battle; or, in other words, he gave orders
+for a combat between the chevalier and the dog. The lists were appointed
+in the Isle of Notre Dame, then an unenclosed, uninhabited place.
+Macaire was allowed for his weapon a great cudgel, and an empty cask was
+given to the dog as a place of retreat, to enable him to recover breath.
+
+Every thing being prepared, the dog no sooner found himself at liberty,
+than he made for his adversary, running round him and menacing him on
+every side, avoiding his blows till his strength was exhausted; then
+springing forward, he seized him by the throat, threw him on the ground,
+and obliged him to confess his guilt in presence of the king and the
+whole court. In consequence of this confession, the chevalier, after a
+few days, was convicted upon his own acknowledgment, and beheaded on a
+scaffold in the Isle of Notre Dame.
+
+The editor of the Portland (Maine) Advertiser relates the following
+anecdote: "A gentleman from the country recently drove up to a store in
+this city, and jumping from his sleigh, left his dog in the care of the
+vehicle. Presently an avalanche of snow slid from the top of the
+building upon the sidewalk, which so frightened the horse that he
+started off down the street at a furious run. At this critical juncture,
+the dog sprang from the sleigh, and seizing the reins in his mouth, held
+back with all his strength, and actually reined in the frightened animal
+to a post at the side of the street, when apparently having satisfied
+himself that no danger was to be apprehended, he again resumed his
+station in the sleigh, as unconcerned as if he had only done an ordinary
+act of duty."
+
+A few years ago a little girl, residing in an inland village in
+Connecticut--without the consent of her mother, be it remembered--went
+alone to a pond near by, to play with her brother's little vessel, and
+fell into the water. She came very near drowning; but a dog belonging to
+the family, named Rollo, who was not far off, plunged in and drew her to
+the shore. She was so exhausted, however, that she could not rise, and
+the dog could not lift her entirely out of the water. But he raised her
+head a little above the surface, and then ran after help. He found a
+man, and made use of every expedient in his power to draw him to the
+spot where he had left the child. At first the stranger paid very little
+attention to the dog; but by and by he was persuaded something was
+wrong, and followed the dog to the pond. The little girl was not
+drowned, though she was quite insensible; and the man lifted her from
+the water, and saved her life, to the great joy of Rollo, who seemed
+eager to assist in this enterprise.
+
+Here is a capital story about a shepherd's dog in Scotland. I take the
+liberty of borrowing it from Bingley's admirable book. The valleys, or
+glens, as they are called by the natives, which intersect the Grampians,
+a ridge of rocky and precipitous mountains in the northern part of
+Scotland, are chiefly inhabited by shepherds. As the pastures over which
+each flock is permitted to range, extend many miles in every direction,
+the shepherd never has a view of his whole flock at once, except when it
+is collected for the purpose of sale or shearing. His occupation is to
+make daily visits to the different extremities of his pastures in
+succession, and to turn back, by means of his dog, any stragglers that
+may be approaching the boundaries of his neighbors.
+
+[Illustration: EXPLOIT OF THE NEW ENGLAND DOG.]
+
+In one of these excursions, a shepherd happened to carry with him one of
+his children, an infant some two or three years old. After traversing
+his pastures for some time, attended by his dog, the shepherd found
+himself under the necessity of ascending a summit at some distance to
+have a more extended view of his range. As the ascent was too fatiguing
+for his child, he left him on a small plain at the bottom, with strict
+injunctions not to stir from it till his return. Scarcely, however, had
+he gained the summit, when the horizon was suddenly darkened by one of
+those thick and heavy fogs which frequently descend so rapidly amid
+these mountains, as, in the space of a few minutes, almost to turn day
+into night. The anxious father instantly hastened back to find his
+child; but, owing to the unusual darkness, and his own trepidation, he
+unfortunately missed his way in the descent. After a fruitless search of
+many hours among the dangerous morasses and cataracts with which these
+mountains abound, he was at length overtaken by night. Still wandering
+on, without knowing whither, he at length came to the verge of the mist,
+and, by the light of the moon, discovered that he had reached the bottom
+of the valley, and was now within a short distance of his cottage. To
+renew the search that night was equally fruitless and dangerous. He was
+therefore obliged to return home, having lost both his child and his
+dog, which had attended him faithfully for years.
+
+Next morning by day-break, the shepherd, accompanied by a band of his
+neighbors, set out again to seek his child; but, after a day spent in
+fruitless fatigue, he was at last compelled by the approach of night to
+descend from the mountain. On returning to his cottage, he found that
+the dog which he had lost the day before, had been home, and, on
+receiving a piece of cake, had instantly gone off again. For several
+successive days the shepherd renewed the search for his child, and
+still, on returning in the evening disappointed to his cottage, he found
+that the dog had been there, and, on receiving his usual allowance of
+cake, had instantly disappeared. Struck with this singular circumstance,
+he remained at home one day, and when the dog, as usual, departed with
+his piece of cake, he resolved to follow him, and find out the cause of
+this strange procedure. The dog led the way to a cataract at some
+distance from the spot where the shepherd had left his child. The banks
+of the waterfall, almost joined at the top, yet separated by an abyss of
+immense depth, presented that abrupt appearance which so often
+astonishes and appalls the traveler amid the Grampian mountains, and
+indicates that these stupendous chasms were not the silent work of
+time, but the sudden effect of some violent convulsion of the earth.
+Down one of these rugged and almost perpendicular descents the dog
+began, without hesitation, to make his way, and at last disappeared in a
+cave, the mouth of which was almost on a level with the torrent. The
+shepherd with difficulty followed; but, on entering the cave, what were
+his emotions, when he beheld his infant eating with much satisfaction
+the cake which the dog had just brought him, while the faithful animal
+stood by, eyeing his young charge with the utmost complacency! From the
+situation in which the child was found, it appeared that he had wandered
+to the brink of the precipice, and either fallen or scrambled down till
+he reached the cave, which the dread of the torrent had afterward
+prevented him from quitting. The dog, by means of his scent, had traced
+him to the spot, and afterward prevented him from starving, by giving up
+to him his own daily allowance. He appears never to have quitted the
+child by night or day, except when it was necessary to go for his food,
+and then he was always seen running at full speed to and from the
+cottage.
+
+[Illustration: A SHEPHERD'S DOG FEEDING A LOST CHILD]
+
+The following story is related on the authority of a correspondent of
+the Boston Traveler: A gentleman from abroad, stopping at a hotel in
+Boston, privately secreted his handkerchief behind the cushion of a
+sofa, and left the hotel, in company with his dog. After walking for
+some minutes, he suddenly stopped, and said to his dog, "I have left my
+handkerchief at the hotel, and want it"--giving no particular directions
+in reference to it. The dog immediately returned in full speed, and
+entered the room which his master had just left. He went directly to the
+sofa, but the handkerchief was gone. He jumped upon tables and counters,
+but it was not to be seen. It proved that a friend had discovered it,
+and supposing that it had been left by mistake, had retained it for the
+owner. But Tiger was not to be foiled. He flew about the room,
+apparently much excited, in quest of the "lost or stolen." Soon,
+however, he was upon the track; he scented it to the gentleman's coat
+pocket. What was to be done? The dog had no means of asking verbally for
+it, and was not accustomed to picking pockets; and, besides, the
+gentleman was ignorant of his business with him. But Tiger's sagacity
+did not suffer him to remain long in suspense; he seized the skirt
+containing the prize, and furiously tore it from the coat, and hastily
+made off with it, much to the surprise of its owner. Tiger overtook his
+master, and restored the lost property, receiving his approbation,
+notwithstanding he did it at the expense of the gentleman's coat. At a
+subsequent interview, the gentleman refused any remuneration for his
+torn garment, declaring that the joke was worth the price of his coat.
+
+One day, as a little girl was amusing herself with a child, near
+Carlisle Bridge, Dublin, and was sportively toying with the child, he
+made a sudden spring from her arms, and in an instant fell into the
+river. The screaming nurse and anxious spectators saw the water close
+over the child, and conceived that he had sunk to rise no more. A
+Newfoundland dog, which had been accidentally passing with his master,
+sprang forward to the wall, and gazed wistfully at the ripple in the
+water, made by the child's descent. At the same instant the dog sprang
+forward to the edge of the water. While the animal was descending, the
+child again sunk, and the faithful creature was seen anxiously swimming
+round and round the spot where he had disappeared. Once more the child
+rose to the surface; the dog seized him, and with a firm but gentle
+pressure, bore him to land without injury. Meanwhile a gentleman
+arrived, who, on inquiry into the circumstances of the transaction,
+exhibited strong marks of interest and feeling toward the child, and of
+admiration for the dog that had rescued him from death. The person who
+had removed the child from the dog turned to show him to the gentleman,
+when there were presented to his view the well-known features of his own
+son! A mixed sensation of terror, joy, and surprise, struck him mute.
+When he had recovered the use of his faculties, and fondly kissed his
+little darling, he lavished a thousand embraces on the dog, and offered
+to his master five hundred guineas if he would transfer the valuable
+animal to him; but the owner of the dog felt too much affection for the
+useful creature, to part with him for any consideration whatever.
+
+A boatman on the river Thames, in England, once laid a wager that he and
+his dog would leap from the centre arch of Westminster Bridge, and land
+at Lambeth within a minute of each other. He jumped off first, and the
+dog immediately followed; but as he was not in the secret, and fearing
+that his master would be drowned, he seized him by the neck, and dragged
+him on shore, to the great diversion of the spectators.
+
+[Illustration: NEWFOUNDLAND DOG, SAVING A CHILD FROM DROWNING]
+
+Some years ago, a gentleman of Queen's College, Oxford, went to pass the
+Christmas vacation at his father's in the country. An uncle, a brother,
+and other friends, were one day to dine together. It was fine, frosty
+weather; the two young gentlemen went out for a forenoon's
+recreation, and one of them took his skates with him. They were followed
+by a favorite greyhound. When the friends were beginning to long for
+their return, the dog came home at full speed, and by his apparent
+anxiety, his laying hold of their clothes to pull them along, and all
+his gestures, he convinced them that something was wrong. They followed
+the greyhound, who led them to a piece of water frozen over. A hat was
+seen on the ice, near which was a fresh aperture. The bodies of the
+young gentlemen were soon found, but, alas! though every means were
+tried, life could not be restored.
+
+There is another story which places the sagacity of the greyhound in
+still stronger light. A Scotch gentleman, who kept a greyhound and a
+pointer, being fond of coursing, employed the one to find the hares, and
+the other to catch them. It was, however, discovered, that when the
+season was over, the dogs were in the habit of going out by themselves,
+and killing hares for their own amusement. To prevent this, a large iron
+ring was fastened to the pointer's neck by a leather collar, and hung
+down so as to prevent the dog from running or jumping over dikes. The
+animals, however, continued to stroll out to the fields together; and
+one day, the gentleman suspecting that all was not right, resolved to
+watch them, and, to his surprise, found that the moment they thought
+they were unobserved, the greyhound took up the ring in his mouth, and
+carrying it, they set off to the hills, and began to search for hares,
+as usual. They were followed; and it was observed that whenever the
+pointer scented the hare, the ring was dropped, and the greyhound stood
+ready to pounce upon the game the moment the other drove her from her
+form; but that he uniformly returned to assist his companion, after he
+had caught his prey.
+
+[Illustration: AN ENCAMPMENT OF GIPSIES.]
+
+Some of the dogs belonging to the gipsies possess a great deal of
+shrewdness. The gipsies, you know, are a very singular race of people.
+They are scattered over a great portion of Europe, wandering from place
+to place, and living in miserable tents, or huts. You can form a pretty
+correct notion of a gipsy encampment, by the picture on another page.
+Here you see the gipsy men and women, sitting and standing around a
+fire, over which is a pot, evidently containing the material for their
+meal. If you notice the picture carefully, you will observe, also, a
+little, insignificant looking dog, who is apparently asleep, and, for
+aught I know, dreaming about the exploits of the day. You will no doubt
+smile, and wonder what exploits such a cur is able to perform; but I
+assure you that if he is at all like some of the gipsy dogs I have heard
+of, he has been taught a good many very shrewd tricks. The dogs of the
+gipsies are sometimes trained to steal for their masters. The thief
+enters a store with some respectably dressed man, whom the owner of the
+dog will commission for the purpose, and--the man having made certain
+signals to the animal--the gipsy cur, after loitering about the store,
+perhaps for hours, waiting a favorable opportunity, will steal the
+articles which were designated, and run away with them to his master's
+tent.
+
+I made the acquaintance of a dog at Niagara Falls, last summer, who was
+an ardent admirer of the beautiful and grand in nature. The little
+steamer called the "Maid of the Mist" makes several trips daily, from a
+point some two miles down the river, to within a few rods of the Canada
+Fall. I went up in this boat, one morning, and the trip afforded me one
+of the finest views I had of this inimitable cataract. Among the
+passengers in this boat, at the time, was the dog who was so fond of the
+sublime. He walked leisurely on board, just before the hour of starting,
+and during the entire excursion seemed to enjoy the scene as much as any
+of the rest of the passengers. As the boat approached the American
+Fall, he took his station in the bow, where he remained, completely
+deluged in the spray, until the boat passed the same Fall, on its
+return. This, however, is not the most remarkable part of the story. The
+captain informed me that such was the daily practice of the dog. Every
+morning, regularly, at the hour of starting, he makes his appearance,
+though he is not owned by any one engaged in the boat, and treats
+himself to this novel excursion.
+
+There is a dog living on Staten Island, who has for some time been
+acting the part of a philanthropist, on a large scale. He makes it a
+great share of his business to administer to the necessities of the sick
+and infirm dogs in the neighborhood. As soon as he learns that a dog is
+sick, so that he is unable to take care of himself, he visits the
+invalid, and nurses him; and he even goes from house to house, searching
+out those who need his assistance. Frequently he brings his patient to
+his own kennel, and takes care of him until he either gets well or dies.
+Sometimes he has two or three sick dogs in his hospital, at the same
+time. I have these facts on the authority of my friend Mr. Ranlett, the
+editor of the "Architect," a gentleman of unquestionable veracity, who
+has seen the dog thus imitating the example of the Good Samaritan.
+
+[Illustration: RUSSIAN SLEDGE.]
+
+Captain Parry, an adventurous sailor, who went out from England on a
+voyage of discovery in the northern seas, relates some amusing anecdotes
+about the dogs among the Esquimaux Indians. These dogs are trained to
+draw a vehicle called a sledge, made a little like what we call a
+sleigh. In some parts of Russia many people travel in the same manner.
+Here is a picture of one of the Russian sledges. It is made in very
+handsome style, as you see. The greater portion of them are constructed
+much more rudely. The Esquimaux Indian is famous for his feats in
+driving dogs. When he wants to take a ride, he harnesses up several
+pairs of these dogs, and off he goes, almost as swift as the wind. The
+dogs are rather unruly, however, sometimes, and get themselves sadly
+snarled together, so that the driver is obliged to go through the
+harnessing process several times in the course of a drive of a few
+miles. When the road is level and pretty smoothly worn, eight or ten
+dogs, with a weight only of some six or seven hundred pounds attached to
+them, are almost unmanageable, and will run any where they choose at the
+rate of ten miles an hour.
+
+The following anecdote we have on the authority of the Newark (N. J.)
+Daily Advertiser: An officer of the army, accompanied by his dog, left
+West Point on a visit to the city of Burlington, N. J., and while there,
+becoming sick, wrote to his wife and family at West Point, in relation
+to his indisposition. Shortly after the reception of his letter, the
+family were aroused by a whining, barking and scratching, at the door of
+the house, and when opened to ascertain the cause, in rushed the
+faithful dog. After being caressed, and every attempt made to quiet him,
+the dog, in despair at not being understood, seized a shawl in his
+teeth, and, placing his paws on the lady's shoulders, deposited there
+the shawl! He then placed himself before her, and, fixing his gaze
+intently upon her, to attract her attention, seized her dress, and began
+to drag her to the door. The lady then became alarmed, and sent for a
+relative, who endeavored to allay her fears, but she prevailed upon him
+to accompany her at once to her husband, and on arriving, found him
+dangerously ill in Burlington. The distance traveled by the faithful
+animal, and the difficulties encountered, render this exploit almost
+incredible, especially as the boats could not stop at West Point, on
+account of the ice, it being in the winter.
+
+There is a dog in the city of New York, who, according to unquestionable
+authority, is accustomed every day not only to bring his mistress the
+morning paper, as soon as it is thrown into the front yard, but to
+select the one belonging to the lady, when, as is frequently the case,
+there is one lying with it belonging to another member of the family.
+
+An unfortunate dog, living in England, in order to make sport for some
+fools, had a pan tied to his tail, and was sent off on his travels
+toward a village a few miles distant. He reached the place utterly
+exhausted, and lay down before the steps of a tavern, eyeing most
+anxiously the horrid annoyance hung behind him, but unable to move a
+step further, or rid himself of the torment. Another dog, a Scotch
+colly, came up at the time, and seeing the distress of his crony, laid
+himself down gently beside him, and gaining his confidence by a few
+caresses, proceeded to gnaw the string by which the noisy appendage was
+attached to his friend's tail, and by about a quarter of an hour's
+exertion, severed the cord, and started to his legs, with the pan
+hanging from the string in his mouth, and after a few joyful capers
+around his friend, departed on his travels, in the highest glee at his
+success.
+
+The Albany Journal tells us of a dog in that city, who has formed the
+habit of regarding a shadow with a great deal of interest. In this
+particular, he is not unlike some people that one occasionally meets
+with, who spend their whole time following shadows. The story of the
+Albany editor is thus told: Those who are in the habit of frequenting
+the post-office, between the hours of six and eight in the evening, have
+doubtless noticed the singular wanderings of a dog near the first swing
+door, without knowing the cause of his mysterious actions. The hall is
+lighted with gas, and the burner is placed between the two doors. When
+the outer door swings, the frame-work of the sash throws a moving shadow
+on the wall, beneath the structure, which, from its peculiar movement
+toward the floor, has attracted the notice of this dog. He watches it as
+sharp as if it were a mouse, and although his labors have been
+fruitless, yet he still continues nightly to grace this place with his
+presence. Several attempts have been made to draw his attention from the
+object, with but little success; for though his attention may be
+diverted, it is soon lost, as the instant his eye catches the shadow, he
+renews his watchings. In all his movements he is very harmless, and he
+neither injures nor even molests those who have occasion to pass through
+the hall.
+
+As a farmer of good circumstances, who resided in the county of Norfolk,
+England, was taking an excursion to a considerable distance from home,
+during the frosts in the month of March 1795, he at length was so
+benumbed by the intense cold, that he became stupefied, and so sleepy
+that he found himself unable to proceed. He lay down, and would have
+perished on the spot, had not a faithful dog, which attended him, as if
+sensible of his dangerous situation, got on his breast, and, extending
+himself over him, preserved the circulation of his blood. The dog, so
+situated for many hours, kept up a continual barking, by which means,
+and the assistance of some passengers, the farmer was roused, and led to
+a house, where he soon recovered.
+
+
+
+
+The Wolf.
+
+
+From an authentic source I have obtained an incident of recent
+occurrence, which painfully illustrates the fury of the wolf, while
+engaged at a favorite meal. Near Lake Constance, in Canada, two men
+observed some wolves engaged in eating a deer. One of them, named Black,
+went to dispute the prize with these ravenous animals, when he
+unfortunately fell a victim to his rashness, the wolves having devoured
+him, leaving only a small portion of his bones.
+
+Some three years since, while traveling in Canada, I met a lady who
+resided with a brother in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company, a few
+hundred miles north of Montreal. This lady informed me that she had not
+unfrequently been chased by wolves, while proceeding to the house of her
+nearest neighbor--about ten miles distant--and that a pack of them,
+unusually hungry, once seemed very much determined to pull her from
+her horse, though they finally made up their minds that they would try
+their fortunes in another direction.
+
+[Illustration: AN ADVENTURE WITH WOLVES.]
+
+It sometimes, though not very frequently happens, that several wolves
+together attack men who travel on horseback, and fight furiously. A
+story is told of two men who were traveling in this manner in Mexico,
+when two or three wolves, who, one would suppose, had fasted a good
+while, fell upon the men and their horses, and it was a matter of some
+doubt, for a time, who would be the victors, the travelers or their
+assailants. The former were armed with pistols, too. The wolves got the
+worst of the battle, however, at last, and they retreated, as men very
+often do when they go to war with each other--having gained nothing but
+a broken limb or two, which they boast of for the remainder of their
+lives.
+
+A peasant in Russia was one day riding along, when he found that he was
+pursued by eleven wolves. Being about two miles from home he urged his
+horse to the very extent of his speed. At the entrance to his residence
+was a gate, which being shut at the time, the frightened horse dashed
+open, and carried his master safely into the yard. Nine of the wolves
+followed the man and his horse into the inclosure, when fortunately,
+the gate swung back, and caught them all as it were in a trap. Finding
+themselves caught in this manner, the wolves seemed to lose all their
+courage and ferocity. They shrunk away, and tried to hide themselves
+instead of pursuing their prey, and they were all killed with very
+little difficulty.
+
+The following story of an encounter with a saucy wolf in the
+south-western part of the United States, is taken from the journal of a
+Santa Fe trader: "I shall not soon forget an adventure with a furious
+wolf, many years ago, on the frontiers of Missouri. Riding near the
+prairie border, I perceived one of the largest and fiercest of the gray
+species, which had just descended from the west, and seemed famished to
+desperation. I at once prepared for a chase; and being without arms, I
+caught up a cudgel, when I betook me valiantly to the charge, much
+stronger, as I soon discovered, in my cause than in my equipment. The
+wolf was in no humor to flee, however, but boldly met me full half way.
+I was soon disarmed, for my club broke upon the animal's head. He then
+'laid to' my horse's legs, which, not relishing the conflict, gave a
+plunge, and sent me whirling over his head, and made his escape, leaving
+me and the wolf at close quarters. I was no sooner upon my feet than my
+antagonist renewed the charge; but being without a weapon, or any means
+of awakening an emotion of terror, save through his imagination, I took
+off my large black hat, and using it for a shield, began to thrust it
+toward his gaping jaws. My _ruse_ had the desired effect; for after
+springing at me a few times, he wheeled about, and trotted off several
+paces, and stopped to gaze at me. Being apprehensive that he might
+change his mind, and return to the attack, and conscious that, under the
+compromise, I had the best of the bargain, I very resolutely took to my
+heels, glad of the opportunity of making a drawn game,[1] though I had
+myself given the challenge." A friend of mine, who visited Texas a
+little while ago, gives quite an interesting account of a ride he had
+through an uninhabited part of that country, where wolves were abundant.
+He says: "As there was no road, I was obliged to take the prairie. My
+conveyance was a mule, which is, by the way, the best for a long journey
+in this country, as it is far more capable of endurance than a horse.
+When I had rode about five miles, I found that I had lost my course; and
+as the sun was clouded, I had no means of guessing at the route. But I
+pushed on, and soon found myself in a dense grove of live oak. Here I
+heard a distinct barking, and thought I must be near a house. I rode
+toward the place whence the noise seemed to proceed, but soon found that
+I had committed a most egregious error; for I was in the very midst of a
+pack of wolves, consisting of about a dozen. As you may suppose, I was
+terribly frightened, though I had heard that wolves in the country
+seldom molest any one traveling on horseback. Still, this interesting
+party appeared singularly fierce and hungry, and I opened a large clasp
+knife, the only available weapon I had, in order to be prepared for the
+contemplated attack. In this way I rode on about a mile, with the wolves
+after me, when the whole force quietly dispersed. After riding about
+three hours more, I discovered that I had been on the wrong track all
+the time, though I was not sure where I was; but it was so dark it was
+not safe to go further. So I spread my cloak on the grass, tied my mule
+up to a tree, made my saddle into a pillow, and, thus prepared, lay down
+for the night. I thought of wolves and snakes for some time, but being
+very tired, soon went to sleep."
+
+[Footnote 1: A drawn game at chess, as some of my readers may not be
+aware, is one in which neither party is the victor.]
+
+The wolf is capable of strong attachments, and has been known to cherish
+the memory of a friend for a great length of time. A wolf belonging to
+the menagerie in London, met his old keeper, after three years' absence.
+It was evening when the man returned, and the wolf's den was shut up
+from any external observation; yet the instant the man's voice was
+heard, the faithful animal set up the most anxious cries; and the door
+of his cage being opened, he rushed toward his friend, leaped upon his
+shoulders, licked his face, and threatened to bite his keepers on their
+attempting to separate them. When the man ultimately went away, he fell
+sick, was long on the verge of death, and would never after permit a
+stranger to approach him.
+
+Captain Franklin, in his journal of a voyage in the Polar seas, mentions
+seeing white wolves there, and gives an account which shows the wolf to
+be quite a cunning animal. A number of deer, says the captain, were
+feeding on a high cliff, when a multitude of wolves slily encircled the
+place, and then rushed upon the deer, scaring them over the precipice,
+where they were crushed to death by the fall. The wolves then came down,
+and devoured the deer at their leisure.
+
+[Illustration: SCENE IN THE OLD WOLF STORY.]
+
+When I was quite a little boy, it used to be the fashion for many people
+to fill children's heads with all manner of frightful stories about
+wolves, and bears, and gentry of that sort--stories that had not a word
+of truth in them, and which did a great deal of mischief. I remember to
+this day, the horror I used to have, when obliged to go away alone in
+the dark. Many a time I have looked behind me, thinking it quite likely
+that a furious wolf was at my heels. The reason for this foolish
+fear--for it was foolish, of course--was, that a servant girl, in the
+employ of my mother, used to tell me scores of stories in which wolves
+always played a very prominent part. I remember one story in particular,
+which cost me a world of terror. The principal scene in the tale, and
+the one which most frightened me, was at the time pictured so strongly
+on my imagination, that it never entirely wore off. It was much after
+this fashion. The wolf's jaws were opened wide enough to take a poor
+fellow's head in, and fancy pictured that event as being about to happen
+scores of times. Indeed, the nurse told me, over and over again, that
+unless I kept out of mischief--which I did not always, I am sorry to
+say--I should be sure to come to some such end. Boys and girls, if you
+have ever heard such stories, don't let them trouble you for a moment.
+There is not a word of truth in them. I know how you feel--some of you
+who are quite young, and who have been entertained with stories of this
+class--when any body asks you to go alone into a dark room. You are
+afraid of something, and for your life cannot tell what. I should not
+wonder very much if some of you were _afraid of the dark_. I have heard
+children talk about being afraid of the dark. You laugh, perhaps. It is
+rather funny--almost too funny to be treated seriously. Well, if it is
+not the dark, what is it you are afraid of? Your parents, and others who
+are older than you, are alone in the dark a thousand times in the course
+of a year. Did you ever hear them say any thing about meeting a single
+one of the heroes of the frightful stories you have heard? Do you think
+they ever came across a ghost, or an apparition, or a fairy, or an elf,
+or a witch, or a hobgoblin, or a giant, or a Blue-Beard, or a wolf? It
+makes you smile to think of it. Well, then, after all, don't you think
+it would be a great deal wiser and better to turn all these foolish
+fancies out of your head, just as one would get rid of a company of
+saucy rats and mice that were doing mischief in the cellar or
+corn-house? I think so.
+
+Before I have done with the wolf, I must recite that fable of Æsop's,
+about one who dressed himself up in the garb of a sheep, to impose upon
+the shepherd, but who shared a very different fate from the one he
+anticipated.
+
+[Illustration: THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.]
+
+A wolf, clothing himself in the skin of a sheep, and getting in among
+the flock, by this means took the opportunity to devour many of them. At
+last the shepherd discovered him, and cunningly fastening a rope about
+his neck, tied him up to a tree which stood hard by. Some other
+shepherds happening to pass that way, and observing what he was about,
+drew near and expressed their amazement. "What," says one of them,
+"brother, do you make a practice of hanging sheep?" "No," replies the
+other; "but I make a practice of hanging a wolf whenever I catch him,
+though in the habit and garb of a sheep." Then he showed them their
+mistake, and they applauded the justice of the execution. The moral of
+this fable is so plain, that it is quite useless to repeat it.
+
+
+
+
+The Horse.
+
+
+Of all the animals which have been pressed into the service of man, the
+horse, perhaps, is the most useful. What could we do without the labor
+of this noble and faithful animal? Day after day, and year after year,
+he toils on for his master, seldom complaining, when he is well treated,
+seldom showing himself ungrateful to his friends, and sometimes
+exhibiting the strongest attachment.
+
+The following story is a matter of history, and is told by one who was a
+witness of most of the facts connected with it: During the peninsular
+war in Europe, the trumpeter of a French cavalry corps had a fine
+charger assigned to him, of which he became passionately fond, and
+which, by gentleness of disposition and uniform docility, equally
+evinced its affection. The sound of the trumpeter's voice, the sight of
+his uniform, or the twang of his trumpet, was sufficient to throw
+this animal into a state of the greatest excitement; and he appeared
+to be pleased and happy only when under the saddle of his rider. Indeed
+he was unruly and useless to every body else; for once, on being removed
+to another part of the forces, and consigned to a young officer, he
+resolutely refused to perform his evolutions, and bolted straight to the
+trumpeter's station, and there took his stand, jostling alongside his
+former master. This animal, on being restored to the trumpeter, carried
+him, during several of the peninsular campaigns, through many
+difficulties and hair-breadth escapes. At last the corps to which he
+belonged was worsted, and in the confusion of retreat the trumpeter was
+mortally wounded. Dropping from his horse, his body was found, many days
+after the engagement, stretched on the ground, with the faithful old
+charger standing beside it. During the long interval, it seems that he
+had never left the trumpeter's side, but had stood sentinel over his
+corpse, as represented in the engraving, scaring away the birds of prey,
+and remaining totally heedless of his own privations. When found, he was
+in a sadly reduced condition, partly from loss of blood through wounds,
+but chiefly from want of food, of which, in the excess of his grief, he
+could not be prevailed on to partake.
+
+[Illustration: THE HORSE WATCHING THE BODY OF THE TRUMPETER.]
+
+In a book called "Sketches of the Horse," is an anecdote which exhibits
+the intelligence of this animal in perhaps a still stronger light. A
+farmer, living in the neighborhood of Bedford, in England, was returning
+home from market one evening in 1828, and being somewhat tipsy, rolled
+off his saddle into the middle of the road. His horse stood still; but
+after remaining patiently for some time, and not observing any
+disposition in his rider to get up and proceed further, he took him by
+the collar and shook him. This had little or no effect, for the farmer
+only gave a grumble of dissatisfaction at having his repose disturbed.
+The animal was not to be put off by any such evasion, and so applied his
+mouth to one of his master's coat-laps, and after several attempts, by
+dragging at it, to raise him upon his feet, the coat-lap gave way. Three
+individuals who witnessed this extraordinary proceeding then went up,
+and assisted the man in mounting his horse.
+
+My father had a horse, when I was a little boy, that was quite a pet
+with the whole family. We called him Jack, and he knew his name as well
+as I did. The biography of the old veteran would be very interesting, I
+am sure, if any body were to write it. I do not mean to be his
+biographer, however, though my partiality for him will be a sufficient
+apology for a slight sketch.
+
+Old Jack was a very intelligent horse. He would always come when he
+heard his name called, let him be ever so far distant in the pasture;
+that is, if he had a mind to come. Of course, being a gentleman of
+discernment, he sometimes chose to stay where he was, and enjoy his
+walk. This was especially the case when the grass was very green, and
+when the person who came for him chanced to be a little green also. Jack
+had his faults, it cannot be denied, and among them, perhaps the most
+prominent one was a strong aversion to being caught by any body but my
+father, whom he seemed to regard as having the sole right to summon him
+from the pasture. I used occasionally to try my hand at catching him. In
+fact, I succeeded several times, by stratagem only. I carried a measure
+containing a few gills of oats with me into the field; and his love for
+oats was so much stronger than his dislike of the catching process, that
+I secured him. But after a while the old fellow became too cunning for
+me. He came to the conclusion that the quantity of his favorite dish was
+too small to warrant him in sacrificing his freedom. He had some
+knowledge of arithmetic, you see. Certainly he must have cyphered as
+far as loss and gain. One day I went into the pasture with my bridle
+concealed behind me, and just about enough oats to cover the bottom of
+my measure, and advanced carefully toward the spot where old Jack was
+quietly grazing in the meadow. He did not stir as I approached. He held
+up his head a little, and seemed to be thinking what it was best to do.
+I drew nearer, encouraged, of course. The cunning fellow let me come
+within a few feet of him, and then suddenly wheeled around, threw his
+heels into the air, a great deal too near my head, and then started off
+at full gallop, snorting his delight at the fun, and seeming to say, "I
+am not quite so great a fool as you suppose."
+
+Still, old Jack was kind and gentle. My father never had any trouble
+with him, and many a long mile have I rode after him, when he went over
+the ground like a bird. I loved him, with all his faults; I loved him
+dearly, and when he was sold, we all had a long crying spell about it. I
+remember the time well, when the man who purchased our old pet came to
+take him away. I presume the man was kind enough, but really I never
+could forgive him for buying the horse. He was rather a rough-looking
+man, and he laughed a good deal when we told him he must be good to
+Jack, and give him plenty of oats, and not make him work too hard. I
+went out, with my sister, to bid our old friend a last sad good-bye. We
+carried him some green grass--we knew how well he loved grass, he had
+given us proof enough of that--and while he was eating it, and the man
+was preparing to take him away, we talked to old Jack till the tears
+stood in our eyes; we told him how sorry we were to part with him; and
+he seemed to be sad, too, for he stopped eating his grass, and looked at
+us tenderly, while we put our arms around his neck and caressed him for
+the last time.
+
+[Illustration: PARTING WITH OLD JACK.]
+
+I have had a great many pets since--cats and dogs, squirrels and
+rabbits, canary birds and parrots--but never any that I loved more than
+I did old Jack; and to this day I am ashamed of the deception I
+practiced upon him in the matter of the oats, when trying to catch him.
+I don't wonder he resented the trick, and played one on me in return.
+
+But I am transgressing the rule I laid down for myself in the outset of
+these stories--not to prate much about my own pets. According to this
+rule, I ought to have touched much more lightly upon the life and times
+of old Jack.
+
+A correspondent of the Providence (R. I.) Journal, gives an account of a
+horse in his neighborhood that was remarkably fond of music. "A
+physician," he says, "called daily to visit a patient opposite to my
+place of residence. We had a piano in the room on the street, on which a
+young lady daily practiced for several hours in the morning. The weather
+was warm, and the windows were open, and the moment the horse caught the
+sound of the piano, he would deliberately wheel about, cross the street,
+place himself as near the window as possible, and there, with ears and
+eyes dilating, would he quietly stand and listen till his owner came for
+him. This was his daily practice. Sometimes the young lady would stop
+playing when the doctor drove up. The horse would then remain quietly in
+his place; but the first stroke of a key would arrest his attention, and
+half a dozen notes would invariably call him across the street. I
+witnessed the effect several times."
+
+There was a show-bill printed during the reign of Queen Anne, a copy of
+which is still to be seen in one of the public libraries in England, to
+the following effect: "To be seen, at the Ship, upon Great Tower Hill,
+the finest taught horse in the world. He fetches and carries like a
+spaniel dog. If you hide a glove, a handkerchief, a door key, a pewter
+spoon, or so small a thing as a silver twopence, he will seek about the
+room till he has found it, and then he will bring it to his master.
+He will also tell the number of spots on a card, and leap through a
+hoop; with a variety of other curious performances."
+
+[Illustration: ALEXANDER TAMING BUCEPHALUS.]
+
+The story of Alexander the Great, and his favorite horse Bucephalus,
+doubtless most of my readers have heard before. Bucephalus was a
+war-horse of a very high spirit, which had been sent to Philip,
+Alexander's father, when the latter was a boy. This horse was taken out
+into one of the parks connected with the palace, and the king and many
+of his courtiers went to see him. The horse pranced about so furiously,
+that every body was afraid of him. He seemed perfectly unmanageable. No
+one was willing to risk his life by mounting such an unruly animal.
+Philip, instead of being thankful for the present, was inclined to be in
+ill humor about it. In the mean time, the boy Alexander stood quietly
+by, watching all the motions of the horse, and seeming to be studying
+his character. Philip had decided that the horse was useless, and had
+given orders to have him sent back to Thessaly, where he came from.
+Alexander did not much like the idea of losing so fine an animal, and
+begged his father to allow him to mount the horse. Philip at first
+refused, thinking the risk was too great. But he finally consented,
+after his son had urged him a great while. So Alexander went up to the
+horse, and took hold of his bridle. He patted him upon the neck, and
+soothed him with his voice, showing him, at the same time, by his easy
+and unconcerned manner, that he was not in the least afraid of him.
+Bucephalus was calmed and subdued by the presence of Alexander. He
+allowed himself to be caressed. Alexander turned his head in such a
+direction as to prevent his seeing his own shadow, which had before
+appeared to frighten him. Then he threw off his cloak, and sprang upon
+the back of the horse, and let him go as fast as he pleased. The animal
+flew across the plain, at the top of his speed, while the king and his
+courtiers looked on, at first with extreme fear, but afterward with the
+greatest admiration and pleasure. When Bucephalus had got tired of
+running, he was easily reined in, and Alexander returned to the king,
+who praised him very highly, and told him that he deserved a larger
+kingdom than Macedon. Alexander had a larger kingdom, some years
+after--a great deal larger one--though that is a part of another story.
+
+Bucephalus became the favorite horse of Alexander, and was very
+tractable and docile, though full of life and spirit. He would kneel
+upon his fore legs, at the command of his master, in order that he might
+mount more easily. A great many anecdotes are related of the feats of
+Bucephalus, as a war-horse. He was never willing to have any one ride
+him but Alexander. When the horse died, Alexander mourned for him a
+great deal. He had him buried with great solemnity, and built a small
+city upon the spot of his interment, which he named, in honor of his
+favorite, Bucephalia.
+
+An odd sort of an old mare, called by her master Nancy, used to go by my
+father's house, when I was a child. She was the bearer of Peter
+Packer--Uncle Peter, as he was sometimes called by the good people in
+our neighborhood--and he was the bearer of the weekly newspaper, and
+was, withal, quite as odd as his mare. As long as I can remember, Uncle
+Peter went his weekly rounds, and for aught I know, he is going to this
+day. No storm, or tempest, or snow-bank, could detain him, that is, not
+longer than a day or two, in his mission. He was a very punctual man--in
+other words, he always paced leisurely along, some time or another.
+Speaking of pacing, reminds me that the mare aforesaid belonged to that
+particular class and order called _pacers_, from their peculiar gait. I
+should think, too, that the mare was not altogether unlike the
+celebrated animal on which Don Quixote rode in pursuit of wind-mills,
+and things of that sort. But she had one peculiarity which is not set
+down in the description of Rozinante, to wit: the faculty of diagonal or
+oblique locomotion. This mare of Uncle Peter's went forward something
+after the fashion of a crab, and a little like a ship with the wind
+abeam, as the sailors would say. It was a standing topic of dispute
+among us school-boys, whether the animal went head foremost or not. But
+that did not matter much, practically, it is true, so that she always
+made her circuit; and that she did, as I have said before. Sometimes she
+was a day or two later than usual. But that seldom occurred except in
+the summer season; and when it did happen, it was on this wise: she had
+a most passionate love for the study of practical botany; and not being
+allowed, when at home, to pursue her favorite science as often as she
+wished, owing partly to a want of specimens, and partly to her master's
+desire to educate her in the more solid branches--he was a great
+advocate for the solid branches--she frequently took the liberty to
+divest herself of her bridle, when standing at the door of her master's
+customers, and to pace away in search of the dear flowers. Oh, she was a
+devoted student of botany! so much so, that her desire to obtain
+botanical specimens did sometimes interfere a good deal with her
+other literary and scientific engagements. She used to do very nearly as
+she chose. Uncle Peter seldom crossed her in her inclinations. If she
+was pacing along the highway, and felt a little thirsty, she never
+hesitated to stop, whether her master invited her to do so or not, at a
+brook or a watering-trough. Uncle Peter used to say, that he never tried
+to prevent these liberties but once, and he had occasion to repent
+bitterly of that. A thunder-storm was coming on, and he was in a hurry
+to get to the next house. But the mare was determined, before she went
+any further, to stop at a stream of water and drink. He set out to have
+his way--Nancy set out to have hers. The result was, that Peter was
+obliged to yield. But that was not the worst of it. The old mare was so
+much vexed because her master disputed her will, that while she was
+standing in the brook, she threw up her hind feet and let him fall over
+her head into the water. That gentle correction cured Uncle Peter. She
+had her own way after the ducking.
+
+[Illustration: UNCLE PETER AND HIS OLD MARE.]
+
+Horses have been known to cherish a strong attachment for each other. In
+one of the British wars called the peninsular war, two horses, who had
+long been associated together, assisting in dragging the same piece of
+artillery, became so much attached to each other as to be inseparable
+companions. At length one of them was killed in battle. After the
+engagement was over, the other horse was attended to, as usual, and his
+food was brought to him. But he refused to eat, and was constantly
+turning his head to look for his former companion, sometimes neighing,
+as if to call her. All the attention which was bestowed upon him was of
+no avail. Though surrounded by other horses, he took no notice of them,
+but was continually mourning for his lost friend. Shortly after he died,
+having refused to taste any food from the day his companion was killed.
+
+An old Shetland pony was so much attached to a little boy, his master,
+that he would place his fore feet in the hands of the boy, like a dog,
+thrust his head under his arm, to court his caresses, and join with him
+and a little dog in their noisy rompings. The same animal daily carried
+his master to school. He would even walk alone from the stable to the
+school-house, to bring the boy home, and sometimes he would wait hours
+for him, having come much too early.
+
+But I have occupied the reader's attention long enough with stories of
+the horse, interesting and noble as this animal is. I must, however,
+before I pass to another subject, recite a touching ballad, from one of
+our sweetest bards.
+
+[Illustration: THE OLD HORSE'S ADDRESS TO HIS MASTER, ON BEING SENTENCED
+TO DIE.]
+
+    And hast thou fixed my doom, kind master, say?
+      And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?
+    A little longer let me live, I pray--
+      A little longer hobble round thy door.
+
+    For much it glads me to behold this place,
+      And house me in this hospitable shed;
+    It glads me more to see my master's face,
+      And linger on the spot where I was bred.
+
+    For oh! to think of what we have enjoyed,
+      In my life's prime, ere I was old and poor;
+    Then, from the jocund morn to eve employed,
+      My gracious master on my back I bore.
+
+    Thrice told ten happy years have danced along,
+      Since first to thee these wayworn limbs I gave;
+    Sweet smiling years, when both of us were young--
+      The kindest master, and the happiest slave!
+
+    Ah, years sweet smiling, now forever flown!
+      Ten years thrice told, alas! are as a day;
+    Yet, as together we are aged grown,
+      Together let us wear that age away.
+
+    For still the olden times are dear to thought,
+      And rapture marked each minute as it flew;
+    Light were our hearts, and every season brought
+      Pains that were soft, and pleasures that were new.
+
+    And hast thou fixed my doom, sweet master, say?
+      And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?
+    A little longer let me live, I pray--
+      A little longer hobble round thy door.
+
+    But oh! kind Nature, take thy victim's life!
+      End thou a servant, feeble, old, and poor!
+    So shalt thou save me from the uplifted knife,
+      And gently stretch me at my master's door.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE LEOPARD AND THE SERPENT.]
+
+The Panther and Leopard.
+
+
+Leopards and panthers are very similar in their appearance and habits;
+so much so, that I shall introduce them both in the same chapter. The
+engraving represents a panther. He is in some danger from the serpent
+near him, I am inclined to think.
+
+A panther is spoken of by an English lady, Mrs. Bowdich, who resided for
+some time in Africa, as being thoroughly domesticated. He was as tame as
+a cat, and much more affectionate than cats usually are. On one
+occasion, when he was sick, the boy who had charge of him slept in his
+den, and held the patient a great part of the time in his arms, and the
+poor fellow appeared to be soothed by the care and attention of his
+nurse. He had a great partiality for white people, probably because he
+had been tamed by them; and the lady who gives this account of him was
+his especial favorite. Twice each week she used to take him some
+lavender water, which he was very fond of, and seized with great
+eagerness. He allowed the children to play with him; and sometimes, when
+he was sitting in the window, gazing upon what was going on below, the
+little urchins would pull him down by the tail. It would seem to be
+rather a dangerous experiment. But the panther let his play-fellows
+enjoy the sport. I suppose he thought that though it was not very
+pleasant to him, he would make the sacrifice of a little comfort rather
+than to get angry and revenge himself. Besides, he might have said to
+himself, "These boys like the sport pretty well; I should guess it was
+capital fun for them; it is a pity to rob them of their amusement it
+does not hurt me much, and I will let it go; they don't mean any harm;
+they are the kindest, best-natured children in the world; they would go
+without their own dinner, any day, rather than see me suffer." If the
+panther said this to himself, it was a very wise and sensible speech;
+and if he did not say it, my little readers may consider me as the
+author of it. I am satisfied, whether the panther has the credit of
+making the remarks or whether I have it, so that my young friends get
+the benefit of the lesson.
+
+In their wild state these animals are very destructive. The same lady
+who tells the story about the tame panther, says that in one case a
+panther leaped through an open window near her residence, and killed a
+little girl who happened to be the only occupant of the house at the
+time, except a man who was asleep.
+
+The tame leopard is often used in India for the purpose of hunting
+antelopes. He is carried in a kind of small wagon, blindfolded, to the
+place where the herd of antelopes are feeding. The reason they blindfold
+him is to prevent his being too much in a hurry, so that he might make
+choice of an animal which is not worth much. He does not fly at his prey
+at once, when let loose, but, winding along carefully, conceals himself,
+until an opportunity offers for his leap; and then, with five or six
+bounds, made with amazing force and rapidity, overtakes the herd, and
+brings his prey to the ground.
+
+I have read a very serious story of an American panther. The lady, who
+is the heroine of the story, and her husband, were among the first
+settlers in the wilderness of one of our western states. They at first
+lived in a log cabin. The luxury of glass was unknown in that wild place
+among the forests, and consequently light and air were admitted through
+holes which were always open. Both husband and wife had been away from
+home for a day or two; and on their return, they found some deer's
+flesh, which had been hanging up inside, partly eaten, and the tracks of
+an animal, which the gentleman supposed were those of a large dog. He
+was again obliged to leave home for a night, and this time the lady
+remained in the house alone. She went to bed; and soon after, she heard
+an animal climbing up the outside of the hut, and jump down through one
+of the openings into the adjoining room, with which her sleeping
+apartment was connected by a doorway without a door. Peeping out, she
+saw a huge panther, apparently seeking for prey, and of course very
+hungry and fierce. She beat against the partition between the rooms, and
+screamed as loudly as she could, which so frightened the panther that he
+jumped out. He was, however, soon in again, and a second time she
+frightened him away in the same manner, when she sprang out of bed, and
+went to the fire-place, in the hope of making a sufficient blaze to keep
+the panther from entering again. But the embers were too much burned,
+and would send out but a slight flame. What could the poor woman do? She
+thought of getting under the bed; but then she reflected that the animal
+would find no difficulty in getting at her in that situation, in which
+case he would tear her in pieces before she could make any resistance.
+
+The only plan which then occurred to her mind for perfect security, was
+to get into a large sea-chest of her husband's, which was nearly empty.
+Into that she accordingly crept. But there was danger of her being
+smothered in this retreat; so she put her hand between the edge of the
+chest and the lid, in order to keep the chest open a little, and admit
+the air. Fortunately this lid hung over the side of the chest a little,
+which saved her fingers. The panther soon came back again, as was
+anticipated; and after snuffing about for some time, evidently
+discovered where the lady was, and prowled round and round the chest,
+licking and scratching the wood close to her fingers. There she lay,
+scarcely daring to move, and listening intently to every movement of her
+enemy. At last, he jumped on the top of the chest. His weight crushed
+her fingers terribly; but she was brave enough to keep them where they
+were, until the panther, tired of his fruitless efforts to get at her,
+and finding nothing else to eat, finally retreated. She did not dare to
+come out of the chest, however, until morning; for she feared, as long
+as it was dark, that the beast might come back again. So there she sat,
+ready to crouch down into her hiding-place, if she heard a noise from
+her enemy. There she remained till after daylight. She was a heroine,
+was she not?
+
+A horse was killed one night by an American panther; but the body was
+not disturbed until the next day, when some gentlemen living in the
+vicinity, had an opportunity of watching the motions of the panther when
+he returned to his prey. He seized the body of the horse with his teeth,
+and drew it about sixty paces to a river, into which he plunged with his
+prey, swam across with it, and drew it into a neighboring forest.
+
+The American panther is very fond of fish, and instances have been known
+of these animals catching trout with their paws. Humboldt says that he
+saw a great many turtle shells which the panthers had robbed of the
+flesh. The manner in which the panther performs this operation, this
+traveler informs us, is to run with all speed when he sees a number of
+turtles together on land, and to turn them, or as many of them as he can
+catch before they reach the water, upon their backs, so that they cannot
+escape, after which he feasts at his leisure.
+
+Two children, a girl and a boy, were playing together near a small
+Indian village, in the vicinity of a thicket, when a large panther came
+out of the woods and made toward them, playfully bounding along, his
+head down, and his back arched after the fashion of the cat when she
+chooses to put on some of her mischievous airs. He came up to the boy,
+and began to play with him, as the latter at first supposed, although he
+was convinced of his mistake when the panther hit him so severe a blow
+on his head as to draw blood. Then the little girl, who had a small
+stick in her hand, struck the panther; and matters were going on in this
+way, when some Indians in the village, hearing the cries of the
+children, came to their rescue.
+
+A gentleman who was formerly in the British service at Ceylon, relates
+the following anecdote: "I was at Jaffna, at the northern extremity of
+the island of Ceylon, in the beginning of the year 1819, when, one
+morning, my servant called me an hour or two before my usual time, with
+'Master, master! people sent for master's dogs; leopard in the town!' My
+gun chanced not to be put together; and while my servant was adjusting
+it, the collector and two medical men, who had recently arrived, in
+consequence of the cholera morbus having just then reached Ceylon from
+the continent, came to my door, the former armed with a fowling-piece,
+and the two latter with remarkably blunt hog spears. They insisted upon
+setting off without waiting for my gun, a proceeding not much to my
+taste. The leopard had taken refuge in a hut, the roof of which, like
+those of Ceylon huts in general, spread to the ground like an umbrella;
+the only aperture into it was a small door about four feet high. The
+collector wanted to get the leopard out at once. I begged to wait for my
+gun; but no, the fowling-piece (loaded with ball, of course) and the two
+spears were quite enough. I got a stake, and awaited my fate from very
+shame. At this moment, to my great delight, there arrived from the fort
+an English officer, two artillerymen, and a Malay captain; and a pretty
+figure we should have cut without them, as the event will show. I was
+now quite ready to attack, and my gun came a minute afterward. The whole
+scene which follows took place within an inclosure, about twenty feet
+square, formed on three sides by a strong fence of palmyra leaves, and
+on the fourth by the hut. At the door of this the two artillerymen
+planted themselves; and the Malay captain got at the top, to frighten
+the leopard out by unroofing it--an easy operation, as the huts there
+are covered with cocoanut leaves. One of the artillerymen wanted to go
+in to the leopard, but we would not suffer it. At last the beast sprang;
+this man received him on his bayonet, which he thrust apparently down
+his throat, firing his piece at the same moment. The bayonet broke off
+short, leaving less than three inches on the musket; the rest remained
+in the animal, but was invisible to us: the shot probably went through
+his cheek, for it certainly did not seriously injure him, as he
+instantly rose upon his legs, with a loud roar, and placed his paws upon
+the soldier's breast. At this moment the animal appeared to me to about
+reach the centre of the man's face; but I had scarcely time to observe
+this, when the leopard, stooping his head, seized the soldier's arm in
+his mouth, turned him half round, staggering, threw him over on his
+back, and fell upon him. Our dread now was, that if we fired upon the
+leopard we might kill the man: for a moment there was a pause, when his
+comrade attacked the beast exactly in the same manner as the gallant
+fellow himself had done. He struck his bayonet into his head; the
+leopard rose at him; he fired; and this time the ball took effect, and
+in the head. The animal staggered backward, and we all poured in our
+fire. He still kicked and writhed; when the gentlemen with the spears
+advanced and fixed him, while some natives finished him by beating him
+on the head with hedge-stakes. The brave artilleryman was, after all,
+but slightly hurt. He claimed the skin, which was very cheerfully given
+to him. There was, however, a cry among the natives that the head should
+be cut off: it was; and, in so doing, the knife came directly across the
+bayonet. The animal measured scarcely less than four feet from the root
+of the tail to the nose."
+
+Captain Marryatt had a pretty serious adventure with a huge panther in
+Africa, while his vessel lay at anchor in a river there, and he and his
+men were busy in taking in a cargo of ivory. As they were thus engaged
+one day, by some accident a hole was made in the bottom of the boat, and
+they were unable to proceed with it. The captain told the men to remain
+by the boat, and started himself to obtain assistance from the vessel.
+He thought that if he could force his way through the canes which
+abounded in that vicinity, a short distance down the river, he could
+make signals to those on board, and that some of them would come to
+their help. This expedition, however, proved a much longer one than he
+anticipated, and much more perilous. He lost his way. "At first," he
+says, "I got on very well, as there were little paths through the canes,
+made, as I imagined, by the natives; and although I was up to my knees
+in thick black mud, I continued to get on pretty fast; but at last the
+canes grew so thick that I could hardly force my way through them, and
+it was a work of exceeding labor. Still I persevered, expecting each
+second I should arrive at the banks of the river, and be rewarded for my
+fatigue; but the more I labored the worse it appeared for me, and at
+last I became worn out and quite bewildered. I then tried to find my way
+back, and was equally unsuccessful, when I sat down with any thing but
+pleasant thoughts in my mind. I calculated that I had been two hours in
+making this attempt, and was now quite puzzled how to proceed. I
+bitterly lamented my rashness, now that it was too late. Having reposed
+a little, I resumed my toil, and again, after an hour's exertion, was
+compelled, from fatigue, to sit down in the deep black mud. Another
+respite from toil and another hour more of exertion, and I gave myself
+up for lost. The day was evidently fast closing in, the light over head
+was not near so bright as it had been, and I knew that a night passed in
+the miasma of the cane swamp was death. At last it became darker and
+darker. There could not be an hour of daylight remaining. I determined
+upon one struggle more, and reeking as I was with perspiration, and
+faint with fatigue, I rose again, and was forcing my way through the
+thickest of the canes, when I heard a deep growl, and perceived a large
+panther not twenty yards from me. He was on the move as well as myself,
+attempting to force his way through the thickest of the canes, so as to
+come up to me. I retreated from him as fast as I could, but he gained
+slowly upon me, and my strength was fast declining. I thought I heard
+sounds at a distance, and they became more and more distinct; but what
+they were, my fear and my struggles probably prevented from making out.
+
+"My eyes were fixed upon the fierce animal who was in pursuit of me; and
+I now thank God that the canes were so thick and impassable. Still the
+animal evidently gained ground, until it was not more than twenty yards
+from me, dashing and springing at the canes, and tearing them aside with
+his teeth. The sounds were now nearer, and I made them out to be the
+hallooing of some other animals. A moment's pause, and I thought it was
+the barking of dogs, and I thought I must have arrived close to where
+the schooner lay, and that I heard the barking of bloodhounds. At last I
+could do no more, and dropped exhausted and almost senseless in the mud.
+I recollect hearing the crashing of canes, and then the savage roar, and
+the yells, and growls, and struggle, and fierce contention, but had
+fainted.
+
+"I must now inform the reader that about an hour after I had left the
+boat, the captain of an American vessel was pulling up the river, and
+was hailed by our men in our long boat. Perceiving them on that side of
+the river, and that they were in distress, he pulled toward them, and
+they told him what had happened, and that an hour previous I had left
+the boat to force my way through the cane brakes, and they had heard
+nothing of me since. 'Madness!' cried he, 'he is a lost man. Stay till I
+come back from the schooner.' He went back to the schooner, and taking
+two of his crew, who were negroes, and his two bloodhounds, into the
+boat, he returned immediately; and as soon as he landed, he put the
+bloodhounds on my track, and sent the negroes on with them. They had
+followed me in all my windings--for it appeared that I had traveled in
+all directions--and had come up with me just as I had sunk with
+exhaustion, and the panther was so close upon me. The bloodhounds had
+attacked the panther, and this was the noise which sounded on my ears as
+I lay stupefied at the mercy of the wild beast. The panther was not
+easily, although eventually overcome, and the black men coming up, had
+found me and borne me in a state of insensibility on board my vessel.
+The fever had set upon me, and it was not till three weeks afterward
+that I recovered my senses, when I learned what I have told to the
+reader."
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE ELEPHANT.]
+
+The Elephant.
+
+
+Several hunters once surprised a male and female elephant in an open
+spot, near a thick swamp. The animals fled toward the thicket, and the
+male was soon beyond the reach of the balls from the hunters' guns. The
+female, however, was wounded so severely, that she was not able to make
+her escape; and the hunters were about to capture her, when the male
+elephant rushed from his retreat, and with a shrill and frightful
+scream, like the sound of a trumpet, attacked the party. All escaped but
+one, the man who had last discharged his gun, and who was standing with
+his horse's bridle over his arm, reloading his gun, at the moment the
+furious animal burst from the wood. This unfortunate man the elephant
+immediately singled out, and before he could spring into his saddle, he
+was prepared to revenge the insult that had been offered to his
+companion. One blow from his trunk struck the poor man to the earth; and
+without troubling himself about the horse, who galloped off at full
+speed, the elephant thrust his tusks into the hunter's body, and flung
+him high into the air. The unfortunate man was instantly killed. After
+this act, the elephant walked gently up to his bleeding companion, and
+regardless of the volleys with which he was assailed from the hunters,
+he caressed her, and aided her in reaching a shelter in the thicket.
+
+A tame elephant had a great affection for a dog; and those who visited
+the place where the animal was exhibited, used to pull the dog's ears,
+to make him yelp, on purpose to see what the elephant would do. On one
+occasion, when this cruel sport was going on at the opposite side of the
+barn where the elephant was kept, she no sooner heard the voice of her
+friend in distress, than she began to feel the boards of the partition
+which separated her and the dog, and then, striking them a heavy blow,
+made them fly in splinters. After this she looked through the hole she
+had made, which was large enough to admit her entire body, with such
+threatening gestures, that the miserable fools who were teasing the dog
+concluded that it would not pay very well to continue the sport.
+
+At an exhibition of a menagerie in one of our principal cities, not long
+since, when the crowd of spectators was the greatest, a little girl, who
+had fed the elephant with sundry cakes and apples from her bag, drew out
+her ivory card-case, which fell unobserved in the saw-dust of the ring.
+At the close of the ring performances, the crowd opened to let the
+elephant pass to his recess; but instead of proceeding as usual, he
+turned aside and thrust his trunk in the midst of a group of ladies and
+gentlemen, who, as might be expected, were so much alarmed that they
+scattered in every direction. The keeper, at this moment, discovered
+that the animal had something in his trunk. Upon examination, he found
+it to be the young lady's card-case, which the elephant picked up, and
+it now appeared that he was only seeking out the owner.
+
+A person in the island of Ceylon, who lived near a place where elephants
+were daily led to water, and often sat at the door of his house, used
+occasionally to give one of these animals some fig leaves, a kind of
+food which elephants are said to be very fond of. One day this man took
+it into his head to play one of the elephants a trick. He wrapped up a
+stone in fig leaves, and said to the man who had the elephants in
+charge, "This time I am going to give him a stone to eat; I want to see
+how it will agree with him." The keeper replied, that the elephant would
+not be such a fool as to swallow the stone--he might make up his mind to
+that. The other, however, reached out the stone to the elephant, who
+took it in his trunk, but instantly let it fall to the ground. "You
+see," said the keeper, "that I was right, and that the beast is not so
+great a fool as you took him to be;" and drove away his elephants. After
+they were watered, he was conducting them again to their stable. The man
+who had played the elephant the trick was still sitting at his door,
+when, before he had time to think of his danger, the insulted animal ran
+at him, threw his trunk around his body, dashed him to the ground, and
+trampled him to death.
+
+At the Cape of Good Hope, it is customary to hunt these animals for the
+sake of the ivory they obtain from them. Three horsemen armed with
+lances, attack the beast alternately, each relieving the other as they
+see their companion pressed, and likely to get the worst of the contest.
+On one occasion three Dutchmen, who were brothers, having made large
+fortunes at the cape by elephant hunting, were about to return home to
+enjoy the fruits of their toil. They determined, however, the day before
+they started, to have one more hunt by way of amusement. They went out
+into the field, and soon met with an elephant, whom they began to attack
+in their usual manner. But unfortunately, the horse of the man who was
+fighting with the elephant at the time fell, and the rider was thrown to
+the ground. Then the elephant had his vengeance, and it was a terrible
+one--almost too terrible to think upon. He instantly seized the unhappy
+man with his trunk, threw him up into the air to a vast height, and
+received him upon his tusks as he fell. Then, turning toward the other
+two brothers with an aspect of revenge and insult, he held out to them
+the mangled body of his victim, writhing in the agony of death.
+
+At Macassar an elephant driver one day had a cocoanut given him, which,
+in order to break it, he struck two or three times against the
+elephant's head. The next day the animal saw some cocoanuts exposed in
+the street for sale, and taking one of them up in his trunk, beat it
+about the driver's head until he fractured his skull.
+
+Mr. Colton, the author of that admirable book called "Lacon," tells a
+similar anecdote of an elephant in Madras. It was a war elephant, and
+was trained to perform an act of civility called the _grand salam_,
+which is done by falling on the first joint of the fore-leg at a given
+signal. The elephant was to make the salam before a British officer. It
+was noticed at the time that he was rather out of humor. The keeper was
+ordered up to explain the cause, and was in the act of doing so, when
+the elephant advanced a few steps, and with one stroke of his trunk laid
+the poor man dead at his feet. He then retired to his former position,
+and made the grand salam with the utmost propriety and apparent good
+will. The wife of the unfortunate man said that she had always been
+afraid something of that kind would happen, as her husband had been
+constantly in the habit of robbing the elephant of his rations of rice.
+
+It is said that when once wild elephants have been caught, and eluded
+the snares of their adversaries, if they are compelled to go into the
+woods they are mistrustful, and break with their trunk a large branch,
+with which they sound the ground before they put their foot upon it, to
+discover if there are any holes on their passage, not to be caught a
+second time. "We saw two wild elephants," says a traveler, "which had
+just been caught; each of them was between two tame elephant; and around
+the wild elephants were six men, holding spears. They spoke to these
+animals in presenting them something to eat, and telling them, in their
+language, _take this and eat it_. They had small bundles of hay, bits of
+black sugar, or rice boiled in water with pepper. When the wild elephant
+refused to do what he was ordered, the men commanded the tame elephants
+to beat him, which they did immediately, one striking his forehead with
+his; and when he seemed to aim at revenge against his aggressor, another
+struck him; so that the poor wild elephant perceived he had nothing to
+do but to obey."
+
+A sentinel belonging to the menagerie at Paris, was in the habit of
+telling the spectators not to give any food to the elephant during the
+exhibition. One day, after a piece of bread had been presented to the
+animal, the sentinel had commenced making the usual request, when the
+elephant violently discharged in his face a stream of water, so that he
+could not utter the admonition in his confusion. Of course the
+spectators roared with laughter, and the elephant seemed to enjoy the
+joke as well as they. By and by, the sentinel having wiped his face,
+found himself under the necessity of repeating the request which he had
+made before. But no sooner had he done this, than the elephant laid hold
+of his musket with her trunk, wrested it from his hands, twirled it
+round and round, trod it under her feet, and did not restore it until
+she had twisted it nearly into the form of a cork-screw.
+
+Elephants are occasionally taught to work on a farm, like horses and
+oxen. Any one visiting Singapore, may see a small elephant, named Rajah,
+working daily on the estate of J. Balestier, Esq., American Consul; and,
+although the animal is only five years and a half old, he will plough
+his acre of land a day, with ease. One man holds the plough, and another
+walks beside the animal, and directs him in his duty. The docile little
+creature obeys every word that is said to him, and will plough all day
+between the cane rows, without plucking a single cane.
+
+An elephant was once wounded in battle, and rendered so furious by the
+pain she endured, that she ran about the field, uttering the most
+hideous cries. One of the men was unable, in consequence of his wounds,
+to get out of her way. The elephant seemed conscious of his situation,
+and for fear she should trample upon him, took him up with her trunk,
+placed him where he would be more safe, and continued her route.
+
+A young elephant received a violent wound in its head, from which it
+became so furious that it was utterly impossible to come near it to
+dress the wound. A variety of expedients were tried, but in vain, until
+at last the keeper hit upon this plan: he succeeded in making the mother
+understand, by signs, what he wanted, and she immediately seized the
+young one around the neck with her trunk, and held it firmly down,
+though groaning with anguish, until the wound was dressed. This she
+continued to do every day, for some time afterward, until the service
+was no longer necessary.
+
+Elephants are said to be exceedingly susceptible of the power of music,
+and some curious experiments were tried at Paris, with a view of
+observing the effect of it upon them. In one instance, a band was placed
+near their den, while some food was given to a pair of elephants, to
+engage their attention. On the commencement of the music, the huge
+creatures turned round, and appeared alarmed for their safety, either
+from the players or the spectators. The music, however, soon overcame
+their fears, and all other emotions appeared absorbed in their attention
+to it. According to the character of the music, so were their feelings.
+If it was bold, they were excited, or manifested signs of approaching
+anger. If it was brisk, they were lively; if it was plaintive, they were
+soothed by its effects. The female seemed to express the most lively
+emotions of the two.
+
+A merchant in the East Indies kept a tame elephant, which was so
+exceedingly gentle in his habits, that he was permitted to go at large.
+This huge animal used to walk about the streets in the most quiet and
+orderly manner, and paid many visits through the city to people who were
+kind to him. Two cobblers took an ill will to this inoffensive creature,
+and several times pricked him on the proboscis with their awls. The
+noble animal did not chastise them in the manner he might have done, and
+seemed to think they were too contemptible to be angry with them. But he
+took other means to punish them for their cruelty. He filled his trunk
+with water of a dirty quality, and advancing toward them in his ordinary
+manner, spouted the whole of the puddle over them. The punishment was
+highly applauded by those who witnessed it, and the poor cobblers were
+laughed at for their pains.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE LION.]
+
+The Lion.
+
+
+I have read a thrilling story of a poor Hottentot, who was sent to take
+his master's cattle to water at a pool not far off from the house. When
+he came to the watering-place, he perceived that a huge lion was lying
+there, apparently bathing himself. He immediately ran, with the greatest
+terror, through the midst of the herd of cattle, hoping the lion would
+be satisfied with one of the cattle, and allow him to escape. He was
+mistaken, however. The lion dashed through the herd, and made directly
+after the man. Throwing his eyes over his shoulder, he saw that the
+furious animal had singled him out. Not knowing what else to do to get
+clear of his enemy, he scrambled up an aloe-tree, that happened to be
+near. At that very moment the lion made a spring at him, but
+unsuccessfully, and fell to the ground. There was in the tree a cluster
+of nests of the bird called the sociable grosbeak; and the Hottentot hid
+himself among these nests, in hopes that he could get out of the lion's
+sight, and that the beast would leave him. So he remained silent and
+motionless for a great while, and then ventured to peep out of his
+retreat. To his surprise, he perceived that he was still watched. In
+this way, he was kept a prisoner for more than twenty-four hours, when,
+at last, the lion, parched with thirst, went to the pool to drink, and
+the Hottentot embraced the opportunity to come down, and run home as
+fast as his legs would carry him.
+
+There is a thrilling anecdote told of a settler in the back districts of
+the Cape of Good Hope, who was a hunter. Returning, one day, with some
+friends, from an excursion, they suddenly came upon two large full-grown
+lions. Their horses were already jaded, and the utmost consternation for
+a moment seized them. They immediately saw that their only hope of
+safety lay in separation. They started in somewhat different directions,
+at the top of their speed, holding their rifles on the cock. Those who
+were most lightly loaded made good way, but the third was left behind,
+and, as his companions disappeared below the brow of a hill, the two
+beasts came directly after him. He quickly loosed a deer which was tied
+to his saddle, but the prey was not sufficient to distract them from
+their purpose. Happily, as is the custom, both barrels of his piece were
+loaded with ball--a most timely precaution in that country--and he was a
+good marksman. Turning for a moment, he leveled his gun with as much
+precision as at such a time he could command, and fired. He waited not
+for the result, but again scampered off as quickly as his horse could
+carry him, but he heard a deep, short, and outrageous roar. The ball was
+afterward found to have entered the animal's breast, and lodged in his
+back. His work, however, was but half done. The time he had lost
+sufficed to bring the other within reach, and, with a tremendous bound,
+he leaped upon the horse's back, lacerating it in a dreadful manner, but
+missed his hold, for the poor creature, mad with agony and fear, kicked
+with all his force, and hurried forward with increased rapidity. A
+second attempt was more successful, and the hunter was shaken from his
+seat; the horse, however, again escaped.
+
+The poor fellow gave himself up for lost, but he was a brave man, and he
+determined not to die without every attempt to save his life should
+fail. Escape he saw was hopeless; so planting himself with the energy of
+despair, he put his rifle hastily to his shoulder, and just as the lion
+was stooping for his spring, he fired. He was a little too late; the
+beast had moved, and the ball did not prove so effective as he hoped. It
+entered the side of the wild beast, though it did him no mortal harm,
+and he leaped at his victim. The shot had, nevertheless, delayed his
+bound for an instant, and the hunter avoided its effect by a rapid jump,
+and with the butt-end of his gun struck at the lion with all his power,
+as he turned upon him. The dreadful creature seized it with his teeth,
+but with such force, that instead of twisting it out of the hunter's
+hand, he broke it short off by the barrel. The hunter immediately
+attacked him again, but his weapon was too short, and the lion fixed his
+claws in his breast, tearing off all his flesh, and endeavored to gripe
+his shoulder with his mouth, but the gun-barrel was of excellent
+service. Driving it into the mouth of the beast with all his strength,
+he seized one of the creature's jaws with his left hand, and, what with
+the strength and energy given by the dreadful circumstances, and the
+purchase obtained by the gun-barrel, he succeeded in splitting the
+animal's mouth. At the same time they fell together on their sides, and
+a struggle for several minutes ensued upon the ground. Blood flowed
+freely in the lion's mouth, and nearly choked him. His motions were thus
+so frustrated that the hunter was upon his feet first, and, aiming a
+blow with all his might, he knocked out one of the lion's eyes. He
+roared terrifically with pain and rage, and, during the moments of delay
+caused by the loss of his eye, the hunter got behind him, and, animated
+by his success, hit him a dreadful stroke on the back of the neck, which
+he knew was the most tender part. The stroke, however, appeared to have
+no effect, for the lion immediately leaped at him again; but, it is
+supposed from a defect of vision occasioned by the loss of his eye,
+instead of coming down upon the hunter, he leaped beside him, and shook
+his head, as if from excess of pain. The hunter felt his strength
+rapidly declining, but the agony he endured excited him, and thus gave
+new power to strike the lion again across the eyes. The beast fell
+backward, but drew the hunter with him with his paw, and another
+struggle took place upon the ground. He felt that the gun-barrel was his
+safeguard; and though it rather seemed to encumber his hands, he clung
+tenaciously to it. Rising up from the ground in terrible pain, he
+managed to thrust it into the throat of the lion with all his might.
+That thrust was fatal; and the huge animal fell on his side, powerless.
+The hunter dragged himself to a considerable distance, and then fell
+exhausted and senseless. His friends shortly afterward returned to his
+assistance.
+
+A lion had broken into a walled inclosure for cattle, and had done
+considerable damage. The people belonging to the farm were well assured
+that he would come again by the same way. They therefore stretched a
+rope directly across the entrance, to which several loaded guns were
+fastened, in such a manner that they must necessarily discharge
+themselves into the lion's body, as soon as he should push against the
+cord with his breast. But the lion, who came before it was dark, and had
+probably some suspicion of the cord, struck it away with his foot, and
+without betraying the least alarm in consequence of the reports made by
+the loaded pieces, went fearlessly on, and devoured the prey he had left
+untouched before.
+
+The strength of the lion is so prodigious, that a single stroke of his
+paw is sufficient to break the back of a horse; and one sweep of his
+tail will throw a strong man to the ground. Kolbein says, that when he
+comes up to his prey, he always knocks it down dead, and seldom bites it
+till the mortal blow has been given. A lion at the Cape of Good Hope
+was once seen to take a heifer in his mouth; and though that animal's
+legs dragged on the ground, yet he seemed to carry her off with as much
+ease as a cat does a rat.
+
+One of the residents in South Africa--according to the Naturalist's
+History--shot a lion in the most perilous circumstances that can be
+conceived. We must tell the story in his own words. "My wife," he says,
+"was sitting in the house, near the door. The children were playing
+around her. I was outside, busily engaged in doing something to a wagon,
+when suddenly, though it was mid-day, an enormous lion came up and laid
+himself quietly down in the shade, upon the very threshold of the door.
+My wife, either stupefied with fear, or aware of the danger attending
+any attempt to fly, remained motionless in her place, while the children
+took refuge in her lap. The cry they uttered immediately attracted my
+attention. I hastened toward the door; but my astonishment may well be
+conceived, when I found the entrance to it barred in such a way.
+Although the animal had not seen me, unarmed as I was, escape seemed
+impossible; yet I glided gently, scarcely knowing what I meant to do, to
+the side of the house, up to the window of my chamber, where I knew my
+loaded gun was standing, and which I found in such a condition, that I
+could reach it with my hand--a most fortunate circumstance; and still
+more so, when I found that the door of the room was open, so that I
+could see the whole danger of the scene. The lion was beginning to move,
+perhaps with the intention of making a spring. There was no longer any
+time to think. I called softly to the mother not to be alarmed; and,
+invoking the name of the Lord, fired my piece. The ball passed directly
+over the hair of my boy's head, and lodged in the forehead of the lion,
+immediately above his eyes, which shot forth, as it were, sparks of
+fire, and stretched him on the ground, so that he never stirred more."
+
+Nothing is more common than for the keepers of wild beasts to play with
+the lion, to pull out his tongue, and even to chastise him without
+cause. He seems to bear it all with the utmost composure; and we very
+rarely have instances of his revenging these unprovoked sallies of
+cruelty. However, when his anger is at last excited, the consequences
+are terrible. Labat tells us of a gentleman who kept a lion in his
+chamber, and employed a servant to attend it, who, as is usual, mixed
+blows with his caresses. This state of things continued for some time,
+till one morning the gentleman was awakened by a noise in his room,
+which at first he could not tell the cause of; but, drawing the
+curtains, he perceived a horrid spectacle--the lion growling over the
+man's head, which he had separated from the body, and tossing it round
+the floor! He immediately flew into the next apartment, called to the
+people without, and had the animal secured from doing further mischief.
+
+We are told of the combat of a lion and a wild boar, in a meadow near
+Algiers, which continued for a long time with incredible obstinacy. At
+last, both were seen to fall by the wounds they had given each other;
+and the ground all about them was covered with their blood. These
+instances, however, are rare; the lion is in general undisputed master
+of the forest.
+
+It was once customary for those who were unable to pay sixpence for the
+sight of the wild beasts in the tower of London, to bring a dog or a
+cat, as a gift to the beasts, in lieu of money to the keeper. Among
+others, a man had brought a pretty black spaniel, which was thrown into
+the cage of the great lion. Immediately the little animal trembled and
+shivered, crouched, and threw himself on his back, put forth his tongue,
+and held up his paws, as if praying for mercy. In the mean time, the
+lion, instead of devouring him, turned him over with one paw, and then
+with the other. He smelled of him, and seemed desirous of courting a
+further acquaintance. The keeper, on seeing this, brought a large mess
+of his own family dinner. But the lion kept aloof, and refused to eat,
+keeping his eye on the dog, and inviting him, as it were, to be his
+taster. At length, the little animal's fears being somewhat abated, and
+his appetite quickened by the smell of the food, he approached slowly,
+and, with trembling, ventured to eat. The lion then advanced gently, and
+began to partake, and they finished their meal very quietly together.
+
+From this day, a strict friendship commenced between them, consisting of
+great affection and tenderness on the part of the lion, and the utmost
+confidence and boldness on the part of the dog; insomuch that he would
+lay himself down to sleep, within the fangs and under the jaws of his
+terrible patron. In about twelve months the little spaniel sickened and
+died. For a time the lion did not appear to conceive otherwise than that
+his favorite was asleep. He would continue to smell of him, and then
+would stir him with his nose, and turn him over with his paws. But
+finding that all his efforts to wake him were vain, he would traverse
+his cage from end to end, at a swift and uneasy pace. He would then
+stop, and look down upon him with a fixed and drooping regard, and again
+lift up his head, and roar for several minutes, as the sound of distant
+thunder. They attempted, but in vain, to convey the carcass from him.
+The keeper then endeavored to tempt him with a variety of food, but he
+turned from all that was offered, with loathing. They then put several
+living dogs in his cage, which he tore in pieces, but left their
+carcasses on the floor. His passions being thus inflamed, he would
+grapple at the bars of his cage, as if enraged at his restraint from
+tearing those around him to pieces. Again, as if quite spent, he would
+stretch himself by the remains of his beloved associate, lay his paws
+upon him, and take him to his bosom; and then utter his grief in deep
+and melancholy roaring, for the loss of his little play-fellow. For five
+days he thus languished, and gradually declined, without taking any
+sustenance or admitting any comfort, till, one morning, he was found
+dead, with his head reclined on the carcass of his little friend. They
+were both interred together.
+
+A lion, when about three months old, was caught in the forests of
+Senegal, and tamed by the director of the African company in that
+colony. He became unusually tractable and gentle. He slept in company
+with cats, dogs, geese, monkeys, and other animals, and never offered
+any violence to them. When he was about eight months old, he formed an
+attachment to a terrier dog, and this attachment increased afterward to
+such an extent, that the lion was seldom happy in the absence of his
+companion. At the age of fourteen months, the lion, with the dog in
+company, was transported to France. He showed so little ferocity on
+shipboard, that he was allowed at all times to have the liberty of
+walking about the vessel. When he was landed at Havre, he was conducted
+with only a cord attached to his collar, and attended by his favorite
+play-fellow, to Versailles. Soon after their arrival, the dog died, when
+the lion became so disconsolate, that it was found necessary to put
+another dog into his den. This dog, terrified at the sight of such an
+animal, endeavored to conceal himself; and the lion, surprised at the
+noise, killed him by a stroke with one of his paws.
+
+M. Felix, some years since the keeper of the national menagerie at
+Paris, added two lions to the collection, a male and a female. He had
+become endeared to them by kind treatment, so that scarcely any one else
+could control them, and they manifested their regard in a great many
+ways. The gentleman, however, was taken very sick, and was confined for
+some time to his bed. Another person was necessarily intrusted with the
+care of these lions. From the moment that M. Felix left, the male sat,
+sad and solitary, at the end of his cage, and refused to take food from
+the hands of the stranger, for whom, it was evident, he entertained no
+little dislike. The company of the female seemed to displease him. In a
+short time he became so uneasy, that no one dared to approach him. By
+and by, however, his old master recovered, and with the intention of
+surprising the animal, he crept softly to the cage, and showed only his
+face between the bars. But the male lion knew him at once. He leaped
+against the bars, patted him with his paws, licked his hands and face,
+and actually trembled with pleasure. The female also ran to him; but the
+other drove her back, and was on the point of quarreling with her, so
+jealous was he lest she should receive any of the favors of M. Felix.
+Afterward, however, the keeper entered the cage, caressed them both by
+turns, and pacified them.
+
+Sir George Davis, who was English consul at Naples about the middle of
+the seventeenth century, happening on one occasion to be in Florence,
+visited the menagerie of the grand duke. At the farther end of one of
+the dens he saw a lion which lay in sullen majesty, and which the
+keepers informed him they had been unable to tame, although every effort
+had been used for upward of three years. Sir George had no sooner
+reached the gate of the den, than the lion ran to it, and evinced every
+demonstration of joy and transport. The animal reared himself up, purred
+like a cat when pleased, and licked the hand of Sir George, which he had
+put through the bars. The keeper was astonished and frightened for the
+safety of his visitor, entreated him not to trust an apparent fit of
+phrensy, with which the animal seemed to be seized; for he was, without
+exception, the most fierce and sullen of his tribe which he had ever
+seen. This, however, had no effect on Sir George, who, notwithstanding
+every entreaty on the part of the keeper, insisted on entering the
+lion's den. The moment he got in, the delighted lion threw his paws upon
+his shoulders, licked his face, and ran about him, rubbing his head on
+Sir George, purring and fawning like a cat when expressing its affection
+for its master. This occurrence became the talk of Florence, and reached
+the ears of the grand duke, who sent for Sir George, and requested an
+interview at the menagerie, that he might witness so extraordinary a
+circumstance, when Sir George gave the following explanation: "A captain
+of a ship from Barbary gave me this lion, when quite a whelp. I brought
+him up tame; but when I thought him too large to be suffered to run
+about the house, I built a den for him in my court-yard. From that time
+he was never permitted to be loose, except when brought to the house to
+be exhibited to my friends. When he was five years old, he did some
+mischief by pawing and playing with people in his frolicsome moods.
+Having griped a man one day a little too hard, I ordered him to be shot,
+for fear of myself incurring the guilt of what might happen. On this a
+friend, who happened to be then at dinner with me, begged him as a
+present. How he came here, I do not know." The Grand Duke of Tuscany, on
+hearing his story, said it was the very same person who had presented
+him with the lion.
+
+[Illustration: THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS.]
+
+Part of a ship's crew being sent ashore on the coast of India for the
+purpose of cutting wood, the curiosity of one of the men having led him
+to stray to a considerable distance from his companions, he was much
+alarmed by the appearance of a large lioness, who made toward him; but,
+on her coming up, his fear was allayed, by her lying down at his feet,
+and looking very earnestly, first in his face, and then at a tree some
+little distance off. After repeating these looks several times, she
+arose, and proceeded toward the tree, looking back, as if she wished the
+sailor to follow her. At length he ventured, and, coming to the tree,
+perceived a huge baboon, with two young cubs in her arms, which he
+immediately supposed to be those of the lioness, as she crouched down
+like a cat, and seemed to eye them very steadfastly. The man being
+afraid to ascend the tree, decided on cutting it down; and having his
+axe with him, he set actively to work, when the lioness seemed most
+attentive to what he was doing. When the tree fell, she pounced upon the
+baboon, and, after tearing her in pieces, she turned round, and licked
+the cubs for some time. She then returned to the sailor, and fawned
+round him, rubbing her head against him in great fondness, and in token
+of her gratitude for the service done her. After this, she carried the
+cubs away one by one, and the sailor rejoined his companions, much
+pleased with the adventure.
+
+A French gentleman relates a remarkable anecdote about a combat which he
+saw on the banks of the Niger, between a Moorish chief and a lion. The
+prince took the Frenchman and his company to a place adjoining a
+large wood which was much infested with wild beasts, and directed them
+all to climb the trees. They did so. Then, getting upon his horse, and
+taking three spears and a dagger, he entered the forest, where he soon
+found a lion, which he wounded with one of the spears. The enraged
+animal sprang with great fury at his assailant, who, by a feigned
+flight, led him near the spot where the company were stationed. He then
+turned his horse, and in a moment darted another spear at the lion,
+which pierced his body. He alighted, and the lion, now grown furious,
+advanced with open jaws; but the prince received him on the point of his
+third spear, which he forced into his throat. Then, at one leap,
+springing across his body, he cut open his throat with his dagger. In
+this contest, the Moor's skill was such, that he received only a slight
+scratch on the thigh.
+
+[Illustration: THE CONVENTION OF ANIMALS.]
+
+Allow me, in concluding these stories about lions, to recite one from
+the French. It is fabulous, as you will perceive; but fables are not to
+be despised. The design of the fable is to illustrate the truth that in
+a community, every one may be more or less useful. "War having been
+declared between two nations of animals (for, notwithstanding their
+instinct, they are as foolish as men), the lion issued a proclamation of
+the fact to his subjects, and ordered them to appear in person at his
+camp. Among the great number of animals that obeyed the orders of their
+sovereign, were some asses and hares. Each animal offered his services
+for the campaign. The elephant agreed to transport the baggage of the
+army. The bear took it upon him to make the assaults. The fox proposed
+to manage the ruses and the stratagems. The monkey promised to amuse the
+enemy by his tricks. 'Sire,' said the horse, 'send back the asses; they
+are too lazy--and the hares; they are too timid, and subject to too
+frequent alarms.' 'By no means,' said the king of the animals; 'our army
+would not be complete without these. The asses will serve for
+trumpeters, and the hares will make excellent couriers.'"
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE GALAGO.]
+
+The Galago.
+
+
+From a recent English periodical, I have obtained some interesting facts
+in relation to an animal to which naturalists have given the name of the
+Galago. In the picture on the opposite page you have a portrait of the
+animal, drawn from life. He is a very singular looking fellow, as you
+perceive. Not long ago he was brought to England from Zanguebar, in
+Africa. The specimen, now being exhibited in London, is the first of
+this race of quadrupeds which has ever been introduced from its native
+country into any part of Europe, and it is exciting a great deal of
+interest among naturalists. Very little is known of the genus to which
+the animal belongs, all its species being found only in the barbarous
+countries, very little known, on the eastern coast of Africa. They all
+climb upon trees, like the squirrel. Their habits are strictly
+nocturnal. They never venture from their retreats while the faintest
+gleam of daylight is visible; but at the approach of night they become
+exceedingly active, springing from tree to tree with all the dexterity
+of the squirrel. In the day time, they remain, for the most part, in the
+holes of decayed trees. Their food is gum and pulpy fruits. The country
+where they live is one of the hottest regions on the globe. On this
+account, the animal sent to England is very sensitive to the sudden
+changes of that comparatively northern latitude, and it requires much
+care to preserve him from the influence of the cold. One of the striking
+peculiarities of the animal is the appearance of his feet. They resemble
+the hands of a man, as will be seen by the engraving. This peculiarity
+admirably fits the galago for the life it leads, as it spends a great
+part of its time in leaping on the boughs of trees. The specimen in
+England is remarkably tame and frolicksome, and does not seem altogether
+happy except when he is fondled and petted, when he enjoys himself
+immensely. During the night he delights in active motion, climbing and
+playing like a kitten, often uttering a loud, clucking noise, which ends
+with a sharp, shrill call, of astonishing volume. The animal is not so
+large as a fox.
+
+
+
+
+The Bear.
+
+
+That distinguished author, Oliver Goldsmith, in his "Animated Nature,"
+has given a most interesting account of the habits of the bear, which I
+wish, for the benefit of my readers, might be embodied in this chapter,
+though, on the whole, I think the entire account is too long, and I am
+forced to omit it. Besides, I suppose it would hardly be just to accord
+such a civility to the bear, while it is denied to the other animals.
+According to the description of this eminent practical naturalist, the
+bear is not by any means the unamiable monster he has been represented
+to be; but has, on the contrary, a great many good traits of character.
+He has been slandered, grossly slandered, if we may credit Mr.
+Goldsmith; and for one, I do credit him. He is exceedingly reliable in
+most of his statements. Now that I am speaking of Mr. Goldsmith, I can
+scarce refrain from adding that I have been greatly assisted, in the
+preparation of this volume, by the work of his above alluded to. It is,
+and ever will be, a valuable book in the library of those who are
+interested in becoming acquainted with nature, in her varied aspects.
+
+There are three species of bears--the black, the white, and the brown or
+Syrian bear. The latter, represented in the engraving on the opposite
+page, is the one to which allusion is made in Scripture.
+
+[Illustration: THE BROWN BEAR.]
+
+The bear is capable of strong and generous attachment. Many years ago,
+Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, in Europe, owned a bear which had become very
+tame, and which was remarkable for the strength of his love for those
+whom he happened to fancy. In the winter of 1709, a poor Savoyard boy
+had been placed in a barn to stay over night. This boy, finding that he
+was near the hut occupied by the duke's bear, took it into his head to
+go and pay the bear a visit. It was a singular fancy, to be sure. But as
+the old proverb says, "There is no accounting for tastes." He had no
+sooner formed the determination, than off he started to see Marco--for
+that was the name of the bear. He was cold, I think; and not having
+any other way of warming himself, he thought he would see if Marco could
+not be prevailed upon to let him share in the benefit of his shaggy coat
+for awhile. So in he went, and he and the bear were soon on the best of
+terms. Marco took him between his paws, and warmed him, by pressing him
+to his breast, until the next morning, when he allowed him to depart, to
+ramble about the city. In the evening, the young Savoyard returned to
+the bear's den, and was received with the same marks of kindness and
+affection. For several days, the boy made this den his home. The bear
+saved a part of his food for his companion, and they lived together on
+the most intimate and friendly terms. A number of days passed in this
+manner, without the servants knowing any thing about the circumstance,
+the boy not being in the den when the bear's food was brought. At
+length, one day, when some one came to bring the generous animal his
+supper, rather later than usual, the boy was there. The servant then saw
+the fondness of the bear for the young Savoyard. The boy was asleep. The
+bear rolled his eyes around, in a furious manner, and seemed to intimate
+that as little noise as possible must be made, for fear of awaking the
+child, whom he clasped to his breast. The bear did not move when the
+food was placed before him. This extraordinary circumstance was related
+to Leopold, the owner of the bear, who, with a good many others, went to
+the bear's hut, where they found, with surprise, that the animal never
+stirred as long as his guest manifested a disposition to sleep. When the
+little fellow awoke in the morning, he was very much ashamed and alarmed
+to find that he was discovered, thinking that he should be punished; and
+he begged the duke's pardon for the liberty he had taken with the bear.
+The bear, however, caressed his new friend, and tried to prevail upon
+him to eat a part of the supper which had been brought the previous
+evening, and which seemed untouched.
+
+Bruin is famous for hugging his enemies so desperately, that they are
+glad to get clear of him. But in these hugging fights, he sometimes gets
+the worst of it, as in the following instance. Some years since, when
+the western part of the State of New York was but slightly settled, some
+enterprising emigrant from New England had built a saw-mill on the banks
+of the Genesee river. One day, as he was eating his luncheon, sitting on
+the log which was going through the sawing operation at the time, a huge
+black bear came from the woods, toward the mill. The man, leaving his
+bread and cold bacon on the log, made a spring, and climbed up to a beam
+above, to get out of the way of the bear, when the latter, mounting the
+log which the sawyer had left, sat down, with his back toward the saw,
+and commenced eating the man's dinner. After awhile, the log on which he
+sat approached so near the saw, that he got scratched a little, and he
+hitched away a few feet from the saw, and resumed his dinner. But the
+saw scratched him again soon, of course, and this time rather more
+seriously. Bruin got angry, and his anger cost him dearly. He wheeled
+about, and throwing his paws around the saw, he gave it a most desperate
+hug. In this position he remained, until he was sawn into two pieces, as
+if he had been a log. Poor fellow! we ought to pity him, I suppose; but
+it is pretty difficult to avoid a hearty laugh over his misfortunes.
+
+Here is a story of an encounter between a bear and a bull, which is also
+rather laughable, although there is a good deal of the tragic in it. A
+bull was attacked in the forest by a rather small bear, when, striking
+his horns into his assailant, he pinned him against a tree. In this
+situation they were both found dead; the bull from starvation, the bear
+from his wounds.
+
+Some years ago, a New Hampshire boy found a very young cub near Lake
+Winnepeg, and carried it home with him. It was fed and brought up in the
+house of the boy's father, and became as tame as a dog. At length, it
+learned to follow the boy to school, and by degrees, it became his daily
+companion. At first, the other scholars were somewhat shy of Bruin's
+acquaintance; but before a great while, it became their constant
+play-fellow, and they delighted in sharing with it the little store of
+provisions which they brought for their own dinner. However, it wandered
+off into the woods again, and for four years, nothing was heard of it.
+Changes had taken place in the school where the bear used to be a
+welcome guest. Another generation of pupils had taken the place of the
+bear's old companions. One very cold winter day, while the schoolmistress
+was busy with her lessons, a boy happened to leave the door open, and a
+huge bear walked in. The consternation of the mistress and her pupils
+was very great, of course. But what could they do? Nothing but look on,
+and see what would come of this strange visit. However, the bear
+molested no one. It walked quietly up to the fire, and warmed itself.
+Then it walked up to the wall, where the dinner baskets hung, and
+standing on its hind feet, reached them down, and made free with their
+contents. By and by, it went out. But the alarm was given, and the poor
+fellow was shot, when it was found out, by some marks on its body, that
+it was the identical bear that had used to visit the school four years
+before.
+
+In one of the expeditions from England to the Polar seas, a white bear
+was seen to perform an ingenious feat in order to capture some walruses.
+He was seen to swim cautiously to a large, rough piece of ice, on which
+these walruses were lying, fast asleep, with their cubs. The wily animal
+crept up some little hillocks of ice, behind the party, and with his
+fore feet loosened a large block of ice. This, with the help of his nose
+and paws, he rolled along until he was near the sleepers, and almost
+over their heads, when he let it fall on one of the old walruses, who
+was instantly killed. The other walrus, with her cubs, rolled into the
+water; but the young one of the dead animal remained with its mother. On
+this helpless creature the bear then leaped down, and completed the
+destruction of two animals which it would not have ventured to attack
+openly.
+
+It often happens, that when a Greenlander and his wife are paddling
+along out at sea, by coming too near a floating field of ice, a white
+bear unexpectedly jumps into their canoe. Provided he does not upset it
+by the weight of his body, he sits calmly and demurely in one end of it,
+like any other passenger, and allows himself to be rowed to the shore.
+The Greenlander would very cheerfully dispense with the company of the
+bear; but dares not dispute his right there--it might cost him a pretty
+rough handling. So he makes a virtue of necessity, and rows his bearship
+to the shore.
+
+In the early part of the settlement of this country, an expedition was
+sent to explore a part of the territory now called Missouri. Bears were
+found there, at that time, in great abundance, and of very large size.
+Some of the men belonging to the expedition were in a canoe one day,
+when they discovered a bear lying in the open grounds, about three
+hundred paces from the river. Six of the men, all good hunters,
+immediately went to attack him, and concealing themselves by a small
+eminence, came within forty paces of him before they were perceived.
+Four of the hunters now fired, as nearly as they could at the same
+instant, and each lodged a ball in his body, two of which entered the
+lungs. The furious animal then sprang up, and ran upon the men, with his
+mouth wide open, ready for a terrible attack. As he came near, the two
+hunters who had reserved their fire gave him two rounds, one of which,
+breaking his shoulder, retarded his progress for a moment; but before
+they could reload, he was so near that they were obliged to run to the
+river. Before they reached it, he had almost overtaken them. Two jumped
+into the canoe; the other four separated, and concealing themselves
+among the willows, fired as fast as they could reload. They hit him
+several times; but instead of weakening the monster, each shot only
+seemed to direct him toward the hunters, till at last he pursued two of
+them so closely, that they threw aside their guns and pouches, and
+jumped down a perpendicular bank of some fifteen feet into the river.
+The bear sprang after them, and was within a few feet of the hindermost,
+when one of the hunters on the shore shot him in the head, and finally
+killed him. They dragged him to the shore, and found that eight balls
+had passed through him, in different directions.
+
+While a British frigate was locked in the ice of the Polar seas, three
+bears were discovered one morning, directing their course toward the
+ship. They had undoubtedly been attracted by the scent of a part of the
+carcass of a sea-horse that the crew had killed a few days before, which
+had been set on fire, and was burning on the ice at the time of their
+approach. They proved to be a female bear and her two cubs; but the cubs
+were nearly as large as the mother. They ran eagerly to the fire, and
+drew out of the flames a part of the flesh of the sea-horse which
+remained unconsumed, and ate it voraciously. Some of the crew threw
+large pieces of the flesh from the ship upon the ice, which the old bear
+took, one by one, and laid before her cubs. Then she divided each piece,
+and reserved only a very small portion for herself. As she was carrying
+away the last piece, several of the men on board the ship aimed their
+muskets at the two cubs, and shot them dead; after which they shot at
+the old bear, and wounded her, though not mortally. One of the gentlemen
+who witnessed this spectacle says that it would have drawn pity from any
+but the most unfeeling hearts, to mark the affectionate concern
+expressed by this poor beast, as she saw that her young were dying.
+Though she was sorely wounded herself, and could but just crawl to the
+place where they lay, she carried the last piece of flesh to them, as
+she had done with the others, and divided it for them. When she
+perceived that they refused to eat, she put her paws first upon one and
+then upon the other, and endeavored to raise them up. All this time it
+was deeply affecting to hear her moans. When she found she could not
+stir her dying cubs in this manner, she went away some distance from
+them, looking back occasionally, and moaning, as if in the utmost
+distress. This means not availing to entice them away from the spot, she
+returned, and commenced smelling around them, and licking their wounds.
+Then she went off a second time, as before, and having crawled a few
+paces, looked again behind her, and for some time stood still, uttering
+the most piteous cries. But still her cubs did not rise to follow her,
+and she returned to them, and with signs of the greatest fondness, went
+around them separately, placing her paws upon them tenderly, and giving
+utterance to the same cries of distress. Finding, at last, that they
+were cold and lifeless, she raised her head toward the ship, and growled
+in indignation for the murder. Poor creature! the men on board returned
+her angry cry with a shower of musket balls. She fell between her cubs,
+and died licking their wounds.
+
+Hans Christian Andersen, in his "Picture Book without Pictures," relates
+an anecdote, in his droll way, about a tame bear, who got loose, when
+the man who was exhibiting him was at dinner, and who found his way into
+the public house, and went straight to a room where there were three
+children, the eldest of whom was only some six or eight years old. But,
+Hans, you may tell the rest of the story in your own peculiar language:
+"The door sprang open, and in stepped the great rough bear! He had grown
+tired of standing out there in the yard, and he now found his way up the
+steps. The children were very much frightened at the great, grim-looking
+beast, and crept each one of them into a corner. But he found them all
+out, and rubbed them with his nose. He did them no harm, not the
+slightest. 'It is certainly a big dog,' thought they; and so they patted
+him kindly. He laid himself down on the floor, and the smallest boy
+tumbled over him, and amused himself by hiding his curly head in the
+thick black hair of the animal. The eldest boy now took his drum, and
+made a tremendous noise; and the bear rose up on his hind legs, and
+began to dance. It was charming. Each boy took his weapons--for they had
+been playing at soldiers before their visitor arrived. The bear must
+have a gun too, and he held it like a regular militia man. What a fine
+comrade they had found!--and so they marched about the room--'one, two!
+one, two!' Presently, however, the door opened. It was the children's
+mother. You should have seen her--her face as white as a sheet; her
+half-opened mouth, her staring eyes. The smallest of the children ran
+up to her mother, and shouted with all her might, 'Mama, we are playing
+at soldiers!'"
+
+[Illustration: THE JUGGLER AND HIS PUPILS.]
+
+Bears have frequently been taught a great many funny tricks. I remember
+seeing one, when a boy, that would stand on his head, and dance, and
+perform sundry other feats of skill. His master was an old man, who
+passed himself off among the little folks as a conjurer. He was dressed
+in a most grotesque manner, and played on a drum and some kind of wind
+instrument at the same time. Besides the bear, who seemed to be the hero
+in the different performances, the juggler had some dogs, which he had
+trained to dance to his music, and a cock which would walk and dance,
+after his fashion, on stilts. But I should not care to witness any such
+performances now. I should not be able to keep out of my mind the
+thought that the different animals engaged in these exhibitions must
+have been subjected to a great deal of pain and ill treatment before
+they could have arrived at such a stage of proficiency, and that thought
+would imbitter the entertainment, I imagine.
+
+
+
+
+The Rat and Mouse.
+
+
+Every body, almost, entertains a sort of hostility to the rat family,
+and considers himself licensed to say all manner of hard things about
+them. They are a set of rogues--there is no doubt about that, unless
+they are universally slandered. But they are shrewd and cunning, as well
+as roguish; and many of their exploits are worth recording.
+
+There were several slaughter-houses near Paris, where as many as thirty
+worn-out horses were slaughtered every day. One of these
+slaughter-houses was regarded as a nuisance, and a proposition was made
+to remove it at a greater distance from the city. But there was a strong
+objection made to its removal, on account of the ravages which the rats
+would make in the neighborhood, when they had no longer the carcasses
+of the horses to feed upon. These voracious creatures assembled at this
+spot in such numbers, that they devoured all the flesh (that was not
+much, perhaps, in many cases) of twenty or thirty horses in one night,
+so that in the morning nothing remained of these carcasses but bare
+bones. In one of these slaughter-houses, which was inclosed by solid
+walls, the carcasses of two or three horses were placed; and in the
+night the workmen blocked up all the holes through which the rats went
+in. When this was done, the workmen went inside with lighted torches and
+heavy clubs, and killed two thousand six hundred and fifty rats. In four
+such hunts, the numbers destroyed were upward of nine thousand. The rats
+in this neighborhood made themselves burrows like rabbits; and to such
+an extent was the building of these underground villages carried, that
+the earth sometimes tumbled in, and revealed the astonishing work they
+had been doing.
+
+That is rather a tough story, but I guess we shall have to believe it.
+It comes to us on the authority of Mr. Jesse, who, in his excellent work
+on Natural History, is pretty careful to say nothing which cannot be
+relied upon as true. As to the battle which those men had with the rats
+in the slaughter-house, it must have been a desperate one. I should not
+have fancied it much. I had a little experience in fighting with rats
+once, when I was a boy. They were in a room occupied with meal and
+flour. The door was closed, so that they could not get out. I was armed
+with a fire shovel, or something of that sort, and I fought, as I
+thought at the time, with a good deal of bravery and some skill. But the
+rats got the better of me. They won the victory. They would jump upon a
+barrel, and from that upon a shelf, and then down they would fly into my
+face, ready to gripe me with their teeth. I was glad to beat a retreat
+soon, I assure you.
+
+They are a shrewd set of fellows, these rats. Some years ago, the cellar
+of the house in which I resided was greatly infested with them. They
+devoured potatoes, apples, cabbages, and whatever came in their way; for
+they are not very particular about their diet, you know. Well, we set a
+trap for them. It was a flat stone set up on one end, with a figure
+four. We scattered corn all about the trap, and placed a few barrels on
+the end of the spindle under the stone. The first night these midnight
+robbers ate up all the corn around the trap, but did not touch a morsel
+under it. This they repeated several nights in succession; and all at
+once, there was not the trace of a rat to be found in the cellar. They
+no doubt held a council (rats are accustomed to hold councils, it would
+seem; they once held a council to deliberate upon the best mode of
+protection against their enemy, the cat, and concluded to put a bell on
+her ladyship--so the fable says)--they held a council, as I said before,
+and came to the unanimous conclusion that those quarters were no longer
+safe. So they decamped forthwith; and the very next day after we missed
+them, one of our neighbors complained that they were suddenly besieged
+by a whole army of rats.
+
+A German succeeded in training six rats so that they would go through
+astonishing exercises. He kept them in a box, which he opened, and from
+which they came out only as their names were called. This box was placed
+on a table, before which the man stood. He held a wand in his hand, and
+called by name such of his pupils as he wished to appear. The one who
+was called came out instantly, and climbed up the wand, on which he
+seated himself in an upright posture, looking round on the spectators,
+and saluting them, after his own fashion. Then he waited the orders of
+his master, which he executed with the utmost precision, running from
+one end of the rod to the other counterfeiting death, and performing a
+multitude of astonishing feats, as he was bidden by his master. After
+these performances were finished, the pupil received a reward for his
+good behavior, and for his proficiency in study. The master invited him
+to come and kiss his face, and eat a part of the biscuit which he held
+between his lips. Immediately the animal ran toward him, climbed up to
+his shoulder, licked the cheek of his master, and afterward took the
+biscuit. Then, turning to the spectators, he seated himself on his
+master's shoulder, ate his dinner, and returned to his box. The other
+rats were called, one by one, in the same manner, and all went through
+the several parts with the same precision.
+
+I have read a pretty tough rat story in the "Penny Magazine," but it is
+said to be authentic. "An open box," says the narrator, "containing some
+bottles of Florence oil, was placed in a room which was seldom visited.
+On going into the room for one of the bottles, it was perceived that the
+pieces of bladder and the cotton, which were at the mouth of each
+bottle, had disappeared; and that a considerable quantity of the
+contents of the bottles had been consumed. This circumstance having
+excited surprise, some of the bottles were filled with oil, and the
+mouths of them secured as before. The next morning the coverings of the
+bottles had again been removed, and part of the oil was gone. On
+watching the room, through a small window, some rats were seen to get
+into the box, thrust their tails into the necks of the bottles, and
+then, withdrawing them, lick off the oil which adhered to them."
+
+Another story about these animals, almost as wonderful, I have upon the
+authority of a clergyman in England. He says that he was walking out in
+the meadow one evening, and he observed a great number of rats in the
+act of emigrating. He stood perfectly still, and the whole army passed
+close to him. Among the number he tells us was an old rat who was blind.
+He held a piece of stick by one end in his mouth, while another rat had
+hold of the other end of it, and was conducting him.
+
+The Chicago Democrat tells the following, prefacing it with the remark
+that the rats of Chicago are "noted for their firmness and daring." A
+few nights since, a cat belonging to a friend, while exercising the
+office of mother of a family of kittens, was attacked by a regularly
+organized band of rats, which, sad to relate, contrived to kill the
+parent, and make a prey of the offspring. In the morning the cat was
+found bitten to death by the side of nine of her assailants, whom she
+slew before she was overpowered by superior numbers.
+
+The following story about a rat extremely fond of good living, was told
+me by a clerical friend residing in the city of New York. The family in
+which this rat lived, had just purchased some round clams, and they were
+placed in the cellar. One night all the inmates of the house were
+alarmed by an unusual noise. It appeared as if some one was stamping
+about the house with heavy boots on. It was a long time before they
+found out how the matter stood; but when they did find out, an old rat
+was discovered dragging one of these clams about with him. It appeared
+that this fellow, thinking it would be nice to have a supper from one of
+the clams, which he saw open, thrust in his paw, and got caught.
+
+This story reminds me of a French fable about the rat who got tired of
+staying at home, and went abroad to see something of the world. "A rat
+with very few brains"--so runs the fable--"got tired of living in
+solitude, and took it into his head to travel. He had hardly proceeded a
+mile, before he exclaimed, 'What a grand and spacious world this is!
+Behold the Alps and the Pyrenees!' The least mole-hill seemed a mountain
+in his eyes. After a few days, our traveler arrived at the sea-coast,
+where there were a multitude of oysters. At first he thought they were
+ships. Among these oysters, was one lying open. The rat perceived it.
+'What do I see?' said he. 'Here is a delicate morsel for me, and if I am
+not greatly mistaken, I shall have a fine dinner to-day.' So he
+approached the oyster, stretched out his neck, and thrust his head
+between the shells. The oyster closed, and master Nibble was caught as
+effectually as if he was in a trap." I believe the moral of this fable
+is something as follows: "Those who have no experience in the world, are
+often astonished at the smallest objects, and not unfrequently become
+the dupes of their ignorance."
+
+In 1776, one of the British ships engaged in the war with this country,
+became infested with rats to such a degree, that they at last devoured
+daily nearly a hundred weight of biscuit. They were at last destroyed,
+by smoking the ship between decks, after which several bushels of them
+were removed.
+
+In the Isle of France rats are found in prodigious swarms. There were
+formerly so many, that, according to some accounts, they formed the
+principal cause for abandoning the island by the Dutch. In some of the
+houses, thirty thousand have been known to be killed in one year.
+
+In Egypt, when the waters of the Nile retire, after the annual overflow,
+multitudes of rats and mice are seen to issue from the moistened soil.
+The Egyptians believe that these animals are generated from the earth;
+and some of the people assert, that they have seen the rats in a state
+of formation, while one half of the bodies was flesh and the other half
+mud.
+
+The following anecdote is related by a correspondent of one of the
+English newspapers: "This morning," says he, "while reading in bed, I
+was suddenly interrupted by a noise similar to that made by rats, when
+running through a double wainscot, and endeavoring to pierce it. The
+noise ceased for some moments, and then commenced again. I was only two
+or three feet from the wall whence the noise proceeded; and soon I
+perceived a great rat making his appearance at a hole. It looked about
+for awhile, without making any noise, and having made the observations
+it wished, it retired. An instant after, I saw it come again, leading by
+the ear another rat, larger than itself, and which appeared to be much
+advanced in years. Having left this one at the edge of the hole, it was
+joined by another young rat. The two then ran about the chamber,
+collecting the crumbs of bread which had fallen from the table at supper
+the previous evening, and carried them to the rat which they had left at
+the edge of the hole. I was astonished at this extraordinary attention
+on the part of the young rats, and continued to observe all their
+motions with a great deal of care. It soon appeared clear to me that the
+animal to whom the food was brought was blind, and unable to find the
+bread which was placed before it, except by feeling after it. The two
+younger ones were undoubtedly the offspring of the other, and they were
+engaged in supplying the wants of their poor, blind parent. I admired
+the wisdom of the God of nature, who has given to all animals a social
+tenderness, a gratitude, I had almost said a virtue, proportionate to
+their faculties. From that moment, these creatures, which I had before
+abhorred, seemed to become my friends. By and by, a person opened the
+door of the room, when the two young rats warned the blind one by a cry;
+and in spite of their fears, they did not seek for safety themselves,
+until assured that their blind parent was beyond the reach of danger.
+They followed as the other retired, and served as a sort of rear-guard."
+
+[Illustration: FIELD MICE.]
+
+There are several species of mice. The engraving represents the field
+mouse, an animal which sometimes makes great havoc with the farmer's
+grain. The common domestic mouse is perhaps better known. He is
+generally, and I think I may say justly, regarded as a pest in the house
+where he becomes a tenant. But he is an interesting animal, after all. I
+love to watch him--the sly little fellow--nibbling his favorite cheese,
+his keen black eye looking straight at me, all the time, as if to read
+by my countenance what sort of thoughts I had about his mouseship. How
+much at home he always contrives to make himself in a family! How very
+much at his ease he is, as he regales himself on the best things which
+the house affords!
+
+A day or two ago, a friend of mine was telling me an amusing story about
+some mice with which he had the pleasure of a slight acquaintance. He
+lived in the same house with a gentleman who kept a sort of bachelor's
+hall, and who was a great lover of pets. This gentleman took him into
+his room one day to see a mouse which he was educating to be a companion
+of his lonely hours. The bachelor remarked that he had been a pensioner
+for some time, that he fed him bountifully every day, and that he had
+become very tame indeed. "But," said the mouse's patron, "he is an
+ungrateful fellow. He is not content with eating what I give him; he
+destroys every thing he can lay hold of." A short time after this, my
+friend was called in again, when he was told by the bachelor, that, the
+mouse having become absolutely intolerable by his petty larcenies and
+grand larcenies, he set a trap for him and caught him. But still the
+larcenies continued. He set his trap again, and caught another rogue,
+and another, and another, till at last he found he had been making a pet
+of thirteen mice, instead of one, as he at first supposed.
+
+The field mouse, represented in the engraving, lays up a large store of
+provisions in his nice little nest under ground, which he keeps for
+winter. These mice are very particular in stowing away their winter
+store. The corn, acorns, chestnuts, hickory nuts, and whatever else they
+hoard up, have each separate apartments. One room contains nothing but
+corn, another nothing but chestnuts, and so on. When they have exhausted
+their stock of provisions before spring, and they have nothing else to
+eat, they turn to, and eat one another. They are regular cannibals, if
+their manners and customs have been correctly reported. Sometimes the
+hogs, as they are roaming about the pasture, in the autumn, soon after a
+family of field mice have laid in their provisions, and before the
+ground has frozen, come across the nest, and smell the good things that
+are in it. Then the poor mouse has to suffer. The author of the Boy's
+Winter Book thus graphically and humorously describes the misfortunes of
+such a mouse: "There he sits huddled up in a dark corner, looking on, as
+the hog is devouring the contents of his house, saying to himself, no
+doubt, 'I wish it may choke you, you great, grunting brute, that I do.
+There go my poor acorns, a dozen at a mouthfull. Twelve long journeys I
+had to take to the foot of the old oak, where I picked them up--such a
+hard day's work, that I could hardly get a wink of sleep, my bones ached
+so. And now that great glutton gobbles them all up at once, and makes
+nothing of it! What I shall do in the winter, I'm sure I don't know.
+There goes my corn, too, which I brought, a little at a time, all the
+way from the field on the other side of the woods, and with which I was
+often obliged to rest, two or three times before I reached home; and
+then I sometimes had to lay my load down, while I had a battle with
+another field mouse, who tried to take the corn away from me, under
+pretence of helping me to carry it home, which I knew well enough meant
+his own nest. And after all this fighting, and slaving, and carrying
+heavy loads from sunrise to sunset, here comes a pair of great, grunting
+pork chaps, and make a meal from my hard earnings. Well, never mind, Mr.
+Pig. It's winter now; but perhaps by next harvest time, I shall creep
+into some reaper's basket, and have a taste of you, when he brings a
+part of you, nicely cured and cooked, and laid lovingly between two
+slices of bread and butter. I'll be even with you then, old fellow--that
+I will, if I am only spared!' And so he creeps out, scarcely knowing
+whether he should make up his mind to beg, borrow, or steal, half
+muttering to himself, as he hops across the way, to visit some neighbor
+for a breakfast, 'I declare such infamous treatment is enough to make
+one dishonest, and never be industrious and virtuous any more!'"
+
+
+
+
+The Rabbit.
+
+
+Friend reader, did you ever see the rabbit bounding along through the
+bushes, when you have been walking in the woods? When a boy, I used
+often to be amused at the gambols of the rabbits, in the woods near my
+father's house. They do not run very gracefully or very fast, and a dog
+easily overtakes them. It seems cruel to hunt them, and set snares for
+them; and yet if they are wanted for food, doubtless there is no harm in
+taking their life. The way in which I used to catch them, years ago,
+when the sources of my enjoyment were widely different from what they
+are at present, was by means of a box-trap with a lid to it, so adjusted
+that the poor rabbit, when he undertook to nibble the apple, attached to
+the spindle for a bait, sprung the trap, and made himself a prisoner.
+Another method we used to employ to catch the rabbit, was something like
+this: a fence was made of brush-wood, about three feet high, and
+reaching some rods in length. The brush in this fence was interlaced so
+closely, that rabbits and partridges could not get through except at
+intervals of a few yards, where there was a door. At this door was a
+noose connecting with a flexible pole, which was bent down for the
+purpose. The unsuspecting rabbit, in his journeyings from place to
+place, comes to the fence. He could leap over, if he should try. But he
+thinks it cheaper to walk through the door, especially as there is a
+choice bit of apple suspended over the entrance. Well, he attempts to go
+through, stopping a minute to eat that favorite morsel; he thrusts his
+head into the noose; the trap is sprung, and the elastic pole twitches
+the poor wayfarer up by the neck. It is rather barbarous business, this
+snaring innocent rabbits; and I should much rather my young friends
+would adopt either of a hundred other sports of winter, than this.
+
+[Illustration: THE RABBIT TRAP.]
+
+[Illustration: THE RABBIT.]
+
+The father of a family of rabbits is said to exercise a very respectable
+discipline among the children. Would it not be well for some of our
+fathers and mothers to attend school, a quarter or so, in one of their
+villages? The father among rabbits is a patriarch. Somebody who owned
+several tame ones, tells us that whenever any of them quarreled, the
+father instantly ran among them, and at once peace and order were
+restored. "If he caught any one quarreling, he always punished him as an
+example to the rest. Having taught them to come to me," says this man,
+"with the call of a whistle, the instant this signal was given, I saw
+this old fellow marshal up his forces, sometimes taking the lead, and
+sometimes making them file off before him."
+
+
+
+
+The Hare.
+
+
+Probably most of my readers are so well acquainted with natural history,
+that they do not need to be told that the hare and the rabbit are very
+like, in their appearance, as well as in most of their habits. The two
+animals, however, are sufficiently unlike to be entitled to a separate
+introduction in our stories.
+
+Hares have been known to possess a good deal of cunning, which is a
+fortunate circumstance for them, as they often need not a little of this
+trait of character in their numerous persecutions. "I have seen," says
+Du Fouilloux, a French naturalist, "a hare so cunning, that, as soon as
+it heard the huntsman's horn, it started from its place, and though at
+the distance of a quarter of a league from it, leaped to a pond, and
+there hid itself among the rushes, thus escaping the pursuit of the
+dogs. I have seen a hare, which, after having run above two hours before
+the dogs, has dislodged another hare, and taken possession of its
+residence. I have seen them swim over three ponds, of which the smallest
+was not less than eighty paces broad. I have seen others, which, after
+having been warmly chased for two hours, have entered a sheep-cot,
+through the little opening under the door, and remained among the
+cattle. Others, again, when the dogs have chased them, have joined a
+flock of sheep in the field, and, in like manner, remained with them. I
+have seen others, which, when they heard the dogs, have concealed
+themselves in the earth, or have gone along on one side of a hedge, and
+returned by the other, so that there was only the thickness of the hedge
+between the dogs and the hare. I have seen others, which, after they had
+been chased for half an hour, have mounted an old wall of six feet high,
+and taken refuge in a hole covered with ivy."
+
+An English hunter tells a very affecting anecdote about two hares which
+were chased by a pack of dogs. A hare which they had pursued for some
+time was nearly exhausted. On the way, he came across another hare,
+doubtless a personal friend of his. The latter, after a short
+conversation with the former--for there was not time for many
+ceremonies--took the place of the poor weary one, and allowed himself to
+be chased by the dogs, while the other, who must soon have fallen a
+victim to the dogs, was left to shift as best he could, and try to find
+a place of shelter.
+
+The hares in Liberia exhibit much foresight. In the month of August they
+cut great quantities of soft, tender grass, and other herbs, which they
+spread out to dry. This hay, early in autumn, they collect into heaps,
+and place either beneath the overhanging rocks, or around the trunks of
+trees, in conical heaps of various sizes, resembling the stacks in which
+men sometimes preserve their hay in winter. The stacks which the hares
+make are much smaller, however, not usually more than three feet high.
+In the winter these stacks are covered with snow, and the animals make a
+path between them and their holes. They select the best of vegetables
+for their winter store, and crop them when in the fullest vigor, and
+these they make into the best and greenest hay.
+
+Dr. Towson, while in Gottingen, succeeded in getting a young hare so
+tame, that it would play about his sofa and bed. It would leap upon his
+knee, pat him with its fore feet, and frequently, while he was
+reading, it would jump up in his lap, and knock the book out of his
+hand, so as to get a share of his attention.
+
+[Illustration: TAME HARES.]
+
+One Sunday evening, five men were sitting on the bank of the river
+Mersey, in England, singing sacred songs. The field where they were had
+a forest on one side of it. As they were singing, a hare came out of
+this forest, and ran toward the place where they were seated. When she
+came up very near the spot, she suddenly stopped, and stood still for a
+considerable time, appearing to enjoy the sound of the music. She
+frequently turned her head, as if listening with intense interest. When
+they stopped singing, she turned slowly toward the forest. She had
+nearly reached the forest, when the gentlemen commenced singing again.
+The hare turned around, and ran back swiftly, nearly to the spot where
+she stood before, and listened with the same apparent pleasure, until
+the music was finished, when she again retired toward the woods, and
+soon disappeared.
+
+Cowper was a great lover of pets; and I confess that I love him for this
+trait in his character. He has endeared himself to me, indeed, as much
+by the kindness he showed to the different animals which he had about
+him, and which he had taught to love him, as by almost any other act of
+his. I never think of Cowper, without thinking, too, of the interest he
+took in every thing that breathed; and I hardly ever see a pet hare, or
+rabbit, or squirrel, without thinking of him. If the reader is as much
+interested in the poet as I am, he will like to see a portrait of him,
+which I introduce in this connection. Many people take great delight in
+hunting such beautiful and innocent animals as the fawn and the hare.
+But Cowper was no sportsman. He could not bear to hurt any thing that
+lived. You remember, perhaps, what he says in his "Task" about being
+kind to animals. Let me see if I can quote it from memory. I guess I
+can, for I learned it at school when a little boy, and those things are
+always fixed in the memory more indelibly than those which are learned
+in maturer years. I think he says--
+
+"I would not enter on my list of friends--
+Though graced with polished manners and fine sense,
+Yet wanting sensibility--the man
+Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.
+An inadvertent step may crush the snail,
+That crawls at eve along the public path;
+But he who has humanity, forewarned,
+Will step aside, and let the reptile live."
+
+[Illustration: THE POET COWPER.]
+
+He was right--the kind-hearted poet was right. Well, as I said before,
+he was not only careful about giving pain to animals, but he was very
+fond of pets. First and last, he had a good many of these pets. But
+there were none of them that he took so great delight in as his hares.
+He had two of these pretty little creatures, and they seemed to be as
+fond of him as he was of them. Cowper was subject to fits of great
+despondency, or depression of spirits. With him hypochondria was a sort
+of chronic disease. He would try to be cheerful. He knew the nature of
+his melancholy, and often tried to remedy indirectly what could not be
+reached directly. He resorted to innocent amusements in order to lead
+the mind away from the contemplation of its own ills, real or imaginary.
+This was well--it was philosophical--but it did not always succeed. The
+disease was too deeply seated in his system. The care which he took of
+his pets was no doubt one of his favorite amusements. These hares--there
+were three of them at first, though one of them did not live long--had
+each very different characters. The poet described them in detail in one
+of his letters. Puss was the greatest favorite. He was more tractable,
+tame and affectionate than the rest. Once the fellow was very sick, and
+his master treated him with a great deal of kindness, gave him medicine,
+and nursed him so well that he recovered. Cowper says that Puss showed
+his gratitude by licking his hand for a long time, a ceremony he never
+went through with but once in his life, before or afterward. Bess, who
+died young, was the funny one. He had a great fund of humor and
+drollery. Tiney, though very entertaining in his way, seems to have been
+rather a grave and surly fellow. When he died--and he lived to a good
+old age, some nine years, I think--Cowper buried him with honor, and
+wrote an epitaph for him. I will copy two or three stanzas from this
+epitaph, to show that Tiney got quite as good a character as he
+deserved.
+
+    EPITAPH ON A HARE.
+
+    Here lies, whom hound did ne'er pursue,
+      Nor swifter greyhound follow,
+    Whose feet ne'er tainted morning dew,
+      Nor ear heard huntsman's hallo.
+
+    Old Tiney, surliest of his kind,
+      Who, nursed with tender care,
+    And to domestic bounds confined,
+      Was still a wild Jack-hare.
+
+    Though duly from my hand he took
+      His pittance every night,
+    He did it with a jealous look,
+      And when he could, would bite.
+
+    I kept him for his humor's sake,
+      For he would oft beguile
+    My heart of thought, that made it ache,
+      And force me to a smile.
+
+    But now beneath this walnut shade,
+      He finds his long, last home,
+    And waits, in snug concealment laid,
+      Till gentler Puss shall come.
+
+    He, still more aged, feels the shocks,
+      From which no power can save,
+    And, partner once of Tiney's box,
+      Must soon partake his grave.
+
+
+
+
+The Goat.
+
+
+Goats have been taught to perform a great many wonderful exploits. The
+celebrated traveler, Dr. Clarke, gives a very curious account of a goat
+which he came across in Arabia. This goat would perform some most
+surprising feats of dexterity. "We met," he says, "an Arab with a goat,
+which he led about the country to exhibit, in order to gain a
+livelihood. He had taught this animal, while he accompanied its
+movements with a song, to mount upon little cylindrical blocks of wood,
+placed successively one above another, and resembling in shape the dice
+belonging to a backgammon table. In this manner the goat stood, first on
+the top of two; afterward of three, four, five, and six, until it
+remained balanced upon the summit of them all, elevated several feet
+above the ground, and with its fore feet collected upon a single point,
+without throwing down the disjointed fabric on which it stood. The
+diameter of the upper cylinder, on which its four feet alternately
+remained until the Arab had ended his ditty, was only two inches, and
+the length of each was six inches. The most curious part of the
+performance took place afterward; for the Arab, to convince us of the
+animal's attention to the turn of the air, sometimes interrupted the
+ordinary _da capo_, or repeat, and as often as he did so, the goat
+tottered, and appeared uneasy. When the man suddenly stopped, in the
+middle of his song, the animal fell to the ground."
+
+[Illustration: THE WONDERFUL FEAT OF THE GOAT.]
+
+A farmer in Scotland missed one of his goats, when his flock came home
+at night. Being afraid the missing animal would get among the young
+trees in his nursery, he sent two boys, wrapped up warm in their plaid
+cloaks, to watch all night. In the morning, these boys climbed up the
+brow of a hill near by, to hunt for the wanderer. They found her after a
+long search. She was on the brow of a hill, and her young kid was by her
+side. This faithful mother was defending the kid from the attack of a
+fox. The enemy was using all the cunning and art he was master of, to
+get possession of the little fellow, while the old goat was presenting
+her horns in every direction, as he made his sallies. The boys shouted
+at the top of their voices, in order to drive the fox away. But Master
+Renard was probably aware that they would not dare to touch him. At any
+rate, he kept up the assault. At last, getting out of patience with the
+goat, he made a more resolute effort to seize the kid; and in an instant
+all three of the animals rolled off the precipice, and were killed by
+the fall. The fox was found at the bottom of the gorge, with the goat's
+horns piercing his body.
+
+A story is told by Mr. Bingley, which illustrates, in a very forcible
+manner, the gratitude and affection of the goat. After the final
+suppression of the Scottish rebellion of 1715, by the decisive battle of
+Preston, a gentleman who had taken a very active share in it escaped to
+the West Highlands, to the residence of a female relative, who afforded
+him an asylum. As, in consequence of the strict search which was made
+after the ringleaders, it was soon judged unsafe for him to remain in
+the house of his friend, he was conducted to a cavern in a sequestered
+situation, and furnished with a supply of food. The approach to this
+lonely abode consisted of a small aperture, through which he crept,
+dragging his provisions along with him. A little way from the mouth of
+the cave the roof became elevated, but on advancing, an obstacle
+obstructed his progress. He soon perceived that, whatever it might be,
+the object was a living one; but unwilling to strike at a venture with
+his dirk, he stooped down, and discovered a goat and her kid lying on
+the ground. The animal was evidently in great pain, and feeling her body
+and limbs, he ascertained that one of her legs had been fractured. He
+bound it up with his garter, and offered her some of his bread; but she
+refused to eat, and stretched out her tongue, as if intimating that her
+mouth was parched with thirst. He gave her water, which she drank
+greedily, and then she ate the bread. At midnight he ventured from the
+cave, pulled a quantity of grass and the tender branches of trees, and
+carried them to the poor sufferer, which received them with
+demonstrations of gratitude. The only thing which this fugitive had to
+arrest his attention in this dreary abode, was administering comfort to
+the goat; and he was, indeed, thankful to have any living creature
+beside him. She quickly recovered, and became tenderly attached to him.
+It happened that the servant who was intrusted with the secret of his
+retreat fell sick, when it became necessary to send another with
+provisions. The goat, on this occasion, happening to be lying near the
+mouth of the cavern, opposed his entrance with all her might, butting
+him furiously; the fugitive, hearing a disturbance, went forward, and
+receiving the watchword from his new attendant, interposed, and the
+faithful goat permitted him to pass. So resolute was the animal on this
+occasion, that the gentleman was convinced she would have died in his
+defence.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Tiger.
+
+
+Such of my readers as have had an opportunity to look a little into
+natural history, are probably aware that the tiger belongs to the cat
+family. Many of its habits are very like those of the domestic cat. Did
+you ever see an old cat preparing to make a spring at a mouse or a bird?
+If you have, you have noticed that she crouches on the ground, and
+creeps stealthily along toward her victim, without making the least
+noise, until she is near enough, and then suddenly springs upon her
+prey. The tiger pursues the same course.
+
+A British officer, who lived for awhile in India, where tigers abound,
+was returning, in the evening, to the house where he resided, after
+dining with another officer, when he was met by his servants, who were
+making a great noise, in order to frighten away a tiger which was known
+to be prowling about the neighborhood. Although he had been some years
+in India, the young officer had never seen a tiger, as it happened,
+except from a distance; and he determined he would gratify his
+curiosity, if possible, and have a good view of the animal. So he
+dismissed his servants, and seated himself opposite the jungle, where
+the tiger was supposed to be, and there looked out for the enemy. It was
+moonlight, and the ferocious beast soon discovered the officer. The
+latter could distinctly see all the motions of his savage foe. He
+approached so slowly as scarcely to make the least noise. Then,
+crouching down, he prepared to make the fatal spring at his victim. At
+this instant, however, the officer, taking off a bear skin cap which he
+wore, swung it in the air, and shouted as loudly as he could. This so
+frightened the tiger that he made off with himself, and was soon out of
+sight in the bushes.
+
+A European gentleman, who has spent some time in Java, tells us a
+thrilling story about the adventure of a criminal with a tiger. The poor
+man was condemned, as is the custom in that country, to fight a large
+royal tiger, whose ferocity was raised to the highest point by want of
+food and artificial irritation. The only weapon allowed to the human
+combatant was a lance, with the point broken off. After wrapping a cloth
+round his left fist and arm, the man entered the arena with an air of
+undaunted calmness, and fixed a steady, menacing gaze upon the brute.
+The tiger sprang furiously upon his intended victim, who, with
+extraordinary boldness and rapidity, thrust his left fist into the
+gaping jaws, and at the same moment, with his keen, pointless dagger,
+ripped up the breast to the very heart. In less than a minute the tiger
+lay dead at his conqueror's feet. The criminal was forgiven.
+
+[Illustration: THE TIGER.]
+
+Several years ago, an Englishman, by the name of Munro, was killed by a
+tiger in the East Indies. The particulars of this distressing scene are
+given by an eye-witness. "We went on shore," says the writer of the
+narrative, "to shoot deer, of which we saw innumerable tracks, as well
+as of tigers; notwithstanding which, we continued our diversion till
+near three o'clock, when, sitting down by the side of a jungle to
+refresh ourselves, a roar like thunder was heard, and an immense tiger
+seized on our unfortunate friend, and rushed again into the jungle,
+dragging him through the thickest bushes and trees, every thing giving
+way to his monstrous strength; a tigress accompanied his progress. The
+united agonies of horror, regret, and fear, rushed at once upon us. I
+fired on the tiger; he seemed agitated; my companion fired also, and, in
+a few minutes after this, our unfortunate friend came up to us bathed in
+blood. Every medical assistance was vain, and he expired in the space of
+twenty-four hours, having received such deep wounds from the teeth and
+claws of the animal, as rendered his recovery hopeless. A large fire,
+consisting of ten or twelve whole trees, was blazing by us at the time
+this accident took place, and ten or more natives were with us. The
+human mind can scarce form any idea of the scene of horror. We had
+hardly pushed our boat from that accursed shore, when the tigress made
+her appearance, almost raging mad, and remained on the sand, exhibiting
+signs of the utmost ferocity, all the while we continued in sight."
+
+There is an account given of a small party who entered a cave, to seek
+shelter from a terrible storm, in South America. The storm raged with
+such violence, that they could not hear each other speak; the
+cedar-trees were struck down, and the torrents of rain rushed from the
+mountains. Suddenly a growling noise was heard at the end of the cave.
+They soon found, to their amazement and horror, that they had taken
+refuge in a tiger's cave, and that the growling proceeded from two young
+cubs. At this moment the Indians who attended them gave the alarm that a
+tiger was approaching. The Indians mounted a tree, and the party in the
+cave blocked up the mouth of it with a large and heavy stone, which
+fortunately lay near. A dreadful roar was heard, which was replied to by
+the growling of the two cubs, and the flaming eyes of a tremendous tiger
+were seen glowing with fury between the top of the stone and the rock
+just above it. The tiger attempted to remove the stone, but his
+prodigious strength was unequal to the attempt, and he howled more
+tremendously than before. Several of the party had leveled their muskets
+and pistols at the head of the tiger, through the narrow opening left by
+the stone; but the storm had damped the powder, and the pieces could not
+be discharged. The young cubs were then killed and thrust through the
+hole to the tiger on the outside, who, after turning them over and
+examining them, broke afresh into the wildest fury. The Indians
+discharged several arrows at the infuriated animal, but his thick skin
+repelled them. The storm ceased, and the thunder was heard only in the
+distance, but the tiger laid himself down at the mouth of the cave. In a
+short time a roar was heard near, which was answered by the tiger, who
+sprang up directly on his feet. The Indians in the tree gave a wild
+shriek, as a tigress bounded toward the cave. The howling of the two
+animals, after the tigress had examined her cubs, was truly terrible,
+and every one in the cavern gave himself over for lost. A powder-flask,
+containing their whole stock of gunpowder, had been upset in turning out
+the young cubs, so that they were reduced to despair. The tigress, after
+staring wildly at the stone at the opening of the cavern, sprang against
+it with all her force, and would probably have displaced it, had not the
+party joined together to hold it in its place. Suddenly the two tigers
+turned their heads toward the forest, and disappeared. The Indians
+descended the tree, and urged the party in the cave to take the
+opportunity of escaping, for that the tigers had ascended the heights to
+find another way into the cave. No time was to be lost; they hurried
+through the forest till they came to a wide chasm with a rushing stream
+below it. A bridge of reeds had been thrown across the chasm, and over
+this bridge they passed, but the tigers were close in pursuit. The last
+of the party who crossed the bridge cut the fastenings which tied it to
+the rock, and hoped by this means to secure safety, when the tigress
+rushed toward the chasm, made a spring, and fell down upon the pointed
+rocks below, and from thence into the torrent at the bottom. It was a
+fearful sight to see this ferocious animal for a moment in the air,
+without knowing whether she would be able to clear the chasm. The tiger
+paused not a moment, but making an amazing spring, reached the opposite
+side with his fore paws. As he clung to the rock, one of the party
+plunged his sword into the breast of the furious beast, while another
+struck him a blow on the head with the butt-end of his gun. The tiger
+let go his hold, and fell back into the abyss. This was a dreadful
+moment! for the man who struck the tiger on the head could not recover
+himself; he reeled over the edge of the fearful precipice, stretched out
+his hand in vain to seize hold of something with which to save himself,
+and then was precipitated into the horrid gulf below!
+
+A novel exhibition was presented in the city of Boston, not long ago,
+which attracted the attention of every body, old and young. Herr
+Driesbach, the famous tamer of wild animals, made his appearance in an
+elegant sleigh, with his pet tiger by his side. In this manner he rode
+through the streets. The tiger, it is said, seemed to enjoy the
+sleighing mightily, and leaped upon his master, from time to time,
+licking his face, and showing other signs of excitement. Driesbach had
+to strike him several times, to keep him from making too enthusiastic
+demonstrations. After astonishing the citizens for a considerable time,
+Driesbach alighted at his hotel, with his tiger, and taking him into one
+of the apartments, invited gentlemen to walk in and be introduced,
+though there were very few who seemed willing to avail themselves of the
+privilege.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE RHINOCEROS.]
+
+
+The Rhinoceros.
+
+
+From the accounts of those who are best acquainted with the rhinoceros,
+it appears that the animal is tamed only with great difficulty, and
+never to such an extent that it is always safe to approach him. Sir
+Everard Home gives the following account of one in a menagerie in
+London: "He was so savage, that about a month after he came, he
+endeavored to kill the keeper, and nearly succeeded. He ran at him with
+the greatest fury; but, fortunately, the horn of the animal passed
+between the keeper's thighs, and threw him on the head of the
+rhinoceros. The horn struck a wooden partition, into which it was forced
+to such a depth, that the animal, for a minute, was unable to withdraw
+it; and during this interval, the man escaped. By discipline, the
+keeper afterward got the management of him; but frequently, more
+especially in the middle of the night, fits of phrensy came on, and
+while these lasted, nothing could control his rage. He ran, with great
+swiftness, round his den, playing all kinds of antics, making hideous
+noises, breaking every thing to pieces, and disturbing the whole
+neighborhood. While this fit was on, the keeper never dared to come near
+him."
+
+When the rhinoceros is quietly pursuing his way through his favorite
+glades of mimosa bushes (which his hooked upper lip enables him readily
+to seize, and his powerful grinders to masticate), his horns, fixed
+loosely in his skin, make a clapping noise by striking one against the
+other; but on the approach of danger, if his quick ear or keen scent
+makes him aware of the vicinity of a hunter, the head is quickly raised,
+and the horns stand stiff, and ready for combat on his terrible front.
+The rhinoceros is often accompanied by a sentinel, to give him
+warning--a beautiful green-backed and blue-winged bird, about the size
+of a jay--which sits on one of his horns.
+
+The following account of the perils of a party hunting for the
+rhinoceros is given by Mr. Bruce, a traveler of celebrity: "We were on
+horseback, at the dawn of the day, in search of the rhinoceros; and
+after having searched about an hour in the thickest part of the forest,
+one of these animals rushed out with great violence, and crossed the
+plain toward a thicket of canes, at the distance of nearly two miles.
+But though he ran, or rather trotted, with surprising speed, considering
+his bulk, he was in a short time pierced with thirty or forty javelins.
+This attack so confounded him, that he left his purpose of going to the
+thicket, and ran into a deep ravine, without outlet, breaking about a
+dozen of the javelins as he entered. Here we thought he was caught in a
+trap--for he had scarcely room to turn--and a servant, who had a gun,
+standing directly over him, fired at his head. The animal fell
+immediately, to all appearance dead. All those on foot now jumped into
+the ravine, to cut him up. But they had scarcely begun, when the animal
+recovered himself so far as to rise upon his knees; and he would
+undoubtedly have destroyed several of the men, had not one of them, with
+great presence of mind, cut the sinew of the animal's hind leg. To this
+precaution they were indebted, under God, for their lives."
+
+The rhinoceros and the elephant have been known to engage in a pitched
+battle, in which case the former always comes off victor. The combat,
+however, is a very furious one.
+
+There are two species of the rhinoceros. The one which is represented in
+the engraving is the double-horned rhinoceros. It is perhaps the largest
+of land animals, with the exception of the elephant. When pursued,
+notwithstanding its large, unwieldy body, it can run with astonishing
+swiftness.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Alligator.
+
+
+On the whole, though the alligator can hardly claim any attention from
+us in these stories, owing to his manner of locomotion, and some other
+circumstances, yet I think I will introduce him to the reader, as I have
+two or three anecdotes about his tribe, which are worth reading, and as
+he comes within the qualifications for introduction to our present
+company of animals, so far as to possess the specific number of
+locomotive organs.
+
+A British medical officer, many years a resident in the East Indies,
+relates the following painful incident: "A native, being employed in
+repairing a ship lying in the Bengal river, carelessly put his legs off
+the stage upon which he was seated, at the side of the vessel, and
+being engaged in conversation with his wife and child, who were on
+board, forgot the danger of his situation. As he proceeded in his
+labors, it was necessary to lower the stage, until it came within a few
+feet only of the water. He had not been in this position many minutes,
+when a monstrous alligator rose suddenly above the surface of the river,
+and before the poor man perceived the animal, seized one of his legs,
+snapped it off, just above the knee, and descended into the water. The
+man then tried to get on board the ship, but in vain. The pain, the
+terror, the loss of his limb, so entirely prostrated his strength, that
+all his efforts were useless. The wife hung terror-stricken over the
+side of the vessel, not knowing what to do, calling for assistance, and
+shrieking distractedly. The boy, with more presence of mind, clung to
+his father, and endeavored, with all his little strength, to lift him
+up. The cries of the woman at length brought some persons to ascertain
+what was the matter. At this moment the monster appeared again. The son
+redoubled his exertions to drag his father from his terrible situation,
+but with as little success as before. Some of the people who were
+attracted to the spot, threw stones, sticks, or any thing that happened
+to be in their way, at the alligator, while the wife, thinking that the
+deliverance of her husband was now certain, hastened to the shore to
+seek the surgeon. As the monster advanced, the child became convulsed
+with terror, and at length was hardly able, by his exertions, to sustain
+the weight of his father's body. He called loudly for assistance, but
+either through surprise or fear, his cries were unheeded. Still
+continuing to defend himself in a measure from the attacks of the
+alligator, the sufferer became exhausted from pain and loss of blood.
+The terrible animal seized the other leg. The boy still kept his hold,
+and contrived to throw a rope round the body of his nearly expiring
+father, so as to prevent him from being pulled into the river. At this
+instant the wife returned with the surgeon. But, alas! they came too
+late. The poor Indian recognized his wife, gave one parting look, then
+sunk in death on the bosom of his child."
+
+[Illustration: THE ALLIGATOR.]
+
+Mr. Audubon, the distinguished naturalist, has given some of the most
+interesting facts in connection with the alligator that have come to my
+knowledge. He says: "A friend having intimated a wish to have the heart
+of one of these animals, to study its comparative anatomy, I one
+afternoon went out about half a mile from the plantation, and seeing an
+alligator that I thought I could put whole into a hogshead of spirits, I
+shot it immediately on the skull-bone. It tumbled over from the log on
+which it had been basking into the water, and, with the assistance of
+two negroes, I had it out in a few minutes, apparently dead. A strong
+rope was fastened round its neck, and in this condition, I had it
+dragged home across logs, thrown over fences, and handled without the
+least fear. Some young ladies there, anxious to see the inside of its
+mouth, requested that the mouth should be propped open with a stick put
+vertically; this was attempted, but at this instant the first stunning
+effect of the wound was over, and the animal thrashed and snapped its
+jaws furiously, although it did not advance a foot. I have frequently
+been very much amused when fishing in a bayou, where alligators were
+numerous, by throwing a blown bladder on the water toward the nearest
+one. The alligator makes for it, flaps it toward its mouth, or attempts
+seizing it at once, but all in vain. The light bladder slides off; in a
+few minutes many alligators are trying to seize this, and their
+evolutions are quite interesting. They then put one in mind of a crowd
+of boys running after a football. A black bottle is sometimes thrown in
+also, tightly corked; but the alligator seizes this easily, and you hear
+the glass give way under its teeth, as if ground in a coarse mill. They
+are easily caught by negroes, who most expertly throw a rope over their
+heads when swimming close to shore, and haul them out instantly."
+
+A writer in the Liberia Herald, according to his account of the matter,
+had a pretty good opportunity to observe some of the habits of the
+alligator. "Coming down the river," he says, "a few days ago, we espied
+an alligator lying with his body on the sloping margin of the river, his
+lower jaw submerged in the water, while the upper was extended in the
+air, showing a formidable array of teeth. We stopped to gaze at him.
+Anon, a hapless fish ventured within the dread chasm, when the
+treacherous jaws suddenly closed, and severed the fish asunder. The
+native boys who were with us, took the occasion to assign the reason of
+some of the alligator's movements. They say he lies with his mouth open,
+to attract a certain insect which floats upon the surface of the water.
+These collect in large numbers around his mouth; fishes feed upon them,
+and when lured by the desired prey within the vortex, they become a prey
+themselves."
+
+There is a singular adventure with an alligator recorded by the captain
+of a vessel on the coast of Guinea. It is as follows: "The ocean was
+very smooth, and the heat very great. Campbell, who had been drinking
+too much, was obstinately bent on going overboard to bathe, and although
+we used every means in our power to persuade him to the contrary, he
+dashed into the water, and had swam some distance from the vessel, when
+we on board discovered an alligator making toward him, behind a rock
+that stood some distance from the shore. His escape I now considered
+impossible, and I applied to Johnson to know how we should act, who,
+like myself, affirmed the impossibility of saving him, and instantly
+seized upon a loaded musket, to shoot the poor fellow before he fell
+into the jaws of the monster. I did not, however, consent to this, but
+waited, with horror, the event; yet, willing to do all in my power, I
+ordered the boat to be hoisted out, and we fired two shots at the
+approaching alligator, but without effect, for they glided over his
+scaly covering like hail-stones on a tiled house, and the progress of
+the creature was by no means impeded. The report of the piece, and the
+noise of the blacks from the sloop, soon made Campbell acquainted with
+his danger; he saw the creature making toward him, and, with all the
+strength and skill he was master of, he made for the shore. And now the
+moment arrived, in which a scene was exhibited beyond the power of my
+pen to describe. On approaching within a very short distance of some
+canes and shrubs that covered the bank, while closely pursued by the
+alligator, a fierce and ferocious tiger sprang toward him, at the
+instant the jaws of his first enemy were extended to devour him. At this
+awful moment Campbell was preserved. The eager tiger, by overleaping,
+fell into the gripe of the alligator. A horrible conflict then ensued.
+The water was colored with the blood of the tiger, whose efforts to tear
+the scaly covering of the alligator were unavailing, while the latter
+had also the advantage of keeping his adversary under water, by which
+the victory was presently obtained; for the tiger's death was now
+effected. They both sank to the bottom, and we saw no more of the
+alligator. Campbell was recovered, and instantly conveyed on board; he
+did not speak while in the boat, though his danger had completely
+sobered him. But the moment he leaped on the deck, he fell on his knees,
+and returned thanks to the Providence who had so protected him; and,
+what is most singular, from that moment to the time I am now writing, he
+has never been seen the least intoxicated, nor has been heard to utter a
+single oath."
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Cat.
+
+
+Cats, say what you will against them, have some excellent traits of
+character. They are capable of the strongest attachment. A cat which had
+been brought up in a family, became extremely attached to the oldest
+child, a little boy who was very fond of playing with her. She bore with
+the utmost patience all the rough treatment of the mischievous child,
+without ever making the least resistance. As the cat grew up, she used
+to catch mice, and bring them alive into the room where the little boy
+was, to amuse him with her prey. If he showed an inclination to take the
+mouse from her, she let it run, and waited to see whether he was able to
+catch it. If he did not, she darted at it, caught it, and again laid it
+before him. In this manner the sport continued, as long as the child
+showed any taste for it.
+
+At length, the boy was attacked with the small-pox, and during the early
+stages of his disorder, the cat rarely left his bed-side; but as his
+danger increased, it was thought necessary to remove the cat, and lock
+her up. The child died. On the following day, the cat, having escaped
+from her confinement, immediately ran to the apartment where she hoped
+to find her playmate. Disappointed in her expectations, she sought for
+him, with symptoms of great uneasiness and loud lamentations, all over
+the house, till she came to the door of the room in which the corpse
+lay. Here she lay down in silent grief, till she was again locked up. As
+soon as the child was buried, and the cat set at liberty, she
+disappeared; and it was not till a fortnight after that event, that she
+returned to the well-known apartment, sad and emaciated. She refused to
+take any nourishment, and soon ran away again, with dismal cries. At
+length, compelled by hunger, she made her appearance one day at
+dinner-time, and continued to visit the house after that, every day, at
+about the same hour, but always left as soon as she had eaten the food
+that was given her. No one knew where she spent the rest of her time,
+until she was found, one day, under the wall of the burying-ground,
+close to the grave of her favorite; and so strong was the attachment of
+the cat to her lost friend, that, till his parents removed to another
+place, nearly five years afterward, she never, except in the severest
+winter weather, passed the night any where else than in the
+burying-ground, at her little friend's grave.
+
+Here is another story of a cat who exhibited in a similar way her love
+for her deceased master. The incidents of this story, which, it is
+believed, are strictly true, occurred in the north of Scotland. Some
+years ago, a poor man residing in that country, whose habits of life had
+always been of the most retired description, giving way to the natural
+despondency of his disposition, put an end to his existence. The only
+other inmate of his cottage was a favorite cat. When the deed was
+discovered, the cat was found assiduously watching over her late
+master's body, and it was with some difficulty she could be driven away.
+The appalling deed naturally excited a great deal of attention in the
+surrounding neighborhood; and on the day after the body was deposited in
+the grave, which was made at the outside of the church-yard, a number of
+school-boys ventured thither, to view the resting-place of one who had
+at times been the subject of village wonder, and whose recent act of
+self-destruction was invested with additional interest. At first, no one
+was brave enough to venture near; but at last, the appearance of a hole
+in the side of the grave irresistibly attracted their attention. Having
+been minutely examined, it was at length determined that it must have
+been the work of some body-snatcher; and the story having spread, the
+grave was minutely examined, but as the body had not been removed, the
+community considered themselves fortunate in having made so narrow an
+escape. The turf was replaced, and the grave again carefully covered up.
+On the following morning the turf was again displaced, and a hole,
+deeper than before, yawned in the side of the sad receptacle.
+Speculation was soon busy at work, and all sorts of explanations were
+suggested. In the midst of their speculations, alarmed, perhaps, by the
+noise of the disputants, poor Puss darted from the hole, much to the
+confusion of some of the most noisy and dogmatic expounders of the
+mystery. Again the turf was replaced, and again and again was it removed
+by the unceasing efforts of the faithful cat to share the resting-place
+of her deceased master. It was at last found necessary to shoot her, it
+being found impossible otherwise to put a stop to her unceasing
+importunities.
+
+The enmity of the cat and dog is proverbial. Yet instances have been
+known in which the closest friendship has been formed between them. A
+French author of a work on the Language of Brutes tells the following
+story: "I had a cat and dog, which became so attached to each other,
+that they would never willingly be asunder. Whenever the dog got any
+choice morsel of food, he was sure to divide it with his whiskered
+friend. They always ate sociably out of one plate, slept in the same
+bed, and daily walked out together. Wishing to put this apparently
+sincere friendship to the proof, I one day took the cat by herself into
+my room, while I had the dog guarded in another apartment. I entertained
+the cat in a most sumptuous manner, being desirous to see what sort of a
+meal she would make without her friend, who had hitherto been her
+constant table companion. The cat enjoyed the treat with great glee, and
+seemed to have entirely forgotten the dog. I had had a partridge for
+dinner, half of which I intended to keep for supper. My wife covered it
+with a plate, and put it into a cupboard, the door of which she did not
+lock. The cat left the room, and I walked out upon business. My wife,
+meanwhile, sat at work in an adjoining apartment. When I returned home,
+she related to me the following circumstances: The cat, having hastily
+left the dining-room, went to the dog, and mewed uncommonly loud, and in
+different tones of voice; which the dog, from time to time, answered
+with a short bark. They both then went to the door of the room where the
+cat had dined, and waited till it was opened. One of my children opened
+the door, and immediately the two friends entered the apartment. The
+mewing of the cat excited my wife's attention. She rose from her seat,
+and stepped softly up to the door, which stood ajar, to observe what was
+going on. The cat led the dog to the cupboard which contained the
+partridge, pushed off the plate which covered it, and, taking out my
+intended supper, laid it before her canine friend, who devoured it
+greedily. Probably the cat, by her mewing, had given the dog to
+understand what an excellent meal she had made, and how sorry she was
+that he had not participated in it; but, at the same time, had explained
+to him that something was left for him in the cupboard, and persuaded
+him to follow her thither."
+
+[Illustration: THE CAT.]
+
+In Lawrence's History of the Horse occurs the following anecdote, in
+which the cat is quite as much concerned as the horse: "A celebrated
+Arabian horse and a black cat were for many years the warmest friends.
+When the horse died in 1753, the cat sat upon his carcass until it was
+buried; and then, creeping slowly and reluctantly away, was never seen
+again, till her dead body was found in a hay-loft."
+
+Henry Wriothsly, earl of Southampton, having been some time confined in
+the tower of London, was one day surprised by a visit from his favorite
+cat, who must have reached her master by descending from the chimney of
+the edifice.
+
+The following instance of a cat's courage and maternal affection is
+recorded in the Naturalist's Cabinet: "A cat who had a family of
+kittens, was playing with them one sunny day in spring, near the door of
+a farm-house, when a hawk darted swiftly down and caught one of the
+kittens. The assassin was endeavoring to rise with his prey, when the
+mother, seeing the danger of the little one, flew at the common enemy,
+who, to defend himself, let the kitten fall. The battle presently became
+dreadful to both parties; for the hawk, by the power of his wings, the
+sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his beak, had for awhile
+the advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor cat, and actually deprived
+her of one eye in the conflict. But Puss, not at all daunted by this
+accident, strove with all her cunning and strength to protect her little
+ones, till she had broken a wing of her adversary. In this state she got
+him more within the power of her claws, the hawk still defending
+himself, however, according to the best of his ability. The fight
+continued for a long time. But at last victory favored the mother; and
+by a sudden movement, she laid the hawk motionless beneath her feet,
+when, as if exulting in her victory, she tore off the head of her
+vanquished enemy. Disregarding the loss of her eye, she immediately ran
+to her bleeding kitten, licked the wounds inflicted by the talons of the
+hawk, purring, while she caressed the little one, with the same
+affection as if nothing had happened to her."
+
+Here is an instance of the ingenuity of a cat. Tabby was in the habit of
+visiting a closet, the door of which was fastened by a common iron
+latch. A window was situated near the door. When the door was shut, the
+cat, as soon as she was tired of her confinement, mounted on the sill of
+the window, and with her paws dexterously lifted the latch, opened the
+door, and came out of the room. This practice she continued for years.
+
+A cat belonging to a monastery in France was still more ingenious. She
+was accustomed to have her meals served to her at the same time that the
+inmates of the monastery had theirs. These hours were announced by the
+ringing of the bell. One day it so happened that Puss was shut up in a
+room by herself, when the bell rang for dinner, so that she was not able
+to avail herself of the invitation. Some hours afterward she was
+released from her confinement, and instantly ran to the spot where
+dinner was always left for her; but no dinner was to be found. In the
+afternoon the bell was heard ringing at an unusual hour. When the
+inmates of the cloister came to see what was the cause of it, they found
+the hungry cat clinging to the bell-rope, and setting it in motion as
+well as she was able, in order that she might have her dinner served up
+for her. Was not this act of the cat the result of something very nearly
+related to what we call reason, when exhibited in man?
+
+A French naturalist gives us an amusing incident connected with a cat in
+Prussia. This animal was quietly sleeping on the hearth, when one of the
+children in the family where she lived set up a boisterous crying. Puss
+left the place where she was lying, marched up to the child, and gave
+her such a smart blow with her paw as to draw blood. Then she walked
+back, with the greatest composure and gravity, as if satisfied with
+having punished the child for crying, and with the hope of indulging in
+a comfortable nap. No doubt she had often seen the child punished in
+this manner for peevishness; and as there was no one near who seemed
+disposed to administer correction in this instance, Puss determined to
+take the law into her own hand.
+
+This story brings to my mind one which I saw in a newspaper the other
+day, about a cat who took it upon her to punish her children in a very
+singular manner. The story runs thus: "One Sabbath, a motherly old cat,
+belonging to one of our citizens, left her little family in quiet
+repose, while she went forth in pursuit of something to eat. On
+returning, she found them quarreling. She then very deliberately took
+the one most eagerly engaged in the combat by the nape of the neck, and
+not seeing any convenient place near by to administer what she
+considered a salutary reproof, went to a tub of water, upon the edge of
+which she raised her feet, and dropped the kitten into the water. She
+resisted all attempts at escape, and after repeatedly sousing it in the
+water till sufficiently punished, she took it again by the neck as
+before, and carried it back again, doubtless a thorough repentant for
+the wrong it had done. There has been no contention in the family
+since."
+
+It must be a very difficult thing for a cat, when a tame bird is within
+her reach, to resist the temptation to make a dinner from it. But there
+are not wanting instances in which this disposition has been entirely
+overcome. More than this: a cat has been known to become the protector
+of a bird, when it was in danger. A lady had a tame canary, which she
+was in the habit of letting out of its cage every day. One morning, as
+it was picking crumbs of bread off the carpet, her cat, who had always
+before showed the bird the utmost kindness, seized it suddenly, and
+jumped with it in her mouth upon a table. The lady was much alarmed for
+the fate of her favorite; but on turning about, she instantly perceived
+the cause. The door had been left open, and another cat, a stranger, had
+just come into the room! After the lady turned out the neighbor, her own
+cat came down from the table, and dropped the bird, without doing it the
+smallest injury.
+
+The following story was told me by my friend Dr. Alcott: A cat, in
+Northborough, Mass., with three very young kittens, having been removed
+to Shrewsbury, a distance of about four miles, continued to elude the
+vigilance of her mistress, and, during the hours of sleep, to transport
+these three kittens to their old mansion in Northborough.
+
+Here is a story about a cat who was for some time supposed to be a
+musical ghost: A family residing a few miles from Aberdeen, Scotland--so
+says the Aberdeen Herald--and at the time consisting of females, were
+recently thrown for one or two successive nights into no small
+consternation, by the unaccountable circumstance of a piano being set a
+strumming about midnight, after all the inmates of the house were in
+bed. The first night the lady of the house rose when she heard the
+unseasonable sounds, thinking some member of the family had set about
+"practicing her music" over night. She went cautiously to the room door,
+which she found shut; but although she heard the tones of the instrument
+when her hand was upon the handle of the door, on entering she was
+astonished to find no one in the room. The piano was indeed open, as it
+was generally, for a young girl to practice when she had a mind. But
+where was the midnight musician? The room was searched, but to no
+purpose--there was no musician visible. Next night the same sounds were
+heard, and a search was made, but with no better success. One or two
+nights of quietude might intervene between those on which such sounds
+were heard; but they still broke at intervals through the stillness of
+midnight--at one time with note by note, slowly--at another, like the
+quick, loud thundering of a battle-piece; till the horrible conviction
+filled every mind, that the house was haunted. One morning, the piano
+was heard sounding away much louder than usual; and the dawn having
+begun to peep through the window-blinds, one or two of the family,
+summoning up the courage that comes with the light of day, resolved
+that, "ghost, if ghost it were," they should at all risks have a peep at
+it, and cautiously descended to the door of the apartment, which was
+slightly ajar. The musician was fingering the instrument with the
+greatest industry and energy, and apparently at his own entire
+satisfaction. Well, after much demurring, in they peeped; and most
+assuredly, through the dim dusk of the morning, a gray figure was seen
+exerting itself most strenuously. They looked closer, when, behold,
+there was--what think you?--the cat, pawing away, first with her fore
+feet, and then with her hind; now touching one note gently, and then
+dancing with all fours across the keys. There was a solution of the
+enigma--a bringing to light of the imagined ghost.
+
+A traveler in one of the Western States relates the following humorous
+anecdote of a wild cat: "I was plodding once in a wagon from Toledo to
+Maumee, over an execrably level road, in the hot noon sun of a mid-June
+day. The driver was a hardy fellow, who looked as though he could outhug
+a bear, and loosen the tightest Maumee ague with a single shake, and yet
+he owned he had been frightened by a wild cat, so that he ran from it,
+and then he told the story, which I give you partly in his own words: 'I
+was driving along this road in a buggy, with as fast a horse as ever
+scorned the whip, when some ten rods ahead of us, just by that big oak,
+a wild cat, leading three kittens, came out of the wood, crossed the
+road, and went into those bushes on our left, and I thought what nice
+pets they would make, and wished I had one. When I came up, I noticed
+one of the young ones in the edge of the bushes, but a few feet off, and
+I heard, or thought I heard, the old one stealing along deep in the
+woods. I sprang out, snatched up the kitten, threw it into the buggy,
+jumped in, and started. When I laid hands on it, it mewed, and kept
+mewing, and, as I grasped the reins, I heard a sharp growl and a
+thrashing through the brush. I knew the old one was coming, and the next
+instant she streamed over a log, and alighted in the road. She ran with
+her eyes flaming, her hair bristling, and her teeth grinning. She turned
+as on a pivot, and gave an unearthly squall, as she saw me racing away,
+and bounded after, with such yells and fury, and gained on me so fast,
+that for very fear I threw the kitten out, and lashed the flying horse;
+but she scarcely paused for that, but bounded on a while, as though
+recovery of her young would not suffice without revenge. When I saw her
+at my very back, I scarcely breathed until her crying child recalled
+her. Here, at the top of this pitch, I looked back, and saw her
+standing, with her young one in her mouth, looking after me, as though
+she had half a mind to drop the kitten and give chase again. I gave the
+horse a cut, and did not feel quite safe until I had got some miles
+away. I made up my mind from that time forward to let young kittens
+alone, and mind my own business.'"
+
+
+
+
+The Jackal.
+
+
+Like the hyena, the jackal derives its principal notoriety from its
+ferocious and untameable disposition. It is found in Southern Asia, in
+many parts of Africa, and, to some extent, in Syria and Persia. There is
+not much difference in the jackal and the dog, except in some of the
+habits of the two, and there is a great deal of similarity between the
+former and the wolf. By many Biblical commentators, it is thought that
+the three hundred foxes to which the sacred penman alludes in the book
+of Judges, as performing a singular and mischievous exploit in the
+standing corn of the Philistines, were jackals; and their habit of
+assembling together in large companies, so as to be taken in
+considerable numbers, seems to justify this conclusion--the fox being,
+on the other hand, a solitary animal, and in the habit of living for
+the most part in small families. To the inhabitants of hot countries,
+the jackal is of the same service as the vulture and the hyena. He does
+not scruple to feed upon putrid flesh. Wherever there is an animal in a
+state of putrefaction, he scents it out from a great distance, and soon
+devours it. In this way the air is often freed from substances in the
+highest degree unwholesome and deadly. Nor is this all. One of the
+habits of this animal is to enter grave-yards, and dig up the bodies
+that have been buried there. In countries where jackals abound, great
+care needs to be taken in protecting graves, newly opened, on this
+account. People frequently mix the earth on the mound raised over a
+grave with thorns and other sharp substances, to prevent the jackal from
+accomplishing the deed.
+
+[Illustration: THE JACKAL.]
+
+Still the jackal makes his living, in a great measure, by hunting other
+beasts. Indeed, he not only makes his own living, but, if the stories
+that are told about him are true, he helps other animals in getting
+their living, though it is very doubtful whether he means to do so. He
+has been called the "lion's provider," you know; and some have
+represented him as a humble slave of the lion, obeying his will in every
+thing, hunting for him, and only receiving for his portion what his
+majesty is pleased to leave. But this notion is probably somewhat
+fabulous. The upshot of the matter seems to be this: that the jackal,
+having about as much wit as some other servants of kings, chases after
+his prey, yelling with all his might, very industriously, and without
+hardly stopping to take breath, until the poor hare, or fawn, or
+whatever the animal may be, gets tired out, and then the jackal catches
+him. But the hunter, by his yelling, starts the lion, as soon as he gets
+upon the scent. The lion knows well enough that there is game somewhere
+in that region; and so he is on the look-out, while the jackal is
+running it down. Well, the jackal has to go over a great deal more
+ground than the lion--for these animals, when they are pursued, never go
+in a straight direction--and when the game is caught, he has had little
+more to do than to look on and enjoy the sport, and he comes up, at his
+leisure, just at the right time, to the spot where the jackals are going
+to have a feast over their well-earned prey. Then the lion thanks his
+dear friends, the jackals, and gives them liberty to retire a few
+moments, until he has tasted of their dinner, in order, perhaps he tells
+them, to see whether they have made a good selection. After satisfying
+his appetite, the jackals have unrestrained liberty to lick the bones,
+just as much and as long as they please.
+
+In Captain Beechey's account of his expedition to explore the northern
+coasts of Africa, we have an interesting description of this animal. He
+does not give a very favorable account of the music made by a band of
+jackals. "As they usually come in packs," he says, "the first shriek
+which is uttered is always a signal for a general chorus. We hardly know
+a sound which is further removed from pleasant harmony than their yells.
+The sudden burst of the long-protracted scream, succeeding immediately
+to the opening note, is scarcely less impressive than the roll of the
+thunder clap after a flash of lightning. The effect of this music is
+very much increased when the first note is heard in the distance--a
+circumstance which frequently occurs--and the answering yell bursts out
+from several points at once, within a few yards of the place where the
+auditors are sleeping, or trying to sleep."
+
+It sometimes happens that a jackal ventures near a house, and perhaps
+enters a hen-roost, to steal a hen. But in such cases, he often shows
+himself to be as stupid as he is impudent; for even then, if he hears
+the yelling of his comrades chasing their game, he forgets himself, and
+yells as lustily as the rest of them. The result is as might be
+expected. The inmates of the house are awakened, and they take such
+measures with the poor jackal, as effectually to prevent his repetition
+of the blunder.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Sheep.
+
+
+Sheep, as well as many other animals, show a great fondness for music.
+The following anecdote in proof of such a taste, is given on the
+authority of the celebrated musician, Haydn. He and several other
+gentlemen were making a tour through a mountainous part of Lombardy,
+when they fell in with a flock of sheep, which a shepherd was driving
+homeward. One of the gentlemen, having a flute with him, commenced
+playing, and immediately the sheep, which were following the shepherd,
+raised their heads, and turned with haste to the spot whence the music
+proceeded. They gradually flocked around the musician, and listened with
+the utmost silence and attention. He stopped playing. But the sheep did
+not stir. The shepherd, with his staff, now obliged them to move on;
+but no sooner did the fluter begin to play again, than his interested
+audience returned to him. The shepherd got out of patience, and pelted
+the sheep with pieces of turf; but not one of them moved. The fluter
+played still more sweet and beautiful strains. The shepherd worked
+himself up into a storm of passion. He scolded, and pelted the poor
+creatures with stones. Some of the sheep were hit, and they made up
+their minds to go on; but the rest remained spell-bound by the music. At
+last the shepherd was forced to entreat the flute-player to stop his
+music. He did stop, and the sheep moved off, but still they continued to
+look behind them occasionally, and to manifest a desire to return, as
+often as the musician resumed his playing.
+
+The life of a shepherd is very favorable for study and for improvement
+in knowledge, if one has the natural genius and the industry to make use
+of his spare time. Some of the most eminent men the world ever saw began
+their career by the care of a flock of sheep. Did you ever hear of
+Giotto, the great painter Giotto? No doubt you have. He was the man who
+made that famous design for a church, at the request of Pope Benedict
+IX. The messengers of the pope entered the artist's studio, and
+communicated the wish of their master. Giotto took a sheet of paper,
+fixed his elbow at his side, to keep his hand steady, and instantly drew
+a perfect circle. "Tell his holiness that this is my design," said he.
+His friends tried to persuade him not to send such a thing to the pope;
+but he persisted in doing so. Pope Benedict was a learned man, and he
+saw that Giotto had given the best evidence of perfection in his art. He
+invited the painter to Rome, and honored and rewarded him. "Round as
+Giotto's O," from that time, became an Italian proverb. But I must give
+a glance at the early history of this man. In the year 1276--according
+to that invaluable publication, "Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and
+Entertaining Knowledge"--about forty miles from Florence, in the town of
+Vespignano, there lived a poor laboring man named Bondone. This man had
+a son whom he brought up in the ignorance usual to the lowly condition
+of a peasant boy. But the extraordinary powers of the child,
+uncultivated as they necessarily were, and his surprising quickness of
+perception and never-failing vivacity, made him the delight of his
+father, and of the unsophisticated people among whom he lived. At the
+age of ten, his father intrusted him with the care of a flock. Now the
+happy little shepherd-boy strolled at his will over meadow and plain
+with his woolly charge, and amused himself with lying on the grass, and
+sketching, as fancy led him, the surrounding objects, on broad flat
+stones, sand, or soft earth. His sole pencils were a hard stick, or a
+sharp piece of stone; his chief models were his flock, which he used to
+copy as they gathered around him in various attitudes. One day, as the
+shepherd-boy lay in the midst of his flock, earnestly sketching
+something on a stone, there came by a traveler. Struck with the boy's
+deep attention to his work, and the unconscious grace of his attitude,
+the stranger stopped, and went to look at his work. It was a sketch of a
+sheep, drawn with such freedom and truth of nature, that the traveler
+beheld it with astonishment. "Whose son are you?" cried he, with
+eagerness. The startled boy looked up in the face of his questioner. "My
+father is Bondone the laborer, and I am his little Giotto, so please the
+signor," said he. "Well, then, Giotto, should you like to come and live
+with me, and learn how to draw, and paint sheep like this, and horses,
+and even men?" The child's eyes flashed with delight, "I will go with
+you any where to learn that," said he; "but," he added, as a sudden
+thought made him change color, "I must first go and ask my father; I
+can do nothing without his leave." "That is quite right, my boy, and so
+we will go to him together, and ask him," said the stranger. It was the
+celebrated painter, Cimabue. Old Bondone consented to the wish of his
+son, and the boy went to Florence with Cimabue. Giotto soon went beyond
+his master in his sketches. His former familiarity with nature, while
+tending his sheep, doubtless contributed a good deal to his astonishing
+progress. One morning the master came into his studio, and looking at a
+half finished head, saw a fly resting on the nose. He tried to brush it
+off with his hand, when he discovered that it was only painted, and that
+it was one of the tricks of his young pupil. It was not long before the
+fame of the new artist spread all over Europe.
+
+[Illustration: GIOTTO SKETCHING AMONG HIS SHEEP.]
+
+The author of that pleasant little book, called "Stories of the Instinct
+of Animals," relates a pleasing anecdote of a sheep in England. "One
+afternoon, in summer," he says, "after an illness which had confined me
+some time to the house, I went out into the field, to enjoy awhile the
+luxury of a walk at leisure among the beauties of nature. I had not been
+long in the field, before my attention was attracted by the motions of
+one of the sheep that were grazing there. She came up close to me,
+bleating in a piteous manner; and after looking wishfully in my face,
+ran off toward a brook which flowed through the pasture. At first I took
+but little notice of the creature; but as her entreaties became more
+importunate, I followed her. Delighted at having attracted my notice,
+she ran with all her speed, frequently looking back, to see if I was
+following her. When I reached the spot where she led me, I discovered
+the cause of all her anxiety. Her lamb had fallen into the brook, and
+the banks being steep, the poor little creature was unable to escape.
+Fortunately, the water, though up to the back of the lamb, was not
+sufficient to drown it. I rescued the sufferer with the utmost pleasure,
+and to the great gratification of its affectionate mother, who licked
+it with her tongue, to dry it, now and then skipping about, and making
+noisy demonstrations of joy. I watched her with interest, till she lay
+down with her little one, caressing it with the utmost fondness, and
+apparently trying to show me how much she was indebted to me, for my
+friendly aid."
+
+[Illustration: THE INVALID AND THE SHEEP.]
+
+A man was once passing through a lonely part of the Highlands in
+Scotland, when he perceived a sheep hurrying toward the road before him.
+She was bleating most piteously at the time; and as the man approached
+nearer, she redoubled her cries, looked earnestly into his face, and
+seemed to be imploring his assistance. He stopped, left his wagon, and
+followed the sheep. She led him quite a distance from the road, to a
+solitary spot, and at length she stopped. When the traveler came up, he
+found a lamb completely wedged in between two large stones, and
+struggling, in vain, to extricate himself. The gentleman immediately set
+the little sufferer free, and placed him on his feet, when the mother
+poured out her thanks and joy, in a long-continued and animated strain
+of bleating.
+
+I am indebted to a correspondent of mine--Dr. Charles Burr, residing in
+the state of Pennsylvania--for a good story about a sheep which
+belonged to his father a number of years ago. This sheep, he says, was a
+_cosset_, was quite tame, and very much of a pet. One day, a young lamb
+of hers was wounded; and "my father (I must let the doctor tell his
+story in his own words) being out of the door, noticed the mother upon
+the hill by the barn, being as near the house as she could come. She
+appeared to be in great distress, running about, looking toward him, and
+bleating; evidently wishing to attract his attention. Supposing that
+something must be wrong, my father started to see what was the matter.
+The old sheep waited till he had got almost up to her, when she started
+and ran a few rods from him and stopped, turned round, looked at him,
+and bleated. My father followed on. The old sheep waited until he had
+got nearly up to her again, when she ran on, and went through the same
+operation as before. In this way she led my father to the farthest end
+of the pasture, where lay her lamb, bleeding and helpless. The little
+thing had bled so much that it could not raise its head, or help itself
+in the least. My father took the lamb, stanched the bleeding wound, took
+it in his arms and carried it home--the old sheep, in the mean time,
+following, and expressing her joy and gratitude, not by words, it is
+true, but by looks and actions more truthful, and which were not to be
+mistaken. Suffice it to say, that with proper care and nursing, the lamb
+was saved, and restored to health and strength, to the great
+satisfaction of both parties concerned."
+
+I have a mind to tell you one of my own youthful adventures, in which a
+poor wight of a sheep had a prominent share. The adventure proved of
+immense service to me, as you will see in the sequel. Perhaps the story
+of it will be valuable to you, in the same manner.
+
+I shall never forget the first time I sallied out into the woods to try
+my hand at hunting. Rover, the old family dog, went with me, and he was
+about as green in the matter of securing game as myself. We were pretty
+well matched, I think. I played the part of Hudibras, as nearly as I can
+recollect, and Rover was a second Ralph. I had a most excellent
+fowling-piece; so they said. It began its career in the French war, and
+was a very veteran in service. Besides this ancient and honorable
+weapon, I was provided with all the means and appliances necessary for
+successful hunting. I was "armed and equipped as the law directs," to
+employ the words of those semi-annual documents that used to summon me
+to training.
+
+Well, it was some time before we--Rover and I--started any game.
+Wind-mills were scarce. For one, I began to fear we should have to
+return without any adventure to call forth our skill and courage. But
+the brightest time is just before day, and so it was in this instance.
+Rover began presently to bark, and I heard a slight rustling among the
+leaves in the woods. Sure enough, there was visible a large animal of
+some kind, though I could not determine precisely what it was, on
+account of the underbrush. However, I satisfied myself it was rare game,
+at any rate; and that point being settled, I took aim and fired.
+
+Rover immediately ran to the poor victim. He was a courageous fellow,
+that Rover, especially after the danger was over. Many a time I have
+known him make demonstrations as fierce as a tiger when people rode by
+our house, though he generally took care not to insult them until they
+were at a convenient distance. Rover had no notion of being killed,
+knowing very well that if he were dead, he could be of no farther
+service whatever to the world. Hudibras said well when he said,
+
+"That he who fights and runs away,
+May live to fight another day."
+
+That was good logic. But Rover went farther than this, even. He was for
+running away before he fought at all; and so he always did, except when
+the enemy ran away first, in which case he ran after him, as every
+chivalrous dog should. In the case of the animal which I shot at, Rover
+bounded to his side when the gun was discharged, as I said before. For
+myself, I did not venture quite so soon, remembering that caution is the
+parent of safety. By and by, however, I mustered courage, and advanced
+to the spot. There lay the victim of my first shot. It was one of my
+father's sheep! Poor creature! She was sick, I believe, and went into
+the thicket, near a stream of water, where she could die in peace. I
+don't know whether I hit her or not. I didn't look to see, but ran home
+as fast as my legs would carry me. Thus ended the first hunting
+excursion in which I ever engaged; and though I was a mere boy then, and
+am approaching the meridian of life now, it proved to be my last.
+
+
+
+
+The Deer.
+
+
+There are several species of the deer--the moose, stag, rein-deer, elk,
+and others. Of these, the stag is one of the most interesting. He is
+said to love music, and to show great delight in hearing a person sing.
+"Traveling some years since," says a gentleman whose statements may be
+relied on, "I met a bevy of about twenty stags, following a bagpipe and
+violin. While the music continued, they proceeded; when it ceased, they
+all stood still."
+
+As Captain Smith, a British officer in Bengal, was out one day in a
+shooting party, very early in the morning, they observed a tiger steal
+out of a jungle, in pursuit of a herd of deer. Having selected one as
+his object, it was quickly deserted by the herd. The tiger advanced
+with such amazing swiftness, that the stag in vain attempted to
+escape, and at the moment the officer expected to see the animal make
+the fatal spring, the deer gallantly faced his enemy, and for some
+minutes kept him at bay; and it was not till after three attacks, that
+the tiger succeeded in securing his prey. He was supposed to have been
+considerably injured by the horns of the stag, as, on the advance of
+Captain Smith, he abandoned the carcass, having only sucked the blood
+from the throat.
+
+[Illustration: THE DEER.]
+
+The following account of a remarkably intelligent stag, is given by
+Delacroix, a French gentleman: "When I was at Compiegne, my friends took
+me to a German, who exhibited a wonderful stag. As soon as we had taken
+our seats in a large room, the stag was introduced. He was of an elegant
+form, and majestic stature, and his aspect animated and gentle. The
+first trick he performed, was to make a profound bow to the company, as
+he entered, after which he paid his respects to each individual of us,
+in the same manner. He next carried about a small stick in his mouth, to
+each end of which a small wax taper was attached. He was then
+blindfolded, and at the beat of a drum, fell upon his knees, and laid
+his head upon the ground. As soon as the word _pardon_ was pronounced,
+he instantly sprang upon his feet. Dice were then thrown upon the head
+of a drum, and he told the numbers that were thrown up, by bowing his
+head as many times as there were numbers indicated. He discharged a
+pistol, by drawing with his teeth a string that was fastened to the
+trigger. He fired a small cannon by means of a match which was attached
+to his right foot, and he exhibited no signs of fear at the report of
+the cannon. He leaped through a hoop several times, with the greatest
+agility--his master holding the hoop at the height of his head above the
+floor. At length the exhibition was closed, by his eating a handfull of
+oats from the head of a drum, which a person was beating all the time,
+with the utmost violence."
+
+We must wind up what we have to say about this animal with a fable.
+Perhaps my little friends have seen it before. But it will bear reading
+again, and I should not be sorry to hear that many of you had committed
+it to memory; for there is a moral in it which you cannot fail to
+perceive, and which may be of service to you one of these days:
+
+"A stag, quenching his thirst in a clear lake, was struck with the
+beauty of his horns, which he saw reflected in the water. At the same
+time, observing the extreme length and slenderness of his legs, 'What a
+pity it is,' said he, 'that so fine a creature should be furnished with
+so despicable a set of spindle-shanks! What a noble animal I should be,
+were my legs answerable to my horns!'
+
+"In the midst of this vain talk, the stag was alarmed by the cry of a
+pack of hounds. He immediately bounded over the ground, and left his
+pursuers so far behind that he might have escaped; but going into a
+thick wood, his horns were entangled in the branches of the trees, where
+he was held till the hounds came up, and tore him in pieces.
+
+"In his last moments he thus exclaimed: 'How ill do we judge of our own
+true advantages! The legs which I despised would have borne me away in
+safety, had not my favorite antlers brought me to ruin.'"
+
+
+
+
+The Hippopotamus.
+
+
+Every traveler, who has seen the hippopotamus in his native haunts, and
+who has attempted to give a description of the animal, represents him as
+exceedingly formidable, when he is irritated, and when he can get a
+chance to fight his battle in the water. On land, he is unwieldy and
+awkward; so that, when he is pursued by an enemy, he usually takes to
+his favorite element. There he plunges in head foremost, and sinks to
+the bottom, where it is said he finds no difficulty in moving with the
+same pace as when upon land, in the open air. He cannot, however,
+continue under water for any great length of time. He is obliged to rise
+to the surface, to take breath. Severe battles sometimes take place
+between the males, and they make sad havoc before they get through.
+
+[Illustration: THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.]
+
+Great masses of flesh, torn out by their terrible jaws, mark the spot
+where one of these encounters has occurred. It not unfrequently happens
+that one or even both perish on the spot. On the banks of the Nile,
+whole fields of grain and sugar cane are sometimes destroyed by these
+animals.
+
+Clapperton, the enterprising traveler, informs us that, when on a
+warlike expedition, he had convincing evidence that the hippopotamus is
+fond of music. "As the expedition passed along the banks of the lake at
+sunrise," says he, "these uncouth and stupendous animals followed the
+sound of the drums the whole length of the water, sometimes approaching
+so close to the shore, that the spray they spouted from their mouths
+reached the people, who were passing along the banks. I counted fifteen,
+at one time, sporting on the surface of the water."
+
+The following account of hunting the hippopotamus is given by Dr. Edward
+Russell: "One of the animals we killed was of an enormous size. We
+fought with him for four good hours by night, and came very near losing
+our large boat, and probably our lives too, owing to the fury of the
+animal. As soon as he spied the hunters in the small canoe, he dashed at
+them with all his might, dragged the canoe with him under the water,
+and smashed it to pieces. The two hunters escaped with difficulty. Of
+twenty-five musket balls aimed at the head, only one pierced the skin
+and the bones of the nose. At each snorting, the animal spouted out
+large streams of blood on the boat. The rest of the balls stuck in the
+thick hide. At last, we availed ourselves of a swivel; but it was not
+until we had discharged five balls from it, at the distance of a few
+feet, that the huge animal gave up the ghost. The darkness of the night
+increased the danger of the contest, for this gigantic enemy tossed our
+boat about in the stream at his pleasure; and it was a fortunate moment
+for us that he gave up the struggle, as he had carried us into a
+complete labyrinth of rocks, which, in the midst of the confusion, none
+of our crew had observed."
+
+In Egypt they have a singular mode of catching the hippopotamus. They
+throw large quantities of dried peas on the bank of the river along
+which the animal is expected to pass. He devours these peas greedily.
+The dry food disposes the animal to drink; and after drinking, the peas
+swell in his stomach, and the poor fellow is destroyed.
+
+"I have seen," says a traveler, "a hippopotamus open his mouth, fix one
+tooth on the side of a boat, and another on the second plank under the
+keel--that is, four feet distant from each other--pierce the side
+through and through, and in this manner sink the boat." When the negroes
+go a-fishing, the same traveler informs us, "in their canoes, and meet
+with a hippopotamus, they throw fish to him; and then he passes on,
+without disturbing their fishing any more. Once, when our boat was near
+shore, I saw a hippopotamus get underneath it, lift it above the water
+upon his back, and overset it, with six men who were in it."
+
+"We dare not," says another traveler, "irritate the hippopotamus in the
+water, since an adventure happened which came near proving fatal to the
+men. They were going in a small canoe, to kill one of these animals in a
+river, where there were some eight or ten feet of water. After they had
+discovered him walking at the bottom of the river, according to his
+custom, they wounded him with a long lance, which so greatly irritated
+him, that he rose immediately to the surface of the water, regarded them
+with a terrible look, opened his mouth, and with one bite took a great
+piece out of the side of the canoe, and very nearly overturned it, but
+he plunged again almost directly to the bottom of the river."
+
+
+
+
+The Weasel.
+
+
+Great numbers of weasels, it seems, sometimes unite together, and defend
+themselves pretty resolutely against the attacks of men. A laborer in
+Scotland was one day suddenly attacked by six weasels, who rushed upon
+him from an old wall near the place where he was at work at the time.
+The man, alarmed, as well he might have been, by such a furious onset,
+took to his heels; but he soon found he was closely pursued. Although he
+had in his hand a large horse-whip, with which he endeavored to frighten
+back his enemies, yet so eager were they in pursuing him, that he was on
+the point of being seized by the throat, when he fortunately noticed the
+fallen branch of a tree, at a little distance, which he reached, and
+snatching it up as fiercely as possible, rallied upon his enemies,
+and killed three of them, when the remainder thought it best to give up
+the battle, and left the field.
+
+[Illustration: THE FERRET WEASEL.]
+
+A similar case occurred some years ago near Edinburgh, when a gentleman,
+observing another leaping about in an extraordinary manner, made up to
+him, and found him beset and dreadfully bitten by about fifteen weasels,
+who still continued their attack. Both of the men being strong and
+courageous, they succeeded in killing quite a number of the animals, and
+the rest escaped and ran into the fissures of a neighboring rock. The
+account the unfortunate man gave of the beginning of the affray was,
+that, walking through the park, he ran at a weasel which he saw, and
+made several attempts to strike it, remaining between it and the rock,
+to which it tried to retreat. The animal, in this situation, squeaked
+loudly, when a sudden attack was made by the whole colony of weasels,
+who came to the rescue of their companion, determined to conquer or die.
+
+Mr. Miller, in his Boy's Summer Book, tells us a little about what he
+had seen and heard of the habits and disposition of this family. He
+says, "They are a destructive race of little savages; and one has been
+known, before now, to attack a child in his cradle, and inflict a deep
+wound upon his neck, where it clung, and sucked like a leech. They are
+very fond of blood, and to obtain this, they will sometimes destroy the
+occupants of a whole hen-roost, not caring to feed upon the bodies of
+the poultry which they have killed. They will climb trees, attack the
+old bird on its nest, suck the eggs, or carry off the young; for nothing
+of this kind seems to come amiss to them. They are great hunters of
+mice; and their long, slender bodies are well adapted for following
+these destructive little animals in their rambles among the corn-stalks
+in the field. In this way, the weasel renders the farmer a good service
+occasionally, though he never asks to be rewarded with a duck or
+chicken, always choosing to help himself without asking, whenever he can
+get a chance. Oh! if you could but see a weasel attack a mouse, as I
+have done. By just one single bite of the head, which is done in a
+moment, and which pierces the brain before you can say 'Jack Robinson,'
+the mouse is killed as dead as a red herring, before he has time to
+squeak or struggle. It is no joke, I can tell you, to be bitten by a
+weasel; and if you thought, when you caught hold of one by the back,
+that you had him safe, you would soon find your mistake out; for his
+neck is as pliable as a piece of India rubber. He would have hold of
+your hand in a moment."
+
+[Illustration: THE HAWK POUNCING UPON THE WEASEL.]
+
+I have just come across a funny story about the adventure of a weasel
+and a hawk. It seems that a hawk took an especial fancy to a weasel that
+he saw prowling about a farm-yard. His hawkship happened to be pretty
+hungry at the time, and concluded he would carry off the weasel, and
+make a dinner of him at his leisure. So he pounced upon the fellow, and
+set out on his journey home. I should not wonder if he had a nest in the
+woods not far off. The weasel, however, submitted to his fate with no
+very good grace. He thought that two could play at that game. He twisted
+around his elastic neck--to use the language of the writer I
+mentioned--poked up his pointed nose, and in he went, with his sharp
+teeth, right under the wings of the hawk, making such a hole in an
+instant, that you might have thrust your finger in. The hawk tried to
+pick at him with his hooked beak, but it was no use.
+
+The weasel kept eating away, and licking his lips as if he enjoyed
+himself; and the hawk soon came wheeling down to the ground, which he no
+sooner touched, than away ran the weasel, having got an excellent dinner
+at the expense of the hawk. He was not a bit the worse for the ride;
+while Mr. Hawk lay there as dead as a nail. The biter was bitten that
+time, wasn't he? It was a pretty good lesson to the hawk family not to
+be so greedy, though whether they ever profited by it is more than I can
+say. From the account that a little girl gave me of the incursions
+recently made upon her chickens, I judge that they did not all profit by
+it.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Squirrel.
+
+
+I had a pretty little red squirrel of my own, when I was a little boy.
+My father bought a cage for him, with a wheel in it; and Billy, as we
+used to call him, would get inside the wheel, and whirl it around for a
+half hour at a time. It was amusing, too, to see him stand up on his
+hind feet, and eat the nuts we gave him. Billy was a great favorite with
+me and my brother. By and by, we let him go out of the cage, and ramble
+wherever he pleased. He became as tame as a kitten. He would go out into
+the corn-field in autumn, and come home with his mouth filled with corn,
+and this he would lay up in a safe place for further use. Once the old
+cat caught him, and the poor fellow would have been killed, if some one
+had not been near and rescued him from the grasp of his enemy.
+
+We indulged Billy a good deal. We had a box of hickory nuts in the
+garret, and he was allowed to go and help himself whenever he pleased.
+He was pleased to go pretty often, too; and he was not satisfied with
+eating what he wanted out of the box. The greedy fellow! One day he
+carried off nearly all the nuts there were in the box, and hid them away
+under the floor, through a hole he had gnawed in the boards.
+
+He was a great pet though, for all that. We could not help loving him,
+mischievous as he was. He used to climb up often on my shoulder, and
+down into my pockets; and if there was any thing good to eat thereabout,
+he would help himself without ceremony. Sometimes, when he felt
+particularly frolicksome, he leaped from one person's shoulder to
+another, all around the room.
+
+The more we petted this little fellow, and the more good things we gave
+him, the more roguish he became. At length he exhausted all my father's
+patience by his mischief. One of his last tricks was this. He gnawed a
+hole in a bag of meal, and after eating as much as he could (and this
+was but little, for we fed him as often as he needed to eat, and
+oftener too) he carried away large quantities of the meal, and wasted
+it. He never worked harder in his life, not even when he was trying to
+get away from the jaws of the old cat, than he did when he was
+scattering this meal over the yard. Well, we had a sort of a court about
+Billy, after this. My father's corn-house was the court room, and my
+father himself was the judge. We all agreed that Billy was guilty,
+though we differed as to the punishment that ought to be inflicted. The
+question seemed to be, according to the language they use in courts of
+law, whether the theft was a _petty larceny_ or a _grand larceny_. Alas
+for Billy and Billy's friends! My father decided, in his charge to the
+jury, that the crime must be ranked under the head of grand larceny, and
+the jury brought in a verdict accordingly. My father pronounced the
+sentence, which was that the offending squirrel must die that same day.
+Billy seemed to be aware of what was going on, for he did not come near
+the house again till almost night; and when he did come, one of my
+father's men shot him, and just as the sun was going down he died. For a
+long time after that, I cried whenever I thought of poor Billy.
+
+Among the many juvenile friends with whom I have had more or less
+correspondence, as the editor of a young people's magazine, is one who
+resides at Saratoga Springs. I passed a few days at this watering-place
+last summer, and called on Master William, for that is the name of my
+friend--who introduced to me a pet squirrel of his, called Dick. Dick
+did not perform many very surprising feats while I was present, though I
+did not at the time set that circumstance down as any evidence of a want
+of smartness on the part of the squirrel; for I well remembered that it
+was a very common thing for pets sustaining even a much higher rank in
+the scale of intelligence, to disappoint the expectations of those
+persons who think all the world of them, when they--the pets--are
+ushered into the presence of strangers, for the purpose of being
+exhibited, and, indeed, I have some faint recollection of thus
+disappointing an over-fond nurse, not unfrequently, on similar
+occasions. There are some propositions the truth of which it is quite as
+well to assent to, when one hears them stated, without waiting for
+proof; and among these propositions I class those which relate to the
+unheard-of sagacity and genius of a darling pet. I make it a point to
+admit, without demonstration or argument, that there never was another
+such a creature in all the world. Moreover, I saw plainly enough in
+Dick's keen, black eye, that he knew a thing or two, and I could easily
+understand how he might greatly endear himself to his little patron. Nor
+was I at all surprised when I recently heard of the death of this
+favorite, that my young friend cried a great deal; and I am sure I
+shared in some measure his grief. Poor Dick! I immediately wrote to
+Willy, to solicit a short biography of his favorite, for my stories
+about animals. The request was kindly responded to by Willy's aunt, from
+whom I received the following sketch:
+
+"When Dick first became a member of the family, he was shy, resentful,
+and very capricious; but by degrees all these faults gave place to a
+sort of playful drollery, that called out many a laugh. His cage was a
+fine, large, commodious place, well lined with tiers, and furnished with
+every convenience that he could have desired in a habitation, not
+excepting a big wheel, which is by general consent esteemed a great
+luxury for a squirrel. But he often liked a change, and when the door
+was left loose, he would soon find his way out. Then he had many
+hair-breadth escapes--sometimes from dogs, who looked upon him as lawful
+prey; sometimes from frolicsome and thoughtless boys, who forgot how
+much a squirrel suffers who is worried almost to death. Sometimes he has
+been nearly abducted by strangers, who saw with surprise so small an
+individual at large, and quite unconscious of the perils of a public
+street in a watering-place. On one of these occasions, when he was
+playing with his little master, and skipping from bough to bough on the
+large trees that sheltered his home, he bounded from a branch to the
+roof of a three-storied house adjoining, and running across, jumped from
+one of the angles to the court below, landed on all fours, stopped a
+second or two to decide if he were really alive or not, then quietly
+trudged home to his cage. If he wanted a change, Dick had odd ways of
+showing himself dissatisfied with his condition. In the summer, when his
+house was too much exposed to the rays of the sun, he would give a queer
+little cry, which, if no one heeded, he would lie down flat, all
+extended, and gasp, as if each moment was his last; and no coaxing could
+bring him to himself, until he was removed, cage and all; then
+immediately he would jump up, frisk about, sit on his haunches, and
+laugh out of his eye as merrily as if he had said, 'I know a thing or
+two--don't I, though?' These manoeuvres were a clear sham; he could
+fall into one in a twinkling, at any time. How many times he has led
+the children of the family, and the big children too, through beds of
+beans, beets, and cucumbers, and through the tomato vines and
+rose-bushes; and when we were in full chase, just ready to believe that
+he had eluded us quite, and was gone forever, lo! there sat Dick in his
+wheel, as demure as a judge, and looking as wise as possible at those
+very silly people, who would be running about so fast, on such a warm
+day. He never liked any infringement upon his personal liberty; this he
+always resented; but he would pretend to hide away, and come and peep at
+you, or jump up behind you, stand on the top of your head or shoulder,
+play all manner of pranks about your person, get clear into the pocket
+of any friend, who was likely to have a supply of nuts. He would answer
+to his name, follow when called, in the house, out of the house, any
+where, play all about the large house-dog, Tom--pat him on the ear,
+gently pinch his tail, poise himself on his back, and pretend to sleep
+by the side of him. But if any one caught him, or held him, as if he
+were imprisoned--alas! what a struggle ensued--and then, I grieve to say
+it--he would _bite_."
+
+[Illustration: THE SQUIRREL.]
+
+The most common squirrels in this country are the gray, the red, and the
+striped, or chipping squirrel. The latter is the smallest of the three;
+and as that species are not hunted so much as the rest of the genus,
+they are very abundant in the woods. Many and many a time, when a child,
+have I been deceived by the cunning of the chipping squirrel. The little
+fellow has a hole and nest in the ground. The hole is very frequently
+either directly under or very near the stump of a tree which has been
+cut down or was blown over by the wind. Well, the little fellow is
+accustomed, or he was accustomed, when I was a little boy, to sit
+good-humoredly on this stump, and sing for hours together. His song has
+nothing very exquisite in it--it is simply "chip, chip, chip," from the
+beginning to the end; and his notes are not only all on the same key--a
+monotony which one might pardon, if he was particularly
+good-natured--but they are all on the same point in the diatonic scale.
+However, like many other indifferent singers that I have met in my day,
+our striped vocalist goes on with his music, as if he thought there
+never was another, or certainly not more than one other quite as
+finished a singer as himself. Well, the boy who is unacquainted with the
+tricks of this little fellow, as was once my own case, steals along
+carefully toward the stump, thinking that the squirrel is so busy with
+his music, that he is perfectly unconscious of any thing else that is
+going on, and that it is just the easiest matter in the world to catch
+him. Half a dozen times, at least, I have tried this experiment, before
+I became satisfied that I was not the only interested party who was wide
+awake. "Chip, chip, chip," sings the squirrel. He does not move an inch.
+He does not vary his song. His eyes seem half closed. The boy advances
+within a few feet of the squirrel. He reaches out his hand to secure his
+prize, when down goes the striped vocalist into his hole, always
+uttering a sort of laugh, as he enters his door, and seeming pretty
+plainly to say, though in rather poor Anglo-Saxon, it must be confessed,
+"No, you don't."
+
+Whoever takes the pains to dig into the earth, where the striped
+squirrel has made his nest, will find something that will amply repay
+him for his trouble. The hole goes down pretty straight for some feet;
+then it turns, and takes a horizontal direction, and runs sometimes a
+great distance. Little chambers are seen leading out from this
+horizontal passage, each chamber connected by a door with the passage,
+and sometimes with other chambers. In each of these rooms, the squirrel
+stores up different varieties of nuts and other provisions. In one you
+will find acorns; in another hickory nuts--real shag-barks, for our
+chipping squirrel is a good judge in these matters; and in another
+chestnuts, a whole hat-full of them, sometimes. There is quite as much
+order and regularity in the store-houses of the chipping squirrel, as
+there seems to be about the premises of some lazy and careless farmers
+one meets with occasionally.
+
+Accounts are given of the ingenuity of the squirrels in Lapland, which
+would be too astonishing for belief, were they not credited by such men
+as Linnæus, on whose authority we have them. It seems that the squirrels
+in that country are in the habit of emigrating, in large parties, and
+that they sometimes travel hundreds of miles in this way, and that when
+they meet with broad or rapid lakes in their travels, they take a very
+extraordinary method of crossing them. On approaching the banks, and
+perceiving the breadth of the water, they return, as if by common
+consent, into the neighboring forest, each in quest of a piece of bark,
+which answers all the purpose of boats for wafting them over. When the
+whole company are fitted in this manner, they boldly commit their little
+fleet to the waves--every squirrel sitting on its own piece of bark, and
+fanning the air with its tail, to drive the vessel to the desired port.
+In this orderly manner they set forward, and often cross lakes several
+miles broad. But it occasionally happens that the poor mariners are not
+aware of the dangers of their navigation; for although at the edge of
+the water it is generally calm, in the middle it is always more rough.
+The slightest additional gust of wind often oversets the little sailor
+and his vessel altogether. The entire navy, that perhaps but a few
+minutes before rode proudly and securely along, is now overturned, and a
+shipwreck of two or three thousand vessels is the consequence. This
+wreck, which is so unfortunate for the little animal, is generally the
+most lucky accident in the world for the Laplander on shore; who gathers
+up the dead bodies as they are thrown in by the waves, eats the flesh,
+and sells the skins.
+
+I read an interesting story, awhile ago, which came from the Gentleman's
+Magazine, about a squirrel who was charmed by a rattle-snake. The
+substance of the story was something like this: A gentleman was
+traveling by the side of a creek, where he saw a squirrel running
+backward and forward between the creek and a large tree a few yards
+distant. The squirrel's hair looked very rough, showing that he was very
+much terrified about something. His circuit became shorter and shorter,
+and the man stopped to see what could be the cause of this strange
+state of things. He soon discovered the head and neck of a rattle-snake
+pointing directly at the squirrel, through a hole of the tree, which was
+hollow. The squirrel at length gave over running, and laid himself down
+quietly, with his head close to the snake's. The snake then opened his
+mouth wide, and took in the squirrel's head; upon which the man gave the
+snake a blow across the neck with his whip, by which the squirrel was
+released. You will see by this story, which comes to us well
+authenticated, that snakes possess the power of charming, whatever some
+people may think or say to the contrary. This is only one among a
+multitude of facts which I could relate in proof of the existence of
+such a power among many of the serpent race. But we are conversing about
+quadrupeds now, and we must not go out of our way to chase after snakes.
+
+A squirrel, sitting on a hickory-tree, was once observed to weigh the
+nuts he got in each paw, to find out which were good and which were bad.
+The light ones he invariably threw away, retaining only those which were
+heavier. It was found, on examining those he had thrown away, that he
+had not made a mistake in a single instance. They were all bad nuts.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE GIRAFFE]
+
+
+The Giraffe.
+
+
+Leaving our friends the squirrels, to whom we have certainly devoted
+quite sufficient attention, we pass along to quite a different race of
+animals--that of the giraffe or camelopard. This is a noble-looking
+animal, as you see plainly enough by the engraving. The tongue of the
+giraffe is exquisitely contrived for grasping. In its native deserts,
+the animal uses it to hook down branches which are beyond the reach of
+its muzzle; and in the menagerie at Regent's Park, many a fair lady has
+been robbed of the artificial flowers which adorned her bonnet, by the
+nimble and filching tongue of the rare object of her admiration. When
+attacked, notwithstanding the natural defence of horns and hoofs, the
+camelopard always seeks escape in flight, and will not turn to do
+battle except at the last extremity. In such cases, he sometimes makes a
+successful defence by striking out his powerful armed feet; and the king
+of beasts is frequently repelled and disabled by the wounds which the
+giraffe has thus inflicted with his hoofs. His horns are also used with
+effect, and a side-long sweep of his neck sometimes does fatal
+execution.
+
+Some years ago, a giraffe was sent from Egypt to Constantinople. His
+keeper used to exercise him in an open square, where the Turks flocked
+daily, in great crowds, to see the extraordinary animal. Seeing how
+inoffensive he was, and how domestic he became, the keeper took the
+animal with him through the city; and wherever he appeared, a number of
+friendly hands were held out of the latticed windows, to offer him
+something to eat. When he came to a house where he had been well
+treated, if no one was at the window, he would tap gently against the
+wooden lattice, as if to announce his visit. He was extremely docile and
+affectionate; and if left to himself, he always frequented the streets
+where he had the most and best friends.
+
+
+
+
+The Monkey Tribe.
+
+
+Of course my readers are in some measure familiar with the tricks of
+this large and notorious family of animals. But one is not easily
+wearied with their antics. They afford us, the most sober and sedate of
+us, an immense amount of material for amusement. I confess I have
+stopped in the street, many a time, to see a sage monkey go through his
+grotesque manoeuvres, under the direction of a tutor who ground out
+music from a wheezing hand-organ, and have been willing to undergo the
+penance of hearing the music of the master, for the sake of witnessing
+the genius of the pupil. I can conceive of nothing more excessively
+ludicrous than many of these exhibitions. But I must not detain the
+reader from the stories any longer.
+
+A foreign gentleman of distinction having to attend the court of Louis
+XVI. of France, took with him his favorite monkey. Soon after his
+arrival, he was invited to attend a great ball at Versailles; and
+anxious to perform his part with credit in that fashionable country, he
+engaged one of the first dancing-masters in the city to teach him the
+latest mode. Every day he employed several hours in practicing his
+lessons with the tutor, so as to be _au fait_, as the French people have
+it--quite at home in the ball-room. Pug made his observations very
+attentively, watching all his motions. He also scrutinized the musician
+very closely, as he was engaged in instructing the gentleman, and
+playing on his violin. At the close of his lesson, the foreigner was in
+the habit of going to his mirror, and of practicing before it, by
+himself, for a considerable time, till he was in a measure satisfied
+with his performances, and pretty sure, we may suppose, that he would
+make a fine figure at court when the ball should come off. One day,
+after the gentleman had been exercising in this manner, and had just
+left the room, the monkey, who had been looking on with interest, as
+usual, left his post of observation, took up the violin, which had been
+left there by the musician, and commenced playing and imitating the
+dancing of his master, before the mirror. There is no knowing how much
+of a dancer he would have become, if he had been allowed to practice as
+much as he desired. As it was, however, his training for the ball was
+very suddenly terminated by the entrance of a servant into the room,
+while the student was in the midst of his performances.
+
+A monkey tied to a stake was robbed by the crows, in the West Indies, of
+his food, and he conceived the following plan of punishing the thieves.
+He feigned death, and lay perfectly motionless on the ground near to his
+stake. The birds approached by degrees, and got near enough to steal his
+food, which he allowed them to do. This he repeated several times, till
+they became so bold as to come within the reach of his claws. He
+calculated his distance, and laid hold of one of them. Death was not his
+plan of punishment. He was more refined in his cruelty. He plucked every
+feather out of the bird, and then let him go and show himself to his
+companions. He made a man of him according to the ancient definition of
+a "biped without feathers."
+
+An organ-grinder, with his monkey, being taken before the mayor of New
+Orleans, for exhibiting themselves without a license, the monkey was so
+polite to the mayor, took off his cap and made so many bows to his
+honor, that the two were permitted to depart in peace. It is said that
+no lawyer would have managed the case better than the monkey did.
+
+A gentleman living in Bath, England, had a monkey who used to perform a
+great many very amusing tricks, in imitation of his master. The
+gentleman was a great politician, and was in the habit of reading his
+newspaper very punctually every morning, at the breakfast-table. One
+day, business having compelled him to leave the table earlier than
+usual, Pug was found, seated in his chair, with his master's spectacles
+on, and the Courier newspaper upside down, reading as gravely, and with
+as much apparent interest, as the politician. Once in a while he looked
+off his paper, and chattered, and made significant gestures, as his
+master was in the habit of doing, when he came across any thing very
+especially interesting.
+
+A farmer in the West Indies had planted a field with Indian corn.
+Numerous monkeys inhabited a forest near by, who had attentively
+observed the planting process, and the method by which it was
+cultivated. They seemed to take not a little interest in the whole
+matter. The farmer had the pleasure of seeing his crop of corn nearly
+ready for harvesting. But the monkeys took care that he should not have
+the trouble of harvesting it. One night, they issued from the forest in
+vast numbers, forming themselves into long lines between it and the
+corn-field. All was conducted in silence. Each was intent on the
+business in hand. Those in front of the lines plucked off the ears of
+corn with great dexterity, and passed them to his nearest companion, who
+handed them forward from one to another, till they reached the woods. In
+this manner the work proceeded till daylight, when the slaves found the
+thieves finishing the operation. It had been a very profitable night's
+labor for the mischievous fellows. The corn was pretty nearly all
+disposed of. Before the owner of it could get his workmen together, with
+suitable weapons of defence, the whole troop had disappeared in the
+forest. What a chattering there must have been among them, when they all
+met at their rendezvous! How knowing they must have looked, as they said
+one to another, "Wasn't that thing managed pretty nicely?"
+
+In Sierra Leone is a species of orang-outang so strong and so
+industrious, that, when properly trained and fed, they work like
+servants. They generally walk upright on their two hind feet. Sometimes
+they are employed to pound substances in a mortar, and they are
+frequently taught to go to rivers, and to bring water in small pitchers.
+They usually carry the water on their heads. When they come to the door
+of the house, if the pitchers are not soon taken off, they let them
+fall; and when they perceive that they are broken, the poor fellows
+sometimes weep like a child, in anticipation of the flogging they are to
+receive.
+
+Buffon saw an orang-outang that performed a multitude of funny tricks.
+He would present his hand to lead his visitors about the room, and
+promenade as gravely as if he was one of the most important personages
+in the company. He would even sit down at table, unfold his napkin, wipe
+his lips like any other gentleman, use a spoon or fork in carrying food
+to his mouth, pour his liquor into a glass--for it seems he had not
+become a convert to the principles of total abstinence--and touch his
+glass to that of the person who drank with him. When invited to take
+tea, he brought a cup and saucer, placed them on the table, put in
+sugar, poured out the tea, and after allowing it to cool, drank it with
+the utmost propriety.
+
+[Illustration: THE ORANG-OUTANG.]
+
+In Africa the orang-outang is a very formidable animal, and does not
+hesitate to attack men, when alone and without arms, in which cases
+he always proves himself the victor. He sleeps under trees, and builds
+himself a hut, which serves to protect him against the sun and the rains
+of the tropical climates. When the negroes make a fire in the woods,
+this animal comes near and warms himself by the blaze. However, he has
+not skill enough to keep the flame alive by feeding it with fuel. They
+even attack the elephant, which they beat with their clubs, and oblige
+to leave that part of the forest which they claim as their own. When one
+of these animals dies, the rest cover the body with a quantity of leaves
+and branches. They sometimes show mercy to the human species. A negro
+boy, it is said, that was taken by one of them and carried into the
+woods, continued there a whole year, without receiving any injury. It is
+said, indeed, that they often attempt to surprise the negroes as they go
+into the woods, and sometimes keep them against their will, for the
+pleasure of their company, feeding them very plentifully all the time.
+In respect to this latter statement, however, I confess myself a little
+skeptical. There have been a great many well-told stories about men of
+the woods, which have proved to be altogether fabulous, when the true
+state of the case has become known.
+
+There were two monkeys, one of which was peculiarly mischievous, and
+the other pretty civil and good-natured, on board of the same ship. One
+day, when the sea ran very high, the former prevailed on the other to go
+aloft with him, when he drew her attention to an object at a distance,
+and when she turned to look at it, he hit her a blow with his paw, and
+threw her into the sea, where she was drowned. This act seemed to afford
+the rascal a great deal of gratification. He came down to the deck of
+the vessel, chattering at the top of his voice, he was so happy.
+
+Le Vaillant, a French traveler in Africa, says of a tame baboon, which
+followed him in his rambles, "One day, a gentleman, wishing to put the
+fidelity of the animal to the test, pretended to strike me. At this the
+monkey flew into a violent rage, and from that time, he could never
+endure the sight of the man. If he only saw him at a distance, he began
+to cry and to make all sorts of grimaces, which evidently showed that he
+wished to revenge the insult that had been done to me. He ground his
+teeth, and endeavored, with all his might, to fly at his face."
+
+Here is a story of a monkey who made a fool of himself, and of a British
+soldier at the same time. During the period of the siege of Gibraltar,
+when England and Spain were at war in 1779, the English fleet being at
+the time absent, an attack from the enemy was daily expected. One dark
+night, a sentinel, whose post was near a tower facing the Spanish lines,
+was standing, at the end of his walk, whistling, looking toward the
+enemy, his head filled with fire, and sword, and glory. By the side of
+his box stood a deep, narrow-necked earthen jar, in which was the
+remainder of his supper, consisting of boiled peas. A large monkey--of
+which there were plenty at Gibraltar--encouraged by the man's absence,
+and allured by the smell of the peas, ventured to the jar; and in
+endeavoring to get at its contents, thrust his head so far into the
+vessel that he was not able to get it out again. At this moment, the
+soldier approached. The monkey started, in alarm, with the jar on his
+head. This terrible monster frightened the poor soldier half out of his
+wits. He thought it was a bloodthirsty Spanish grenadier, with a most
+prodigious cap on his head. So he fired his musket, like any other
+valiant soldier, roaring out, as loud as he could, that the enemy had
+scaled the walls. The guards took the alarm; the drums were beaten;
+signal guns discharged, and in less than ten minutes the whole garrison
+were under arms. The supposed grenadier, being very uncomfortable in his
+cap, was soon overtaken and seized; and by his capture, the
+tranquillity of the garrison, as the reader might rationally conjecture,
+was speedily restored, without any of the bloodshed which the sagacious
+sentinel so much feared.
+
+A clergyman in England, of some distinction, had a tame baboon, who was
+very fond of him, and whenever he could get a chance, followed him in
+the street. When he went to church, however, to perform the service, he
+preferred, of course, that his monkey should stay at home, and used to
+confine him accordingly. One Sabbath morning the animal escaped, and
+followed his master to the church; and silently mounting the
+sounding-board over the minister's head, he lay perfectly still till the
+sermon commenced. Then he crept to the edge, where he could see his
+master, and imitated his gestures in such a droll and amusing manner,
+that the entire congregation began to laugh. The minister, who did not
+see his favorite monkey, and who was surprised and confounded at this
+unaccountable levity, rebuked the audience, but to no effect. The people
+still laughed, and the preacher, in the warmth of his zeal, redoubled
+his earnestness and action. The consequence was that the ape became more
+animated too, and increased the number and violence of his gestures.
+The congregation could no longer restrain themselves, and burst into a
+long and loud roar of laughter.
+
+Some of the ape-catchers of Africa have a very queer way of securing
+these animals. It is said that they take a vessel filled with water out
+into the woods with them, and wash their hands and faces in the water.
+The apes see this operation. Afterward, the natives throw out the water
+in which they washed, and supply its place by a solution of glue. Then
+they leave the spot, and the apes come down from the trees, and wash
+themselves, in the same manner as they have seen the men wash. The
+consequence is, that the poor fellows get their eyes glued together so
+fast that they cannot open them, and so being unable to see their way to
+escape, they fall into the hands of their enemies.
+
+
+
+
+The Zebra.
+
+
+Probably there is no animal so beautiful, and that possesses so much
+ability for being serviceable to man, that is nevertheless so useless,
+except for its beauty, as the zebra. One would suppose, to look at the
+fellow--and doubtless this is the fact--that he could perform much of
+the labor of the horse. But he is generally quite indisposed to any such
+routine of employment. He is very fond of his own way--so fond of it,
+indeed, that the most patient and persevering efforts to teach him to
+change it are generally almost fruitless. The entire race are any thing
+but docile. They are tamed, so as to obey the bridle, only with great
+difficulty; and their obedience is rather imperfect, at best. Bingley
+mentions one which was brought from the Cape of Good Hope to the
+tower of London, in 1803, who was more docile and kindly disposed than
+most of the species. When in pretty good humor, this animal would carry
+her keeper from fifty to a hundred yards; but he could never prevail
+upon her to go any farther. He might beat her as much as he pleased; she
+would not budge an inch, but would rear up and kick, until her rider was
+obliged to get off. When she got angry, as she did sometimes, she would
+plunge at her keeper, and on one occasion she seized him by the coat,
+threw him upon the ground, and would undoubtedly have killed him, had he
+not been very active, so that he got out of her reach.
+
+[Illustration: THE ZEBRA.]
+
+The most docile zebra on record was one that was burned, accidentally,
+in England, several years ago, with several other animals belonging to a
+lyceum. This animal allowed his keeper to use great familiarities with
+him--to put children on his back, even, without showing any resentment.
+On one occasion, a person rode on his back a mile or two. This zebra had
+been raised in Portugal.
+
+
+
+
+The Ox and Cow.
+
+
+[Illustration: COWS TAKING THEIR COMFORT.]
+
+Can any body imagine a more perfect picture of quiet contentment, than a
+company of cows that have finished their toils for the day, and have
+come at early evening to chew their cud, and to reward their patrons for
+the supply of green grass that has been afforded them? There are two
+such amiable cows represented in the engraving on the opposite page. The
+artist has portrayed them standing before a huge pottery, where they
+seem to be very much at home, and at peace with all the world. Their
+thoughts--if they have any, and doubtless they have, a good many of
+them--are those of the most tranquil and placid nature. Perhaps they are
+edifying each other with reflections on the great advantages of the
+mechanic arts, and the art of making earthen ware in particular. The old
+cow is a genuine philosopher. She makes the best of every thing. Seldom,
+very seldom, does she allow herself to get excited. As for being angry,
+she makes such a bungling piece of work of it, whenever she does indulge
+in a little peevishness, that she seems to cool off at once, from the
+very idea of the ludicrous figure she makes. Generally, she takes the
+world easy. Her troubles are few. If the flies bite her--and they take
+that liberty sometimes--she leisurely employs a wand she has at command,
+and brushes them off. Nervous and excitable men might undoubtedly learn
+a lesson from the philosophical old cow, if they would go to school to
+her. They might learn that the true way to go through the world, is to
+keep tolerably cool, and not to be breaking their heads against every
+stone wall that happens to lie between them and the object of their
+desire.
+
+There are many anecdotes which prove that the ox and cow have a musical
+ear, as the phrase is. Professor Bell says that he has often, when a
+boy, tried the effect of the music of the flute on cows, and always
+observed that it produced great apparent enjoyment. Instances have been
+known of the fiercest bulls having been subdued and calmed into
+gentleness, by music of a plaintive kind.
+
+There is a laughable story told of the effect of music on a bull. A
+fiddler, residing in the country, not far from Liverpool, was returning,
+at three o'clock in the morning, with his instrument, from a place where
+he had been engaged in his accustomed vocation. He had occasion to cross
+a field where there were some cows and a rather saucy bull. The latter
+took it into his head to assault the fiddler, who tried to escape. He
+did not succeed, however. The bull was wide awake, and could not let the
+gentleman off so cheap. The poor fellow then attempted to climb a tree.
+But the enraged animal would not permit him to do that. The fiddler, who
+had heard something about the wonderful power of music in subduing the
+rage of some of the lower animals, thinking of nothing else that he
+could do for his protection, got behind the tree, and commenced playing,
+literally for his life. Strange as it may appear, the animal was calmed
+at once, and appeared to be delighted with the music. By and by, the
+fiddler, finding that his enemy was entirely pacified, stopped playing,
+and started homeward, as fast as his legs would carry him. But the bull
+would not allow him to escape, and made after him. The poor fellow,
+fearing he should be killed, stopped, and went to fiddling again. The
+animal was pacified, as before. Our hero then plied the bow until his
+arm ached, and seizing, as he supposed, a favorable opportunity, he made
+another effort to run away. He was probably not accustomed to fiddle
+without pay, and he was pretty sure the customer he was now playing for
+intended to get his music for nothing. Well, the fiddler was no more
+successful this time than he was before. The fury of the bull returned,
+as soon as the strains ceased; and at last, the poor man surrendered
+himself to his fate, and actually played for the bull until six
+o'clock--about three hours in all--when some people came to his rescue.
+He must have been pretty well convinced, I think, while he was
+entertaining the bull in that manner, that
+
+"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast."
+
+
+
+
+The Lama.
+
+
+This animal, which belongs to the same family with the camel, is a
+native of some parts of South America, and is used as a beast of burden.
+He is capable of carrying from one hundred to one hundred and fifty
+pounds, and on the steep places where he is usually employed, will walk
+with his load twelve or fifteen miles a day. When lamas get weary, it is
+said they will stop, and scarcely any severity can compel them to go on.
+Some of the accounts of these singular animals represent them as having
+a bad trick of _spitting_, when they do not like their treatment. In
+this respect, they resemble a great many strange sort of men I have met
+with on our side of the equator, who will spit from morning till night,
+sometimes on the carpet, too, on account of a very nauseous weed they
+have in their mouths--with this difference, however, that the lamas spit
+when they are displeased only, and the men spit all the time.
+
+Some one who has been familiar with the animal in South America, and who
+has seen it a great deal in use among the Indians there, presents a very
+interesting account of its nature and habits. He says, "The lama is the
+only animal associated with man, and undebased by the contact. The lama
+will bear neither beating nor ill treatment. They go in troops, an
+Indian going a long distance ahead as a guide. If tired, they stop, and
+the Indian stops also. If the delay is great, the Indian, becoming
+uneasy toward sunset, resolves on supplicating the beasts to resume
+their journey. If the lamas are disposed to continue their course, they
+follow the Indian in good order, at a regular pace, and very fast, for
+their legs are very long; but when they are in ill-humor, they do not
+even turn their heads toward the speaker, but remain motionless,
+standing or lying down, and gazing on heaven with looks so tender, so
+melancholy, that we might imagine these singular animals had the
+consciousness of a happier existence. If it happens--which is very
+seldom--that an Indian wishes to obtain, either by force or threats,
+what the lama will not willingly perform, the instant the animal finds
+himself affronted by word or gesture, he raises his head with dignity,
+or, without attempting to escape ill treatment by flight, he lies down,
+his looks turned toward heaven; large tears flow from his beautiful
+eyes; and frequently, in less than an hour, he dies."
+
+
+[Illustration: THE END.]
+
+
+
+
+     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note:
+
+   The caption of the illustration in "The Goat", shown in the
+   List of Illustrations and above as "THE WONDERFUL FEAT OF THE
+   GOAT.", was "THE ARAB AND HIS GOAT." in the printed illustration.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS: WITH PICTURES
+TO MATCH***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 18767-8.txt or 18767-8.zip *******
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+<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+    "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">
+<html>
+<head>
+<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" />
+<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match, by Francis C. Woodworth</title>
+    <style type="text/css">
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+<body>
+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Stories about Animals: with Pictures to
+Match, by Francis C. Woodworth</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match</p>
+<p>Author: Francis C. Woodworth</p>
+<p>Release Date: July 6, 2006  [eBook #18767]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS: WITH PICTURES TO MATCH***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by Ben Beasley, Paul Ereaut,<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net/">http://www.pgdp.net/</a>)<br />
+    from page images generously made available by<br />
+    Literature for Children, a State University System of Florida PALMM Project<br />
+    (<a href="http://palmm.fcla.edu/juv/">http://palmm.fcla.edu/juv/</a>)</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="10" style="background-color: #ccccff;">
+  <tr>
+    <td valign="top">
+      Note:
+    </td>
+    <td>
+      Images of the original pages are available through
+      Literature for Children, a State University System
+      of Florida PALMM Project. See
+      <a href="http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00002052&amp;format=jpg">
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00002052&amp;format=jpg</a>
+      <br />
+      or<br />
+      <a href="http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00002052&amp;format=pdf">
+      http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=juv&amp;idno=UF00002052&amp;format=pdf</a>
+    </td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 325px;">
+<img src="images/cover_spine.jpg" width="325" height="400" alt="cover &amp; spine" title="cover &amp; spine" />
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 349px;">
+<a href="images/3_big.png"><img src="images/3.png" width="349" height="450" alt="Title page 1." title="Title page 1." /></a>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 291px;">
+<a href="images/4_big.jpg"><img src="images/4.jpg" width="291" height="450" alt="Title page 2." title="Title page 2." /></a>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h1>STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS.</h1>
+
+<h2>WITH PICTURES TO MATCH</h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>FRANCIS C. WOODWORTH,</h2>
+
+<h4>EDITOR OF "THE YOUTH'S CABINET," AUTHOR OF "STORIES
+ABOUT BIRDS," &amp;c.</h4>
+
+
+
+<h3>BOSTON.
+PHILLIPS, SAMPSON AND COMPANY.
+1851.
+</h3>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 341px;">
+<img src="images/7.png" width="341" height="400" alt="Legal statement" title="Legal statement" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>Preface.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 140px;">
+<img src="images/8.png" width="140" height="300" alt="drop capital I" title="drop capital I" />
+</div>
+
+
+<p><br /><br /><br />n the following pages are grouped together anecdotes illustrative of
+the peculiarities of different animals&mdash;mostly quadrupeds&mdash;their habits,
+dispositions, intelligence, and affection. Nothing like a scientific
+treatise of any of these animals has been attempted. I do not even give
+a generic or specific history of one of them, except so far as they are
+all casually and incidentally described in these anecdotes. Their
+natural history, in detail, I leave for others, as the historian or
+biographer of men, bent only on a record of the thoughts, words, and
+acts of men, passes by the abstract details, however interesting they
+may be, of human physiology, and the general characteristics of the
+species. I have not aimed to introduce to the reader, in this volume,
+all the animals belonging to the race of quadrupeds, who have a claim to
+such a distinction. I have preferred rather to make a selection from the
+great multitude, and to present such facts and anecdotes respecting
+those selected as shall, while they interest and entertain the young
+reader, tend to make him familiar with this branch of useful knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>I ought, in justice to myself, to explain the reason why I have
+restricted my anecdotes almost exclusively to animals belonging to the
+race of quadrupeds. It is seldom wise, in my judgment, for an author to
+define, very minutely, any plan he may have, to be developed in future
+years&mdash;as so many circumstances may thwart that plan altogether, or very
+materially modify it. Yet I may say, in this connection, that the
+general plan I had marked out for myself, when I set about the task of
+collecting materials for these familiar anecdotes, is by no means
+exhausted in this volume, and that, should my stories respecting
+quadrupeds prove as acceptable to my young friends as I hope, it is my
+intention eventually to pursue the same, or a similar course, in
+relation to the other great divisions of the animal kingdom&mdash;Birds,
+Reptiles, Insects, Fishes, etc.</p>
+
+<p>The stories I tell I have picked up wherever I could find them&mdash;having
+been generally content when I have judged a particular story to be, in
+the first place, a good story, and in the second place, a reliable one.
+I have not thought it either necessary or desirable, to give, in every
+case, the source from which I have derived my facts. Some of them I
+obtained by actual observation; quite as many were communicated by
+personal friends and casual acquaintances; and by far the greater
+portion were gleaned from the current newspapers of the day, and from
+the many valuable works on natural history, published in England and in
+this country. Among the books I have consulted, I am mostly indebted to
+the following: Bingley's Anecdotes illustrative of the Instincts of
+Animals; Knight's Library of Entertaining Knowledge; Bell's Phenomena of
+Nature; the Young Naturalist's Rambles; Natural History of the Earth and
+Man; Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge; Animal
+Biography; and the Penny Magazine.</p>
+
+<p>The task of preparing this volume for the press has been an exceedingly
+pleasant one. Indeed, it has been rather recreation than toil, in
+comparison with other and severer literary labors. I trust my young
+friends will take as much pleasure in reading these stories as I have
+taken in collecting them. I hope too, that no one of my readers will
+fail to discover, as he proceeds, the evidences of the wisdom, power,
+and goodness of the Being who formed and who controls and governs the
+animal kingdom. Here, as in every department of nature's works, these
+evidences abound, if we will but perceive them. Look at them, dear
+reader, and in your admiration of nature, forget not the love and
+reverence you owe to nature's God.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/11.png" width="400" height="77"
+alt="(signed) Francis C. Woodworth" title="(signed) Francis C. Woodworth" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>Contents</h2>
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="contents">
+
+<tr><td align='left'></td><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Page.</span></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Dog</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_13'>13</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Wolf</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_66'>66</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Horse</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_78'>78</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Panther and Leopard&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_103'>103</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Elephant</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_119'>119</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Lion</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Galago</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_155'>155</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Bear</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Rat and Mouse</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_173'>173</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Rabbit</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_189'>189</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Hare</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_194'>194</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Goat</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_204'>204</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Tiger</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_211'>211</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Rhinoceros</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_222'>222</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Alligator</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_227'>227</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Cat</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_235'>235</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Jackal</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_252'>252</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Sheep</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_259'>259</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Deer</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_272'>272</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Hippopotamus</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_278'>278</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Weasel</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_284'>284</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Squirrel</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_293'>293</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Giraffe</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_309'>309</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Monkey Tribe</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_311'>311</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Zebra</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_324'>324</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Ox and Cow</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_328'>328</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Lama</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_334'>334</a></td></tr>
+
+</table></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 356px;">
+<img src="images/14.png" width="356" height="300"
+alt="&quot;ENGRAVINGS&quot; HEADING" title="&quot;ENGRAVINGS&quot; HEADING" />
+</div>
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="illustrations">
+
+<tr><td align='left'></td>
+<td align='left'><span class="smcap">Page</span></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Rover and his Play-fellow</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_14'>14</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Dog at his Master's Grave</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_16'>16</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Nero, saving Little Ellen</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_19'>19</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Servant and the Mastiff</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_23'>23</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Child discovered by the Indian's Dog</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_27'>27</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Dog of St. Bernard, rescuing the Child</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_33'>33</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Bloodhound</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_38'>38</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Exploit of the New England Dog</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_43'>43</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>A Shepherd Dog feeding a lost Child</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_48'>48</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>A Newfoundland, saving a Child from drowning</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_53'>53</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>An Encampment of Gipsies</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_57'>57</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Russian Sledge</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_61'>61</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Skirmish with Wolves</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_68'>68</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>A Scene in the old Wolf Story</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_74'>74</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_76'>76</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Horse watching over the Trumpeter</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_82'>82</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Parting with the Favorite Horse</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_85'>85</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Alexander taming Bucephalus</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_91'>91</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Uncle Peter and his queer Old Mare</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_97'>97</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Horse sentenced to die</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_99'>99</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Leopard and the Serpent</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_102'>102</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Elephant</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_118'>118</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Lion</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_130'>130</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Lioness and her Cubs</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_146'>146</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Convention of Animals</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_150'>150</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Galago</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_154'>154</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Brown Bear</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_159'>159</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Juggler and his Pupils</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_171'>171</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Field Mice</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_183'>183</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Rabbit Trap</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_190'>190</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Rabbit</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_191'>191</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Tame Hares</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_198'>198</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Portrait of Cowper</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_201'>201</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Wonderful Feat of a Goat</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_205'>205</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Tiger</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_214'>214</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Rhinoceros</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_222'>222</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Alligator</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_228'>228</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Cat</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_241'>241</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Jackal</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_254'>254</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Wounded Traveler</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_258'>258</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Giotto, sketching among his Sheep</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_263'>263</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Invalid and the Sheep</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_266'>266</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Deer</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_273'>273</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Hippopotamus</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_280'>280</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Ferret Weasel</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_285'>285</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>A Hawk pouncing on a Weasel</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_290'>290</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Squirrel</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_299'>299</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Giraffe</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_308'>308</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Orang-outang</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_317'>317</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>The Zebra</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_325'>325</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td align='left'>Cows, taking their comfort</td>
+<td align='left'><a href='#Page_329'>329</a></td></tr>
+
+</table></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h1>Stories about Animals.</h1>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span></p>
+<h2>The Dog.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/16.png" width="200" height="192" alt="Drop capital W" title="Drop capital W" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br />hatever may be thought of the somewhat aristocratic pretensions of the
+lion, as the dog, after all, has the reputation of being the most
+intelligent of the inferior animals, I will allow this interesting
+family the precedence in these stories, and introduce them first to the
+reader. For the same reason, too&mdash;because they exhibit such wonderful
+marks of intelligence, approaching, sometimes, almost to the boundary of
+human reason&mdash;I shall occupy much more time in relating stories about
+them than about any other animal. Let me see. Where shall I begin? With
+Rover, my old friend Rover&mdash;my companion and play-fellow, when a little
+boy? I have a good mind to do so; for he endeared himself to me by
+thousands of acts of kindness and affection, and he has still a place
+of honor in my memory. He frequently went to school with me. As soon as
+he saw me get my satchel of books, he was at my side, and off he ran
+before me toward the school-house. When he had conducted me to school,
+he usually took leave of me, and returned home. But he came back again,
+before school was out, so as to be my companion homeward. I might tell a
+great many stories about the smartness of Rover; but on the whole I
+think I will forbear. I am afraid if I should talk half an hour about
+him, some of you would accuse me of too much partiality for my
+favorite, and would think I had fallen into the same foolish mistake
+that is sometimes noticed in over-fond fathers and mothers, who talk
+about a little boy or girl of theirs, as if there never was another such
+a prodigy. So I will just pass over Rover's wonderful exploits&mdash;for he
+had some, let me whisper it in your ear&mdash;and tell my stories about other
+people's dogs.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/17_big.png"><img src="images/17.png" width="500" height="439"
+alt="ROVER AND HIS PLAY-FELLOW." title="ROVER AND HIS PLAY-FELLOW." /></a>
+<span class="caption">ROVER AND HIS PLAY-FELLOW.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Going to the dogs," is a favorite expression with a great many people.
+They understand by it a condition in the last degree deplorable. To "go
+to the dogs," is spoken of as being just about the worst thing that can
+happen to a poor fellow. I think differently, however. I wish from my
+heart, that some selfish persons whom I could name would go to the dogs.
+They would learn there, I am sure, what they have never learned
+before&mdash;most valuable lessons in gratitude, and affection, and
+self-sacrifice&mdash;to say nothing about common sense, a little more of
+which would not hurt them.</p>
+
+<p>There is an exceedingly affecting story of a dog that lived in Scotland
+as long ago as 1716: This dog belonged to a Mr. Stewart, of Argyleshire,
+and was a great favorite with his master. He was a Highland greyhound, I
+believe. One afternoon, while his master was hunting in company with
+this dog, he was attacked with inflammation in his side. He returned
+home, and died the same evening. Some three days afterward his funeral
+took place, when the dog followed the remains of his master to the
+grave-yard, which was nearly ten miles from the residence of the family.
+He remained until the interment was completed, when he returned home
+with those who attended the funeral. When he entered the house he found
+the plaid cloak, formerly his master's, hanging in the entry. He pulled
+it down, and in defiance of all attempts to take it from him, lay on it
+all night, and would not even allow any person to touch it. Every
+evening afterward, about sunset, he left home, traveled to the
+grave-yard, reposed on the grave of his late master all night, and
+returned home regularly in the morning. But, what was still more
+remarkable, he could not be persuaded to eat a morsel. Children near the
+grave-yard, who watched his motions, again and again carried him food;
+but he resolutely refused it, and it was never known by what means he
+existed. While at home he was always dull and sorrowful; he usually lay
+in a sleeping posture, and frequently uttered long and mournful groans.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 515px;">
+<a href="images/19_big.png"><img src="images/19.png" width="515" height="400"
+alt="THE DOG AT HIS MASTER&#39;S GRAVE." title="THE DOG AT HIS MASTER&#39;S GRAVE." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE DOG AT HIS MASTER&#39;S GRAVE.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p>In the western part of our own country, some years since, an exploit was
+performed by a Newfoundland dog, which I must tell my readers. It is
+related by Mrs. Phelan. A man by the name of Wilson, residing near a
+river which was navigable, although the current was somewhat rapid, kept
+a pleasure boat. One day he invited a small party to accompany him in an
+excursion on the river. They set out. Among the number were Mr. Wilson's
+wife and little girl, about three years of age. The child was delighted
+with the boat, and with the water lilies that floated on the surface of
+the river. Meanwhile, a fine Newfoundland dog trotted along the bank of
+the stream, looking occasionally at the boat, and thinking, perhaps,
+that he should like a sail himself.</p>
+
+<p>Pleasantly onward went the boat, and the party were in the highest
+spirits, when little Ellen, trying to get a pretty lily, stretched out
+her hand over the side of the boat, and in a moment she lost her balance
+and fell into the river. What language can describe the agony of those
+parents when they saw the current close over their dear child! The
+mother, in her terror, could hardly be prevented from throwing herself
+into the river to rescue her drowning girl, and her husband had to hold
+her back by force. Vain was the help of man at that dreadful moment; but
+prayer was offered up to God, and he heard it.</p>
+
+<p>No one took any notice of Nero, the faithful dog. But he had kept his
+eye upon the boat, it seems. He saw all that was going on; he plunged
+into the river at the critical moment when the child had sunk to the
+bottom, and dived beneath the surface. Suddenly a strange noise was
+heard on the side of the boat opposite to the one toward which the party
+were anxiously looking, and something seemed to be splashing in the
+water. It was the dog. Nero had dived to the bottom of that deep river,
+and found the very spot where the poor child had settled down into her
+cold, strange cradle of weeds and slime. Seizing her clothes, and
+holding them fast in his teeth, he brought her up to the surface of the
+water, a very little distance from the boat, and with looks that told
+his joy, he gave the little girl into the hands of her astonished
+father. Then, swimming back to the shore, he shook the water from his
+long, shaggy coat, and laid himself down, panting, to recover from the
+fatigue of his adventure.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<a href="images/22_big.png"><img src="images/22.png" width="550" height="432"
+alt="NERO SAVING LITTLE ELLEN." title="NERO SAVING LITTLE ELLEN." /></a>
+<span class="caption">NERO SAVING LITTLE ELLEN.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Ellen seemed for awhile to be dead; her face was deadly pale; it hung
+on her shoulder; her dress showed that she had sunk to the bottom. But
+by and by she recovered gradually, and in less than a week she was as
+well as ever.</p>
+
+<p>But the Glasgow Chronicle tells a story of the most supremely humane dog
+I ever heard of&mdash;so humane, in fact, that his humanity was somewhat
+troublesome. This dog&mdash;a fine Newfoundland&mdash;resided near Edinburgh.
+Every day he was seen visiting all the ponds and brooks in the
+neighborhood of his master's residence. He had been instrumental more
+than once in saving persons from drowning. He was respected for his
+magnanimity, and caressed for his amiable qualities, till, strange as it
+may be considered, this flattery completely turned his head. Saving life
+became a passion. He took to it as men take to dram-drinking. Not having
+sufficient scope for the exercise of his diseased benevolence in the
+district, he took to a very questionable method of supplying the
+deficiency. Whenever he found a child on the brink of a pond, he watched
+patiently for the opportunity to place his fore-paws suddenly on its
+person, and plunged it in before it was aware. Now all this was done for
+the mere purpose of fetching them out again. He appeared to find intense
+pleasure in this nonsensical sort of work. At last the outcry became so
+great by parents alarmed for their children, although no life was ever
+lost by the indulgence of such a singular taste, that the poor dog was
+reluctantly destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Bingley, an English writer, has contributed not a little to the
+amusement and instruction of the young, by a book which he published a
+few years ago, relating to the instinct of the dog. Among the stories
+told in this book, are several which I must transfer for my own readers.
+Here is one about the fatal adventure of a large mastiff with a robber.
+I shall give it nearly in the words of Mr. Bingley.</p>
+
+<p>Not a great many years ago, a lady, who resided in a lonely house in
+Cheshire, England, permitted all her domestics, save one female, to go
+to a supper at an inn about three miles distant, which was kept by the
+uncle of the girl who remained at home with her mistress. As the
+servants were not expected to return till the morning, all the doors and
+windows were as usual secured, and the lady and her companion were about
+to retire to bed, when they were alarmed by the noise of some persons
+apparently attempting to break into the house. A large mastiff, which
+fortunately happened to be in the kitchen, set up a tremendous barking;
+but this had not the effect of intimidating the robbers.</p>
+
+<p>After listening attentively for some time, the maid-servant discovered
+that the robbers were attempting to enter the house by forcing their way
+through a hole under the sunk story in the back kitchen. Being a young
+woman of courage, she went toward the spot, accompanied by the dog, and
+patting him on the back, exclaimed, "At him, C&aelig;sar!" The dog leaped into
+the hole, made a furious attack upon the intruder, and gave something a
+violent shake. In a few minutes all became quiet, and the animal
+returned with his mouth full of blood. A slight bustle was now heard
+outside the house, but in a short time all again became still. The lady
+and servant, too much terrified to think of going to bed, sat up until
+morning without further molestation. When day dawned they discovered a
+quantity of blood outside of the wall in the court-yard.</p>
+
+<p>When her fellow-servants came home, they brought word to the girl that
+her uncle, the inn-keeper, had died suddenly of apoplexy during the
+night, and that it was intended that the funeral should take place in
+the course of the day. Having obtained leave to go to the funeral, she
+was surprised to learn, on her arrival, that the coffin was screwed
+down. She insisted, however, on taking a last look at the body, which
+was most unwillingly granted; when, to her great surprise and horror,
+she discovered that his death had been occasioned by a large wound in
+the throat. The events of the preceding night rushed on her mind, and it
+soon became evident to her that she had been the innocent and unwilling
+cause of her uncle's death. It turned out, that he and one of his
+servants had formed the design of robbing the house and murdering the
+lady during the absence of her servants, but that their wicked design
+had been frustrated by the courage and watchfulness of her faithful
+mastiff.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/26_big.png"><img src="images/26.png" width="600" height="446"
+alt="THE SERVANT AND THE MASTIFF." title="THE SERVANT AND THE MASTIFF." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE SERVANT AND THE MASTIFF.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>There is another anecdote told of a wild Indian dog which I am sure my
+young friends will like. It is from the same source with the one about
+the mastiff.A man by the name of Le Fevre, many years ago, lived on a
+farm in the United States, near the Blue mountains. Those mountains at
+that time abounded in deer and other animals. One day, the youngest of
+Le Fevre's children, who was four years old, disappeared early in the
+morning. The family, after a partial search, becoming alarmed, had
+recourse to the assistance of some neighbors. These separated into
+parties, and explored the woods in every direction, but without success.
+Next day the search was renewed, but with no better result. In the
+midst of their distress Tewenissa, a native Indian from Anaguaga, on the
+eastern branch of the river Susquehannah, who happened to be journeying
+in that quarter, accompanied by his dog Oniah, happily went into the
+house of the planter with the design of reposing himself. Observing the
+distress of the family, and being informed of the circumstances, he
+requested that the shoes and stockings last worn by the child should be
+brought to him. He then ordered his dog to smell them; and taking the
+house for a centre, described a semicircle of a quarter of a mile,
+urging the dog to find out the scent. They had not gone far before the
+sagacious animal began to bark. The track was followed up by the dog
+with still louder barking, till at last, darting off at full speed, he
+was lost in the thickness of the woods. Half an hour after they saw him
+returning. His countenance was animated, bearing even an expression of
+joy; it was evident he had found the child&mdash;but was he dead or alive?
+This was a moment of cruel suspense, but it was of short continuance.
+The Indian followed his dog, and the excellent animal conducted him to
+the lost child, who was found unharmed, lying at the foot of a great
+tree. Tewenissa took him in his arms, and returned with him to the
+distressed parents and their friends, who had not been able to
+advance with the same speed. He restored little Derick to his father and
+mother, who ran to meet him; when a scene of tenderness and gratitude
+ensued, which may be easier felt than described. The child was in a
+state of extreme weakness, but, by means of a little care, he was in a
+short time restored to his usual vigor.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/30_big.png"><img src="images/30.png" width="600" height="435"
+alt="THE CHILD DISCOVERED BY THE INDIAN&#39;S DOG." title="THE CHILD DISCOVERED BY THE INDIAN&#39;S DOG." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE CHILD DISCOVERED BY THE INDIAN&#39;S DOG.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In one of the churches at Lambeth, England, there is a painting on a
+window, representing a man with his dog. There is a story connected with
+this painting which is worth telling. Tradition informs us that a piece
+of ground near Westminster bridge, containing a little over an acre, was
+left to that parish by a pedler, upon condition that his picture,
+accompanied by his dog, should be faithfully painted on the glass of one
+of the windows.The parishioners, as the story goes, had this picture
+executed accordingly, and came in possession of the land. This was in
+the year 1504. The property rented at that time for about a dollar a
+year. It now commands a rent of nearly fifteen hundred dollars. The
+reason given for the pedler's request is, that he was once very poor,
+when, one day, having occasion to pass across this piece of ground, and
+being weary, he sat down under a tree to rest. While seated here, he
+noticed that his dog, who was with him, acted strangely. At a distance
+of several rods from the place where he sat, the dog busied himself for
+awhile in scratching at a particular spot of earth, after which he
+returned to his master, looked earnestly up to his face, and endeavored
+to draw him toward the spot where he had been digging. The pedler,
+however, paid but little attention to the movements of the dog, until he
+had repeated them several times, when he was induced to accompany the
+dog. To his surprise he found, on doing so, that there was a pot of gold
+buried there. With a part of this gold he purchased the lot of ground on
+which it had been discovered, and bequeathed it to the parish on the
+conditions mentioned above. The pedler and his dog are represented in
+the picture which ornaments the window of that church. "But is the story
+a true one?" methinks I hear my little friends inquire. I confess it has
+the air of one of Baron Munchausen's yarns, and I am somewhat doubtful
+about it. But that is the tradition in the Lambeth parish, where the
+picture may still be seen by any body who takes the trouble to visit the
+place. The story may be true. Stranger things have happened.</p>
+
+<p>Those who have studied geography do not need to be informed that there
+is a chain of high mountains running through Switzerland, called the
+Alps. The tops of some of these mountains are covered with snow nearly
+all the year. In the winter it is very difficult and dangerous traveling
+over the Alps; for the snow frequently rolls down the sides of the
+mountain, in a great mass, called an <i>avalanche</i>, and buries the
+traveler beneath it. On one of these mountains there is the convent of
+St. Bernard. It is situated ten thousand feet above the base of the
+mountain, and is on one of the most dangerous passes between Switzerland
+and Savoy. It is said to be the highest inhabited spot in the old world.
+It is tenanted by a race of monks, who are very kind to travelers. Among
+other good services they render to the strangers who pass near their
+convent, they search for unhappy persons who have been overtaken by
+sudden storms, and who are liable to perish.</p>
+
+<p>These monks have a peculiar variety of the dog, called the dog of St.
+Bernard, or the Alpine Spaniel, which they train to hunt for travelers
+who are overtaken by a storm, and who are in danger of perishing. The
+dog of St. Bernard is one of the most sagacious of his species. He is
+covered with thick, curly hair, which is frequently of great service in
+warming the traveler, when he is almost dead with cold.</p>
+
+<p>One of these dogs, named Barry, had, it was reckoned, in twelve years
+saved the lives of forty individuals. Whenever the mountain was
+enveloped in fogs and snow, away scoured Barry, barking and searching
+all about for any person who might have fallen a victim to the storm.
+When he was successful in finding any one, if his own strength was
+insufficient to rescue him, he would run back to the convent in search
+of assistance.</p>
+
+<p>I think I must translate for my young readers an affecting story about
+this dog Barry, which I read the other day in a little French book,
+entitled "Mod&egrave;les des Enfans." It seems that a great while ago there was
+a poor woman wandering about these mountains, in the vicinity of the
+convent of St. Bernard, in company with her son, a very small boy. The
+story does not inform us what they were doing, and why they were walking
+in such a dangerous place. Perhaps they were gathering fuel to keep them
+warm; and very likely when they left home the weather was mild, and that
+they did not anticipate a storm. However that may be, they were
+overtaken by an avalanche, the mother was buried beneath it, and the
+child saw her no more. But I must tell the remainder of the story in the
+language of the French writer.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/36_big.png"><img src="images/36.png" width="600" height="438"
+alt="THE DOG OF ST. BERNARD, RESCUING THE CHILD." title="THE DOG OF ST. BERNARD, RESCUING THE CHILD." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE DOG OF ST. BERNARD, RESCUING THE CHILD.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Poor boy! the storm increased; the wind howled, and whirled the snow
+into huge heaps. In the hope that he might possibly meet a traveler, the
+child forced his way for awhile through the snow; but at last,
+exhausted, benumbed with the cold, and discouraged, he fell upon his
+knees, joined his hands devoutly together, and cried, as he raised his
+face, bathed in tears, toward heaven, 'O my God! have mercy on a poor
+child, who has nobody in the world to care for him!' As he lay in the
+place where he fell down, which was sheltered a little by a rock, he
+grew colder and colder, and he thought he must die. But still, from time
+to time, he prayed, 'Have mercy, O my God! on a poor child, who has
+nobody in the world to care for him!' At last he fell asleep, but was
+wakened by feeling a warm paw on his face. As he opened his eyes he saw
+with terror an enormous dog holding his head near his own. He uttered a
+cry of fear, and started back a little way from the dog. The dog
+approached the boy again, and tried, after his own fashion, to make the
+little fellow understand that he came there to do him good, and not to
+hurt him. Then he licked the face and hands of the child. By and by the
+child confided in his visitor, and began to entertain a hope that he
+might yet be saved. When Barry saw that his errand was understood, he
+lifted his head, and showed the child a bottle covered with willow,
+which was hanging around his neck. This bottle contained wine, some of
+which the little fellow drank, and felt refreshed. Then the dog lay down
+by the side of the child, and gave him the benefit of the heat of his
+own body for a long time. After this, the dog made a sign for the boy to
+get upon his back. It was some time before the boy could understand what
+the sign meant. But it was repeated again and again, and at last the
+child mounted the back of the kind animal, who carried him safely to the
+convent."</p>
+
+<p>Here is a capital story about a bloodhound, taken from the excellent
+book by Mr. Bingley, to which I have before alluded. Aubri de Mondidier,
+a gentleman of family and fortune, traveling alone through the Forest of
+Bondy, in France, was murdered, and buried under a tree. His dog, a
+bloodhound, would not quit his master's grave for several days; till at
+length, compelled by hunger, he proceeded to the house of an intimate
+friend of the unfortunate Aubri at Paris, and, by his melancholy
+howling, seemed desirous of expressing the loss they had both sustained.
+He repeated his cries, ran to the door, looked back to see if any one
+followed him, returned to his master's friend, pulled him by the
+sleeve, and with dumb eloquence, entreated him to go with him. The
+singularity of all these actions of the dog, added to the circumstance
+of his coming there without his master, whose faithful companion he had
+always been, prompted the company to follow the animal. He conducted
+them to the foot of a tree, where he renewed his howling, scratching the
+earth with his feet, and significantly entreating them to search the
+particular spot. Accordingly, on digging, the body of the unhappy Aubri
+was found.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/41_big.png"><img src="images/41.png" width="600" height="430" alt="THE BLOODHOUND" title="THE BLOODHOUND" /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE BLOODHOUND</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Some time after, the dog accidentally met the assassin, who is styled,
+by all the historians who relate the story, the Chevalier Macaire, when,
+instantly seizing him by the throat, he was with great difficulty
+compelled to quit his victim. In short, whenever the dog saw the
+chevalier, he continued to pursue and attack him with equal fury. Such
+obstinate violence, confined only to Macaire, appeared very
+extraordinary, especially to those who at once recalled the dog's
+remarkable attachment to his master, and several instances in which
+Macaire's envy and hatred to Aubri de Mondidier had been conspicuous.</p>
+
+<p>Additional circumstances increased suspicion, and at length the affair
+reached the royal ear. The king accordingly sent for the dog, which
+appeared extremely gentle, till he perceived Macaire in the midst of
+several noblemen, when he ran fiercely toward him, growling at and
+attacking him, as usual. Struck with such a combination of
+circumstantial evidence against Macaire, the king determined to refer
+the decision to the chance of battle; or, in other words, he gave orders
+for a combat between the chevalier and the dog. The lists were appointed
+in the Isle of Notre Dame, then an unenclosed, uninhabited place.
+Macaire was allowed for his weapon a great cudgel, and an empty cask was
+given to the dog as a place of retreat, to enable him to recover breath.</p>
+
+<p>Every thing being prepared, the dog no sooner found himself at liberty,
+than he made for his adversary, running round him and menacing him on
+every side, avoiding his blows till his strength was exhausted; then
+springing forward, he seized him by the throat, threw him on the ground,
+and obliged him to confess his guilt in presence of the king and the
+whole court. In consequence of this confession, the chevalier, after a
+few days, was convicted upon his own acknowledgment, and beheaded on a
+scaffold in the Isle of Notre Dame.</p>
+
+<p>The editor of the Portland (Maine) Advertiser relates the following
+anecdote: "A gentleman from the country recently drove up to a store in
+this city, and jumping from his sleigh, left his dog in the care of the
+vehicle. Presently an avalanche of snow slid from the top of the
+building upon the sidewalk, which so frightened the horse that he
+started off down the street at a furious run. At this critical juncture,
+the dog sprang from the sleigh, and seizing the reins in his mouth, held
+back with all his strength, and actually reined in the frightened animal
+to a post at the side of the street, when apparently having satisfied
+himself that no danger was to be apprehended, he again resumed his
+station in the sleigh, as unconcerned as if he had only done an ordinary
+act of duty."</p>
+
+<p>A few years ago a little girl, residing in an inland village in
+Connecticut&mdash;without the consent of her mother, be it remembered&mdash;went
+alone to a pond near by, to play with her brother's little vessel, and
+fell into the water. She came very near drowning; but a dog belonging to
+the family, named Rollo, who was not far off, plunged in and drew her to
+the shore. She was so exhausted, however, that she could not rise, and
+the dog could not lift her entirely out of the water. But he raised her
+head a little above the surface, and then ran after help. He found a
+man, and made use of every expedient in his power to draw him to the
+spot where he had left the child. At first the stranger paid very little
+attention to the dog; but by and by he was persuaded something was
+wrong, and followed the dog to the pond. The little girl was not
+drowned, though she was quite insensible; and the man lifted her from
+the water, and saved her life, to the great joy of Rollo, who seemed
+eager to assist in this enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a capital story about a shepherd's dog in Scotland. I take the
+liberty of borrowing it from Bingley's admirable book. The valleys, or
+glens, as they are called by the natives, which intersect the Grampians,
+a ridge of rocky and precipitous mountains in the northern part of
+Scotland, are chiefly inhabited by shepherds. As the pastures over which
+each flock is permitted to range, extend many miles in every direction,
+the shepherd never has a view of his whole flock at once, except when it
+is collected for the purpose of sale or shearing. His occupation is to
+make daily visits to the different extremities of his pastures in
+succession, and to turn back, by means of his dog, any stragglers that
+may be approaching the boundaries of his neighbors.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 406px;">
+<a href="images/46_big.png"><img src="images/46.png" width="406" height="450"
+alt="EXPLOIT OF THE NEW ENGLAND DOG." title="EXPLOIT OF THE NEW ENGLAND DOG." /></a>
+<span class="caption">EXPLOIT OF THE NEW ENGLAND DOG.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In one of these excursions, a shepherd happened to carry with him one of
+his children, an infant some two or three years old. After traversing
+his pastures for some time, attended by his dog, the shepherd found
+himself under the necessity of ascending a summit at some distance to
+have a more extended view of his range. As the ascent was too fatiguing
+for his child, he left him on a small plain at the bottom, with strict
+injunctions not to stir from it till his return. Scarcely, however, had
+he gained the summit, when the horizon was suddenly darkened by one of
+those thick and heavy fogs which frequently descend so rapidly amid
+these mountains, as, in the space of a few minutes, almost to turn day
+into night. The anxious father instantly hastened back to find his
+child; but, owing to the unusual darkness, and his own trepidation, he
+unfortunately missed his way in the descent. After a fruitless search of
+many hours among the dangerous morasses and cataracts with which these
+mountains abound, he was at length overtaken by night. Still wandering
+on, without knowing whither, he at length came to the verge of the mist,
+and, by the light of the moon, discovered that he had reached the bottom
+of the valley, and was now within a short distance of his cottage. To
+renew the search that night was equally fruitless and dangerous. He was
+therefore obliged to return home, having lost both his child and his
+dog, which had attended him faithfully for years.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning by day-break, the shepherd, accompanied by a band of his
+neighbors, set out again to seek his child; but, after a day spent in
+fruitless fatigue, he was at last compelled by the approach of night to
+descend from the mountain. On returning to his cottage, he found that
+the dog which he had lost the day before, had been home, and, on
+receiving a piece of cake, had instantly gone off again. For several
+successive days the shepherd renewed the search for his child, and
+still, on returning in the evening disappointed to his cottage, he found
+that the dog had been there, and, on receiving his usual allowance of
+cake, had instantly disappeared. Struck with this singular circumstance,
+he remained at home one day, and when the dog, as usual, departed with
+his piece of cake, he resolved to follow him, and find out the cause of
+this strange procedure. The dog led the way to a cataract at some
+distance from the spot where the shepherd had left his child. The banks
+of the waterfall, almost joined at the top, yet separated by an abyss of
+immense depth, presented that abrupt appearance which so often
+astonishes and appalls the traveler amid the Grampian mountains, and
+indicates that these stupendous chasms were not the silent work of
+time, but the sudden effect of some violent convulsion of the earth.
+Down one of these rugged and almost perpendicular descents the dog
+began, without hesitation, to make his way, and at last disappeared in a
+cave, the mouth of which was almost on a level with the torrent. The
+shepherd with difficulty followed; but, on entering the cave, what were
+his emotions, when he beheld his infant eating with much satisfaction
+the cake which the dog had just brought him, while the faithful animal
+stood by, eyeing his young charge with the utmost complacency! From the
+situation in which the child was found, it appeared that he had wandered
+to the brink of the precipice, and either fallen or scrambled down till
+he reached the cave, which the dread of the torrent had afterward
+prevented him from quitting. The dog, by means of his scent, had traced
+him to the spot, and afterward prevented him from starving, by giving up
+to him his own daily allowance. He appears never to have quitted the
+child by night or day, except when it was necessary to go for his food,
+and then he was always seen running at full speed to and from the
+cottage.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<a href="images/51_big.png"><img src="images/51.png" width="550" height="420"
+alt="A SHEPHERD&#39;S DOG FEEDING A LOST CHILD" title="A SHEPHERD&#39;S DOG FEEDING A LOST CHILD" /></a>
+<span class="caption">A SHEPHERD&#39;S DOG FEEDING A LOST CHILD</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The following story is related on the authority of a correspondent of
+the Boston Traveler: A gentleman from abroad, stopping at a hotel in
+Boston, privately secreted his handkerchief behind the cushion of a
+sofa, and left the hotel, in company with his dog. After walking for
+some minutes, he suddenly stopped, and said to his dog, "I have left my
+handkerchief at the hotel, and want it"&mdash;giving no particular directions
+in reference to it. The dog immediately returned in full speed, and
+entered the room which his master had just left. He went directly to the
+sofa, but the handkerchief was gone. He jumped upon tables and counters,
+but it was not to be seen. It proved that a friend had discovered it,
+and supposing that it had been left by mistake, had retained it for the
+owner. But Tiger was not to be foiled. He flew about the room,
+apparently much excited, in quest of the "lost or stolen." Soon,
+however, he was upon the track; he scented it to the gentleman's coat
+pocket. What was to be done? The dog had no means of asking verbally for
+it, and was not accustomed to picking pockets; and, besides, the
+gentleman was ignorant of his business with him. But Tiger's sagacity
+did not suffer him to remain long in suspense; he seized the skirt
+containing the prize, and furiously tore it from the coat, and hastily
+made off with it, much to the surprise of its owner. Tiger overtook his
+master, and restored the lost property, receiving his approbation,
+notwithstanding he did it at the expense of the gentleman's coat. At a
+subsequent interview, the gentleman refused any remuneration for his
+torn garment, declaring that the joke was worth the price of his coat.</p>
+
+<p>One day, as a little girl was amusing herself with a child, near
+Carlisle Bridge, Dublin, and was sportively toying with the child, he
+made a sudden spring from her arms, and in an instant fell into the
+river. The screaming nurse and anxious spectators saw the water close
+over the child, and conceived that he had sunk to rise no more. A
+Newfoundland dog, which had been accidentally passing with his master,
+sprang forward to the wall, and gazed wistfully at the ripple in the
+water, made by the child's descent. At the same instant the dog sprang
+forward to the edge of the water. While the animal was descending, the
+child again sunk, and the faithful creature was seen anxiously swimming
+round and round the spot where he had disappeared. Once more the child
+rose to the surface; the dog seized him, and with a firm but gentle
+pressure, bore him to land without injury. Meanwhile a gentleman
+arrived, who, on inquiry into the circumstances of the transaction,
+exhibited strong marks of interest and feeling toward the child, and of
+admiration for the dog that had rescued him from death. The person who
+had removed the child from the dog turned to show him to the gentleman,
+when there were presented to his view the well-known features of his own
+son! A mixed sensation of terror, joy, and surprise, struck him mute.
+When he had recovered the use of his faculties, and fondly kissed his
+little darling, he lavished a thousand embraces on the dog, and offered
+to his master five hundred guineas if he would transfer the valuable
+animal to him; but the owner of the dog felt too much affection for the
+useful creature, to part with him for any consideration whatever.</p>
+
+<p>A boatman on the river Thames, in England, once laid a wager that he and
+his dog would leap from the centre arch of Westminster Bridge, and land
+at Lambeth within a minute of each other. He jumped off first, and the
+dog immediately followed; but as he was not in the secret, and fearing
+that his master would be drowned, he seized him by the neck, and dragged
+him on shore, to the great diversion of the spectators.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/56_big.png"><img src="images/56.png" width="600" height="442"
+alt="NEWFOUNDLAND DOG, SAVING A CHILD FROM DROWNING" title="NEWFOUNDLAND DOG, SAVING A CHILD FROM DROWNING" /></a>
+<span class="caption">NEWFOUNDLAND DOG, SAVING A CHILD FROM DROWNING</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Some years ago, a gentleman of Queen's College, Oxford, went to pass the
+Christmas vacation at his father's in the country. An uncle, a brother,
+and other friends, were one day to dine together. It was fine, frosty
+weather; the two young gentlemen went out for a forenoon's
+recreation, and one of them took his skates with him. They were followed
+by a favorite greyhound. When the friends were beginning to long for
+their return, the dog came home at full speed, and by his apparent
+anxiety, his laying hold of their clothes to pull them along, and all
+his gestures, he convinced them that something was wrong. They followed
+the greyhound, who led them to a piece of water frozen over. A hat was
+seen on the ice, near which was a fresh aperture. The bodies of the
+young gentlemen were soon found, but, alas! though every means were
+tried, life could not be restored.</p>
+
+<p>There is another story which places the sagacity of the greyhound in
+still stronger light. A Scotch gentleman, who kept a greyhound and a
+pointer, being fond of coursing, employed the one to find the hares, and
+the other to catch them. It was, however, discovered, that when the
+season was over, the dogs were in the habit of going out by themselves,
+and killing hares for their own amusement. To prevent this, a large iron
+ring was fastened to the pointer's neck by a leather collar, and hung
+down so as to prevent the dog from running or jumping over dikes. The
+animals, however, continued to stroll out to the fields together; and
+one day, the gentleman suspecting that all was not right, resolved to
+watch them, and, to his surprise, found that the moment they thought
+they were unobserved, the greyhound took up the ring in his mouth, and
+carrying it, they set off to the hills, and began to search for hares,
+as usual. They were followed; and it was observed that whenever the
+pointer scented the hare, the ring was dropped, and the greyhound stood
+ready to pounce upon the game the moment the other drove her from her
+form; but that he uniformly returned to assist his companion, after he
+had caught his prey.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<a href="images/60_big.png"><img src="images/60.png" width="550" height="427"
+alt="AN ENCAMPMENT OF GIPSIES." title="AN ENCAMPMENT OF GIPSIES." /></a>
+<span class="caption">AN ENCAMPMENT OF GIPSIES.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Some of the dogs belonging to the gipsies possess a great deal of
+shrewdness. The gipsies, you know, are a very singular race of people.
+They are scattered over a great portion of Europe, wandering from place
+to place, and living in miserable tents, or huts. You can form a pretty
+correct notion of a gipsy encampment, by the picture on another page.
+Here you see the gipsy men and women, sitting and standing around a
+fire, over which is a pot, evidently containing the material for their
+meal. If you notice the picture carefully, you will observe, also, a
+little, insignificant looking dog, who is apparently asleep, and, for
+aught I know, dreaming about the exploits of the day. You will no doubt
+smile, and wonder what exploits such a cur is able to perform; but I
+assure you that if he is at all like some of the gipsy dogs I have heard
+of, he has been taught a good many very shrewd tricks. The dogs of the
+gipsies are sometimes trained to steal for their masters. The thief
+enters a store with some respectably dressed man, whom the owner of the
+dog will commission for the purpose, and&mdash;the man having made certain
+signals to the animal&mdash;the gipsy cur, after loitering about the store,
+perhaps for hours, waiting a favorable opportunity, will steal the
+articles which were designated, and run away with them to his master's
+tent.</p>
+
+<p>I made the acquaintance of a dog at Niagara Falls, last summer, who was
+an ardent admirer of the beautiful and grand in nature. The little
+steamer called the "Maid of the Mist" makes several trips daily, from a
+point some two miles down the river, to within a few rods of the Canada
+Fall. I went up in this boat, one morning, and the trip afforded me one
+of the finest views I had of this inimitable cataract. Among the
+passengers in this boat, at the time, was the dog who was so fond of the
+sublime. He walked leisurely on board, just before the hour of starting,
+and during the entire excursion seemed to enjoy the scene as much as any
+of the rest of the passengers. As the boat approached the American
+Fall, he took his station in the bow, where he remained, completely
+deluged in the spray, until the boat passed the same Fall, on its
+return. This, however, is not the most remarkable part of the story. The
+captain informed me that such was the daily practice of the dog. Every
+morning, regularly, at the hour of starting, he makes his appearance,
+though he is not owned by any one engaged in the boat, and treats
+himself to this novel excursion.</p>
+
+<p>There is a dog living on Staten Island, who has for some time been
+acting the part of a philanthropist, on a large scale. He makes it a
+great share of his business to administer to the necessities of the sick
+and infirm dogs in the neighborhood. As soon as he learns that a dog is
+sick, so that he is unable to take care of himself, he visits the
+invalid, and nurses him; and he even goes from house to house, searching
+out those who need his assistance. Frequently he brings his patient to
+his own kennel, and takes care of him until he either gets well or dies.
+Sometimes he has two or three sick dogs in his hospital, at the same
+time. I have these facts on the authority of my friend Mr. Ranlett, the
+editor of the "Architect," a gentleman of unquestionable veracity, who
+has seen the dog thus imitating the example of the Good Samaritan.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/64_big.png"><img src="images/64.png" width="600" height="238" alt="RUSSIAN SLEDGE." title="RUSSIAN SLEDGE." /></a>
+<span class="caption">RUSSIAN SLEDGE.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Captain Parry, an adventurous sailor, who went out from England on a
+voyage of discovery in the northern seas, relates some amusing anecdotes
+about the dogs among the Esquimaux Indians. These dogs are trained to
+draw a vehicle called a sledge, made a little like what we call a
+sleigh. In some parts of Russia many people travel in the same manner.
+Here is a picture of one of the Russian sledges. It is made in very
+handsome style, as you see. The greater portion of them are constructed
+much more rudely. The Esquimaux Indian is famous for his feats in
+driving dogs. When he wants to take a ride, he harnesses up several
+pairs of these dogs, and off he goes, almost as swift as the wind. The
+dogs are rather unruly, however, sometimes, and get themselves sadly
+snarled together, so that the driver is obliged to go through the
+harnessing process several times in the course of a drive of a few
+miles. When the road is level and pretty smoothly worn, eight or ten
+dogs, with a weight only of some six or seven hundred pounds attached to
+them, are almost unmanageable, and will run any where they choose at the
+rate of ten miles an hour.</p>
+
+<p>The following anecdote we have on the authority of the Newark (N. J.)
+Daily Advertiser: An officer of the army, accompanied by his dog, left
+West Point on a visit to the city of Burlington, N. J., and while there,
+becoming sick, wrote to his wife and family at West Point, in relation
+to his indisposition. Shortly after the reception of his letter, the
+family were aroused by a whining, barking and scratching, at the door of
+the house, and when opened to ascertain the cause, in rushed the
+faithful dog. After being caressed, and every attempt made to quiet him,
+the dog, in despair at not being understood, seized a shawl in his
+teeth, and, placing his paws on the lady's shoulders, deposited there
+the shawl! He then placed himself before her, and, fixing his gaze
+intently upon her, to attract her attention, seized her dress, and began
+to drag her to the door. The lady then became alarmed, and sent for a
+relative, who endeavored to allay her fears, but she prevailed upon him
+to accompany her at once to her husband, and on arriving, found him
+dangerously ill in Burlington. The distance traveled by the faithful
+animal, and the difficulties encountered, render this exploit almost
+incredible, especially as the boats could not stop at West Point, on
+account of the ice, it being in the winter.</p>
+
+<p>There is a dog in the city of New York, who, according to unquestionable
+authority, is accustomed every day not only to bring his mistress the
+morning paper, as soon as it is thrown into the front yard, but to
+select the one belonging to the lady, when, as is frequently the case,
+there is one lying with it belonging to another member of the family.</p>
+
+<p>An unfortunate dog, living in England, in order to make sport for some
+fools, had a pan tied to his tail, and was sent off on his travels
+toward a village a few miles distant. He reached the place utterly
+exhausted, and lay down before the steps of a tavern, eyeing most
+anxiously the horrid annoyance hung behind him, but unable to move a
+step further, or rid himself of the torment. Another dog, a Scotch
+colly, came up at the time, and seeing the distress of his crony, laid
+himself down gently beside him, and gaining his confidence by a few
+caresses, proceeded to gnaw the string by which the noisy appendage was
+attached to his friend's tail, and by about a quarter of an hour's
+exertion, severed the cord, and started to his legs, with the pan
+hanging from the string in his mouth, and after a few joyful capers
+around his friend, departed on his travels, in the highest glee at his
+success.</p>
+
+<p>The Albany Journal tells us of a dog in that city, who has formed the
+habit of regarding a shadow with a great deal of interest. In this
+particular, he is not unlike some people that one occasionally meets
+with, who spend their whole time following shadows. The story of the
+Albany editor is thus told: Those who are in the habit of frequenting
+the post-office, between the hours of six and eight in the evening, have
+doubtless noticed the singular wanderings of a dog near the first swing
+door, without knowing the cause of his mysterious actions. The hall is
+lighted with gas, and the burner is placed between the two doors. When
+the outer door swings, the frame-work of the sash throws a moving shadow
+on the wall, beneath the structure, which, from its peculiar movement
+toward the floor, has attracted the notice of this dog. He watches it as
+sharp as if it were a mouse, and although his labors have been
+fruitless, yet he still continues nightly to grace this place with his
+presence. Several attempts have been made to draw his attention from the
+object, with but little success; for though his attention may be
+diverted, it is soon lost, as the instant his eye catches the shadow, he
+renews his watchings. In all his movements he is very harmless, and he
+neither injures nor even molests those who have occasion to pass through
+the hall.</p>
+
+<p>As a farmer of good circumstances, who resided in the county of Norfolk,
+England, was taking an excursion to a considerable distance from home,
+during the frosts in the month of March 1795, he at length was so
+benumbed by the intense cold, that he became stupefied, and so sleepy
+that he found himself unable to proceed. He lay down, and would have
+perished on the spot, had not a faithful dog, which attended him, as if
+sensible of his dangerous situation, got on his breast, and, extending
+himself over him, preserved the circulation of his blood. The dog, so
+situated for many hours, kept up a continual barking, by which means,
+and the assistance of some passengers, the farmer was roused, and led to
+a house, where he soon recovered.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>The Wolf.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/69.png" width="200" height="218" alt="Drop capital F" title="Drop capital F" />
+</div>
+
+<p>rom an authentic source I have obtained an incident of recent
+occurrence, which painfully illustrates the fury of the wolf, while
+engaged at a favorite meal. Near Lake Constance, in Canada, two men
+observed some wolves engaged in eating a deer. One of them, named Black,
+went to dispute the prize with these ravenous animals, when he
+unfortunately fell a victim to his rashness, the wolves having devoured
+him, leaving only a small portion of his bones.</p>
+
+<p>Some three years since, while traveling in Canada, I met a lady who
+resided with a brother in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company, a few
+hundred miles north of Montreal. This lady informed me that she had not
+unfrequently been chased by wolves, while proceeding to the house of her
+nearest neighbor&mdash;about ten miles distant&mdash;and that a pack of them,
+unusually hungry, once seemed very much determined to pull her from
+her horse, though they finally made up their minds that they would try
+their fortunes in another direction.</p>
+
+<p>It sometimes, though not very frequently happens, that several wolves
+together attack men who travel on horseback, and fight furiously. A
+story is told of two men who were traveling in this manner in Mexico,
+when two or three wolves, who, one would suppose, had fasted a good
+while, fell upon the men and their horses, and it was a matter of some
+doubt, for a time, who would be the victors, the travelers or their
+assailants. The former were armed with pistols, too. The wolves got the
+worst of the battle, however, at last, and they retreated, as men very
+often do when they go to war with each other&mdash;having gained nothing but
+a broken limb or two, which they boast of for the remainder of their
+lives.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 380px;">
+<a href="images/71_big.png"><img src="images/71.png" width="380" height="450"
+alt="THE SKIRMISH WITH WOLVES." title="THE SKIRMISH WITH WOLVES." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE SKIRMISH WITH WOLVES.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A peasant in Russia was one day riding along, when he found that he was
+pursued by eleven wolves. Being about two miles from home he urged his
+horse to the very extent of his speed. At the entrance to his residence
+was a gate, which being shut at the time, the frightened horse dashed
+open, and carried his master safely into the yard. Nine of the wolves
+followed the man and his horse into the inclosure, when fortunately,
+the gate swung back, and caught them all as it were in a trap. Finding
+themselves caught in this manner, the wolves seemed to lose all their
+courage and ferocity. They shrunk away, and tried to hide themselves
+instead of pursuing their prey, and they were all killed with very
+little difficulty.</p>
+
+<p>The following story of an encounter with a saucy wolf in the
+south-western part of the United States, is taken from the journal of a
+Santa Fe trader: "I shall not soon forget an adventure with a furious
+wolf, many years ago, on the frontiers of Missouri. Riding near the
+prairie border, I perceived one of the largest and fiercest of the gray
+species, which had just descended from the west, and seemed famished to
+desperation. I at once prepared for a chase; and being without arms, I
+caught up a cudgel, when I betook me valiantly to the charge, much
+stronger, as I soon discovered, in my cause than in my equipment. The
+wolf was in no humor to flee, however, but boldly met me full half way.
+I was soon disarmed, for my club broke upon the animal's head. He then
+'laid to' my horse's legs, which, not relishing the conflict, gave a
+plunge, and sent me whirling over his head, and made his escape, leaving
+me and the wolf at close quarters. I was no sooner upon my feet than my
+antagonist renewed the charge; but being without a weapon, or any means
+of awakening an emotion of terror, save through his imagination, I took
+off my large black hat, and using it for a shield, began to thrust it
+toward his gaping jaws. My <i>ruse</i> had the desired effect; for after
+springing at me a few times, he wheeled about, and trotted off several
+paces, and stopped to gaze at me. Being apprehensive that he might
+change his mind, and return to the attack, and conscious that, under the
+compromise, I had the best of the bargain, I very resolutely took to my
+heels, glad of the opportunity of making a drawn game,<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> though I had
+myself given the challenge." A friend of mine, who visited Texas a
+little while ago, gives quite an interesting account of a ride he had
+through an uninhabited part of that country, where wolves were abundant.
+He says: "As there was no road, I was obliged to take the prairie. My
+conveyance was a mule, which is, by the way, the best for a long journey
+in this country, as it is far more capable of endurance than a horse.
+When I had rode about five miles, I found that I had lost my course; and
+as the sun was clouded, I had no means of guessing at the route. But I
+pushed on, and soon found myself in a dense grove of live oak. Here I
+heard a distinct barking, and thought I must be near a house. I rode
+toward the place whence the noise seemed to proceed, but soon found that
+I had committed a most egregious error; for I was in the very midst of a
+pack of wolves, consisting of about a dozen. As you may suppose, I was
+terribly frightened, though I had heard that wolves in the country
+seldom molest any one traveling on horseback. Still, this interesting
+party appeared singularly fierce and hungry, and I opened a large clasp
+knife, the only available weapon I had, in order to be prepared for the
+contemplated attack. In this way I rode on about a mile, with the wolves
+after me, when the whole force quietly dispersed. After riding about
+three hours more, I discovered that I had been on the wrong track all
+the time, though I was not sure where I was; but it was so dark it was
+not safe to go further. So I spread my cloak on the grass, tied my mule
+up to a tree, made my saddle into a pillow, and, thus prepared, lay down
+for the night. I thought of wolves and snakes for some time, but being
+very tired, soon went to sleep."</p>
+
+<p>The wolf is capable of strong attachments, and has been known to cherish
+the memory of a friend for a great length of time. A wolf belonging to
+the menagerie in London, met his old keeper, after three years' absence.
+It was evening when the man returned, and the wolf's den was shut up
+from any external observation; yet the instant the man's voice was
+heard, the faithful animal set up the most anxious cries; and the door
+of his cage being opened, he rushed toward his friend, leaped upon his
+shoulders, licked his face, and threatened to bite his keepers on their
+attempting to separate them. When the man ultimately went away, he fell
+sick, was long on the verge of death, and would never after permit a
+stranger to approach him.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Franklin, in his journal of a voyage in the Polar seas, mentions
+seeing white wolves there, and gives an account which shows the wolf to
+be quite a cunning animal. A number of deer, says the captain, were
+feeding on a high cliff, when a multitude of wolves slily encircled the
+place, and then rushed upon the deer, scaring them over the precipice,
+where they were crushed to death by the fall. The wolves then came down,
+and devoured the deer at their leisure.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/77_big.png"><img src="images/77.png" width="600" height="364"
+alt="SCENE IN THE OLD WOLF STORY." title="SCENE IN THE OLD WOLF STORY." /></a>
+<span class="caption">SCENE IN THE OLD WOLF STORY.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>When I was quite a little boy, it used to be the fashion for many people
+to fill children's heads with all manner of frightful stories about
+wolves, and bears, and gentry of that sort&mdash;stories that had not a word
+of truth in them, and which did a great deal of mischief. I remember to
+this day, the horror I used to have, when obliged to go away alone in
+the dark. Many a time I have looked behind me, thinking it quite likely
+that a furious wolf was at my heels. The reason for this foolish
+fear&mdash;for it was foolish, of course&mdash;was, that a servant girl, in the
+employ of my mother, used to tell me scores of stories in which wolves
+always played a very prominent part. I remember one story in particular,
+which cost me a world of terror. The principal scene in the tale, and
+the one which most frightened me, was at the time pictured so strongly
+on my imagination, that it never entirely wore off. It was much after
+this fashion. The wolf's jaws were opened wide enough to take a poor
+fellow's head in, and fancy pictured that event as being about to happen
+scores of times. Indeed, the nurse told me, over and over again, that
+unless I kept out of mischief&mdash;which I did not always, I am sorry to
+say&mdash;I should be sure to come to some such end. Boys and girls, if you
+have ever heard such stories, don't let them trouble you for a moment.
+There is not a word of truth in them. I know how you feel&mdash;some of you
+who are quite young, and who have been entertained with stories of this
+class&mdash;when any body asks you to go alone into a dark room. You are
+afraid of something, and for your life cannot tell what. I should not
+wonder very much if some of you were <i>afraid of the dark</i>. I have heard
+children talk about being afraid of the dark. You laugh, perhaps. It is
+rather funny&mdash;almost too funny to be treated seriously. Well, if it is
+not the dark, what is it you are afraid of? Your parents, and others who
+are older than you, are alone in the dark a thousand times in the course
+of a year. Did you ever hear them say any thing about meeting a single
+one of the heroes of the frightful stories you have heard? Do you think
+they ever came across a ghost, or an apparition, or a fairy, or an elf,
+or a witch, or a hobgoblin, or a giant, or a Blue-Beard, or a wolf? It
+makes you smile to think of it. Well, then, after all, don't you think
+it would be a great deal wiser and better to turn all these foolish
+fancies out of your head, just as one would get rid of a company of
+saucy rats and mice that were doing mischief in the cellar or
+corn-house? I think so.</p>
+
+<p>Before I have done with the wolf, I must recite that fable of &AElig;sop's,
+about one who dressed himself up in the garb of a sheep, to impose upon
+the shepherd, but who shared a very different fate from the one he
+anticipated.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/79_big.png"><img src="images/79.png" width="600" height="442"
+alt="THE WOLF IN SHEEP&#39;S CLOTHING." title="THE WOLF IN SHEEP&#39;S CLOTHING." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE WOLF IN SHEEP&#39;S CLOTHING.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A wolf, clothing himself in the skin of a sheep, and getting in among
+the flock, by this means took the opportunity to devour many of them. At
+last the shepherd discovered him, and cunningly fastening a rope about
+his neck, tied him up to a tree which stood hard by. Some other
+shepherds happening to pass that way, and observing what he was about,
+drew near and expressed their amazement. "What," says one of them,
+"brother, do you make a practice of hanging sheep?" "No," replies the
+other; "but I make a practice of hanging a wolf whenever I catch him,
+though in the habit and garb of a sheep." Then he showed them their
+mistake, and they applauded the justice of the execution. The moral of
+this fable is so plain, that it is quite useless to repeat it.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> A drawn game at chess, as some of my readers may not be
+aware, is one in which neither party is the victor.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Horse.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 204px;">
+<img src="images/81.png" width="204" height="400" alt="Drop capital O" title="Drop capital O" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />f all the animals which have been pressed into the service of man, the
+horse, perhaps, is the most useful. What could we do without the labor
+of this noble and faithful animal? Day after day, and year after year,
+he toils on for his master, seldom complaining, when he is well treated,
+seldom showing himself ungrateful to his friends, and sometimes
+exhibiting the strongest attachment.</p>
+
+<p>The following story is a matter of history, and is told by one who was a
+witness of most of the facts connected with it: During the peninsular
+war in Europe, the trumpeter of a French cavalry corps had a fine
+charger assigned to him, of which he became passionately fond, and
+which, by gentleness of disposition and uniform docility, equally
+evinced its affection. The sound of the trumpeter's voice, the sight of
+his uniform, or the twang of his trumpet, was sufficient to throw
+this animal into a state of the greatest excitement; and he appeared
+to be pleased and happy only when under the saddle of his rider. Indeed
+he was unruly and useless to every body else; for once, on being removed
+to another part of the forces, and consigned to a young officer, he
+resolutely refused to perform his evolutions, and bolted straight to the
+trumpeter's station, and there took his stand, jostling alongside his
+former master. This animal, on being restored to the trumpeter, carried
+him, during several of the peninsular campaigns, through many
+difficulties and hair-breadth escapes. At last the corps to which he
+belonged was worsted, and in the confusion of retreat the trumpeter was
+mortally wounded. Dropping from his horse, his body was found, many days
+after the engagement, stretched on the ground, with the faithful old
+charger standing beside it. During the long interval, it seems that he
+had never left the trumpeter's side, but had stood sentinel over his
+corpse, as represented in the engraving, scaring away the birds of prey,
+and remaining totally heedless of his own privations. When found, he was
+in a sadly reduced condition, partly from loss of blood through wounds,
+but chiefly from want of food, of which, in the excess of his grief, he
+could not be prevailed on to partake.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/83_big.png"><img src="images/83.png" width="600" height="326"
+alt="THE HORSE WATCHING THE BODY OF THE TRUMPETER."
+title="THE HORSE WATCHING THE BODY OF THE TRUMPETER." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE HORSE WATCHING THE BODY OF THE TRUMPETER.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In a book called "Sketches of the Horse," is an anecdote which exhibits
+the intelligence of this animal in perhaps a still stronger light. A
+farmer, living in the neighborhood of Bedford, in England, was returning
+home from market one evening in 1828, and being somewhat tipsy, rolled
+off his saddle into the middle of the road. His horse stood still; but
+after remaining patiently for some time, and not observing any
+disposition in his rider to get up and proceed further, he took him by
+the collar and shook him. This had little or no effect, for the farmer
+only gave a grumble of dissatisfaction at having his repose disturbed.
+The animal was not to be put off by any such evasion, and so applied his
+mouth to one of his master's coat-laps, and after several attempts, by
+dragging at it, to raise him upon his feet, the coat-lap gave way. Three
+individuals who witnessed this extraordinary proceeding then went up,
+and assisted the man in mounting his horse.</p>
+
+<p>My father had a horse, when I was a little boy, that was quite a pet
+with the whole family. We called him Jack, and he knew his name as well
+as I did. The biography of the old veteran would be very interesting, I
+am sure, if any body were to write it. I do not mean to be his
+biographer, however, though my partiality for him will be a sufficient
+apology for a slight sketch.</p>
+
+<p>Old Jack was a very intelligent horse. He would always come when he
+heard his name called, let him be ever so far distant in the pasture;
+that is, if he had a mind to come. Of course, being a gentleman of
+discernment, he sometimes chose to stay where he was, and enjoy his
+walk. This was especially the case when the grass was very green, and
+when the person who came for him chanced to be a little green also. Jack
+had his faults, it cannot be denied, and among them, perhaps the most
+prominent one was a strong aversion to being caught by any body but my
+father, whom he seemed to regard as having the sole right to summon him
+from the pasture. I used occasionally to try my hand at catching him. In
+fact, I succeeded several times, by stratagem only. I carried a measure
+containing a few gills of oats with me into the field; and his love for
+oats was so much stronger than his dislike of the catching process, that
+I secured him. But after a while the old fellow became too cunning for
+me. He came to the conclusion that the quantity of his favorite dish was
+too small to warrant him in sacrificing his freedom. He had some
+knowledge of arithmetic, you see. Certainly he must have cyphered as
+far as loss and gain. One day I went into the pasture with my bridle
+concealed behind me, and just about enough oats to cover the bottom of
+my measure, and advanced carefully toward the spot where old Jack was
+quietly grazing in the meadow. He did not stir as I approached. He held
+up his head a little, and seemed to be thinking what it was best to do.
+I drew nearer, encouraged, of course. The cunning fellow let me come
+within a few feet of him, and then suddenly wheeled around, threw his
+heels into the air, a great deal too near my head, and then started off
+at full gallop, snorting his delight at the fun, and seeming to say, "I
+am not quite so great a fool as you suppose."</p>
+
+<p>Still, old Jack was kind and gentle. My father never had any trouble
+with him, and many a long mile have I rode after him, when he went over
+the ground like a bird. I loved him, with all his faults; I loved him
+dearly, and when he was sold, we all had a long crying spell about it. I
+remember the time well, when the man who purchased our old pet came to
+take him away. I presume the man was kind enough, but really I never
+could forgive him for buying the horse. He was rather a rough-looking
+man, and he laughed a good deal when we told him he must be good to
+Jack, and give him plenty of oats, and not make him work too hard. I
+went out, with my sister, to bid our old friend a last sad good-bye. We
+carried him some green grass&mdash;we knew how well he loved grass, he had
+given us proof enough of that&mdash;and while he was eating it, and the man
+was preparing to take him away, we talked to old Jack till the tears
+stood in our eyes; we told him how sorry we were to part with him; and
+he seemed to be sad, too, for he stopped eating his grass, and looked at
+us tenderly, while we put our arms around his neck and caressed him for
+the last time.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 394px;">
+<a href="images/88_big.png"><img src="images/88.png" width="394" height="450" alt="PARTING WITH OLD JACK." title="PARTING WITH OLD JACK." /></a>
+<span class="caption">PARTING WITH OLD JACK.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>I have had a great many pets since&mdash;cats and dogs, squirrels and
+rabbits, canary birds and parrots&mdash;but never any that I loved more than
+I did old Jack; and to this day I am ashamed of the deception I
+practiced upon him in the matter of the oats, when trying to catch him.
+I don't wonder he resented the trick, and played one on me in return.</p>
+
+<p>But I am transgressing the rule I laid down for myself in the outset of
+these stories&mdash;not to prate much about my own pets. According to this
+rule, I ought to have touched much more lightly upon the life and times
+of old Jack.</p>
+
+<p>A correspondent of the Providence (R. I.) Journal, gives an account of a
+horse in his neighborhood that was remarkably fond of music. "A
+physician," he says, "called daily to visit a patient opposite to my
+place of residence. We had a piano in the room on the street, on which a
+young lady daily practiced for several hours in the morning. The weather
+was warm, and the windows were open, and the moment the horse caught the
+sound of the piano, he would deliberately wheel about, cross the street,
+place himself as near the window as possible, and there, with ears and
+eyes dilating, would he quietly stand and listen till his owner came for
+him. This was his daily practice. Sometimes the young lady would stop
+playing when the doctor drove up. The horse would then remain quietly in
+his place; but the first stroke of a key would arrest his attention, and
+half a dozen notes would invariably call him across the street. I
+witnessed the effect several times."</p>
+
+<p>There was a show-bill printed during the reign of Queen Anne, a copy of
+which is still to be seen in one of the public libraries in England, to
+the following effect: "To be seen, at the Ship, upon Great Tower Hill,
+the finest taught horse in the world. He fetches and carries like a
+spaniel dog. If you hide a glove, a handkerchief, a door key, a pewter
+spoon, or so small a thing as a silver twopence, he will seek about the
+room till he has found it, and then he will bring it to his master.
+He will also tell the number of spots on a card, and leap through a
+hoop; with a variety of other curious performances."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 408px;">
+<a href="images/93_big.png"><img src="images/93.png" width="408" height="450"
+alt="ALEXANDER TAMING BUCEPHALUS." title="ALEXANDER TAMING BUCEPHALUS." /></a>
+<span class="caption">ALEXANDER TAMING BUCEPHALUS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The story of Alexander the Great, and his favorite horse Bucephalus,
+doubtless most of my readers have heard before. Bucephalus was a
+war-horse of a very high spirit, which had been sent to Philip,
+Alexander's father, when the latter was a boy. This horse was taken out
+into one of the parks connected with the palace, and the king and many
+of his courtiers went to see him. The horse pranced about so furiously,
+that every body was afraid of him. He seemed perfectly unmanageable. No
+one was willing to risk his life by mounting such an unruly animal.
+Philip, instead of being thankful for the present, was inclined to be in
+ill humor about it. In the mean time, the boy Alexander stood quietly
+by, watching all the motions of the horse, and seeming to be studying
+his character. Philip had decided that the horse was useless, and had
+given orders to have him sent back to Thessaly, where he came from.
+Alexander did not much like the idea of losing so fine an animal, and
+begged his father to allow him to mount the horse. Philip at first
+refused, thinking the risk was too great. But he finally consented,
+after his son had urged him a great while. So Alexander went up to the
+horse, and took hold of his bridle. He patted him upon the neck, and
+soothed him with his voice, showing him, at the same time, by his easy
+and unconcerned manner, that he was not in the least afraid of him.
+Bucephalus was calmed and subdued by the presence of Alexander. He
+allowed himself to be caressed. Alexander turned his head in such a
+direction as to prevent his seeing his own shadow, which had before
+appeared to frighten him. Then he threw off his cloak, and sprang upon
+the back of the horse, and let him go as fast as he pleased. The animal
+flew across the plain, at the top of his speed, while the king and his
+courtiers looked on, at first with extreme fear, but afterward with the
+greatest admiration and pleasure. When Bucephalus had got tired of
+running, he was easily reined in, and Alexander returned to the king,
+who praised him very highly, and told him that he deserved a larger
+kingdom than Macedon. Alexander had a larger kingdom, some years
+after&mdash;a great deal larger one&mdash;though that is a part of another story.</p>
+
+<p>Bucephalus became the favorite horse of Alexander, and was very
+tractable and docile, though full of life and spirit. He would kneel
+upon his fore legs, at the command of his master, in order that he might
+mount more easily. A great many anecdotes are related of the feats of
+Bucephalus, as a war-horse. He was never willing to have any one ride
+him but Alexander. When the horse died, Alexander mourned for him a
+great deal. He had him buried with great solemnity, and built a small
+city upon the spot of his interment, which he named, in honor of his
+favorite, Bucephalia.</p>
+
+<p>An odd sort of an old mare, called by her master Nancy, used to go by my
+father's house, when I was a child. She was the bearer of Peter
+Packer&mdash;Uncle Peter, as he was sometimes called by the good people in
+our neighborhood&mdash;and he was the bearer of the weekly newspaper, and
+was, withal, quite as odd as his mare. As long as I can remember, Uncle
+Peter went his weekly rounds, and for aught I know, he is going to this
+day. No storm, or tempest, or snow-bank, could detain him, that is, not
+longer than a day or two, in his mission. He was a very punctual man&mdash;in
+other words, he always paced leisurely along, some time or another.
+Speaking of pacing, reminds me that the mare aforesaid belonged to that
+particular class and order called <i>pacers</i>, from their peculiar gait. I
+should think, too, that the mare was not altogether unlike the
+celebrated animal on which Don Quixote rode in pursuit of wind-mills,
+and things of that sort. But she had one peculiarity which is not set
+down in the description of Rozinante, to wit: the faculty of diagonal or
+oblique locomotion. This mare of Uncle Peter's went forward something
+after the fashion of a crab, and a little like a ship with the wind
+abeam, as the sailors would say. It was a standing topic of dispute
+among us school-boys, whether the animal went head foremost or not. But
+that did not matter much, practically, it is true, so that she always
+made her circuit; and that she did, as I have said before. Sometimes she
+was a day or two later than usual. But that seldom occurred except in
+the summer season; and when it did happen, it was on this wise: she had
+a most passionate love for the study of practical botany; and not being
+allowed, when at home, to pursue her favorite science as often as she
+wished, owing partly to a want of specimens, and partly to her master's
+desire to educate her in the more solid branches&mdash;he was a great
+advocate for the solid branches&mdash;she frequently took the liberty to
+divest herself of her bridle, when standing at the door of her master's
+customers, and to pace away in search of the dear flowers. Oh, she was a
+devoted student of botany! so much so, that her desire to obtain
+botanical specimens did sometimes interfere a good deal with her
+other literary and scientific engagements. She used to do very nearly as
+she chose. Uncle Peter seldom crossed her in her inclinations. If she
+was pacing along the highway, and felt a little thirsty, she never
+hesitated to stop, whether her master invited her to do so or not, at a
+brook or a watering-trough. Uncle Peter used to say, that he never tried
+to prevent these liberties but once, and he had occasion to repent
+bitterly of that. A thunder-storm was coming on, and he was in a hurry
+to get to the next house. But the mare was determined, before she went
+any further, to stop at a stream of water and drink. He set out to have
+his way&mdash;Nancy set out to have hers. The result was, that Peter was
+obliged to yield. But that was not the worst of it. The old mare was so
+much vexed because her master disputed her will, that while she was
+standing in the brook, she threw up her hind feet and let him fall over
+her head into the water. That gentle correction cured Uncle Peter. She
+had her own way after the ducking.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/98_big.png"><img src="images/98.png" width="600" height="413"
+alt="UNCLE PETER AND HIS OLD MARE." title="UNCLE PETER AND HIS OLD MARE." /></a>
+<span class="caption">UNCLE PETER AND HIS OLD MARE.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Horses have been known to cherish a strong attachment for each other. In
+one of the British wars called the peninsular war, two horses, who had
+long been associated together, assisting in dragging the same piece of
+artillery, became so much attached to each other as to be inseparable
+companions. At length one of them was killed in battle. After the
+engagement was over, the other horse was attended to, as usual, and his
+food was brought to him. But he refused to eat, and was constantly
+turning his head to look for his former companion, sometimes neighing,
+as if to call her. All the attention which was bestowed upon him was of
+no avail. Though surrounded by other horses, he took no notice of them,
+but was continually mourning for his lost friend. Shortly after he died,
+having refused to taste any food from the day his companion was killed.</p>
+
+<p>An old Shetland pony was so much attached to a little boy, his master,
+that he would place his fore feet in the hands of the boy, like a dog,
+thrust his head under his arm, to court his caresses, and join with him
+and a little dog in their noisy rompings. The same animal daily carried
+his master to school. He would even walk alone from the stable to the
+school-house, to bring the boy home, and sometimes he would wait hours
+for him, having come much too early.</p>
+
+<p>But I have occupied the reader's attention long enough with stories of
+the horse, interesting and noble as this animal is. I must, however,
+before I pass to another subject, recite a touching ballad, from one of
+our sweetest bards.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 429px;">
+<a href="images/102_big.png"><img src="images/102.png" width="429" height="400"
+alt="THE OLD HORSE&#39;S ADDRESS TO HIS MASTER, ON BEING SENTENCED TO DIE."
+title="THE OLD HORSE&#39;S ADDRESS TO HIS MASTER, ON BEING SENTENCED TO DIE." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE OLD HORSE&#39;S ADDRESS TO HIS MASTER, ON BEING SENTENCED TO DIE.</span>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table summary="poem">
+<tr><td align='left'>
+<div class="poem">
+<p>And hast thou fixed my doom, kind master, say?<br />
+<span class="i2">And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?</span>
+A little longer let me live, I pray&mdash;<br />
+<span class="i2">A little longer hobble round thy door.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+For much it glads me to behold this place,<br />
+<span class="i2">And house me in this hospitable shed;</span>
+It glads me more to see my master's face,<br />
+<span class="i2">And linger on the spot where I was bred.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+For oh! to think of what we have enjoyed,<br />
+<span class="i2">In my life's prime, ere I was old and poor;</span>
+Then, from the jocund morn to eve employed,<br />
+<span class="i2">My gracious master on my back I bore.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+Thrice told ten happy years have danced along,<br />
+<span class="i2">Since first to thee these wayworn limbs I gave;</span>
+Sweet smiling years, when both of us were young&mdash;<br />
+<span class="i2">The kindest master, and the happiest slave!</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+Ah, years sweet smiling, now forever flown!<br />
+<span class="i2">Ten years thrice told, alas! are as a day;</span>
+Yet, as together we are aged grown,<br />
+<span class="i2">Together let us wear that age away.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+For still the olden times are dear to thought,<br />
+<span class="i2">And rapture marked each minute as it flew;</span>
+Light were our hearts, and every season brought<br />
+<span class="i2">Pains that were soft, and pleasures that were new.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+And hast thou fixed my doom, sweet master, say?<br />
+<span class="i2">And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?</span>
+A little longer let me live, I pray&mdash;<br />
+<span class="i2">A little longer hobble round thy door.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+But oh! kind Nature, take thy victim's life!<br />
+<span class="i2">End thou a servant, feeble, old, and poor!</span>
+So shalt thou save me from the uplifted knife,<br />
+<span class="i2">And gently stretch me at my master's door.</span>
+</p>
+</div>
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<a href="images/105_big.png"><img src="images/105.png" width="550" height="423" alt="THE LEOPARD AND THE SERPENT." title="THE LEOPARD AND THE SERPENT." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE LEOPARD AND THE SERPENT.</span>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Panther and Leopard.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 217px;">
+<img src="images/106.png" width="217" height="300" alt="Drop capital L" title="Drop capital L" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />eopards and panthers are very similar in their appearance and habits;
+so much so, that I shall introduce them both in the same chapter. The
+engraving represents a panther. He is in some danger from the serpent
+near him, I am inclined to think.</p>
+
+<p>A panther is spoken of by an English lady, Mrs. Bowdich, who resided for
+some time in Africa, as being thoroughly domesticated. He was as tame as
+a cat, and much more affectionate than cats usually are. On one
+occasion, when he was sick, the boy who had charge of him slept in his
+den, and held the patient a great part of the time in his arms, and the
+poor fellow appeared to be soothed by the care and attention of his
+nurse. He had a great partiality for white people, probably because he
+had been tamed by them; and the lady who gives this account of him was
+his especial favorite. Twice each week she used to take him some
+lavender water, which he was very fond of, and seized with great
+eagerness. He allowed the children to play with him; and sometimes, when
+he was sitting in the window, gazing upon what was going on below, the
+little urchins would pull him down by the tail. It would seem to be
+rather a dangerous experiment. But the panther let his play-fellows
+enjoy the sport. I suppose he thought that though it was not very
+pleasant to him, he would make the sacrifice of a little comfort rather
+than to get angry and revenge himself. Besides, he might have said to
+himself, "These boys like the sport pretty well; I should guess it was
+capital fun for them; it is a pity to rob them of their amusement it
+does not hurt me much, and I will let it go; they don't mean any harm;
+they are the kindest, best-natured children in the world; they would go
+without their own dinner, any day, rather than see me suffer." If the
+panther said this to himself, it was a very wise and sensible speech;
+and if he did not say it, my little readers may consider me as the
+author of it. I am satisfied, whether the panther has the credit of
+making the remarks or whether I have it, so that my young friends get
+the benefit of the lesson.</p>
+
+<p>In their wild state these animals are very destructive. The same lady
+who tells the story about the tame panther, says that in one case a
+panther leaped through an open window near her residence, and killed a
+little girl who happened to be the only occupant of the house at the
+time, except a man who was asleep.</p>
+
+<p>The tame leopard is often used in India for the purpose of hunting
+antelopes. He is carried in a kind of small wagon, blindfolded, to the
+place where the herd of antelopes are feeding. The reason they blindfold
+him is to prevent his being too much in a hurry, so that he might make
+choice of an animal which is not worth much. He does not fly at his prey
+at once, when let loose, but, winding along carefully, conceals himself,
+until an opportunity offers for his leap; and then, with five or six
+bounds, made with amazing force and rapidity, overtakes the herd, and
+brings his prey to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>I have read a very serious story of an American panther. The lady, who
+is the heroine of the story, and her husband, were among the first
+settlers in the wilderness of one of our western states. They at first
+lived in a log cabin. The luxury of glass was unknown in that wild place
+among the forests, and consequently light and air were admitted through
+holes which were always open. Both husband and wife had been away from
+home for a day or two; and on their return, they found some deer's
+flesh, which had been hanging up inside, partly eaten, and the tracks of
+an animal, which the gentleman supposed were those of a large dog. He
+was again obliged to leave home for a night, and this time the lady
+remained in the house alone. She went to bed; and soon after, she heard
+an animal climbing up the outside of the hut, and jump down through one
+of the openings into the adjoining room, with which her sleeping
+apartment was connected by a doorway without a door. Peeping out, she
+saw a huge panther, apparently seeking for prey, and of course very
+hungry and fierce. She beat against the partition between the rooms, and
+screamed as loudly as she could, which so frightened the panther that he
+jumped out. He was, however, soon in again, and a second time she
+frightened him away in the same manner, when she sprang out of bed, and
+went to the fire-place, in the hope of making a sufficient blaze to keep
+the panther from entering again. But the embers were too much burned,
+and would send out but a slight flame. What could the poor woman do? She
+thought of getting under the bed; but then she reflected that the animal
+would find no difficulty in getting at her in that situation, in which
+case he would tear her in pieces before she could make any resistance.</p>
+
+<p>The only plan which then occurred to her mind for perfect security, was
+to get into a large sea-chest of her husband's, which was nearly empty.
+Into that she accordingly crept. But there was danger of her being
+smothered in this retreat; so she put her hand between the edge of the
+chest and the lid, in order to keep the chest open a little, and admit
+the air. Fortunately this lid hung over the side of the chest a little,
+which saved her fingers. The panther soon came back again, as was
+anticipated; and after snuffing about for some time, evidently
+discovered where the lady was, and prowled round and round the chest,
+licking and scratching the wood close to her fingers. There she lay,
+scarcely daring to move, and listening intently to every movement of her
+enemy. At last, he jumped on the top of the chest. His weight crushed
+her fingers terribly; but she was brave enough to keep them where they
+were, until the panther, tired of his fruitless efforts to get at her,
+and finding nothing else to eat, finally retreated. She did not dare to
+come out of the chest, however, until morning; for she feared, as long
+as it was dark, that the beast might come back again. So there she sat,
+ready to crouch down into her hiding-place, if she heard a noise from
+her enemy. There she remained till after daylight. She was a heroine,
+was she not?</p>
+
+<p>A horse was killed one night by an American panther; but the body was
+not disturbed until the next day, when some gentlemen living in the
+vicinity, had an opportunity of watching the motions of the panther when
+he returned to his prey. He seized the body of the horse with his teeth,
+and drew it about sixty paces to a river, into which he plunged with his
+prey, swam across with it, and drew it into a neighboring forest.</p>
+
+<p>The American panther is very fond of fish, and instances have been known
+of these animals catching trout with their paws. Humboldt says that he
+saw a great many turtle shells which the panthers had robbed of the
+flesh. The manner in which the panther performs this operation, this
+traveler informs us, is to run with all speed when he sees a number of
+turtles together on land, and to turn them, or as many of them as he can
+catch before they reach the water, upon their backs, so that they cannot
+escape, after which he feasts at his leisure.</p>
+
+<p>Two children, a girl and a boy, were playing together near a small
+Indian village, in the vicinity of a thicket, when a large panther came
+out of the woods and made toward them, playfully bounding along, his
+head down, and his back arched after the fashion of the cat when she
+chooses to put on some of her mischievous airs. He came up to the boy,
+and began to play with him, as the latter at first supposed, although he
+was convinced of his mistake when the panther hit him so severe a blow
+on his head as to draw blood. Then the little girl, who had a small
+stick in her hand, struck the panther; and matters were going on in this
+way, when some Indians in the village, hearing the cries of the
+children, came to their rescue.</p>
+
+<p>A gentleman who was formerly in the British service at Ceylon, relates
+the following anecdote: "I was at Jaffna, at the northern extremity of
+the island of Ceylon, in the beginning of the year 1819, when, one
+morning, my servant called me an hour or two before my usual time, with
+'Master, master! people sent for master's dogs; leopard in the town!' My
+gun chanced not to be put together; and while my servant was adjusting
+it, the collector and two medical men, who had recently arrived, in
+consequence of the cholera morbus having just then reached Ceylon from
+the continent, came to my door, the former armed with a fowling-piece,
+and the two latter with remarkably blunt hog spears. They insisted upon
+setting off without waiting for my gun, a proceeding not much to my
+taste. The leopard had taken refuge in a hut, the roof of which, like
+those of Ceylon huts in general, spread to the ground like an umbrella;
+the only aperture into it was a small door about four feet high. The
+collector wanted to get the leopard out at once. I begged to wait for my
+gun; but no, the fowling-piece (loaded with ball, of course) and the two
+spears were quite enough. I got a stake, and awaited my fate from very
+shame. At this moment, to my great delight, there arrived from the fort
+an English officer, two artillerymen, and a Malay captain; and a pretty
+figure we should have cut without them, as the event will show. I was
+now quite ready to attack, and my gun came a minute afterward. The whole
+scene which follows took place within an inclosure, about twenty feet
+square, formed on three sides by a strong fence of palmyra leaves, and
+on the fourth by the hut. At the door of this the two artillerymen
+planted themselves; and the Malay captain got at the top, to frighten
+the leopard out by unroofing it&mdash;an easy operation, as the huts there
+are covered with cocoanut leaves. One of the artillerymen wanted to go
+in to the leopard, but we would not suffer it. At last the beast sprang;
+this man received him on his bayonet, which he thrust apparently down
+his throat, firing his piece at the same moment. The bayonet broke off
+short, leaving less than three inches on the musket; the rest remained
+in the animal, but was invisible to us: the shot probably went through
+his cheek, for it certainly did not seriously injure him, as he
+instantly rose upon his legs, with a loud roar, and placed his paws upon
+the soldier's breast. At this moment the animal appeared to me to about
+reach the centre of the man's face; but I had scarcely time to observe
+this, when the leopard, stooping his head, seized the soldier's arm in
+his mouth, turned him half round, staggering, threw him over on his
+back, and fell upon him. Our dread now was, that if we fired upon the
+leopard we might kill the man: for a moment there was a pause, when his
+comrade attacked the beast exactly in the same manner as the gallant
+fellow himself had done. He struck his bayonet into his head; the
+leopard rose at him; he fired; and this time the ball took effect, and
+in the head. The animal staggered backward, and we all poured in our
+fire. He still kicked and writhed; when the gentlemen with the spears
+advanced and fixed him, while some natives finished him by beating him
+on the head with hedge-stakes. The brave artilleryman was, after all,
+but slightly hurt. He claimed the skin, which was very cheerfully given
+to him. There was, however, a cry among the natives that the head should
+be cut off: it was; and, in so doing, the knife came directly across the
+bayonet. The animal measured scarcely less than four feet from the root
+of the tail to the nose."</p>
+
+<p>Captain Marryatt had a pretty serious adventure with a huge panther in
+Africa, while his vessel lay at anchor in a river there, and he and his
+men were busy in taking in a cargo of ivory. As they were thus engaged
+one day, by some accident a hole was made in the bottom of the boat, and
+they were unable to proceed with it. The captain told the men to remain
+by the boat, and started himself to obtain assistance from the vessel.
+He thought that if he could force his way through the canes which
+abounded in that vicinity, a short distance down the river, he could
+make signals to those on board, and that some of them would come to
+their help. This expedition, however, proved a much longer one than he
+anticipated, and much more perilous. He lost his way. "At first," he
+says, "I got on very well, as there were little paths through the canes,
+made, as I imagined, by the natives; and although I was up to my knees
+in thick black mud, I continued to get on pretty fast; but at last the
+canes grew so thick that I could hardly force my way through them, and
+it was a work of exceeding labor. Still I persevered, expecting each
+second I should arrive at the banks of the river, and be rewarded for my
+fatigue; but the more I labored the worse it appeared for me, and at
+last I became worn out and quite bewildered. I then tried to find my way
+back, and was equally unsuccessful, when I sat down with any thing but
+pleasant thoughts in my mind. I calculated that I had been two hours in
+making this attempt, and was now quite puzzled how to proceed. I
+bitterly lamented my rashness, now that it was too late. Having reposed
+a little, I resumed my toil, and again, after an hour's exertion, was
+compelled, from fatigue, to sit down in the deep black mud. Another
+respite from toil and another hour more of exertion, and I gave myself
+up for lost. The day was evidently fast closing in, the light over head
+was not near so bright as it had been, and I knew that a night passed in
+the miasma of the cane swamp was death. At last it became darker and
+darker. There could not be an hour of daylight remaining. I determined
+upon one struggle more, and reeking as I was with perspiration, and
+faint with fatigue, I rose again, and was forcing my way through the
+thickest of the canes, when I heard a deep growl, and perceived a large
+panther not twenty yards from me. He was on the move as well as myself,
+attempting to force his way through the thickest of the canes, so as to
+come up to me. I retreated from him as fast as I could, but he gained
+slowly upon me, and my strength was fast declining. I thought I heard
+sounds at a distance, and they became more and more distinct; but what
+they were, my fear and my struggles probably prevented from making out.</p>
+
+<p>"My eyes were fixed upon the fierce animal who was in pursuit of me; and
+I now thank God that the canes were so thick and impassable. Still the
+animal evidently gained ground, until it was not more than twenty yards
+from me, dashing and springing at the canes, and tearing them aside with
+his teeth. The sounds were now nearer, and I made them out to be the
+hallooing of some other animals. A moment's pause, and I thought it was
+the barking of dogs, and I thought I must have arrived close to where
+the schooner lay, and that I heard the barking of bloodhounds. At last I
+could do no more, and dropped exhausted and almost senseless in the mud.
+I recollect hearing the crashing of canes, and then the savage roar, and
+the yells, and growls, and struggle, and fierce contention, but had
+fainted.</p>
+
+<p>"I must now inform the reader that about an hour after I had left the
+boat, the captain of an American vessel was pulling up the river, and
+was hailed by our men in our long boat. Perceiving them on that side of
+the river, and that they were in distress, he pulled toward them, and
+they told him what had happened, and that an hour previous I had left
+the boat to force my way through the cane brakes, and they had heard
+nothing of me since. 'Madness!' cried he, 'he is a lost man. Stay till I
+come back from the schooner.' He went back to the schooner, and taking
+two of his crew, who were negroes, and his two bloodhounds, into the
+boat, he returned immediately; and as soon as he landed, he put the
+bloodhounds on my track, and sent the negroes on with them. They had
+followed me in all my windings&mdash;for it appeared that I had traveled in
+all directions&mdash;and had come up with me just as I had sunk with
+exhaustion, and the panther was so close upon me. The bloodhounds had
+attacked the panther, and this was the noise which sounded on my ears as
+I lay stupefied at the mercy of the wild beast. The panther was not
+easily, although eventually overcome, and the black men coming up, had
+found me and borne me in a state of insensibility on board my vessel.
+The fever had set upon me, and it was not till three weeks afterward
+that I recovered my senses, when I learned what I have told to the
+reader."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 274px;">
+<img src="images/119.png" width="274" height="300" alt="Chapter end decoration ." title="Chapter end decoration ." />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/121_big.png"><img src="images/121.png" width="500" height="401" alt="THE ELEPHANT." title="THE ELEPHANT." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE ELEPHANT.</span>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p>
+<h2>The Elephant.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 218px;">
+<img src="images/122.png" width="218" height="300" alt="Drop Capital S" title="Drop Capital S" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br />everal hunters once surprised a male and female elephant in an open
+spot, near a thick swamp. The animals fled toward the thicket, and the
+male was soon beyond the reach of the balls from the hunters' guns. The
+female, however, was wounded so severely, that she was not able to make
+her escape; and the hunters were about to capture her, when the male
+elephant rushed from his retreat, and with a shrill and frightful
+scream, like the sound of a trumpet, attacked the party. All escaped but
+one, the man who had last discharged his gun, and who was standing with
+his horse's bridle over his arm, reloading his gun, at the moment the
+furious animal burst from the wood. This unfortunate man the elephant
+immediately singled out, and before he could spring into his saddle, he
+was prepared to revenge the insult that had been offered to his
+companion. One blow from his trunk struck the poor man to the earth; and
+without troubling himself about the horse, who galloped off at full
+speed, the elephant thrust his tusks into the hunter's body, and flung
+him high into the air. The unfortunate man was instantly killed. After
+this act, the elephant walked gently up to his bleeding companion, and
+regardless of the volleys with which he was assailed from the hunters,
+he caressed her, and aided her in reaching a shelter in the thicket.</p>
+
+<p>A tame elephant had a great affection for a dog; and those who visited
+the place where the animal was exhibited, used to pull the dog's ears,
+to make him yelp, on purpose to see what the elephant would do. On one
+occasion, when this cruel sport was going on at the opposite side of the
+barn where the elephant was kept, she no sooner heard the voice of her
+friend in distress, than she began to feel the boards of the partition
+which separated her and the dog, and then, striking them a heavy blow,
+made them fly in splinters. After this she looked through the hole she
+had made, which was large enough to admit her entire body, with such
+threatening gestures, that the miserable fools who were teasing the dog
+concluded that it would not pay very well to continue the sport.</p>
+
+<p>At an exhibition of a menagerie in one of our principal cities, not long
+since, when the crowd of spectators was the greatest, a little girl, who
+had fed the elephant with sundry cakes and apples from her bag, drew out
+her ivory card-case, which fell unobserved in the saw-dust of the ring.
+At the close of the ring performances, the crowd opened to let the
+elephant pass to his recess; but instead of proceeding as usual, he
+turned aside and thrust his trunk in the midst of a group of ladies and
+gentlemen, who, as might be expected, were so much alarmed that they
+scattered in every direction. The keeper, at this moment, discovered
+that the animal had something in his trunk. Upon examination, he found
+it to be the young lady's card-case, which the elephant picked up, and
+it now appeared that he was only seeking out the owner.</p>
+
+<p>A person in the island of Ceylon, who lived near a place where elephants
+were daily led to water, and often sat at the door of his house, used
+occasionally to give one of these animals some fig leaves, a kind of
+food which elephants are said to be very fond of. One day this man took
+it into his head to play one of the elephants a trick. He wrapped up a
+stone in fig leaves, and said to the man who had the elephants in
+charge, "This time I am going to give him a stone to eat; I want to see
+how it will agree with him." The keeper replied, that the elephant would
+not be such a fool as to swallow the stone&mdash;he might make up his mind to
+that. The other, however, reached out the stone to the elephant, who
+took it in his trunk, but instantly let it fall to the ground. "You
+see," said the keeper, "that I was right, and that the beast is not so
+great a fool as you took him to be;" and drove away his elephants. After
+they were watered, he was conducting them again to their stable. The man
+who had played the elephant the trick was still sitting at his door,
+when, before he had time to think of his danger, the insulted animal ran
+at him, threw his trunk around his body, dashed him to the ground, and
+trampled him to death.</p>
+
+<p>At the Cape of Good Hope, it is customary to hunt these animals for the
+sake of the ivory they obtain from them. Three horsemen armed with
+lances, attack the beast alternately, each relieving the other as they
+see their companion pressed, and likely to get the worst of the contest.
+On one occasion three Dutchmen, who were brothers, having made large
+fortunes at the cape by elephant hunting, were about to return home to
+enjoy the fruits of their toil. They determined, however, the day before
+they started, to have one more hunt by way of amusement. They went out
+into the field, and soon met with an elephant, whom they began to attack
+in their usual manner. But unfortunately, the horse of the man who was
+fighting with the elephant at the time fell, and the rider was thrown to
+the ground. Then the elephant had his vengeance, and it was a terrible
+one&mdash;almost too terrible to think upon. He instantly seized the unhappy
+man with his trunk, threw him up into the air to a vast height, and
+received him upon his tusks as he fell. Then, turning toward the other
+two brothers with an aspect of revenge and insult, he held out to them
+the mangled body of his victim, writhing in the agony of death.</p>
+
+<p>At Macassar an elephant driver one day had a cocoanut given him, which,
+in order to break it, he struck two or three times against the
+elephant's head. The next day the animal saw some cocoanuts exposed in
+the street for sale, and taking one of them up in his trunk, beat it
+about the driver's head until he fractured his skull.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Colton, the author of that admirable book called "Lacon," tells a
+similar anecdote of an elephant in Madras. It was a war elephant, and
+was trained to perform an act of civility called the <i>grand salam</i>,
+which is done by falling on the first joint of the fore-leg at a given
+signal. The elephant was to make the salam before a British officer. It
+was noticed at the time that he was rather out of humor. The keeper was
+ordered up to explain the cause, and was in the act of doing so, when
+the elephant advanced a few steps, and with one stroke of his trunk laid
+the poor man dead at his feet. He then retired to his former position,
+and made the grand salam with the utmost propriety and apparent good
+will. The wife of the unfortunate man said that she had always been
+afraid something of that kind would happen, as her husband had been
+constantly in the habit of robbing the elephant of his rations of rice.</p>
+
+<p>It is said that when once wild elephants have been caught, and eluded
+the snares of their adversaries, if they are compelled to go into the
+woods they are mistrustful, and break with their trunk a large branch,
+with which they sound the ground before they put their foot upon it, to
+discover if there are any holes on their passage, not to be caught a
+second time. "We saw two wild elephants," says a traveler, "which had
+just been caught; each of them was between two tame elephant; and around
+the wild elephants were six men, holding spears. They spoke to these
+animals in presenting them something to eat, and telling them, in their
+language, <i>take this and eat it</i>. They had small bundles of hay, bits of
+black sugar, or rice boiled in water with pepper. When the wild elephant
+refused to do what he was ordered, the men commanded the tame elephants
+to beat him, which they did immediately, one striking his forehead with
+his; and when he seemed to aim at revenge against his aggressor, another
+struck him; so that the poor wild elephant perceived he had nothing to
+do but to obey."</p>
+
+<p>A sentinel belonging to the menagerie at Paris, was in the habit of
+telling the spectators not to give any food to the elephant during the
+exhibition. One day, after a piece of bread had been presented to the
+animal, the sentinel had commenced making the usual request, when the
+elephant violently discharged in his face a stream of water, so that he
+could not utter the admonition in his confusion. Of course the
+spectators roared with laughter, and the elephant seemed to enjoy the
+joke as well as they. By and by, the sentinel having wiped his face,
+found himself under the necessity of repeating the request which he had
+made before. But no sooner had he done this, than the elephant laid hold
+of his musket with her trunk, wrested it from his hands, twirled it
+round and round, trod it under her feet, and did not restore it until
+she had twisted it nearly into the form of a cork-screw.</p>
+
+<p>Elephants are occasionally taught to work on a farm, like horses and
+oxen. Any one visiting Singapore, may see a small elephant, named Rajah,
+working daily on the estate of J. Balestier, Esq., American Consul; and,
+although the animal is only five years and a half old, he will plough
+his acre of land a day, with ease. One man holds the plough, and another
+walks beside the animal, and directs him in his duty. The docile little
+creature obeys every word that is said to him, and will plough all day
+between the cane rows, without plucking a single cane.</p>
+
+<p>An elephant was once wounded in battle, and rendered so furious by the
+pain she endured, that she ran about the field, uttering the most
+hideous cries. One of the men was unable, in consequence of his wounds,
+to get out of her way. The elephant seemed conscious of his situation,
+and for fear she should trample upon him, took him up with her trunk,
+placed him where he would be more safe, and continued her route.</p>
+
+<p>A young elephant received a violent wound in its head, from which it
+became so furious that it was utterly impossible to come near it to
+dress the wound. A variety of expedients were tried, but in vain, until
+at last the keeper hit upon this plan: he succeeded in making the mother
+understand, by signs, what he wanted, and she immediately seized the
+young one around the neck with her trunk, and held it firmly down,
+though groaning with anguish, until the wound was dressed. This she
+continued to do every day, for some time afterward, until the service
+was no longer necessary.</p>
+
+<p>Elephants are said to be exceedingly susceptible of the power of music,
+and some curious experiments were tried at Paris, with a view of
+observing the effect of it upon them. In one instance, a band was placed
+near their den, while some food was given to a pair of elephants, to
+engage their attention. On the commencement of the music, the huge
+creatures turned round, and appeared alarmed for their safety, either
+from the players or the spectators. The music, however, soon overcame
+their fears, and all other emotions appeared absorbed in their attention
+to it. According to the character of the music, so were their feelings.
+If it was bold, they were excited, or manifested signs of approaching
+anger. If it was brisk, they were lively; if it was plaintive, they were
+soothed by its effects. The female seemed to express the most lively
+emotions of the two.</p>
+
+<p>A merchant in the East Indies kept a tame elephant, which was so
+exceedingly gentle in his habits, that he was permitted to go at large.
+This huge animal used to walk about the streets in the most quiet and
+orderly manner, and paid many visits through the city to people who were
+kind to him. Two cobblers took an ill will to this inoffensive creature,
+and several times pricked him on the proboscis with their awls. The
+noble animal did not chastise them in the manner he might have done, and
+seemed to think they were too contemptible to be angry with them. But he
+took other means to punish them for their cruelty. He filled his trunk
+with water of a dirty quality, and advancing toward them in his ordinary
+manner, spouted the whole of the puddle over them. The punishment was
+highly applauded by those who witnessed it, and the poor cobblers were
+laughed at for their pains.</p>
+
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/133_big.png"><img src="images/133.png" width="600" height="426" alt="THE LION." title="THE LION." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE LION.</span>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span></p>
+<h2>The Lion.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 173px;">
+<img src="images/134.png" width="173" height="300" alt="Drop Capital I" title="Drop Capital I" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br />have read a thrilling story of a poor Hottentot, who was sent to take
+his master's cattle to water at a pool not far off from the house. When
+he came to the watering-place, he perceived that a huge lion was lying
+there, apparently bathing himself. He immediately ran, with the greatest
+terror, through the midst of the herd of cattle, hoping the lion would
+be satisfied with one of the cattle, and allow him to escape. He was
+mistaken, however. The lion dashed through the herd, and made directly
+after the man. Throwing his eyes over his shoulder, he saw that the
+furious animal had singled him out. Not knowing what else to do to get
+clear of his enemy, he scrambled up an aloe-tree, that happened to be
+near. At that very moment the lion made a spring at him, but
+unsuccessfully, and fell to the ground. There was in the tree a cluster
+of nests of the bird called the sociable grosbeak; and the Hottentot hid
+himself among these nests, in hopes that he could get out of the lion's
+sight, and that the beast would leave him. So he remained silent and
+motionless for a great while, and then ventured to peep out of his
+retreat. To his surprise, he perceived that he was still watched. In
+this way, he was kept a prisoner for more than twenty-four hours, when,
+at last, the lion, parched with thirst, went to the pool to drink, and
+the Hottentot embraced the opportunity to come down, and run home as
+fast as his legs would carry him.</p>
+
+<p>There is a thrilling anecdote told of a settler in the back districts of
+the Cape of Good Hope, who was a hunter. Returning, one day, with some
+friends, from an excursion, they suddenly came upon two large full-grown
+lions. Their horses were already jaded, and the utmost consternation for
+a moment seized them. They immediately saw that their only hope of
+safety lay in separation. They started in somewhat different directions,
+at the top of their speed, holding their rifles on the cock. Those who
+were most lightly loaded made good way, but the third was left behind,
+and, as his companions disappeared below the brow of a hill, the two
+beasts came directly after him. He quickly loosed a deer which was tied
+to his saddle, but the prey was not sufficient to distract them from
+their purpose. Happily, as is the custom, both barrels of his piece were
+loaded with ball&mdash;a most timely precaution in that country&mdash;and he was a
+good marksman. Turning for a moment, he leveled his gun with as much
+precision as at such a time he could command, and fired. He waited not
+for the result, but again scampered off as quickly as his horse could
+carry him, but he heard a deep, short, and outrageous roar. The ball was
+afterward found to have entered the animal's breast, and lodged in his
+back. His work, however, was but half done. The time he had lost
+sufficed to bring the other within reach, and, with a tremendous bound,
+he leaped upon the horse's back, lacerating it in a dreadful manner, but
+missed his hold, for the poor creature, mad with agony and fear, kicked
+with all his force, and hurried forward with increased rapidity. A
+second attempt was more successful, and the hunter was shaken from his
+seat; the horse, however, again escaped.</p>
+
+<p>The poor fellow gave himself up for lost, but he was a brave man, and he
+determined not to die without every attempt to save his life should
+fail. Escape he saw was hopeless; so planting himself with the energy of
+despair, he put his rifle hastily to his shoulder, and just as the lion
+was stooping for his spring, he fired. He was a little too late; the
+beast had moved, and the ball did not prove so effective as he hoped. It
+entered the side of the wild beast, though it did him no mortal harm,
+and he leaped at his victim. The shot had, nevertheless, delayed his
+bound for an instant, and the hunter avoided its effect by a rapid jump,
+and with the butt-end of his gun struck at the lion with all his power,
+as he turned upon him. The dreadful creature seized it with his teeth,
+but with such force, that instead of twisting it out of the hunter's
+hand, he broke it short off by the barrel. The hunter immediately
+attacked him again, but his weapon was too short, and the lion fixed his
+claws in his breast, tearing off all his flesh, and endeavored to gripe
+his shoulder with his mouth, but the gun-barrel was of excellent
+service. Driving it into the mouth of the beast with all his strength,
+he seized one of the creature's jaws with his left hand, and, what with
+the strength and energy given by the dreadful circumstances, and the
+purchase obtained by the gun-barrel, he succeeded in splitting the
+animal's mouth. At the same time they fell together on their sides, and
+a struggle for several minutes ensued upon the ground. Blood flowed
+freely in the lion's mouth, and nearly choked him. His motions were thus
+so frustrated that the hunter was upon his feet first, and, aiming a
+blow with all his might, he knocked out one of the lion's eyes. He
+roared terrifically with pain and rage, and, during the moments of delay
+caused by the loss of his eye, the hunter got behind him, and, animated
+by his success, hit him a dreadful stroke on the back of the neck, which
+he knew was the most tender part. The stroke, however, appeared to have
+no effect, for the lion immediately leaped at him again; but, it is
+supposed from a defect of vision occasioned by the loss of his eye,
+instead of coming down upon the hunter, he leaped beside him, and shook
+his head, as if from excess of pain. The hunter felt his strength
+rapidly declining, but the agony he endured excited him, and thus gave
+new power to strike the lion again across the eyes. The beast fell
+backward, but drew the hunter with him with his paw, and another
+struggle took place upon the ground. He felt that the gun-barrel was his
+safeguard; and though it rather seemed to encumber his hands, he clung
+tenaciously to it. Rising up from the ground in terrible pain, he
+managed to thrust it into the throat of the lion with all his might.
+That thrust was fatal; and the huge animal fell on his side, powerless.
+The hunter dragged himself to a considerable distance, and then fell
+exhausted and senseless. His friends shortly afterward returned to his
+assistance.</p>
+
+<p>A lion had broken into a walled inclosure for cattle, and had done
+considerable damage. The people belonging to the farm were well assured
+that he would come again by the same way. They therefore stretched a
+rope directly across the entrance, to which several loaded guns were
+fastened, in such a manner that they must necessarily discharge
+themselves into the lion's body, as soon as he should push against the
+cord with his breast. But the lion, who came before it was dark, and had
+probably some suspicion of the cord, struck it away with his foot, and
+without betraying the least alarm in consequence of the reports made by
+the loaded pieces, went fearlessly on, and devoured the prey he had left
+untouched before.</p>
+
+<p>The strength of the lion is so prodigious, that a single stroke of his
+paw is sufficient to break the back of a horse; and one sweep of his
+tail will throw a strong man to the ground. Kolbein says, that when he
+comes up to his prey, he always knocks it down dead, and seldom bites it
+till the mortal blow has been given. A lion at the Cape of Good Hope
+was once seen to take a heifer in his mouth; and though that animal's
+legs dragged on the ground, yet he seemed to carry her off with as much
+ease as a cat does a rat.</p>
+
+<p>One of the residents in South Africa&mdash;according to the Naturalist's
+History&mdash;shot a lion in the most perilous circumstances that can be
+conceived. We must tell the story in his own words. "My wife," he says,
+"was sitting in the house, near the door. The children were playing
+around her. I was outside, busily engaged in doing something to a wagon,
+when suddenly, though it was mid-day, an enormous lion came up and laid
+himself quietly down in the shade, upon the very threshold of the door.
+My wife, either stupefied with fear, or aware of the danger attending
+any attempt to fly, remained motionless in her place, while the children
+took refuge in her lap. The cry they uttered immediately attracted my
+attention. I hastened toward the door; but my astonishment may well be
+conceived, when I found the entrance to it barred in such a way.
+Although the animal had not seen me, unarmed as I was, escape seemed
+impossible; yet I glided gently, scarcely knowing what I meant to do, to
+the side of the house, up to the window of my chamber, where I knew my
+loaded gun was standing, and which I found in such a condition, that I
+could reach it with my hand&mdash;a most fortunate circumstance; and still
+more so, when I found that the door of the room was open, so that I
+could see the whole danger of the scene. The lion was beginning to move,
+perhaps with the intention of making a spring. There was no longer any
+time to think. I called softly to the mother not to be alarmed; and,
+invoking the name of the Lord, fired my piece. The ball passed directly
+over the hair of my boy's head, and lodged in the forehead of the lion,
+immediately above his eyes, which shot forth, as it were, sparks of
+fire, and stretched him on the ground, so that he never stirred more."</p>
+
+<p>Nothing is more common than for the keepers of wild beasts to play with
+the lion, to pull out his tongue, and even to chastise him without
+cause. He seems to bear it all with the utmost composure; and we very
+rarely have instances of his revenging these unprovoked sallies of
+cruelty. However, when his anger is at last excited, the consequences
+are terrible. Labat tells us of a gentleman who kept a lion in his
+chamber, and employed a servant to attend it, who, as is usual, mixed
+blows with his caresses. This state of things continued for some time,
+till one morning the gentleman was awakened by a noise in his room,
+which at first he could not tell the cause of; but, drawing the
+curtains, he perceived a horrid spectacle&mdash;the lion growling over the
+man's head, which he had separated from the body, and tossing it round
+the floor! He immediately flew into the next apartment, called to the
+people without, and had the animal secured from doing further mischief.</p>
+
+<p>We are told of the combat of a lion and a wild boar, in a meadow near
+Algiers, which continued for a long time with incredible obstinacy. At
+last, both were seen to fall by the wounds they had given each other;
+and the ground all about them was covered with their blood. These
+instances, however, are rare; the lion is in general undisputed master
+of the forest.</p>
+
+<p>It was once customary for those who were unable to pay sixpence for the
+sight of the wild beasts in the tower of London, to bring a dog or a
+cat, as a gift to the beasts, in lieu of money to the keeper. Among
+others, a man had brought a pretty black spaniel, which was thrown into
+the cage of the great lion. Immediately the little animal trembled and
+shivered, crouched, and threw himself on his back, put forth his tongue,
+and held up his paws, as if praying for mercy. In the mean time, the
+lion, instead of devouring him, turned him over with one paw, and then
+with the other. He smelled of him, and seemed desirous of courting a
+further acquaintance. The keeper, on seeing this, brought a large mess
+of his own family dinner. But the lion kept aloof, and refused to eat,
+keeping his eye on the dog, and inviting him, as it were, to be his
+taster. At length, the little animal's fears being somewhat abated, and
+his appetite quickened by the smell of the food, he approached slowly,
+and, with trembling, ventured to eat. The lion then advanced gently, and
+began to partake, and they finished their meal very quietly together.</p>
+
+<p>From this day, a strict friendship commenced between them, consisting of
+great affection and tenderness on the part of the lion, and the utmost
+confidence and boldness on the part of the dog; insomuch that he would
+lay himself down to sleep, within the fangs and under the jaws of his
+terrible patron. In about twelve months the little spaniel sickened and
+died. For a time the lion did not appear to conceive otherwise than that
+his favorite was asleep. He would continue to smell of him, and then
+would stir him with his nose, and turn him over with his paws. But
+finding that all his efforts to wake him were vain, he would traverse
+his cage from end to end, at a swift and uneasy pace. He would then
+stop, and look down upon him with a fixed and drooping regard, and again
+lift up his head, and roar for several minutes, as the sound of distant
+thunder. They attempted, but in vain, to convey the carcass from him.
+The keeper then endeavored to tempt him with a variety of food, but he
+turned from all that was offered, with loathing. They then put several
+living dogs in his cage, which he tore in pieces, but left their
+carcasses on the floor. His passions being thus inflamed, he would
+grapple at the bars of his cage, as if enraged at his restraint from
+tearing those around him to pieces. Again, as if quite spent, he would
+stretch himself by the remains of his beloved associate, lay his paws
+upon him, and take him to his bosom; and then utter his grief in deep
+and melancholy roaring, for the loss of his little play-fellow. For five
+days he thus languished, and gradually declined, without taking any
+sustenance or admitting any comfort, till, one morning, he was found
+dead, with his head reclined on the carcass of his little friend. They
+were both interred together.</p>
+
+<p>A lion, when about three months old, was caught in the forests of
+Senegal, and tamed by the director of the African company in that
+colony. He became unusually tractable and gentle. He slept in company
+with cats, dogs, geese, monkeys, and other animals, and never offered
+any violence to them. When he was about eight months old, he formed an
+attachment to a terrier dog, and this attachment increased afterward to
+such an extent, that the lion was seldom happy in the absence of his
+companion. At the age of fourteen months, the lion, with the dog in
+company, was transported to France. He showed so little ferocity on
+shipboard, that he was allowed at all times to have the liberty of
+walking about the vessel. When he was landed at Havre, he was conducted
+with only a cord attached to his collar, and attended by his favorite
+play-fellow, to Versailles. Soon after their arrival, the dog died, when
+the lion became so disconsolate, that it was found necessary to put
+another dog into his den. This dog, terrified at the sight of such an
+animal, endeavored to conceal himself; and the lion, surprised at the
+noise, killed him by a stroke with one of his paws.</p>
+
+<p>M. Felix, some years since the keeper of the national menagerie at
+Paris, added two lions to the collection, a male and a female. He had
+become endeared to them by kind treatment, so that scarcely any one else
+could control them, and they manifested their regard in a great many
+ways. The gentleman, however, was taken very sick, and was confined for
+some time to his bed. Another person was necessarily intrusted with the
+care of these lions. From the moment that M. Felix left, the male sat,
+sad and solitary, at the end of his cage, and refused to take food from
+the hands of the stranger, for whom, it was evident, he entertained no
+little dislike. The company of the female seemed to displease him. In a
+short time he became so uneasy, that no one dared to approach him. By
+and by, however, his old master recovered, and with the intention of
+surprising the animal, he crept softly to the cage, and showed only his
+face between the bars. But the male lion knew him at once. He leaped
+against the bars, patted him with his paws, licked his hands and face,
+and actually trembled with pleasure. The female also ran to him; but the
+other drove her back, and was on the point of quarreling with her, so
+jealous was he lest she should receive any of the favors of M. Felix.
+Afterward, however, the keeper entered the cage, caressed them both by
+turns, and pacified them.</p>
+
+<p>Sir George Davis, who was English consul at Naples about the middle of
+the seventeenth century, happening on one occasion to be in Florence,
+visited the menagerie of the grand duke. At the farther end of one of
+the dens he saw a lion which lay in sullen majesty, and which the
+keepers informed him they had been unable to tame, although every effort
+had been used for upward of three years. Sir George had no sooner
+reached the gate of the den, than the lion ran to it, and evinced every
+demonstration of joy and transport. The animal reared himself up, purred
+like a cat when pleased, and licked the hand of Sir George, which he had
+put through the bars. The keeper was astonished and frightened for the
+safety of his visitor, entreated him not to trust an apparent fit of
+phrensy, with which the animal seemed to be seized; for he was, without
+exception, the most fierce and sullen of his tribe which he had ever
+seen. This, however, had no effect on Sir George, who, notwithstanding
+every entreaty on the part of the keeper, insisted on entering the
+lion's den. The moment he got in, the delighted lion threw his paws upon
+his shoulders, licked his face, and ran about him, rubbing his head on
+Sir George, purring and fawning like a cat when expressing its affection
+for its master. This occurrence became the talk of Florence, and reached
+the ears of the grand duke, who sent for Sir George, and requested an
+interview at the menagerie, that he might witness so extraordinary a
+circumstance, when Sir George gave the following explanation: "A captain
+of a ship from Barbary gave me this lion, when quite a whelp. I brought
+him up tame; but when I thought him too large to be suffered to run
+about the house, I built a den for him in my court-yard. From that time
+he was never permitted to be loose, except when brought to the house to
+be exhibited to my friends. When he was five years old, he did some
+mischief by pawing and playing with people in his frolicsome moods.
+Having griped a man one day a little too hard, I ordered him to be shot,
+for fear of myself incurring the guilt of what might happen. On this a
+friend, who happened to be then at dinner with me, begged him as a
+present. How he came here, I do not know." The Grand Duke of Tuscany, on
+hearing his story, said it was the very same person who had presented
+him with the lion.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/149_big.png"><img src="images/149.png" width="500" height="420"
+alt="THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS." title="THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Part of a ship's crew being sent ashore on the coast of India for the
+purpose of cutting wood, the curiosity of one of the men having led him
+to stray to a considerable distance from his companions, he was much
+alarmed by the appearance of a large lioness, who made toward him; but,
+on her coming up, his fear was allayed, by her lying down at his feet,
+and looking very earnestly, first in his face, and then at a tree some
+little distance off. After repeating these looks several times, she
+arose, and proceeded toward the tree, looking back, as if she wished the
+sailor to follow her. At length he ventured, and, coming to the tree,
+perceived a huge baboon, with two young cubs in her arms, which he
+immediately supposed to be those of the lioness, as she crouched down
+like a cat, and seemed to eye them very steadfastly. The man being
+afraid to ascend the tree, decided on cutting it down; and having his
+axe with him, he set actively to work, when the lioness seemed most
+attentive to what he was doing. When the tree fell, she pounced upon the
+baboon, and, after tearing her in pieces, she turned round, and licked
+the cubs for some time. She then returned to the sailor, and fawned
+round him, rubbing her head against him in great fondness, and in token
+of her gratitude for the service done her. After this, she carried the
+cubs away one by one, and the sailor rejoined his companions, much
+pleased with the adventure.</p>
+
+<p>A French gentleman relates a remarkable anecdote about a combat which he
+saw on the banks of the Niger, between a Moorish chief and a lion. The
+prince took the Frenchman and his company to a place adjoining a
+large wood which was much infested with wild beasts, and directed them
+all to climb the trees. They did so. Then, getting upon his horse, and
+taking three spears and a dagger, he entered the forest, where he soon
+found a lion, which he wounded with one of the spears. The enraged
+animal sprang with great fury at his assailant, who, by a feigned
+flight, led him near the spot where the company were stationed. He then
+turned his horse, and in a moment darted another spear at the lion,
+which pierced his body. He alighted, and the lion, now grown furious,
+advanced with open jaws; but the prince received him on the point of his
+third spear, which he forced into his throat. Then, at one leap,
+springing across his body, he cut open his throat with his dagger. In
+this contest, the Moor's skill was such, that he received only a slight
+scratch on the thigh.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 378px;">
+<a href="images/153_big.png"><img src="images/153.png" width="378" height="450"
+alt="THE CONVENTION OF ANIMALS." title="THE CONVENTION OF ANIMALS." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE CONVENTION OF ANIMALS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Allow me, in concluding these stories about lions, to recite one from
+the French. It is fabulous, as you will perceive; but fables are not to
+be despised. The design of the fable is to illustrate the truth that in
+a community, every one may be more or less useful. "War having been
+declared between two nations of animals (for, notwithstanding their
+instinct, they are as foolish as men), the lion issued a proclamation of
+the fact to his subjects, and ordered them to appear in person at his
+camp. Among the great number of animals that obeyed the orders of their
+sovereign, were some asses and hares. Each animal offered his services
+for the campaign. The elephant agreed to transport the baggage of the
+army. The bear took it upon him to make the assaults. The fox proposed
+to manage the ruses and the stratagems. The monkey promised to amuse the
+enemy by his tricks. 'Sire,' said the horse, 'send back the asses; they
+are too lazy&mdash;and the hares; they are too timid, and subject to too
+frequent alarms.' 'By no means,' said the king of the animals; 'our army
+would not be complete without these. The asses will serve for
+trumpeters, and the hares will make excellent couriers.'"</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 384px;">
+<a href="images/157_big.png"><img src="images/157.png" width="384" height="450" alt="THE GALAGO." title="THE GALAGO." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE GALAGO.</span>
+<br /><br /></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Galago.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/158.png" width="200" height="218" alt="Drop Capital F" title="Drop Capital F" />
+</div>
+
+<p>rom a recent English periodical, I have obtained some interesting facts
+in relation to an animal to which naturalists have given the name of the
+Galago. In the picture on the opposite page you have a portrait of the
+animal, drawn from life. He is a very singular looking fellow, as you
+perceive. Not long ago he was brought to England from Zanguebar, in
+Africa. The specimen, now being exhibited in London, is the first of
+this race of quadrupeds which has ever been introduced from its native
+country into any part of Europe, and it is exciting a great deal of
+interest among naturalists. Very little is known of the genus to which
+the animal belongs, all its species being found only in the barbarous
+countries, very little known, on the eastern coast of Africa. They all
+climb upon trees, like the squirrel. Their habits are strictly
+nocturnal. They never venture from their retreats while the faintest
+gleam of daylight is visible; but at the approach of night they become
+exceedingly active, springing from tree to tree with all the dexterity
+of the squirrel. In the day time, they remain, for the most part, in the
+holes of decayed trees. Their food is gum and pulpy fruits. The country
+where they live is one of the hottest regions on the globe. On this
+account, the animal sent to England is very sensitive to the sudden
+changes of that comparatively northern latitude, and it requires much
+care to preserve him from the influence of the cold. One of the striking
+peculiarities of the animal is the appearance of his feet. They resemble
+the hands of a man, as will be seen by the engraving. This peculiarity
+admirably fits the galago for the life it leads, as it spends a great
+part of its time in leaping on the boughs of trees. The specimen in
+England is remarkably tame and frolicksome, and does not seem altogether
+happy except when he is fondled and petted, when he enjoys himself
+immensely. During the night he delights in active motion, climbing and
+playing like a kitten, often uttering a loud, clucking noise, which ends
+with a sharp, shrill call, of astonishing volume. The animal is not so
+large as a fox.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Bear.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 187px;">
+<img src="images/160.png" width="187" height="295"
+ alt="Drop Capital T" title="Drop Capital T" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />hat distinguished author, Oliver Goldsmith, in his "Animated Nature,"
+has given a most interesting account of the habits of the bear, which I
+wish, for the benefit of my readers, might be embodied in this chapter,
+though, on the whole, I think the entire account is too long, and I am
+forced to omit it. Besides, I suppose it would hardly be just to accord
+such a civility to the bear, while it is denied to the other animals.
+According to the description of this eminent practical naturalist, the
+bear is not by any means the unamiable monster he has been represented
+to be; but has, on the contrary, a great many good traits of character.
+He has been slandered, grossly slandered, if we may credit Mr.
+Goldsmith; and for one, I do credit him. He is exceedingly reliable in
+most of his statements. Now that I am speaking of Mr. Goldsmith, I can
+scarce refrain from adding that I have been greatly assisted, in the
+preparation of this volume, by the work of his above alluded to. It is,
+and ever will be, a valuable book in the library of those who are
+interested in becoming acquainted with nature, in her varied aspects.</p>
+
+<p>There are three species of bears&mdash;the black, the white, and the brown or
+Syrian bear. The latter, represented in the engraving on the opposite
+page, is the one to which allusion is made in Scripture.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/163_big.png"><img src="images/163.png" width="600" height="404" alt="THE BROWN BEAR." title="THE BROWN BEAR." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE BROWN BEAR.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The bear is capable of strong and generous attachment. Many years ago,
+Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, in Europe, owned a bear which had become very
+tame, and which was remarkable for the strength of his love for those
+whom he happened to fancy. In the winter of 1709, a poor Savoyard boy
+had been placed in a barn to stay over night. This boy, finding that he
+was near the hut occupied by the duke's bear, took it into his head to
+go and pay the bear a visit. It was a singular fancy, to be sure. But as
+the old proverb says, "There is no accounting for tastes." He had no
+sooner formed the determination, than off he started to see Marco&mdash;for
+that was the name of the bear. He was cold, I think; and not having
+any other way of warming himself, he thought he would see if Marco could
+not be prevailed upon to let him share in the benefit of his shaggy coat
+for awhile. So in he went, and he and the bear were soon on the best of
+terms. Marco took him between his paws, and warmed him, by pressing him
+to his breast, until the next morning, when he allowed him to depart, to
+ramble about the city. In the evening, the young Savoyard returned to
+the bear's den, and was received with the same marks of kindness and
+affection. For several days, the boy made this den his home. The bear
+saved a part of his food for his companion, and they lived together on
+the most intimate and friendly terms. A number of days passed in this
+manner, without the servants knowing any thing about the circumstance,
+the boy not being in the den when the bear's food was brought. At
+length, one day, when some one came to bring the generous animal his
+supper, rather later than usual, the boy was there. The servant then saw
+the fondness of the bear for the young Savoyard. The boy was asleep. The
+bear rolled his eyes around, in a furious manner, and seemed to intimate
+that as little noise as possible must be made, for fear of awaking the
+child, whom he clasped to his breast. The bear did not move when the
+food was placed before him. This extraordinary circumstance was related
+to Leopold, the owner of the bear, who, with a good many others, went to
+the bear's hut, where they found, with surprise, that the animal never
+stirred as long as his guest manifested a disposition to sleep. When the
+little fellow awoke in the morning, he was very much ashamed and alarmed
+to find that he was discovered, thinking that he should be punished; and
+he begged the duke's pardon for the liberty he had taken with the bear.
+The bear, however, caressed his new friend, and tried to prevail upon
+him to eat a part of the supper which had been brought the previous
+evening, and which seemed untouched.</p>
+
+<p>Bruin is famous for hugging his enemies so desperately, that they are
+glad to get clear of him. But in these hugging fights, he sometimes gets
+the worst of it, as in the following instance. Some years since, when
+the western part of the State of New York was but slightly settled, some
+enterprising emigrant from New England had built a saw-mill on the banks
+of the Genesee river. One day, as he was eating his luncheon, sitting on
+the log which was going through the sawing operation at the time, a huge
+black bear came from the woods, toward the mill. The man, leaving his
+bread and cold bacon on the log, made a spring, and climbed up to a beam
+above, to get out of the way of the bear, when the latter, mounting the
+log which the sawyer had left, sat down, with his back toward the saw,
+and commenced eating the man's dinner. After awhile, the log on which he
+sat approached so near the saw, that he got scratched a little, and he
+hitched away a few feet from the saw, and resumed his dinner. But the
+saw scratched him again soon, of course, and this time rather more
+seriously. Bruin got angry, and his anger cost him dearly. He wheeled
+about, and throwing his paws around the saw, he gave it a most desperate
+hug. In this position he remained, until he was sawn into two pieces, as
+if he had been a log. Poor fellow! we ought to pity him, I suppose; but
+it is pretty difficult to avoid a hearty laugh over his misfortunes.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a story of an encounter between a bear and a bull, which is also
+rather laughable, although there is a good deal of the tragic in it. A
+bull was attacked in the forest by a rather small bear, when, striking
+his horns into his assailant, he pinned him against a tree. In this
+situation they were both found dead; the bull from starvation, the bear
+from his wounds.</p>
+
+<p>Some years ago, a New Hampshire boy found a very young cub near Lake
+Winnepeg, and carried it home with him. It was fed and brought up in the
+house of the boy's father, and became as tame as a dog. At length, it
+learned to follow the boy to school, and by degrees, it became his daily
+companion. At first, the other scholars were somewhat shy of Bruin's
+acquaintance; but before a great while, it became their constant
+play-fellow, and they delighted in sharing with it the little store of
+provisions which they brought for their own dinner. However, it wandered
+off into the woods again, and for four years, nothing was heard of it.
+Changes had taken place in the school where the bear used to be a
+welcome guest. Another generation of pupils had taken the place of the
+bear's old companions. One very cold winter day, while the scholmistress
+was busy with her lessons, a boy happened to leave the door open, and a
+huge bear walked in. The consternation of the mistress and her pupils
+was very great, of course. But what could they do? Nothing but look on,
+and see what would come of this strange visit. However, the bear
+molested no one. It walked quietly up to the fire, and warmed itself.
+Then it walked up to the wall, where the dinner baskets hung, and
+standing on its hind feet, reached them down, and made free with their
+contents. By and by, it went out. But the alarm was given, and the poor
+fellow was shot, when it was found out, by some marks on its body, that
+it was the identical bear that had used to visit the school four years
+before.</p>
+
+<p>In one of the expeditions from England to the Polar seas, a white bear
+was seen to perform an ingenious feat in order to capture some walruses.
+He was seen to swim cautiously to a large, rough piece of ice, on which
+these walruses were lying, fast asleep, with their cubs. The wily animal
+crept up some little hillocks of ice, behind the party, and with his
+fore feet loosened a large block of ice. This, with the help of his nose
+and paws, he rolled along until he was near the sleepers, and almost
+over their heads, when he let it fall on one of the old walruses, who
+was instantly killed. The other walrus, with her cubs, rolled into the
+water; but the young one of the dead animal remained with its mother. On
+this helpless creature the bear then leaped down, and completed the
+destruction of two animals which it would not have ventured to attack
+openly.</p>
+
+<p>It often happens, that when a Greenlander and his wife are paddling
+along out at sea, by coming too near a floating field of ice, a white
+bear unexpectedly jumps into their canoe. Provided he does not upset it
+by the weight of his body, he sits calmly and demurely in one end of it,
+like any other passenger, and allows himself to be rowed to the shore.
+The Greenlander would very cheerfully dispense with the company of the
+bear; but dares not dispute his right there&mdash;it might cost him a pretty
+rough handling. So he makes a virtue of necessity, and rows his bearship
+to the shore.</p>
+
+<p>In the early part of the settlement of this country, an expedition was
+sent to explore a part of the territory now called Missouri. Bears were
+found there, at that time, in great abundance, and of very large size.
+Some of the men belonging to the expedition were in a canoe one day,
+when they discovered a bear lying in the open grounds, about three
+hundred paces from the river. Six of the men, all good hunters,
+immediately went to attack him, and concealing themselves by a small
+eminence, came within forty paces of him before they were perceived.
+Four of the hunters now fired, as nearly as they could at the same
+instant, and each lodged a ball in his body, two of which entered the
+lungs. The furious animal then sprang up, and ran upon the men, with his
+mouth wide open, ready for a terrible attack. As he came near, the two
+hunters who had reserved their fire gave him two rounds, one of which,
+breaking his shoulder, retarded his progress for a moment; but before
+they could reload, he was so near that they were obliged to run to the
+river. Before they reached it, he had almost overtaken them. Two jumped
+into the canoe; the other four separated, and concealing themselves
+among the willows, fired as fast as they could reload. They hit him
+several times; but instead of weakening the monster, each shot only
+seemed to direct him toward the hunters, till at last he pursued two of
+them so closely, that they threw aside their guns and pouches, and
+jumped down a perpendicular bank of some fifteen feet into the river.
+The bear sprang after them, and was within a few feet of the hindermost,
+when one of the hunters on the shore shot him in the head, and finally
+killed him. They dragged him to the shore, and found that eight balls
+had passed through him, in different directions.</p>
+
+<p>While a British frigate was locked in the ice of the Polar seas, three
+bears were discovered one morning, directing their course toward the
+ship. They had undoubtedly been attracted by the scent of a part of the
+carcass of a sea-horse that the crew had killed a few days before, which
+had been set on fire, and was burning on the ice at the time of their
+approach. They proved to be a female bear and her two cubs; but the cubs
+were nearly as large as the mother. They ran eagerly to the fire, and
+drew out of the flames a part of the flesh of the sea-horse which
+remained unconsumed, and ate it voraciously. Some of the crew threw
+large pieces of the flesh from the ship upon the ice, which the old bear
+took, one by one, and laid before her cubs. Then she divided each piece,
+and reserved only a very small portion for herself. As she was carrying
+away the last piece, several of the men on board the ship aimed their
+muskets at the two cubs, and shot them dead; after which they shot at
+the old bear, and wounded her, though not mortally. One of the gentlemen
+who witnessed this spectacle says that it would have drawn pity from any
+but the most unfeeling hearts, to mark the affectionate concern
+expressed by this poor beast, as she saw that her young were dying.
+Though she was sorely wounded herself, and could but just crawl to the
+place where they lay, she carried the last piece of flesh to them, as
+she had done with the others, and divided it for them. When she
+perceived that they refused to eat, she put her paws first upon one and
+then upon the other, and endeavored to raise them up. All this time it
+was deeply affecting to hear her moans. When she found she could not
+stir her dying cubs in this manner, she went away some distance from
+them, looking back occasionally, and moaning, as if in the utmost
+distress. This means not availing to entice them away from the spot, she
+returned, and commenced smelling around them, and licking their wounds.
+Then she went off a second time, as before, and having crawled a few
+paces, looked again behind her, and for some time stood still, uttering
+the most piteous cries. But still her cubs did not rise to follow her,
+and she returned to them, and with signs of the greatest fondness, went
+around them separately, placing her paws upon them tenderly, and giving
+utterance to the same cries of distress. Finding, at last, that they
+were cold and lifeless, she raised her head toward the ship, and growled
+in indignation for the murder. Poor creature! the men on board returned
+her angry cry with a shower of musket balls. She fell between her cubs,
+and died licking their wounds.</p>
+
+<p>Hans Christian Andersen, in his "Picture Book without Pictures," relates
+an anecdote, in his droll way, about a tame bear, who got loose, when
+the man who was exhibiting him was at dinner, and who found his way into
+the public house, and went straight to a room where there were three
+children, the eldest of whom was only some six or eight years old. But,
+Hans, you may tell the rest of the story in your own peculiar language:
+"The door sprang open, and in stepped the great rough bear! He had grown
+tired of standing out there in the yard, and he now found his way up the
+steps. The children were very much frightened at the great, grim-looking
+beast, and crept each one of them into a corner. But he found them all
+out, and rubbed them with his nose. He did them no harm, not the
+slightest. 'It is certainly a big dog,' thought they; and so they patted
+him kindly. He laid himself down on the floor, and the smallest boy
+tumbled over him, and amused himself by hiding his curly head in the
+thick black hair of the animal. The eldest boy now took his drum, and
+made a tremendous noise; and the bear rose up on his hind legs, and
+began to dance. It was charming. Each boy took his weapons&mdash;for they had
+been playing at soldiers before their visitor arrived. The bear must
+have a gun too, and he held it like a regular militia man. What a fine
+comrade they had found!&mdash;and so they marched about the room&mdash;'one, two!
+one, two!' Presently, however, the door opened. It was the children's
+mother. You should have seen her&mdash;her face as white as a sheet; her
+half-opened mouth, her staring eyes. The smallest of the children ran
+up to her mother, and shouted with all her might, 'Mama, we are playing
+at soldiers!'"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/174_big.png"><img src="images/174.png" width="500" height="437" alt="THE JUGGLER AND HIS PUPILS." title="THE JUGGLER AND HIS PUPILS." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE JUGGLER AND HIS PUPILS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Bears have frequently been taught a great many funny tricks. I remember
+seeing one, when a boy, that would stand on his head, and dance, and
+perform sundry other feats of skill. His master was an old man, who
+passed himself off among the little folks as a conjurer. He was dressed
+in a most grotesque manner, and played on a drum and some kind of wind
+instrument at the same time. Besides the bear, who seemed to be the hero
+in the different performances, the juggler had some dogs, which he had
+trained to dance to his music, and a cock which would walk and dance,
+after his fashion, on stilts. But I should not care to witness any such
+performances now. I should not be able to keep out of my mind the
+thought that the different animals engaged in these exhibitions must
+have been subjected to a great deal of pain and ill treatment before
+they could have arrived at such a stage of proficiency, and that thought
+would imbitter the entertainment, I imagine.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>The Rat and Mouse.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 147px;">
+<img src="images/176.png" width="147" height="300" alt="Drop Capital E" title="Drop Capital E" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br />very body, almost, entertains a sort of hostility to the rat family,
+and considers himself licensed to say all manner of hard things about
+them. They are a set of rogues&mdash;there is no doubt about that, unless
+they are universally slandered. But they are shrewd and cunning, as well
+as roguish; and many of their exploits are worth recording.</p>
+
+<p>There were several slaughter-houses near Paris, where as many as thirty
+worn-out horses were slaughtered every day. One of these
+slaughter-houses was regarded as a nuisance, and a proposition was made
+to remove it at a greater distance from the city. But there was a strong
+objection made to its removal, on account of the ravages which the rats
+would make in the neighborhood, when they had no longer the carcasses
+of the horses to feed upon. These voracious creatures assembled at this
+spot in such numbers, that they devoured all the flesh (that was not
+much, perhaps, in many cases) of twenty or thirty horses in one night,
+so that in the morning nothing remained of these carcasses but bare
+bones. In one of these slaughter-houses, which was inclosed by solid
+walls, the carcasses of two or three horses were placed; and in the
+night the workmen blocked up all the holes through which the rats went
+in. When this was done, the workmen went inside with lighted torches and
+heavy clubs, and killed two thousand six hundred and fifty rats. In four
+such hunts, the numbers destroyed were upward of nine thousand. The rats
+in this neighborhood made themselves burrows like rabbits; and to such
+an extent was the building of these underground villages carried, that
+the earth sometimes tumbled in, and revealed the astonishing work they
+had been doing.</p>
+
+<p>That is rather a tough story, but I guess we shall have to believe it.
+It comes to us on the authority of Mr. Jesse, who, in his excellent work
+on Natural History, is pretty careful to say nothing which cannot be
+relied upon as true. As to the battle which those men had with the rats
+in the slaughter-house, it must have been a desperate one. I should not
+have fancied it much. I had a little experience in fighting with rats
+once, when I was a boy. They were in a room occupied with meal and
+flour. The door was closed, so that they could not get out. I was armed
+with a fire shovel, or something of that sort, and I fought, as I
+thought at the time, with a good deal of bravery and some skill. But the
+rats got the better of me. They won the victory. They would jump upon a
+barrel, and from that upon a shelf, and then down they would fly into my
+face, ready to gripe me with their teeth. I was glad to beat a retreat
+soon, I assure you.</p>
+
+<p>They are a shrewd set of fellows, these rats. Some years ago, the cellar
+of the house in which I resided was greatly infested with them. They
+devoured potatoes, apples, cabbages, and whatever came in their way; for
+they are not very particular about their diet, you know. Well, we set a
+trap for them. It was a flat stone set up on one end, with a figure
+four. We scattered corn all about the trap, and placed a few barrels on
+the end of the spindle under the stone. The first night these midnight
+robbers ate up all the corn around the trap, but did not touch a morsel
+under it. This they repeated several nights in succession; and all at
+once, there was not the trace of a rat to be found in the cellar. They
+no doubt held a council (rats are accustomed to hold councils, it would
+seem; they once held a council to deliberate upon the best mode of
+protection against their enemy, the cat, and concluded to put a bell on
+her ladyship&mdash;so the fable says)&mdash;they held a council, as I said before,
+and came to the unanimous conclusion that those quarters were no longer
+safe. So they decamped forthwith; and the very next day after we missed
+them, one of our neighbors complained that they were suddenly besieged
+by a whole army of rats.</p>
+
+<p>A German succeeded in training six rats so that they would go through
+astonishing exercises. He kept them in a box, which he opened, and from
+which they came out only as their names were called. This box was placed
+on a table, before which the man stood. He held a wand in his hand, and
+called by name such of his pupils as he wished to appear. The one who
+was called came out instantly, and climbed up the wand, on which he
+seated himself in an upright posture, looking round on the spectators,
+and saluting them, after his own fashion. Then he waited the orders of
+his master, which he executed with the utmost precision, running from
+one end of the rod to the other counterfeiting death, and performing a
+multitude of astonishing feats, as he was bidden by his master. After
+these performances were finished, the pupil received a reward for his
+good behavior, and for his proficiency in study. The master invited him
+to come and kiss his face, and eat a part of the biscuit which he held
+between his lips. Immediately the animal ran toward him, climbed up to
+his shoulder, licked the cheek of his master, and afterward took the
+biscuit. Then, turning to the spectators, he seated himself on his
+master's shoulder, ate his dinner, and returned to his box. The other
+rats were called, one by one, in the same manner, and all went through
+the several parts with the same precision.</p>
+
+<p>I have read a pretty tough rat story in the "Penny Magazine," but it is
+said to be authentic. "An open box," says the narrator, "containing some
+bottles of Florence oil, was placed in a room which was seldom visited.
+On going into the room for one of the bottles, it was perceived that the
+pieces of bladder and the cotton, which were at the mouth of each
+bottle, had disappeared; and that a considerable quantity of the
+contents of the bottles had been consumed. This circumstance having
+excited surprise, some of the bottles were filled with oil, and the
+mouths of them secured as before. The next morning the coverings of the
+bottles had again been removed, and part of the oil was gone. On
+watching the room, through a small window, some rats were seen to get
+into the box, thrust their tails into the necks of the bottles, and
+then, withdrawing them, lick off the oil which adhered to them."</p>
+
+<p>Another story about these animals, almost as wonderful, I have upon the
+authority of a clergyman in England. He says that he was walking out in
+the meadow one evening, and he observed a great number of rats in the
+act of emigrating. He stood perfectly still, and the whole army passed
+close to him. Among the number he tells us was an old rat who was blind.
+He held a piece of stick by one end in his mouth, while another rat had
+hold of the other end of it, and was conducting him.</p>
+
+<p>The Chicago Democrat tells the following, prefacing it with the remark
+that the rats of Chicago are "noted for their firmness and daring." A
+few nights since, a cat belonging to a friend, while exercising the
+office of mother of a family of kittens, was attacked by a regularly
+organized band of rats, which, sad to relate, contrived to kill the
+parent, and make a prey of the offspring. In the morning the cat was
+found bitten to death by the side of nine of her assailants, whom she
+slew before she was overpowered by superior numbers.</p>
+
+<p>The following story about a rat extremely fond of good living, was told
+me by a clerical friend residing in the city of New York. The family in
+which this rat lived, had just purchased some round clams, and they were
+placed in the cellar. One night all the inmates of the house were
+alarmed by an unusual noise. It appeared as if some one was stamping
+about the house with heavy boots on. It was a long time before they
+found out how the matter stood; but when they did find out, an old rat
+was discovered dragging one of these clams about with him. It appeared
+that this fellow, thinking it would be nice to have a supper from one of
+the clams, which he saw open, thrust in his paw, and got caught.</p>
+
+<p>This story reminds me of a French fable about the rat who got tired of
+staying at home, and went abroad to see something of the world. "A rat
+with very few brains"&mdash;so runs the fable&mdash;"got tired of living in
+solitude, and took it into his head to travel. He had hardly proceeded a
+mile, before he exclaimed, 'What a grand and spacious world this is!
+Behold the Alps and the Pyrenees!' The least mole-hill seemed a mountain
+in his eyes. After a few days, our traveler arrived at the sea-coast,
+where there were a multitude of oysters. At first he thought they were
+ships. Among these oysters, was one lying open. The rat perceived it.
+'What do I see?' said he. 'Here is a delicate morsel for me, and if I am
+not greatly mistaken, I shall have a fine dinner to-day.' So he
+approached the oyster, stretched out his neck, and thrust his head
+between the shells. The oyster closed, and master Nibble was caught as
+effectually as if he was in a trap." I believe the moral of this fable
+is something as follows: "Those who have no experience in the world, are
+often astonished at the smallest objects, and not unfrequently become
+the dupes of their ignorance."</p>
+
+<p>In 1776, one of the British ships engaged in the war with this country,
+became infested with rats to such a degree, that they at last devoured
+daily nearly a hundred weight of biscuit. They were at last destroyed,
+by smoking the ship between decks, after which several bushels of them
+were removed.</p>
+
+<p>In the Isle of France rats are found in prodigious swarms. There were
+formerly so many, that, according to some accounts, they formed the
+principal cause for abandoning the island by the Dutch. In some of the
+houses, thirty thousand have been known to be killed in one year.</p>
+
+<p>In Egypt, when the waters of the Nile retire, after the annual overflow,
+multitudes of rats and mice are seen to issue from the moistened soil.
+The Egyptians believe that these animals are generated from the earth;
+and some of the people assert, that they have seen the rats in a state
+of formation, while one half of the bodies was flesh and the other half
+mud.</p>
+
+<p>The following anecdote is related by a correspondent of one of the
+English newspapers: "This morning," says he, "while reading in bed, I
+was suddenly interrupted by a noise similar to that made by rats, when
+running through a double wainscot, and endeavoring to pierce it. The
+noise ceased for some moments, and then commenced again. I was only two
+or three feet from the wall whence the noise proceeded; and soon I
+perceived a great rat making his appearance at a hole. It looked about
+for awhile, without making any noise, and having made the observations
+it wished, it retired. An instant after, I saw it come again, leading by
+the ear another rat, larger than itself, and which appeared to be much
+advanced in years. Having left this one at the edge of the hole, it was
+joined by another young rat. The two then ran about the chamber,
+collecting the crumbs of bread which had fallen from the table at supper
+the previous evening, and carried them to the rat which they had left at
+the edge of the hole. I was astonished at this extraordinary attention
+on the part of the young rats, and continued to observe all their
+motions with a great deal of care. It soon appeared clear to me that the
+animal to whom the food was brought was blind, and unable to find the
+bread which was placed before it, except by feeling after it. The two
+younger ones were undoubtedly the offspring of the other, and they were
+engaged in supplying the wants of their poor, blind parent. I admired
+the wisdom of the God of nature, who has given to all animals a social
+tenderness, a gratitude, I had almost said a virtue, proportionate to
+their faculties. From that moment, these creatures, which I had before
+abhorred, seemed to become my friends. By and by, a person opened the
+door of the room, when the two young rats warned the blind one by a cry;
+and in spite of their fears, they did not seek for safety themselves,
+until assured that their blind parent was beyond the reach of danger.
+They followed as the other retired, and served as a sort of rear-guard."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/186_big.png"><img src="images/186.png" width="600" height="441" alt="FIELD MICE." title="FIELD MICE." /></a>
+<span class="caption">FIELD MICE.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>There are several species of mice. The engraving represents the field
+mouse, an animal which sometimes makes great havoc with the farmer's
+grain. The common domestic mouse is perhaps better known. He is
+generally, and I think I may say justly, regarded as a pest in the house
+where he becomes a tenant. But he is an interesting animal, after all. I
+love to watch him&mdash;the sly little fellow&mdash;nibbling his favorite cheese,
+his keen black eye looking straight at me, all the time, as if to read
+by my countenance what sort of thoughts I had about his mouseship. How
+much at home he always contrives to make himself in a family! How very
+much at his ease he is, as he regales himself on the best things which
+the house affords!</p>
+
+<p>A day or two ago, a friend of mine was telling me an amusing story about
+some mice with which he had the pleasure of a slight acquaintance. He
+lived in the same house with a gentleman who kept a sort of bachelor's
+hall, and who was a great lover of pets. This gentleman took him into
+his room one day to see a mouse which he was educating to be a companion
+of his lonely hours. The bachelor remarked that he had been a pensioner
+for some time, that he fed him bountifully every day, and that he had
+become very tame indeed. "But," said the mouse's patron, "he is an
+ungrateful fellow. He is not content with eating what I give him; he
+destroys every thing he can lay hold of." A short time after this, my
+friend was called in again, when he was told by the bachelor, that, the
+mouse having become absolutely intolerable by his petty larcenies and
+grand larcenies, he set a trap for him and caught him. But still the
+larcenies continued. He set his trap again, and caught another rogue,
+and another, and another, till at last he found he had been making a pet
+of thirteen mice, instead of one, as he at first supposed.</p>
+
+<p>The field mouse, represented in the engraving, lays up a large store of
+provisions in his nice little nest under ground, which he keeps for
+winter. These mice are very particular in stowing away their winter
+store. The corn, acorns, chestnuts, hickory nuts, and whatever else they
+hoard up, have each separate apartments. One room contains nothing but
+corn, another nothing but chestnuts, and so on. When they have exhausted
+their stock of provisions before spring, and they have nothing else to
+eat, they turn to, and eat one another. They are regular cannibals, if
+their manners and customs have been correctly reported. Sometimes the
+hogs, as they are roaming about the pasture, in the autumn, soon after a
+family of field mice have laid in their provisions, and before the
+ground has frozen, come across the nest, and smell the good things that
+are in it. Then the poor mouse has to suffer. The author of the Boy's
+Winter Book thus graphically and humorously describes the misfortunes of
+such a mouse: "There he sits huddled up in a dark corner, looking on, as
+the hog is devouring the contents of his house, saying to himself, no
+doubt, 'I wish it may choke you, you great, grunting brute, that I do.
+There go my poor acorns, a dozen at a mouthfull. Twelve long journeys I
+had to take to the foot of the old oak, where I picked them up&mdash;such a
+hard day's work, that I could hardly get a wink of sleep, my bones ached
+so. And now that great glutton gobbles them all up at once, and makes
+nothing of it! What I shall do in the winter, I'm sure I don't know.
+There goes my corn, too, which I brought, a little at a time, all the
+way from the field on the other side of the woods, and with which I was
+often obliged to rest, two or three times before I reached home; and
+then I sometimes had to lay my load down, while I had a battle with
+another field mouse, who tried to take the corn away from me, under
+pretence of helping me to carry it home, which I knew well enough meant
+his own nest. And after all this fighting, and slaving, and carrying
+heavy loads from sunrise to sunset, here comes a pair of great, grunting
+pork chaps, and make a meal from my hard earnings. Well, never mind, Mr.
+Pig. It's winter now; but perhaps by next harvest time, I shall creep
+into some reaper's basket, and have a taste of you, when he brings a
+part of you, nicely cured and cooked, and laid lovingly between two
+slices of bread and butter. I'll be even with you then, old fellow&mdash;that
+I will, if I am only spared!' And so he creeps out, scarcely knowing
+whether he should make up his mind to beg, borrow, or steal, half
+muttering to himself, as he hops across the way, to visit some neighbor
+for a breakfast, 'I declare such infamous treatment is enough to make
+one dishonest, and never be industrious and virtuous any more!'"</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>The Rabbit.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/192.png" width="200" height="218" alt="Drop capital F" title="Drop capital F" />
+</div>
+
+<p>riend reader, did you ever see the rabbit bounding along through the
+bushes, when you have been walking in the woods? When a boy, I used
+often to be amused at the gambols of the rabbits, in the woods near my
+father's house. They do not run very gracefully or very fast, and a dog
+easily overtakes them. It seems cruel to hunt them, and set snares for
+them; and yet if they are wanted for food, doubtless there is no harm in
+taking their life. The way in which I used to catch them, years ago,
+when the sources of my enjoyment were widely different from what they
+are at present, was by means of a box-trap with a lid to it, so adjusted
+that the poor rabbit, when he undertook to nibble the apple, attached to
+the spindle for a bait, sprung the trap, and made himself a prisoner.
+Another method we used to employ to catch the rabbit, was something like
+this: a fence was made of brush-wood, about three feet high, and
+reaching some rods in length. The brush in this fence was interlaced so
+closely, that rabbits and partridges could not get through except at
+intervals of a few yards, where there was a door. At this door was a
+noose connecting with a flexible pole, which was bent down for the
+purpose. The unsuspecting rabbit, in his journeyings from place to
+place, comes to the fence. He could leap over, if he should try. But he
+thinks it cheaper to walk through the door, especially as there is a
+choice bit of apple suspended over the entrance. Well, he attempts to go
+through, stopping a minute to eat that favorite morsel; he thrusts his
+head into the noose; the trap is sprung, and the elastic pole twitches
+the poor wayfarer up by the neck. It is rather barbarous business, this
+snaring innocent rabbits; and I should much rather my young friends
+would adopt either of a hundred other sports of winter, than this.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/193.png" width="500" height="302" alt="THE RABBIT TRAP." title="THE RABBIT TRAP." />
+<span class="caption">THE RABBIT TRAP.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The father of a family of rabbits is said to exercise a very respectable
+discipline among the children. Would it not be well for some of our
+fathers and mothers to attend school, a quarter or so, in one of their
+villages? The father among rabbits is a patriarch. Somebody who owned
+several tame ones, tells us that whenever any of them quarreled, the
+father instantly ran among them, and at once peace and order were
+restored. "If he caught any one quarreling, he always punished him as an
+example to the rest. Having taught them to come to me," says this man,
+"with the call of a whistle, the instant this signal was given, I saw
+this old fellow marshal up his forces, sometimes taking the lead, and
+sometimes making them file off before him."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/194_big.png"><img src="images/194.png" width="500" height="421" alt="THE RABBIT." title="THE RABBIT." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE RABBIT.</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Hare.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 134px;">
+<img src="images/197.png" width="134" height="300" alt="Drop Capital P" title="Drop Capital P" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br />robably most of my readers are so well acquainted with natural history,
+that they do not need to be told that the hare and the rabbit are very
+like, in their appearance, as well as in most of their habits. The two
+animals, however, are sufficiently unlike to be entitled to a separate
+introduction in our stories.</p>
+
+<p>Hares have been known to possess a good deal of cunning, which is a
+fortunate circumstance for them, as they often need not a little of this
+trait of character in their numerous persecutions. "I have seen," says
+Du Fouilloux, a French naturalist, "a hare so cunning, that, as soon as
+it heard the huntsman's horn, it started from its place, and though at
+the distance of a quarter of a league from it, leaped to a pond, and
+there hid itself among the rushes, thus escaping the pursuit of the
+dogs. I have seen a hare, which, after having run above two hours before
+the dogs, has dislodged another hare, and taken possession of its
+residence. I have seen them swim over three ponds, of which the smallest
+was not less than eighty paces broad. I have seen others, which, after
+having been warmly chased for two hours, have entered a sheep-cot,
+through the little opening under the door, and remained among the
+cattle. Others, again, when the dogs have chased them, have joined a
+flock of sheep in the field, and, in like manner, remained with them. I
+have seen others, which, when they heard the dogs, have concealed
+themselves in the earth, or have gone along on one side of a hedge, and
+returned by the other, so that there was only the thickness of the hedge
+between the dogs and the hare. I have seen others, which, after they had
+been chased for half an hour, have mounted an old wall of six feet high,
+and taken refuge in a hole covered with ivy."</p>
+
+<p>An English hunter tells a very affecting anecdote about two hares which
+were chased by a pack of dogs. A hare which they had pursued for some
+time was nearly exhausted. On the way, he came across another hare,
+doubtless a personal friend of his. The latter, after a short
+conversation with the former&mdash;for there was not time for many
+ceremonies&mdash;took the place of the poor weary one, and allowed himself to
+be chased by the dogs, while the other, who must soon have fallen a
+victim to the dogs, was left to shift as best he could, and try to find
+a place of shelter.</p>
+
+<p>The hares in Liberia exhibit much foresight. In the month of August they
+cut great quantities of soft, tender grass, and other herbs, which they
+spread out to dry. This hay, early in autumn, they collect into heaps,
+and place either beneath the overhanging rocks, or around the trunks of
+trees, in conical heaps of various sizes, resembling the stacks in which
+men sometimes preserve their hay in winter. The stacks which the hares
+make are much smaller, however, not usually more than three feet high.
+In the winter these stacks are covered with snow, and the animals make a
+path between them and their holes. They select the best of vegetables
+for their winter store, and crop them when in the fullest vigor, and
+these they make into the best and greenest hay.</p>
+
+<p>Dr. Towson, while in Gottingen, succeeded in getting a young hare so
+tame, that it would play about his sofa and bed. It would leap upon his
+knee, pat him with its fore feet, and frequently, while he was
+reading, it would jump up in his lap, and knock the book out of his
+hand, so as to get a share of his attention.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/201_big.png"><img src="images/201.png" width="500" height="434" alt="TAME HARES." title="TAME HARES." /></a>
+<span class="caption">TAME HARES.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>One Sunday evening, five men were sitting on the bank of the river
+Mersey, in England, singing sacred songs. The field where they were had
+a forest on one side of it. As they were singing, a hare came out of
+this forest, and ran toward the place where they were seated. When she
+came up very near the spot, she suddenly stopped, and stood still for a
+considerable time, appearing to enjoy the sound of the music. She
+frequently turned her head, as if listening with intense interest. When
+they stopped singing, she turned slowly toward the forest. She had
+nearly reached the forest, when the gentlemen commenced singing again.
+The hare turned around, and ran back swiftly, nearly to the spot where
+she stood before, and listened with the same apparent pleasure, until
+the music was finished, when she again retired toward the woods, and
+soon disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>Cowper was a great lover of pets; and I confess that I love him for this
+trait in his character. He has endeared himself to me, indeed, as much
+by the kindness he showed to the different animals which he had about
+him, and which he had taught to love him, as by almost any other act of
+his. I never think of Cowper, without thinking, too, of the interest he
+took in every thing that breathed; and I hardly ever see a pet hare, or
+rabbit, or squirrel, without thinking of him. If the reader is as much
+interested in the poet as I am, he will like to see a portrait of him,
+which I introduce in this connection. Many people take great delight in
+hunting such beautiful and innocent animals as the fawn and the hare.
+But Cowper was no sportsman. He could not bear to hurt any thing that
+lived. You remember, perhaps, what he says in his "Task" about being
+kind to animals. Let me see if I can quote it from memory. I guess I
+can, for I learned it at school when a little boy, and those things are
+always fixed in the memory more indelibly than those which are learned
+in maturer years. I think he says&mdash;</p>
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table summary="poem">
+<tr><td align='left'>
+<div class="poem">
+<p>
+"I would not enter on my list of friends&mdash;<br />
+Though graced with polished manners and fine sense,<br />
+Yet wanting sensibility&mdash;the man<br />
+Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.<br />
+An inadvertent step may crush the snail,<br />
+That crawls at eve along the public path;<br />
+But he who has humanity, forewarned,<br />
+Will step aside, and let the reptile live."</p>
+</div>
+</td></tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 344px;">
+<a href="images/204_big.png"><img src="images/204.png" width="344" height="400" alt="THE POET COWPER." title="THE POET COWPER." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE POET COWPER.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>He was right&mdash;the kind-hearted poet was right. Well, as I said before,
+he was not only careful about giving pain to animals, but he was very
+fond of pets. First and last, he had a good many of these pets. But
+there were none of them that he took so great delight in as his hares.
+He had two of these pretty little creatures, and they seemed to be as
+fond of him as he was of them. Cowper was subject to fits of great
+despondency, or depression of spirits. With him hypochondria was a sort
+of chronic disease. He would try to be cheerful. He knew the nature of
+his melancholy, and often tried to remedy indirectly what could not be
+reached directly. He resorted to innocent amusements in order to lead
+the mind away from the contemplation of its own ills, real or imaginary.
+This was well&mdash;it was philosophical&mdash;but it did not always succeed. The
+disease was too deeply seated in his system. The care which he took of
+his pets was no doubt one of his favorite amusements. These hares&mdash;there
+were three of them at first, though one of them did not live long&mdash;had
+each very different characters. The poet described them in detail in one
+of his letters. Puss was the greatest favorite. He was more tractable,
+tame and affectionate than the rest. Once the fellow was very sick, and
+his master treated him with a great deal of kindness, gave him medicine,
+and nursed him so well that he recovered. Cowper says that Puss showed
+his gratitude by licking his hand for a long time, a ceremony he never
+went through with but once in his life, before or afterward. Bess, who
+died young, was the funny one. He had a great fund of humor and
+drollery. Tiney, though very entertaining in his way, seems to have been
+rather a grave and surly fellow. When he died&mdash;and he lived to a good
+old age, some nine years, I think&mdash;Cowper buried him with honor, and
+wrote an epitaph for him. I will copy two or three stanzas from this
+epitaph, to show that Tiney got quite as good a character as he
+deserved.<br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="center">EPITAPH ON A HARE</p>
+<div class='center'>
+<table summary="poem">
+<tr><td align='left'>
+<div class="poem">
+<p>
+Here lies, whom hound did ne'er pursue,<br />
+<span class="i2">Nor swifter greyhound follow,</span>
+Whose feet ne'er tainted morning dew,<br />
+<span class="i2">Nor ear heard huntsman's hallo.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+Old Tiney, surliest of his kind,<br />
+<span class="i2">Who, nursed with tender care,</span>
+And to domestic bounds confined,<br />
+<span class="i2">Was still a wild Jack-hare.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+Though duly from my hand he took<br />
+<span class="i2">His pittance every night,</span>
+He did it with a jealous look,<br />
+<span class="i2">And when he could, would bite.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+I kept him for his humor's sake,<br />
+<span class="i2">For he would oft beguile</span>
+My heart of thought, that made it ache,<br />
+<span class="i2">And force me to a smile.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+But now beneath this walnut shade,<br />
+<span class="i2">He finds his long, last home,</span>
+And waits, in snug concealment laid,<br />
+<span class="i2">Till gentler Puss shall come.</span>
+</p>
+<p>
+He, still more aged, feels the shocks,<br />
+<span class="i2">From which no power can save,</span>
+And, partner once of Tiney's box,<br />
+<span class="i2">Must soon partake his grave.</span>
+</p>
+</div>
+</td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Goat.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 122px;">
+<img src="images/207.png" width="122" height="300" alt="Drop capital G" title="Drop capital G" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br />oats have been taught to perform a great many wonderful exploits. The
+celebrated traveler, Dr. Clarke, gives a very curious account of a goat
+which he came across in Arabia. This goat would perform some most
+surprising feats of dexterity. "We met," he says, "an Arab with a goat,
+which he led about the country to exhibit, in order to gain a
+livelihood. He had taught this animal, while he accompanied its
+movements with a song, to mount upon little cylindrical blocks of wood,
+placed successively one above another, and resembling in shape the dice
+belonging to a backgammon table. In this manner the goat stood, first on
+the top of two; afterward of three, four, five, and six, until it
+remained balanced upon the summit of them all, elevated several feet
+above the ground, and with its fore feet collected upon a single point,
+without throwing down the disjointed fabric on which it stood. The
+diameter of the upper cylinder, on which its four feet alternately
+remained until the Arab had ended his ditty, was only two inches, and
+the length of each was six inches. The most curious part of the
+performance took place afterward; for the Arab, to convince us of the
+animal's attention to the turn of the air, sometimes interrupted the
+ordinary <i>da capo</i>, or repeat, and as often as he did so, the goat
+tottered, and appeared uneasy. When the man suddenly stopped, in the
+middle of his song, the animal fell to the ground."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 357px;">
+<a href="images/208_big.png"><img src="images/208.png" width="357" height="450" alt="THE ARAB AND HIS GOAT." title="THE ARAB AND HIS GOAT." /></a>
+<span class="caption"><ins class="tnote" title="Transcriber's Note: Caption on illustration was 'THE ARAB AND HIS GOAT', but shown in 'List of Illustrations' as 'WONDERFUL FEAT OF A GOAT.'">THE WONDERFUL FEAT OF A GOAT.</ins></span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A farmer in Scotland missed one of his goats, when his flock came home
+at night. Being afraid the missing animal would get among the young
+trees in his nursery, he sent two boys, wrapped up warm in their plaid
+cloaks, to watch all night. In the morning, these boys climbed up the
+brow of a hill near by, to hunt for the wanderer. They found her after a
+long search. She was on the brow of a hill, and her young kid was by her
+side. This faithful mother was defending the kid from the attack of a
+fox. The enemy was using all the cunning and art he was master of, to
+get possession of the little fellow, while the old goat was presenting
+her horns in every direction, as he made his sallies. The boys shouted
+at the top of their voices, in order to drive the fox away. But Master
+Renard was probably aware that they would not dare to touch him. At any
+rate, he kept up the assault. At last, getting out of patience with the
+goat, he made a more resolute effort to seize the kid; and in an instant
+all three of the animals rolled off the precipice, and were killed by
+the fall. The fox was found at the bottom of the gorge, with the goat's
+horns piercing his body.</p>
+
+<p>A story is told by Mr. Bingley, which illustrates, in a very forcible
+manner, the gratitude and affection of the goat. After the final
+suppression of the Scottish rebellion of 1715, by the decisive battle of
+Preston, a gentleman who had taken a very active share in it escaped to
+the West Highlands, to the residence of a female relative, who afforded
+him an asylum. As, in consequence of the strict search which was made
+after the ringleaders, it was soon judged unsafe for him to remain in
+the house of his friend, he was conducted to a cavern in a sequestered
+situation, and furnished with a supply of food. The approach to this
+lonely abode consisted of a small aperture, through which he crept,
+dragging his provisions along with him. A little way from the mouth of
+the cave the roof became elevated, but on advancing, an obstacle
+obstructed his progress. He soon perceived that, whatever it might be,
+the object was a living one; but unwilling to strike at a venture with
+his dirk, he stooped down, and discovered a goat and her kid lying on
+the ground. The animal was evidently in great pain, and feeling her body
+and limbs, he ascertained that one of her legs had been fractured. He
+bound it up with his garter, and offered her some of his bread; but she
+refused to eat, and stretched out her tongue, as if intimating that her
+mouth was parched with thirst. He gave her water, which she drank
+greedily, and then she ate the bread. At midnight he ventured from the
+cave, pulled a quantity of grass and the tender branches of trees, and
+carried them to the poor sufferer, which received them with
+demonstrations of gratitude. The only thing which this fugitive had to
+arrest his attention in this dreary abode, was administering comfort to
+the goat; and he was, indeed, thankful to have any living creature
+beside him. She quickly recovered, and became tenderly attached to him.
+It happened that the servant who was intrusted with the secret of his
+retreat fell sick, when it became necessary to send another with
+provisions. The goat, on this occasion, happening to be lying near the
+mouth of the cavern, opposed his entrance with all her might, butting
+him furiously; the fugitive, hearing a disturbance, went forward, and
+receiving the watchword from his new attendant, interposed, and the
+faithful goat permitted him to pass. So resolute was the animal on this
+occasion, that the gentleman was convinced she would have died in his
+defence.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 364px;">
+<img src="images/213.png" width="364" height="400" alt="Chapter end decoration." title="Chapter end decoration." />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Tiger.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 155px;">
+<img src="images/214.png" width="155" height="300" alt="Drop capital S" title="Drop capital S" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br />uch of my readers as have had an opportunity to look a little into
+natural history, are probably aware that the tiger belongs to the cat
+family. Many of its habits are very like those of the domestic cat. Did
+you ever see an old cat preparing to make a spring at a mouse or a bird?
+If you have, you have noticed that she crouches on the ground, and
+creeps stealthily along toward her victim, without making the least
+noise, until she is near enough, and then suddenly springs upon her
+prey. The tiger pursues the same course.</p>
+
+<p>A British officer, who lived for awhile in India, where tigers abound,
+was returning, in the evening, to the house where he resided, after
+dining with another officer, when he was met by his servants, who were
+making a great noise, in order to frighten away a tiger which was known
+to be prowling about the neighborhood. Although he had been some years
+in India, the young officer had never seen a tiger, as it happened,
+except from a distance; and he determined he would gratify his
+curiosity, if possible, and have a good view of the animal. So he
+dismissed his servants, and seated himself opposite the jungle, where
+the tiger was supposed to be, and there looked out for the enemy. It was
+moonlight, and the ferocious beast soon discovered the officer. The
+latter could distinctly see all the motions of his savage foe. He
+approached so slowly as scarcely to make the least noise. Then,
+crouching down, he prepared to make the fatal spring at his victim. At
+this instant, however, the officer, taking off a bear skin cap which he
+wore, swung it in the air, and shouted as loudly as he could. This so
+frightened the tiger that he made off with himself, and was soon out of
+sight in the bushes.</p>
+
+<p>A European gentleman, who has spent some time in Java, tells us a
+thrilling story about the adventure of a criminal with a tiger. The poor
+man was condemned, as is the custom in that country, to fight a large
+royal tiger, whose ferocity was raised to the highest point by want of
+food and artificial irritation. The only weapon allowed to the human
+combatant was a lance, with the point broken off. After wrapping a cloth
+round his left fist and arm, the man entered the arena with an air of
+undaunted calmness, and fixed a steady, menacing gaze upon the brute.
+The tiger sprang furiously upon his intended victim, who, with
+extraordinary boldness and rapidity, thrust his left fist into the
+gaping jaws, and at the same moment, with his keen, pointless dagger,
+ripped up the breast to the very heart. In less than a minute the tiger
+lay dead at his conqueror's feet. The criminal was forgiven.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/217_big.png"><img src="images/217.png" width="600" height="431" alt="THE TIGER." title="THE TIGER." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE TIGER.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Several years ago, an Englishman, by the name of Munro, was killed by a
+tiger in the East Indies. The particulars of this distressing scene are
+given by an eye-witness. "We went on shore," says the writer of the
+narrative, "to shoot deer, of which we saw innumerable tracks, as well
+as of tigers; notwithstanding which, we continued our diversion till
+near three o'clock, when, sitting down by the side of a jungle to
+refresh ourselves, a roar like thunder was heard, and an immense tiger
+seized on our unfortunate friend, and rushed again into the jungle,
+dragging him through the thickest bushes and trees, every thing giving
+way to his monstrous strength; a tigress accompanied his progress. The
+united agonies of horror, regret, and fear, rushed at once upon us. I
+fired on the tiger; he seemed agitated; my companion fired also, and, in
+a few minutes after this, our unfortunate friend came up to us bathed in
+blood. Every medical assistance was vain, and he expired in the space of
+twenty-four hours, having received such deep wounds from the teeth and
+claws of the animal, as rendered his recovery hopeless. A large fire,
+consisting of ten or twelve whole trees, was blazing by us at the time
+this accident took place, and ten or more natives were with us. The
+human mind can scarce form any idea of the scene of horror. We had
+hardly pushed our boat from that accursed shore, when the tigress made
+her appearance, almost raging mad, and remained on the sand, exhibiting
+signs of the utmost ferocity, all the while we continued in sight."</p>
+
+<p>There is an account given of a small party who entered a cave, to seek
+shelter from a terrible storm, in South America. The storm raged with
+such violence, that they could not hear each other speak; the
+cedar-trees were struck down, and the torrents of rain rushed from the
+mountains. Suddenly a growling noise was heard at the end of the cave.
+They soon found, to their amazement and horror, that they had taken
+refuge in a tiger's cave, and that the growling proceeded from two young
+cubs. At this moment the Indians who attended them gave the alarm that a
+tiger was approaching. The Indians mounted a tree, and the party in the
+cave blocked up the mouth of it with a large and heavy stone, which
+fortunately lay near. A dreadful roar was heard, which was replied to by
+the growling of the two cubs, and the flaming eyes of a tremendous tiger
+were seen glowing with fury between the top of the stone and the rock
+just above it. The tiger attempted to remove the stone, but his
+prodigious strength was unequal to the attempt, and he howled more
+tremendously than before. Several of the party had leveled their muskets
+and pistols at the head of the tiger, through the narrow opening left by
+the stone; but the storm had damped the powder, and the pieces could not
+be discharged. The young cubs were then killed and thrust through the
+hole to the tiger on the outside, who, after turning them over and
+examining them, broke afresh into the wildest fury. The Indians
+discharged several arrows at the infuriated animal, but his thick skin
+repelled them. The storm ceased, and the thunder was heard only in the
+distance, but the tiger laid himself down at the mouth of the cave. In a
+short time a roar was heard near, which was answered by the tiger, who
+sprang up directly on his feet. The Indians in the tree gave a wild
+shriek, as a tigress bounded toward the cave. The howling of the two
+animals, after the tigress had examined her cubs, was truly terrible,
+and every one in the cavern gave himself over for lost. A powder-flask,
+containing their whole stock of gunpowder, had been upset in turning out
+the young cubs, so that they were reduced to despair. The tigress, after
+staring wildly at the stone at the opening of the cavern, sprang against
+it with all her force, and would probably have displaced it, had not the
+party joined together to hold it in its place. Suddenly the two tigers
+turned their heads toward the forest, and disappeared. The Indians
+descended the tree, and urged the party in the cave to take the
+opportunity of escaping, for that the tigers had ascended the heights to
+find another way into the cave. No time was to be lost; they hurried
+through the forest till they came to a wide chasm with a rushing stream
+below it. A bridge of reeds had been thrown across the chasm, and over
+this bridge they passed, but the tigers were close in pursuit. The last
+of the party who crossed the bridge cut the fastenings which tied it to
+the rock, and hoped by this means to secure safety, when the tigress
+rushed toward the chasm, made a spring, and fell down upon the pointed
+rocks below, and from thence into the torrent at the bottom. It was a
+fearful sight to see this ferocious animal for a moment in the air,
+without knowing whether she would be able to clear the chasm. The tiger
+paused not a moment, but making an amazing spring, reached the opposite
+side with his fore paws. As he clung to the rock, one of the party
+plunged his sword into the breast of the furious beast, while another
+struck him a blow on the head with the butt-end of his gun. The tiger
+let go his hold, and fell back into the abyss. This was a dreadful
+moment! for the man who struck the tiger on the head could not recover
+himself; he reeled over the edge of the fearful precipice, stretched out
+his hand in vain to seize hold of something with which to save himself,
+and then was precipitated into the horrid gulf below!</p>
+
+<p>A novel exhibition was presented in the city of Boston, not long ago,
+which attracted the attention of every body, old and young. Herr
+Driesbach, the famous tamer of wild animals, made his appearance in an
+elegant sleigh, with his pet tiger by his side. In this manner he rode
+through the streets. The tiger, it is said, seemed to enjoy the
+sleighing mightily, and leaped upon his master, from time to time,
+licking his face, and showing other signs of excitement. Driesbach had
+to strike him several times, to keep him from making too enthusiastic
+demonstrations. After astonishing the citizens for a considerable time,
+Driesbach alighted at his hotel, with his tiger, and taking him into one
+of the apartments, invited gentlemen to walk in and be introduced,
+though there were very few who seemed willing to avail themselves of the
+privilege.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/223.png" width="400" height="350"
+alt="Chapter end decoration." title="Chapter end decoration." />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/225_big.png"><img src="images/225.png" width="600" height="427" alt="THE RHINOCEROS." title="THE RHINOCEROS." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE RHINOCEROS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+<h2>The Rhinoceros.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/226.png" width="200" height="218" alt="Drop capital F" title="Drop capital F" />
+</div>
+
+<p>rom the accounts of those who are best acquainted with the rhinoceros,
+it appears that the animal is tamed only with great difficulty, and
+never to such an extent that it is always safe to approach him. Sir
+Everard Home gives the following account of one in a menagerie in
+London: "He was so savage, that about a month after he came, he
+endeavored to kill the keeper, and nearly succeeded. He ran at him with
+the greatest fury; but, fortunately, the horn of the animal passed
+between the keeper's thighs, and threw him on the head of the
+rhinoceros. The horn struck a wooden partition, into which it was forced
+to such a depth, that the animal, for a minute, was unable to withdraw
+it; and during this interval, the man escaped. By discipline, the
+keeper afterward got the management of him; but frequently, more
+especially in the middle of the night, fits of phrensy came on, and
+while these lasted, nothing could control his rage. He ran, with great
+swiftness, round his den, playing all kinds of antics, making hideous
+noises, breaking every thing to pieces, and disturbing the whole
+neighborhood. While this fit was on, the keeper never dared to come near
+him."</p>
+
+<p>When the rhinoceros is quietly pursuing his way through his favorite
+glades of mimosa bushes (which his hooked upper lip enables him readily
+to seize, and his powerful grinders to masticate), his horns, fixed
+loosely in his skin, make a clapping noise by striking one against the
+other; but on the approach of danger, if his quick ear or keen scent
+makes him aware of the vicinity of a hunter, the head is quickly raised,
+and the horns stand stiff, and ready for combat on his terrible front.
+The rhinoceros is often accompanied by a sentinel, to give him
+warning&mdash;a beautiful green-backed and blue-winged bird, about the size
+of a jay&mdash;which sits on one of his horns.</p>
+
+<p>The following account of the perils of a party hunting for the
+rhinoceros is given by Mr. Bruce, a traveler of celebrity: "We were on
+horseback, at the dawn of the day, in search of the rhinoceros; and
+after having searched about an hour in the thickest part of the forest,
+one of these animals rushed out with great violence, and crossed the
+plain toward a thicket of canes, at the distance of nearly two miles.
+But though he ran, or rather trotted, with surprising speed, considering
+his bulk, he was in a short time pierced with thirty or forty javelins.
+This attack so confounded him, that he left his purpose of going to the
+thicket, and ran into a deep ravine, without outlet, breaking about a
+dozen of the javelins as he entered. Here we thought he was caught in a
+trap&mdash;for he had scarcely room to turn&mdash;and a servant, who had a gun,
+standing directly over him, fired at his head. The animal fell
+immediately, to all appearance dead. All those on foot now jumped into
+the ravine, to cut him up. But they had scarcely begun, when the animal
+recovered himself so far as to rise upon his knees; and he would
+undoubtedly have destroyed several of the men, had not one of them, with
+great presence of mind, cut the sinew of the animal's hind leg. To this
+precaution they were indebted, under God, for their lives."</p>
+
+<p>The rhinoceros and the elephant have been known to engage in a pitched
+battle, in which case the former always comes off victor. The combat,
+however, is a very furious one.</p>
+
+<p>There are two species of the rhinoceros. The one which is represented in
+the engraving is the double-horned rhinoceros. It is perhaps the largest
+of land animals, with the exception of the elephant. When pursued,
+notwithstanding its large, unwieldy body, it can run with astonishing
+swiftness.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<img src="images/229.png" width="500" height="395" alt="Chapter end decoration." title="Chapter end decoration." />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>The Alligator.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 206px;">
+<img src="images/230.png" width="206" height="400" alt="Drop capital O" title="Drop capital O" />
+
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />n the whole, though the alligator can hardly claim any attention from
+us in these stories, owing to his manner of locomotion, and some other
+circumstances, yet I think I will introduce him to the reader, as I have
+two or three anecdotes about his tribe, which are worth reading, and as
+he comes within the qualifications for introduction to our present
+company of animals, so far as to possess the specific number of
+locomotive organs.</p>
+
+<p>A British medical officer, many years a resident in the East Indies,
+relates the following painful incident: "A native, being employed in
+repairing a ship lying in the Bengal river, carelessly put his legs off
+the stage upon which he was seated, at the side of the vessel, and
+being engaged in conversation with his wife and child, who were on
+board, forgot the danger of his situation. As he proceeded in his
+labors, it was necessary to lower the stage, until it came within a few
+feet only of the water. He had not been in this position many minutes,
+when a monstrous alligator rose suddenly above the surface of the river,
+and before the poor man perceived the animal, seized one of his legs,
+snapped it off, just above the knee, and descended into the water. The
+man then tried to get on board the ship, but in vain. The pain, the
+terror, the loss of his limb, so entirely prostrated his strength, that
+all his efforts were useless. The wife hung terror-stricken over the
+side of the vessel, not knowing what to do, calling for assistance, and
+shrieking distractedly. The boy, with more presence of mind, clung to
+his father, and endeavored, with all his little strength, to lift him
+up. The cries of the woman at length brought some persons to ascertain
+what was the matter. At this moment the monster appeared again. The son
+redoubled his exertions to drag his father from his terrible situation,
+but with as little success as before. Some of the people who were
+attracted to the spot, threw stones, sticks, or any thing that happened
+to be in their way, at the alligator, while the wife, thinking that the
+deliverance of her husband was now certain, hastened to the shore to
+seek the surgeon. As the monster advanced, the child became convulsed
+with terror, and at length was hardly able, by his exertions, to sustain
+the weight of his father's body. He called loudly for assistance, but
+either through surprise or fear, his cries were unheeded. Still
+continuing to defend himself in a measure from the attacks of the
+alligator, the sufferer became exhausted from pain and loss of blood.
+The terrible animal seized the other leg. The boy still kept his hold,
+and contrived to throw a rope round the body of his nearly expiring
+father, so as to prevent him from being pulled into the river. At this
+instant the wife returned with the surgeon. But, alas! they came too
+late. The poor Indian recognized his wife, gave one parting look, then
+sunk in death on the bosom of his child."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/231_big.png"><img src="images/231.png" width="600" height="435" alt="THE ALLIGATOR." title="THE ALLIGATOR." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE ALLIGATOR.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. Audubon, the distinguished naturalist, has given some of the most
+interesting facts in connection with the alligator that have come to my
+knowledge. He says: "A friend having intimated a wish to have the heart
+of one of these animals, to study its comparative anatomy, I one
+afternoon went out about half a mile from the plantation, and seeing an
+alligator that I thought I could put whole into a hogshead of spirits, I
+shot it immediately on the skull-bone. It tumbled over from the log on
+which it had been basking into the water, and, with the assistance of
+two negroes, I had it out in a few minutes, apparently dead. A strong
+rope was fastened round its neck, and in this condition, I had it
+dragged home across logs, thrown over fences, and handled without the
+least fear. Some young ladies there, anxious to see the inside of its
+mouth, requested that the mouth should be propped open with a stick put
+vertically; this was attempted, but at this instant the first stunning
+effect of the wound was over, and the animal thrashed and snapped its
+jaws furiously, although it did not advance a foot. I have frequently
+been very much amused when fishing in a bayou, where alligators were
+numerous, by throwing a blown bladder on the water toward the nearest
+one. The alligator makes for it, flaps it toward its mouth, or attempts
+seizing it at once, but all in vain. The light bladder slides off; in a
+few minutes many alligators are trying to seize this, and their
+evolutions are quite interesting. They then put one in mind of a crowd
+of boys running after a football. A black bottle is sometimes thrown in
+also, tightly corked; but the alligator seizes this easily, and you hear
+the glass give way under its teeth, as if ground in a coarse mill. They
+are easily caught by negroes, who most expertly throw a rope over their
+heads when swimming close to shore, and haul them out instantly."</p>
+
+<p>A writer in the Liberia Herald, according to his account of the matter,
+had a pretty good opportunity to observe some of the habits of the
+alligator. "Coming down the river," he says, "a few days ago, we espied
+an alligator lying with his body on the sloping margin of the river, his
+lower jaw submerged in the water, while the upper was extended in the
+air, showing a formidable array of teeth. We stopped to gaze at him.
+Anon, a hapless fish ventured within the dread chasm, when the
+treacherous jaws suddenly closed, and severed the fish asunder. The
+native boys who were with us, took the occasion to assign the reason of
+some of the alligator's movements. They say he lies with his mouth open,
+to attract a certain insect which floats upon the surface of the water.
+These collect in large numbers around his mouth; fishes feed upon them,
+and when lured by the desired prey within the vortex, they become a prey
+themselves."</p>
+
+<p>There is a singular adventure with an alligator recorded by the captain
+of a vessel on the coast of Guinea. It is as follows: "The ocean was
+very smooth, and the heat very great. Campbell, who had been drinking
+too much, was obstinately bent on going overboard to bathe, and although
+we used every means in our power to persuade him to the contrary, he
+dashed into the water, and had swam some distance from the vessel, when
+we on board discovered an alligator making toward him, behind a rock
+that stood some distance from the shore. His escape I now considered
+impossible, and I applied to Johnson to know how we should act, who,
+like myself, affirmed the impossibility of saving him, and instantly
+seized upon a loaded musket, to shoot the poor fellow before he fell
+into the jaws of the monster. I did not, however, consent to this, but
+waited, with horror, the event; yet, willing to do all in my power, I
+ordered the boat to be hoisted out, and we fired two shots at the
+approaching alligator, but without effect, for they glided over his
+scaly covering like hail-stones on a tiled house, and the progress of
+the creature was by no means impeded. The report of the piece, and the
+noise of the blacks from the sloop, soon made Campbell acquainted with
+his danger; he saw the creature making toward him, and, with all the
+strength and skill he was master of, he made for the shore. And now the
+moment arrived, in which a scene was exhibited beyond the power of my
+pen to describe. On approaching within a very short distance of some
+canes and shrubs that covered the bank, while closely pursued by the
+alligator, a fierce and ferocious tiger sprang toward him, at the
+instant the jaws of his first enemy were extended to devour him. At this
+awful moment Campbell was preserved. The eager tiger, by overleaping,
+fell into the gripe of the alligator. A horrible conflict then ensued.
+The water was colored with the blood of the tiger, whose efforts to tear
+the scaly covering of the alligator were unavailing, while the latter
+had also the advantage of keeping his adversary under water, by which
+the victory was presently obtained; for the tiger's death was now
+effected. They both sank to the bottom, and we saw no more of the
+alligator. Campbell was recovered, and instantly conveyed on board; he
+did not speak while in the boat, though his danger had completely
+sobered him. But the moment he leaped on the deck, he fell on his knees,
+and returned thanks to the Providence who had so protected him; and,
+what is most singular, from that moment to the time I am now writing, he
+has never been seen the least intoxicated, nor has been heard to utter a
+single oath."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/237.png" width="400" height="245" alt="Chapter end decoration." title="Chapter end decoration." />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Cat.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 124px;">
+<img src="images/238.png" width="124" height="300" alt="Drop capital C" title="Drop capital C" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br />ats, say what you will against them, have some excellent traits of
+character. They are capable of the strongest attachment. A cat which had
+been brought up in a family, became extremely attached to the oldest
+child, a little boy who was very fond of playing with her. She bore with
+the utmost patience all the rough treatment of the mischievous child,
+without ever making the least resistance. As the cat grew up, she used
+to catch mice, and bring them alive into the room where the little boy
+was, to amuse him with her prey. If he showed an inclination to take the
+mouse from her, she let it run, and waited to see whether he was able to
+catch it. If he did not, she darted at it, caught it, and again laid it
+before him. In this manner the sport continued, as long as the child
+showed any taste for it.</p>
+
+<p>At length, the boy was attacked with the small-pox, and during the early
+stages of his disorder, the cat rarely left his bed-side; but as his
+danger increased, it was thought necessary to remove the cat, and lock
+her up. The child died. On the following day, the cat, having escaped
+from her confinement, immediately ran to the apartment where she hoped
+to find her playmate. Disappointed in her expectations, she sought for
+him, with symptoms of great uneasiness and loud lamentations, all over
+the house, till she came to the door of the room in which the corpse
+lay. Here she lay down in silent grief, till she was again locked up. As
+soon as the child was buried, and the cat set at liberty, she
+disappeared; and it was not till a fortnight after that event, that she
+returned to the well-known apartment, sad and emaciated. She refused to
+take any nourishment, and soon ran away again, with dismal cries. At
+length, compelled by hunger, she made her appearance one day at
+dinner-time, and continued to visit the house after that, every day, at
+about the same hour, but always left as soon as she had eaten the food
+that was given her. No one knew where she spent the rest of her time,
+until she was found, one day, under the wall of the burying-ground,
+close to the grave of her favorite; and so strong was the attachment of
+the cat to her lost friend, that, till his parents removed to another
+place, nearly five years afterward, she never, except in the severest
+winter weather, passed the night any where else than in the
+burying-ground, at her little friend's grave.</p>
+
+<p>Here is another story of a cat who exhibited in a similar way her love
+for her deceased master. The incidents of this story, which, it is
+believed, are strictly true, occurred in the north of Scotland. Some
+years ago, a poor man residing in that country, whose habits of life had
+always been of the most retired description, giving way to the natural
+despondency of his disposition, put an end to his existence. The only
+other inmate of his cottage was a favorite cat. When the deed was
+discovered, the cat was found assiduously watching over her late
+master's body, and it was with some difficulty she could be driven away.
+The appalling deed naturally excited a great deal of attention in the
+surrounding neighborhood; and on the day after the body was deposited in
+the grave, which was made at the outside of the church-yard, a number of
+school-boys ventured thither, to view the resting-place of one who had
+at times been the subject of village wonder, and whose recent act of
+self-destruction was invested with additional interest. At first, no one
+was brave enough to venture near; but at last, the appearance of a hole
+in the side of the grave irresistibly attracted their attention. Having
+been minutely examined, it was at length determined that it must have
+been the work of some body-snatcher; and the story having spread, the
+grave was minutely examined, but as the body had not been removed, the
+community considered themselves fortunate in having made so narrow an
+escape. The turf was replaced, and the grave again carefully covered up.
+On the following morning the turf was again displaced, and a hole,
+deeper than before, yawned in the side of the sad receptacle.
+Speculation was soon busy at work, and all sorts of explanations were
+suggested. In the midst of their speculations, alarmed, perhaps, by the
+noise of the disputants, poor Puss darted from the hole, much to the
+confusion of some of the most noisy and dogmatic expounders of the
+mystery. Again the turf was replaced, and again and again was it removed
+by the unceasing efforts of the faithful cat to share the resting-place
+of her deceased master. It was at last found necessary to shoot her, it
+being found impossible otherwise to put a stop to her unceasing
+importunities.</p>
+
+<p>The enmity of the cat and dog is proverbial. Yet instances have been
+known in which the closest friendship has been formed between them. A
+French author of a work on the Language of Brutes tells the following
+story: "I had a cat and dog, which became so attached to each other,
+that they would never willingly be asunder. Whenever the dog got any
+choice morsel of food, he was sure to divide it with his whiskered
+friend. They always ate sociably out of one plate, slept in the same
+bed, and daily walked out together. Wishing to put this apparently
+sincere friendship to the proof, I one day took the cat by herself into
+my room, while I had the dog guarded in another apartment. I entertained
+the cat in a most sumptuous manner, being desirous to see what sort of a
+meal she would make without her friend, who had hitherto been her
+constant table companion. The cat enjoyed the treat with great glee, and
+seemed to have entirely forgotten the dog. I had had a partridge for
+dinner, half of which I intended to keep for supper. My wife covered it
+with a plate, and put it into a cupboard, the door of which she did not
+lock. The cat left the room, and I walked out upon business. My wife,
+meanwhile, sat at work in an adjoining apartment. When I returned home,
+she related to me the following circumstances: The cat, having hastily
+left the dining-room, went to the dog, and mewed uncommonly loud, and in
+different tones of voice; which the dog, from time to time, answered
+with a short bark. They both then went to the door of the room where the
+cat had dined, and waited till it was opened. One of my children opened
+the door, and immediately the two friends entered the apartment. The
+mewing of the cat excited my wife's attention. She rose from her seat,
+and stepped softly up to the door, which stood ajar, to observe what was
+going on. The cat led the dog to the cupboard which contained the
+partridge, pushed off the plate which covered it, and, taking out my
+intended supper, laid it before her canine friend, who devoured it
+greedily. Probably the cat, by her mewing, had given the dog to
+understand what an excellent meal she had made, and how sorry she was
+that he had not participated in it; but, at the same time, had explained
+to him that something was left for him in the cupboard, and persuaded
+him to follow her thither."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 349px;">
+<a href="images/244_big.png"><img src="images/244.png" width="349" height="450" alt="THE CAT." title="THE CAT." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE CAT.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In Lawrence's History of the Horse occurs the following anecdote, in
+which the cat is quite as much concerned as the horse: "A celebrated
+Arabian horse and a black cat were for many years the warmest friends.
+When the horse died in 1753, the cat sat upon his carcass until it was
+buried; and then, creeping slowly and reluctantly away, was never seen
+again, till her dead body was found in a hay-loft."</p>
+
+<p>Henry Wriothsly, earl of Southampton, having been some time confined in
+the tower of London, was one day surprised by a visit from his favorite
+cat, who must have reached her master by descending from the chimney of
+the edifice.</p>
+
+<p>The following instance of a cat's courage and maternal affection is
+recorded in the Naturalist's Cabinet: "A cat who had a family of
+kittens, was playing with them one sunny day in spring, near the door of
+a farm-house, when a hawk darted swiftly down and caught one of the
+kittens. The assassin was endeavoring to rise with his prey, when the
+mother, seeing the danger of the little one, flew at the common enemy,
+who, to defend himself, let the kitten fall. The battle presently became
+dreadful to both parties; for the hawk, by the power of his wings, the
+sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his beak, had for awhile
+the advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor cat, and actually deprived
+her of one eye in the conflict. But Puss, not at all daunted by this
+accident, strove with all her cunning and strength to protect her little
+ones, till she had broken a wing of her adversary. In this state she got
+him more within the power of her claws, the hawk still defending
+himself, however, according to the best of his ability. The fight
+continued for a long time. But at last victory favored the mother; and
+by a sudden movement, she laid the hawk motionless beneath her feet,
+when, as if exulting in her victory, she tore off the head of her
+vanquished enemy. Disregarding the loss of her eye, she immediately ran
+to her bleeding kitten, licked the wounds inflicted by the talons of the
+hawk, purring, while she caressed the little one, with the same
+affection as if nothing had happened to her."</p>
+
+<p>Here is an instance of the ingenuity of a cat. Tabby was in the habit of
+visiting a closet, the door of which was fastened by a common iron
+latch. A window was situated near the door. When the door was shut, the
+cat, as soon as she was tired of her confinement, mounted on the sill of
+the window, and with her paws dexterously lifted the latch, opened the
+door, and came out of the room. This practice she continued for years.</p>
+
+<p>A cat belonging to a monastery in France was still more ingenious. She
+was accustomed to have her meals served to her at the same time that the
+inmates of the monastery had theirs. These hours were announced by the
+ringing of the bell. One day it so happened that Puss was shut up in a
+room by herself, when the bell rang for dinner, so that she was not able
+to avail herself of the invitation. Some hours afterward she was
+released from her confinement, and instantly ran to the spot where
+dinner was always left for her; but no dinner was to be found. In the
+afternoon the bell was heard ringing at an unusual hour. When the
+inmates of the cloister came to see what was the cause of it, they found
+the hungry cat clinging to the bell-rope, and setting it in motion as
+well as she was able, in order that she might have her dinner served up
+for her. Was not this act of the cat the result of something very nearly
+related to what we call reason, when exhibited in man?</p>
+
+<p>A French naturalist gives us an amusing incident connected with a cat in
+Prussia. This animal was quietly sleeping on the hearth, when one of the
+children in the family where she lived set up a boisterous crying. Puss
+left the place where she was lying, marched up to the child, and gave
+her such a smart blow with her paw as to draw blood. Then she walked
+back, with the greatest composure and gravity, as if satisfied with
+having punished the child for crying, and with the hope of indulging in
+a comfortable nap. No doubt she had often seen the child punished in
+this manner for peevishness; and as there was no one near who seemed
+disposed to administer correction in this instance, Puss determined to
+take the law into her own hand.</p>
+
+<p>This story brings to my mind one which I saw in a newspaper the other
+day, about a cat who took it upon her to punish her children in a very
+singular manner. The story runs thus: "One Sabbath, a motherly old cat,
+belonging to one of our citizens, left her little family in quiet
+repose, while she went forth in pursuit of something to eat. On
+returning, she found them quarreling. She then very deliberately took
+the one most eagerly engaged in the combat by the nape of the neck, and
+not seeing any convenient place near by to administer what she
+considered a salutary reproof, went to a tub of water, upon the edge of
+which she raised her feet, and dropped the kitten into the water. She
+resisted all attempts at escape, and after repeatedly sousing it in the
+water till sufficiently punished, she took it again by the neck as
+before, and carried it back again, doubtless a thorough repentant for
+the wrong it had done. There has been no contention in the family
+since."</p>
+
+<p>It must be a very difficult thing for a cat, when a tame bird is within
+her reach, to resist the temptation to make a dinner from it. But there
+are not wanting instances in which this disposition has been entirely
+overcome. More than this: a cat has been known to become the protector
+of a bird, when it was in danger. A lady had a tame canary, which she
+was in the habit of letting out of its cage every day. One morning, as
+it was picking crumbs of bread off the carpet, her cat, who had always
+before showed the bird the utmost kindness, seized it suddenly, and
+jumped with it in her mouth upon a table. The lady was much alarmed for
+the fate of her favorite; but on turning about, she instantly perceived
+the cause. The door had been left open, and another cat, a stranger, had
+just come into the room! After the lady turned out the neighbor, her own
+cat came down from the table, and dropped the bird, without doing it the
+smallest injury.</p>
+
+<p>The following story was told me by my friend Dr. Alcott: A cat, in
+Northborough, Mass., with three very young kittens, having been removed
+to Shrewsbury, a distance of about four miles, continued to elude the
+vigilance of her mistress, and, during the hours of sleep, to transport
+these three kittens to their old mansion in Northborough.</p>
+
+<p>Here is a story about a cat who was for some time supposed to be a
+musical ghost: A family residing a few miles from Aberdeen, Scotland&mdash;so
+says the Aberdeen Herald&mdash;and at the time consisting of females, were
+recently thrown for one or two successive nights into no small
+consternation, by the unaccountable circumstance of a piano being set a
+strumming about midnight, after all the inmates of the house were in
+bed. The first night the lady of the house rose when she heard the
+unseasonable sounds, thinking some member of the family had set about
+"practicing her music" over night. She went cautiously to the room door,
+which she found shut; but although she heard the tones of the instrument
+when her hand was upon the handle of the door, on entering she was
+astonished to find no one in the room. The piano was indeed open, as it
+was generally, for a young girl to practice when she had a mind. But
+where was the midnight musician? The room was searched, but to no
+purpose&mdash;there was no musician visible. Next night the same sounds were
+heard, and a search was made, but with no better success. One or two
+nights of quietude might intervene between those on which such sounds
+were heard; but they still broke at intervals through the stillness of
+midnight&mdash;at one time with note by note, slowly&mdash;at another, like the
+quick, loud thundering of a battle-piece; till the horrible conviction
+filled every mind, that the house was haunted. One morning, the piano
+was heard sounding away much louder than usual; and the dawn having
+begun to peep through the window-blinds, one or two of the family,
+summoning up the courage that comes with the light of day, resolved
+that, "ghost, if ghost it were," they should at all risks have a peep at
+it, and cautiously descended to the door of the apartment, which was
+slightly ajar. The musician was fingering the instrument with the
+greatest industry and energy, and apparently at his own entire
+satisfaction. Well, after much demurring, in they peeped; and most
+assuredly, through the dim dusk of the morning, a gray figure was seen
+exerting itself most strenuously. They looked closer, when, behold,
+there was&mdash;what think you?&mdash;the cat, pawing away, first with her fore
+feet, and then with her hind; now touching one note gently, and then
+dancing with all fours across the keys. There was a solution of the
+enigma&mdash;a bringing to light of the imagined ghost.</p>
+
+<p>A traveler in one of the Western States relates the following humorous
+anecdote of a wild cat: "I was plodding once in a wagon from Toledo to
+Maumee, over an execrably level road, in the hot noon sun of a mid-June
+day. The driver was a hardy fellow, who looked as though he could outhug
+a bear, and loosen the tightest Maumee ague with a single shake, and yet
+he owned he had been frightened by a wild cat, so that he ran from it,
+and then he told the story, which I give you partly in his own words: 'I
+was driving along this road in a buggy, with as fast a horse as ever
+scorned the whip, when some ten rods ahead of us, just by that big oak,
+a wild cat, leading three kittens, came out of the wood, crossed the
+road, and went into those bushes on our left, and I thought what nice
+pets they would make, and wished I had one. When I came up, I noticed
+one of the young ones in the edge of the bushes, but a few feet off, and
+I heard, or thought I heard, the old one stealing along deep in the
+woods. I sprang out, snatched up the kitten, threw it into the buggy,
+jumped in, and started. When I laid hands on it, it mewed, and kept
+mewing, and, as I grasped the reins, I heard a sharp growl and a
+thrashing through the brush. I knew the old one was coming, and the next
+instant she streamed over a log, and alighted in the road. She ran with
+her eyes flaming, her hair bristling, and her teeth grinning. She turned
+as on a pivot, and gave an unearthly squall, as she saw me racing away,
+and bounded after, with such yells and fury, and gained on me so fast,
+that for very fear I threw the kitten out, and lashed the flying horse;
+but she scarcely paused for that, but bounded on a while, as though
+recovery of her young would not suffice without revenge. When I saw her
+at my very back, I scarcely breathed until her crying child recalled
+her. Here, at the top of this pitch, I looked back, and saw her
+standing, with her young one in her mouth, looking after me, as though
+she had half a mind to drop the kitten and give chase again. I gave the
+horse a cut, and did not feel quite safe until I had got some miles
+away. I made up my mind from that time forward to let young kittens
+alone, and mind my own business.'"</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Jackal.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 217px;">
+<img src="images/255.png" width="217" height="300" alt="Drop capital L" title="Drop capital L" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />ike the hyena, the jackal derives its principal notoriety from its
+ferocious and untameable disposition. It is found in Southern Asia, in
+many parts of Africa, and, to some extent, in Syria and Persia. There is
+not much difference in the jackal and the dog, except in some of the
+habits of the two, and there is a great deal of similarity between the
+former and the wolf. By many Biblical commentators, it is thought that
+the three hundred foxes to which the sacred penman alludes in the book
+of Judges, as performing a singular and mischievous exploit in the
+standing corn of the Philistines, were jackals; and their habit of
+assembling together in large companies, so as to be taken in
+considerable numbers, seems to justify this conclusion&mdash;the fox being,
+on the other hand, a solitary animal, and in the habit of living for
+the most part in small families. To the inhabitants of hot countries,
+the jackal is of the same service as the vulture and the hyena. He does
+not scruple to feed upon putrid flesh. Wherever there is an animal in a
+state of putrefaction, he scents it out from a great distance, and soon
+devours it. In this way the air is often freed from substances in the
+highest degree unwholesome and deadly. Nor is this all. One of the
+habits of this animal is to enter grave-yards, and dig up the bodies
+that have been buried there. In countries where jackals abound, great
+care needs to be taken in protecting graves, newly opened, on this
+account. People frequently mix the earth on the mound raised over a
+grave with thorns and other sharp substances, to prevent the jackal from
+accomplishing the deed.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/257_big.png"><img src="images/257.png" width="500" height="401" alt="THE JACKAL." title="THE JACKAL." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE JACKAL.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Still the jackal makes his living, in a great measure, by hunting other
+beasts. Indeed, he not only makes his own living, but, if the stories
+that are told about him are true, he helps other animals in getting
+their living, though it is very doubtful whether he means to do so. He
+has been called the "lion's provider," you know; and some have
+represented him as a humble slave of the lion, obeying his will in every
+thing, hunting for him, and only receiving for his portion what his
+majesty is pleased to leave. But this notion is probably somewhat
+fabulous. The upshot of the matter seems to be this: that the jackal,
+having about as much wit as some other servants of kings, chases after
+his prey, yelling with all his might, very industriously, and without
+hardly stopping to take breath, until the poor hare, or fawn, or
+whatever the animal may be, gets tired out, and then the jackal catches
+him. But the hunter, by his yelling, starts the lion, as soon as he gets
+upon the scent. The lion knows well enough that there is game somewhere
+in that region; and so he is on the look-out, while the jackal is
+running it down. Well, the jackal has to go over a great deal more
+ground than the lion&mdash;for these animals, when they are pursued, never go
+in a straight direction&mdash;and when the game is caught, he has had little
+more to do than to look on and enjoy the sport, and he comes up, at his
+leisure, just at the right time, to the spot where the jackals are going
+to have a feast over their well-earned prey. Then the lion thanks his
+dear friends, the jackals, and gives them liberty to retire a few
+moments, until he has tasted of their dinner, in order, perhaps he tells
+them, to see whether they have made a good selection. After satisfying
+his appetite, the jackals have unrestrained liberty to lick the bones,
+just as much and as long as they please.</p>
+
+<p>In Captain Beechey's account of his expedition to explore the northern
+coasts of Africa, we have an interesting description of this animal. He
+does not give a very favorable account of the music made by a band of
+jackals. "As they usually come in packs," he says, "the first shriek
+which is uttered is always a signal for a general chorus. We hardly know
+a sound which is further removed from pleasant harmony than their yells.
+The sudden burst of the long-protracted scream, succeeding immediately
+to the opening note, is scarcely less impressive than the roll of the
+thunder clap after a flash of lightning. The effect of this music is
+very much increased when the first note is heard in the distance&mdash;a
+circumstance which frequently occurs&mdash;and the answering yell bursts out
+from several points at once, within a few yards of the place where the
+auditors are sleeping, or trying to sleep."</p>
+
+<p>It sometimes happens that a jackal ventures near a house, and perhaps
+enters a hen-roost, to steal a hen. But in such cases, he often shows
+himself to be as stupid as he is impudent; for even then, if he hears
+the yelling of his comrades chasing their game, he forgets himself, and
+yells as lustily as the rest of them. The result is as might be
+expected. The inmates of the house are awakened, and they take such
+measures with the poor jackal, as effectually to prevent his repetition
+of the blunder.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 422px;">
+<a href="images/261_big.png"><img src="images/261.png" width="422" height="450"
+alt="THE WOUNDED TRAVELER" title="THE WOUNDED TRAVELER" /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE WOUNDED TRAVELER</span>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Sheep.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 155px;">
+<img src="images/262.png" width="155" height="300" alt="Drop capital S" title="Drop capital S" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br />heep, as well as many other animals, show a great fondness for music.
+The following anecdote in proof of such a taste, is given on the
+authority of the celebrated musician, Haydn. He and several other
+gentlemen were making a tour through a mountainous part of Lombardy,
+when they fell in with a flock of sheep, which a shepherd was driving
+homeward. One of the gentlemen, having a flute with him, commenced
+playing, and immediately the sheep, which were following the shepherd,
+raised their heads, and turned with haste to the spot whence the music
+proceeded. They gradually flocked around the musician, and listened with
+the utmost silence and attention. He stopped playing. But the sheep did
+not stir. The shepherd, with his staff, now obliged them to move on;
+but no sooner did the fluter begin to play again, than his interested
+audience returned to him. The shepherd got out of patience, and pelted
+the sheep with pieces of turf; but not one of them moved. The fluter
+played still more sweet and beautiful strains. The shepherd worked
+himself up into a storm of passion. He scolded, and pelted the poor
+creatures with stones. Some of the sheep were hit, and they made up
+their minds to go on; but the rest remained spell-bound by the music. At
+last the shepherd was forced to entreat the flute-player to stop his
+music. He did stop, and the sheep moved off, but still they continued to
+look behind them occasionally, and to manifest a desire to return, as
+often as the musician resumed his playing.</p>
+
+<p>The life of a shepherd is very favorable for study and for improvement
+in knowledge, if one has the natural genius and the industry to make use
+of his spare time. Some of the most eminent men the world ever saw began
+their career by the care of a flock of sheep. Did you ever hear of
+Giotto, the great painter Giotto? No doubt you have. He was the man who
+made that famous design for a church, at the request of Pope Benedict
+IX. The messengers of the pope entered the artist's studio, and
+communicated the wish of their master. Giotto took a sheet of paper,
+fixed his elbow at his side, to keep his hand steady, and instantly drew
+a perfect circle. "Tell his holiness that this is my design," said he.
+His friends tried to persuade him not to send such a thing to the pope;
+but he persisted in doing so. Pope Benedict was a learned man, and he
+saw that Giotto had given the best evidence of perfection in his art. He
+invited the painter to Rome, and honored and rewarded him. "Round as
+Giotto's O," from that time, became an Italian proverb. But I must give
+a glance at the early history of this man. In the year 1276&mdash;according
+to that invaluable publication, "Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and
+Entertaining Knowledge"&mdash;about forty miles from Florence, in the town of
+Vespignano, there lived a poor laboring man named Bondone. This man had
+a son whom he brought up in the ignorance usual to the lowly condition
+of a peasant boy. But the extraordinary powers of the child,
+uncultivated as they necessarily were, and his surprising quickness of
+perception and never-failing vivacity, made him the delight of his
+father, and of the unsophisticated people among whom he lived. At the
+age of ten, his father intrusted him with the care of a flock. Now the
+happy little shepherd-boy strolled at his will over meadow and plain
+with his woolly charge, and amused himself with lying on the grass, and
+sketching, as fancy led him, the surrounding objects, on broad flat
+stones, sand, or soft earth. His sole pencils were a hard stick, or a
+sharp piece of stone; his chief models were his flock, which he used to
+copy as they gathered around him in various attitudes. One day, as the
+shepherd-boy lay in the midst of his flock, earnestly sketching
+something on a stone, there came by a traveler. Struck with the boy's
+deep attention to his work, and the unconscious grace of his attitude,
+the stranger stopped, and went to look at his work. It was a sketch of a
+sheep, drawn with such freedom and truth of nature, that the traveler
+beheld it with astonishment. "Whose son are you?" cried he, with
+eagerness. The startled boy looked up in the face of his questioner. "My
+father is Bondone the laborer, and I am his little Giotto, so please the
+signor," said he. "Well, then, Giotto, should you like to come and live
+with me, and learn how to draw, and paint sheep like this, and horses,
+and even men?" The child's eyes flashed with delight, "I will go with
+you any where to learn that," said he; "but," he added, as a sudden
+thought made him change color, "I must first go and ask my father; I
+can do nothing without his leave." "That is quite right, my boy, and so
+we will go to him together, and ask him," said the stranger. It was the
+celebrated painter, Cimabue. Old Bondone consented to the wish of his
+son, and the boy went to Florence with Cimabue. Giotto soon went beyond
+his master in his sketches. His former familiarity with nature, while
+tending his sheep, doubtless contributed a good deal to his astonishing
+progress. One morning the master came into his studio, and looking at a
+half finished head, saw a fly resting on the nose. He tried to brush it
+off with his hand, when he discovered that it was only painted, and that
+it was one of the tricks of his young pupil. It was not long before the
+fame of the new artist spread all over Europe.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/266_big.png"><img src="images/266.png" width="600" height="427"
+alt="GIOTTO SKETCHING AMONG HIS SHEEP." title="GIOTTO SKETCHING AMONG HIS SHEEP." /></a>
+<span class="caption">GIOTTO SKETCHING AMONG HIS SHEEP.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The author of that pleasant little book, called "Stories of the Instinct
+of Animals," relates a pleasing anecdote of a sheep in England. "One
+afternoon, in summer," he says, "after an illness which had confined me
+some time to the house, I went out into the field, to enjoy awhile the
+luxury of a walk at leisure among the beauties of nature. I had not been
+long in the field, before my attention was attracted by the motions of
+one of the sheep that were grazing there. She came up close to me,
+bleating in a piteous manner; and after looking wishfully in my face,
+ran off toward a brook which flowed through the pasture. At first I took
+but little notice of the creature; but as her entreaties became more
+importunate, I followed her. Delighted at having attracted my notice,
+she ran with all her speed, frequently looking back, to see if I was
+following her. When I reached the spot where she led me, I discovered
+the cause of all her anxiety. Her lamb had fallen into the brook, and
+the banks being steep, the poor little creature was unable to escape.
+Fortunately, the water, though up to the back of the lamb, was not
+sufficient to drown it. I rescued the sufferer with the utmost pleasure,
+and to the great gratification of its affectionate mother, who licked
+it with her tongue, to dry it, now and then skipping about, and making
+noisy demonstrations of joy. I watched her with interest, till she lay
+down with her little one, caressing it with the utmost fondness, and
+apparently trying to show me how much she was indebted to me, for my
+friendly aid."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/269_big.png"><img src="images/269.png" width="500" height="395" alt="THE INVALID AND THE SHEEP." title="THE INVALID AND THE SHEEP." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE INVALID AND THE SHEEP.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A man was once passing through a lonely part of the Highlands in
+Scotland, when he perceived a sheep hurrying toward the road before him.
+She was bleating most piteously at the time; and as the man approached
+nearer, she redoubled her cries, looked earnestly into his face, and
+seemed to be imploring his assistance. He stopped, left his wagon, and
+followed the sheep. She led him quite a distance from the road, to a
+solitary spot, and at length she stopped. When the traveler came up, he
+found a lamb completely wedged in between two large stones, and
+struggling, in vain, to extricate himself. The gentleman immediately set
+the little sufferer free, and placed him on his feet, when the mother
+poured out her thanks and joy, in a long-continued and animated strain
+of bleating.</p>
+
+<p>I am indebted to a correspondent of mine&mdash;Dr. Charles Burr, residing in
+the state of Pennsylvania&mdash;for a good story about a sheep which
+belonged to his father a number of years ago. This sheep, he says, was a
+<i>cosset</i>, was quite tame, and very much of a pet. One day, a young lamb
+of hers was wounded; and "my father (I must let the doctor tell his
+story in his own words) being out of the door, noticed the mother upon
+the hill by the barn, being as near the house as she could come. She
+appeared to be in great distress, running about, looking toward him, and
+bleating; evidently wishing to attract his attention. Supposing that
+something must be wrong, my father started to see what was the matter.
+The old sheep waited till he had got almost up to her, when she started
+and ran a few rods from him and stopped, turned round, looked at him,
+and bleated. My father followed on. The old sheep waited until he had
+got nearly up to her again, when she ran on, and went through the same
+operation as before. In this way she led my father to the farthest end
+of the pasture, where lay her lamb, bleeding and helpless. The little
+thing had bled so much that it could not raise its head, or help itself
+in the least. My father took the lamb, stanched the bleeding wound, took
+it in his arms and carried it home&mdash;the old sheep, in the mean time,
+following, and expressing her joy and gratitude, not by words, it is
+true, but by looks and actions more truthful, and which were not to be
+mistaken. Suffice it to say, that with proper care and nursing, the lamb
+was saved, and restored to health and strength, to the great
+satisfaction of both parties concerned."</p>
+
+<p>I have a mind to tell you one of my own youthful adventures, in which a
+poor wight of a sheep had a prominent share. The adventure proved of
+immense service to me, as you will see in the sequel. Perhaps the story
+of it will be valuable to you, in the same manner.</p>
+
+<p>I shall never forget the first time I sallied out into the woods to try
+my hand at hunting. Rover, the old family dog, went with me, and he was
+about as green in the matter of securing game as myself. We were pretty
+well matched, I think. I played the part of Hudibras, as nearly as I can
+recollect, and Rover was a second Ralph. I had a most excellent
+fowling-piece; so they said. It began its career in the French war, and
+was a very veteran in service. Besides this ancient and honorable
+weapon, I was provided with all the means and appliances necessary for
+successful hunting. I was "armed and equipped as the law directs," to
+employ the words of those semi-annual documents that used to summon me
+to training.</p>
+
+<p>Well, it was some time before we&mdash;Rover and I&mdash;started any game.
+Wind-mills were scarce. For one, I began to fear we should have to
+return without any adventure to call forth our skill and courage. But
+the brightest time is just before day, and so it was in this instance.
+Rover began presently to bark, and I heard a slight rustling among the
+leaves in the woods. Sure enough, there was visible a large animal of
+some kind, though I could not determine precisely what it was, on
+account of the underbrush. However, I satisfied myself it was rare game,
+at any rate; and that point being settled, I took aim and fired.</p>
+
+<p>Rover immediately ran to the poor victim. He was a courageous fellow,
+that Rover, especially after the danger was over. Many a time I have
+known him make demonstrations as fierce as a tiger when people rode by
+our house, though he generally took care not to insult them until they
+were at a convenient distance. Rover had no notion of being killed,
+knowing very well that if he were dead, he could be of no farther
+service whatever to the world. Hudibras said well when he said,</p>
+
+<p>
+"That he who fights and runs away,<br />
+May live to fight another day."<br />
+</p>
+
+<p>That was good logic. But Rover went farther than this, even. He was for
+running away before he fought at all; and so he always did, except when
+the enemy ran away first, in which case he ran after him, as every
+chivalrous dog should. In the case of the animal which I shot at, Rover
+bounded to his side when the gun was discharged, as I said before. For
+myself, I did not venture quite so soon, remembering that caution is the
+parent of safety. By and by, however, I mustered courage, and advanced
+to the spot. There lay the victim of my first shot. It was one of my
+father's sheep! Poor creature! She was sick, I believe, and went into
+the thicket, near a stream of water, where she could die in peace. I
+don't know whether I hit her or not. I didn't look to see, but ran home
+as fast as my legs would carry me. Thus ended the first hunting
+excursion in which I ever engaged; and though I was a mere boy then, and
+am approaching the meridian of life now, it proved to be my last.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Deer.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 187px;">
+<img src="images/275.png" width="187" height="304" alt="Drop capital T" title="Drop capital T" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />here are several species of the deer&mdash;the moose, stag, rein-deer, elk,
+and others. Of these, the stag is one of the most interesting. He is
+said to love music, and to show great delight in hearing a person sing.
+"Traveling some years since," says a gentleman whose statements may be
+relied on, "I met a bevy of about twenty stags, following a bagpipe and
+violin. While the music continued, they proceeded; when it ceased, they
+all stood still."</p>
+
+<p>As Captain Smith, a British officer in Bengal, was out one day in a
+shooting party, very early in the morning, they observed a tiger steal
+out of a jungle, in pursuit of a herd of deer. Having selected one as
+his object, it was quickly deserted by the herd. The tiger advanced
+with such amazing swiftness, that the stag in vain attempted to
+escape, and at the moment the officer expected to see the animal make
+the fatal spring, the deer gallantly faced his enemy, and for some
+minutes kept him at bay; and it was not till after three attacks, that
+the tiger succeeded in securing his prey. He was supposed to have been
+considerably injured by the horns of the stag, as, on the advance of
+Captain Smith, he abandoned the carcass, having only sucked the blood
+from the throat.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 421px;">
+<a href="images/276_big.png"><img src="images/276.png" width="421" height="450" alt="THE DEER." title="THE DEER." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE DEER.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The following account of a remarkably intelligent stag, is given by
+Delacroix, a French gentleman: "When I was at Compiegne, my friends took
+me to a German, who exhibited a wonderful stag. As soon as we had taken
+our seats in a large room, the stag was introduced. He was of an elegant
+form, and majestic stature, and his aspect animated and gentle. The
+first trick he performed, was to make a profound bow to the company, as
+he entered, after which he paid his respects to each individual of us,
+in the same manner. He next carried about a small stick in his mouth, to
+each end of which a small wax taper was attached. He was then
+blindfolded, and at the beat of a drum, fell upon his knees, and laid
+his head upon the ground. As soon as the word <i>pardon</i> was pronounced,
+he instantly sprang upon his feet. Dice were then thrown upon the head
+of a drum, and he told the numbers that were thrown up, by bowing his
+head as many times as there were numbers indicated. He discharged a
+pistol, by drawing with his teeth a string that was fastened to the
+trigger. He fired a small cannon by means of a match which was attached
+to his right foot, and he exhibited no signs of fear at the report of
+the cannon. He leaped through a hoop several times, with the greatest
+agility&mdash;his master holding the hoop at the height of his head above the
+floor. At length the exhibition was closed, by his eating a handfull of
+oats from the head of a drum, which a person was beating all the time,
+with the utmost violence."</p>
+
+<p>We must wind up what we have to say about this animal with a fable.
+Perhaps my little friends have seen it before. But it will bear reading
+again, and I should not be sorry to hear that many of you had committed
+it to memory; for there is a moral in it which you cannot fail to
+perceive, and which may be of service to you one of these days:</p>
+
+<p>"A stag, quenching his thirst in a clear lake, was struck with the
+beauty of his horns, which he saw reflected in the water. At the same
+time, observing the extreme length and slenderness of his legs, 'What a
+pity it is,' said he, 'that so fine a creature should be furnished with
+so despicable a set of spindle-shanks! What a noble animal I should be,
+were my legs answerable to my horns!'</p>
+
+<p>"In the midst of this vain talk, the stag was alarmed by the cry of a
+pack of hounds. He immediately bounded over the ground, and left his
+pursuers so far behind that he might have escaped; but going into a
+thick wood, his horns were entangled in the branches of the trees, where
+he was held till the hounds came up, and tore him in pieces.</p>
+
+<p>"In his last moments he thus exclaimed: 'How ill do we judge of our own
+true advantages! The legs which I despised would have borne me away in
+safety, had not my favorite antlers brought me to ruin.'"</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Hippopotamus.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 147px;">
+<img src="images/281.png" width="147" height="300" alt="Drop capital E" title="Drop capital E" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br />very traveler, who has seen the hippopotamus in his native haunts, and
+who has attempted to give a description of the animal, represents him as
+exceedingly formidable, when he is irritated, and when he can get a
+chance to fight his battle in the water. On land, he is unwieldy and
+awkward; so that, when he is pursued by an enemy, he usually takes to
+his favorite element. There he plunges in head foremost, and sinks to
+the bottom, where it is said he finds no difficulty in moving with the
+same pace as when upon land, in the open air. He cannot, however,
+continue under water for any great length of time. He is obliged to rise
+to the surface, to take breath. Severe battles sometimes take place
+between the males, and they make sad havoc before they get through.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;">
+<a href="images/282_big.png"><img src="images/282.png" width="500" height="393" alt="THE HIPPOPOTAMUS." title="THE HIPPOPOTAMUS." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Great masses of flesh, torn out by their terrible jaws, mark the spot
+where one of these encounters has occurred. It not unfrequently happens
+that one or even both perish on the spot. On the banks of the Nile,
+whole fields of grain and sugar cane are sometimes destroyed by these
+animals.</p>
+
+<p>Clapperton, the enterprising traveler, informs us that, when on a
+warlike expedition, he had convincing evidence that the hippopotamus is
+fond of music. "As the expedition passed along the banks of the lake at
+sunrise," says he, "these uncouth and stupendous animals followed the
+sound of the drums the whole length of the water, sometimes approaching
+so close to the shore, that the spray they spouted from their mouths
+reached the people, who were passing along the banks. I counted fifteen,
+at one time, sporting on the surface of the water."</p>
+
+<p>The following account of hunting the hippopotamus is given by Dr. Edward
+Russell: "One of the animals we killed was of an enormous size. We
+fought with him for four good hours by night, and came very near losing
+our large boat, and probably our lives too, owing to the fury of the
+animal. As soon as he spied the hunters in the small canoe, he dashed at
+them with all his might, dragged the canoe with him under the water,
+and smashed it to pieces. The two hunters escaped with difficulty. Of
+twenty-five musket balls aimed at the head, only one pierced the skin
+and the bones of the nose. At each snorting, the animal spouted out
+large streams of blood on the boat. The rest of the balls stuck in the
+thick hide. At last, we availed ourselves of a swivel; but it was not
+until we had discharged five balls from it, at the distance of a few
+feet, that the huge animal gave up the ghost. The darkness of the night
+increased the danger of the contest, for this gigantic enemy tossed our
+boat about in the stream at his pleasure; and it was a fortunate moment
+for us that he gave up the struggle, as he had carried us into a
+complete labyrinth of rocks, which, in the midst of the confusion, none
+of our crew had observed."</p>
+
+<p>In Egypt they have a singular mode of catching the hippopotamus. They
+throw large quantities of dried peas on the bank of the river along
+which the animal is expected to pass. He devours these peas greedily.
+The dry food disposes the animal to drink; and after drinking, the peas
+swell in his stomach, and the poor fellow is destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>"I have seen," says a traveler, "a hippopotamus open his mouth, fix one
+tooth on the side of a boat, and another on the second plank under the
+keel&mdash;that is, four feet distant from each other&mdash;pierce the side
+through and through, and in this manner sink the boat. When the negroes
+go a-fishing, the same traveler informs us, "in their canoes, and meet
+with a hippopotamus, they throw fish to him; and then he passes on,
+without disturbing their fishing any more. Once, when our boat was near
+shore, I saw a hippopotamus get underneath it, lift it above the water
+upon his back, and overset it, with six men who were in it."</p>
+
+<p>"We dare not," says another traveler, "irritate the hippopotamus in the
+water, since an adventure happened which came near proving fatal to the
+men. They were going in a small canoe, to kill one of these animals in a
+river, where there were some eight or ten feet of water. After they had
+discovered him walking at the bottom of the river, according to his
+custom, they wounded him with a long lance, which so greatly irritated
+him, that he rose immediately to the surface of the water, regarded them
+with a terrible look, opened his mouth, and with one bite took a great
+piece out of the side of the canoe, and very nearly overturned it, but
+he plunged again almost directly to the bottom of the river."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Weasel.</h2>
+
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 122px;">
+<img src="images/287.png" width="122" height="300" alt="Drop capital G" title="Drop capital G" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br />reat numbers of weasels, it seems, sometimes unite together, and defend
+themselves pretty resolutely against the attacks of men. A laborer in
+Scotland was one day suddenly attacked by six weasels, who rushed upon
+him from an old wall near the place where he was at work at the time.
+The man, alarmed, as well he might have been, by such a furious onset,
+took to his heels; but he soon found he was closely pursued. Although he
+had in his hand a large horse-whip, with which he endeavored to frighten
+back his enemies, yet so eager were they in pursuing him, that he was on
+the point of being seized by the throat, when he fortunately noticed the
+fallen branch of a tree, at a little distance, which he reached, and
+snatching it up as fiercely as possible, rallied upon his enemies,
+and killed three of them, when the remainder thought it best to give up
+the battle, and left the field.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/288_big.png"><img src="images/288.png" width="600" height="417" alt="THE FERRET WEASEL." title="THE FERRET WEASEL." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE FERRET WEASEL.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>A similar case occurred some years ago near Edinburgh, when a gentleman,
+observing another leaping about in an extraordinary manner, made up to
+him, and found him beset and dreadfully bitten by about fifteen weasels,
+who still continued their attack. Both of the men being strong and
+courageous, they succeeded in killing quite a number of the animals, and
+the rest escaped and ran into the fissures of a neighboring rock. The
+account the unfortunate man gave of the beginning of the affray was,
+that, walking through the park, he ran at a weasel which he saw, and
+made several attempts to strike it, remaining between it and the rock,
+to which it tried to retreat. The animal, in this situation, squeaked
+loudly, when a sudden attack was made by the whole colony of weasels,
+who came to the rescue of their companion, determined to conquer or die.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Miller, in his Boy's Summer Book, tells us a little about what he
+had seen and heard of the habits and disposition of this family. He
+says, "They are a destructive race of little savages; and one has been
+known, before now, to attack a child in his cradle, and inflict a deep
+wound upon his neck, where it clung, and sucked like a leech. They are
+very fond of blood, and to obtain this, they will sometimes destroy the
+occupants of a whole hen-roost, not caring to feed upon the bodies of
+the poultry which they have killed. They will climb trees, attack the
+old bird on its nest, suck the eggs, or carry off the young; for nothing
+of this kind seems to come amiss to them. They are great hunters of
+mice; and their long, slender bodies are well adapted for following
+these destructive little animals in their rambles among the corn-stalks
+in the field. In this way, the weasel renders the farmer a good service
+occasionally, though he never asks to be rewarded with a duck or
+chicken, always choosing to help himself without asking, whenever he can
+get a chance. Oh! if you could but see a weasel attack a mouse, as I
+have done. By just one single bite of the head, which is done in a
+moment, and which pierces the brain before you can say 'Jack Robinson,'
+the mouse is killed as dead as a red herring, before he has time to
+squeak or struggle. It is no joke, I can tell you, to be bitten by a
+weasel; and if you thought, when you caught hold of one by the back,
+that you had him safe, you would soon find your mistake out; for his
+neck is as pliable as a piece of India rubber. He would have hold of
+your hand in a moment."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 337px;">
+<a href="images/293_big.png"><img src="images/293.png" width="337" height="450" alt="THE HAWK POUNCING UPON THE WEASEL." title="THE HAWK POUNCING UPON THE WEASEL." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE HAWK POUNCING UPON THE WEASEL.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>I have just come across a funny story about the adventure of a weasel
+and a hawk. It seems that a hawk took an especial fancy to a weasel that
+he saw prowling about a farm-yard. His hawkship happened to be pretty
+hungry at the time, and concluded he would carry off the weasel, and
+make a dinner of him at his leisure. So he pounced upon the fellow, and
+set out on his journey home. I should not wonder if he had a nest in the
+woods not far off. The weasel, however, submitted to his fate with no
+very good grace. He thought that two could play at that game. He twisted
+around his elastic neck&mdash;to use the language of the writer I
+mentioned&mdash;poked up his pointed nose, and in he went, with his sharp
+teeth, right under the wings of the hawk, making such a hole in an
+instant, that you might have thrust your finger in. The hawk tried to
+pick at him with his hooked beak, but it was no use.</p>
+
+<p>The weasel kept eating away, and licking his lips as if he enjoyed
+himself; and the hawk soon came wheeling down to the ground, which he no
+sooner touched, than away ran the weasel, having got an excellent dinner
+at the expense of the hawk. He was not a bit the worse for the ride;
+while Mr. Hawk lay there as dead as a nail. The biter was bitten that
+time, wasn't he? It was a pretty good lesson to the hawk family not to
+be so greedy, though whether they ever profited by it is more than I can
+say. From the account that a little girl gave me of the incursions
+recently made upon her chickens, I judge that they did not all profit by
+it.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/295.png" width="400" height="310" alt="Chapter end decoration." title="Chapter end decoration." />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Squirrel.</h2>
+
+<p>I had a pretty little red squirrel of my own, when I was a little boy.
+My father bought a cage for him, with a wheel in it; and Billy, as we
+used to call him, would get inside the wheel, and whirl it around for a
+half hour at a time. It was amusing, too, to see him stand up on his
+hind feet, and eat the nuts we gave him. Billy was a great favorite with
+me and my brother. By and by, we let him go out of the cage, and ramble
+wherever he pleased. He became as tame as a kitten. He would go out into
+the corn-field in autumn, and come home with his mouth filled with corn,
+and this he would lay up in a safe place for further use. Once the old
+cat caught him, and the poor fellow would have been killed, if some one
+had not been near and rescued him from the grasp of his enemy.</p>
+
+<p>We indulged Billy a good deal. We had a box of hickory nuts in the
+garret, and he was allowed to go and help himself whenever he pleased.
+He was pleased to go pretty often, too; and he was not satisfied with
+eating what he wanted out of the box. The greedy fellow! One day he
+carried off nearly all the nuts there were in the box, and hid them away
+under the floor, through a hole he had gnawed in the boards.</p>
+
+<p>He was a great pet though, for all that. We could not help loving him,
+mischievous as he was. He used to climb up often on my shoulder, and
+down into my pockets; and if there was any thing good to eat thereabout,
+he would help himself without ceremony. Sometimes, when he felt
+particularly frolicksome, he leaped from one person's shoulder to
+another, all around the room.</p>
+
+<p>The more we petted this little fellow, and the more good things we gave
+him, the more roguish he became. At length he exhausted all my father's
+patience by his mischief. One of his last tricks was this. He gnawed a
+hole in a bag of meal, and after eating as much as he could (and this
+was but little, for we fed him as often as he needed to eat, and
+oftener too) he carried away large quantities of the meal, and wasted
+it. He never worked harder in his life, not even when he was trying to
+get away from the jaws of the old cat, than he did when he was
+scattering this meal over the yard. Well, we had a sort of a court about
+Billy, after this. My father's corn-house was the court room, and my
+father himself was the judge. We all agreed that Billy was guilty,
+though we differed as to the punishment that ought to be inflicted. The
+question seemed to be, according to the language they use in courts of
+law, whether the theft was a <i>petty larceny</i> or a <i>grand larceny</i>. Alas
+for Billy and Billy's friends! My father decided, in his charge to the
+jury, that the crime must be ranked under the head of grand larceny, and
+the jury brought in a verdict accordingly. My father pronounced the
+sentence, which was that the offending squirrel must die that same day.
+Billy seemed to be aware of what was going on, for he did not come near
+the house again till almost night; and when he did come, one of my
+father's men shot him, and just as the sun was going down he died. For a
+long time after that, I cried whenever I thought of poor Billy.</p>
+
+<p>Among the many juvenile friends with whom I have had more or less
+correspondence, as the editor of a young people's magazine, is one who
+resides at Saratoga Springs. I passed a few days at this watering-place
+last summer, and called on Master William, for that is the name of my
+friend&mdash;who introduced to me a pet squirrel of his, called Dick. Dick
+did not perform many very surprising feats while I was present, though I
+did not at the time set that circumstance down as any evidence of a want
+of smartness on the part of the squirrel; for I well remembered that it
+was a very common thing for pets sustaining even a much higher rank in
+the scale of intelligence, to disappoint the expectations of those
+persons who think all the world of them, when they&mdash;the pets&mdash;are
+ushered into the presence of strangers, for the purpose of being
+exhibited, and, indeed, I have some faint recollection of thus
+disappointing an over-fond nurse, not unfrequently, on similar
+occasions. There are some propositions the truth of which it is quite as
+well to assent to, when one hears them stated, without waiting for
+proof; and among these propositions I class those which relate to the
+unheard-of sagacity and genius of a darling pet. I make it a point to
+admit, without demonstration or argument, that there never was another
+such a creature in all the world. Moreover, I saw plainly enough in
+Dick's keen, black eye, that he knew a thing or two, and I could easily
+understand how he might greatly endear himself to his little patron. Nor
+was I at all surprised when I recently heard of the death of this
+favorite, that my young friend cried a great deal; and I am sure I
+shared in some measure his grief. Poor Dick! I immediately wrote to
+Willy, to solicit a short biography of his favorite, for my stories
+about animals. The request was kindly responded to by Willy's aunt, from
+whom I received the following sketch:</p>
+
+<p>"When Dick first became a member of the family, he was shy, resentful,
+and very capricious; but by degrees all these faults gave place to a
+sort of playful drollery, that called out many a laugh. His cage was a
+fine, large, commodious place, well lined with tiers, and furnished with
+every convenience that he could have desired in a habitation, not
+excepting a big wheel, which is by general consent esteemed a great
+luxury for a squirrel. But he often liked a change, and when the door
+was left loose, he would soon find his way out. Then he had many
+hair-breadth escapes&mdash;sometimes from dogs, who looked upon him as lawful
+prey; sometimes from frolicsome and thoughtless boys, who forgot how
+much a squirrel suffers who is worried almost to death. Sometimes he has
+been nearly abducted by strangers, who saw with surprise so small an
+individual at large, and quite unconscious of the perils of a public
+street in a watering-place. On one of these occasions, when he was
+playing with his little master, and skipping from bough to bough on the
+large trees that sheltered his home, he bounded from a branch to the
+roof of a three-storied house adjoining, and running across, jumped from
+one of the angles to the court below, landed on all fours, stopped a
+second or two to decide if he were really alive or not, then quietly
+trudged home to his cage. If he wanted a change, Dick had odd ways of
+showing himself dissatisfied with his condition. In the summer, when his
+house was too much exposed to the rays of the sun, he would give a queer
+little cry, which, if no one heeded, he would lie down flat, all
+extended, and gasp, as if each moment was his last; and no coaxing could
+bring him to himself, until he was removed, cage and all; then
+immediately he would jump up, frisk about, sit on his haunches, and
+laugh out of his eye as merrily as if he had said, 'I know a thing or
+two&mdash;don't I, though?' These man&oelig;uvres were a clear sham; he could
+fall into one in a twinkling, at any time. How many times he has led
+the children of the family, and the big children too, through beds of
+beans, beets, and cucumbers, and through the tomato vines and
+rose-bushes; and when we were in full chase, just ready to believe that
+he had eluded us quite, and was gone forever, lo! there sat Dick in his
+wheel, as demure as a judge, and looking as wise as possible at those
+very silly people, who would be running about so fast, on such a warm
+day. He never liked any infringement upon his personal liberty; this he
+always resented; but he would pretend to hide away, and come and peep at
+you, or jump up behind you, stand on the top of your head or shoulder,
+play all manner of pranks about your person, get clear into the pocket
+of any friend, who was likely to have a supply of nuts. He would answer
+to his name, follow when called, in the house, out of the house, any
+where, play all about the large house-dog, Tom&mdash;pat him on the ear,
+gently pinch his tail, poise himself on his back, and pretend to sleep
+by the side of him. But if any one caught him, or held him, as if he
+were imprisoned&mdash;alas! what a struggle ensued&mdash;and then, I grieve to say
+it&mdash;he would <i>bite</i>."</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/302_big.png"><img src="images/302.png" width="600" height="442" alt="THE SQUIRREL." title="THE SQUIRREL." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE SQUIRREL.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The most common squirrels in this country are the gray, the red, and the
+striped, or chipping squirrel. The latter is the smallest of the three;
+and as that species are not hunted so much as the rest of the genus,
+they are very abundant in the woods. Many and many a time, when a child,
+have I been deceived by the cunning of the chipping squirrel. The little
+fellow has a hole and nest in the ground. The hole is very frequently
+either directly under or very near the stump of a tree which has been
+cut down or was blown over by the wind. Well, the little fellow is
+accustomed, or he was accustomed, when I was a little boy, to sit
+good-humoredly on this stump, and sing for hours together. His song has
+nothing very exquisite in it&mdash;it is simply "chip, chip, chip," from the
+beginning to the end; and his notes are not only all on the same key&mdash;a
+monotony which one might pardon, if he was particularly
+good-natured&mdash;but they are all on the same point in the diatonic scale.
+However, like many other indifferent singers that I have met in my day,
+our striped vocalist goes on with his music, as if he thought there
+never was another, or certainly not more than one other quite as
+finished a singer as himself. Well, the boy who is unacquainted with the
+tricks of this little fellow, as was once my own case, steals along
+carefully toward the stump, thinking that the squirrel is so busy with
+his music, that he is perfectly unconscious of any thing else that is
+going on, and that it is just the easiest matter in the world to catch
+him. Half a dozen times, at least, I have tried this experiment, before
+I became satisfied that I was not the only interested party who was wide
+awake. "Chip, chip, chip," sings the squirrel. He does not move an inch.
+He does not vary his song. His eyes seem half closed. The boy advances
+within a few feet of the squirrel. He reaches out his hand to secure his
+prize, when down goes the striped vocalist into his hole, always
+uttering a sort of laugh, as he enters his door, and seeming pretty
+plainly to say, though in rather poor Anglo-Saxon, it must be confessed,
+"No, you don't."</p>
+
+<p>Whoever takes the pains to dig into the earth, where the striped
+squirrel has made his nest, will find something that will amply repay
+him for his trouble. The hole goes down pretty straight for some feet;
+then it turns, and takes a horizontal direction, and runs sometimes a
+great distance. Little chambers are seen leading out from this
+horizontal passage, each chamber connected by a door with the passage,
+and sometimes with other chambers. In each of these rooms, the squirrel
+stores up different varieties of nuts and other provisions. In one you
+will find acorns; in another hickory nuts&mdash;real shag-barks, for our
+chipping squirrel is a good judge in these matters; and in another
+chestnuts, a whole hat-full of them, sometimes. There is quite as much
+order and regularity in the store-houses of the chipping squirrel, as
+there seems to be about the premises of some lazy and careless farmers
+one meets with occasionally.</p>
+
+<p>Accounts are given of the ingenuity of the squirrels in Lapland, which
+would be too astonishing for belief, were they not credited by such men
+as Linn&aelig;us, on whose authority we have them. It seems that the squirrels
+in that country are in the habit of emigrating, in large parties, and
+that they sometimes travel hundreds of miles in this way, and that when
+they meet with broad or rapid lakes in their travels, they take a very
+extraordinary method of crossing them. On approaching the banks, and
+perceiving the breadth of the water, they return, as if by common
+consent, into the neighboring forest, each in quest of a piece of bark,
+which answers all the purpose of boats for wafting them over. When the
+whole company are fitted in this manner, they boldly commit their little
+fleet to the waves&mdash;every squirrel sitting on its own piece of bark, and
+fanning the air with its tail, to drive the vessel to the desired port.
+In this> orderly manner they set forward, and often cross lakes several
+miles broad. But it occasionally happens that the poor mariners are not
+aware of the dangers of their navigation; for although at the edge of
+the water it is generally calm, in the middle it is always more rough.
+The slightest additional gust of wind often oversets the little sailor
+and his vessel altogether. The entire navy, that perhaps but a few
+minutes before rode proudly and securely along, is now overturned, and a
+shipwreck of two or three thousand vessels is the consequence. This
+wreck, which is so unfortunate for the little animal, is generally the
+most lucky accident in the world for the Laplander on shore; who gathers
+up the dead bodies as they are thrown in by the waves, eats the flesh,
+and sells the skins.</p>
+
+<p>I read an interesting story, awhile ago, which came from the Gentleman's
+Magazine, about a squirrel who was charmed by a rattle-snake. The
+substance of the story was something like this: A gentleman was
+traveling by the side of a creek, where he saw a squirrel running
+backward and forward between the creek and a large tree a few yards
+distant. The squirrel's hair looked very rough, showing that he was very
+much terrified about something. His circuit became shorter and shorter,
+and the man stopped to see what could be the cause of this strange
+state of things. He soon discovered the head and neck of a rattle-snake
+pointing directly at the squirrel, through a hole of the tree, which was
+hollow. The squirrel at length gave over running, and laid himself down
+quietly, with his head close to the snake's. The snake then opened his
+mouth wide, and took in the squirrel's head; upon which the man gave the
+snake a blow across the neck with his whip, by which the squirrel was
+released. You will see by this story, which comes to us well
+authenticated, that snakes possess the power of charming, whatever some
+people may think or say to the contrary. This is only one among a
+multitude of facts which I could relate in proof of the existence of
+such a power among many of the serpent race. But we are conversing about
+quadrupeds now, and we must not go out of our way to chase after snakes.</p>
+
+<p>A squirrel, sitting on a hickory-tree, was once observed to weigh the
+nuts he got in each paw, to find out which were good and which were bad.
+The light ones he invariably threw away, retaining only those which were
+heavier. It was found, on examining those he had thrown away, that he
+had not made a mistake in a single instance. They were all bad nuts.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 409px;">
+<a href="images/308_big.png"><img src="images/308.png" width="409" height="450" alt="THE GIRAFFE" title="THE GIRAFFE" /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE GIRAFFE</span>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Giraffe.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 217px;">
+<img src="images/309.png" width="217" height="300" alt="Drop capital L" title="Drop capital L" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />eaving our friends the squirrels, to whom we have certainly devoted
+quite sufficient attention, we pass along to quite a different race of
+animals&mdash;that of the giraffe or camelopard. This is a noble-looking
+animal, as you see plainly enough by the engraving. The tongue of the
+giraffe is exquisitely contrived for grasping. In its native deserts,
+the animal uses it to hook down branches which are beyond the reach of
+its muzzle; and in the menagerie at Regent's Park, many a fair lady has
+been robbed of the artificial flowers which adorned her bonnet, by the
+nimble and filching tongue of the rare object of her admiration. When
+attacked, notwithstanding the natural defence of horns and hoofs, the
+camelopard always seeks escape in flight, and will not turn to do
+battle except at the last extremity. In such cases, he sometimes makes a
+successful defence by striking out his powerful armed feet; and the king
+of beasts is frequently repelled and disabled by the wounds which the
+giraffe has thus inflicted with his hoofs. His horns are also used with
+effect, and a side-long sweep of his neck sometimes does fatal
+execution.</p>
+
+<p>Some years ago, a giraffe was sent from Egypt to Constantinople. His
+keeper used to exercise him in an open square, where the Turks flocked
+daily, in great crowds, to see the extraordinary animal. Seeing how
+inoffensive he was, and how domestic he became, the keeper took the
+animal with him through the city; and wherever he appeared, a number of
+friendly hands were held out of the latticed windows, to offer him
+something to eat. When he came to a house where he had been well
+treated, if no one was at the window, he would tap gently against the
+wooden lattice, as if to announce his visit. He was extremely docile and
+affectionate; and if left to himself, he always frequented the streets
+where he had the most and best friends.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Monkey Tribe.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 148px;">
+<img src="images/311.png" width="148" height="300" alt="Drop capital O" title="Drop capital O" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />f course my readers are in some measure familiar with the tricks of
+this large and notorious family of animals. But one is not easily
+wearied with their antics. They afford us, the most sober and sedate of
+us, an immense amount of material for amusement. I confess I have
+stopped in the street, many a time, to see a sage monkey go through his
+grotesque man&oelig;uvres, under the direction of a tutor who ground out
+music from a wheezing hand-organ, and have been willing to undergo the
+penance of hearing the music of the master, for the sake of witnessing
+the genius of the pupil. I can conceive of nothing more excessively
+ludicrous than many of these exhibitions. But I must not detain the
+reader from the stories any longer.</p>
+
+<p>A foreign gentleman of distinction having to attend the court of Louis
+XVI. of France, took with him his favorite monkey. Soon after his
+arrival, he was invited to attend a great ball at Versailles; and
+anxious to perform his part with credit in that fashionable country, he
+engaged one of the first dancing-masters in the city to teach him the
+latest mode. Every day he employed several hours in practicing his
+lessons with the tutor, so as to be <i>au fait</i>, as the French people have
+it&mdash;quite at home in the ball-room. Pug made his observations very
+attentively, watching all his motions. He also scrutinized the musician
+very closely, as he was engaged in instructing the gentleman, and
+playing on his violin. At the close of his lesson, the foreigner was in
+the habit of going to his mirror, and of practicing before it, by
+himself, for a considerable time, till he was in a measure satisfied
+with his performances, and pretty sure, we may suppose, that he would
+make a fine figure at court when the ball should come off. One day,
+after the gentleman had been exercising in this manner, and had just
+left the room, the monkey, who had been looking on with interest, as
+usual, left his post of observation, took up the violin, which had been
+left there by the musician, and commenced playing and imitating the
+dancing of his master, before the mirror. There is no knowing how much
+of a dancer he would have become, if he had been allowed to practice as
+much as he desired. As it was, however, his training for the ball was
+very suddenly terminated by the entrance of a servant into the room,
+while the student was in the midst of his performances.</p>
+
+<p>A monkey tied to a stake was robbed by the crows, in the West Indies, of
+his food, and he conceived the following plan of punishing the thieves.
+He feigned death, and lay perfectly motionless on the ground near to his
+stake. The birds approached by degrees, and got near enough to steal his
+food, which he allowed them to do. This he repeated several times, till
+they became so bold as to come within the reach of his claws. He
+calculated his distance, and laid hold of one of them. Death was not his
+plan of punishment. He was more refined in his cruelty. He plucked every
+feather out of the bird, and then let him go and show himself to his
+companions. He made a man of him according to the ancient definition of
+a "biped without feathers."</p>
+
+<p>An organ-grinder, with his monkey, being taken before the mayor of New
+Orleans, for exhibiting themselves without a license, the monkey was so
+polite to the mayor, took off his cap and made so many bows to his
+honor, that the two were permitted to depart in peace. It is said that
+no lawyer would have managed the case better than the monkey did.</p>
+
+<p>A gentleman living in Bath, England, had a monkey who used to perform a
+great many very amusing tricks, in imitation of his master. The
+gentleman was a great politician, and was in the habit of reading his
+newspaper very punctually every morning, at the breakfast-table. One
+day, business having compelled him to leave the table earlier than
+usual, Pug was found, seated in his chair, with his master's spectacles
+on, and the Courier newspaper upside down, reading as gravely, and with
+as much apparent interest, as the politician. Once in a while he looked
+off his paper, and chattered, and made significant gestures, as his
+master was in the habit of doing, when he came across any thing very
+especially interesting.</p>
+
+<p>A farmer in the West Indies had planted a field with Indian corn.
+Numerous monkeys inhabited a forest near by, who had attentively
+observed the planting process, and the method by which it was
+cultivated. They seemed to take not a little interest in the whole
+matter. The farmer had the pleasure of seeing his crop of corn nearly
+ready for harvesting. But the monkeys took care that he should not have
+the trouble of harvesting it. One night, they issued from the forest in
+vast numbers, forming themselves into long lines between it and the
+corn-field. All was conducted in silence. Each was intent on the
+business in hand. Those in front of the lines plucked off the ears of
+corn with great dexterity, and passed them to his nearest companion, who
+handed them forward from one to another, till they reached the woods. In
+this manner the work proceeded till daylight, when the slaves found the
+thieves finishing the operation. It had been a very profitable night's
+labor for the mischievous fellows. The corn was pretty nearly all
+disposed of. Before the owner of it could get his workmen together, with
+suitable weapons of defence, the whole troop had disappeared in the
+forest. What a chattering there must have been among them, when they all
+met at their rendezvous! How knowing they must have looked, as they said
+one to another, "Wasn't that thing managed pretty nicely?"</p>
+
+<p>In Sierra Leone is a species of orang-outang so strong and so
+industrious, that, when properly trained and fed, they work like
+servants. They generally walk upright on their two hind feet. Sometimes
+they are employed to pound substances in a mortar, and they are
+frequently taught to go to rivers, and to bring water in small pitchers.
+They usually carry the water on their heads. When they come to the door
+of the house, if the pitchers are not soon taken off, they let them
+fall; and when they perceive that they are broken, the poor fellows
+sometimes weep like a child, in anticipation of the flogging they are to
+receive.</p>
+
+<p>Buffon saw an orang-outang that performed a multitude of funny tricks.
+He would present his hand to lead his visitors about the room, and
+promenade as gravely as if he was one of the most important personages
+in the company. He would even sit down at table, unfold his napkin, wipe
+his lips like any other gentleman, use a spoon or fork in carrying food
+to his mouth, pour his liquor into a glass&mdash;for it seems he had not
+become a convert to the principles of total abstinence&mdash;and touch his
+glass to that of the person who drank with him. When invited to take
+tea, he brought a cup and saucer, placed them on the table, put in
+sugar, poured out the tea, and after allowing it to cool, drank it with
+the utmost propriety.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 370px;">
+<a href="images/320_big.png"><img src="images/320.png" width="370" height="450" alt="THE ORANG-OUTANG." title="THE ORANG-OUTANG." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE ORANG-OUTANG.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>In Africa the orang-outang is a very formidable animal, and does not
+hesitate to attack men, when alone and without arms, in which cases
+he always proves himself the victor. He sleeps under trees, and builds
+himself a hut, which serves to protect him against the sun and the rains
+of the tropical climates. When the negroes make a fire in the woods,
+this animal comes near and warms himself by the blaze. However, he has
+not skill enough to keep the flame alive by feeding it with fuel. They
+even attack the elephant, which they beat with their clubs, and oblige
+to leave that part of the forest which they claim as their own. When one
+of these animals dies, the rest cover the body with a quantity of leaves
+and branches. They sometimes show mercy to the human species. A negro
+boy, it is said, that was taken by one of them and carried into the
+woods, continued there a whole year, without receiving any injury. It is
+said, indeed, that they often attempt to surprise the negroes as they go
+into the woods, and sometimes keep them against their will, for the
+pleasure of their company, feeding them very plentifully all the time.
+In respect to this latter statement, however, I confess myself a little
+skeptical. There have been a great many well-told stories about men of
+the woods, which have proved to be altogether fabulous, when the true
+state of the case has become known.</p>
+
+<p>There were two monkeys, one of which was peculiarly mischievous, and
+the other pretty civil and good-natured, on board of the same ship. One
+day, when the sea ran very high, the former prevailed on the other to go
+aloft with him, when he drew her attention to an object at a distance,
+and when she turned to look at it, he hit her a blow with his paw, and
+threw her into the sea, where she was drowned. This act seemed to afford
+the rascal a great deal of gratification. He came down to the deck of
+the vessel, chattering at the top of his voice, he was so happy.</p>
+
+<p>Le Vaillant, a French traveler in Africa, says of a tame baboon, which
+followed him in his rambles, "One day, a gentleman, wishing to put the
+fidelity of the animal to the test, pretended to strike me. At this the
+monkey flew into a violent rage, and from that time, he could never
+endure the sight of the man. If he only saw him at a distance, he began
+to cry and to make all sorts of grimaces, which evidently showed that he
+wished to revenge the insult that had been done to me. He ground his
+teeth, and endeavored, with all his might, to fly at his face."</p>
+
+<p>Here is a story of a monkey who made a fool of himself, and of a British
+soldier at the same time. During the period of the siege of Gibraltar,
+when England and Spain were at war in 1779, the English fleet being at
+the time absent, an attack from the enemy was daily expected. One dark
+night, a sentinel, whose post was near a tower facing the Spanish lines,
+was standing, at the end of his walk, whistling, looking toward the
+enemy, his head filled with fire, and sword, and glory. By the side of
+his box stood a deep, narrow-necked earthen jar, in which was the
+remainder of his supper, consisting of boiled peas. A large monkey&mdash;of
+which there were plenty at Gibraltar&mdash;encouraged by the man's absence,
+and allured by the smell of the peas, ventured to the jar; and in
+endeavoring to get at its contents, thrust his head so far into the
+vessel that he was not able to get it out again. At this moment, the
+soldier approached. The monkey started, in alarm, with the jar on his
+head. This terrible monster frightened the poor soldier half out of his
+wits. He thought it was a bloodthirsty Spanish grenadier, with a most
+prodigious cap on his head. So he fired his musket, like any other
+valiant soldier, roaring out, as loud as he could, that the enemy had
+scaled the walls. The guards took the alarm; the drums were beaten;
+signal guns discharged, and in less than ten minutes the whole garrison
+were under arms. The supposed grenadier, being very uncomfortable in his
+cap, was soon overtaken and seized; and by his capture, the
+tranquillity of the garrison, as the reader might rationally conjecture,
+was speedily restored, without any of the bloodshed which the sagacious
+sentinel so much feared.</p>
+
+<p>A clergyman in England, of some distinction, had a tame baboon, who was
+very fond of him, and whenever he could get a chance, followed him in
+the street. When he went to church, however, to perform the service, he
+preferred, of course, that his monkey should stay at home, and used to
+confine him accordingly. One Sabbath morning the animal escaped, and
+followed his master to the church; and silently mounting the
+sounding-board over the minister's head, he lay perfectly still till the
+sermon commenced. Then he crept to the edge, where he could see his
+master, and imitated his gestures in such a droll and amusing manner,
+that the entire congregation began to laugh. The minister, who did not
+see his favorite monkey, and who was surprised and confounded at this
+unaccountable levity, rebuked the audience, but to no effect. The people
+still laughed, and the preacher, in the warmth of his zeal, redoubled
+his earnestness and action. The consequence was that the ape became more
+animated too, and increased the number and violence of his gestures.
+The congregation could no longer restrain themselves, and burst into a
+long and loud roar of laughter.</p>
+
+<p>Some of the ape-catchers of Africa have a very queer way of securing
+these animals. It is said that they take a vessel filled with water out
+into the woods with them, and wash their hands and faces in the water.
+The apes see this operation. Afterward, the natives throw out the water
+in which they washed, and supply its place by a solution of glue. Then
+they leave the spot, and the apes come down from the trees, and wash
+themselves, in the same manner as they have seen the men wash. The
+consequence is, that the poor fellows get their eyes glued together so
+fast that they cannot open them, and so being unable to see their way to
+escape, they fall into the hands of their enemies.</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Zebra.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 133px;">
+<img src="images/327.png" width="133" height="300" alt="Drop capital P" title="Drop capital P" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br />robably there is no animal so beautiful, and that possesses so much
+ability for being serviceable to man, that is nevertheless so useless,
+except for its beauty, as the zebra. One would suppose, to look at the
+fellow&mdash;and doubtless this is the fact&mdash;that he could perform much of
+the labor of the horse. But he is generally quite indisposed to any such
+routine of employment. He is very fond of his own way&mdash;so fond of it,
+indeed, that the most patient and persevering efforts to teach him to
+change it are generally almost fruitless. The entire race are any thing
+but docile. They are tamed, so as to obey the bridle, only with great
+difficulty; and their obedience is rather imperfect, at best. Bingley
+mentions one which was brought from the Cape of Good Hope to the
+tower of London, in 1803, who was more docile and kindly disposed than
+most of the species. When in pretty good humor, this animal would carry
+her keeper from fifty to a hundred yards; but he could never prevail
+upon her to go any farther. He might beat her as much as he pleased; she
+would not budge an inch, but would rear up and kick, until her rider was
+obliged to get off. When she got angry, as she did sometimes, she would
+plunge at her keeper, and on one occasion she seized him by the coat,
+threw him upon the ground, and would undoubtedly have killed him, had he
+not been very active, so that he got out of her reach.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 550px;">
+<a href="images/328_big.png"><img src="images/328.png" width="550" height="432" alt="THE ZEBRA." title="THE ZEBRA." /></a>
+<span class="caption">THE ZEBRA.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The most docile zebra on record was one that was burned, accidentally,
+in England, several years ago, with several other animals belonging to a
+lyceum. This animal allowed his keeper to use great familiarities with
+him&mdash;to put children on his back, even, without showing any resentment.
+On one occasion, a person rode on his back a mile or two. This zebra had
+been raised in Portugal.</p>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</a></span></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+<h2>The Ox and Cow.</h2>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 124px;">
+<img src="images/329.png" width="124" height="300" alt="Drop capital C" title="Drop capital C" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br />an any body imagine a more perfect picture of quiet contentment, than a
+company of cows that have finished their toils for the day, and have
+come at early evening to chew their cud, and to reward their patrons for
+the supply of green grass that has been afforded them? There are two
+such amiable cows represented in the engraving on the opposite page. The
+artist has portrayed them standing before a huge pottery, where they
+seem to be very much at home, and at peace with all the world. Their
+thoughts&mdash;if they have any, and doubtless they have, a good many of
+them&mdash;are those of the most tranquil and placid nature. Perhaps they are
+edifying each other with reflections on the great advantages of the
+mechanic arts, and the art of making earthen ware in particular. The old
+cow is a genuine philosopher. She makes the best of every thing. Seldom,
+very seldom, does she allow herself to get excited. As for being angry,
+she makes such a bungling piece of work of it, whenever she does indulge
+in a little peevishness, that she seems to cool off at once, from the
+very idea of the ludicrous figure she makes. Generally, she takes the
+world easy. Her troubles are few. If the flies bite her&mdash;and they take
+that liberty sometimes&mdash;she leisurely employs a wand she has at command,
+and brushes them off. Nervous and excitable men might undoubtedly learn
+a lesson from the philosophical old cow, if they would go to school to
+her. They might learn that the true way to go through the world, is to
+keep tolerably cool, and not to be breaking their heads against every
+stone wall that happens to lie between them and the object of their
+desire.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="images/332_big.png"><img src="images/332.png" width="600" height="343" alt="COWS TAKING THEIR COMFORT." title="COWS TAKING THEIR COMFORT." /></a>
+<span class="caption">COWS TAKING THEIR COMFORT.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>There are many anecdotes which prove that the ox and cow have a musical
+ear, as the phrase is. Professor Bell says that he has often, when a
+boy, tried the effect of the music of the flute on cows, and always
+observed that it produced great apparent enjoyment. Instances have been
+known of the fiercest bulls having been subdued and calmed into
+gentleness, by music of a plaintive kind.</p>
+
+<p>There is a laughable story told of the effect of music on a bull. A
+fiddler, residing in the country, not far from Liverpool, was returning,
+at three o'clock in the morning, with his instrument, from a place where
+he had been engaged in his accustomed vocation. He had occasion to cross
+a field where there were some cows and a rather saucy bull. The latter
+took it into his head to assault the fiddler, who tried to escape. He
+did not succeed, however. The bull was wide awake, and could not let the
+gentleman off so cheap. The poor fellow then attempted to climb a tree.
+But the enraged animal would not permit him to do that. The fiddler, who
+had heard something about the wonderful power of music in subduing the
+rage of some of the lower animals, thinking of nothing else that he
+could do for his protection, got behind the tree, and commenced playing,
+literally for his life. Strange as it may appear, the animal was calmed
+at once, and appeared to be delighted with the music. By and by, the
+fiddler, finding that his enemy was entirely pacified, stopped playing,
+and started homeward, as fast as his legs would carry him. But the bull
+would not allow him to escape, and made after him. The poor fellow,
+fearing he should be killed, stopped, and went to fiddling again. The
+animal was pacified, as before. Our hero then plied the bow until his
+arm ached, and seizing, as he supposed, a favorable opportunity, he made
+another effort to run away. He was probably not accustomed to fiddle
+without pay, and he was pretty sure the customer he was now playing for
+intended to get his music for nothing. Well, the fiddler was no more
+successful this time than he was before. The fury of the bull returned,
+as soon as the strains ceased; and at last, the poor man surrendered
+himself to his fate, and actually played for the bull until six
+o'clock&mdash;about three hours in all&mdash;when some people came to his rescue.
+He must have been pretty well convinced, I think, while he was
+entertaining the bull in that manner, that</p>
+
+<p>
+"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast."<br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>The Lama.</h2>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 187px;">
+<img src="images/334.png" width="187" height="304" alt="Drop capital T" title="Drop capital T" />
+</div>
+
+<p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />his animal, which belongs to the same family with the camel, is a
+native of some parts of South America, and is used as a beast of burden.
+He is capable of carrying from one hundred to one hundred and fifty
+pounds, and on the steep places where he is usually employed, will walk
+with his load twelve or fifteen miles a day. When lamas get weary, it is
+said they will stop, and scarcely any severity can compel them to go on.
+Some of the accounts of these singular animals represent them as having
+a bad trick of <i>spitting</i>, when they do not like their treatment. In
+this respect, they resemble a great many strange sort of men I have met
+with on our side of the equator, who will spit from morning till night,
+sometimes on the carpet, too, on account of a very nauseous weed they
+have in their mouths&mdash;with this difference, however, that the lamas spit
+when they are displeased only, and the men spit all the time.</p>
+
+<p>Some one who has been familiar with the animal in South America, and who
+has seen it a great deal in use among the Indians there, presents a very
+interesting account of its nature and habits. He says, "The lama is the
+only animal associated with man, and undebased by the contact. The lama
+will bear neither beating nor ill treatment. They go in troops, an
+Indian going a long distance ahead as a guide. If tired, they stop, and
+the Indian stops also. If the delay is great, the Indian, becoming
+uneasy toward sunset, resolves on supplicating the beasts to resume
+their journey. If the lamas are disposed to continue their course, they
+follow the Indian in good order, at a regular pace, and very fast, for
+their legs are very long; but when they are in ill-humor, they do not
+even turn their heads toward the speaker, but remain motionless,
+standing or lying down, and gazing on heaven with looks so tender, so
+melancholy, that we might imagine these singular animals had the
+consciousness of a happier existence. If it happens&mdash;which is very
+seldom&mdash;that an Indian wishes to obtain, either by force or threats,
+what the lama will not willingly perform, the instant the animal finds
+himself affronted by word or gesture, he raises his head with dignity,
+or, without attempting to escape ill treatment by flight, he lies down,
+his looks turned toward heaven; large tears flow from his beautiful
+eyes; and frequently, in less than an hour, he dies."</p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/339.png" width="400" height="360" alt="THE END." title="THE END." />
+</div>
+
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
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@@ -0,0 +1,5393 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Stories about Animals: with Pictures to
+Match, by Francis C. Woodworth
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
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+
+
+
+Title: Stories about Animals: with Pictures to Match
+
+
+Author: Francis C. Woodworth
+
+
+
+Release Date: July 6, 2006  [eBook #18767]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
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+PICTURES TO MATCH***
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+
+
+STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS.
+
+WITH
+
+PICTURES TO MATCH
+
+
+by
+
+FRANCIS C. WOODWORTH,
+
+Editor of "The Youth's Cabinet," Author of "Stories
+About Birds," &C.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Boston.
+Phillips, Sampson and Company.
+1851.
+Entered, according to Act of Congress, in
+the year 1849,
+By D. A. Woodworth,
+in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for
+the Southern District of New York.
+
+
+
+
+
+Preface.
+
+
+In the following pages are grouped together anecdotes illustrative of
+the peculiarities of different animals--mostly quadrupeds--their habits,
+dispositions, intelligence, and affection. Nothing like a scientific
+treatise of any of these animals has been attempted. I do not even give
+a generic or specific history of one of them, except so far as they are
+all casually and incidentally described in these anecdotes. Their
+natural history, in detail, I leave for others, as the historian or
+biographer of men, bent only on a record of the thoughts, words, and
+acts of men, passes by the abstract details, however interesting they
+may be, of human physiology, and the general characteristics of the
+species. I have not aimed to introduce to the reader, in this volume,
+all the animals belonging to the race of quadrupeds, who have a claim to
+such a distinction. I have preferred rather to make a selection from the
+great multitude, and to present such facts and anecdotes respecting
+those selected as shall, while they interest and entertain the young
+reader, tend to make him familiar with this branch of useful knowledge.
+
+I ought, in justice to myself, to explain the reason why I have
+restricted my anecdotes almost exclusively to animals belonging to the
+race of quadrupeds. It is seldom wise, in my judgment, for an author to
+define, very minutely, any plan he may have, to be developed in future
+years--as so many circumstances may thwart that plan altogether, or very
+materially modify it. Yet I may say, in this connection, that the
+general plan I had marked out for myself, when I set about the task of
+collecting materials for these familiar anecdotes, is by no means
+exhausted in this volume, and that, should my stories respecting
+quadrupeds prove as acceptable to my young friends as I hope, it is my
+intention eventually to pursue the same, or a similar course, in
+relation to the other great divisions of the animal kingdom--Birds,
+Reptiles, Insects, Fishes, etc.
+
+The stories I tell I have picked up wherever I could find them--having
+been generally content when I have judged a particular story to be, in
+the first place, a good story, and in the second place, a reliable one.
+I have not thought it either necessary or desirable, to give, in every
+case, the source from which I have derived my facts. Some of them I
+obtained by actual observation; quite as many were communicated by
+personal friends and casual acquaintances; and by far the greater
+portion were gleaned from the current newspapers of the day, and from
+the many valuable works on natural history, published in England and in
+this country. Among the books I have consulted, I am mostly indebted to
+the following: Bingley's Anecdotes illustrative of the Instincts of
+Animals; Knight's Library of Entertaining Knowledge; Bell's Phenomena of
+Nature; the Young Naturalist's Rambles; Natural History of the Earth and
+Man; Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge; Animal
+Biography; and the Penny Magazine.
+
+The task of preparing this volume for the press has been an exceedingly
+pleasant one. Indeed, it has been rather recreation than toil, in
+comparison with other and severer literary labors. I trust my young
+friends will take as much pleasure in reading these stories as I have
+taken in collecting them. I hope too, that no one of my readers will
+fail to discover, as he proceeds, the evidences of the wisdom, power,
+and goodness of the Being who formed and who controls and governs the
+animal kingdom. Here, as in every department of nature's works, these
+evidences abound, if we will but perceive them. Look at them, dear
+reader, and in your admiration of nature, forget not the love and
+reverence you owe to nature's God.
+
+[Illustration: (signed) Francis C. Woodworth]
+
+
+
+
+Contents.
+
+
+The Dog
+
+The Wolf
+
+The Horse
+
+The Panther
+
+The Elephant
+
+The Lion
+
+The Galago
+
+The Bear
+
+The Rat
+
+The Mouse
+
+The Rabbit
+
+The Hare
+
+The Cat
+
+The Jackal
+
+The Sheep
+
+The Deer
+
+The Hippopotamus
+
+The Weasel
+
+The Squirrel
+
+The Giraffe
+
+The Monkey Tribe
+
+The Zebra
+
+The Ox and Cow
+
+The Lama
+
+
+[Illustration: "Engravings." Heading.]
+
+
+Rover and his Play-fellow
+
+The Dog at his Master's Grave
+
+Nero, saving Little Ellen
+
+The Servant and the Mastiff
+
+The Child discovered by the Indian's Dog
+
+The Dog of St. Bernard, rescuing the Child
+
+The Bloodhound
+
+Exploit of the New England Dog
+
+A Shepherd Dog feeding a lost Child
+
+A Newfoundland, saving a Child from drowning
+
+The Adventure with the Serpent
+
+The Russian Dog-Sledge
+
+The Skirmish with Wolves
+
+A Scene in the old Wolf Story
+
+The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
+
+The Horse watching over the Trumpeter
+
+Parting with the Favorite Horse
+
+Alexander taming Bucephalus
+
+Uncle Peter and his queer Old Mare
+
+The Horse sentenced to die
+
+The Leopard and the Serpent
+
+The Elephant
+
+The Lion
+
+The Lioness and her Cubs
+
+The Convention of Animals
+
+The Galago
+
+Portrait of Goldsmith
+
+The Juggler and his Pupils
+
+Field Mice
+
+The Rabbit Trap
+
+The Rabbit
+
+Tame Hares
+
+Portrait of Cowper
+
+Wonderful Feat of a Goat
+
+The Tiger
+
+The Rhinoceros
+
+The Alligator
+
+The Cat
+
+The Jackal
+
+The Wounded Traveler
+
+Giotto, sketching among his Sheep
+
+The Invalid and the Sheep
+
+The Deer
+
+The Hippopotamus
+
+The Ferret Weasel
+
+A Hawk pouncing on a Weasel
+
+The Squirrel
+
+The Giraffe
+
+The Orang-outang
+
+The Zebra
+
+Cows, taking their comfort
+
+
+
+
+Stories about Animals.
+
+
+
+
+The Dog.
+
+
+Whatever may be thought of the somewhat aristocratic pretensions of the
+lion, as the dog, after all, has the reputation of being the most
+intelligent of the inferior animals, I will allow this interesting
+family the precedence in these stories, and introduce them first to the
+reader. For the same reason, too--because they exhibit such wonderful
+marks of intelligence, approaching, sometimes, almost to the boundary of
+human reason--I shall occupy much more time in relating stories about
+them than about any other animal. Let me see. Where shall I begin? With
+Rover, my old friend Rover--my companion and play-fellow, when a little
+boy? I have a good mind to do so; for he endeared himself to me by
+thousands of acts of kindness and affection, and he has still a place
+of honor in my memory. He frequently went to school with me. As soon as
+he saw me get my satchel of books, he was at my side, and off he ran
+before me toward the school-house. When he had conducted me to school,
+he usually took leave of me, and returned home. But he came back again,
+before school was out, so as to be my companion homeward. I might tell a
+great many stories about the smartness of Rover; but on the whole I
+think I will forbear. I am afraid if I should talk half an hour about
+him, some of you would accuse me of too much partiality for my
+favorite, and would think I had fallen into the same foolish mistake
+that is sometimes noticed in over-fond fathers and mothers, who talk
+about a little boy or girl of theirs, as if there never was another such
+a prodigy. So I will just pass over Rover's wonderful exploits--for he
+had some, let me whisper it in your ear--and tell my stories about other
+people's dogs.
+
+[Illustration: ROVER AND HIS PLAY-FELLOW.]
+
+"Going to the dogs," is a favorite expression with a great many people.
+They understand by it a condition in the last degree deplorable. To "go
+to the dogs," is spoken of as being just about the worst thing that can
+happen to a poor fellow. I think differently, however. I wish from my
+heart, that some selfish persons whom I could name would go to the dogs.
+They would learn there, I am sure, what they have never learned
+before--most valuable lessons in gratitude, and affection, and
+self-sacrifice--to say nothing about common sense, a little more of
+which would not hurt them.
+
+There is an exceedingly affecting story of a dog that lived in Scotland
+as long ago as 1716: This dog belonged to a Mr. Stewart, of Argyleshire,
+and was a great favorite with his master. He was a Highland greyhound, I
+believe. One afternoon, while his master was hunting in company with
+this dog, he was attacked with inflammation in his side. He returned
+home, and died the same evening. Some three days afterward his funeral
+took place, when the dog followed the remains of his master to the
+grave-yard, which was nearly ten miles from the residence of the family.
+He remained until the interment was completed, when he returned home
+with those who attended the funeral. When he entered the house he found
+the plaid cloak, formerly his master's, hanging in the entry. He pulled
+it down, and in defiance of all attempts to take it from him, lay on it
+all night, and would not even allow any person to touch it. Every
+evening afterward, about sunset, he left home, traveled to the
+grave-yard, reposed on the grave of his late master all night, and
+returned home regularly in the morning. But, what was still more
+remarkable, he could not be persuaded to eat a morsel. Children near the
+grave-yard, who watched his motions, again and again carried him food;
+but he resolutely refused it, and it was never known by what means he
+existed. While at home he was always dull and sorrowful; he usually lay
+in a sleeping posture, and frequently uttered long and mournful groans.
+
+[Illustration: THE DOG AT HIS MASTER'S GRAVE.]
+
+In the western part of our own country, some years since, an exploit was
+performed by a Newfoundland dog, which I must tell my readers. It is
+related by Mrs. Phelan. A man by the name of Wilson, residing near a
+river which was navigable, although the current was somewhat rapid, kept
+a pleasure boat. One day he invited a small party to accompany him in an
+excursion on the river. They set out. Among the number were Mr. Wilson's
+wife and little girl, about three years of age. The child was delighted
+with the boat, and with the water lilies that floated on the surface of
+the river. Meanwhile, a fine Newfoundland dog trotted along the bank of
+the stream, looking occasionally at the boat, and thinking, perhaps,
+that he should like a sail himself.
+
+Pleasantly onward went the boat, and the party were in the highest
+spirits, when little Ellen, trying to get a pretty lily, stretched out
+her hand over the side of the boat, and in a moment she lost her balance
+and fell into the river. What language can describe the agony of those
+parents when they saw the current close over their dear child! The
+mother, in her terror, could hardly be prevented from throwing herself
+into the river to rescue her drowning girl, and her husband had to hold
+her back by force. Vain was the help of man at that dreadful moment; but
+prayer was offered up to God, and he heard it.
+
+No one took any notice of Nero, the faithful dog. But he had kept his
+eye upon the boat, it seems. He saw all that was going on; he plunged
+into the river at the critical moment when the child had sunk to the
+bottom, and dived beneath the surface. Suddenly a strange noise was
+heard on the side of the boat opposite to the one toward which the party
+were anxiously looking, and something seemed to be splashing in the
+water. It was the dog. Nero had dived to the bottom of that deep river,
+and found the very spot where the poor child had settled down into her
+cold, strange cradle of weeds and slime. Seizing her clothes, and
+holding them fast in his teeth, he brought her up to the surface of the
+water, a very little distance from the boat, and with looks that told
+his joy, he gave the little girl into the hands of her astonished
+father. Then, swimming back to the shore, he shook the water from his
+long, shaggy coat, and laid himself down, panting, to recover from the
+fatigue of his adventure.
+
+[Illustration: NERO SAVING LITTLE ELLEN.]
+
+Ellen seemed for awhile to be dead; her face was deadly pale; it hung
+on her shoulder; her dress showed that she had sunk to the bottom. But
+by and by she recovered gradually, and in less than a week she was as
+well as ever.
+
+But the Glasgow Chronicle tells a story of the most supremely humane dog
+I ever heard of--so humane, in fact, that his humanity was somewhat
+troublesome. This dog--a fine Newfoundland--resided near Edinburgh.
+Every day he was seen visiting all the ponds and brooks in the
+neighborhood of his master's residence. He had been instrumental more
+than once in saving persons from drowning. He was respected for his
+magnanimity, and caressed for his amiable qualities, till, strange as it
+may be considered, this flattery completely turned his head. Saving life
+became a passion. He took to it as men take to dram-drinking. Not having
+sufficient scope for the exercise of his diseased benevolence in the
+district, he took to a very questionable method of supplying the
+deficiency. Whenever he found a child on the brink of a pond, he watched
+patiently for the opportunity to place his fore-paws suddenly on its
+person, and plunged it in before it was aware. Now all this was done for
+the mere purpose of fetching them out again. He appeared to find intense
+pleasure in this nonsensical sort of work. At last the outcry became so
+great by parents alarmed for their children, although no life was ever
+lost by the indulgence of such a singular taste, that the poor dog was
+reluctantly destroyed.
+
+Mr. Bingley, an English writer, has contributed not a little to the
+amusement and instruction of the young, by a book which he published a
+few years ago, relating to the instinct of the dog. Among the stories
+told in this book, are several which I must transfer for my own readers.
+Here is one about the fatal adventure of a large mastiff with a robber.
+I shall give it nearly in the words of Mr. Bingley.
+
+Not a great many years ago, a lady, who resided in a lonely house in
+Cheshire, England, permitted all her domestics, save one female, to go
+to a supper at an inn about three miles distant, which was kept by the
+uncle of the girl who remained at home with her mistress. As the
+servants were not expected to return till the morning, all the doors and
+windows were as usual secured, and the lady and her companion were about
+to retire to bed, when they were alarmed by the noise of some persons
+apparently attempting to break into the house. A large mastiff, which
+fortunately happened to be in the kitchen, set up a tremendous barking;
+but this had not the effect of intimidating the robbers.
+
+After listening attentively for some time, the maid-servant discovered
+that the robbers were attempting to enter the house by forcing their way
+through a hole under the sunk story in the back kitchen. Being a young
+woman of courage, she went toward the spot, accompanied by the dog, and
+patting him on the back, exclaimed, "At him, Caesar!" The dog leaped into
+the hole, made a furious attack upon the intruder, and gave something a
+violent shake. In a few minutes all became quiet, and the animal
+returned with his mouth full of blood. A slight bustle was now heard
+outside the house, but in a short time all again became still. The lady
+and servant, too much terrified to think of going to bed, sat up until
+morning without further molestation. When day dawned they discovered a
+quantity of blood outside of the wall in the court-yard.
+
+When her fellow-servants came home, they brought word to the girl that
+her uncle, the inn-keeper, had died suddenly of apoplexy during the
+night, and that it was intended that the funeral should take place in
+the course of the day. Having obtained leave to go to the funeral, she
+was surprised to learn, on her arrival, that the coffin was screwed
+down. She insisted, however, on taking a last look at the body, which
+was most unwillingly granted; when, to her great surprise and horror,
+she discovered that his death had been occasioned by a large wound in
+the throat. The events of the preceding night rushed on her mind, and it
+soon became evident to her that she had been the innocent and unwilling
+cause of her uncle's death. It turned out, that he and one of his
+servants had formed the design of robbing the house and murdering the
+lady during the absence of her servants, but that their wicked design
+had been frustrated by the courage and watchfulness of her faithful
+mastiff.
+
+[Illustration: THE SERVANT AND THE MASTIFF.]
+
+There is another anecdote told of a wild Indian dog which I am sure my
+young friends will like. It is from the same source with the one about
+the mastiff. A man by the name of Le Fevre, many years ago, lived on a
+farm in the United States, near the Blue mountains. Those mountains at
+that time abounded in deer and other animals. One day, the youngest of
+Le Fevre's children, who was four years old, disappeared early in the
+morning. The family, after a partial search, becoming alarmed, had
+recourse to the assistance of some neighbors. These separated into
+parties, and explored the woods in every direction, but without success.
+Next day the search was renewed, but with no better result. In the
+midst of their distress Tewenissa, a native Indian from Anaguaga, on the
+eastern branch of the river Susquehannah, who happened to be journeying
+in that quarter, accompanied by his dog Oniah, happily went into the
+house of the planter with the design of reposing himself. Observing the
+distress of the family, and being informed of the circumstances, he
+requested that the shoes and stockings last worn by the child should be
+brought to him. He then ordered his dog to smell them; and taking the
+house for a centre, described a semicircle of a quarter of a mile,
+urging the dog to find out the scent. They had not gone far before the
+sagacious animal began to bark. The track was followed up by the dog
+with still louder barking, till at last, darting off at full speed, he
+was lost in the thickness of the woods. Half an hour after they saw him
+returning. His countenance was animated, bearing even an expression of
+joy; it was evident he had found the child--but was he dead or alive?
+This was a moment of cruel suspense, but it was of short continuance.
+The Indian followed his dog, and the excellent animal conducted him to
+the lost child, who was found unharmed, lying at the foot of a great
+tree. Tewenissa took him in his arms, and returned with him to the
+distressed parents and their friends, who had not been able to
+advance with the same speed. He restored little Derick to his father and
+mother, who ran to meet him; when a scene of tenderness and gratitude
+ensued, which may be easier felt than described. The child was in a
+state of extreme weakness, but, by means of a little care, he was in a
+short time restored to his usual vigor.
+
+[Illustration: THE CHILD DISCOVERED BY THE INDIAN'S DOG.]
+
+In one of the churches at Lambeth, England, there is a painting on a
+window, representing a man with his dog. There is a story connected with
+this painting which is worth telling. Tradition informs us that a piece
+of ground near Westminster bridge, containing a little over an acre, was
+left to that parish by a pedler, upon condition that his picture,
+accompanied by his dog, should be faithfully painted on the glass of one
+of the windows. The parishioners, as the story goes, had this picture
+executed accordingly, and came in possession of the land. This was in
+the year 1504. The property rented at that time for about a dollar a
+year. It now commands a rent of nearly fifteen hundred dollars. The
+reason given for the pedler's request is, that he was once very poor,
+when, one day, having occasion to pass across this piece of ground, and
+being weary, he sat down under a tree to rest. While seated here, he
+noticed that his dog, who was with him, acted strangely. At a distance
+of several rods from the place where he sat, the dog busied himself for
+awhile in scratching at a particular spot of earth, after which he
+returned to his master, looked earnestly up to his face, and endeavored
+to draw him toward the spot where he had been digging. The pedler,
+however, paid but little attention to the movements of the dog, until he
+had repeated them several times, when he was induced to accompany the
+dog. To his surprise he found, on doing so, that there was a pot of gold
+buried there. With a part of this gold he purchased the lot of ground on
+which it had been discovered, and bequeathed it to the parish on the
+conditions mentioned above. The pedler and his dog are represented in
+the picture which ornaments the window of that church. "But is the story
+a true one?" methinks I hear my little friends inquire. I confess it has
+the air of one of Baron Munchausen's yarns, and I am somewhat doubtful
+about it. But that is the tradition in the Lambeth parish, where the
+picture may still be seen by any body who takes the trouble to visit the
+place. The story may be true. Stranger things have happened.
+
+Those who have studied geography do not need to be informed that there
+is a chain of high mountains running through Switzerland, called the
+Alps. The tops of some of these mountains are covered with snow nearly
+all the year. In the winter it is very difficult and dangerous traveling
+over the Alps; for the snow frequently rolls down the sides of the
+mountain, in a great mass, called an _avalanche_, and buries the
+traveler beneath it. On one of these mountains there is the convent of
+St. Bernard. It is situated ten thousand feet above the base of the
+mountain, and is on one of the most dangerous passes between Switzerland
+and Savoy. It is said to be the highest inhabited spot in the old world.
+It is tenanted by a race of monks, who are very kind to travelers. Among
+other good services they render to the strangers who pass near their
+convent, they search for unhappy persons who have been overtaken by
+sudden storms, and who are liable to perish.
+
+These monks have a peculiar variety of the dog, called the dog of St.
+Bernard, or the Alpine Spaniel, which they train to hunt for travelers
+who are overtaken by a storm, and who are in danger of perishing. The
+dog of St. Bernard is one of the most sagacious of his species. He is
+covered with thick, curly hair, which is frequently of great service in
+warming the traveler, when he is almost dead with cold.
+
+One of these dogs, named Barry, had, it was reckoned, in twelve years
+saved the lives of forty individuals. Whenever the mountain was
+enveloped in fogs and snow, away scoured Barry, barking and searching
+all about for any person who might have fallen a victim to the storm.
+When he was successful in finding any one, if his own strength was
+insufficient to rescue him, he would run back to the convent in search
+of assistance.
+
+I think I must translate for my young readers an affecting story about
+this dog Barry, which I read the other day in a little French book,
+entitled "Modeles des Enfans." It seems that a great while ago there was
+a poor woman wandering about these mountains, in the vicinity of the
+convent of St. Bernard, in company with her son, a very small boy. The
+story does not inform us what they were doing, and why they were walking
+in such a dangerous place. Perhaps they were gathering fuel to keep them
+warm; and very likely when they left home the weather was mild, and that
+they did not anticipate a storm. However that may be, they were
+overtaken by an avalanche, the mother was buried beneath it, and the
+child saw her no more. But I must tell the remainder of the story in the
+language of the French writer.
+
+[Illustration: THE DOG OF ST. BERNARD, RESCUING THE CHILD.]
+
+"Poor boy! the storm increased; the wind howled, and whirled the snow
+into huge heaps. In the hope that he might possibly meet a traveler, the
+child forced his way for awhile through the snow; but at last,
+exhausted, benumbed with the cold, and discouraged, he fell upon his
+knees, joined his hands devoutly together, and cried, as he raised his
+face, bathed in tears, toward heaven, 'O my God! have mercy on a poor
+child, who has nobody in the world to care for him!' As he lay in the
+place where he fell down, which was sheltered a little by a rock, he
+grew colder and colder, and he thought he must die. But still, from time
+to time, he prayed, 'Have mercy, O my God! on a poor child, who has
+nobody in the world to care for him!' At last he fell asleep, but was
+wakened by feeling a warm paw on his face. As he opened his eyes he saw
+with terror an enormous dog holding his head near his own. He uttered a
+cry of fear, and started back a little way from the dog. The dog
+approached the boy again, and tried, after his own fashion, to make the
+little fellow understand that he came there to do him good, and not to
+hurt him. Then he licked the face and hands of the child. By and by the
+child confided in his visitor, and began to entertain a hope that he
+might yet be saved. When Barry saw that his errand was understood, he
+lifted his head, and showed the child a bottle covered with willow,
+which was hanging around his neck. This bottle contained wine, some of
+which the little fellow drank, and felt refreshed. Then the dog lay down
+by the side of the child, and gave him the benefit of the heat of his
+own body for a long time. After this, the dog made a sign for the boy to
+get upon his back. It was some time before the boy could understand what
+the sign meant. But it was repeated again and again, and at last the
+child mounted the back of the kind animal, who carried him safely to the
+convent."
+
+Here is a capital story about a bloodhound, taken from the excellent
+book by Mr. Bingley, to which I have before alluded. Aubri de Mondidier,
+a gentleman of family and fortune, traveling alone through the Forest of
+Bondy, in France, was murdered, and buried under a tree. His dog, a
+bloodhound, would not quit his master's grave for several days; till at
+length, compelled by hunger, he proceeded to the house of an intimate
+friend of the unfortunate Aubri at Paris, and, by his melancholy
+howling, seemed desirous of expressing the loss they had both sustained.
+He repeated his cries, ran to the door, looked back to see if any one
+followed him, returned to his master's friend, pulled him by the
+sleeve, and with dumb eloquence, entreated him to go with him. The
+singularity of all these actions of the dog, added to the circumstance
+of his coming there without his master, whose faithful companion he had
+always been, prompted the company to follow the animal. He conducted
+them to the foot of a tree, where he renewed his howling, scratching the
+earth with his feet, and significantly entreating them to search the
+particular spot. Accordingly, on digging, the body of the unhappy Aubri
+was found.
+
+[Illustration: THE BLOODHOUND]
+
+Some time after, the dog accidentally met the assassin, who is styled,
+by all the historians who relate the story, the Chevalier Macaire, when,
+instantly seizing him by the throat, he was with great difficulty
+compelled to quit his victim. In short, whenever the dog saw the
+chevalier, he continued to pursue and attack him with equal fury. Such
+obstinate violence, confined only to Macaire, appeared very
+extraordinary, especially to those who at once recalled the dog's
+remarkable attachment to his master, and several instances in which
+Macaire's envy and hatred to Aubri de Mondidier had been conspicuous.
+
+Additional circumstances increased suspicion, and at length the affair
+reached the royal ear. The king accordingly sent for the dog, which
+appeared extremely gentle, till he perceived Macaire in the midst of
+several noblemen, when he ran fiercely toward him, growling at and
+attacking him, as usual. Struck with such a combination of
+circumstantial evidence against Macaire, the king determined to refer
+the decision to the chance of battle; or, in other words, he gave orders
+for a combat between the chevalier and the dog. The lists were appointed
+in the Isle of Notre Dame, then an unenclosed, uninhabited place.
+Macaire was allowed for his weapon a great cudgel, and an empty cask was
+given to the dog as a place of retreat, to enable him to recover breath.
+
+Every thing being prepared, the dog no sooner found himself at liberty,
+than he made for his adversary, running round him and menacing him on
+every side, avoiding his blows till his strength was exhausted; then
+springing forward, he seized him by the throat, threw him on the ground,
+and obliged him to confess his guilt in presence of the king and the
+whole court. In consequence of this confession, the chevalier, after a
+few days, was convicted upon his own acknowledgment, and beheaded on a
+scaffold in the Isle of Notre Dame.
+
+The editor of the Portland (Maine) Advertiser relates the following
+anecdote: "A gentleman from the country recently drove up to a store in
+this city, and jumping from his sleigh, left his dog in the care of the
+vehicle. Presently an avalanche of snow slid from the top of the
+building upon the sidewalk, which so frightened the horse that he
+started off down the street at a furious run. At this critical juncture,
+the dog sprang from the sleigh, and seizing the reins in his mouth, held
+back with all his strength, and actually reined in the frightened animal
+to a post at the side of the street, when apparently having satisfied
+himself that no danger was to be apprehended, he again resumed his
+station in the sleigh, as unconcerned as if he had only done an ordinary
+act of duty."
+
+A few years ago a little girl, residing in an inland village in
+Connecticut--without the consent of her mother, be it remembered--went
+alone to a pond near by, to play with her brother's little vessel, and
+fell into the water. She came very near drowning; but a dog belonging to
+the family, named Rollo, who was not far off, plunged in and drew her to
+the shore. She was so exhausted, however, that she could not rise, and
+the dog could not lift her entirely out of the water. But he raised her
+head a little above the surface, and then ran after help. He found a
+man, and made use of every expedient in his power to draw him to the
+spot where he had left the child. At first the stranger paid very little
+attention to the dog; but by and by he was persuaded something was
+wrong, and followed the dog to the pond. The little girl was not
+drowned, though she was quite insensible; and the man lifted her from
+the water, and saved her life, to the great joy of Rollo, who seemed
+eager to assist in this enterprise.
+
+Here is a capital story about a shepherd's dog in Scotland. I take the
+liberty of borrowing it from Bingley's admirable book. The valleys, or
+glens, as they are called by the natives, which intersect the Grampians,
+a ridge of rocky and precipitous mountains in the northern part of
+Scotland, are chiefly inhabited by shepherds. As the pastures over which
+each flock is permitted to range, extend many miles in every direction,
+the shepherd never has a view of his whole flock at once, except when it
+is collected for the purpose of sale or shearing. His occupation is to
+make daily visits to the different extremities of his pastures in
+succession, and to turn back, by means of his dog, any stragglers that
+may be approaching the boundaries of his neighbors.
+
+[Illustration: EXPLOIT OF THE NEW ENGLAND DOG.]
+
+In one of these excursions, a shepherd happened to carry with him one of
+his children, an infant some two or three years old. After traversing
+his pastures for some time, attended by his dog, the shepherd found
+himself under the necessity of ascending a summit at some distance to
+have a more extended view of his range. As the ascent was too fatiguing
+for his child, he left him on a small plain at the bottom, with strict
+injunctions not to stir from it till his return. Scarcely, however, had
+he gained the summit, when the horizon was suddenly darkened by one of
+those thick and heavy fogs which frequently descend so rapidly amid
+these mountains, as, in the space of a few minutes, almost to turn day
+into night. The anxious father instantly hastened back to find his
+child; but, owing to the unusual darkness, and his own trepidation, he
+unfortunately missed his way in the descent. After a fruitless search of
+many hours among the dangerous morasses and cataracts with which these
+mountains abound, he was at length overtaken by night. Still wandering
+on, without knowing whither, he at length came to the verge of the mist,
+and, by the light of the moon, discovered that he had reached the bottom
+of the valley, and was now within a short distance of his cottage. To
+renew the search that night was equally fruitless and dangerous. He was
+therefore obliged to return home, having lost both his child and his
+dog, which had attended him faithfully for years.
+
+Next morning by day-break, the shepherd, accompanied by a band of his
+neighbors, set out again to seek his child; but, after a day spent in
+fruitless fatigue, he was at last compelled by the approach of night to
+descend from the mountain. On returning to his cottage, he found that
+the dog which he had lost the day before, had been home, and, on
+receiving a piece of cake, had instantly gone off again. For several
+successive days the shepherd renewed the search for his child, and
+still, on returning in the evening disappointed to his cottage, he found
+that the dog had been there, and, on receiving his usual allowance of
+cake, had instantly disappeared. Struck with this singular circumstance,
+he remained at home one day, and when the dog, as usual, departed with
+his piece of cake, he resolved to follow him, and find out the cause of
+this strange procedure. The dog led the way to a cataract at some
+distance from the spot where the shepherd had left his child. The banks
+of the waterfall, almost joined at the top, yet separated by an abyss of
+immense depth, presented that abrupt appearance which so often
+astonishes and appalls the traveler amid the Grampian mountains, and
+indicates that these stupendous chasms were not the silent work of
+time, but the sudden effect of some violent convulsion of the earth.
+Down one of these rugged and almost perpendicular descents the dog
+began, without hesitation, to make his way, and at last disappeared in a
+cave, the mouth of which was almost on a level with the torrent. The
+shepherd with difficulty followed; but, on entering the cave, what were
+his emotions, when he beheld his infant eating with much satisfaction
+the cake which the dog had just brought him, while the faithful animal
+stood by, eyeing his young charge with the utmost complacency! From the
+situation in which the child was found, it appeared that he had wandered
+to the brink of the precipice, and either fallen or scrambled down till
+he reached the cave, which the dread of the torrent had afterward
+prevented him from quitting. The dog, by means of his scent, had traced
+him to the spot, and afterward prevented him from starving, by giving up
+to him his own daily allowance. He appears never to have quitted the
+child by night or day, except when it was necessary to go for his food,
+and then he was always seen running at full speed to and from the
+cottage.
+
+[Illustration: A SHEPHERD'S DOG FEEDING A LOST CHILD]
+
+The following story is related on the authority of a correspondent of
+the Boston Traveler: A gentleman from abroad, stopping at a hotel in
+Boston, privately secreted his handkerchief behind the cushion of a
+sofa, and left the hotel, in company with his dog. After walking for
+some minutes, he suddenly stopped, and said to his dog, "I have left my
+handkerchief at the hotel, and want it"--giving no particular directions
+in reference to it. The dog immediately returned in full speed, and
+entered the room which his master had just left. He went directly to the
+sofa, but the handkerchief was gone. He jumped upon tables and counters,
+but it was not to be seen. It proved that a friend had discovered it,
+and supposing that it had been left by mistake, had retained it for the
+owner. But Tiger was not to be foiled. He flew about the room,
+apparently much excited, in quest of the "lost or stolen." Soon,
+however, he was upon the track; he scented it to the gentleman's coat
+pocket. What was to be done? The dog had no means of asking verbally for
+it, and was not accustomed to picking pockets; and, besides, the
+gentleman was ignorant of his business with him. But Tiger's sagacity
+did not suffer him to remain long in suspense; he seized the skirt
+containing the prize, and furiously tore it from the coat, and hastily
+made off with it, much to the surprise of its owner. Tiger overtook his
+master, and restored the lost property, receiving his approbation,
+notwithstanding he did it at the expense of the gentleman's coat. At a
+subsequent interview, the gentleman refused any remuneration for his
+torn garment, declaring that the joke was worth the price of his coat.
+
+One day, as a little girl was amusing herself with a child, near
+Carlisle Bridge, Dublin, and was sportively toying with the child, he
+made a sudden spring from her arms, and in an instant fell into the
+river. The screaming nurse and anxious spectators saw the water close
+over the child, and conceived that he had sunk to rise no more. A
+Newfoundland dog, which had been accidentally passing with his master,
+sprang forward to the wall, and gazed wistfully at the ripple in the
+water, made by the child's descent. At the same instant the dog sprang
+forward to the edge of the water. While the animal was descending, the
+child again sunk, and the faithful creature was seen anxiously swimming
+round and round the spot where he had disappeared. Once more the child
+rose to the surface; the dog seized him, and with a firm but gentle
+pressure, bore him to land without injury. Meanwhile a gentleman
+arrived, who, on inquiry into the circumstances of the transaction,
+exhibited strong marks of interest and feeling toward the child, and of
+admiration for the dog that had rescued him from death. The person who
+had removed the child from the dog turned to show him to the gentleman,
+when there were presented to his view the well-known features of his own
+son! A mixed sensation of terror, joy, and surprise, struck him mute.
+When he had recovered the use of his faculties, and fondly kissed his
+little darling, he lavished a thousand embraces on the dog, and offered
+to his master five hundred guineas if he would transfer the valuable
+animal to him; but the owner of the dog felt too much affection for the
+useful creature, to part with him for any consideration whatever.
+
+A boatman on the river Thames, in England, once laid a wager that he and
+his dog would leap from the centre arch of Westminster Bridge, and land
+at Lambeth within a minute of each other. He jumped off first, and the
+dog immediately followed; but as he was not in the secret, and fearing
+that his master would be drowned, he seized him by the neck, and dragged
+him on shore, to the great diversion of the spectators.
+
+[Illustration: NEWFOUNDLAND DOG, SAVING A CHILD FROM DROWNING]
+
+Some years ago, a gentleman of Queen's College, Oxford, went to pass the
+Christmas vacation at his father's in the country. An uncle, a brother,
+and other friends, were one day to dine together. It was fine, frosty
+weather; the two young gentlemen went out for a forenoon's
+recreation, and one of them took his skates with him. They were followed
+by a favorite greyhound. When the friends were beginning to long for
+their return, the dog came home at full speed, and by his apparent
+anxiety, his laying hold of their clothes to pull them along, and all
+his gestures, he convinced them that something was wrong. They followed
+the greyhound, who led them to a piece of water frozen over. A hat was
+seen on the ice, near which was a fresh aperture. The bodies of the
+young gentlemen were soon found, but, alas! though every means were
+tried, life could not be restored.
+
+There is another story which places the sagacity of the greyhound in
+still stronger light. A Scotch gentleman, who kept a greyhound and a
+pointer, being fond of coursing, employed the one to find the hares, and
+the other to catch them. It was, however, discovered, that when the
+season was over, the dogs were in the habit of going out by themselves,
+and killing hares for their own amusement. To prevent this, a large iron
+ring was fastened to the pointer's neck by a leather collar, and hung
+down so as to prevent the dog from running or jumping over dikes. The
+animals, however, continued to stroll out to the fields together; and
+one day, the gentleman suspecting that all was not right, resolved to
+watch them, and, to his surprise, found that the moment they thought
+they were unobserved, the greyhound took up the ring in his mouth, and
+carrying it, they set off to the hills, and began to search for hares,
+as usual. They were followed; and it was observed that whenever the
+pointer scented the hare, the ring was dropped, and the greyhound stood
+ready to pounce upon the game the moment the other drove her from her
+form; but that he uniformly returned to assist his companion, after he
+had caught his prey.
+
+[Illustration: AN ENCAMPMENT OF GIPSIES.]
+
+Some of the dogs belonging to the gipsies possess a great deal of
+shrewdness. The gipsies, you know, are a very singular race of people.
+They are scattered over a great portion of Europe, wandering from place
+to place, and living in miserable tents, or huts. You can form a pretty
+correct notion of a gipsy encampment, by the picture on another page.
+Here you see the gipsy men and women, sitting and standing around a
+fire, over which is a pot, evidently containing the material for their
+meal. If you notice the picture carefully, you will observe, also, a
+little, insignificant looking dog, who is apparently asleep, and, for
+aught I know, dreaming about the exploits of the day. You will no doubt
+smile, and wonder what exploits such a cur is able to perform; but I
+assure you that if he is at all like some of the gipsy dogs I have heard
+of, he has been taught a good many very shrewd tricks. The dogs of the
+gipsies are sometimes trained to steal for their masters. The thief
+enters a store with some respectably dressed man, whom the owner of the
+dog will commission for the purpose, and--the man having made certain
+signals to the animal--the gipsy cur, after loitering about the store,
+perhaps for hours, waiting a favorable opportunity, will steal the
+articles which were designated, and run away with them to his master's
+tent.
+
+I made the acquaintance of a dog at Niagara Falls, last summer, who was
+an ardent admirer of the beautiful and grand in nature. The little
+steamer called the "Maid of the Mist" makes several trips daily, from a
+point some two miles down the river, to within a few rods of the Canada
+Fall. I went up in this boat, one morning, and the trip afforded me one
+of the finest views I had of this inimitable cataract. Among the
+passengers in this boat, at the time, was the dog who was so fond of the
+sublime. He walked leisurely on board, just before the hour of starting,
+and during the entire excursion seemed to enjoy the scene as much as any
+of the rest of the passengers. As the boat approached the American
+Fall, he took his station in the bow, where he remained, completely
+deluged in the spray, until the boat passed the same Fall, on its
+return. This, however, is not the most remarkable part of the story. The
+captain informed me that such was the daily practice of the dog. Every
+morning, regularly, at the hour of starting, he makes his appearance,
+though he is not owned by any one engaged in the boat, and treats
+himself to this novel excursion.
+
+There is a dog living on Staten Island, who has for some time been
+acting the part of a philanthropist, on a large scale. He makes it a
+great share of his business to administer to the necessities of the sick
+and infirm dogs in the neighborhood. As soon as he learns that a dog is
+sick, so that he is unable to take care of himself, he visits the
+invalid, and nurses him; and he even goes from house to house, searching
+out those who need his assistance. Frequently he brings his patient to
+his own kennel, and takes care of him until he either gets well or dies.
+Sometimes he has two or three sick dogs in his hospital, at the same
+time. I have these facts on the authority of my friend Mr. Ranlett, the
+editor of the "Architect," a gentleman of unquestionable veracity, who
+has seen the dog thus imitating the example of the Good Samaritan.
+
+[Illustration: RUSSIAN SLEDGE.]
+
+Captain Parry, an adventurous sailor, who went out from England on a
+voyage of discovery in the northern seas, relates some amusing anecdotes
+about the dogs among the Esquimaux Indians. These dogs are trained to
+draw a vehicle called a sledge, made a little like what we call a
+sleigh. In some parts of Russia many people travel in the same manner.
+Here is a picture of one of the Russian sledges. It is made in very
+handsome style, as you see. The greater portion of them are constructed
+much more rudely. The Esquimaux Indian is famous for his feats in
+driving dogs. When he wants to take a ride, he harnesses up several
+pairs of these dogs, and off he goes, almost as swift as the wind. The
+dogs are rather unruly, however, sometimes, and get themselves sadly
+snarled together, so that the driver is obliged to go through the
+harnessing process several times in the course of a drive of a few
+miles. When the road is level and pretty smoothly worn, eight or ten
+dogs, with a weight only of some six or seven hundred pounds attached to
+them, are almost unmanageable, and will run any where they choose at the
+rate of ten miles an hour.
+
+The following anecdote we have on the authority of the Newark (N. J.)
+Daily Advertiser: An officer of the army, accompanied by his dog, left
+West Point on a visit to the city of Burlington, N. J., and while there,
+becoming sick, wrote to his wife and family at West Point, in relation
+to his indisposition. Shortly after the reception of his letter, the
+family were aroused by a whining, barking and scratching, at the door of
+the house, and when opened to ascertain the cause, in rushed the
+faithful dog. After being caressed, and every attempt made to quiet him,
+the dog, in despair at not being understood, seized a shawl in his
+teeth, and, placing his paws on the lady's shoulders, deposited there
+the shawl! He then placed himself before her, and, fixing his gaze
+intently upon her, to attract her attention, seized her dress, and began
+to drag her to the door. The lady then became alarmed, and sent for a
+relative, who endeavored to allay her fears, but she prevailed upon him
+to accompany her at once to her husband, and on arriving, found him
+dangerously ill in Burlington. The distance traveled by the faithful
+animal, and the difficulties encountered, render this exploit almost
+incredible, especially as the boats could not stop at West Point, on
+account of the ice, it being in the winter.
+
+There is a dog in the city of New York, who, according to unquestionable
+authority, is accustomed every day not only to bring his mistress the
+morning paper, as soon as it is thrown into the front yard, but to
+select the one belonging to the lady, when, as is frequently the case,
+there is one lying with it belonging to another member of the family.
+
+An unfortunate dog, living in England, in order to make sport for some
+fools, had a pan tied to his tail, and was sent off on his travels
+toward a village a few miles distant. He reached the place utterly
+exhausted, and lay down before the steps of a tavern, eyeing most
+anxiously the horrid annoyance hung behind him, but unable to move a
+step further, or rid himself of the torment. Another dog, a Scotch
+colly, came up at the time, and seeing the distress of his crony, laid
+himself down gently beside him, and gaining his confidence by a few
+caresses, proceeded to gnaw the string by which the noisy appendage was
+attached to his friend's tail, and by about a quarter of an hour's
+exertion, severed the cord, and started to his legs, with the pan
+hanging from the string in his mouth, and after a few joyful capers
+around his friend, departed on his travels, in the highest glee at his
+success.
+
+The Albany Journal tells us of a dog in that city, who has formed the
+habit of regarding a shadow with a great deal of interest. In this
+particular, he is not unlike some people that one occasionally meets
+with, who spend their whole time following shadows. The story of the
+Albany editor is thus told: Those who are in the habit of frequenting
+the post-office, between the hours of six and eight in the evening, have
+doubtless noticed the singular wanderings of a dog near the first swing
+door, without knowing the cause of his mysterious actions. The hall is
+lighted with gas, and the burner is placed between the two doors. When
+the outer door swings, the frame-work of the sash throws a moving shadow
+on the wall, beneath the structure, which, from its peculiar movement
+toward the floor, has attracted the notice of this dog. He watches it as
+sharp as if it were a mouse, and although his labors have been
+fruitless, yet he still continues nightly to grace this place with his
+presence. Several attempts have been made to draw his attention from the
+object, with but little success; for though his attention may be
+diverted, it is soon lost, as the instant his eye catches the shadow, he
+renews his watchings. In all his movements he is very harmless, and he
+neither injures nor even molests those who have occasion to pass through
+the hall.
+
+As a farmer of good circumstances, who resided in the county of Norfolk,
+England, was taking an excursion to a considerable distance from home,
+during the frosts in the month of March 1795, he at length was so
+benumbed by the intense cold, that he became stupefied, and so sleepy
+that he found himself unable to proceed. He lay down, and would have
+perished on the spot, had not a faithful dog, which attended him, as if
+sensible of his dangerous situation, got on his breast, and, extending
+himself over him, preserved the circulation of his blood. The dog, so
+situated for many hours, kept up a continual barking, by which means,
+and the assistance of some passengers, the farmer was roused, and led to
+a house, where he soon recovered.
+
+
+
+
+The Wolf.
+
+
+From an authentic source I have obtained an incident of recent
+occurrence, which painfully illustrates the fury of the wolf, while
+engaged at a favorite meal. Near Lake Constance, in Canada, two men
+observed some wolves engaged in eating a deer. One of them, named Black,
+went to dispute the prize with these ravenous animals, when he
+unfortunately fell a victim to his rashness, the wolves having devoured
+him, leaving only a small portion of his bones.
+
+Some three years since, while traveling in Canada, I met a lady who
+resided with a brother in the employ of the Hudson's Bay Company, a few
+hundred miles north of Montreal. This lady informed me that she had not
+unfrequently been chased by wolves, while proceeding to the house of her
+nearest neighbor--about ten miles distant--and that a pack of them,
+unusually hungry, once seemed very much determined to pull her from
+her horse, though they finally made up their minds that they would try
+their fortunes in another direction.
+
+[Illustration: AN ADVENTURE WITH WOLVES.]
+
+It sometimes, though not very frequently happens, that several wolves
+together attack men who travel on horseback, and fight furiously. A
+story is told of two men who were traveling in this manner in Mexico,
+when two or three wolves, who, one would suppose, had fasted a good
+while, fell upon the men and their horses, and it was a matter of some
+doubt, for a time, who would be the victors, the travelers or their
+assailants. The former were armed with pistols, too. The wolves got the
+worst of the battle, however, at last, and they retreated, as men very
+often do when they go to war with each other--having gained nothing but
+a broken limb or two, which they boast of for the remainder of their
+lives.
+
+A peasant in Russia was one day riding along, when he found that he was
+pursued by eleven wolves. Being about two miles from home he urged his
+horse to the very extent of his speed. At the entrance to his residence
+was a gate, which being shut at the time, the frightened horse dashed
+open, and carried his master safely into the yard. Nine of the wolves
+followed the man and his horse into the inclosure, when fortunately,
+the gate swung back, and caught them all as it were in a trap. Finding
+themselves caught in this manner, the wolves seemed to lose all their
+courage and ferocity. They shrunk away, and tried to hide themselves
+instead of pursuing their prey, and they were all killed with very
+little difficulty.
+
+The following story of an encounter with a saucy wolf in the
+south-western part of the United States, is taken from the journal of a
+Santa Fe trader: "I shall not soon forget an adventure with a furious
+wolf, many years ago, on the frontiers of Missouri. Riding near the
+prairie border, I perceived one of the largest and fiercest of the gray
+species, which had just descended from the west, and seemed famished to
+desperation. I at once prepared for a chase; and being without arms, I
+caught up a cudgel, when I betook me valiantly to the charge, much
+stronger, as I soon discovered, in my cause than in my equipment. The
+wolf was in no humor to flee, however, but boldly met me full half way.
+I was soon disarmed, for my club broke upon the animal's head. He then
+'laid to' my horse's legs, which, not relishing the conflict, gave a
+plunge, and sent me whirling over his head, and made his escape, leaving
+me and the wolf at close quarters. I was no sooner upon my feet than my
+antagonist renewed the charge; but being without a weapon, or any means
+of awakening an emotion of terror, save through his imagination, I took
+off my large black hat, and using it for a shield, began to thrust it
+toward his gaping jaws. My _ruse_ had the desired effect; for after
+springing at me a few times, he wheeled about, and trotted off several
+paces, and stopped to gaze at me. Being apprehensive that he might
+change his mind, and return to the attack, and conscious that, under the
+compromise, I had the best of the bargain, I very resolutely took to my
+heels, glad of the opportunity of making a drawn game,[1] though I had
+myself given the challenge." A friend of mine, who visited Texas a
+little while ago, gives quite an interesting account of a ride he had
+through an uninhabited part of that country, where wolves were abundant.
+He says: "As there was no road, I was obliged to take the prairie. My
+conveyance was a mule, which is, by the way, the best for a long journey
+in this country, as it is far more capable of endurance than a horse.
+When I had rode about five miles, I found that I had lost my course; and
+as the sun was clouded, I had no means of guessing at the route. But I
+pushed on, and soon found myself in a dense grove of live oak. Here I
+heard a distinct barking, and thought I must be near a house. I rode
+toward the place whence the noise seemed to proceed, but soon found that
+I had committed a most egregious error; for I was in the very midst of a
+pack of wolves, consisting of about a dozen. As you may suppose, I was
+terribly frightened, though I had heard that wolves in the country
+seldom molest any one traveling on horseback. Still, this interesting
+party appeared singularly fierce and hungry, and I opened a large clasp
+knife, the only available weapon I had, in order to be prepared for the
+contemplated attack. In this way I rode on about a mile, with the wolves
+after me, when the whole force quietly dispersed. After riding about
+three hours more, I discovered that I had been on the wrong track all
+the time, though I was not sure where I was; but it was so dark it was
+not safe to go further. So I spread my cloak on the grass, tied my mule
+up to a tree, made my saddle into a pillow, and, thus prepared, lay down
+for the night. I thought of wolves and snakes for some time, but being
+very tired, soon went to sleep."
+
+[Footnote 1: A drawn game at chess, as some of my readers may not be
+aware, is one in which neither party is the victor.]
+
+The wolf is capable of strong attachments, and has been known to cherish
+the memory of a friend for a great length of time. A wolf belonging to
+the menagerie in London, met his old keeper, after three years' absence.
+It was evening when the man returned, and the wolf's den was shut up
+from any external observation; yet the instant the man's voice was
+heard, the faithful animal set up the most anxious cries; and the door
+of his cage being opened, he rushed toward his friend, leaped upon his
+shoulders, licked his face, and threatened to bite his keepers on their
+attempting to separate them. When the man ultimately went away, he fell
+sick, was long on the verge of death, and would never after permit a
+stranger to approach him.
+
+Captain Franklin, in his journal of a voyage in the Polar seas, mentions
+seeing white wolves there, and gives an account which shows the wolf to
+be quite a cunning animal. A number of deer, says the captain, were
+feeding on a high cliff, when a multitude of wolves slily encircled the
+place, and then rushed upon the deer, scaring them over the precipice,
+where they were crushed to death by the fall. The wolves then came down,
+and devoured the deer at their leisure.
+
+[Illustration: SCENE IN THE OLD WOLF STORY.]
+
+When I was quite a little boy, it used to be the fashion for many people
+to fill children's heads with all manner of frightful stories about
+wolves, and bears, and gentry of that sort--stories that had not a word
+of truth in them, and which did a great deal of mischief. I remember to
+this day, the horror I used to have, when obliged to go away alone in
+the dark. Many a time I have looked behind me, thinking it quite likely
+that a furious wolf was at my heels. The reason for this foolish
+fear--for it was foolish, of course--was, that a servant girl, in the
+employ of my mother, used to tell me scores of stories in which wolves
+always played a very prominent part. I remember one story in particular,
+which cost me a world of terror. The principal scene in the tale, and
+the one which most frightened me, was at the time pictured so strongly
+on my imagination, that it never entirely wore off. It was much after
+this fashion. The wolf's jaws were opened wide enough to take a poor
+fellow's head in, and fancy pictured that event as being about to happen
+scores of times. Indeed, the nurse told me, over and over again, that
+unless I kept out of mischief--which I did not always, I am sorry to
+say--I should be sure to come to some such end. Boys and girls, if you
+have ever heard such stories, don't let them trouble you for a moment.
+There is not a word of truth in them. I know how you feel--some of you
+who are quite young, and who have been entertained with stories of this
+class--when any body asks you to go alone into a dark room. You are
+afraid of something, and for your life cannot tell what. I should not
+wonder very much if some of you were _afraid of the dark_. I have heard
+children talk about being afraid of the dark. You laugh, perhaps. It is
+rather funny--almost too funny to be treated seriously. Well, if it is
+not the dark, what is it you are afraid of? Your parents, and others who
+are older than you, are alone in the dark a thousand times in the course
+of a year. Did you ever hear them say any thing about meeting a single
+one of the heroes of the frightful stories you have heard? Do you think
+they ever came across a ghost, or an apparition, or a fairy, or an elf,
+or a witch, or a hobgoblin, or a giant, or a Blue-Beard, or a wolf? It
+makes you smile to think of it. Well, then, after all, don't you think
+it would be a great deal wiser and better to turn all these foolish
+fancies out of your head, just as one would get rid of a company of
+saucy rats and mice that were doing mischief in the cellar or
+corn-house? I think so.
+
+Before I have done with the wolf, I must recite that fable of AEsop's,
+about one who dressed himself up in the garb of a sheep, to impose upon
+the shepherd, but who shared a very different fate from the one he
+anticipated.
+
+[Illustration: THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.]
+
+A wolf, clothing himself in the skin of a sheep, and getting in among
+the flock, by this means took the opportunity to devour many of them. At
+last the shepherd discovered him, and cunningly fastening a rope about
+his neck, tied him up to a tree which stood hard by. Some other
+shepherds happening to pass that way, and observing what he was about,
+drew near and expressed their amazement. "What," says one of them,
+"brother, do you make a practice of hanging sheep?" "No," replies the
+other; "but I make a practice of hanging a wolf whenever I catch him,
+though in the habit and garb of a sheep." Then he showed them their
+mistake, and they applauded the justice of the execution. The moral of
+this fable is so plain, that it is quite useless to repeat it.
+
+
+
+
+The Horse.
+
+
+Of all the animals which have been pressed into the service of man, the
+horse, perhaps, is the most useful. What could we do without the labor
+of this noble and faithful animal? Day after day, and year after year,
+he toils on for his master, seldom complaining, when he is well treated,
+seldom showing himself ungrateful to his friends, and sometimes
+exhibiting the strongest attachment.
+
+The following story is a matter of history, and is told by one who was a
+witness of most of the facts connected with it: During the peninsular
+war in Europe, the trumpeter of a French cavalry corps had a fine
+charger assigned to him, of which he became passionately fond, and
+which, by gentleness of disposition and uniform docility, equally
+evinced its affection. The sound of the trumpeter's voice, the sight of
+his uniform, or the twang of his trumpet, was sufficient to throw
+this animal into a state of the greatest excitement; and he appeared
+to be pleased and happy only when under the saddle of his rider. Indeed
+he was unruly and useless to every body else; for once, on being removed
+to another part of the forces, and consigned to a young officer, he
+resolutely refused to perform his evolutions, and bolted straight to the
+trumpeter's station, and there took his stand, jostling alongside his
+former master. This animal, on being restored to the trumpeter, carried
+him, during several of the peninsular campaigns, through many
+difficulties and hair-breadth escapes. At last the corps to which he
+belonged was worsted, and in the confusion of retreat the trumpeter was
+mortally wounded. Dropping from his horse, his body was found, many days
+after the engagement, stretched on the ground, with the faithful old
+charger standing beside it. During the long interval, it seems that he
+had never left the trumpeter's side, but had stood sentinel over his
+corpse, as represented in the engraving, scaring away the birds of prey,
+and remaining totally heedless of his own privations. When found, he was
+in a sadly reduced condition, partly from loss of blood through wounds,
+but chiefly from want of food, of which, in the excess of his grief, he
+could not be prevailed on to partake.
+
+[Illustration: THE HORSE WATCHING THE BODY OF THE TRUMPETER.]
+
+In a book called "Sketches of the Horse," is an anecdote which exhibits
+the intelligence of this animal in perhaps a still stronger light. A
+farmer, living in the neighborhood of Bedford, in England, was returning
+home from market one evening in 1828, and being somewhat tipsy, rolled
+off his saddle into the middle of the road. His horse stood still; but
+after remaining patiently for some time, and not observing any
+disposition in his rider to get up and proceed further, he took him by
+the collar and shook him. This had little or no effect, for the farmer
+only gave a grumble of dissatisfaction at having his repose disturbed.
+The animal was not to be put off by any such evasion, and so applied his
+mouth to one of his master's coat-laps, and after several attempts, by
+dragging at it, to raise him upon his feet, the coat-lap gave way. Three
+individuals who witnessed this extraordinary proceeding then went up,
+and assisted the man in mounting his horse.
+
+My father had a horse, when I was a little boy, that was quite a pet
+with the whole family. We called him Jack, and he knew his name as well
+as I did. The biography of the old veteran would be very interesting, I
+am sure, if any body were to write it. I do not mean to be his
+biographer, however, though my partiality for him will be a sufficient
+apology for a slight sketch.
+
+Old Jack was a very intelligent horse. He would always come when he
+heard his name called, let him be ever so far distant in the pasture;
+that is, if he had a mind to come. Of course, being a gentleman of
+discernment, he sometimes chose to stay where he was, and enjoy his
+walk. This was especially the case when the grass was very green, and
+when the person who came for him chanced to be a little green also. Jack
+had his faults, it cannot be denied, and among them, perhaps the most
+prominent one was a strong aversion to being caught by any body but my
+father, whom he seemed to regard as having the sole right to summon him
+from the pasture. I used occasionally to try my hand at catching him. In
+fact, I succeeded several times, by stratagem only. I carried a measure
+containing a few gills of oats with me into the field; and his love for
+oats was so much stronger than his dislike of the catching process, that
+I secured him. But after a while the old fellow became too cunning for
+me. He came to the conclusion that the quantity of his favorite dish was
+too small to warrant him in sacrificing his freedom. He had some
+knowledge of arithmetic, you see. Certainly he must have cyphered as
+far as loss and gain. One day I went into the pasture with my bridle
+concealed behind me, and just about enough oats to cover the bottom of
+my measure, and advanced carefully toward the spot where old Jack was
+quietly grazing in the meadow. He did not stir as I approached. He held
+up his head a little, and seemed to be thinking what it was best to do.
+I drew nearer, encouraged, of course. The cunning fellow let me come
+within a few feet of him, and then suddenly wheeled around, threw his
+heels into the air, a great deal too near my head, and then started off
+at full gallop, snorting his delight at the fun, and seeming to say, "I
+am not quite so great a fool as you suppose."
+
+Still, old Jack was kind and gentle. My father never had any trouble
+with him, and many a long mile have I rode after him, when he went over
+the ground like a bird. I loved him, with all his faults; I loved him
+dearly, and when he was sold, we all had a long crying spell about it. I
+remember the time well, when the man who purchased our old pet came to
+take him away. I presume the man was kind enough, but really I never
+could forgive him for buying the horse. He was rather a rough-looking
+man, and he laughed a good deal when we told him he must be good to
+Jack, and give him plenty of oats, and not make him work too hard. I
+went out, with my sister, to bid our old friend a last sad good-bye. We
+carried him some green grass--we knew how well he loved grass, he had
+given us proof enough of that--and while he was eating it, and the man
+was preparing to take him away, we talked to old Jack till the tears
+stood in our eyes; we told him how sorry we were to part with him; and
+he seemed to be sad, too, for he stopped eating his grass, and looked at
+us tenderly, while we put our arms around his neck and caressed him for
+the last time.
+
+[Illustration: PARTING WITH OLD JACK.]
+
+I have had a great many pets since--cats and dogs, squirrels and
+rabbits, canary birds and parrots--but never any that I loved more than
+I did old Jack; and to this day I am ashamed of the deception I
+practiced upon him in the matter of the oats, when trying to catch him.
+I don't wonder he resented the trick, and played one on me in return.
+
+But I am transgressing the rule I laid down for myself in the outset of
+these stories--not to prate much about my own pets. According to this
+rule, I ought to have touched much more lightly upon the life and times
+of old Jack.
+
+A correspondent of the Providence (R. I.) Journal, gives an account of a
+horse in his neighborhood that was remarkably fond of music. "A
+physician," he says, "called daily to visit a patient opposite to my
+place of residence. We had a piano in the room on the street, on which a
+young lady daily practiced for several hours in the morning. The weather
+was warm, and the windows were open, and the moment the horse caught the
+sound of the piano, he would deliberately wheel about, cross the street,
+place himself as near the window as possible, and there, with ears and
+eyes dilating, would he quietly stand and listen till his owner came for
+him. This was his daily practice. Sometimes the young lady would stop
+playing when the doctor drove up. The horse would then remain quietly in
+his place; but the first stroke of a key would arrest his attention, and
+half a dozen notes would invariably call him across the street. I
+witnessed the effect several times."
+
+There was a show-bill printed during the reign of Queen Anne, a copy of
+which is still to be seen in one of the public libraries in England, to
+the following effect: "To be seen, at the Ship, upon Great Tower Hill,
+the finest taught horse in the world. He fetches and carries like a
+spaniel dog. If you hide a glove, a handkerchief, a door key, a pewter
+spoon, or so small a thing as a silver twopence, he will seek about the
+room till he has found it, and then he will bring it to his master.
+He will also tell the number of spots on a card, and leap through a
+hoop; with a variety of other curious performances."
+
+[Illustration: ALEXANDER TAMING BUCEPHALUS.]
+
+The story of Alexander the Great, and his favorite horse Bucephalus,
+doubtless most of my readers have heard before. Bucephalus was a
+war-horse of a very high spirit, which had been sent to Philip,
+Alexander's father, when the latter was a boy. This horse was taken out
+into one of the parks connected with the palace, and the king and many
+of his courtiers went to see him. The horse pranced about so furiously,
+that every body was afraid of him. He seemed perfectly unmanageable. No
+one was willing to risk his life by mounting such an unruly animal.
+Philip, instead of being thankful for the present, was inclined to be in
+ill humor about it. In the mean time, the boy Alexander stood quietly
+by, watching all the motions of the horse, and seeming to be studying
+his character. Philip had decided that the horse was useless, and had
+given orders to have him sent back to Thessaly, where he came from.
+Alexander did not much like the idea of losing so fine an animal, and
+begged his father to allow him to mount the horse. Philip at first
+refused, thinking the risk was too great. But he finally consented,
+after his son had urged him a great while. So Alexander went up to the
+horse, and took hold of his bridle. He patted him upon the neck, and
+soothed him with his voice, showing him, at the same time, by his easy
+and unconcerned manner, that he was not in the least afraid of him.
+Bucephalus was calmed and subdued by the presence of Alexander. He
+allowed himself to be caressed. Alexander turned his head in such a
+direction as to prevent his seeing his own shadow, which had before
+appeared to frighten him. Then he threw off his cloak, and sprang upon
+the back of the horse, and let him go as fast as he pleased. The animal
+flew across the plain, at the top of his speed, while the king and his
+courtiers looked on, at first with extreme fear, but afterward with the
+greatest admiration and pleasure. When Bucephalus had got tired of
+running, he was easily reined in, and Alexander returned to the king,
+who praised him very highly, and told him that he deserved a larger
+kingdom than Macedon. Alexander had a larger kingdom, some years
+after--a great deal larger one--though that is a part of another story.
+
+Bucephalus became the favorite horse of Alexander, and was very
+tractable and docile, though full of life and spirit. He would kneel
+upon his fore legs, at the command of his master, in order that he might
+mount more easily. A great many anecdotes are related of the feats of
+Bucephalus, as a war-horse. He was never willing to have any one ride
+him but Alexander. When the horse died, Alexander mourned for him a
+great deal. He had him buried with great solemnity, and built a small
+city upon the spot of his interment, which he named, in honor of his
+favorite, Bucephalia.
+
+An odd sort of an old mare, called by her master Nancy, used to go by my
+father's house, when I was a child. She was the bearer of Peter
+Packer--Uncle Peter, as he was sometimes called by the good people in
+our neighborhood--and he was the bearer of the weekly newspaper, and
+was, withal, quite as odd as his mare. As long as I can remember, Uncle
+Peter went his weekly rounds, and for aught I know, he is going to this
+day. No storm, or tempest, or snow-bank, could detain him, that is, not
+longer than a day or two, in his mission. He was a very punctual man--in
+other words, he always paced leisurely along, some time or another.
+Speaking of pacing, reminds me that the mare aforesaid belonged to that
+particular class and order called _pacers_, from their peculiar gait. I
+should think, too, that the mare was not altogether unlike the
+celebrated animal on which Don Quixote rode in pursuit of wind-mills,
+and things of that sort. But she had one peculiarity which is not set
+down in the description of Rozinante, to wit: the faculty of diagonal or
+oblique locomotion. This mare of Uncle Peter's went forward something
+after the fashion of a crab, and a little like a ship with the wind
+abeam, as the sailors would say. It was a standing topic of dispute
+among us school-boys, whether the animal went head foremost or not. But
+that did not matter much, practically, it is true, so that she always
+made her circuit; and that she did, as I have said before. Sometimes she
+was a day or two later than usual. But that seldom occurred except in
+the summer season; and when it did happen, it was on this wise: she had
+a most passionate love for the study of practical botany; and not being
+allowed, when at home, to pursue her favorite science as often as she
+wished, owing partly to a want of specimens, and partly to her master's
+desire to educate her in the more solid branches--he was a great
+advocate for the solid branches--she frequently took the liberty to
+divest herself of her bridle, when standing at the door of her master's
+customers, and to pace away in search of the dear flowers. Oh, she was a
+devoted student of botany! so much so, that her desire to obtain
+botanical specimens did sometimes interfere a good deal with her
+other literary and scientific engagements. She used to do very nearly as
+she chose. Uncle Peter seldom crossed her in her inclinations. If she
+was pacing along the highway, and felt a little thirsty, she never
+hesitated to stop, whether her master invited her to do so or not, at a
+brook or a watering-trough. Uncle Peter used to say, that he never tried
+to prevent these liberties but once, and he had occasion to repent
+bitterly of that. A thunder-storm was coming on, and he was in a hurry
+to get to the next house. But the mare was determined, before she went
+any further, to stop at a stream of water and drink. He set out to have
+his way--Nancy set out to have hers. The result was, that Peter was
+obliged to yield. But that was not the worst of it. The old mare was so
+much vexed because her master disputed her will, that while she was
+standing in the brook, she threw up her hind feet and let him fall over
+her head into the water. That gentle correction cured Uncle Peter. She
+had her own way after the ducking.
+
+[Illustration: UNCLE PETER AND HIS OLD MARE.]
+
+Horses have been known to cherish a strong attachment for each other. In
+one of the British wars called the peninsular war, two horses, who had
+long been associated together, assisting in dragging the same piece of
+artillery, became so much attached to each other as to be inseparable
+companions. At length one of them was killed in battle. After the
+engagement was over, the other horse was attended to, as usual, and his
+food was brought to him. But he refused to eat, and was constantly
+turning his head to look for his former companion, sometimes neighing,
+as if to call her. All the attention which was bestowed upon him was of
+no avail. Though surrounded by other horses, he took no notice of them,
+but was continually mourning for his lost friend. Shortly after he died,
+having refused to taste any food from the day his companion was killed.
+
+An old Shetland pony was so much attached to a little boy, his master,
+that he would place his fore feet in the hands of the boy, like a dog,
+thrust his head under his arm, to court his caresses, and join with him
+and a little dog in their noisy rompings. The same animal daily carried
+his master to school. He would even walk alone from the stable to the
+school-house, to bring the boy home, and sometimes he would wait hours
+for him, having come much too early.
+
+But I have occupied the reader's attention long enough with stories of
+the horse, interesting and noble as this animal is. I must, however,
+before I pass to another subject, recite a touching ballad, from one of
+our sweetest bards.
+
+[Illustration: THE OLD HORSE'S ADDRESS TO HIS MASTER, ON BEING SENTENCED
+TO DIE.]
+
+    And hast thou fixed my doom, kind master, say?
+      And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?
+    A little longer let me live, I pray--
+      A little longer hobble round thy door.
+
+    For much it glads me to behold this place,
+      And house me in this hospitable shed;
+    It glads me more to see my master's face,
+      And linger on the spot where I was bred.
+
+    For oh! to think of what we have enjoyed,
+      In my life's prime, ere I was old and poor;
+    Then, from the jocund morn to eve employed,
+      My gracious master on my back I bore.
+
+    Thrice told ten happy years have danced along,
+      Since first to thee these wayworn limbs I gave;
+    Sweet smiling years, when both of us were young--
+      The kindest master, and the happiest slave!
+
+    Ah, years sweet smiling, now forever flown!
+      Ten years thrice told, alas! are as a day;
+    Yet, as together we are aged grown,
+      Together let us wear that age away.
+
+    For still the olden times are dear to thought,
+      And rapture marked each minute as it flew;
+    Light were our hearts, and every season brought
+      Pains that were soft, and pleasures that were new.
+
+    And hast thou fixed my doom, sweet master, say?
+      And wilt thou kill thy servant, old and poor?
+    A little longer let me live, I pray--
+      A little longer hobble round thy door.
+
+    But oh! kind Nature, take thy victim's life!
+      End thou a servant, feeble, old, and poor!
+    So shalt thou save me from the uplifted knife,
+      And gently stretch me at my master's door.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE LEOPARD AND THE SERPENT.]
+
+The Panther and Leopard.
+
+
+Leopards and panthers are very similar in their appearance and habits;
+so much so, that I shall introduce them both in the same chapter. The
+engraving represents a panther. He is in some danger from the serpent
+near him, I am inclined to think.
+
+A panther is spoken of by an English lady, Mrs. Bowdich, who resided for
+some time in Africa, as being thoroughly domesticated. He was as tame as
+a cat, and much more affectionate than cats usually are. On one
+occasion, when he was sick, the boy who had charge of him slept in his
+den, and held the patient a great part of the time in his arms, and the
+poor fellow appeared to be soothed by the care and attention of his
+nurse. He had a great partiality for white people, probably because he
+had been tamed by them; and the lady who gives this account of him was
+his especial favorite. Twice each week she used to take him some
+lavender water, which he was very fond of, and seized with great
+eagerness. He allowed the children to play with him; and sometimes, when
+he was sitting in the window, gazing upon what was going on below, the
+little urchins would pull him down by the tail. It would seem to be
+rather a dangerous experiment. But the panther let his play-fellows
+enjoy the sport. I suppose he thought that though it was not very
+pleasant to him, he would make the sacrifice of a little comfort rather
+than to get angry and revenge himself. Besides, he might have said to
+himself, "These boys like the sport pretty well; I should guess it was
+capital fun for them; it is a pity to rob them of their amusement it
+does not hurt me much, and I will let it go; they don't mean any harm;
+they are the kindest, best-natured children in the world; they would go
+without their own dinner, any day, rather than see me suffer." If the
+panther said this to himself, it was a very wise and sensible speech;
+and if he did not say it, my little readers may consider me as the
+author of it. I am satisfied, whether the panther has the credit of
+making the remarks or whether I have it, so that my young friends get
+the benefit of the lesson.
+
+In their wild state these animals are very destructive. The same lady
+who tells the story about the tame panther, says that in one case a
+panther leaped through an open window near her residence, and killed a
+little girl who happened to be the only occupant of the house at the
+time, except a man who was asleep.
+
+The tame leopard is often used in India for the purpose of hunting
+antelopes. He is carried in a kind of small wagon, blindfolded, to the
+place where the herd of antelopes are feeding. The reason they blindfold
+him is to prevent his being too much in a hurry, so that he might make
+choice of an animal which is not worth much. He does not fly at his prey
+at once, when let loose, but, winding along carefully, conceals himself,
+until an opportunity offers for his leap; and then, with five or six
+bounds, made with amazing force and rapidity, overtakes the herd, and
+brings his prey to the ground.
+
+I have read a very serious story of an American panther. The lady, who
+is the heroine of the story, and her husband, were among the first
+settlers in the wilderness of one of our western states. They at first
+lived in a log cabin. The luxury of glass was unknown in that wild place
+among the forests, and consequently light and air were admitted through
+holes which were always open. Both husband and wife had been away from
+home for a day or two; and on their return, they found some deer's
+flesh, which had been hanging up inside, partly eaten, and the tracks of
+an animal, which the gentleman supposed were those of a large dog. He
+was again obliged to leave home for a night, and this time the lady
+remained in the house alone. She went to bed; and soon after, she heard
+an animal climbing up the outside of the hut, and jump down through one
+of the openings into the adjoining room, with which her sleeping
+apartment was connected by a doorway without a door. Peeping out, she
+saw a huge panther, apparently seeking for prey, and of course very
+hungry and fierce. She beat against the partition between the rooms, and
+screamed as loudly as she could, which so frightened the panther that he
+jumped out. He was, however, soon in again, and a second time she
+frightened him away in the same manner, when she sprang out of bed, and
+went to the fire-place, in the hope of making a sufficient blaze to keep
+the panther from entering again. But the embers were too much burned,
+and would send out but a slight flame. What could the poor woman do? She
+thought of getting under the bed; but then she reflected that the animal
+would find no difficulty in getting at her in that situation, in which
+case he would tear her in pieces before she could make any resistance.
+
+The only plan which then occurred to her mind for perfect security, was
+to get into a large sea-chest of her husband's, which was nearly empty.
+Into that she accordingly crept. But there was danger of her being
+smothered in this retreat; so she put her hand between the edge of the
+chest and the lid, in order to keep the chest open a little, and admit
+the air. Fortunately this lid hung over the side of the chest a little,
+which saved her fingers. The panther soon came back again, as was
+anticipated; and after snuffing about for some time, evidently
+discovered where the lady was, and prowled round and round the chest,
+licking and scratching the wood close to her fingers. There she lay,
+scarcely daring to move, and listening intently to every movement of her
+enemy. At last, he jumped on the top of the chest. His weight crushed
+her fingers terribly; but she was brave enough to keep them where they
+were, until the panther, tired of his fruitless efforts to get at her,
+and finding nothing else to eat, finally retreated. She did not dare to
+come out of the chest, however, until morning; for she feared, as long
+as it was dark, that the beast might come back again. So there she sat,
+ready to crouch down into her hiding-place, if she heard a noise from
+her enemy. There she remained till after daylight. She was a heroine,
+was she not?
+
+A horse was killed one night by an American panther; but the body was
+not disturbed until the next day, when some gentlemen living in the
+vicinity, had an opportunity of watching the motions of the panther when
+he returned to his prey. He seized the body of the horse with his teeth,
+and drew it about sixty paces to a river, into which he plunged with his
+prey, swam across with it, and drew it into a neighboring forest.
+
+The American panther is very fond of fish, and instances have been known
+of these animals catching trout with their paws. Humboldt says that he
+saw a great many turtle shells which the panthers had robbed of the
+flesh. The manner in which the panther performs this operation, this
+traveler informs us, is to run with all speed when he sees a number of
+turtles together on land, and to turn them, or as many of them as he can
+catch before they reach the water, upon their backs, so that they cannot
+escape, after which he feasts at his leisure.
+
+Two children, a girl and a boy, were playing together near a small
+Indian village, in the vicinity of a thicket, when a large panther came
+out of the woods and made toward them, playfully bounding along, his
+head down, and his back arched after the fashion of the cat when she
+chooses to put on some of her mischievous airs. He came up to the boy,
+and began to play with him, as the latter at first supposed, although he
+was convinced of his mistake when the panther hit him so severe a blow
+on his head as to draw blood. Then the little girl, who had a small
+stick in her hand, struck the panther; and matters were going on in this
+way, when some Indians in the village, hearing the cries of the
+children, came to their rescue.
+
+A gentleman who was formerly in the British service at Ceylon, relates
+the following anecdote: "I was at Jaffna, at the northern extremity of
+the island of Ceylon, in the beginning of the year 1819, when, one
+morning, my servant called me an hour or two before my usual time, with
+'Master, master! people sent for master's dogs; leopard in the town!' My
+gun chanced not to be put together; and while my servant was adjusting
+it, the collector and two medical men, who had recently arrived, in
+consequence of the cholera morbus having just then reached Ceylon from
+the continent, came to my door, the former armed with a fowling-piece,
+and the two latter with remarkably blunt hog spears. They insisted upon
+setting off without waiting for my gun, a proceeding not much to my
+taste. The leopard had taken refuge in a hut, the roof of which, like
+those of Ceylon huts in general, spread to the ground like an umbrella;
+the only aperture into it was a small door about four feet high. The
+collector wanted to get the leopard out at once. I begged to wait for my
+gun; but no, the fowling-piece (loaded with ball, of course) and the two
+spears were quite enough. I got a stake, and awaited my fate from very
+shame. At this moment, to my great delight, there arrived from the fort
+an English officer, two artillerymen, and a Malay captain; and a pretty
+figure we should have cut without them, as the event will show. I was
+now quite ready to attack, and my gun came a minute afterward. The whole
+scene which follows took place within an inclosure, about twenty feet
+square, formed on three sides by a strong fence of palmyra leaves, and
+on the fourth by the hut. At the door of this the two artillerymen
+planted themselves; and the Malay captain got at the top, to frighten
+the leopard out by unroofing it--an easy operation, as the huts there
+are covered with cocoanut leaves. One of the artillerymen wanted to go
+in to the leopard, but we would not suffer it. At last the beast sprang;
+this man received him on his bayonet, which he thrust apparently down
+his throat, firing his piece at the same moment. The bayonet broke off
+short, leaving less than three inches on the musket; the rest remained
+in the animal, but was invisible to us: the shot probably went through
+his cheek, for it certainly did not seriously injure him, as he
+instantly rose upon his legs, with a loud roar, and placed his paws upon
+the soldier's breast. At this moment the animal appeared to me to about
+reach the centre of the man's face; but I had scarcely time to observe
+this, when the leopard, stooping his head, seized the soldier's arm in
+his mouth, turned him half round, staggering, threw him over on his
+back, and fell upon him. Our dread now was, that if we fired upon the
+leopard we might kill the man: for a moment there was a pause, when his
+comrade attacked the beast exactly in the same manner as the gallant
+fellow himself had done. He struck his bayonet into his head; the
+leopard rose at him; he fired; and this time the ball took effect, and
+in the head. The animal staggered backward, and we all poured in our
+fire. He still kicked and writhed; when the gentlemen with the spears
+advanced and fixed him, while some natives finished him by beating him
+on the head with hedge-stakes. The brave artilleryman was, after all,
+but slightly hurt. He claimed the skin, which was very cheerfully given
+to him. There was, however, a cry among the natives that the head should
+be cut off: it was; and, in so doing, the knife came directly across the
+bayonet. The animal measured scarcely less than four feet from the root
+of the tail to the nose."
+
+Captain Marryatt had a pretty serious adventure with a huge panther in
+Africa, while his vessel lay at anchor in a river there, and he and his
+men were busy in taking in a cargo of ivory. As they were thus engaged
+one day, by some accident a hole was made in the bottom of the boat, and
+they were unable to proceed with it. The captain told the men to remain
+by the boat, and started himself to obtain assistance from the vessel.
+He thought that if he could force his way through the canes which
+abounded in that vicinity, a short distance down the river, he could
+make signals to those on board, and that some of them would come to
+their help. This expedition, however, proved a much longer one than he
+anticipated, and much more perilous. He lost his way. "At first," he
+says, "I got on very well, as there were little paths through the canes,
+made, as I imagined, by the natives; and although I was up to my knees
+in thick black mud, I continued to get on pretty fast; but at last the
+canes grew so thick that I could hardly force my way through them, and
+it was a work of exceeding labor. Still I persevered, expecting each
+second I should arrive at the banks of the river, and be rewarded for my
+fatigue; but the more I labored the worse it appeared for me, and at
+last I became worn out and quite bewildered. I then tried to find my way
+back, and was equally unsuccessful, when I sat down with any thing but
+pleasant thoughts in my mind. I calculated that I had been two hours in
+making this attempt, and was now quite puzzled how to proceed. I
+bitterly lamented my rashness, now that it was too late. Having reposed
+a little, I resumed my toil, and again, after an hour's exertion, was
+compelled, from fatigue, to sit down in the deep black mud. Another
+respite from toil and another hour more of exertion, and I gave myself
+up for lost. The day was evidently fast closing in, the light over head
+was not near so bright as it had been, and I knew that a night passed in
+the miasma of the cane swamp was death. At last it became darker and
+darker. There could not be an hour of daylight remaining. I determined
+upon one struggle more, and reeking as I was with perspiration, and
+faint with fatigue, I rose again, and was forcing my way through the
+thickest of the canes, when I heard a deep growl, and perceived a large
+panther not twenty yards from me. He was on the move as well as myself,
+attempting to force his way through the thickest of the canes, so as to
+come up to me. I retreated from him as fast as I could, but he gained
+slowly upon me, and my strength was fast declining. I thought I heard
+sounds at a distance, and they became more and more distinct; but what
+they were, my fear and my struggles probably prevented from making out.
+
+"My eyes were fixed upon the fierce animal who was in pursuit of me; and
+I now thank God that the canes were so thick and impassable. Still the
+animal evidently gained ground, until it was not more than twenty yards
+from me, dashing and springing at the canes, and tearing them aside with
+his teeth. The sounds were now nearer, and I made them out to be the
+hallooing of some other animals. A moment's pause, and I thought it was
+the barking of dogs, and I thought I must have arrived close to where
+the schooner lay, and that I heard the barking of bloodhounds. At last I
+could do no more, and dropped exhausted and almost senseless in the mud.
+I recollect hearing the crashing of canes, and then the savage roar, and
+the yells, and growls, and struggle, and fierce contention, but had
+fainted.
+
+"I must now inform the reader that about an hour after I had left the
+boat, the captain of an American vessel was pulling up the river, and
+was hailed by our men in our long boat. Perceiving them on that side of
+the river, and that they were in distress, he pulled toward them, and
+they told him what had happened, and that an hour previous I had left
+the boat to force my way through the cane brakes, and they had heard
+nothing of me since. 'Madness!' cried he, 'he is a lost man. Stay till I
+come back from the schooner.' He went back to the schooner, and taking
+two of his crew, who were negroes, and his two bloodhounds, into the
+boat, he returned immediately; and as soon as he landed, he put the
+bloodhounds on my track, and sent the negroes on with them. They had
+followed me in all my windings--for it appeared that I had traveled in
+all directions--and had come up with me just as I had sunk with
+exhaustion, and the panther was so close upon me. The bloodhounds had
+attacked the panther, and this was the noise which sounded on my ears as
+I lay stupefied at the mercy of the wild beast. The panther was not
+easily, although eventually overcome, and the black men coming up, had
+found me and borne me in a state of insensibility on board my vessel.
+The fever had set upon me, and it was not till three weeks afterward
+that I recovered my senses, when I learned what I have told to the
+reader."
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE ELEPHANT.]
+
+The Elephant.
+
+
+Several hunters once surprised a male and female elephant in an open
+spot, near a thick swamp. The animals fled toward the thicket, and the
+male was soon beyond the reach of the balls from the hunters' guns. The
+female, however, was wounded so severely, that she was not able to make
+her escape; and the hunters were about to capture her, when the male
+elephant rushed from his retreat, and with a shrill and frightful
+scream, like the sound of a trumpet, attacked the party. All escaped but
+one, the man who had last discharged his gun, and who was standing with
+his horse's bridle over his arm, reloading his gun, at the moment the
+furious animal burst from the wood. This unfortunate man the elephant
+immediately singled out, and before he could spring into his saddle, he
+was prepared to revenge the insult that had been offered to his
+companion. One blow from his trunk struck the poor man to the earth; and
+without troubling himself about the horse, who galloped off at full
+speed, the elephant thrust his tusks into the hunter's body, and flung
+him high into the air. The unfortunate man was instantly killed. After
+this act, the elephant walked gently up to his bleeding companion, and
+regardless of the volleys with which he was assailed from the hunters,
+he caressed her, and aided her in reaching a shelter in the thicket.
+
+A tame elephant had a great affection for a dog; and those who visited
+the place where the animal was exhibited, used to pull the dog's ears,
+to make him yelp, on purpose to see what the elephant would do. On one
+occasion, when this cruel sport was going on at the opposite side of the
+barn where the elephant was kept, she no sooner heard the voice of her
+friend in distress, than she began to feel the boards of the partition
+which separated her and the dog, and then, striking them a heavy blow,
+made them fly in splinters. After this she looked through the hole she
+had made, which was large enough to admit her entire body, with such
+threatening gestures, that the miserable fools who were teasing the dog
+concluded that it would not pay very well to continue the sport.
+
+At an exhibition of a menagerie in one of our principal cities, not long
+since, when the crowd of spectators was the greatest, a little girl, who
+had fed the elephant with sundry cakes and apples from her bag, drew out
+her ivory card-case, which fell unobserved in the saw-dust of the ring.
+At the close of the ring performances, the crowd opened to let the
+elephant pass to his recess; but instead of proceeding as usual, he
+turned aside and thrust his trunk in the midst of a group of ladies and
+gentlemen, who, as might be expected, were so much alarmed that they
+scattered in every direction. The keeper, at this moment, discovered
+that the animal had something in his trunk. Upon examination, he found
+it to be the young lady's card-case, which the elephant picked up, and
+it now appeared that he was only seeking out the owner.
+
+A person in the island of Ceylon, who lived near a place where elephants
+were daily led to water, and often sat at the door of his house, used
+occasionally to give one of these animals some fig leaves, a kind of
+food which elephants are said to be very fond of. One day this man took
+it into his head to play one of the elephants a trick. He wrapped up a
+stone in fig leaves, and said to the man who had the elephants in
+charge, "This time I am going to give him a stone to eat; I want to see
+how it will agree with him." The keeper replied, that the elephant would
+not be such a fool as to swallow the stone--he might make up his mind to
+that. The other, however, reached out the stone to the elephant, who
+took it in his trunk, but instantly let it fall to the ground. "You
+see," said the keeper, "that I was right, and that the beast is not so
+great a fool as you took him to be;" and drove away his elephants. After
+they were watered, he was conducting them again to their stable. The man
+who had played the elephant the trick was still sitting at his door,
+when, before he had time to think of his danger, the insulted animal ran
+at him, threw his trunk around his body, dashed him to the ground, and
+trampled him to death.
+
+At the Cape of Good Hope, it is customary to hunt these animals for the
+sake of the ivory they obtain from them. Three horsemen armed with
+lances, attack the beast alternately, each relieving the other as they
+see their companion pressed, and likely to get the worst of the contest.
+On one occasion three Dutchmen, who were brothers, having made large
+fortunes at the cape by elephant hunting, were about to return home to
+enjoy the fruits of their toil. They determined, however, the day before
+they started, to have one more hunt by way of amusement. They went out
+into the field, and soon met with an elephant, whom they began to attack
+in their usual manner. But unfortunately, the horse of the man who was
+fighting with the elephant at the time fell, and the rider was thrown to
+the ground. Then the elephant had his vengeance, and it was a terrible
+one--almost too terrible to think upon. He instantly seized the unhappy
+man with his trunk, threw him up into the air to a vast height, and
+received him upon his tusks as he fell. Then, turning toward the other
+two brothers with an aspect of revenge and insult, he held out to them
+the mangled body of his victim, writhing in the agony of death.
+
+At Macassar an elephant driver one day had a cocoanut given him, which,
+in order to break it, he struck two or three times against the
+elephant's head. The next day the animal saw some cocoanuts exposed in
+the street for sale, and taking one of them up in his trunk, beat it
+about the driver's head until he fractured his skull.
+
+Mr. Colton, the author of that admirable book called "Lacon," tells a
+similar anecdote of an elephant in Madras. It was a war elephant, and
+was trained to perform an act of civility called the _grand salam_,
+which is done by falling on the first joint of the fore-leg at a given
+signal. The elephant was to make the salam before a British officer. It
+was noticed at the time that he was rather out of humor. The keeper was
+ordered up to explain the cause, and was in the act of doing so, when
+the elephant advanced a few steps, and with one stroke of his trunk laid
+the poor man dead at his feet. He then retired to his former position,
+and made the grand salam with the utmost propriety and apparent good
+will. The wife of the unfortunate man said that she had always been
+afraid something of that kind would happen, as her husband had been
+constantly in the habit of robbing the elephant of his rations of rice.
+
+It is said that when once wild elephants have been caught, and eluded
+the snares of their adversaries, if they are compelled to go into the
+woods they are mistrustful, and break with their trunk a large branch,
+with which they sound the ground before they put their foot upon it, to
+discover if there are any holes on their passage, not to be caught a
+second time. "We saw two wild elephants," says a traveler, "which had
+just been caught; each of them was between two tame elephant; and around
+the wild elephants were six men, holding spears. They spoke to these
+animals in presenting them something to eat, and telling them, in their
+language, _take this and eat it_. They had small bundles of hay, bits of
+black sugar, or rice boiled in water with pepper. When the wild elephant
+refused to do what he was ordered, the men commanded the tame elephants
+to beat him, which they did immediately, one striking his forehead with
+his; and when he seemed to aim at revenge against his aggressor, another
+struck him; so that the poor wild elephant perceived he had nothing to
+do but to obey."
+
+A sentinel belonging to the menagerie at Paris, was in the habit of
+telling the spectators not to give any food to the elephant during the
+exhibition. One day, after a piece of bread had been presented to the
+animal, the sentinel had commenced making the usual request, when the
+elephant violently discharged in his face a stream of water, so that he
+could not utter the admonition in his confusion. Of course the
+spectators roared with laughter, and the elephant seemed to enjoy the
+joke as well as they. By and by, the sentinel having wiped his face,
+found himself under the necessity of repeating the request which he had
+made before. But no sooner had he done this, than the elephant laid hold
+of his musket with her trunk, wrested it from his hands, twirled it
+round and round, trod it under her feet, and did not restore it until
+she had twisted it nearly into the form of a cork-screw.
+
+Elephants are occasionally taught to work on a farm, like horses and
+oxen. Any one visiting Singapore, may see a small elephant, named Rajah,
+working daily on the estate of J. Balestier, Esq., American Consul; and,
+although the animal is only five years and a half old, he will plough
+his acre of land a day, with ease. One man holds the plough, and another
+walks beside the animal, and directs him in his duty. The docile little
+creature obeys every word that is said to him, and will plough all day
+between the cane rows, without plucking a single cane.
+
+An elephant was once wounded in battle, and rendered so furious by the
+pain she endured, that she ran about the field, uttering the most
+hideous cries. One of the men was unable, in consequence of his wounds,
+to get out of her way. The elephant seemed conscious of his situation,
+and for fear she should trample upon him, took him up with her trunk,
+placed him where he would be more safe, and continued her route.
+
+A young elephant received a violent wound in its head, from which it
+became so furious that it was utterly impossible to come near it to
+dress the wound. A variety of expedients were tried, but in vain, until
+at last the keeper hit upon this plan: he succeeded in making the mother
+understand, by signs, what he wanted, and she immediately seized the
+young one around the neck with her trunk, and held it firmly down,
+though groaning with anguish, until the wound was dressed. This she
+continued to do every day, for some time afterward, until the service
+was no longer necessary.
+
+Elephants are said to be exceedingly susceptible of the power of music,
+and some curious experiments were tried at Paris, with a view of
+observing the effect of it upon them. In one instance, a band was placed
+near their den, while some food was given to a pair of elephants, to
+engage their attention. On the commencement of the music, the huge
+creatures turned round, and appeared alarmed for their safety, either
+from the players or the spectators. The music, however, soon overcame
+their fears, and all other emotions appeared absorbed in their attention
+to it. According to the character of the music, so were their feelings.
+If it was bold, they were excited, or manifested signs of approaching
+anger. If it was brisk, they were lively; if it was plaintive, they were
+soothed by its effects. The female seemed to express the most lively
+emotions of the two.
+
+A merchant in the East Indies kept a tame elephant, which was so
+exceedingly gentle in his habits, that he was permitted to go at large.
+This huge animal used to walk about the streets in the most quiet and
+orderly manner, and paid many visits through the city to people who were
+kind to him. Two cobblers took an ill will to this inoffensive creature,
+and several times pricked him on the proboscis with their awls. The
+noble animal did not chastise them in the manner he might have done, and
+seemed to think they were too contemptible to be angry with them. But he
+took other means to punish them for their cruelty. He filled his trunk
+with water of a dirty quality, and advancing toward them in his ordinary
+manner, spouted the whole of the puddle over them. The punishment was
+highly applauded by those who witnessed it, and the poor cobblers were
+laughed at for their pains.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE LION.]
+
+The Lion.
+
+
+I have read a thrilling story of a poor Hottentot, who was sent to take
+his master's cattle to water at a pool not far off from the house. When
+he came to the watering-place, he perceived that a huge lion was lying
+there, apparently bathing himself. He immediately ran, with the greatest
+terror, through the midst of the herd of cattle, hoping the lion would
+be satisfied with one of the cattle, and allow him to escape. He was
+mistaken, however. The lion dashed through the herd, and made directly
+after the man. Throwing his eyes over his shoulder, he saw that the
+furious animal had singled him out. Not knowing what else to do to get
+clear of his enemy, he scrambled up an aloe-tree, that happened to be
+near. At that very moment the lion made a spring at him, but
+unsuccessfully, and fell to the ground. There was in the tree a cluster
+of nests of the bird called the sociable grosbeak; and the Hottentot hid
+himself among these nests, in hopes that he could get out of the lion's
+sight, and that the beast would leave him. So he remained silent and
+motionless for a great while, and then ventured to peep out of his
+retreat. To his surprise, he perceived that he was still watched. In
+this way, he was kept a prisoner for more than twenty-four hours, when,
+at last, the lion, parched with thirst, went to the pool to drink, and
+the Hottentot embraced the opportunity to come down, and run home as
+fast as his legs would carry him.
+
+There is a thrilling anecdote told of a settler in the back districts of
+the Cape of Good Hope, who was a hunter. Returning, one day, with some
+friends, from an excursion, they suddenly came upon two large full-grown
+lions. Their horses were already jaded, and the utmost consternation for
+a moment seized them. They immediately saw that their only hope of
+safety lay in separation. They started in somewhat different directions,
+at the top of their speed, holding their rifles on the cock. Those who
+were most lightly loaded made good way, but the third was left behind,
+and, as his companions disappeared below the brow of a hill, the two
+beasts came directly after him. He quickly loosed a deer which was tied
+to his saddle, but the prey was not sufficient to distract them from
+their purpose. Happily, as is the custom, both barrels of his piece were
+loaded with ball--a most timely precaution in that country--and he was a
+good marksman. Turning for a moment, he leveled his gun with as much
+precision as at such a time he could command, and fired. He waited not
+for the result, but again scampered off as quickly as his horse could
+carry him, but he heard a deep, short, and outrageous roar. The ball was
+afterward found to have entered the animal's breast, and lodged in his
+back. His work, however, was but half done. The time he had lost
+sufficed to bring the other within reach, and, with a tremendous bound,
+he leaped upon the horse's back, lacerating it in a dreadful manner, but
+missed his hold, for the poor creature, mad with agony and fear, kicked
+with all his force, and hurried forward with increased rapidity. A
+second attempt was more successful, and the hunter was shaken from his
+seat; the horse, however, again escaped.
+
+The poor fellow gave himself up for lost, but he was a brave man, and he
+determined not to die without every attempt to save his life should
+fail. Escape he saw was hopeless; so planting himself with the energy of
+despair, he put his rifle hastily to his shoulder, and just as the lion
+was stooping for his spring, he fired. He was a little too late; the
+beast had moved, and the ball did not prove so effective as he hoped. It
+entered the side of the wild beast, though it did him no mortal harm,
+and he leaped at his victim. The shot had, nevertheless, delayed his
+bound for an instant, and the hunter avoided its effect by a rapid jump,
+and with the butt-end of his gun struck at the lion with all his power,
+as he turned upon him. The dreadful creature seized it with his teeth,
+but with such force, that instead of twisting it out of the hunter's
+hand, he broke it short off by the barrel. The hunter immediately
+attacked him again, but his weapon was too short, and the lion fixed his
+claws in his breast, tearing off all his flesh, and endeavored to gripe
+his shoulder with his mouth, but the gun-barrel was of excellent
+service. Driving it into the mouth of the beast with all his strength,
+he seized one of the creature's jaws with his left hand, and, what with
+the strength and energy given by the dreadful circumstances, and the
+purchase obtained by the gun-barrel, he succeeded in splitting the
+animal's mouth. At the same time they fell together on their sides, and
+a struggle for several minutes ensued upon the ground. Blood flowed
+freely in the lion's mouth, and nearly choked him. His motions were thus
+so frustrated that the hunter was upon his feet first, and, aiming a
+blow with all his might, he knocked out one of the lion's eyes. He
+roared terrifically with pain and rage, and, during the moments of delay
+caused by the loss of his eye, the hunter got behind him, and, animated
+by his success, hit him a dreadful stroke on the back of the neck, which
+he knew was the most tender part. The stroke, however, appeared to have
+no effect, for the lion immediately leaped at him again; but, it is
+supposed from a defect of vision occasioned by the loss of his eye,
+instead of coming down upon the hunter, he leaped beside him, and shook
+his head, as if from excess of pain. The hunter felt his strength
+rapidly declining, but the agony he endured excited him, and thus gave
+new power to strike the lion again across the eyes. The beast fell
+backward, but drew the hunter with him with his paw, and another
+struggle took place upon the ground. He felt that the gun-barrel was his
+safeguard; and though it rather seemed to encumber his hands, he clung
+tenaciously to it. Rising up from the ground in terrible pain, he
+managed to thrust it into the throat of the lion with all his might.
+That thrust was fatal; and the huge animal fell on his side, powerless.
+The hunter dragged himself to a considerable distance, and then fell
+exhausted and senseless. His friends shortly afterward returned to his
+assistance.
+
+A lion had broken into a walled inclosure for cattle, and had done
+considerable damage. The people belonging to the farm were well assured
+that he would come again by the same way. They therefore stretched a
+rope directly across the entrance, to which several loaded guns were
+fastened, in such a manner that they must necessarily discharge
+themselves into the lion's body, as soon as he should push against the
+cord with his breast. But the lion, who came before it was dark, and had
+probably some suspicion of the cord, struck it away with his foot, and
+without betraying the least alarm in consequence of the reports made by
+the loaded pieces, went fearlessly on, and devoured the prey he had left
+untouched before.
+
+The strength of the lion is so prodigious, that a single stroke of his
+paw is sufficient to break the back of a horse; and one sweep of his
+tail will throw a strong man to the ground. Kolbein says, that when he
+comes up to his prey, he always knocks it down dead, and seldom bites it
+till the mortal blow has been given. A lion at the Cape of Good Hope
+was once seen to take a heifer in his mouth; and though that animal's
+legs dragged on the ground, yet he seemed to carry her off with as much
+ease as a cat does a rat.
+
+One of the residents in South Africa--according to the Naturalist's
+History--shot a lion in the most perilous circumstances that can be
+conceived. We must tell the story in his own words. "My wife," he says,
+"was sitting in the house, near the door. The children were playing
+around her. I was outside, busily engaged in doing something to a wagon,
+when suddenly, though it was mid-day, an enormous lion came up and laid
+himself quietly down in the shade, upon the very threshold of the door.
+My wife, either stupefied with fear, or aware of the danger attending
+any attempt to fly, remained motionless in her place, while the children
+took refuge in her lap. The cry they uttered immediately attracted my
+attention. I hastened toward the door; but my astonishment may well be
+conceived, when I found the entrance to it barred in such a way.
+Although the animal had not seen me, unarmed as I was, escape seemed
+impossible; yet I glided gently, scarcely knowing what I meant to do, to
+the side of the house, up to the window of my chamber, where I knew my
+loaded gun was standing, and which I found in such a condition, that I
+could reach it with my hand--a most fortunate circumstance; and still
+more so, when I found that the door of the room was open, so that I
+could see the whole danger of the scene. The lion was beginning to move,
+perhaps with the intention of making a spring. There was no longer any
+time to think. I called softly to the mother not to be alarmed; and,
+invoking the name of the Lord, fired my piece. The ball passed directly
+over the hair of my boy's head, and lodged in the forehead of the lion,
+immediately above his eyes, which shot forth, as it were, sparks of
+fire, and stretched him on the ground, so that he never stirred more."
+
+Nothing is more common than for the keepers of wild beasts to play with
+the lion, to pull out his tongue, and even to chastise him without
+cause. He seems to bear it all with the utmost composure; and we very
+rarely have instances of his revenging these unprovoked sallies of
+cruelty. However, when his anger is at last excited, the consequences
+are terrible. Labat tells us of a gentleman who kept a lion in his
+chamber, and employed a servant to attend it, who, as is usual, mixed
+blows with his caresses. This state of things continued for some time,
+till one morning the gentleman was awakened by a noise in his room,
+which at first he could not tell the cause of; but, drawing the
+curtains, he perceived a horrid spectacle--the lion growling over the
+man's head, which he had separated from the body, and tossing it round
+the floor! He immediately flew into the next apartment, called to the
+people without, and had the animal secured from doing further mischief.
+
+We are told of the combat of a lion and a wild boar, in a meadow near
+Algiers, which continued for a long time with incredible obstinacy. At
+last, both were seen to fall by the wounds they had given each other;
+and the ground all about them was covered with their blood. These
+instances, however, are rare; the lion is in general undisputed master
+of the forest.
+
+It was once customary for those who were unable to pay sixpence for the
+sight of the wild beasts in the tower of London, to bring a dog or a
+cat, as a gift to the beasts, in lieu of money to the keeper. Among
+others, a man had brought a pretty black spaniel, which was thrown into
+the cage of the great lion. Immediately the little animal trembled and
+shivered, crouched, and threw himself on his back, put forth his tongue,
+and held up his paws, as if praying for mercy. In the mean time, the
+lion, instead of devouring him, turned him over with one paw, and then
+with the other. He smelled of him, and seemed desirous of courting a
+further acquaintance. The keeper, on seeing this, brought a large mess
+of his own family dinner. But the lion kept aloof, and refused to eat,
+keeping his eye on the dog, and inviting him, as it were, to be his
+taster. At length, the little animal's fears being somewhat abated, and
+his appetite quickened by the smell of the food, he approached slowly,
+and, with trembling, ventured to eat. The lion then advanced gently, and
+began to partake, and they finished their meal very quietly together.
+
+From this day, a strict friendship commenced between them, consisting of
+great affection and tenderness on the part of the lion, and the utmost
+confidence and boldness on the part of the dog; insomuch that he would
+lay himself down to sleep, within the fangs and under the jaws of his
+terrible patron. In about twelve months the little spaniel sickened and
+died. For a time the lion did not appear to conceive otherwise than that
+his favorite was asleep. He would continue to smell of him, and then
+would stir him with his nose, and turn him over with his paws. But
+finding that all his efforts to wake him were vain, he would traverse
+his cage from end to end, at a swift and uneasy pace. He would then
+stop, and look down upon him with a fixed and drooping regard, and again
+lift up his head, and roar for several minutes, as the sound of distant
+thunder. They attempted, but in vain, to convey the carcass from him.
+The keeper then endeavored to tempt him with a variety of food, but he
+turned from all that was offered, with loathing. They then put several
+living dogs in his cage, which he tore in pieces, but left their
+carcasses on the floor. His passions being thus inflamed, he would
+grapple at the bars of his cage, as if enraged at his restraint from
+tearing those around him to pieces. Again, as if quite spent, he would
+stretch himself by the remains of his beloved associate, lay his paws
+upon him, and take him to his bosom; and then utter his grief in deep
+and melancholy roaring, for the loss of his little play-fellow. For five
+days he thus languished, and gradually declined, without taking any
+sustenance or admitting any comfort, till, one morning, he was found
+dead, with his head reclined on the carcass of his little friend. They
+were both interred together.
+
+A lion, when about three months old, was caught in the forests of
+Senegal, and tamed by the director of the African company in that
+colony. He became unusually tractable and gentle. He slept in company
+with cats, dogs, geese, monkeys, and other animals, and never offered
+any violence to them. When he was about eight months old, he formed an
+attachment to a terrier dog, and this attachment increased afterward to
+such an extent, that the lion was seldom happy in the absence of his
+companion. At the age of fourteen months, the lion, with the dog in
+company, was transported to France. He showed so little ferocity on
+shipboard, that he was allowed at all times to have the liberty of
+walking about the vessel. When he was landed at Havre, he was conducted
+with only a cord attached to his collar, and attended by his favorite
+play-fellow, to Versailles. Soon after their arrival, the dog died, when
+the lion became so disconsolate, that it was found necessary to put
+another dog into his den. This dog, terrified at the sight of such an
+animal, endeavored to conceal himself; and the lion, surprised at the
+noise, killed him by a stroke with one of his paws.
+
+M. Felix, some years since the keeper of the national menagerie at
+Paris, added two lions to the collection, a male and a female. He had
+become endeared to them by kind treatment, so that scarcely any one else
+could control them, and they manifested their regard in a great many
+ways. The gentleman, however, was taken very sick, and was confined for
+some time to his bed. Another person was necessarily intrusted with the
+care of these lions. From the moment that M. Felix left, the male sat,
+sad and solitary, at the end of his cage, and refused to take food from
+the hands of the stranger, for whom, it was evident, he entertained no
+little dislike. The company of the female seemed to displease him. In a
+short time he became so uneasy, that no one dared to approach him. By
+and by, however, his old master recovered, and with the intention of
+surprising the animal, he crept softly to the cage, and showed only his
+face between the bars. But the male lion knew him at once. He leaped
+against the bars, patted him with his paws, licked his hands and face,
+and actually trembled with pleasure. The female also ran to him; but the
+other drove her back, and was on the point of quarreling with her, so
+jealous was he lest she should receive any of the favors of M. Felix.
+Afterward, however, the keeper entered the cage, caressed them both by
+turns, and pacified them.
+
+Sir George Davis, who was English consul at Naples about the middle of
+the seventeenth century, happening on one occasion to be in Florence,
+visited the menagerie of the grand duke. At the farther end of one of
+the dens he saw a lion which lay in sullen majesty, and which the
+keepers informed him they had been unable to tame, although every effort
+had been used for upward of three years. Sir George had no sooner
+reached the gate of the den, than the lion ran to it, and evinced every
+demonstration of joy and transport. The animal reared himself up, purred
+like a cat when pleased, and licked the hand of Sir George, which he had
+put through the bars. The keeper was astonished and frightened for the
+safety of his visitor, entreated him not to trust an apparent fit of
+phrensy, with which the animal seemed to be seized; for he was, without
+exception, the most fierce and sullen of his tribe which he had ever
+seen. This, however, had no effect on Sir George, who, notwithstanding
+every entreaty on the part of the keeper, insisted on entering the
+lion's den. The moment he got in, the delighted lion threw his paws upon
+his shoulders, licked his face, and ran about him, rubbing his head on
+Sir George, purring and fawning like a cat when expressing its affection
+for its master. This occurrence became the talk of Florence, and reached
+the ears of the grand duke, who sent for Sir George, and requested an
+interview at the menagerie, that he might witness so extraordinary a
+circumstance, when Sir George gave the following explanation: "A captain
+of a ship from Barbary gave me this lion, when quite a whelp. I brought
+him up tame; but when I thought him too large to be suffered to run
+about the house, I built a den for him in my court-yard. From that time
+he was never permitted to be loose, except when brought to the house to
+be exhibited to my friends. When he was five years old, he did some
+mischief by pawing and playing with people in his frolicsome moods.
+Having griped a man one day a little too hard, I ordered him to be shot,
+for fear of myself incurring the guilt of what might happen. On this a
+friend, who happened to be then at dinner with me, begged him as a
+present. How he came here, I do not know." The Grand Duke of Tuscany, on
+hearing his story, said it was the very same person who had presented
+him with the lion.
+
+[Illustration: THE LIONESS AND HER CUBS.]
+
+Part of a ship's crew being sent ashore on the coast of India for the
+purpose of cutting wood, the curiosity of one of the men having led him
+to stray to a considerable distance from his companions, he was much
+alarmed by the appearance of a large lioness, who made toward him; but,
+on her coming up, his fear was allayed, by her lying down at his feet,
+and looking very earnestly, first in his face, and then at a tree some
+little distance off. After repeating these looks several times, she
+arose, and proceeded toward the tree, looking back, as if she wished the
+sailor to follow her. At length he ventured, and, coming to the tree,
+perceived a huge baboon, with two young cubs in her arms, which he
+immediately supposed to be those of the lioness, as she crouched down
+like a cat, and seemed to eye them very steadfastly. The man being
+afraid to ascend the tree, decided on cutting it down; and having his
+axe with him, he set actively to work, when the lioness seemed most
+attentive to what he was doing. When the tree fell, she pounced upon the
+baboon, and, after tearing her in pieces, she turned round, and licked
+the cubs for some time. She then returned to the sailor, and fawned
+round him, rubbing her head against him in great fondness, and in token
+of her gratitude for the service done her. After this, she carried the
+cubs away one by one, and the sailor rejoined his companions, much
+pleased with the adventure.
+
+A French gentleman relates a remarkable anecdote about a combat which he
+saw on the banks of the Niger, between a Moorish chief and a lion. The
+prince took the Frenchman and his company to a place adjoining a
+large wood which was much infested with wild beasts, and directed them
+all to climb the trees. They did so. Then, getting upon his horse, and
+taking three spears and a dagger, he entered the forest, where he soon
+found a lion, which he wounded with one of the spears. The enraged
+animal sprang with great fury at his assailant, who, by a feigned
+flight, led him near the spot where the company were stationed. He then
+turned his horse, and in a moment darted another spear at the lion,
+which pierced his body. He alighted, and the lion, now grown furious,
+advanced with open jaws; but the prince received him on the point of his
+third spear, which he forced into his throat. Then, at one leap,
+springing across his body, he cut open his throat with his dagger. In
+this contest, the Moor's skill was such, that he received only a slight
+scratch on the thigh.
+
+[Illustration: THE CONVENTION OF ANIMALS.]
+
+Allow me, in concluding these stories about lions, to recite one from
+the French. It is fabulous, as you will perceive; but fables are not to
+be despised. The design of the fable is to illustrate the truth that in
+a community, every one may be more or less useful. "War having been
+declared between two nations of animals (for, notwithstanding their
+instinct, they are as foolish as men), the lion issued a proclamation of
+the fact to his subjects, and ordered them to appear in person at his
+camp. Among the great number of animals that obeyed the orders of their
+sovereign, were some asses and hares. Each animal offered his services
+for the campaign. The elephant agreed to transport the baggage of the
+army. The bear took it upon him to make the assaults. The fox proposed
+to manage the ruses and the stratagems. The monkey promised to amuse the
+enemy by his tricks. 'Sire,' said the horse, 'send back the asses; they
+are too lazy--and the hares; they are too timid, and subject to too
+frequent alarms.' 'By no means,' said the king of the animals; 'our army
+would not be complete without these. The asses will serve for
+trumpeters, and the hares will make excellent couriers.'"
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE GALAGO.]
+
+The Galago.
+
+
+From a recent English periodical, I have obtained some interesting facts
+in relation to an animal to which naturalists have given the name of the
+Galago. In the picture on the opposite page you have a portrait of the
+animal, drawn from life. He is a very singular looking fellow, as you
+perceive. Not long ago he was brought to England from Zanguebar, in
+Africa. The specimen, now being exhibited in London, is the first of
+this race of quadrupeds which has ever been introduced from its native
+country into any part of Europe, and it is exciting a great deal of
+interest among naturalists. Very little is known of the genus to which
+the animal belongs, all its species being found only in the barbarous
+countries, very little known, on the eastern coast of Africa. They all
+climb upon trees, like the squirrel. Their habits are strictly
+nocturnal. They never venture from their retreats while the faintest
+gleam of daylight is visible; but at the approach of night they become
+exceedingly active, springing from tree to tree with all the dexterity
+of the squirrel. In the day time, they remain, for the most part, in the
+holes of decayed trees. Their food is gum and pulpy fruits. The country
+where they live is one of the hottest regions on the globe. On this
+account, the animal sent to England is very sensitive to the sudden
+changes of that comparatively northern latitude, and it requires much
+care to preserve him from the influence of the cold. One of the striking
+peculiarities of the animal is the appearance of his feet. They resemble
+the hands of a man, as will be seen by the engraving. This peculiarity
+admirably fits the galago for the life it leads, as it spends a great
+part of its time in leaping on the boughs of trees. The specimen in
+England is remarkably tame and frolicksome, and does not seem altogether
+happy except when he is fondled and petted, when he enjoys himself
+immensely. During the night he delights in active motion, climbing and
+playing like a kitten, often uttering a loud, clucking noise, which ends
+with a sharp, shrill call, of astonishing volume. The animal is not so
+large as a fox.
+
+
+
+
+The Bear.
+
+
+That distinguished author, Oliver Goldsmith, in his "Animated Nature,"
+has given a most interesting account of the habits of the bear, which I
+wish, for the benefit of my readers, might be embodied in this chapter,
+though, on the whole, I think the entire account is too long, and I am
+forced to omit it. Besides, I suppose it would hardly be just to accord
+such a civility to the bear, while it is denied to the other animals.
+According to the description of this eminent practical naturalist, the
+bear is not by any means the unamiable monster he has been represented
+to be; but has, on the contrary, a great many good traits of character.
+He has been slandered, grossly slandered, if we may credit Mr.
+Goldsmith; and for one, I do credit him. He is exceedingly reliable in
+most of his statements. Now that I am speaking of Mr. Goldsmith, I can
+scarce refrain from adding that I have been greatly assisted, in the
+preparation of this volume, by the work of his above alluded to. It is,
+and ever will be, a valuable book in the library of those who are
+interested in becoming acquainted with nature, in her varied aspects.
+
+There are three species of bears--the black, the white, and the brown or
+Syrian bear. The latter, represented in the engraving on the opposite
+page, is the one to which allusion is made in Scripture.
+
+[Illustration: THE BROWN BEAR.]
+
+The bear is capable of strong and generous attachment. Many years ago,
+Leopold, Duke of Lorraine, in Europe, owned a bear which had become very
+tame, and which was remarkable for the strength of his love for those
+whom he happened to fancy. In the winter of 1709, a poor Savoyard boy
+had been placed in a barn to stay over night. This boy, finding that he
+was near the hut occupied by the duke's bear, took it into his head to
+go and pay the bear a visit. It was a singular fancy, to be sure. But as
+the old proverb says, "There is no accounting for tastes." He had no
+sooner formed the determination, than off he started to see Marco--for
+that was the name of the bear. He was cold, I think; and not having
+any other way of warming himself, he thought he would see if Marco could
+not be prevailed upon to let him share in the benefit of his shaggy coat
+for awhile. So in he went, and he and the bear were soon on the best of
+terms. Marco took him between his paws, and warmed him, by pressing him
+to his breast, until the next morning, when he allowed him to depart, to
+ramble about the city. In the evening, the young Savoyard returned to
+the bear's den, and was received with the same marks of kindness and
+affection. For several days, the boy made this den his home. The bear
+saved a part of his food for his companion, and they lived together on
+the most intimate and friendly terms. A number of days passed in this
+manner, without the servants knowing any thing about the circumstance,
+the boy not being in the den when the bear's food was brought. At
+length, one day, when some one came to bring the generous animal his
+supper, rather later than usual, the boy was there. The servant then saw
+the fondness of the bear for the young Savoyard. The boy was asleep. The
+bear rolled his eyes around, in a furious manner, and seemed to intimate
+that as little noise as possible must be made, for fear of awaking the
+child, whom he clasped to his breast. The bear did not move when the
+food was placed before him. This extraordinary circumstance was related
+to Leopold, the owner of the bear, who, with a good many others, went to
+the bear's hut, where they found, with surprise, that the animal never
+stirred as long as his guest manifested a disposition to sleep. When the
+little fellow awoke in the morning, he was very much ashamed and alarmed
+to find that he was discovered, thinking that he should be punished; and
+he begged the duke's pardon for the liberty he had taken with the bear.
+The bear, however, caressed his new friend, and tried to prevail upon
+him to eat a part of the supper which had been brought the previous
+evening, and which seemed untouched.
+
+Bruin is famous for hugging his enemies so desperately, that they are
+glad to get clear of him. But in these hugging fights, he sometimes gets
+the worst of it, as in the following instance. Some years since, when
+the western part of the State of New York was but slightly settled, some
+enterprising emigrant from New England had built a saw-mill on the banks
+of the Genesee river. One day, as he was eating his luncheon, sitting on
+the log which was going through the sawing operation at the time, a huge
+black bear came from the woods, toward the mill. The man, leaving his
+bread and cold bacon on the log, made a spring, and climbed up to a beam
+above, to get out of the way of the bear, when the latter, mounting the
+log which the sawyer had left, sat down, with his back toward the saw,
+and commenced eating the man's dinner. After awhile, the log on which he
+sat approached so near the saw, that he got scratched a little, and he
+hitched away a few feet from the saw, and resumed his dinner. But the
+saw scratched him again soon, of course, and this time rather more
+seriously. Bruin got angry, and his anger cost him dearly. He wheeled
+about, and throwing his paws around the saw, he gave it a most desperate
+hug. In this position he remained, until he was sawn into two pieces, as
+if he had been a log. Poor fellow! we ought to pity him, I suppose; but
+it is pretty difficult to avoid a hearty laugh over his misfortunes.
+
+Here is a story of an encounter between a bear and a bull, which is also
+rather laughable, although there is a good deal of the tragic in it. A
+bull was attacked in the forest by a rather small bear, when, striking
+his horns into his assailant, he pinned him against a tree. In this
+situation they were both found dead; the bull from starvation, the bear
+from his wounds.
+
+Some years ago, a New Hampshire boy found a very young cub near Lake
+Winnepeg, and carried it home with him. It was fed and brought up in the
+house of the boy's father, and became as tame as a dog. At length, it
+learned to follow the boy to school, and by degrees, it became his daily
+companion. At first, the other scholars were somewhat shy of Bruin's
+acquaintance; but before a great while, it became their constant
+play-fellow, and they delighted in sharing with it the little store of
+provisions which they brought for their own dinner. However, it wandered
+off into the woods again, and for four years, nothing was heard of it.
+Changes had taken place in the school where the bear used to be a
+welcome guest. Another generation of pupils had taken the place of the
+bear's old companions. One very cold winter day, while the schoolmistress
+was busy with her lessons, a boy happened to leave the door open, and a
+huge bear walked in. The consternation of the mistress and her pupils
+was very great, of course. But what could they do? Nothing but look on,
+and see what would come of this strange visit. However, the bear
+molested no one. It walked quietly up to the fire, and warmed itself.
+Then it walked up to the wall, where the dinner baskets hung, and
+standing on its hind feet, reached them down, and made free with their
+contents. By and by, it went out. But the alarm was given, and the poor
+fellow was shot, when it was found out, by some marks on its body, that
+it was the identical bear that had used to visit the school four years
+before.
+
+In one of the expeditions from England to the Polar seas, a white bear
+was seen to perform an ingenious feat in order to capture some walruses.
+He was seen to swim cautiously to a large, rough piece of ice, on which
+these walruses were lying, fast asleep, with their cubs. The wily animal
+crept up some little hillocks of ice, behind the party, and with his
+fore feet loosened a large block of ice. This, with the help of his nose
+and paws, he rolled along until he was near the sleepers, and almost
+over their heads, when he let it fall on one of the old walruses, who
+was instantly killed. The other walrus, with her cubs, rolled into the
+water; but the young one of the dead animal remained with its mother. On
+this helpless creature the bear then leaped down, and completed the
+destruction of two animals which it would not have ventured to attack
+openly.
+
+It often happens, that when a Greenlander and his wife are paddling
+along out at sea, by coming too near a floating field of ice, a white
+bear unexpectedly jumps into their canoe. Provided he does not upset it
+by the weight of his body, he sits calmly and demurely in one end of it,
+like any other passenger, and allows himself to be rowed to the shore.
+The Greenlander would very cheerfully dispense with the company of the
+bear; but dares not dispute his right there--it might cost him a pretty
+rough handling. So he makes a virtue of necessity, and rows his bearship
+to the shore.
+
+In the early part of the settlement of this country, an expedition was
+sent to explore a part of the territory now called Missouri. Bears were
+found there, at that time, in great abundance, and of very large size.
+Some of the men belonging to the expedition were in a canoe one day,
+when they discovered a bear lying in the open grounds, about three
+hundred paces from the river. Six of the men, all good hunters,
+immediately went to attack him, and concealing themselves by a small
+eminence, came within forty paces of him before they were perceived.
+Four of the hunters now fired, as nearly as they could at the same
+instant, and each lodged a ball in his body, two of which entered the
+lungs. The furious animal then sprang up, and ran upon the men, with his
+mouth wide open, ready for a terrible attack. As he came near, the two
+hunters who had reserved their fire gave him two rounds, one of which,
+breaking his shoulder, retarded his progress for a moment; but before
+they could reload, he was so near that they were obliged to run to the
+river. Before they reached it, he had almost overtaken them. Two jumped
+into the canoe; the other four separated, and concealing themselves
+among the willows, fired as fast as they could reload. They hit him
+several times; but instead of weakening the monster, each shot only
+seemed to direct him toward the hunters, till at last he pursued two of
+them so closely, that they threw aside their guns and pouches, and
+jumped down a perpendicular bank of some fifteen feet into the river.
+The bear sprang after them, and was within a few feet of the hindermost,
+when one of the hunters on the shore shot him in the head, and finally
+killed him. They dragged him to the shore, and found that eight balls
+had passed through him, in different directions.
+
+While a British frigate was locked in the ice of the Polar seas, three
+bears were discovered one morning, directing their course toward the
+ship. They had undoubtedly been attracted by the scent of a part of the
+carcass of a sea-horse that the crew had killed a few days before, which
+had been set on fire, and was burning on the ice at the time of their
+approach. They proved to be a female bear and her two cubs; but the cubs
+were nearly as large as the mother. They ran eagerly to the fire, and
+drew out of the flames a part of the flesh of the sea-horse which
+remained unconsumed, and ate it voraciously. Some of the crew threw
+large pieces of the flesh from the ship upon the ice, which the old bear
+took, one by one, and laid before her cubs. Then she divided each piece,
+and reserved only a very small portion for herself. As she was carrying
+away the last piece, several of the men on board the ship aimed their
+muskets at the two cubs, and shot them dead; after which they shot at
+the old bear, and wounded her, though not mortally. One of the gentlemen
+who witnessed this spectacle says that it would have drawn pity from any
+but the most unfeeling hearts, to mark the affectionate concern
+expressed by this poor beast, as she saw that her young were dying.
+Though she was sorely wounded herself, and could but just crawl to the
+place where they lay, she carried the last piece of flesh to them, as
+she had done with the others, and divided it for them. When she
+perceived that they refused to eat, she put her paws first upon one and
+then upon the other, and endeavored to raise them up. All this time it
+was deeply affecting to hear her moans. When she found she could not
+stir her dying cubs in this manner, she went away some distance from
+them, looking back occasionally, and moaning, as if in the utmost
+distress. This means not availing to entice them away from the spot, she
+returned, and commenced smelling around them, and licking their wounds.
+Then she went off a second time, as before, and having crawled a few
+paces, looked again behind her, and for some time stood still, uttering
+the most piteous cries. But still her cubs did not rise to follow her,
+and she returned to them, and with signs of the greatest fondness, went
+around them separately, placing her paws upon them tenderly, and giving
+utterance to the same cries of distress. Finding, at last, that they
+were cold and lifeless, she raised her head toward the ship, and growled
+in indignation for the murder. Poor creature! the men on board returned
+her angry cry with a shower of musket balls. She fell between her cubs,
+and died licking their wounds.
+
+Hans Christian Andersen, in his "Picture Book without Pictures," relates
+an anecdote, in his droll way, about a tame bear, who got loose, when
+the man who was exhibiting him was at dinner, and who found his way into
+the public house, and went straight to a room where there were three
+children, the eldest of whom was only some six or eight years old. But,
+Hans, you may tell the rest of the story in your own peculiar language:
+"The door sprang open, and in stepped the great rough bear! He had grown
+tired of standing out there in the yard, and he now found his way up the
+steps. The children were very much frightened at the great, grim-looking
+beast, and crept each one of them into a corner. But he found them all
+out, and rubbed them with his nose. He did them no harm, not the
+slightest. 'It is certainly a big dog,' thought they; and so they patted
+him kindly. He laid himself down on the floor, and the smallest boy
+tumbled over him, and amused himself by hiding his curly head in the
+thick black hair of the animal. The eldest boy now took his drum, and
+made a tremendous noise; and the bear rose up on his hind legs, and
+began to dance. It was charming. Each boy took his weapons--for they had
+been playing at soldiers before their visitor arrived. The bear must
+have a gun too, and he held it like a regular militia man. What a fine
+comrade they had found!--and so they marched about the room--'one, two!
+one, two!' Presently, however, the door opened. It was the children's
+mother. You should have seen her--her face as white as a sheet; her
+half-opened mouth, her staring eyes. The smallest of the children ran
+up to her mother, and shouted with all her might, 'Mama, we are playing
+at soldiers!'"
+
+[Illustration: THE JUGGLER AND HIS PUPILS.]
+
+Bears have frequently been taught a great many funny tricks. I remember
+seeing one, when a boy, that would stand on his head, and dance, and
+perform sundry other feats of skill. His master was an old man, who
+passed himself off among the little folks as a conjurer. He was dressed
+in a most grotesque manner, and played on a drum and some kind of wind
+instrument at the same time. Besides the bear, who seemed to be the hero
+in the different performances, the juggler had some dogs, which he had
+trained to dance to his music, and a cock which would walk and dance,
+after his fashion, on stilts. But I should not care to witness any such
+performances now. I should not be able to keep out of my mind the
+thought that the different animals engaged in these exhibitions must
+have been subjected to a great deal of pain and ill treatment before
+they could have arrived at such a stage of proficiency, and that thought
+would imbitter the entertainment, I imagine.
+
+
+
+
+The Rat and Mouse.
+
+
+Every body, almost, entertains a sort of hostility to the rat family,
+and considers himself licensed to say all manner of hard things about
+them. They are a set of rogues--there is no doubt about that, unless
+they are universally slandered. But they are shrewd and cunning, as well
+as roguish; and many of their exploits are worth recording.
+
+There were several slaughter-houses near Paris, where as many as thirty
+worn-out horses were slaughtered every day. One of these
+slaughter-houses was regarded as a nuisance, and a proposition was made
+to remove it at a greater distance from the city. But there was a strong
+objection made to its removal, on account of the ravages which the rats
+would make in the neighborhood, when they had no longer the carcasses
+of the horses to feed upon. These voracious creatures assembled at this
+spot in such numbers, that they devoured all the flesh (that was not
+much, perhaps, in many cases) of twenty or thirty horses in one night,
+so that in the morning nothing remained of these carcasses but bare
+bones. In one of these slaughter-houses, which was inclosed by solid
+walls, the carcasses of two or three horses were placed; and in the
+night the workmen blocked up all the holes through which the rats went
+in. When this was done, the workmen went inside with lighted torches and
+heavy clubs, and killed two thousand six hundred and fifty rats. In four
+such hunts, the numbers destroyed were upward of nine thousand. The rats
+in this neighborhood made themselves burrows like rabbits; and to such
+an extent was the building of these underground villages carried, that
+the earth sometimes tumbled in, and revealed the astonishing work they
+had been doing.
+
+That is rather a tough story, but I guess we shall have to believe it.
+It comes to us on the authority of Mr. Jesse, who, in his excellent work
+on Natural History, is pretty careful to say nothing which cannot be
+relied upon as true. As to the battle which those men had with the rats
+in the slaughter-house, it must have been a desperate one. I should not
+have fancied it much. I had a little experience in fighting with rats
+once, when I was a boy. They were in a room occupied with meal and
+flour. The door was closed, so that they could not get out. I was armed
+with a fire shovel, or something of that sort, and I fought, as I
+thought at the time, with a good deal of bravery and some skill. But the
+rats got the better of me. They won the victory. They would jump upon a
+barrel, and from that upon a shelf, and then down they would fly into my
+face, ready to gripe me with their teeth. I was glad to beat a retreat
+soon, I assure you.
+
+They are a shrewd set of fellows, these rats. Some years ago, the cellar
+of the house in which I resided was greatly infested with them. They
+devoured potatoes, apples, cabbages, and whatever came in their way; for
+they are not very particular about their diet, you know. Well, we set a
+trap for them. It was a flat stone set up on one end, with a figure
+four. We scattered corn all about the trap, and placed a few barrels on
+the end of the spindle under the stone. The first night these midnight
+robbers ate up all the corn around the trap, but did not touch a morsel
+under it. This they repeated several nights in succession; and all at
+once, there was not the trace of a rat to be found in the cellar. They
+no doubt held a council (rats are accustomed to hold councils, it would
+seem; they once held a council to deliberate upon the best mode of
+protection against their enemy, the cat, and concluded to put a bell on
+her ladyship--so the fable says)--they held a council, as I said before,
+and came to the unanimous conclusion that those quarters were no longer
+safe. So they decamped forthwith; and the very next day after we missed
+them, one of our neighbors complained that they were suddenly besieged
+by a whole army of rats.
+
+A German succeeded in training six rats so that they would go through
+astonishing exercises. He kept them in a box, which he opened, and from
+which they came out only as their names were called. This box was placed
+on a table, before which the man stood. He held a wand in his hand, and
+called by name such of his pupils as he wished to appear. The one who
+was called came out instantly, and climbed up the wand, on which he
+seated himself in an upright posture, looking round on the spectators,
+and saluting them, after his own fashion. Then he waited the orders of
+his master, which he executed with the utmost precision, running from
+one end of the rod to the other counterfeiting death, and performing a
+multitude of astonishing feats, as he was bidden by his master. After
+these performances were finished, the pupil received a reward for his
+good behavior, and for his proficiency in study. The master invited him
+to come and kiss his face, and eat a part of the biscuit which he held
+between his lips. Immediately the animal ran toward him, climbed up to
+his shoulder, licked the cheek of his master, and afterward took the
+biscuit. Then, turning to the spectators, he seated himself on his
+master's shoulder, ate his dinner, and returned to his box. The other
+rats were called, one by one, in the same manner, and all went through
+the several parts with the same precision.
+
+I have read a pretty tough rat story in the "Penny Magazine," but it is
+said to be authentic. "An open box," says the narrator, "containing some
+bottles of Florence oil, was placed in a room which was seldom visited.
+On going into the room for one of the bottles, it was perceived that the
+pieces of bladder and the cotton, which were at the mouth of each
+bottle, had disappeared; and that a considerable quantity of the
+contents of the bottles had been consumed. This circumstance having
+excited surprise, some of the bottles were filled with oil, and the
+mouths of them secured as before. The next morning the coverings of the
+bottles had again been removed, and part of the oil was gone. On
+watching the room, through a small window, some rats were seen to get
+into the box, thrust their tails into the necks of the bottles, and
+then, withdrawing them, lick off the oil which adhered to them."
+
+Another story about these animals, almost as wonderful, I have upon the
+authority of a clergyman in England. He says that he was walking out in
+the meadow one evening, and he observed a great number of rats in the
+act of emigrating. He stood perfectly still, and the whole army passed
+close to him. Among the number he tells us was an old rat who was blind.
+He held a piece of stick by one end in his mouth, while another rat had
+hold of the other end of it, and was conducting him.
+
+The Chicago Democrat tells the following, prefacing it with the remark
+that the rats of Chicago are "noted for their firmness and daring." A
+few nights since, a cat belonging to a friend, while exercising the
+office of mother of a family of kittens, was attacked by a regularly
+organized band of rats, which, sad to relate, contrived to kill the
+parent, and make a prey of the offspring. In the morning the cat was
+found bitten to death by the side of nine of her assailants, whom she
+slew before she was overpowered by superior numbers.
+
+The following story about a rat extremely fond of good living, was told
+me by a clerical friend residing in the city of New York. The family in
+which this rat lived, had just purchased some round clams, and they were
+placed in the cellar. One night all the inmates of the house were
+alarmed by an unusual noise. It appeared as if some one was stamping
+about the house with heavy boots on. It was a long time before they
+found out how the matter stood; but when they did find out, an old rat
+was discovered dragging one of these clams about with him. It appeared
+that this fellow, thinking it would be nice to have a supper from one of
+the clams, which he saw open, thrust in his paw, and got caught.
+
+This story reminds me of a French fable about the rat who got tired of
+staying at home, and went abroad to see something of the world. "A rat
+with very few brains"--so runs the fable--"got tired of living in
+solitude, and took it into his head to travel. He had hardly proceeded a
+mile, before he exclaimed, 'What a grand and spacious world this is!
+Behold the Alps and the Pyrenees!' The least mole-hill seemed a mountain
+in his eyes. After a few days, our traveler arrived at the sea-coast,
+where there were a multitude of oysters. At first he thought they were
+ships. Among these oysters, was one lying open. The rat perceived it.
+'What do I see?' said he. 'Here is a delicate morsel for me, and if I am
+not greatly mistaken, I shall have a fine dinner to-day.' So he
+approached the oyster, stretched out his neck, and thrust his head
+between the shells. The oyster closed, and master Nibble was caught as
+effectually as if he was in a trap." I believe the moral of this fable
+is something as follows: "Those who have no experience in the world, are
+often astonished at the smallest objects, and not unfrequently become
+the dupes of their ignorance."
+
+In 1776, one of the British ships engaged in the war with this country,
+became infested with rats to such a degree, that they at last devoured
+daily nearly a hundred weight of biscuit. They were at last destroyed,
+by smoking the ship between decks, after which several bushels of them
+were removed.
+
+In the Isle of France rats are found in prodigious swarms. There were
+formerly so many, that, according to some accounts, they formed the
+principal cause for abandoning the island by the Dutch. In some of the
+houses, thirty thousand have been known to be killed in one year.
+
+In Egypt, when the waters of the Nile retire, after the annual overflow,
+multitudes of rats and mice are seen to issue from the moistened soil.
+The Egyptians believe that these animals are generated from the earth;
+and some of the people assert, that they have seen the rats in a state
+of formation, while one half of the bodies was flesh and the other half
+mud.
+
+The following anecdote is related by a correspondent of one of the
+English newspapers: "This morning," says he, "while reading in bed, I
+was suddenly interrupted by a noise similar to that made by rats, when
+running through a double wainscot, and endeavoring to pierce it. The
+noise ceased for some moments, and then commenced again. I was only two
+or three feet from the wall whence the noise proceeded; and soon I
+perceived a great rat making his appearance at a hole. It looked about
+for awhile, without making any noise, and having made the observations
+it wished, it retired. An instant after, I saw it come again, leading by
+the ear another rat, larger than itself, and which appeared to be much
+advanced in years. Having left this one at the edge of the hole, it was
+joined by another young rat. The two then ran about the chamber,
+collecting the crumbs of bread which had fallen from the table at supper
+the previous evening, and carried them to the rat which they had left at
+the edge of the hole. I was astonished at this extraordinary attention
+on the part of the young rats, and continued to observe all their
+motions with a great deal of care. It soon appeared clear to me that the
+animal to whom the food was brought was blind, and unable to find the
+bread which was placed before it, except by feeling after it. The two
+younger ones were undoubtedly the offspring of the other, and they were
+engaged in supplying the wants of their poor, blind parent. I admired
+the wisdom of the God of nature, who has given to all animals a social
+tenderness, a gratitude, I had almost said a virtue, proportionate to
+their faculties. From that moment, these creatures, which I had before
+abhorred, seemed to become my friends. By and by, a person opened the
+door of the room, when the two young rats warned the blind one by a cry;
+and in spite of their fears, they did not seek for safety themselves,
+until assured that their blind parent was beyond the reach of danger.
+They followed as the other retired, and served as a sort of rear-guard."
+
+[Illustration: FIELD MICE.]
+
+There are several species of mice. The engraving represents the field
+mouse, an animal which sometimes makes great havoc with the farmer's
+grain. The common domestic mouse is perhaps better known. He is
+generally, and I think I may say justly, regarded as a pest in the house
+where he becomes a tenant. But he is an interesting animal, after all. I
+love to watch him--the sly little fellow--nibbling his favorite cheese,
+his keen black eye looking straight at me, all the time, as if to read
+by my countenance what sort of thoughts I had about his mouseship. How
+much at home he always contrives to make himself in a family! How very
+much at his ease he is, as he regales himself on the best things which
+the house affords!
+
+A day or two ago, a friend of mine was telling me an amusing story about
+some mice with which he had the pleasure of a slight acquaintance. He
+lived in the same house with a gentleman who kept a sort of bachelor's
+hall, and who was a great lover of pets. This gentleman took him into
+his room one day to see a mouse which he was educating to be a companion
+of his lonely hours. The bachelor remarked that he had been a pensioner
+for some time, that he fed him bountifully every day, and that he had
+become very tame indeed. "But," said the mouse's patron, "he is an
+ungrateful fellow. He is not content with eating what I give him; he
+destroys every thing he can lay hold of." A short time after this, my
+friend was called in again, when he was told by the bachelor, that, the
+mouse having become absolutely intolerable by his petty larcenies and
+grand larcenies, he set a trap for him and caught him. But still the
+larcenies continued. He set his trap again, and caught another rogue,
+and another, and another, till at last he found he had been making a pet
+of thirteen mice, instead of one, as he at first supposed.
+
+The field mouse, represented in the engraving, lays up a large store of
+provisions in his nice little nest under ground, which he keeps for
+winter. These mice are very particular in stowing away their winter
+store. The corn, acorns, chestnuts, hickory nuts, and whatever else they
+hoard up, have each separate apartments. One room contains nothing but
+corn, another nothing but chestnuts, and so on. When they have exhausted
+their stock of provisions before spring, and they have nothing else to
+eat, they turn to, and eat one another. They are regular cannibals, if
+their manners and customs have been correctly reported. Sometimes the
+hogs, as they are roaming about the pasture, in the autumn, soon after a
+family of field mice have laid in their provisions, and before the
+ground has frozen, come across the nest, and smell the good things that
+are in it. Then the poor mouse has to suffer. The author of the Boy's
+Winter Book thus graphically and humorously describes the misfortunes of
+such a mouse: "There he sits huddled up in a dark corner, looking on, as
+the hog is devouring the contents of his house, saying to himself, no
+doubt, 'I wish it may choke you, you great, grunting brute, that I do.
+There go my poor acorns, a dozen at a mouthfull. Twelve long journeys I
+had to take to the foot of the old oak, where I picked them up--such a
+hard day's work, that I could hardly get a wink of sleep, my bones ached
+so. And now that great glutton gobbles them all up at once, and makes
+nothing of it! What I shall do in the winter, I'm sure I don't know.
+There goes my corn, too, which I brought, a little at a time, all the
+way from the field on the other side of the woods, and with which I was
+often obliged to rest, two or three times before I reached home; and
+then I sometimes had to lay my load down, while I had a battle with
+another field mouse, who tried to take the corn away from me, under
+pretence of helping me to carry it home, which I knew well enough meant
+his own nest. And after all this fighting, and slaving, and carrying
+heavy loads from sunrise to sunset, here comes a pair of great, grunting
+pork chaps, and make a meal from my hard earnings. Well, never mind, Mr.
+Pig. It's winter now; but perhaps by next harvest time, I shall creep
+into some reaper's basket, and have a taste of you, when he brings a
+part of you, nicely cured and cooked, and laid lovingly between two
+slices of bread and butter. I'll be even with you then, old fellow--that
+I will, if I am only spared!' And so he creeps out, scarcely knowing
+whether he should make up his mind to beg, borrow, or steal, half
+muttering to himself, as he hops across the way, to visit some neighbor
+for a breakfast, 'I declare such infamous treatment is enough to make
+one dishonest, and never be industrious and virtuous any more!'"
+
+
+
+
+The Rabbit.
+
+
+Friend reader, did you ever see the rabbit bounding along through the
+bushes, when you have been walking in the woods? When a boy, I used
+often to be amused at the gambols of the rabbits, in the woods near my
+father's house. They do not run very gracefully or very fast, and a dog
+easily overtakes them. It seems cruel to hunt them, and set snares for
+them; and yet if they are wanted for food, doubtless there is no harm in
+taking their life. The way in which I used to catch them, years ago,
+when the sources of my enjoyment were widely different from what they
+are at present, was by means of a box-trap with a lid to it, so adjusted
+that the poor rabbit, when he undertook to nibble the apple, attached to
+the spindle for a bait, sprung the trap, and made himself a prisoner.
+Another method we used to employ to catch the rabbit, was something like
+this: a fence was made of brush-wood, about three feet high, and
+reaching some rods in length. The brush in this fence was interlaced so
+closely, that rabbits and partridges could not get through except at
+intervals of a few yards, where there was a door. At this door was a
+noose connecting with a flexible pole, which was bent down for the
+purpose. The unsuspecting rabbit, in his journeyings from place to
+place, comes to the fence. He could leap over, if he should try. But he
+thinks it cheaper to walk through the door, especially as there is a
+choice bit of apple suspended over the entrance. Well, he attempts to go
+through, stopping a minute to eat that favorite morsel; he thrusts his
+head into the noose; the trap is sprung, and the elastic pole twitches
+the poor wayfarer up by the neck. It is rather barbarous business, this
+snaring innocent rabbits; and I should much rather my young friends
+would adopt either of a hundred other sports of winter, than this.
+
+[Illustration: THE RABBIT TRAP.]
+
+[Illustration: THE RABBIT.]
+
+The father of a family of rabbits is said to exercise a very respectable
+discipline among the children. Would it not be well for some of our
+fathers and mothers to attend school, a quarter or so, in one of their
+villages? The father among rabbits is a patriarch. Somebody who owned
+several tame ones, tells us that whenever any of them quarreled, the
+father instantly ran among them, and at once peace and order were
+restored. "If he caught any one quarreling, he always punished him as an
+example to the rest. Having taught them to come to me," says this man,
+"with the call of a whistle, the instant this signal was given, I saw
+this old fellow marshal up his forces, sometimes taking the lead, and
+sometimes making them file off before him."
+
+
+
+
+The Hare.
+
+
+Probably most of my readers are so well acquainted with natural history,
+that they do not need to be told that the hare and the rabbit are very
+like, in their appearance, as well as in most of their habits. The two
+animals, however, are sufficiently unlike to be entitled to a separate
+introduction in our stories.
+
+Hares have been known to possess a good deal of cunning, which is a
+fortunate circumstance for them, as they often need not a little of this
+trait of character in their numerous persecutions. "I have seen," says
+Du Fouilloux, a French naturalist, "a hare so cunning, that, as soon as
+it heard the huntsman's horn, it started from its place, and though at
+the distance of a quarter of a league from it, leaped to a pond, and
+there hid itself among the rushes, thus escaping the pursuit of the
+dogs. I have seen a hare, which, after having run above two hours before
+the dogs, has dislodged another hare, and taken possession of its
+residence. I have seen them swim over three ponds, of which the smallest
+was not less than eighty paces broad. I have seen others, which, after
+having been warmly chased for two hours, have entered a sheep-cot,
+through the little opening under the door, and remained among the
+cattle. Others, again, when the dogs have chased them, have joined a
+flock of sheep in the field, and, in like manner, remained with them. I
+have seen others, which, when they heard the dogs, have concealed
+themselves in the earth, or have gone along on one side of a hedge, and
+returned by the other, so that there was only the thickness of the hedge
+between the dogs and the hare. I have seen others, which, after they had
+been chased for half an hour, have mounted an old wall of six feet high,
+and taken refuge in a hole covered with ivy."
+
+An English hunter tells a very affecting anecdote about two hares which
+were chased by a pack of dogs. A hare which they had pursued for some
+time was nearly exhausted. On the way, he came across another hare,
+doubtless a personal friend of his. The latter, after a short
+conversation with the former--for there was not time for many
+ceremonies--took the place of the poor weary one, and allowed himself to
+be chased by the dogs, while the other, who must soon have fallen a
+victim to the dogs, was left to shift as best he could, and try to find
+a place of shelter.
+
+The hares in Liberia exhibit much foresight. In the month of August they
+cut great quantities of soft, tender grass, and other herbs, which they
+spread out to dry. This hay, early in autumn, they collect into heaps,
+and place either beneath the overhanging rocks, or around the trunks of
+trees, in conical heaps of various sizes, resembling the stacks in which
+men sometimes preserve their hay in winter. The stacks which the hares
+make are much smaller, however, not usually more than three feet high.
+In the winter these stacks are covered with snow, and the animals make a
+path between them and their holes. They select the best of vegetables
+for their winter store, and crop them when in the fullest vigor, and
+these they make into the best and greenest hay.
+
+Dr. Towson, while in Gottingen, succeeded in getting a young hare so
+tame, that it would play about his sofa and bed. It would leap upon his
+knee, pat him with its fore feet, and frequently, while he was
+reading, it would jump up in his lap, and knock the book out of his
+hand, so as to get a share of his attention.
+
+[Illustration: TAME HARES.]
+
+One Sunday evening, five men were sitting on the bank of the river
+Mersey, in England, singing sacred songs. The field where they were had
+a forest on one side of it. As they were singing, a hare came out of
+this forest, and ran toward the place where they were seated. When she
+came up very near the spot, she suddenly stopped, and stood still for a
+considerable time, appearing to enjoy the sound of the music. She
+frequently turned her head, as if listening with intense interest. When
+they stopped singing, she turned slowly toward the forest. She had
+nearly reached the forest, when the gentlemen commenced singing again.
+The hare turned around, and ran back swiftly, nearly to the spot where
+she stood before, and listened with the same apparent pleasure, until
+the music was finished, when she again retired toward the woods, and
+soon disappeared.
+
+Cowper was a great lover of pets; and I confess that I love him for this
+trait in his character. He has endeared himself to me, indeed, as much
+by the kindness he showed to the different animals which he had about
+him, and which he had taught to love him, as by almost any other act of
+his. I never think of Cowper, without thinking, too, of the interest he
+took in every thing that breathed; and I hardly ever see a pet hare, or
+rabbit, or squirrel, without thinking of him. If the reader is as much
+interested in the poet as I am, he will like to see a portrait of him,
+which I introduce in this connection. Many people take great delight in
+hunting such beautiful and innocent animals as the fawn and the hare.
+But Cowper was no sportsman. He could not bear to hurt any thing that
+lived. You remember, perhaps, what he says in his "Task" about being
+kind to animals. Let me see if I can quote it from memory. I guess I
+can, for I learned it at school when a little boy, and those things are
+always fixed in the memory more indelibly than those which are learned
+in maturer years. I think he says--
+
+"I would not enter on my list of friends--
+Though graced with polished manners and fine sense,
+Yet wanting sensibility--the man
+Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.
+An inadvertent step may crush the snail,
+That crawls at eve along the public path;
+But he who has humanity, forewarned,
+Will step aside, and let the reptile live."
+
+[Illustration: THE POET COWPER.]
+
+He was right--the kind-hearted poet was right. Well, as I said before,
+he was not only careful about giving pain to animals, but he was very
+fond of pets. First and last, he had a good many of these pets. But
+there were none of them that he took so great delight in as his hares.
+He had two of these pretty little creatures, and they seemed to be as
+fond of him as he was of them. Cowper was subject to fits of great
+despondency, or depression of spirits. With him hypochondria was a sort
+of chronic disease. He would try to be cheerful. He knew the nature of
+his melancholy, and often tried to remedy indirectly what could not be
+reached directly. He resorted to innocent amusements in order to lead
+the mind away from the contemplation of its own ills, real or imaginary.
+This was well--it was philosophical--but it did not always succeed. The
+disease was too deeply seated in his system. The care which he took of
+his pets was no doubt one of his favorite amusements. These hares--there
+were three of them at first, though one of them did not live long--had
+each very different characters. The poet described them in detail in one
+of his letters. Puss was the greatest favorite. He was more tractable,
+tame and affectionate than the rest. Once the fellow was very sick, and
+his master treated him with a great deal of kindness, gave him medicine,
+and nursed him so well that he recovered. Cowper says that Puss showed
+his gratitude by licking his hand for a long time, a ceremony he never
+went through with but once in his life, before or afterward. Bess, who
+died young, was the funny one. He had a great fund of humor and
+drollery. Tiney, though very entertaining in his way, seems to have been
+rather a grave and surly fellow. When he died--and he lived to a good
+old age, some nine years, I think--Cowper buried him with honor, and
+wrote an epitaph for him. I will copy two or three stanzas from this
+epitaph, to show that Tiney got quite as good a character as he
+deserved.
+
+    EPITAPH ON A HARE.
+
+    Here lies, whom hound did ne'er pursue,
+      Nor swifter greyhound follow,
+    Whose feet ne'er tainted morning dew,
+      Nor ear heard huntsman's hallo.
+
+    Old Tiney, surliest of his kind,
+      Who, nursed with tender care,
+    And to domestic bounds confined,
+      Was still a wild Jack-hare.
+
+    Though duly from my hand he took
+      His pittance every night,
+    He did it with a jealous look,
+      And when he could, would bite.
+
+    I kept him for his humor's sake,
+      For he would oft beguile
+    My heart of thought, that made it ache,
+      And force me to a smile.
+
+    But now beneath this walnut shade,
+      He finds his long, last home,
+    And waits, in snug concealment laid,
+      Till gentler Puss shall come.
+
+    He, still more aged, feels the shocks,
+      From which no power can save,
+    And, partner once of Tiney's box,
+      Must soon partake his grave.
+
+
+
+
+The Goat.
+
+
+Goats have been taught to perform a great many wonderful exploits. The
+celebrated traveler, Dr. Clarke, gives a very curious account of a goat
+which he came across in Arabia. This goat would perform some most
+surprising feats of dexterity. "We met," he says, "an Arab with a goat,
+which he led about the country to exhibit, in order to gain a
+livelihood. He had taught this animal, while he accompanied its
+movements with a song, to mount upon little cylindrical blocks of wood,
+placed successively one above another, and resembling in shape the dice
+belonging to a backgammon table. In this manner the goat stood, first on
+the top of two; afterward of three, four, five, and six, until it
+remained balanced upon the summit of them all, elevated several feet
+above the ground, and with its fore feet collected upon a single point,
+without throwing down the disjointed fabric on which it stood. The
+diameter of the upper cylinder, on which its four feet alternately
+remained until the Arab had ended his ditty, was only two inches, and
+the length of each was six inches. The most curious part of the
+performance took place afterward; for the Arab, to convince us of the
+animal's attention to the turn of the air, sometimes interrupted the
+ordinary _da capo_, or repeat, and as often as he did so, the goat
+tottered, and appeared uneasy. When the man suddenly stopped, in the
+middle of his song, the animal fell to the ground."
+
+[Illustration: THE WONDERFUL FEAT OF THE GOAT.]
+
+A farmer in Scotland missed one of his goats, when his flock came home
+at night. Being afraid the missing animal would get among the young
+trees in his nursery, he sent two boys, wrapped up warm in their plaid
+cloaks, to watch all night. In the morning, these boys climbed up the
+brow of a hill near by, to hunt for the wanderer. They found her after a
+long search. She was on the brow of a hill, and her young kid was by her
+side. This faithful mother was defending the kid from the attack of a
+fox. The enemy was using all the cunning and art he was master of, to
+get possession of the little fellow, while the old goat was presenting
+her horns in every direction, as he made his sallies. The boys shouted
+at the top of their voices, in order to drive the fox away. But Master
+Renard was probably aware that they would not dare to touch him. At any
+rate, he kept up the assault. At last, getting out of patience with the
+goat, he made a more resolute effort to seize the kid; and in an instant
+all three of the animals rolled off the precipice, and were killed by
+the fall. The fox was found at the bottom of the gorge, with the goat's
+horns piercing his body.
+
+A story is told by Mr. Bingley, which illustrates, in a very forcible
+manner, the gratitude and affection of the goat. After the final
+suppression of the Scottish rebellion of 1715, by the decisive battle of
+Preston, a gentleman who had taken a very active share in it escaped to
+the West Highlands, to the residence of a female relative, who afforded
+him an asylum. As, in consequence of the strict search which was made
+after the ringleaders, it was soon judged unsafe for him to remain in
+the house of his friend, he was conducted to a cavern in a sequestered
+situation, and furnished with a supply of food. The approach to this
+lonely abode consisted of a small aperture, through which he crept,
+dragging his provisions along with him. A little way from the mouth of
+the cave the roof became elevated, but on advancing, an obstacle
+obstructed his progress. He soon perceived that, whatever it might be,
+the object was a living one; but unwilling to strike at a venture with
+his dirk, he stooped down, and discovered a goat and her kid lying on
+the ground. The animal was evidently in great pain, and feeling her body
+and limbs, he ascertained that one of her legs had been fractured. He
+bound it up with his garter, and offered her some of his bread; but she
+refused to eat, and stretched out her tongue, as if intimating that her
+mouth was parched with thirst. He gave her water, which she drank
+greedily, and then she ate the bread. At midnight he ventured from the
+cave, pulled a quantity of grass and the tender branches of trees, and
+carried them to the poor sufferer, which received them with
+demonstrations of gratitude. The only thing which this fugitive had to
+arrest his attention in this dreary abode, was administering comfort to
+the goat; and he was, indeed, thankful to have any living creature
+beside him. She quickly recovered, and became tenderly attached to him.
+It happened that the servant who was intrusted with the secret of his
+retreat fell sick, when it became necessary to send another with
+provisions. The goat, on this occasion, happening to be lying near the
+mouth of the cavern, opposed his entrance with all her might, butting
+him furiously; the fugitive, hearing a disturbance, went forward, and
+receiving the watchword from his new attendant, interposed, and the
+faithful goat permitted him to pass. So resolute was the animal on this
+occasion, that the gentleman was convinced she would have died in his
+defence.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Tiger.
+
+
+Such of my readers as have had an opportunity to look a little into
+natural history, are probably aware that the tiger belongs to the cat
+family. Many of its habits are very like those of the domestic cat. Did
+you ever see an old cat preparing to make a spring at a mouse or a bird?
+If you have, you have noticed that she crouches on the ground, and
+creeps stealthily along toward her victim, without making the least
+noise, until she is near enough, and then suddenly springs upon her
+prey. The tiger pursues the same course.
+
+A British officer, who lived for awhile in India, where tigers abound,
+was returning, in the evening, to the house where he resided, after
+dining with another officer, when he was met by his servants, who were
+making a great noise, in order to frighten away a tiger which was known
+to be prowling about the neighborhood. Although he had been some years
+in India, the young officer had never seen a tiger, as it happened,
+except from a distance; and he determined he would gratify his
+curiosity, if possible, and have a good view of the animal. So he
+dismissed his servants, and seated himself opposite the jungle, where
+the tiger was supposed to be, and there looked out for the enemy. It was
+moonlight, and the ferocious beast soon discovered the officer. The
+latter could distinctly see all the motions of his savage foe. He
+approached so slowly as scarcely to make the least noise. Then,
+crouching down, he prepared to make the fatal spring at his victim. At
+this instant, however, the officer, taking off a bear skin cap which he
+wore, swung it in the air, and shouted as loudly as he could. This so
+frightened the tiger that he made off with himself, and was soon out of
+sight in the bushes.
+
+A European gentleman, who has spent some time in Java, tells us a
+thrilling story about the adventure of a criminal with a tiger. The poor
+man was condemned, as is the custom in that country, to fight a large
+royal tiger, whose ferocity was raised to the highest point by want of
+food and artificial irritation. The only weapon allowed to the human
+combatant was a lance, with the point broken off. After wrapping a cloth
+round his left fist and arm, the man entered the arena with an air of
+undaunted calmness, and fixed a steady, menacing gaze upon the brute.
+The tiger sprang furiously upon his intended victim, who, with
+extraordinary boldness and rapidity, thrust his left fist into the
+gaping jaws, and at the same moment, with his keen, pointless dagger,
+ripped up the breast to the very heart. In less than a minute the tiger
+lay dead at his conqueror's feet. The criminal was forgiven.
+
+[Illustration: THE TIGER.]
+
+Several years ago, an Englishman, by the name of Munro, was killed by a
+tiger in the East Indies. The particulars of this distressing scene are
+given by an eye-witness. "We went on shore," says the writer of the
+narrative, "to shoot deer, of which we saw innumerable tracks, as well
+as of tigers; notwithstanding which, we continued our diversion till
+near three o'clock, when, sitting down by the side of a jungle to
+refresh ourselves, a roar like thunder was heard, and an immense tiger
+seized on our unfortunate friend, and rushed again into the jungle,
+dragging him through the thickest bushes and trees, every thing giving
+way to his monstrous strength; a tigress accompanied his progress. The
+united agonies of horror, regret, and fear, rushed at once upon us. I
+fired on the tiger; he seemed agitated; my companion fired also, and, in
+a few minutes after this, our unfortunate friend came up to us bathed in
+blood. Every medical assistance was vain, and he expired in the space of
+twenty-four hours, having received such deep wounds from the teeth and
+claws of the animal, as rendered his recovery hopeless. A large fire,
+consisting of ten or twelve whole trees, was blazing by us at the time
+this accident took place, and ten or more natives were with us. The
+human mind can scarce form any idea of the scene of horror. We had
+hardly pushed our boat from that accursed shore, when the tigress made
+her appearance, almost raging mad, and remained on the sand, exhibiting
+signs of the utmost ferocity, all the while we continued in sight."
+
+There is an account given of a small party who entered a cave, to seek
+shelter from a terrible storm, in South America. The storm raged with
+such violence, that they could not hear each other speak; the
+cedar-trees were struck down, and the torrents of rain rushed from the
+mountains. Suddenly a growling noise was heard at the end of the cave.
+They soon found, to their amazement and horror, that they had taken
+refuge in a tiger's cave, and that the growling proceeded from two young
+cubs. At this moment the Indians who attended them gave the alarm that a
+tiger was approaching. The Indians mounted a tree, and the party in the
+cave blocked up the mouth of it with a large and heavy stone, which
+fortunately lay near. A dreadful roar was heard, which was replied to by
+the growling of the two cubs, and the flaming eyes of a tremendous tiger
+were seen glowing with fury between the top of the stone and the rock
+just above it. The tiger attempted to remove the stone, but his
+prodigious strength was unequal to the attempt, and he howled more
+tremendously than before. Several of the party had leveled their muskets
+and pistols at the head of the tiger, through the narrow opening left by
+the stone; but the storm had damped the powder, and the pieces could not
+be discharged. The young cubs were then killed and thrust through the
+hole to the tiger on the outside, who, after turning them over and
+examining them, broke afresh into the wildest fury. The Indians
+discharged several arrows at the infuriated animal, but his thick skin
+repelled them. The storm ceased, and the thunder was heard only in the
+distance, but the tiger laid himself down at the mouth of the cave. In a
+short time a roar was heard near, which was answered by the tiger, who
+sprang up directly on his feet. The Indians in the tree gave a wild
+shriek, as a tigress bounded toward the cave. The howling of the two
+animals, after the tigress had examined her cubs, was truly terrible,
+and every one in the cavern gave himself over for lost. A powder-flask,
+containing their whole stock of gunpowder, had been upset in turning out
+the young cubs, so that they were reduced to despair. The tigress, after
+staring wildly at the stone at the opening of the cavern, sprang against
+it with all her force, and would probably have displaced it, had not the
+party joined together to hold it in its place. Suddenly the two tigers
+turned their heads toward the forest, and disappeared. The Indians
+descended the tree, and urged the party in the cave to take the
+opportunity of escaping, for that the tigers had ascended the heights to
+find another way into the cave. No time was to be lost; they hurried
+through the forest till they came to a wide chasm with a rushing stream
+below it. A bridge of reeds had been thrown across the chasm, and over
+this bridge they passed, but the tigers were close in pursuit. The last
+of the party who crossed the bridge cut the fastenings which tied it to
+the rock, and hoped by this means to secure safety, when the tigress
+rushed toward the chasm, made a spring, and fell down upon the pointed
+rocks below, and from thence into the torrent at the bottom. It was a
+fearful sight to see this ferocious animal for a moment in the air,
+without knowing whether she would be able to clear the chasm. The tiger
+paused not a moment, but making an amazing spring, reached the opposite
+side with his fore paws. As he clung to the rock, one of the party
+plunged his sword into the breast of the furious beast, while another
+struck him a blow on the head with the butt-end of his gun. The tiger
+let go his hold, and fell back into the abyss. This was a dreadful
+moment! for the man who struck the tiger on the head could not recover
+himself; he reeled over the edge of the fearful precipice, stretched out
+his hand in vain to seize hold of something with which to save himself,
+and then was precipitated into the horrid gulf below!
+
+A novel exhibition was presented in the city of Boston, not long ago,
+which attracted the attention of every body, old and young. Herr
+Driesbach, the famous tamer of wild animals, made his appearance in an
+elegant sleigh, with his pet tiger by his side. In this manner he rode
+through the streets. The tiger, it is said, seemed to enjoy the
+sleighing mightily, and leaped upon his master, from time to time,
+licking his face, and showing other signs of excitement. Driesbach had
+to strike him several times, to keep him from making too enthusiastic
+demonstrations. After astonishing the citizens for a considerable time,
+Driesbach alighted at his hotel, with his tiger, and taking him into one
+of the apartments, invited gentlemen to walk in and be introduced,
+though there were very few who seemed willing to avail themselves of the
+privilege.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE RHINOCEROS.]
+
+
+The Rhinoceros.
+
+
+From the accounts of those who are best acquainted with the rhinoceros,
+it appears that the animal is tamed only with great difficulty, and
+never to such an extent that it is always safe to approach him. Sir
+Everard Home gives the following account of one in a menagerie in
+London: "He was so savage, that about a month after he came, he
+endeavored to kill the keeper, and nearly succeeded. He ran at him with
+the greatest fury; but, fortunately, the horn of the animal passed
+between the keeper's thighs, and threw him on the head of the
+rhinoceros. The horn struck a wooden partition, into which it was forced
+to such a depth, that the animal, for a minute, was unable to withdraw
+it; and during this interval, the man escaped. By discipline, the
+keeper afterward got the management of him; but frequently, more
+especially in the middle of the night, fits of phrensy came on, and
+while these lasted, nothing could control his rage. He ran, with great
+swiftness, round his den, playing all kinds of antics, making hideous
+noises, breaking every thing to pieces, and disturbing the whole
+neighborhood. While this fit was on, the keeper never dared to come near
+him."
+
+When the rhinoceros is quietly pursuing his way through his favorite
+glades of mimosa bushes (which his hooked upper lip enables him readily
+to seize, and his powerful grinders to masticate), his horns, fixed
+loosely in his skin, make a clapping noise by striking one against the
+other; but on the approach of danger, if his quick ear or keen scent
+makes him aware of the vicinity of a hunter, the head is quickly raised,
+and the horns stand stiff, and ready for combat on his terrible front.
+The rhinoceros is often accompanied by a sentinel, to give him
+warning--a beautiful green-backed and blue-winged bird, about the size
+of a jay--which sits on one of his horns.
+
+The following account of the perils of a party hunting for the
+rhinoceros is given by Mr. Bruce, a traveler of celebrity: "We were on
+horseback, at the dawn of the day, in search of the rhinoceros; and
+after having searched about an hour in the thickest part of the forest,
+one of these animals rushed out with great violence, and crossed the
+plain toward a thicket of canes, at the distance of nearly two miles.
+But though he ran, or rather trotted, with surprising speed, considering
+his bulk, he was in a short time pierced with thirty or forty javelins.
+This attack so confounded him, that he left his purpose of going to the
+thicket, and ran into a deep ravine, without outlet, breaking about a
+dozen of the javelins as he entered. Here we thought he was caught in a
+trap--for he had scarcely room to turn--and a servant, who had a gun,
+standing directly over him, fired at his head. The animal fell
+immediately, to all appearance dead. All those on foot now jumped into
+the ravine, to cut him up. But they had scarcely begun, when the animal
+recovered himself so far as to rise upon his knees; and he would
+undoubtedly have destroyed several of the men, had not one of them, with
+great presence of mind, cut the sinew of the animal's hind leg. To this
+precaution they were indebted, under God, for their lives."
+
+The rhinoceros and the elephant have been known to engage in a pitched
+battle, in which case the former always comes off victor. The combat,
+however, is a very furious one.
+
+There are two species of the rhinoceros. The one which is represented in
+the engraving is the double-horned rhinoceros. It is perhaps the largest
+of land animals, with the exception of the elephant. When pursued,
+notwithstanding its large, unwieldy body, it can run with astonishing
+swiftness.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Alligator.
+
+
+On the whole, though the alligator can hardly claim any attention from
+us in these stories, owing to his manner of locomotion, and some other
+circumstances, yet I think I will introduce him to the reader, as I have
+two or three anecdotes about his tribe, which are worth reading, and as
+he comes within the qualifications for introduction to our present
+company of animals, so far as to possess the specific number of
+locomotive organs.
+
+A British medical officer, many years a resident in the East Indies,
+relates the following painful incident: "A native, being employed in
+repairing a ship lying in the Bengal river, carelessly put his legs off
+the stage upon which he was seated, at the side of the vessel, and
+being engaged in conversation with his wife and child, who were on
+board, forgot the danger of his situation. As he proceeded in his
+labors, it was necessary to lower the stage, until it came within a few
+feet only of the water. He had not been in this position many minutes,
+when a monstrous alligator rose suddenly above the surface of the river,
+and before the poor man perceived the animal, seized one of his legs,
+snapped it off, just above the knee, and descended into the water. The
+man then tried to get on board the ship, but in vain. The pain, the
+terror, the loss of his limb, so entirely prostrated his strength, that
+all his efforts were useless. The wife hung terror-stricken over the
+side of the vessel, not knowing what to do, calling for assistance, and
+shrieking distractedly. The boy, with more presence of mind, clung to
+his father, and endeavored, with all his little strength, to lift him
+up. The cries of the woman at length brought some persons to ascertain
+what was the matter. At this moment the monster appeared again. The son
+redoubled his exertions to drag his father from his terrible situation,
+but with as little success as before. Some of the people who were
+attracted to the spot, threw stones, sticks, or any thing that happened
+to be in their way, at the alligator, while the wife, thinking that the
+deliverance of her husband was now certain, hastened to the shore to
+seek the surgeon. As the monster advanced, the child became convulsed
+with terror, and at length was hardly able, by his exertions, to sustain
+the weight of his father's body. He called loudly for assistance, but
+either through surprise or fear, his cries were unheeded. Still
+continuing to defend himself in a measure from the attacks of the
+alligator, the sufferer became exhausted from pain and loss of blood.
+The terrible animal seized the other leg. The boy still kept his hold,
+and contrived to throw a rope round the body of his nearly expiring
+father, so as to prevent him from being pulled into the river. At this
+instant the wife returned with the surgeon. But, alas! they came too
+late. The poor Indian recognized his wife, gave one parting look, then
+sunk in death on the bosom of his child."
+
+[Illustration: THE ALLIGATOR.]
+
+Mr. Audubon, the distinguished naturalist, has given some of the most
+interesting facts in connection with the alligator that have come to my
+knowledge. He says: "A friend having intimated a wish to have the heart
+of one of these animals, to study its comparative anatomy, I one
+afternoon went out about half a mile from the plantation, and seeing an
+alligator that I thought I could put whole into a hogshead of spirits, I
+shot it immediately on the skull-bone. It tumbled over from the log on
+which it had been basking into the water, and, with the assistance of
+two negroes, I had it out in a few minutes, apparently dead. A strong
+rope was fastened round its neck, and in this condition, I had it
+dragged home across logs, thrown over fences, and handled without the
+least fear. Some young ladies there, anxious to see the inside of its
+mouth, requested that the mouth should be propped open with a stick put
+vertically; this was attempted, but at this instant the first stunning
+effect of the wound was over, and the animal thrashed and snapped its
+jaws furiously, although it did not advance a foot. I have frequently
+been very much amused when fishing in a bayou, where alligators were
+numerous, by throwing a blown bladder on the water toward the nearest
+one. The alligator makes for it, flaps it toward its mouth, or attempts
+seizing it at once, but all in vain. The light bladder slides off; in a
+few minutes many alligators are trying to seize this, and their
+evolutions are quite interesting. They then put one in mind of a crowd
+of boys running after a football. A black bottle is sometimes thrown in
+also, tightly corked; but the alligator seizes this easily, and you hear
+the glass give way under its teeth, as if ground in a coarse mill. They
+are easily caught by negroes, who most expertly throw a rope over their
+heads when swimming close to shore, and haul them out instantly."
+
+A writer in the Liberia Herald, according to his account of the matter,
+had a pretty good opportunity to observe some of the habits of the
+alligator. "Coming down the river," he says, "a few days ago, we espied
+an alligator lying with his body on the sloping margin of the river, his
+lower jaw submerged in the water, while the upper was extended in the
+air, showing a formidable array of teeth. We stopped to gaze at him.
+Anon, a hapless fish ventured within the dread chasm, when the
+treacherous jaws suddenly closed, and severed the fish asunder. The
+native boys who were with us, took the occasion to assign the reason of
+some of the alligator's movements. They say he lies with his mouth open,
+to attract a certain insect which floats upon the surface of the water.
+These collect in large numbers around his mouth; fishes feed upon them,
+and when lured by the desired prey within the vortex, they become a prey
+themselves."
+
+There is a singular adventure with an alligator recorded by the captain
+of a vessel on the coast of Guinea. It is as follows: "The ocean was
+very smooth, and the heat very great. Campbell, who had been drinking
+too much, was obstinately bent on going overboard to bathe, and although
+we used every means in our power to persuade him to the contrary, he
+dashed into the water, and had swam some distance from the vessel, when
+we on board discovered an alligator making toward him, behind a rock
+that stood some distance from the shore. His escape I now considered
+impossible, and I applied to Johnson to know how we should act, who,
+like myself, affirmed the impossibility of saving him, and instantly
+seized upon a loaded musket, to shoot the poor fellow before he fell
+into the jaws of the monster. I did not, however, consent to this, but
+waited, with horror, the event; yet, willing to do all in my power, I
+ordered the boat to be hoisted out, and we fired two shots at the
+approaching alligator, but without effect, for they glided over his
+scaly covering like hail-stones on a tiled house, and the progress of
+the creature was by no means impeded. The report of the piece, and the
+noise of the blacks from the sloop, soon made Campbell acquainted with
+his danger; he saw the creature making toward him, and, with all the
+strength and skill he was master of, he made for the shore. And now the
+moment arrived, in which a scene was exhibited beyond the power of my
+pen to describe. On approaching within a very short distance of some
+canes and shrubs that covered the bank, while closely pursued by the
+alligator, a fierce and ferocious tiger sprang toward him, at the
+instant the jaws of his first enemy were extended to devour him. At this
+awful moment Campbell was preserved. The eager tiger, by overleaping,
+fell into the gripe of the alligator. A horrible conflict then ensued.
+The water was colored with the blood of the tiger, whose efforts to tear
+the scaly covering of the alligator were unavailing, while the latter
+had also the advantage of keeping his adversary under water, by which
+the victory was presently obtained; for the tiger's death was now
+effected. They both sank to the bottom, and we saw no more of the
+alligator. Campbell was recovered, and instantly conveyed on board; he
+did not speak while in the boat, though his danger had completely
+sobered him. But the moment he leaped on the deck, he fell on his knees,
+and returned thanks to the Providence who had so protected him; and,
+what is most singular, from that moment to the time I am now writing, he
+has never been seen the least intoxicated, nor has been heard to utter a
+single oath."
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Cat.
+
+
+Cats, say what you will against them, have some excellent traits of
+character. They are capable of the strongest attachment. A cat which had
+been brought up in a family, became extremely attached to the oldest
+child, a little boy who was very fond of playing with her. She bore with
+the utmost patience all the rough treatment of the mischievous child,
+without ever making the least resistance. As the cat grew up, she used
+to catch mice, and bring them alive into the room where the little boy
+was, to amuse him with her prey. If he showed an inclination to take the
+mouse from her, she let it run, and waited to see whether he was able to
+catch it. If he did not, she darted at it, caught it, and again laid it
+before him. In this manner the sport continued, as long as the child
+showed any taste for it.
+
+At length, the boy was attacked with the small-pox, and during the early
+stages of his disorder, the cat rarely left his bed-side; but as his
+danger increased, it was thought necessary to remove the cat, and lock
+her up. The child died. On the following day, the cat, having escaped
+from her confinement, immediately ran to the apartment where she hoped
+to find her playmate. Disappointed in her expectations, she sought for
+him, with symptoms of great uneasiness and loud lamentations, all over
+the house, till she came to the door of the room in which the corpse
+lay. Here she lay down in silent grief, till she was again locked up. As
+soon as the child was buried, and the cat set at liberty, she
+disappeared; and it was not till a fortnight after that event, that she
+returned to the well-known apartment, sad and emaciated. She refused to
+take any nourishment, and soon ran away again, with dismal cries. At
+length, compelled by hunger, she made her appearance one day at
+dinner-time, and continued to visit the house after that, every day, at
+about the same hour, but always left as soon as she had eaten the food
+that was given her. No one knew where she spent the rest of her time,
+until she was found, one day, under the wall of the burying-ground,
+close to the grave of her favorite; and so strong was the attachment of
+the cat to her lost friend, that, till his parents removed to another
+place, nearly five years afterward, she never, except in the severest
+winter weather, passed the night any where else than in the
+burying-ground, at her little friend's grave.
+
+Here is another story of a cat who exhibited in a similar way her love
+for her deceased master. The incidents of this story, which, it is
+believed, are strictly true, occurred in the north of Scotland. Some
+years ago, a poor man residing in that country, whose habits of life had
+always been of the most retired description, giving way to the natural
+despondency of his disposition, put an end to his existence. The only
+other inmate of his cottage was a favorite cat. When the deed was
+discovered, the cat was found assiduously watching over her late
+master's body, and it was with some difficulty she could be driven away.
+The appalling deed naturally excited a great deal of attention in the
+surrounding neighborhood; and on the day after the body was deposited in
+the grave, which was made at the outside of the church-yard, a number of
+school-boys ventured thither, to view the resting-place of one who had
+at times been the subject of village wonder, and whose recent act of
+self-destruction was invested with additional interest. At first, no one
+was brave enough to venture near; but at last, the appearance of a hole
+in the side of the grave irresistibly attracted their attention. Having
+been minutely examined, it was at length determined that it must have
+been the work of some body-snatcher; and the story having spread, the
+grave was minutely examined, but as the body had not been removed, the
+community considered themselves fortunate in having made so narrow an
+escape. The turf was replaced, and the grave again carefully covered up.
+On the following morning the turf was again displaced, and a hole,
+deeper than before, yawned in the side of the sad receptacle.
+Speculation was soon busy at work, and all sorts of explanations were
+suggested. In the midst of their speculations, alarmed, perhaps, by the
+noise of the disputants, poor Puss darted from the hole, much to the
+confusion of some of the most noisy and dogmatic expounders of the
+mystery. Again the turf was replaced, and again and again was it removed
+by the unceasing efforts of the faithful cat to share the resting-place
+of her deceased master. It was at last found necessary to shoot her, it
+being found impossible otherwise to put a stop to her unceasing
+importunities.
+
+The enmity of the cat and dog is proverbial. Yet instances have been
+known in which the closest friendship has been formed between them. A
+French author of a work on the Language of Brutes tells the following
+story: "I had a cat and dog, which became so attached to each other,
+that they would never willingly be asunder. Whenever the dog got any
+choice morsel of food, he was sure to divide it with his whiskered
+friend. They always ate sociably out of one plate, slept in the same
+bed, and daily walked out together. Wishing to put this apparently
+sincere friendship to the proof, I one day took the cat by herself into
+my room, while I had the dog guarded in another apartment. I entertained
+the cat in a most sumptuous manner, being desirous to see what sort of a
+meal she would make without her friend, who had hitherto been her
+constant table companion. The cat enjoyed the treat with great glee, and
+seemed to have entirely forgotten the dog. I had had a partridge for
+dinner, half of which I intended to keep for supper. My wife covered it
+with a plate, and put it into a cupboard, the door of which she did not
+lock. The cat left the room, and I walked out upon business. My wife,
+meanwhile, sat at work in an adjoining apartment. When I returned home,
+she related to me the following circumstances: The cat, having hastily
+left the dining-room, went to the dog, and mewed uncommonly loud, and in
+different tones of voice; which the dog, from time to time, answered
+with a short bark. They both then went to the door of the room where the
+cat had dined, and waited till it was opened. One of my children opened
+the door, and immediately the two friends entered the apartment. The
+mewing of the cat excited my wife's attention. She rose from her seat,
+and stepped softly up to the door, which stood ajar, to observe what was
+going on. The cat led the dog to the cupboard which contained the
+partridge, pushed off the plate which covered it, and, taking out my
+intended supper, laid it before her canine friend, who devoured it
+greedily. Probably the cat, by her mewing, had given the dog to
+understand what an excellent meal she had made, and how sorry she was
+that he had not participated in it; but, at the same time, had explained
+to him that something was left for him in the cupboard, and persuaded
+him to follow her thither."
+
+[Illustration: THE CAT.]
+
+In Lawrence's History of the Horse occurs the following anecdote, in
+which the cat is quite as much concerned as the horse: "A celebrated
+Arabian horse and a black cat were for many years the warmest friends.
+When the horse died in 1753, the cat sat upon his carcass until it was
+buried; and then, creeping slowly and reluctantly away, was never seen
+again, till her dead body was found in a hay-loft."
+
+Henry Wriothsly, earl of Southampton, having been some time confined in
+the tower of London, was one day surprised by a visit from his favorite
+cat, who must have reached her master by descending from the chimney of
+the edifice.
+
+The following instance of a cat's courage and maternal affection is
+recorded in the Naturalist's Cabinet: "A cat who had a family of
+kittens, was playing with them one sunny day in spring, near the door of
+a farm-house, when a hawk darted swiftly down and caught one of the
+kittens. The assassin was endeavoring to rise with his prey, when the
+mother, seeing the danger of the little one, flew at the common enemy,
+who, to defend himself, let the kitten fall. The battle presently became
+dreadful to both parties; for the hawk, by the power of his wings, the
+sharpness of his talons, and the keenness of his beak, had for awhile
+the advantage, cruelly lacerating the poor cat, and actually deprived
+her of one eye in the conflict. But Puss, not at all daunted by this
+accident, strove with all her cunning and strength to protect her little
+ones, till she had broken a wing of her adversary. In this state she got
+him more within the power of her claws, the hawk still defending
+himself, however, according to the best of his ability. The fight
+continued for a long time. But at last victory favored the mother; and
+by a sudden movement, she laid the hawk motionless beneath her feet,
+when, as if exulting in her victory, she tore off the head of her
+vanquished enemy. Disregarding the loss of her eye, she immediately ran
+to her bleeding kitten, licked the wounds inflicted by the talons of the
+hawk, purring, while she caressed the little one, with the same
+affection as if nothing had happened to her."
+
+Here is an instance of the ingenuity of a cat. Tabby was in the habit of
+visiting a closet, the door of which was fastened by a common iron
+latch. A window was situated near the door. When the door was shut, the
+cat, as soon as she was tired of her confinement, mounted on the sill of
+the window, and with her paws dexterously lifted the latch, opened the
+door, and came out of the room. This practice she continued for years.
+
+A cat belonging to a monastery in France was still more ingenious. She
+was accustomed to have her meals served to her at the same time that the
+inmates of the monastery had theirs. These hours were announced by the
+ringing of the bell. One day it so happened that Puss was shut up in a
+room by herself, when the bell rang for dinner, so that she was not able
+to avail herself of the invitation. Some hours afterward she was
+released from her confinement, and instantly ran to the spot where
+dinner was always left for her; but no dinner was to be found. In the
+afternoon the bell was heard ringing at an unusual hour. When the
+inmates of the cloister came to see what was the cause of it, they found
+the hungry cat clinging to the bell-rope, and setting it in motion as
+well as she was able, in order that she might have her dinner served up
+for her. Was not this act of the cat the result of something very nearly
+related to what we call reason, when exhibited in man?
+
+A French naturalist gives us an amusing incident connected with a cat in
+Prussia. This animal was quietly sleeping on the hearth, when one of the
+children in the family where she lived set up a boisterous crying. Puss
+left the place where she was lying, marched up to the child, and gave
+her such a smart blow with her paw as to draw blood. Then she walked
+back, with the greatest composure and gravity, as if satisfied with
+having punished the child for crying, and with the hope of indulging in
+a comfortable nap. No doubt she had often seen the child punished in
+this manner for peevishness; and as there was no one near who seemed
+disposed to administer correction in this instance, Puss determined to
+take the law into her own hand.
+
+This story brings to my mind one which I saw in a newspaper the other
+day, about a cat who took it upon her to punish her children in a very
+singular manner. The story runs thus: "One Sabbath, a motherly old cat,
+belonging to one of our citizens, left her little family in quiet
+repose, while she went forth in pursuit of something to eat. On
+returning, she found them quarreling. She then very deliberately took
+the one most eagerly engaged in the combat by the nape of the neck, and
+not seeing any convenient place near by to administer what she
+considered a salutary reproof, went to a tub of water, upon the edge of
+which she raised her feet, and dropped the kitten into the water. She
+resisted all attempts at escape, and after repeatedly sousing it in the
+water till sufficiently punished, she took it again by the neck as
+before, and carried it back again, doubtless a thorough repentant for
+the wrong it had done. There has been no contention in the family
+since."
+
+It must be a very difficult thing for a cat, when a tame bird is within
+her reach, to resist the temptation to make a dinner from it. But there
+are not wanting instances in which this disposition has been entirely
+overcome. More than this: a cat has been known to become the protector
+of a bird, when it was in danger. A lady had a tame canary, which she
+was in the habit of letting out of its cage every day. One morning, as
+it was picking crumbs of bread off the carpet, her cat, who had always
+before showed the bird the utmost kindness, seized it suddenly, and
+jumped with it in her mouth upon a table. The lady was much alarmed for
+the fate of her favorite; but on turning about, she instantly perceived
+the cause. The door had been left open, and another cat, a stranger, had
+just come into the room! After the lady turned out the neighbor, her own
+cat came down from the table, and dropped the bird, without doing it the
+smallest injury.
+
+The following story was told me by my friend Dr. Alcott: A cat, in
+Northborough, Mass., with three very young kittens, having been removed
+to Shrewsbury, a distance of about four miles, continued to elude the
+vigilance of her mistress, and, during the hours of sleep, to transport
+these three kittens to their old mansion in Northborough.
+
+Here is a story about a cat who was for some time supposed to be a
+musical ghost: A family residing a few miles from Aberdeen, Scotland--so
+says the Aberdeen Herald--and at the time consisting of females, were
+recently thrown for one or two successive nights into no small
+consternation, by the unaccountable circumstance of a piano being set a
+strumming about midnight, after all the inmates of the house were in
+bed. The first night the lady of the house rose when she heard the
+unseasonable sounds, thinking some member of the family had set about
+"practicing her music" over night. She went cautiously to the room door,
+which she found shut; but although she heard the tones of the instrument
+when her hand was upon the handle of the door, on entering she was
+astonished to find no one in the room. The piano was indeed open, as it
+was generally, for a young girl to practice when she had a mind. But
+where was the midnight musician? The room was searched, but to no
+purpose--there was no musician visible. Next night the same sounds were
+heard, and a search was made, but with no better success. One or two
+nights of quietude might intervene between those on which such sounds
+were heard; but they still broke at intervals through the stillness of
+midnight--at one time with note by note, slowly--at another, like the
+quick, loud thundering of a battle-piece; till the horrible conviction
+filled every mind, that the house was haunted. One morning, the piano
+was heard sounding away much louder than usual; and the dawn having
+begun to peep through the window-blinds, one or two of the family,
+summoning up the courage that comes with the light of day, resolved
+that, "ghost, if ghost it were," they should at all risks have a peep at
+it, and cautiously descended to the door of the apartment, which was
+slightly ajar. The musician was fingering the instrument with the
+greatest industry and energy, and apparently at his own entire
+satisfaction. Well, after much demurring, in they peeped; and most
+assuredly, through the dim dusk of the morning, a gray figure was seen
+exerting itself most strenuously. They looked closer, when, behold,
+there was--what think you?--the cat, pawing away, first with her fore
+feet, and then with her hind; now touching one note gently, and then
+dancing with all fours across the keys. There was a solution of the
+enigma--a bringing to light of the imagined ghost.
+
+A traveler in one of the Western States relates the following humorous
+anecdote of a wild cat: "I was plodding once in a wagon from Toledo to
+Maumee, over an execrably level road, in the hot noon sun of a mid-June
+day. The driver was a hardy fellow, who looked as though he could outhug
+a bear, and loosen the tightest Maumee ague with a single shake, and yet
+he owned he had been frightened by a wild cat, so that he ran from it,
+and then he told the story, which I give you partly in his own words: 'I
+was driving along this road in a buggy, with as fast a horse as ever
+scorned the whip, when some ten rods ahead of us, just by that big oak,
+a wild cat, leading three kittens, came out of the wood, crossed the
+road, and went into those bushes on our left, and I thought what nice
+pets they would make, and wished I had one. When I came up, I noticed
+one of the young ones in the edge of the bushes, but a few feet off, and
+I heard, or thought I heard, the old one stealing along deep in the
+woods. I sprang out, snatched up the kitten, threw it into the buggy,
+jumped in, and started. When I laid hands on it, it mewed, and kept
+mewing, and, as I grasped the reins, I heard a sharp growl and a
+thrashing through the brush. I knew the old one was coming, and the next
+instant she streamed over a log, and alighted in the road. She ran with
+her eyes flaming, her hair bristling, and her teeth grinning. She turned
+as on a pivot, and gave an unearthly squall, as she saw me racing away,
+and bounded after, with such yells and fury, and gained on me so fast,
+that for very fear I threw the kitten out, and lashed the flying horse;
+but she scarcely paused for that, but bounded on a while, as though
+recovery of her young would not suffice without revenge. When I saw her
+at my very back, I scarcely breathed until her crying child recalled
+her. Here, at the top of this pitch, I looked back, and saw her
+standing, with her young one in her mouth, looking after me, as though
+she had half a mind to drop the kitten and give chase again. I gave the
+horse a cut, and did not feel quite safe until I had got some miles
+away. I made up my mind from that time forward to let young kittens
+alone, and mind my own business.'"
+
+
+
+
+The Jackal.
+
+
+Like the hyena, the jackal derives its principal notoriety from its
+ferocious and untameable disposition. It is found in Southern Asia, in
+many parts of Africa, and, to some extent, in Syria and Persia. There is
+not much difference in the jackal and the dog, except in some of the
+habits of the two, and there is a great deal of similarity between the
+former and the wolf. By many Biblical commentators, it is thought that
+the three hundred foxes to which the sacred penman alludes in the book
+of Judges, as performing a singular and mischievous exploit in the
+standing corn of the Philistines, were jackals; and their habit of
+assembling together in large companies, so as to be taken in
+considerable numbers, seems to justify this conclusion--the fox being,
+on the other hand, a solitary animal, and in the habit of living for
+the most part in small families. To the inhabitants of hot countries,
+the jackal is of the same service as the vulture and the hyena. He does
+not scruple to feed upon putrid flesh. Wherever there is an animal in a
+state of putrefaction, he scents it out from a great distance, and soon
+devours it. In this way the air is often freed from substances in the
+highest degree unwholesome and deadly. Nor is this all. One of the
+habits of this animal is to enter grave-yards, and dig up the bodies
+that have been buried there. In countries where jackals abound, great
+care needs to be taken in protecting graves, newly opened, on this
+account. People frequently mix the earth on the mound raised over a
+grave with thorns and other sharp substances, to prevent the jackal from
+accomplishing the deed.
+
+[Illustration: THE JACKAL.]
+
+Still the jackal makes his living, in a great measure, by hunting other
+beasts. Indeed, he not only makes his own living, but, if the stories
+that are told about him are true, he helps other animals in getting
+their living, though it is very doubtful whether he means to do so. He
+has been called the "lion's provider," you know; and some have
+represented him as a humble slave of the lion, obeying his will in every
+thing, hunting for him, and only receiving for his portion what his
+majesty is pleased to leave. But this notion is probably somewhat
+fabulous. The upshot of the matter seems to be this: that the jackal,
+having about as much wit as some other servants of kings, chases after
+his prey, yelling with all his might, very industriously, and without
+hardly stopping to take breath, until the poor hare, or fawn, or
+whatever the animal may be, gets tired out, and then the jackal catches
+him. But the hunter, by his yelling, starts the lion, as soon as he gets
+upon the scent. The lion knows well enough that there is game somewhere
+in that region; and so he is on the look-out, while the jackal is
+running it down. Well, the jackal has to go over a great deal more
+ground than the lion--for these animals, when they are pursued, never go
+in a straight direction--and when the game is caught, he has had little
+more to do than to look on and enjoy the sport, and he comes up, at his
+leisure, just at the right time, to the spot where the jackals are going
+to have a feast over their well-earned prey. Then the lion thanks his
+dear friends, the jackals, and gives them liberty to retire a few
+moments, until he has tasted of their dinner, in order, perhaps he tells
+them, to see whether they have made a good selection. After satisfying
+his appetite, the jackals have unrestrained liberty to lick the bones,
+just as much and as long as they please.
+
+In Captain Beechey's account of his expedition to explore the northern
+coasts of Africa, we have an interesting description of this animal. He
+does not give a very favorable account of the music made by a band of
+jackals. "As they usually come in packs," he says, "the first shriek
+which is uttered is always a signal for a general chorus. We hardly know
+a sound which is further removed from pleasant harmony than their yells.
+The sudden burst of the long-protracted scream, succeeding immediately
+to the opening note, is scarcely less impressive than the roll of the
+thunder clap after a flash of lightning. The effect of this music is
+very much increased when the first note is heard in the distance--a
+circumstance which frequently occurs--and the answering yell bursts out
+from several points at once, within a few yards of the place where the
+auditors are sleeping, or trying to sleep."
+
+It sometimes happens that a jackal ventures near a house, and perhaps
+enters a hen-roost, to steal a hen. But in such cases, he often shows
+himself to be as stupid as he is impudent; for even then, if he hears
+the yelling of his comrades chasing their game, he forgets himself, and
+yells as lustily as the rest of them. The result is as might be
+expected. The inmates of the house are awakened, and they take such
+measures with the poor jackal, as effectually to prevent his repetition
+of the blunder.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Sheep.
+
+
+Sheep, as well as many other animals, show a great fondness for music.
+The following anecdote in proof of such a taste, is given on the
+authority of the celebrated musician, Haydn. He and several other
+gentlemen were making a tour through a mountainous part of Lombardy,
+when they fell in with a flock of sheep, which a shepherd was driving
+homeward. One of the gentlemen, having a flute with him, commenced
+playing, and immediately the sheep, which were following the shepherd,
+raised their heads, and turned with haste to the spot whence the music
+proceeded. They gradually flocked around the musician, and listened with
+the utmost silence and attention. He stopped playing. But the sheep did
+not stir. The shepherd, with his staff, now obliged them to move on;
+but no sooner did the fluter begin to play again, than his interested
+audience returned to him. The shepherd got out of patience, and pelted
+the sheep with pieces of turf; but not one of them moved. The fluter
+played still more sweet and beautiful strains. The shepherd worked
+himself up into a storm of passion. He scolded, and pelted the poor
+creatures with stones. Some of the sheep were hit, and they made up
+their minds to go on; but the rest remained spell-bound by the music. At
+last the shepherd was forced to entreat the flute-player to stop his
+music. He did stop, and the sheep moved off, but still they continued to
+look behind them occasionally, and to manifest a desire to return, as
+often as the musician resumed his playing.
+
+The life of a shepherd is very favorable for study and for improvement
+in knowledge, if one has the natural genius and the industry to make use
+of his spare time. Some of the most eminent men the world ever saw began
+their career by the care of a flock of sheep. Did you ever hear of
+Giotto, the great painter Giotto? No doubt you have. He was the man who
+made that famous design for a church, at the request of Pope Benedict
+IX. The messengers of the pope entered the artist's studio, and
+communicated the wish of their master. Giotto took a sheet of paper,
+fixed his elbow at his side, to keep his hand steady, and instantly drew
+a perfect circle. "Tell his holiness that this is my design," said he.
+His friends tried to persuade him not to send such a thing to the pope;
+but he persisted in doing so. Pope Benedict was a learned man, and he
+saw that Giotto had given the best evidence of perfection in his art. He
+invited the painter to Rome, and honored and rewarded him. "Round as
+Giotto's O," from that time, became an Italian proverb. But I must give
+a glance at the early history of this man. In the year 1276--according
+to that invaluable publication, "Chambers' Miscellany of Useful and
+Entertaining Knowledge"--about forty miles from Florence, in the town of
+Vespignano, there lived a poor laboring man named Bondone. This man had
+a son whom he brought up in the ignorance usual to the lowly condition
+of a peasant boy. But the extraordinary powers of the child,
+uncultivated as they necessarily were, and his surprising quickness of
+perception and never-failing vivacity, made him the delight of his
+father, and of the unsophisticated people among whom he lived. At the
+age of ten, his father intrusted him with the care of a flock. Now the
+happy little shepherd-boy strolled at his will over meadow and plain
+with his woolly charge, and amused himself with lying on the grass, and
+sketching, as fancy led him, the surrounding objects, on broad flat
+stones, sand, or soft earth. His sole pencils were a hard stick, or a
+sharp piece of stone; his chief models were his flock, which he used to
+copy as they gathered around him in various attitudes. One day, as the
+shepherd-boy lay in the midst of his flock, earnestly sketching
+something on a stone, there came by a traveler. Struck with the boy's
+deep attention to his work, and the unconscious grace of his attitude,
+the stranger stopped, and went to look at his work. It was a sketch of a
+sheep, drawn with such freedom and truth of nature, that the traveler
+beheld it with astonishment. "Whose son are you?" cried he, with
+eagerness. The startled boy looked up in the face of his questioner. "My
+father is Bondone the laborer, and I am his little Giotto, so please the
+signor," said he. "Well, then, Giotto, should you like to come and live
+with me, and learn how to draw, and paint sheep like this, and horses,
+and even men?" The child's eyes flashed with delight, "I will go with
+you any where to learn that," said he; "but," he added, as a sudden
+thought made him change color, "I must first go and ask my father; I
+can do nothing without his leave." "That is quite right, my boy, and so
+we will go to him together, and ask him," said the stranger. It was the
+celebrated painter, Cimabue. Old Bondone consented to the wish of his
+son, and the boy went to Florence with Cimabue. Giotto soon went beyond
+his master in his sketches. His former familiarity with nature, while
+tending his sheep, doubtless contributed a good deal to his astonishing
+progress. One morning the master came into his studio, and looking at a
+half finished head, saw a fly resting on the nose. He tried to brush it
+off with his hand, when he discovered that it was only painted, and that
+it was one of the tricks of his young pupil. It was not long before the
+fame of the new artist spread all over Europe.
+
+[Illustration: GIOTTO SKETCHING AMONG HIS SHEEP.]
+
+The author of that pleasant little book, called "Stories of the Instinct
+of Animals," relates a pleasing anecdote of a sheep in England. "One
+afternoon, in summer," he says, "after an illness which had confined me
+some time to the house, I went out into the field, to enjoy awhile the
+luxury of a walk at leisure among the beauties of nature. I had not been
+long in the field, before my attention was attracted by the motions of
+one of the sheep that were grazing there. She came up close to me,
+bleating in a piteous manner; and after looking wishfully in my face,
+ran off toward a brook which flowed through the pasture. At first I took
+but little notice of the creature; but as her entreaties became more
+importunate, I followed her. Delighted at having attracted my notice,
+she ran with all her speed, frequently looking back, to see if I was
+following her. When I reached the spot where she led me, I discovered
+the cause of all her anxiety. Her lamb had fallen into the brook, and
+the banks being steep, the poor little creature was unable to escape.
+Fortunately, the water, though up to the back of the lamb, was not
+sufficient to drown it. I rescued the sufferer with the utmost pleasure,
+and to the great gratification of its affectionate mother, who licked
+it with her tongue, to dry it, now and then skipping about, and making
+noisy demonstrations of joy. I watched her with interest, till she lay
+down with her little one, caressing it with the utmost fondness, and
+apparently trying to show me how much she was indebted to me, for my
+friendly aid."
+
+[Illustration: THE INVALID AND THE SHEEP.]
+
+A man was once passing through a lonely part of the Highlands in
+Scotland, when he perceived a sheep hurrying toward the road before him.
+She was bleating most piteously at the time; and as the man approached
+nearer, she redoubled her cries, looked earnestly into his face, and
+seemed to be imploring his assistance. He stopped, left his wagon, and
+followed the sheep. She led him quite a distance from the road, to a
+solitary spot, and at length she stopped. When the traveler came up, he
+found a lamb completely wedged in between two large stones, and
+struggling, in vain, to extricate himself. The gentleman immediately set
+the little sufferer free, and placed him on his feet, when the mother
+poured out her thanks and joy, in a long-continued and animated strain
+of bleating.
+
+I am indebted to a correspondent of mine--Dr. Charles Burr, residing in
+the state of Pennsylvania--for a good story about a sheep which
+belonged to his father a number of years ago. This sheep, he says, was a
+_cosset_, was quite tame, and very much of a pet. One day, a young lamb
+of hers was wounded; and "my father (I must let the doctor tell his
+story in his own words) being out of the door, noticed the mother upon
+the hill by the barn, being as near the house as she could come. She
+appeared to be in great distress, running about, looking toward him, and
+bleating; evidently wishing to attract his attention. Supposing that
+something must be wrong, my father started to see what was the matter.
+The old sheep waited till he had got almost up to her, when she started
+and ran a few rods from him and stopped, turned round, looked at him,
+and bleated. My father followed on. The old sheep waited until he had
+got nearly up to her again, when she ran on, and went through the same
+operation as before. In this way she led my father to the farthest end
+of the pasture, where lay her lamb, bleeding and helpless. The little
+thing had bled so much that it could not raise its head, or help itself
+in the least. My father took the lamb, stanched the bleeding wound, took
+it in his arms and carried it home--the old sheep, in the mean time,
+following, and expressing her joy and gratitude, not by words, it is
+true, but by looks and actions more truthful, and which were not to be
+mistaken. Suffice it to say, that with proper care and nursing, the lamb
+was saved, and restored to health and strength, to the great
+satisfaction of both parties concerned."
+
+I have a mind to tell you one of my own youthful adventures, in which a
+poor wight of a sheep had a prominent share. The adventure proved of
+immense service to me, as you will see in the sequel. Perhaps the story
+of it will be valuable to you, in the same manner.
+
+I shall never forget the first time I sallied out into the woods to try
+my hand at hunting. Rover, the old family dog, went with me, and he was
+about as green in the matter of securing game as myself. We were pretty
+well matched, I think. I played the part of Hudibras, as nearly as I can
+recollect, and Rover was a second Ralph. I had a most excellent
+fowling-piece; so they said. It began its career in the French war, and
+was a very veteran in service. Besides this ancient and honorable
+weapon, I was provided with all the means and appliances necessary for
+successful hunting. I was "armed and equipped as the law directs," to
+employ the words of those semi-annual documents that used to summon me
+to training.
+
+Well, it was some time before we--Rover and I--started any game.
+Wind-mills were scarce. For one, I began to fear we should have to
+return without any adventure to call forth our skill and courage. But
+the brightest time is just before day, and so it was in this instance.
+Rover began presently to bark, and I heard a slight rustling among the
+leaves in the woods. Sure enough, there was visible a large animal of
+some kind, though I could not determine precisely what it was, on
+account of the underbrush. However, I satisfied myself it was rare game,
+at any rate; and that point being settled, I took aim and fired.
+
+Rover immediately ran to the poor victim. He was a courageous fellow,
+that Rover, especially after the danger was over. Many a time I have
+known him make demonstrations as fierce as a tiger when people rode by
+our house, though he generally took care not to insult them until they
+were at a convenient distance. Rover had no notion of being killed,
+knowing very well that if he were dead, he could be of no farther
+service whatever to the world. Hudibras said well when he said,
+
+"That he who fights and runs away,
+May live to fight another day."
+
+That was good logic. But Rover went farther than this, even. He was for
+running away before he fought at all; and so he always did, except when
+the enemy ran away first, in which case he ran after him, as every
+chivalrous dog should. In the case of the animal which I shot at, Rover
+bounded to his side when the gun was discharged, as I said before. For
+myself, I did not venture quite so soon, remembering that caution is the
+parent of safety. By and by, however, I mustered courage, and advanced
+to the spot. There lay the victim of my first shot. It was one of my
+father's sheep! Poor creature! She was sick, I believe, and went into
+the thicket, near a stream of water, where she could die in peace. I
+don't know whether I hit her or not. I didn't look to see, but ran home
+as fast as my legs would carry me. Thus ended the first hunting
+excursion in which I ever engaged; and though I was a mere boy then, and
+am approaching the meridian of life now, it proved to be my last.
+
+
+
+
+The Deer.
+
+
+There are several species of the deer--the moose, stag, rein-deer, elk,
+and others. Of these, the stag is one of the most interesting. He is
+said to love music, and to show great delight in hearing a person sing.
+"Traveling some years since," says a gentleman whose statements may be
+relied on, "I met a bevy of about twenty stags, following a bagpipe and
+violin. While the music continued, they proceeded; when it ceased, they
+all stood still."
+
+As Captain Smith, a British officer in Bengal, was out one day in a
+shooting party, very early in the morning, they observed a tiger steal
+out of a jungle, in pursuit of a herd of deer. Having selected one as
+his object, it was quickly deserted by the herd. The tiger advanced
+with such amazing swiftness, that the stag in vain attempted to
+escape, and at the moment the officer expected to see the animal make
+the fatal spring, the deer gallantly faced his enemy, and for some
+minutes kept him at bay; and it was not till after three attacks, that
+the tiger succeeded in securing his prey. He was supposed to have been
+considerably injured by the horns of the stag, as, on the advance of
+Captain Smith, he abandoned the carcass, having only sucked the blood
+from the throat.
+
+[Illustration: THE DEER.]
+
+The following account of a remarkably intelligent stag, is given by
+Delacroix, a French gentleman: "When I was at Compiegne, my friends took
+me to a German, who exhibited a wonderful stag. As soon as we had taken
+our seats in a large room, the stag was introduced. He was of an elegant
+form, and majestic stature, and his aspect animated and gentle. The
+first trick he performed, was to make a profound bow to the company, as
+he entered, after which he paid his respects to each individual of us,
+in the same manner. He next carried about a small stick in his mouth, to
+each end of which a small wax taper was attached. He was then
+blindfolded, and at the beat of a drum, fell upon his knees, and laid
+his head upon the ground. As soon as the word _pardon_ was pronounced,
+he instantly sprang upon his feet. Dice were then thrown upon the head
+of a drum, and he told the numbers that were thrown up, by bowing his
+head as many times as there were numbers indicated. He discharged a
+pistol, by drawing with his teeth a string that was fastened to the
+trigger. He fired a small cannon by means of a match which was attached
+to his right foot, and he exhibited no signs of fear at the report of
+the cannon. He leaped through a hoop several times, with the greatest
+agility--his master holding the hoop at the height of his head above the
+floor. At length the exhibition was closed, by his eating a handfull of
+oats from the head of a drum, which a person was beating all the time,
+with the utmost violence."
+
+We must wind up what we have to say about this animal with a fable.
+Perhaps my little friends have seen it before. But it will bear reading
+again, and I should not be sorry to hear that many of you had committed
+it to memory; for there is a moral in it which you cannot fail to
+perceive, and which may be of service to you one of these days:
+
+"A stag, quenching his thirst in a clear lake, was struck with the
+beauty of his horns, which he saw reflected in the water. At the same
+time, observing the extreme length and slenderness of his legs, 'What a
+pity it is,' said he, 'that so fine a creature should be furnished with
+so despicable a set of spindle-shanks! What a noble animal I should be,
+were my legs answerable to my horns!'
+
+"In the midst of this vain talk, the stag was alarmed by the cry of a
+pack of hounds. He immediately bounded over the ground, and left his
+pursuers so far behind that he might have escaped; but going into a
+thick wood, his horns were entangled in the branches of the trees, where
+he was held till the hounds came up, and tore him in pieces.
+
+"In his last moments he thus exclaimed: 'How ill do we judge of our own
+true advantages! The legs which I despised would have borne me away in
+safety, had not my favorite antlers brought me to ruin.'"
+
+
+
+
+The Hippopotamus.
+
+
+Every traveler, who has seen the hippopotamus in his native haunts, and
+who has attempted to give a description of the animal, represents him as
+exceedingly formidable, when he is irritated, and when he can get a
+chance to fight his battle in the water. On land, he is unwieldy and
+awkward; so that, when he is pursued by an enemy, he usually takes to
+his favorite element. There he plunges in head foremost, and sinks to
+the bottom, where it is said he finds no difficulty in moving with the
+same pace as when upon land, in the open air. He cannot, however,
+continue under water for any great length of time. He is obliged to rise
+to the surface, to take breath. Severe battles sometimes take place
+between the males, and they make sad havoc before they get through.
+
+[Illustration: THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.]
+
+Great masses of flesh, torn out by their terrible jaws, mark the spot
+where one of these encounters has occurred. It not unfrequently happens
+that one or even both perish on the spot. On the banks of the Nile,
+whole fields of grain and sugar cane are sometimes destroyed by these
+animals.
+
+Clapperton, the enterprising traveler, informs us that, when on a
+warlike expedition, he had convincing evidence that the hippopotamus is
+fond of music. "As the expedition passed along the banks of the lake at
+sunrise," says he, "these uncouth and stupendous animals followed the
+sound of the drums the whole length of the water, sometimes approaching
+so close to the shore, that the spray they spouted from their mouths
+reached the people, who were passing along the banks. I counted fifteen,
+at one time, sporting on the surface of the water."
+
+The following account of hunting the hippopotamus is given by Dr. Edward
+Russell: "One of the animals we killed was of an enormous size. We
+fought with him for four good hours by night, and came very near losing
+our large boat, and probably our lives too, owing to the fury of the
+animal. As soon as he spied the hunters in the small canoe, he dashed at
+them with all his might, dragged the canoe with him under the water,
+and smashed it to pieces. The two hunters escaped with difficulty. Of
+twenty-five musket balls aimed at the head, only one pierced the skin
+and the bones of the nose. At each snorting, the animal spouted out
+large streams of blood on the boat. The rest of the balls stuck in the
+thick hide. At last, we availed ourselves of a swivel; but it was not
+until we had discharged five balls from it, at the distance of a few
+feet, that the huge animal gave up the ghost. The darkness of the night
+increased the danger of the contest, for this gigantic enemy tossed our
+boat about in the stream at his pleasure; and it was a fortunate moment
+for us that he gave up the struggle, as he had carried us into a
+complete labyrinth of rocks, which, in the midst of the confusion, none
+of our crew had observed."
+
+In Egypt they have a singular mode of catching the hippopotamus. They
+throw large quantities of dried peas on the bank of the river along
+which the animal is expected to pass. He devours these peas greedily.
+The dry food disposes the animal to drink; and after drinking, the peas
+swell in his stomach, and the poor fellow is destroyed.
+
+"I have seen," says a traveler, "a hippopotamus open his mouth, fix one
+tooth on the side of a boat, and another on the second plank under the
+keel--that is, four feet distant from each other--pierce the side
+through and through, and in this manner sink the boat." When the negroes
+go a-fishing, the same traveler informs us, "in their canoes, and meet
+with a hippopotamus, they throw fish to him; and then he passes on,
+without disturbing their fishing any more. Once, when our boat was near
+shore, I saw a hippopotamus get underneath it, lift it above the water
+upon his back, and overset it, with six men who were in it."
+
+"We dare not," says another traveler, "irritate the hippopotamus in the
+water, since an adventure happened which came near proving fatal to the
+men. They were going in a small canoe, to kill one of these animals in a
+river, where there were some eight or ten feet of water. After they had
+discovered him walking at the bottom of the river, according to his
+custom, they wounded him with a long lance, which so greatly irritated
+him, that he rose immediately to the surface of the water, regarded them
+with a terrible look, opened his mouth, and with one bite took a great
+piece out of the side of the canoe, and very nearly overturned it, but
+he plunged again almost directly to the bottom of the river."
+
+
+
+
+The Weasel.
+
+
+Great numbers of weasels, it seems, sometimes unite together, and defend
+themselves pretty resolutely against the attacks of men. A laborer in
+Scotland was one day suddenly attacked by six weasels, who rushed upon
+him from an old wall near the place where he was at work at the time.
+The man, alarmed, as well he might have been, by such a furious onset,
+took to his heels; but he soon found he was closely pursued. Although he
+had in his hand a large horse-whip, with which he endeavored to frighten
+back his enemies, yet so eager were they in pursuing him, that he was on
+the point of being seized by the throat, when he fortunately noticed the
+fallen branch of a tree, at a little distance, which he reached, and
+snatching it up as fiercely as possible, rallied upon his enemies,
+and killed three of them, when the remainder thought it best to give up
+the battle, and left the field.
+
+[Illustration: THE FERRET WEASEL.]
+
+A similar case occurred some years ago near Edinburgh, when a gentleman,
+observing another leaping about in an extraordinary manner, made up to
+him, and found him beset and dreadfully bitten by about fifteen weasels,
+who still continued their attack. Both of the men being strong and
+courageous, they succeeded in killing quite a number of the animals, and
+the rest escaped and ran into the fissures of a neighboring rock. The
+account the unfortunate man gave of the beginning of the affray was,
+that, walking through the park, he ran at a weasel which he saw, and
+made several attempts to strike it, remaining between it and the rock,
+to which it tried to retreat. The animal, in this situation, squeaked
+loudly, when a sudden attack was made by the whole colony of weasels,
+who came to the rescue of their companion, determined to conquer or die.
+
+Mr. Miller, in his Boy's Summer Book, tells us a little about what he
+had seen and heard of the habits and disposition of this family. He
+says, "They are a destructive race of little savages; and one has been
+known, before now, to attack a child in his cradle, and inflict a deep
+wound upon his neck, where it clung, and sucked like a leech. They are
+very fond of blood, and to obtain this, they will sometimes destroy the
+occupants of a whole hen-roost, not caring to feed upon the bodies of
+the poultry which they have killed. They will climb trees, attack the
+old bird on its nest, suck the eggs, or carry off the young; for nothing
+of this kind seems to come amiss to them. They are great hunters of
+mice; and their long, slender bodies are well adapted for following
+these destructive little animals in their rambles among the corn-stalks
+in the field. In this way, the weasel renders the farmer a good service
+occasionally, though he never asks to be rewarded with a duck or
+chicken, always choosing to help himself without asking, whenever he can
+get a chance. Oh! if you could but see a weasel attack a mouse, as I
+have done. By just one single bite of the head, which is done in a
+moment, and which pierces the brain before you can say 'Jack Robinson,'
+the mouse is killed as dead as a red herring, before he has time to
+squeak or struggle. It is no joke, I can tell you, to be bitten by a
+weasel; and if you thought, when you caught hold of one by the back,
+that you had him safe, you would soon find your mistake out; for his
+neck is as pliable as a piece of India rubber. He would have hold of
+your hand in a moment."
+
+[Illustration: THE HAWK POUNCING UPON THE WEASEL.]
+
+I have just come across a funny story about the adventure of a weasel
+and a hawk. It seems that a hawk took an especial fancy to a weasel that
+he saw prowling about a farm-yard. His hawkship happened to be pretty
+hungry at the time, and concluded he would carry off the weasel, and
+make a dinner of him at his leisure. So he pounced upon the fellow, and
+set out on his journey home. I should not wonder if he had a nest in the
+woods not far off. The weasel, however, submitted to his fate with no
+very good grace. He thought that two could play at that game. He twisted
+around his elastic neck--to use the language of the writer I
+mentioned--poked up his pointed nose, and in he went, with his sharp
+teeth, right under the wings of the hawk, making such a hole in an
+instant, that you might have thrust your finger in. The hawk tried to
+pick at him with his hooked beak, but it was no use.
+
+The weasel kept eating away, and licking his lips as if he enjoyed
+himself; and the hawk soon came wheeling down to the ground, which he no
+sooner touched, than away ran the weasel, having got an excellent dinner
+at the expense of the hawk. He was not a bit the worse for the ride;
+while Mr. Hawk lay there as dead as a nail. The biter was bitten that
+time, wasn't he? It was a pretty good lesson to the hawk family not to
+be so greedy, though whether they ever profited by it is more than I can
+say. From the account that a little girl gave me of the incursions
+recently made upon her chickens, I judge that they did not all profit by
+it.
+
+[Illustration: CHAPTER END DECORATION]
+
+
+
+
+The Squirrel.
+
+
+I had a pretty little red squirrel of my own, when I was a little boy.
+My father bought a cage for him, with a wheel in it; and Billy, as we
+used to call him, would get inside the wheel, and whirl it around for a
+half hour at a time. It was amusing, too, to see him stand up on his
+hind feet, and eat the nuts we gave him. Billy was a great favorite with
+me and my brother. By and by, we let him go out of the cage, and ramble
+wherever he pleased. He became as tame as a kitten. He would go out into
+the corn-field in autumn, and come home with his mouth filled with corn,
+and this he would lay up in a safe place for further use. Once the old
+cat caught him, and the poor fellow would have been killed, if some one
+had not been near and rescued him from the grasp of his enemy.
+
+We indulged Billy a good deal. We had a box of hickory nuts in the
+garret, and he was allowed to go and help himself whenever he pleased.
+He was pleased to go pretty often, too; and he was not satisfied with
+eating what he wanted out of the box. The greedy fellow! One day he
+carried off nearly all the nuts there were in the box, and hid them away
+under the floor, through a hole he had gnawed in the boards.
+
+He was a great pet though, for all that. We could not help loving him,
+mischievous as he was. He used to climb up often on my shoulder, and
+down into my pockets; and if there was any thing good to eat thereabout,
+he would help himself without ceremony. Sometimes, when he felt
+particularly frolicksome, he leaped from one person's shoulder to
+another, all around the room.
+
+The more we petted this little fellow, and the more good things we gave
+him, the more roguish he became. At length he exhausted all my father's
+patience by his mischief. One of his last tricks was this. He gnawed a
+hole in a bag of meal, and after eating as much as he could (and this
+was but little, for we fed him as often as he needed to eat, and
+oftener too) he carried away large quantities of the meal, and wasted
+it. He never worked harder in his life, not even when he was trying to
+get away from the jaws of the old cat, than he did when he was
+scattering this meal over the yard. Well, we had a sort of a court about
+Billy, after this. My father's corn-house was the court room, and my
+father himself was the judge. We all agreed that Billy was guilty,
+though we differed as to the punishment that ought to be inflicted. The
+question seemed to be, according to the language they use in courts of
+law, whether the theft was a _petty larceny_ or a _grand larceny_. Alas
+for Billy and Billy's friends! My father decided, in his charge to the
+jury, that the crime must be ranked under the head of grand larceny, and
+the jury brought in a verdict accordingly. My father pronounced the
+sentence, which was that the offending squirrel must die that same day.
+Billy seemed to be aware of what was going on, for he did not come near
+the house again till almost night; and when he did come, one of my
+father's men shot him, and just as the sun was going down he died. For a
+long time after that, I cried whenever I thought of poor Billy.
+
+Among the many juvenile friends with whom I have had more or less
+correspondence, as the editor of a young people's magazine, is one who
+resides at Saratoga Springs. I passed a few days at this watering-place
+last summer, and called on Master William, for that is the name of my
+friend--who introduced to me a pet squirrel of his, called Dick. Dick
+did not perform many very surprising feats while I was present, though I
+did not at the time set that circumstance down as any evidence of a want
+of smartness on the part of the squirrel; for I well remembered that it
+was a very common thing for pets sustaining even a much higher rank in
+the scale of intelligence, to disappoint the expectations of those
+persons who think all the world of them, when they--the pets--are
+ushered into the presence of strangers, for the purpose of being
+exhibited, and, indeed, I have some faint recollection of thus
+disappointing an over-fond nurse, not unfrequently, on similar
+occasions. There are some propositions the truth of which it is quite as
+well to assent to, when one hears them stated, without waiting for
+proof; and among these propositions I class those which relate to the
+unheard-of sagacity and genius of a darling pet. I make it a point to
+admit, without demonstration or argument, that there never was another
+such a creature in all the world. Moreover, I saw plainly enough in
+Dick's keen, black eye, that he knew a thing or two, and I could easily
+understand how he might greatly endear himself to his little patron. Nor
+was I at all surprised when I recently heard of the death of this
+favorite, that my young friend cried a great deal; and I am sure I
+shared in some measure his grief. Poor Dick! I immediately wrote to
+Willy, to solicit a short biography of his favorite, for my stories
+about animals. The request was kindly responded to by Willy's aunt, from
+whom I received the following sketch:
+
+"When Dick first became a member of the family, he was shy, resentful,
+and very capricious; but by degrees all these faults gave place to a
+sort of playful drollery, that called out many a laugh. His cage was a
+fine, large, commodious place, well lined with tiers, and furnished with
+every convenience that he could have desired in a habitation, not
+excepting a big wheel, which is by general consent esteemed a great
+luxury for a squirrel. But he often liked a change, and when the door
+was left loose, he would soon find his way out. Then he had many
+hair-breadth escapes--sometimes from dogs, who looked upon him as lawful
+prey; sometimes from frolicsome and thoughtless boys, who forgot how
+much a squirrel suffers who is worried almost to death. Sometimes he has
+been nearly abducted by strangers, who saw with surprise so small an
+individual at large, and quite unconscious of the perils of a public
+street in a watering-place. On one of these occasions, when he was
+playing with his little master, and skipping from bough to bough on the
+large trees that sheltered his home, he bounded from a branch to the
+roof of a three-storied house adjoining, and running across, jumped from
+one of the angles to the court below, landed on all fours, stopped a
+second or two to decide if he were really alive or not, then quietly
+trudged home to his cage. If he wanted a change, Dick had odd ways of
+showing himself dissatisfied with his condition. In the summer, when his
+house was too much exposed to the rays of the sun, he would give a queer
+little cry, which, if no one heeded, he would lie down flat, all
+extended, and gasp, as if each moment was his last; and no coaxing could
+bring him to himself, until he was removed, cage and all; then
+immediately he would jump up, frisk about, sit on his haunches, and
+laugh out of his eye as merrily as if he had said, 'I know a thing or
+two--don't I, though?' These manoeuvres were a clear sham; he could
+fall into one in a twinkling, at any time. How many times he has led
+the children of the family, and the big children too, through beds of
+beans, beets, and cucumbers, and through the tomato vines and
+rose-bushes; and when we were in full chase, just ready to believe that
+he had eluded us quite, and was gone forever, lo! there sat Dick in his
+wheel, as demure as a judge, and looking as wise as possible at those
+very silly people, who would be running about so fast, on such a warm
+day. He never liked any infringement upon his personal liberty; this he
+always resented; but he would pretend to hide away, and come and peep at
+you, or jump up behind you, stand on the top of your head or shoulder,
+play all manner of pranks about your person, get clear into the pocket
+of any friend, who was likely to have a supply of nuts. He would answer
+to his name, follow when called, in the house, out of the house, any
+where, play all about the large house-dog, Tom--pat him on the ear,
+gently pinch his tail, poise himself on his back, and pretend to sleep
+by the side of him. But if any one caught him, or held him, as if he
+were imprisoned--alas! what a struggle ensued--and then, I grieve to say
+it--he would _bite_."
+
+[Illustration: THE SQUIRREL.]
+
+The most common squirrels in this country are the gray, the red, and the
+striped, or chipping squirrel. The latter is the smallest of the three;
+and as that species are not hunted so much as the rest of the genus,
+they are very abundant in the woods. Many and many a time, when a child,
+have I been deceived by the cunning of the chipping squirrel. The little
+fellow has a hole and nest in the ground. The hole is very frequently
+either directly under or very near the stump of a tree which has been
+cut down or was blown over by the wind. Well, the little fellow is
+accustomed, or he was accustomed, when I was a little boy, to sit
+good-humoredly on this stump, and sing for hours together. His song has
+nothing very exquisite in it--it is simply "chip, chip, chip," from the
+beginning to the end; and his notes are not only all on the same key--a
+monotony which one might pardon, if he was particularly
+good-natured--but they are all on the same point in the diatonic scale.
+However, like many other indifferent singers that I have met in my day,
+our striped vocalist goes on with his music, as if he thought there
+never was another, or certainly not more than one other quite as
+finished a singer as himself. Well, the boy who is unacquainted with the
+tricks of this little fellow, as was once my own case, steals along
+carefully toward the stump, thinking that the squirrel is so busy with
+his music, that he is perfectly unconscious of any thing else that is
+going on, and that it is just the easiest matter in the world to catch
+him. Half a dozen times, at least, I have tried this experiment, before
+I became satisfied that I was not the only interested party who was wide
+awake. "Chip, chip, chip," sings the squirrel. He does not move an inch.
+He does not vary his song. His eyes seem half closed. The boy advances
+within a few feet of the squirrel. He reaches out his hand to secure his
+prize, when down goes the striped vocalist into his hole, always
+uttering a sort of laugh, as he enters his door, and seeming pretty
+plainly to say, though in rather poor Anglo-Saxon, it must be confessed,
+"No, you don't."
+
+Whoever takes the pains to dig into the earth, where the striped
+squirrel has made his nest, will find something that will amply repay
+him for his trouble. The hole goes down pretty straight for some feet;
+then it turns, and takes a horizontal direction, and runs sometimes a
+great distance. Little chambers are seen leading out from this
+horizontal passage, each chamber connected by a door with the passage,
+and sometimes with other chambers. In each of these rooms, the squirrel
+stores up different varieties of nuts and other provisions. In one you
+will find acorns; in another hickory nuts--real shag-barks, for our
+chipping squirrel is a good judge in these matters; and in another
+chestnuts, a whole hat-full of them, sometimes. There is quite as much
+order and regularity in the store-houses of the chipping squirrel, as
+there seems to be about the premises of some lazy and careless farmers
+one meets with occasionally.
+
+Accounts are given of the ingenuity of the squirrels in Lapland, which
+would be too astonishing for belief, were they not credited by such men
+as Linnaeus, on whose authority we have them. It seems that the squirrels
+in that country are in the habit of emigrating, in large parties, and
+that they sometimes travel hundreds of miles in this way, and that when
+they meet with broad or rapid lakes in their travels, they take a very
+extraordinary method of crossing them. On approaching the banks, and
+perceiving the breadth of the water, they return, as if by common
+consent, into the neighboring forest, each in quest of a piece of bark,
+which answers all the purpose of boats for wafting them over. When the
+whole company are fitted in this manner, they boldly commit their little
+fleet to the waves--every squirrel sitting on its own piece of bark, and
+fanning the air with its tail, to drive the vessel to the desired port.
+In this orderly manner they set forward, and often cross lakes several
+miles broad. But it occasionally happens that the poor mariners are not
+aware of the dangers of their navigation; for although at the edge of
+the water it is generally calm, in the middle it is always more rough.
+The slightest additional gust of wind often oversets the little sailor
+and his vessel altogether. The entire navy, that perhaps but a few
+minutes before rode proudly and securely along, is now overturned, and a
+shipwreck of two or three thousand vessels is the consequence. This
+wreck, which is so unfortunate for the little animal, is generally the
+most lucky accident in the world for the Laplander on shore; who gathers
+up the dead bodies as they are thrown in by the waves, eats the flesh,
+and sells the skins.
+
+I read an interesting story, awhile ago, which came from the Gentleman's
+Magazine, about a squirrel who was charmed by a rattle-snake. The
+substance of the story was something like this: A gentleman was
+traveling by the side of a creek, where he saw a squirrel running
+backward and forward between the creek and a large tree a few yards
+distant. The squirrel's hair looked very rough, showing that he was very
+much terrified about something. His circuit became shorter and shorter,
+and the man stopped to see what could be the cause of this strange
+state of things. He soon discovered the head and neck of a rattle-snake
+pointing directly at the squirrel, through a hole of the tree, which was
+hollow. The squirrel at length gave over running, and laid himself down
+quietly, with his head close to the snake's. The snake then opened his
+mouth wide, and took in the squirrel's head; upon which the man gave the
+snake a blow across the neck with his whip, by which the squirrel was
+released. You will see by this story, which comes to us well
+authenticated, that snakes possess the power of charming, whatever some
+people may think or say to the contrary. This is only one among a
+multitude of facts which I could relate in proof of the existence of
+such a power among many of the serpent race. But we are conversing about
+quadrupeds now, and we must not go out of our way to chase after snakes.
+
+A squirrel, sitting on a hickory-tree, was once observed to weigh the
+nuts he got in each paw, to find out which were good and which were bad.
+The light ones he invariably threw away, retaining only those which were
+heavier. It was found, on examining those he had thrown away, that he
+had not made a mistake in a single instance. They were all bad nuts.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE GIRAFFE]
+
+
+The Giraffe.
+
+
+Leaving our friends the squirrels, to whom we have certainly devoted
+quite sufficient attention, we pass along to quite a different race of
+animals--that of the giraffe or camelopard. This is a noble-looking
+animal, as you see plainly enough by the engraving. The tongue of the
+giraffe is exquisitely contrived for grasping. In its native deserts,
+the animal uses it to hook down branches which are beyond the reach of
+its muzzle; and in the menagerie at Regent's Park, many a fair lady has
+been robbed of the artificial flowers which adorned her bonnet, by the
+nimble and filching tongue of the rare object of her admiration. When
+attacked, notwithstanding the natural defence of horns and hoofs, the
+camelopard always seeks escape in flight, and will not turn to do
+battle except at the last extremity. In such cases, he sometimes makes a
+successful defence by striking out his powerful armed feet; and the king
+of beasts is frequently repelled and disabled by the wounds which the
+giraffe has thus inflicted with his hoofs. His horns are also used with
+effect, and a side-long sweep of his neck sometimes does fatal
+execution.
+
+Some years ago, a giraffe was sent from Egypt to Constantinople. His
+keeper used to exercise him in an open square, where the Turks flocked
+daily, in great crowds, to see the extraordinary animal. Seeing how
+inoffensive he was, and how domestic he became, the keeper took the
+animal with him through the city; and wherever he appeared, a number of
+friendly hands were held out of the latticed windows, to offer him
+something to eat. When he came to a house where he had been well
+treated, if no one was at the window, he would tap gently against the
+wooden lattice, as if to announce his visit. He was extremely docile and
+affectionate; and if left to himself, he always frequented the streets
+where he had the most and best friends.
+
+
+
+
+The Monkey Tribe.
+
+
+Of course my readers are in some measure familiar with the tricks of
+this large and notorious family of animals. But one is not easily
+wearied with their antics. They afford us, the most sober and sedate of
+us, an immense amount of material for amusement. I confess I have
+stopped in the street, many a time, to see a sage monkey go through his
+grotesque manoeuvres, under the direction of a tutor who ground out
+music from a wheezing hand-organ, and have been willing to undergo the
+penance of hearing the music of the master, for the sake of witnessing
+the genius of the pupil. I can conceive of nothing more excessively
+ludicrous than many of these exhibitions. But I must not detain the
+reader from the stories any longer.
+
+A foreign gentleman of distinction having to attend the court of Louis
+XVI. of France, took with him his favorite monkey. Soon after his
+arrival, he was invited to attend a great ball at Versailles; and
+anxious to perform his part with credit in that fashionable country, he
+engaged one of the first dancing-masters in the city to teach him the
+latest mode. Every day he employed several hours in practicing his
+lessons with the tutor, so as to be _au fait_, as the French people have
+it--quite at home in the ball-room. Pug made his observations very
+attentively, watching all his motions. He also scrutinized the musician
+very closely, as he was engaged in instructing the gentleman, and
+playing on his violin. At the close of his lesson, the foreigner was in
+the habit of going to his mirror, and of practicing before it, by
+himself, for a considerable time, till he was in a measure satisfied
+with his performances, and pretty sure, we may suppose, that he would
+make a fine figure at court when the ball should come off. One day,
+after the gentleman had been exercising in this manner, and had just
+left the room, the monkey, who had been looking on with interest, as
+usual, left his post of observation, took up the violin, which had been
+left there by the musician, and commenced playing and imitating the
+dancing of his master, before the mirror. There is no knowing how much
+of a dancer he would have become, if he had been allowed to practice as
+much as he desired. As it was, however, his training for the ball was
+very suddenly terminated by the entrance of a servant into the room,
+while the student was in the midst of his performances.
+
+A monkey tied to a stake was robbed by the crows, in the West Indies, of
+his food, and he conceived the following plan of punishing the thieves.
+He feigned death, and lay perfectly motionless on the ground near to his
+stake. The birds approached by degrees, and got near enough to steal his
+food, which he allowed them to do. This he repeated several times, till
+they became so bold as to come within the reach of his claws. He
+calculated his distance, and laid hold of one of them. Death was not his
+plan of punishment. He was more refined in his cruelty. He plucked every
+feather out of the bird, and then let him go and show himself to his
+companions. He made a man of him according to the ancient definition of
+a "biped without feathers."
+
+An organ-grinder, with his monkey, being taken before the mayor of New
+Orleans, for exhibiting themselves without a license, the monkey was so
+polite to the mayor, took off his cap and made so many bows to his
+honor, that the two were permitted to depart in peace. It is said that
+no lawyer would have managed the case better than the monkey did.
+
+A gentleman living in Bath, England, had a monkey who used to perform a
+great many very amusing tricks, in imitation of his master. The
+gentleman was a great politician, and was in the habit of reading his
+newspaper very punctually every morning, at the breakfast-table. One
+day, business having compelled him to leave the table earlier than
+usual, Pug was found, seated in his chair, with his master's spectacles
+on, and the Courier newspaper upside down, reading as gravely, and with
+as much apparent interest, as the politician. Once in a while he looked
+off his paper, and chattered, and made significant gestures, as his
+master was in the habit of doing, when he came across any thing very
+especially interesting.
+
+A farmer in the West Indies had planted a field with Indian corn.
+Numerous monkeys inhabited a forest near by, who had attentively
+observed the planting process, and the method by which it was
+cultivated. They seemed to take not a little interest in the whole
+matter. The farmer had the pleasure of seeing his crop of corn nearly
+ready for harvesting. But the monkeys took care that he should not have
+the trouble of harvesting it. One night, they issued from the forest in
+vast numbers, forming themselves into long lines between it and the
+corn-field. All was conducted in silence. Each was intent on the
+business in hand. Those in front of the lines plucked off the ears of
+corn with great dexterity, and passed them to his nearest companion, who
+handed them forward from one to another, till they reached the woods. In
+this manner the work proceeded till daylight, when the slaves found the
+thieves finishing the operation. It had been a very profitable night's
+labor for the mischievous fellows. The corn was pretty nearly all
+disposed of. Before the owner of it could get his workmen together, with
+suitable weapons of defence, the whole troop had disappeared in the
+forest. What a chattering there must have been among them, when they all
+met at their rendezvous! How knowing they must have looked, as they said
+one to another, "Wasn't that thing managed pretty nicely?"
+
+In Sierra Leone is a species of orang-outang so strong and so
+industrious, that, when properly trained and fed, they work like
+servants. They generally walk upright on their two hind feet. Sometimes
+they are employed to pound substances in a mortar, and they are
+frequently taught to go to rivers, and to bring water in small pitchers.
+They usually carry the water on their heads. When they come to the door
+of the house, if the pitchers are not soon taken off, they let them
+fall; and when they perceive that they are broken, the poor fellows
+sometimes weep like a child, in anticipation of the flogging they are to
+receive.
+
+Buffon saw an orang-outang that performed a multitude of funny tricks.
+He would present his hand to lead his visitors about the room, and
+promenade as gravely as if he was one of the most important personages
+in the company. He would even sit down at table, unfold his napkin, wipe
+his lips like any other gentleman, use a spoon or fork in carrying food
+to his mouth, pour his liquor into a glass--for it seems he had not
+become a convert to the principles of total abstinence--and touch his
+glass to that of the person who drank with him. When invited to take
+tea, he brought a cup and saucer, placed them on the table, put in
+sugar, poured out the tea, and after allowing it to cool, drank it with
+the utmost propriety.
+
+[Illustration: THE ORANG-OUTANG.]
+
+In Africa the orang-outang is a very formidable animal, and does not
+hesitate to attack men, when alone and without arms, in which cases
+he always proves himself the victor. He sleeps under trees, and builds
+himself a hut, which serves to protect him against the sun and the rains
+of the tropical climates. When the negroes make a fire in the woods,
+this animal comes near and warms himself by the blaze. However, he has
+not skill enough to keep the flame alive by feeding it with fuel. They
+even attack the elephant, which they beat with their clubs, and oblige
+to leave that part of the forest which they claim as their own. When one
+of these animals dies, the rest cover the body with a quantity of leaves
+and branches. They sometimes show mercy to the human species. A negro
+boy, it is said, that was taken by one of them and carried into the
+woods, continued there a whole year, without receiving any injury. It is
+said, indeed, that they often attempt to surprise the negroes as they go
+into the woods, and sometimes keep them against their will, for the
+pleasure of their company, feeding them very plentifully all the time.
+In respect to this latter statement, however, I confess myself a little
+skeptical. There have been a great many well-told stories about men of
+the woods, which have proved to be altogether fabulous, when the true
+state of the case has become known.
+
+There were two monkeys, one of which was peculiarly mischievous, and
+the other pretty civil and good-natured, on board of the same ship. One
+day, when the sea ran very high, the former prevailed on the other to go
+aloft with him, when he drew her attention to an object at a distance,
+and when she turned to look at it, he hit her a blow with his paw, and
+threw her into the sea, where she was drowned. This act seemed to afford
+the rascal a great deal of gratification. He came down to the deck of
+the vessel, chattering at the top of his voice, he was so happy.
+
+Le Vaillant, a French traveler in Africa, says of a tame baboon, which
+followed him in his rambles, "One day, a gentleman, wishing to put the
+fidelity of the animal to the test, pretended to strike me. At this the
+monkey flew into a violent rage, and from that time, he could never
+endure the sight of the man. If he only saw him at a distance, he began
+to cry and to make all sorts of grimaces, which evidently showed that he
+wished to revenge the insult that had been done to me. He ground his
+teeth, and endeavored, with all his might, to fly at his face."
+
+Here is a story of a monkey who made a fool of himself, and of a British
+soldier at the same time. During the period of the siege of Gibraltar,
+when England and Spain were at war in 1779, the English fleet being at
+the time absent, an attack from the enemy was daily expected. One dark
+night, a sentinel, whose post was near a tower facing the Spanish lines,
+was standing, at the end of his walk, whistling, looking toward the
+enemy, his head filled with fire, and sword, and glory. By the side of
+his box stood a deep, narrow-necked earthen jar, in which was the
+remainder of his supper, consisting of boiled peas. A large monkey--of
+which there were plenty at Gibraltar--encouraged by the man's absence,
+and allured by the smell of the peas, ventured to the jar; and in
+endeavoring to get at its contents, thrust his head so far into the
+vessel that he was not able to get it out again. At this moment, the
+soldier approached. The monkey started, in alarm, with the jar on his
+head. This terrible monster frightened the poor soldier half out of his
+wits. He thought it was a bloodthirsty Spanish grenadier, with a most
+prodigious cap on his head. So he fired his musket, like any other
+valiant soldier, roaring out, as loud as he could, that the enemy had
+scaled the walls. The guards took the alarm; the drums were beaten;
+signal guns discharged, and in less than ten minutes the whole garrison
+were under arms. The supposed grenadier, being very uncomfortable in his
+cap, was soon overtaken and seized; and by his capture, the
+tranquillity of the garrison, as the reader might rationally conjecture,
+was speedily restored, without any of the bloodshed which the sagacious
+sentinel so much feared.
+
+A clergyman in England, of some distinction, had a tame baboon, who was
+very fond of him, and whenever he could get a chance, followed him in
+the street. When he went to church, however, to perform the service, he
+preferred, of course, that his monkey should stay at home, and used to
+confine him accordingly. One Sabbath morning the animal escaped, and
+followed his master to the church; and silently mounting the
+sounding-board over the minister's head, he lay perfectly still till the
+sermon commenced. Then he crept to the edge, where he could see his
+master, and imitated his gestures in such a droll and amusing manner,
+that the entire congregation began to laugh. The minister, who did not
+see his favorite monkey, and who was surprised and confounded at this
+unaccountable levity, rebuked the audience, but to no effect. The people
+still laughed, and the preacher, in the warmth of his zeal, redoubled
+his earnestness and action. The consequence was that the ape became more
+animated too, and increased the number and violence of his gestures.
+The congregation could no longer restrain themselves, and burst into a
+long and loud roar of laughter.
+
+Some of the ape-catchers of Africa have a very queer way of securing
+these animals. It is said that they take a vessel filled with water out
+into the woods with them, and wash their hands and faces in the water.
+The apes see this operation. Afterward, the natives throw out the water
+in which they washed, and supply its place by a solution of glue. Then
+they leave the spot, and the apes come down from the trees, and wash
+themselves, in the same manner as they have seen the men wash. The
+consequence is, that the poor fellows get their eyes glued together so
+fast that they cannot open them, and so being unable to see their way to
+escape, they fall into the hands of their enemies.
+
+
+
+
+The Zebra.
+
+
+Probably there is no animal so beautiful, and that possesses so much
+ability for being serviceable to man, that is nevertheless so useless,
+except for its beauty, as the zebra. One would suppose, to look at the
+fellow--and doubtless this is the fact--that he could perform much of
+the labor of the horse. But he is generally quite indisposed to any such
+routine of employment. He is very fond of his own way--so fond of it,
+indeed, that the most patient and persevering efforts to teach him to
+change it are generally almost fruitless. The entire race are any thing
+but docile. They are tamed, so as to obey the bridle, only with great
+difficulty; and their obedience is rather imperfect, at best. Bingley
+mentions one which was brought from the Cape of Good Hope to the
+tower of London, in 1803, who was more docile and kindly disposed than
+most of the species. When in pretty good humor, this animal would carry
+her keeper from fifty to a hundred yards; but he could never prevail
+upon her to go any farther. He might beat her as much as he pleased; she
+would not budge an inch, but would rear up and kick, until her rider was
+obliged to get off. When she got angry, as she did sometimes, she would
+plunge at her keeper, and on one occasion she seized him by the coat,
+threw him upon the ground, and would undoubtedly have killed him, had he
+not been very active, so that he got out of her reach.
+
+[Illustration: THE ZEBRA.]
+
+The most docile zebra on record was one that was burned, accidentally,
+in England, several years ago, with several other animals belonging to a
+lyceum. This animal allowed his keeper to use great familiarities with
+him--to put children on his back, even, without showing any resentment.
+On one occasion, a person rode on his back a mile or two. This zebra had
+been raised in Portugal.
+
+
+
+
+The Ox and Cow.
+
+
+[Illustration: COWS TAKING THEIR COMFORT.]
+
+Can any body imagine a more perfect picture of quiet contentment, than a
+company of cows that have finished their toils for the day, and have
+come at early evening to chew their cud, and to reward their patrons for
+the supply of green grass that has been afforded them? There are two
+such amiable cows represented in the engraving on the opposite page. The
+artist has portrayed them standing before a huge pottery, where they
+seem to be very much at home, and at peace with all the world. Their
+thoughts--if they have any, and doubtless they have, a good many of
+them--are those of the most tranquil and placid nature. Perhaps they are
+edifying each other with reflections on the great advantages of the
+mechanic arts, and the art of making earthen ware in particular. The old
+cow is a genuine philosopher. She makes the best of every thing. Seldom,
+very seldom, does she allow herself to get excited. As for being angry,
+she makes such a bungling piece of work of it, whenever she does indulge
+in a little peevishness, that she seems to cool off at once, from the
+very idea of the ludicrous figure she makes. Generally, she takes the
+world easy. Her troubles are few. If the flies bite her--and they take
+that liberty sometimes--she leisurely employs a wand she has at command,
+and brushes them off. Nervous and excitable men might undoubtedly learn
+a lesson from the philosophical old cow, if they would go to school to
+her. They might learn that the true way to go through the world, is to
+keep tolerably cool, and not to be breaking their heads against every
+stone wall that happens to lie between them and the object of their
+desire.
+
+There are many anecdotes which prove that the ox and cow have a musical
+ear, as the phrase is. Professor Bell says that he has often, when a
+boy, tried the effect of the music of the flute on cows, and always
+observed that it produced great apparent enjoyment. Instances have been
+known of the fiercest bulls having been subdued and calmed into
+gentleness, by music of a plaintive kind.
+
+There is a laughable story told of the effect of music on a bull. A
+fiddler, residing in the country, not far from Liverpool, was returning,
+at three o'clock in the morning, with his instrument, from a place where
+he had been engaged in his accustomed vocation. He had occasion to cross
+a field where there were some cows and a rather saucy bull. The latter
+took it into his head to assault the fiddler, who tried to escape. He
+did not succeed, however. The bull was wide awake, and could not let the
+gentleman off so cheap. The poor fellow then attempted to climb a tree.
+But the enraged animal would not permit him to do that. The fiddler, who
+had heard something about the wonderful power of music in subduing the
+rage of some of the lower animals, thinking of nothing else that he
+could do for his protection, got behind the tree, and commenced playing,
+literally for his life. Strange as it may appear, the animal was calmed
+at once, and appeared to be delighted with the music. By and by, the
+fiddler, finding that his enemy was entirely pacified, stopped playing,
+and started homeward, as fast as his legs would carry him. But the bull
+would not allow him to escape, and made after him. The poor fellow,
+fearing he should be killed, stopped, and went to fiddling again. The
+animal was pacified, as before. Our hero then plied the bow until his
+arm ached, and seizing, as he supposed, a favorable opportunity, he made
+another effort to run away. He was probably not accustomed to fiddle
+without pay, and he was pretty sure the customer he was now playing for
+intended to get his music for nothing. Well, the fiddler was no more
+successful this time than he was before. The fury of the bull returned,
+as soon as the strains ceased; and at last, the poor man surrendered
+himself to his fate, and actually played for the bull until six
+o'clock--about three hours in all--when some people came to his rescue.
+He must have been pretty well convinced, I think, while he was
+entertaining the bull in that manner, that
+
+"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast."
+
+
+
+
+The Lama.
+
+
+This animal, which belongs to the same family with the camel, is a
+native of some parts of South America, and is used as a beast of burden.
+He is capable of carrying from one hundred to one hundred and fifty
+pounds, and on the steep places where he is usually employed, will walk
+with his load twelve or fifteen miles a day. When lamas get weary, it is
+said they will stop, and scarcely any severity can compel them to go on.
+Some of the accounts of these singular animals represent them as having
+a bad trick of _spitting_, when they do not like their treatment. In
+this respect, they resemble a great many strange sort of men I have met
+with on our side of the equator, who will spit from morning till night,
+sometimes on the carpet, too, on account of a very nauseous weed they
+have in their mouths--with this difference, however, that the lamas spit
+when they are displeased only, and the men spit all the time.
+
+Some one who has been familiar with the animal in South America, and who
+has seen it a great deal in use among the Indians there, presents a very
+interesting account of its nature and habits. He says, "The lama is the
+only animal associated with man, and undebased by the contact. The lama
+will bear neither beating nor ill treatment. They go in troops, an
+Indian going a long distance ahead as a guide. If tired, they stop, and
+the Indian stops also. If the delay is great, the Indian, becoming
+uneasy toward sunset, resolves on supplicating the beasts to resume
+their journey. If the lamas are disposed to continue their course, they
+follow the Indian in good order, at a regular pace, and very fast, for
+their legs are very long; but when they are in ill-humor, they do not
+even turn their heads toward the speaker, but remain motionless,
+standing or lying down, and gazing on heaven with looks so tender, so
+melancholy, that we might imagine these singular animals had the
+consciousness of a happier existence. If it happens--which is very
+seldom--that an Indian wishes to obtain, either by force or threats,
+what the lama will not willingly perform, the instant the animal finds
+himself affronted by word or gesture, he raises his head with dignity,
+or, without attempting to escape ill treatment by flight, he lies down,
+his looks turned toward heaven; large tears flow from his beautiful
+eyes; and frequently, in less than an hour, he dies."
+
+
+[Illustration: THE END.]
+
+
+
+
+     *     *     *     *     *     *     *
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's note:
+
+   The caption of the illustration in "The Goat", shown in the
+   List of Illustrations and above as "THE WONDERFUL FEAT OF THE
+   GOAT.", was "THE ARAB AND HIS GOAT." in the printed illustration.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES ABOUT ANIMALS: WITH PICTURES
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