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diff --git a/33434.txt b/33434.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..508e82c --- /dev/null +++ b/33434.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3254 @@ +Project Gutenberg's The Squirrels and other animals, by George E. Waring + +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: The Squirrels and other animals + Illustrations of the habits and instincts of many of the + smaller British quadrupeds + +Author: George E. Waring + +Release Date: August 14, 2010 [EBook #33434] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SQUIRRELS AND OTHER ANIMALS *** + + + + +Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images +generously made available by The Internet Archive/American +Libraries.) + + + + + + + + + +[Illustration: THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG. Page 202.] + + + +THE SQUIRRELS AND OTHER ANIMALS; + +OR, + +ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE HABITS AND INSTINCTS OF MANY OF +THE SMALLER BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. + + + +BY GEORGE WARING. + + + +LONDON: +HARVEY AND DARTON, GRACECHURCH STREET. + + + + +THE SQUIRRELS AND OTHER ANIMALS. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + + +"Bless me, I do believe I have been asleep!" said a squirrel, one fine +morning in early spring, when the delicious warmth of the sun had +reached him in his winter retreat, and roused the lazy little fellow +from a two months' nap. The truth is, that he and his family had fallen +asleep at the first setting in of the cold weather, and had passed the +dismal winter in a state of profound repose, except, that, during a +warm day or two in January, they had roused themselves for a short +time, and eaten a few nuts and acorns from their winter store. + +"Yes, I have certainly been asleep," said the squirrel, "and I fancy I +have had a pretty long nap too. Well, I declare, my lazy wife and +children are lying there still, curled up like so many dead things! +Hallo, Mrs. Brush! come, get up and eat some breakfast. Here is the sun +shining in most gloriously at the mouth of the hole, and I hear the +blackbird's merry whistle in the grove below. Ah! they wont move, so +I'll have a run this fine morning, and see how the world looks now. +Perhaps when I come back they may be awake." + +So Master Brush went to the entrance of his nest, which was situated at +a great height from the ground, in a commodious hollow of a magnificent +oak-tree. + +"Oh joy!" he exclaimed, when he had looked around him for half a +minute, "I see those delicious buds are beginning to sprout. Nobody can +tell how I long for some fresh green food again! Nuts and acorns are +all very well, but then they are _terribly dry_. Here goes for a leap, +then!" + +[Illustration: THE SQUIRREL. Page 4.] + +So saying, the active little fellow sprang from his hole, and if you +had seen him, you would have thought that no animal without wings could +have ventured upon such a leap without being dashed to pieces upon the +ground. But Brush had nothing to fear; for though he had no wings, he +knew that his beautiful bushy tail, and his legs, stretched out +straight from his body, would bear him up in the air, and prevent his +falling too heavily. Then he had very strong legs for his size, +especially his hind legs, and his claws were so sharp and hooked, that +he could skip along the boughs, without the least danger of falling +off, and he could even run up and down the perpendicular trunks of +trees, almost as easily as we can walk upon the level ground. + +So when Brush leaped from the entrance of his hole, instead of falling +to the earth, he pitched lightly upon a bough of the tree a long way +below him, and ran along it for a short distance. Then he leaped to +another bough still lower, from the end of which, he very easily +reached the next tree, and so on, from tree to tree, till he found +himself in a well-known grove of young larches, at some distance. Here +he immediately fell to work, nibbling the fresh green buds and tender +bark. He sat upright, as squirrels generally do when they are eating, +using his fore-feet as hands to hold his food, and very pretty he +looked. But I think, that, if the gamekeeper had seen him injuring the +young trees,[1] he would not have been very well pleased, and perhaps +he would have put his gun to his shoulder and shot poor little Brush, +if he had not received orders to the contrary. For though his master +knew that the squirrels injured his young trees sometimes, he would not +allow them to be killed. + + [1] I should be sorry to bring a false accusation against the + squirrels, the most beautiful and entertaining of all the British + quadrupeds. But the whole truth must be told. They _do_ + occasionally injure young trees by feeding on the buds and bark; + and a relation of mine, who has an estate in the West of England, + informs me that his plantations have suffered considerably from + their attacks. In his woods, squirrels are unusually abundant, + and in consequence their depredations are the more evident. But, + generally speaking, these animals are not sufficiently numerous + to cause any serious injury to our plantations, and the pleasure + they afford us by exhibiting their wonderful leaps and feats of + agility among the summer branches, more than repay us for their + very trifling thefts. + +This gentleman had a particular reason for protecting the squirrels in +his woods. One day the gamekeeper shot a very fine one, and brought it +up to the house as a present for his master's little daughter Jane, who +was confined with a disease from which she never recovered. At first, +the child was pleased with her new plaything, but her tender heart was +pained when she saw its beautiful eyes becoming dim, and recollected +that, perhaps it had left in its nest some young ones, that were +perishing for want of its care. Her grief was increased by fancying +that, as the animal had been killed on purpose for her, she had been +the cause of its death, and though her parents said all they could to +comfort her, they could hardly make her believe that she was not to +blame; for when people are very ill they often have strange fancies. + +Poor little Jane died a few days after, and almost the last words she +spoke were, "Papa, don't let Harvey kill any more squirrels." Her +father carefully attended to this request of his darling little +girl--his only child--the joy of his heart--and though, like most +country gentlemen, he was exceedingly angry if any person stole his +game, I believe he would rather have lost fifty pheasants or hares than +one squirrel. _And so would I_, had I been poor little Jane's papa! + +But we must not forget Master Brush, who has been seated all this time +in the larch-plantation, making a famous meal upon the aromatic buds +and tender bark. "Ah!" said he to himself, "if those lazy creatures in +the nest yonder did but know what delicious food there is here!" Then +he continued munching and skipping about the trees for some time +longer. But presently the weather began to change. The sun hid his +glorious face behind dark clouds; a fierce easterly wind whistled +through the trees; a cold driving rain came on, and winter seemed to be +returned again. + +"Oh, dear me," said Brush, "this will never do! I don't like this sort +of thing at all! the nest is the best place I declare." + +When he reached his own tree, he was obliged to ascend to his nest by a +different way, for squirrels cannot leap up to any place that is very +far above them; so he ran along the ground for a little distance, to +the bottom of the oak, which was surrounded by a very close thicket of +brambles. + +In this thicket lived several families of dormice, who were Brush's +relations, and the waggish squirrel called out to one of them as he +passed, "Hallo, cousin Gotobed! The summer is almost over. If you don't +make haste, all the nuts and acorns will be gone!" But there was no +possibility of making his cousin Gotobed hear; for you must know, that +a dormouse is a very sleepy little fellow indeed; even more so than a +squirrel. + +Brush was soon in his own warm nest, where he found all his family +safe, and sound asleep, as he had left them. This nest, as I have +mentioned, was made in a hole in the upper part of a very large +oak-tree, and was almost as dry and warm as any bedroom in our houses. +It was lined with dry leaves and soft moss, and in another part of the +hole, which was large enough for five or six squirrels' nests, there +was a great heap of nuts, acorns, and beechmast, which the careful +Brush and his family had collected in the autumn. + +Besides this stock of food, there were two more hoards, hidden in holes +in different parts of the tree for the cunning squirrels thought, that, +if some thief should wish to rob them of their treasures, he would not +be very likely to discover all three of their storehouses. + +If it were not for this large stock of provisions, the poor squirrels +would be starved to death, in very mild winters, because then they do +not sleep so much, and fresh food cannot be procured. + +When Brush was in his comfortable nest, safe from the cold wind and +rain, though he had almost filled his stomach with young buds, he +thought he would try one of his nuts, just to see how they had kept +through the winter. Holding the nut in his hands, his sharp teeth soon +gnawed through the shell, and when he had reached the kernel, the +dainty little fellow would not eat a bit till he had carefully removed +every particle of the dry brown skin from it. + +"A very sweet nut, I declare," said he, "nuts are not to be despised, after +all. Dear me, I think I feel rather sleepy again! Nuts are not bad things, +but as I was saying before, rather dry, when one has nothing else. But +really I am very sleepy. 'Tis either the cold wind, or the famous +breakfast I have made, I suppose;--very sleepy--indeed,--upon--my--word." + +The last words sounded exactly as your voice would, if your head was +covered up under the bed-clothes. The truth is, that, while Brush was +talking to himself, he had gradually changed his position from sitting +upright to lying down on his side. Then he slowly rolled himself up +into a round ball, with his head and back closely covered by his +beautiful tail. This served him famously for a blanket, and so we may +say, that his last words were really spoken _with his head under the +bed-clothes_. + +By way of filling up the time till the fine weather returns, and our +sleeping friend uncurls himself again, I will give you a very short +description of another sort of squirrel, which lives in the woods of +America, and is even a much better leaper than ours. It is called the +flying squirrel, though that is not a very proper name, for it cannot +really fly; I mean that it cannot raise itself from the ground, like a +bird can. But it can leap to a surprising distance, for besides a large +bushy tail, it has a very curious membrane, or skin, on each side of +its body, reaching from the fore to the hind leg. So when the flying +squirrel leaps, it stretches out this skin as wide as possible, and as +the air bears it up, it appears almost to _fly_ from one tree to +another. Travellers who have seen them, tell us that when a number of +them leap at the same time, they appear, at a distance, like leaves +blown off by the wind. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + + +After several days of cold wintry weather, the sun burst through the +clouds again, calling into life plants, and insects, _and squirrels_. +Brush and his wife, and their three children, who were born the +preceding summer, and had lived with their parents through the winter, +were all awake and enjoying themselves again. How they frolicked and +chased each other about from tree to tree, and played at hide-and-seek +among the branches! You would have thought that they had laid wagers +with each other, who should venture upon the most difficult and +dangerous leaps. + +Then what feasting there was upon buds and young bark! and though this +fresh green food was very nice as a change, still they all seemed to +agree with our friend Brush, that nuts and acorns were not to be +despised neither. + +Once or twice the gamekeeper gave the young squirrels a terrible fright +by shouting to them, when they were making free with the tender bark of +his master's trees; but their parents told them, as they had often done +before, that there was nothing to fear from Harvey, nor from his +frightful looking gun. I hope you have not forgotten who it was that +had saved the lives of so many squirrels. But if Harvey's frolicsome +young spaniels, Flora and Juno, had met with one of our friends at a +distance from any tree, I am afraid it would have been a bad business, +for squirrels cannot run very fast on the ground, and their bushy tails +seem rather in the way there. And the cunning little animals appear to +know this, for though they sometimes come down to the ground, you will +very seldom see them at any great distance from a tree. + +A few days after the squirrels roused themselves from their long winter +sleep, their cousins, the dormice, in the thicket at the foot of the +tree, opened their sleepy eyes at last, and came out of their nests. +But when they were once thoroughly awake, their eyes did not look +sleepy at all, but on the contrary, were most beautifully bright and +dark, and rather large for the size of the animal. + +[Illustration: THE DORMICE. Page 23.] + +I call the dormouse a relation to the squirrel,[2] because in some +respects, he is really very like him, though at first sight you would +not think so, and would perhaps say, that he was very little different +from a common mouse, except in being rather fatter, and of a prettier +colour. But his tail, though not nearly so large and bushy, is +something like the squirrel's, and not at all like that of the mouse, +which is almost entirely bare of hair, and in my opinion, has a very +ugly and disagreeable appearance. The tail of the dormouse is handsome, +and useful also, for when he sleeps he curls it over his head and back, +to keep him warm and comfortable. Then in his habits he resembles the +squirrel, for like him he can climb trees well, though he cannot leap +very far, and he likes to dwell in the shade and retirement of the +pleasant woods, far from the habitations of man. Here he generally +makes his nest, which is composed of moss and leaves, in the thickest +parts of bushes or underwood, and he lays up a winter store, like the +squirrel. + + [2] The genus _myoxus_, to which the dormouse belongs, appears to + be intermediate between the genera _sciurus_ and _mus_, in each + of which this animal has been placed by different naturalists. + +Dormice are such sociable little creatures, that several families are +sometimes found living close together, like those that had chosen their +habitations at the foot of our squirrel's great oak-tree. Perhaps +before I have finished this tale I may have something more to tell you +about little Gotobed, the dormouse. + +Do you suppose that Brush and his family spent the whole of the summer +in frolicking and feasting? No, indeed! for even squirrels have work to +do, and duties to perform. So, after a few days spent in the merry way +I have described, one afternoon, when their children were gone on an +excursion to the larch-grove, Mr. and Mrs. Brush perched themselves up +on the topmost branch of their own oak-tree, and had some very serious +conversation together. At least, they meant that the conversation +should be serious; but Brush was such a merry waggish fellow, that he +seldom could talk very long upon any subject without a laugh or a joke. + +"Well, my dear," he began very gravely, "this is the third family you +and I have seen playing around us. For three years we have lived +happily together in this old oak, and a finer tree or a more +comfortable nest than ours I do not believe can be found in the whole +world." + +Here in the gaiety of his heart he darted off to a neighbouring bough, +and after performing a few strange antics for his companion's +amusement, he was again perched up by her side, and went on with his +speech. + +"Three years," continued he, "yes, I declare, it is three years since I +persuaded you to have nothing more to say to that tiresome old fellow +Bigtail, and to take me for a companion instead." + +"Come, come, you rogue," said his wife, "if this is the serious +conversation you wanted to have with me, you may as well hold your +tongue." + +"Ha! ha!" he proceeded without attending to the interruption, "ha! ha! +I remember that conceited old fellow Bigtail, and how you preferred him +to me, because his tail was the least bit in the world longer than +mine. I made him ashamed of his fine tail though at last. Oh, what fun! +I shall never forget it! He was stuck up by your side, talking the most +ridiculous stuff, I dare say, when I leaped down suddenly upon him from +the branch above. I never did anything better in my life! Over he went +like a dead thing. The old fellow was too much frightened, and too +stiff in his joints, to catch hold of the boughs below, so down he +tumbled to the ground. I declare I thought he was killed! But no, he +only broke--ha! ha! ha! I am ready to die when I think of it--he only +_broke his tail_! Ha! ha! he never could hold it up over his back +afterwards, so there it was always dragging behind him, like a bundle +of dead grass. What a ridiculous old fellow! After that tumble, he +always went by the name Brokentail, instead of Bigtail; and from that +time you never could abide him, you know." + +"Really, Mr. Brush," said his partner, "if you make such a fool of +yourself, I wont speak another word to you all day. What has all this +nonsense to do with the serious conversation you wished to have with me +about the children?" + +"Oh yes, it was about the children I wanted to talk to you," replied +Brush, "and not about old Broken----. Well, well, I wont say anything +more about him, then, so come and sit down quietly again, and I'll be +very serious indeed! There! now we are all right once more. Well, my +dear, now then about these children of ours. I believe you know what I +am going to say--_we must part from them_, Mrs. Brush! It is high time +for you and me to see about putting the nest in order for another +family, and these three children of ours must go and see the world, and +find companions for themselves, for the rest of their lives. I only +hope that when the boys are seeking for companions they will not break +their tails like old ----; I mean, I hope they will both meet with as +good a partner as their mother has been to me." + +The two old squirrels had a great deal more talk upon this subject, but +as conversation about family affairs is often rather tiresome, I shall +not repeat all they said about the matter. Though they both regretted +parting from their children, they were convinced that a separation was +necessary, and they agreed that the sooner it took place the better. + +Perhaps you may think they were rather unamiable and hard-hearted, in +treating their children in this manner; but you must remember that, +though these were not yet a year old, they were very nearly, if not +quite, as large as their parents, and were well able to take care of +themselves. + +When the young squirrels were informed of this determination, they were +very sorry at first; but the thoughts of being their own masters, and +of having comfortable nests of their own, reconciled them to the +separation. I never heard what good advice their parents gave them at +parting, but I have not the least doubt that Brush cautioned them to +beware of the sad fate of old Brokentail. + +So the three children, leaving their native tree, set off by themselves +into the wide world, and I have nothing more to tell you about _them_. +We must see what Brush and his companion did during the rest of the +summer, what adventures they met with, and what new acquaintances they +found among the various animals that lived in the neighbourhood of +their beautiful oak-tree. + +Here I must give you a short description of the place where this tree +grew, and where it had flourished for five or six hundred years at +least. + +It was in a small, but very beautiful valley, through which ran a brook +of the clearest water imaginable. This little stream came down from the +hills, and ran through the upper part of the valley, in a very furious +manner, as if it were in a hurry to be gone, that it might join the +dark deep river, and reach the wide ocean at last. But just at the spot +where our oak raised its head very far above all the trees around it, +the impatient stream gradually changed its manner of proceeding, and +began to run more slowly, as if desirous of remaining a little longer +in such a delightful spot. So, after quietly winding backwards and +forwards for some time, it spread itself out at last into the form of a +most beautiful little pond, through which the current was so slow that +it was hardly perceptible. + +The gentleman to whom this valley, and the country around it, belonged, +had spent many hundreds of pounds, and had employed the most skilful +people he could find, in making his gardens and pleasure-grounds as gay +and beautiful as possible. And yet, if you had walked all over his +property, you would have said that no part of it was half so lovely as +this little retired valley, where the art of man had never done +anything to add to its exceeding beauty. The gardener's spade and +pruning-knife had never been used here. Everything you saw was fresh +and unaltered from the hand of God himself. + +I think the most beautiful part was the pond, and the open space just +around it; for here the finest wild-flowers grew in abundance, and the +noble oak-tree was so near, that, when the winds of autumn came down +the valley, the trout, that delighted to swim in those pure waters, +were sometimes startled by a shower of acorns, falling down from the +outermost branches, and making a terrible splash over their heads. + +I have not time to describe more than a very few of the plants which +were to be found in the pond and on its banks. There was the +water-lily, with its large green leaves laying flat upon the water, and +its splendid white flowers, just raising their heads above the surface; +the flowering-rush, which bears a bunch of beautiful pink blossoms on a +high tapering stem; and the buckbean, which, though at a distance it +does not look so grand as the other two, has such an exquisitely +beautiful fringe on its pinky-white flowers, that the most skilful +painter has never yet been able to produce even a tolerable imitation +of it. + +Many other lovely plants there were growing round the pond, and in +other parts of this delightful little valley: plants which exceeded in +beauty many of those we cultivate with so much care in our gardens and +hot-houses. But when I began this little history I meant to write about +"Squirrels and other Animals," and not to give a description of plants. +We must therefore return to our friends in the oak-tree. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + + +After the departure of their children the squirrels felt, as you may +suppose, rather dull and lonely at first, but they very wisely made use +of a remedy for low spirits, which I would strongly recommend to you, +whenever you find yourself melancholy or uncomfortable in your mind +from any cause. And particularly when you are so, _without_ any +apparent cause; for we sometimes see people very dismal and melancholy, +when they have every good thing they can wish, and _ought_ to be +cheerful and happy. This wonderful and never failing remedy for low +spirits is _employment_! Try it, my dear melancholy young reader, and +whether you have a good reason for your sadness or not, you will at +least have met with something worth remembering in this history. + +Our squirrels, then, instead of sitting moping side by side on a bough, +and grumbling out to each other, "What miserable creatures we are!" +instead of thus giving way to their melancholy thoughts, they +immediately began to make use of the _remedy_ I have mentioned. The +first thing they did was carefully to examine the nest, to see what +repairs it stood in need of. It would at any rate require a fresh +lining of moss and leaves; so all the old bedding, which I must confess +was rather dusty and untidy, was taken off, and kicked out of the hole, +together with a quantity of nut-shells and other rubbish, which had +been collecting there for some months. When this work was finished, it +was found that the under part, or groundwork of the nest, which +consisted of small twigs and fibres curiously interlaced, was very +rotten, and required to be almost entirely renewed. So there was plenty +of work to do, and very diligently the squirrels laboured to complete +it. Not that they worked like slaves, from morning till night. Oh no! +they allowed themselves abundance of time for feasting and fun, for +they were such merry, light-hearted creatures, that they could not live +without a good game of play now and then. They even mixed play with +their work; for when they had to go to a little distance for some +particularly fine soft moss, or other materials for nest-building, they +were sure to have a race, to try which of them could reach the place +first. So the days passed by right merrily. + +"It is very odd," said Brush, one evening, just before he rolled +himself up for the night in the warm _blanket_ I have before mentioned; +"It is very odd that we should have lived almost all our lives so near +that family of water-rats, in the bank of the pond, and have known so +little about them. I always thought them a savage, bloodthirsty, set of +fellows, and that they would make no scruple of killing fish, or young +birds, or mice, or any other small animal that they could master. But +what do you think Gotobed told me just now, as I came up the tree? Why, +he says, that it is all a mistake, and that he is certain that these +water-rats are a very decent, quiet sort of people, feeding on +vegetables, like ourselves. He says, that as he was creeping about just +now among the grass, close to the edge of the pond, but a long way from +the water-rats' holes, which are all on the opposite side, he suddenly +found himself quite close to one of these creatures, who was perched up +on a flat stone, and busily gnawing the root of some plant. Our poor +little cousin, you know, has not much presence of mind, so in his +fright, and terrible hurry to escape from the monster, he slipped off +the bank, and rolled into the water. The splash he made frightened the +rat, who plumped into the water too, and so there they were both +swimming close together. Gotobed expected to be eaten up in a minute, +but the rat only said to him, 'Ha! ha! little fellow, is it only you? +Not much used to swimming I see! But come down some fine evening, and +I'll teach you. The water is too cold just now for such as you.' + +"Gotobed was too much frightened to say a word, so he scrambled up the +bank, and ran home to his nest as fast as possible. Poor little thing! +he looked so miserable, with his beautiful fur dripping wet, and +sticking close to his body." + +"What a ridiculous story," said Mrs. Brush, who could hardly keep +herself awake till it was finished; "Why I have heard Gotobed say, that +his mother used to tell a story about a relation of hers, who lived a +good way off, who was killed and eaten up in a moment, by one of these +very water-rats. I have even heard it said, that the males will often +kill and eat the young ones, if their mothers are not careful to hide +them. Depend upon it, they are a horrid set, and I often wish they did +not live quite so near us." + +"Well," said Brush, gaping, "I'll try to find out something more about +them to-morrow; but I declare I can't keep awake any longer just now." + +So the next afternoon, our squirrel, who had some courage, and a great +deal of curiosity, determined, if possible, to learn something about +the character of these water-rats, one of whom, by a kind word spoken +to little Gotobed, had so altered his opinion of their disposition and +manner of living. + +Brush chose the afternoon for his visit, because he had observed that +these animals came out of their holes more at that time than in the +middle of the day. But our inquisitive friend did not allow his +curiosity to lead him into any danger, in this inquiry into the +proceedings of his neighbours. He therefore crept through the high +grass to the other side of the pond, and very quietly climbed up into a +low willow-tree, overhanging the bank, in which the water-rats had made +their habitations. Here, concealed among the leaves, he had a full view +of all that passed below. + +Close to the steep bank, in which these animals had bored many round +holes, was a small flat space of fine pebbles and sand, sloping down +into the water on one side, and on the other, bordered by a thick bed +of the sweet-smelling water-mint, with here and there a stem of the +plant called horsetail, towering up like a gigantic palm-tree in the +midst of a forest. On this pleasant little pebbly beach, Brush +perceived several water-rats, both old and young; and some very grave +looking faces were peeping out of their holes in the bank, watching the +proceedings of their companions below. + +One of those on the beach had his attention entirely engaged by the +root of some plant, which he was nibbling; another was busily cleaning +his fur with his fore-paws; and two very young ones were paddling about +in the shallow water, into which their mother, as Brush supposed, had +taken them, for the first time in their lives, to give them a lesson in +swimming. Sometimes one of the grave looking gentlemen in the bank, +either for amusement, or in search of food, would leap, or rather +_tumble_, from the mouth of his hole, into the water, and dive at once +to the bottom, with the greatest ease imaginable; but he could not +remain under much more than a minute at a time, for want of breath. +When he came up again to the surface, Brush was exceedingly surprised +to see that, instead of appearing wet and miserable, like poor little +Gotobed after his ducking, his hair was as dry as if he had never been +into the water at all. + +"How delightful it must be to dive and swim about like that!" said the +squirrel to himself, and he could hardly help jumping in to try his +skill, forgetting that he was not formed for moving through the water, +but for running and leaping about among the branches of trees. I wonder +how he would have managed his bushy tail in swimming, and how funny it +would have looked with the long hair all wet and sticking together! +Perhaps he thought of this himself. At any rate, he did not jump into +the water just then, but remained looking down from his hiding-place in +the willow-tree, very much pleased with what he had hitherto seen of +these clever divers and swimmers. + +"Well," said he to himself, "they don't eat their own young ones, that +is clear enough; but how they might treat any other small animal that +came in their way I cannot possibly tell. And yet the great old rat +that frightened poor Gotobed so terribly, behaved very well, I am sure; +but then perhaps he was not hungry just then, and only asked him to +come again and be taught to swim that he might make a meal of him +another time. So I won't have anything to say to them just yet. Perhaps +if I wait here a little longer, I may see something that will decide +the matter." + +And the matter _was_ decided, sooner than Brush expected. At a little +distance from the water-rats' station, he now perceived a most singular +looking animal, which was quite a stranger to him, though he had a +pretty large acquaintance among his neighbours. It was about the size +of a common mouse, but of a deep velvety black above, and white +underneath, and its nose was very long and pointed, like the snout of +a pig. His eyes were very small indeed, and looked like little black +beads deeply set in his head. + +This curious, but beautiful little animal behaved exactly like a person +who knows that he has a great deal of work to get through in a very +short time. I mean, that he was very diligent and active, and seemed +determined not to lose a moment by stopping to rest himself, or to +consider what he should do next. He appeared to be an excellent swimmer +and diver, thrusting his long nose under the leaves at the bottom of +the water, in search of insects I suppose, and when he came to the +surface again, his fur was quite dry, like that of the water-rats. So +when he dived, this water-repelling property in his fur made him appear +of a beautiful silvery white colour, from the number of small air +bubbles he carried down with him. He was never still for a moment, +either diving to the bottom, or swimming, with a very quick wriggling +motion on the surface, and every now and then he would come to the +shore, from which he seldom ventured very far. + +"A very queer little fellow indeed, upon my word!" said Brush, "I +wonder who he is. I cannot help liking him though, for he seems so +clever and industrious. Oh dear me! how I wish I could dive in that +beautiful clear water! But I declare he is coming nearer and nearer +every minute to that old rat, who is so busy gnawing his root. Now, +when the little one passes him, we shall see what will happen. I am +sure the old rat must be terribly hungry, or he would not gnaw that +disagreeable looking root so eagerly, and if he does not pounce upon +the little black fellow, and tear him to pieces, I shall be very much +astonished indeed." + +The squirrel was not long kept in suspense, for just as he had finished +talking the matter over to himself, the little velvet-coated swimmer, +intent upon his own important business, came paddling along very near +the shore, and at last landed quite close to the spot where the rat was +still engaged with his root. But when he perceived the visitor, he +immediately left off eating, and slowly turned his head towards him! + +[Illustration: THE WATER-RAT AND WATER-SHREWMOUSE. Page 61.] + +"Horrible! he'll have him now! 'Tis all over with him," said Brush, +quite trembling with eagerness to see the end of the affair. "'Tis all +over with the little black fellow, and these rats are rascals after +all!" + +But he was very much mistaken, for the only animal that lost its life +upon the occasion, was a small insect, which the bead-like eyes of +little velvet-coat had perceived crawling upon a stone, near the +water's edge, and in his eagerness to secure this valuable prize, I +suppose he did not observe that such a large fierce-looking creature +was close by, or perhaps he had found from experience that there was +nothing to fear from him. However, the little fellow boldly seized his +prey, and darted off with it into the water, while the quiet old +gentleman went on munching his root again. + +Now when Brush witnessed this peaceable meeting of the two animals, +proving that water-rats were not the cruel, savage tempered creatures, +they are generally supposed to be, he was so delighted, that he quite +forgot that he had intended to have been a concealed spectator of their +proceedings. So he called out as loud as he could,-- + +"Capital, I declare! 'Tis all a lie from beginning to end. Little +Gotobed was right after all. They _are_ a very decent, quiet set, as +he said." + +But this expression of his sentiments quite interrupted the peaceable +employments of the company below, for the loud strange voice nearly +over their heads frightened them so, that they all either dived under +water, or retreated into their holes. However, the squirrel had now +satisfied his curiosity, and as he was rather frightened himself at +the disturbance he had made, he hastily leaped down from his hiding-place, +and scampered home to his nest. As for little velvet-coat, I never +heard what became of him, but no doubt he found a place to hide +himself in. But I believe I have never told you who he was. He was a +_water-shrewmouse_,[3] and very much like the common shrewmouse that +we often find lying dead in lanes and pathways. But he was larger +than the common shrewmouse, and altogether a much handsomer animal. + + [3] Though this beautiful and interesting little animal, the + water-shrewmouse, was for a long time almost unnoticed by the + naturalists of this country, it cannot be considered as a rare + species. Bell, in his History of British Quadrupeds, informs us, + that it is not uncommon in many parts of England, and he says, + that its black velvet-like fur and long snout have sometimes + given rise to an opinion, that it is a small species of mole, to + which animal its structure and habits indicate a near affinity. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + +When Brush gave an account of all that he had seen to his partner, who +was of a much more cautious disposition than himself, he was rather +vexed that she still seemed not quite convinced that these water-rats +were such peaceable, good-tempered animals as he believed them to be. +It was very tiresome, to be sure, but she _would_ keep on relating +all the foolish old tales she had ever heard about their killing other +animals, and even their own children. We all know how disagreeable it +is when we have been taking a great deal of trouble to persuade other +people to think like ourselves on any subject, to find at last, after +half-an-hour's talking, that they are just as much attached to their +own opinions as ever. Now our squirrel was really a very good-tempered +fellow in general, but I must confess that he was rather cross on this +occasion; and though he did not say much about it, he showed that he +was "a little out of sorts," as people say, by curling himself up for +the night fully half an hour before his usual time of going to sleep. + +But the next morning he awoke in a very good-humoured mood indeed, and +worked hard all day with his companion, to complete the nest. He seemed +to have forgotten the subject of their dispute, till towards evening, +when, as he was sitting alone on a branch of the oak, on the side +nearest the pond, a _bat_ suddenly fluttered by, skimming with zigzag +flight over the still water. + +"There goes old Leatherwing, I declare!" exclaimed Brush: "the very +person I was wishing to see! I'll call out to him to stop the next time +he passes, and ask him to set me right about those water-rats. He is a +very learned old fellow, and I believe knows something about every +animal in the woods. To be sure, old Leatherwing is often rather +tiresome and prosy, and he _will_ talk a great deal about his own +affairs; but then he is a very clever old gentleman for all that, and +has seen a great deal of the world." + +For some time Leatherwing continued flying backwards and forwards, over +the upper end of the pond, and seemed determined not to approach the +oak-tree. The truth is, that his game, which consisted of gnats and +other small insects, was abundant just at that spot, and a very hearty +supper he made that evening. I suppose he found the legs and wings of +these insects rather dry food, for sometimes, as he skimmed over the +water, he would dip in like a swallow, and drink a few drops as he +passed, in order to wash them down. + +While he is eating his supper, I intend to give you a short, and I hope +not a very uninteresting description of his curious wings. As for his +habits and manner of passing his time, I dare say that he will take +care to say something upon that subject himself, when he gets into +conversation with Brush, who has just informed us that "old Leatherwing +_will_ talk a great deal about his own affairs." + +Almost every person, whether living in the town or country, must often +have observed the bat flitting about trees and houses in a calm summer +evening, but many have never taken the trouble to examine him more +closely, or have not had an opportunity of doing so. To form a proper +idea of the structure of the bat's wings you must understand, that his +fore-legs, or his _arms_, as I will call them, are almost as long as +his body, and that all the four fingers of his hands are _quite as +long as his arms_. Between these immensely long and slender fingers, +is stretched, (like the silk on the framework of an umbrella,) a very +thin elastic skin, or membrane,[4] which is continued from the tips of +the little fingers to the ankles of the hind-legs, and then very nearly +to the end of the tail, which is almost as long as his body. So that +the animal, when spread out in the flying position, is entirely +surrounded with the membrane, except at the head and neck. The toes of +the hind-foot, and the thumb of the hand, are not attached to the skin, +and are not longer than those of other animals. These are furnished +with sharp and hooked claws, so that the bat can cling very firmly to +walls and perpendicular rocks. + + [4] The membrane of the bat's wing appears to possess a most + exquisite and inconceivable sensibility. Cruel experiments have + proved that this animal, when deprived of the senses of seeing, + hearing, and smelling, will still fly about a room, without ever + coming into contact with the walls, or with threads stretched + across in all directions. Cuvier supposes, that "the propinquity + of solid bodies is perceived by the manner in which the air + re-acts upon the surface of the wings." This astonishing faculty, + which almost indicates the possession of a sixth sense unknown to + us, is no doubt of great use to the bat, as it enables him to + pursue his rapid zigzag flight in the dark, without fear of + striking against the boughs of trees, or other obstacles. + + The animal introduced in the tale is the common bat, _Vespertilio + pipistrellus_ of modern naturalists. It is now ascertained that + no less than seventeen species of this singular family are + natives of this country. Some of them are very much larger than + the common bat, measuring fifteen inches in the extent of their + wings. + +It has been said, that the bat is nothing more than a _mouse with +wings_. Nonsense! except in its size, it has no more resemblance to the +_mouse_, than it has to the _lion_; and those who think that the two +animals are at all alike can never have examined them attentively. +However, in some parts of the country the bat is still called by its +old English name, "_the flittermouse_," that is, the mouse that +_flitters_, or _flutters_ about. + +When Leatherwing had caught most of the insects at the upper end of the +pond, he thought he would try what success he could meet with lower +down; and then he came so near the oak-tree that Brush managed to make +him hear at last. So the bat, who happened to be in rather a talkative +mood, left off insect-hunting for the present, for the sake of enjoying +a little gossip with his old acquaintance. He settled on a branch close +by, but instead of sitting down like other animals, the queer little +creature chose to hang himself up by his hind-claws, with his head +downwards, and his wings closely folded round him. In this strange, +and, as most people would think, extremely uncomfortable position, old +Leatherwing began the following conversation:-- + +LEATHERWING. + +Well, Master Brush, what do you want with me now? Just made such a +glorious supper! Do you know, I fancy that the insects about this pond +of yours are fatter and better tasted than any others, and that's the +reason I come so far after them. For _'tis_ a good way off, you know, +to the old church-tower where I live. Well, but as I was saying, what +do you want with me this evening? + +BRUSH. + +Why, I want to ask you a question, for to tell you the truth, yesterday +evening Mrs. B. and I had a little---- + +LEATHERWING. + +What! a little addition to your family? you don't say so! Well, I +thought it was almost time, for we are nearly in the middle of summer. +Now do you know Mrs. Leatherwing was confined several days ago, and +that's the reason she is not with me this evening. I left her flying up +and down a shady lane nearer home, carrying her baby about with her, as +she always does, you know, till it grows pretty strong. She had only +one this time. And so Mrs. Brush is confined, is she? Well, I +congratulate you. How many has she got? Five or six, I'll be bound! + +BRUSH. + +She hasn't got any at all yet, Mr. Leatherwing, though what may happen +in the course of a few days I cannot possibly tell. But I want to ask +you a question about something that has puzzled us very much lately. + +LEATHERWING. + +To be sure, I dare say I shall be able to answer it; for though I say +it myself, I _am_ able to give you an answer to almost any question. +For you see, friend Brush, I have lived all my life in towns and +villages, and so I have heard and seen a good deal of what passes in +the world. Then I am not like you sleepy animals, who hardly ever wake +up more than once or twice during the whole winter. To be sure, I take +a little nap myself, of about a couple of months, in the very coldest +weather, when there are no insects stirring. We bats, you know, can't +eat nuts, and such sort of trash; and so when there is no wholesome +food to be met with, we are obliged to sleep a little, just to pass +away the time. Now, if I could contrive to keep a winter stock of +_gnats_, as easily as you can of _nuts_, I declare I would not sleep +much more in winter than in summer. For I don't mind a little frost, +not I! only in cold weather, instead of flying about in the evening, as +I do at this time of the year, I choose the sunshine in the middle of +the day, because then I have the best chance of meeting with some game. +And yet ignorant people say that I cannot bear the light of the sun! I +can tell you, that I picked up a pretty good meal of insects one bright +day last winter, when the ground was frozen hard, and I heard some of +the stupid boys in our village call out, as I passed them, 'Why! +there's a bat! Throw thy cap at him, Jem! What business has _he_ got to +be flying about now, I wonder?' And then another said, 'Throw at him! +Well done! Once get him down on the ground, and he can neither run nor +fly. These fellows can't raise themselves off the ground, dost know!' + +"Great fools! I might easily have shown them that I can both run very +well on the ground, and fly up from it when I choose; but I did _not_ +choose to try it just then. But let me see, what were we talking about? +You were going to ask me a question, I think." + +As Brush had now an opportunity of speaking at last, he related to +Leatherwing all the tales he had heard about the evil doings of the +water-rats, and also what he had himself observed of their habits. Then +he asked the bat for his opinion upon this puzzling question, and the +old fellow gave it as follows:-- + +LEATHERWING. + +The longer I live in the world, my good friend Brush, and the more I +see of the world, the more I am astonished at the stupidity and amazing +ignorance of the people I meet with! To be sure, everybody has not had +such good opportunities as myself of obtaining information, or has not +made such good use of them. But let that pass. Now for these water-rats. +In the first place, then, they _are_ a very quiet, inoffensive people, +and would no more think of killing a mouse, or a young bird, or any +other small animal, than you would. The only mischief they ever do is +by boring their holes through the embankments of canals and ponds, and +in this manner the meadows have sometimes been flooded. In the second +place, all the other wicked deeds that they have been accused of should +be laid to the charge of the _common brown rat_, a ferocious, +savage-tempered creature, which often lives in the banks of ditches, +and is then supposed by silly people to be the same animal as the +water-rat. + +BRUSH. + +Capital! so I was right after all about the character of these +good-tempered neighbours of ours. Ho, ho! Mrs. Brush, I shall have +something to tell you presently! Then it must have been one of these +common brown rascal that killed little Gotobed's relation. + +LEATHERWING. + +To be sure it was, for as I tell you, they are fierce, savage +creatures, and are so voracious that they will eat anything. They +destroy young birds and other animals; and if no other food could be +found, I dare say they would be wicked and unnatural enough to make a +meal of their own young ones. And yet, let me tell you, they are very +clever, sensible creatures, if they would but make a better use of +their abilities. The worst of it all is that they are _foreigners_, and +have no business in this country at all, though from what part of the +world they came I cannot tell you.[5] And if I cannot answer this +question, you may be sure, friend Brush, that there are not many people +living who can. However, here the rascals are; and what do you think +they have been endeavouring to do ever since they came? Why, they have +been trying to destroy all the rats that had possession of the country +before their arrival; and as these old English black rats, as they are +called from their colour, are smaller and weaker than themselves, I +dare say that they will at last succeed in their wicked designs. So as +this vile foreign brown rat is fond of living in the banks of ditches +and of ponds, near mills and stables, he is often thought to be the +same as the quiet respectable water-rat. For, as I say, the stupidity +and ignorance of people is really amazing! Why, the two animals are no +more alike than you and I are, I was going to say; certainly not nearly +so much alike, except in size, as yourself and the little Gotobeds down +below, there. No! these water friends of yours should never acknowledge +the common rat as a cousin; but they are not very distantly related to +a much more noble animal--to the _beaver_,[6] friend Brush, though +perhaps you have never heard of such a creature. + + [5] The common brown rat, which has now been an inhabitant of + this island for about one hundred years, is often improperly + called the "Norway rat," as if it came originally from that + country; whereas, it was quite unknown there when it first + received that name. Pennant believes that it was brought over in + merchant-vessels from the East Indies. + + It is even supposed, that the old English black rat, as it is + called, is not originally a native of this island, as no mention + is made of it in any author earlier than the middle of the + sixteenth century. + + [6] The characters of the teeth, the form of the body, and the + habits of the water-rat, fully justify its removal from the genus + _mus_, to which the common rat belongs, and indicate a pretty + close affinity to the beaver. Linnaeus himself appears struck + with this, for though in his _Systema Naturae_ he has placed the + water-rat in the genus _mus_, in a subsequent work he has removed + it to that of _castor_. + +Well, well, we must not expect too much from people who have never had +an opportunity of learning. I could tell you a good deal about this +relation of the water-rat, this clever fellow called the beaver, and +about the famous wooden houses he makes of the trunks and branches of +trees. But I declare I must fly home, and see how Mrs. Leatherwing is +getting on. Oh! stop a minute, though; I forgot one thing. Perhaps +_you_ don't believe that I can run on a level surface, or raise myself +from it, as you may never have seen me do it. Look here, then! + +So saying, the funny little creature made what he called a _run_, along +the large branch upon which Brush was seated, and at the end of this +_run_ of two or three feet in length, he gave a sort of a little spring +into the air, and instantly spreading his beautiful wings, he sailed +away from the tree, saying, "Good bye, Brush! what d'ye think of that, +eh?" + +But the squirrel did not return the farewell, for when he saw the very +ridiculous manner in which his friend shuffled along, while he +performed the feat which he called _running_, he was seized with such a +fit of laughter that he could make no reply, and he was even obliged to +hold fast, lest he should fall off the branch. When he had recovered +from his merriment, he began to talk to himself, in an unusually grave +and moralizing strain. + +"Well, Mr. Leatherwing," said he, "you are an odd fellow, a very odd +little fellow indeed! But I have learned something from you this +evening, besides the information you gave me about those rats. I have +learned that every animal has a different part to perform in the world, +and that we all should be content with our situations, and not attempt +to do things for which we were never intended. Now I suppose nobody +will deny that I can run and leap famously, so that I am quite at home +among the boughs of this beautiful oak; but I cannot fly at all, and I +believe I should be a very poor swimmer. Then there is my neighbour, +the water-rat, who can both dive and swim like a fish, but he can no +more fly than myself, and I am sure he cannot leap half so well. As for +old Leatherwing, the _air_ is for him, and most delightful it must be +to fly and sail about as he does. But then he must be content with +_flying only_, for I think he would be much worse off in the water than +I should, and when he attempts to run or to leap--Ha! ha! what fun! I +must go and tell Mrs. Brush all about that." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + + +The important event upon which Leatherwing had been in such haste to +congratulate his friend, really took place in two days after the +conversation just related. In other words, the joys and cares of our +squirrels were increased by the presence of four young ones, as fine +healthy little creatures as their hearts could desire. And I am sure +that more attentive and affectionate parents than Brush and his +companion could not be found, even among the human race. For many days +they made a point of never leaving the nest at the same time, for fear +their tender family should suffer for want of their parents' warmth and +protection. And though Brush was naturally such a playful rattling +fellow, you might have observed some difference in his behaviour, since +he became the father of four helpless children. I mean, that he spent +less time in play, and seldom rambled to any great distance from the +oak-tree. So for a week or two our squirrels passed their time very +sedately and quietly, taking care of their children, and watching with +great delight their rapid growth from day to day. + +One evening, just before bed-time, Brush was peering out at the +entrance of his hole, as he often did before he curled himself up for +the night, perhaps that he might see what sort of weather it was likely +to be the next day. Whatever his object might have been, he certainly +_was_ looking out of his hole on this particular evening; when, casting +his eyes down the valley, he perceived a small dark speck dancing about +in the air, and as it drew nearer, and became more distinct, he saw +that it was his friend Leatherwing, coming to enjoy his favourite sport +of gnat-catching, over the surface of the pond. + +"I feel rather sleepy," said Brush, "but I have not seen the old fellow +for some time, and I _must_ tell him what has happened since he was +here last." + +So he ran out to the end of a branch, and when the bat came within hail +he begged him to stop for a few minutes' chat. + +Now, though Leatherwing was very hungry, and his game was abundant, yet +his love of a little gossip was so great, that it overcame his dislike +to the feeling of an empty stomach, and he was just going to alight on +the branch, by the side of his friend, when he suddenly called out in a +voice of extreme terror, "Back, friend Brush! Run back to your hole +directly! Back, you foolish fellow, or the cruel wild-cat will have +you!" + +[Illustration: THE WILD-CAT. Page 99.] + +Horrible! the monstrous wild-cat, the British tigress as she has been +called, was in the tree indeed! She was crouching down on a +neighbouring branch, between the squirrel and the nest, preparing +herself for the fearful spring, by that peculiar wriggling motion of +the hinder part of the body which you may often have observed in your +favourite kitten, when she is just going to dart at the plaything you +have kindly made for her amusement. + +At first sight of the monster, the poor little squirrel was so +terrified that he had no power to move, for her great savage eyes were +fixed upon him, and sent forth a horrible greenish coloured light, +which seemed to have the effect of preventing any attempt at escape. +But he recovered himself at last, and it was well for him that he did +so; for hardly, by means of a tremendous spring, had he reached a +distant bough, when his fierce pursuer, who must have leaped at the +same instant, alighted on the very spot he had just quitted. And now +between these two animals, so unequally matched in strength and size, +you might have seen a most exciting and hardly contested race; the +squirrel doing his utmost to secure his safety, by reaching his hole, +and the wild-cat following with terrible eagerness, in hopes of +obtaining a most delicate and favourite morsel for her supper. Had they +both started fairly, I think that the fierce beast would have had no +chance of overtaking her prey; but, as I have mentioned, she was +between the squirrel and his fortress when the chase began, so that he +could not run at once to his only place of refuge. + +Poor Brush! he was hardly pressed indeed, and several times, when he +found his retreat to his hole cut off, he gave himself up for lost. +He owed his safety at last, not to his wonderful agility alone, but +also to his _lightness_, which enabled him to pass over the smaller +branches that would have bent or broken with the weight of his enemy. +To keep you no longer in suspense, you must know, then, that the poor +breathless terrified squirrel reached his hole at last, and no sooner +was he safe within it, than an immense paw, furnished with terribly +sharp, hooked claws, was thrust in as far as it could reach, and Brush +could see the light of those horrid, yellow-green eyes, gleaming in +upon him through the narrow opening. He even fancied he could smell her +hot tainted breath, as she growled with rage and disappointment. + +"Baulked, Mrs. Wild-cat! Exactly three seconds too late, Mrs. Tabby! +Yes, Madam, if you had reached the hole only three seconds earlier, you +would have made a very nice supper of poor Brush, and his nest would +that night have contained a sorrowful widow and four fatherless +children. A little too late, I am happy to say, Mrs. Tabby! Only a very +little too late, but 'a miss is as good as a mile,' as people say. +What! you are in a terrible rage now, are you? And you will growl, and +spit, and try to thrust your great ugly head into a hole only just +large enough for the slender body of Brush to pass easily through it. +There! you may do your worst, and when you have tired yourself, you may +go and look for a supper elsewhere, only I cannot possibly wish that +good luck may attend upon your hunting. One thing I _squirrels_ wish +though, that Harvey was under the tree just now with his gun. Well, +never mind! Your time will come, I dare say." + +Yes, the squirrel had escaped from his terrible enemy for that time. He +and his family were safe as long as they remained in their castle, and +they had still sufficient food in their hoard to stand a pretty long +siege, though I cannot tell what they would have done for want of +water. But then how miserable it would be, to be kept close prisoners +for days, or even weeks; for how could they ever be certain that their +enemy was not still in the neighbourhood, or perhaps lying in wait for +them behind some branch of their own oak-tree? Truly a very pitiable +situation indeed! + +It is wonderful how we become accustomed to dangers of all kinds, and +yet those who have often risked their lives in battle will tell you, +that this is really the case. In his first trial the young soldier will +perhaps be so terribly frightened that nothing but the certainty of +being disgraced prevents his running away. But after some years spent +amid dangers, the coward becomes by degrees a bold fellow, who can hear +bullets whistle around him, and see bright steel flash before his eyes, +if not with indifference, at least, with perfect coolness and +steadiness. + +But what has all this about soldiers to do with the poor prisoners in +the oak tree? There does not appear to be much connexion between the +two subjects, certainly; but I was going to say that our _squirrels_ +resembled _soldiers_ in one respect. I mean, that _they_ became rather +more courageous by being accustomed to live in continual danger. For +the first day or two after the chase, they were afraid to venture more +than a few yards from the nest; but they rambled further by degrees, +though, whenever they returned to the oak, they took care to stop in a +tree at a little distance, that they might see if the enemy was not +lying in ambush for them near the hole. In this manner many days +passed, and they were beginning to hope that the wild-cat had quite +left the neighbourhood, when they had a conversation with Leatherwing +about this dreadful animal. + +It was really surprising what a vast deal of information this funny +little fellow had picked up; but, perhaps, as he said himself, his +having lived so much in towns and villages, where he could overhear the +conversation of Man, might partly account for his cleverness. + +From him the squirrels learned that these terrible wild-cats were +formerly very common in the neighbouring forests,[7] but that for many +years they had been gradually diminishing in numbers, and it was now +almost certain that the fierce beast which had caused them so much +alarm, was the last of her race in that part of the country. Wild-cats +are always much larger than the tame animals, but this creature was one +of the largest that had ever been seen or heard of. She was really a +formidable beast, and since she had taken up her abode in the +neighbourhood, she had done a great deal of mischief to the farmers by +killing their poultry, and even their young lambs. She had often been +chased by the gamekeepers and others, but long experience had made her +so watchful and cunning, that she had always escaped with her life, +though she had sometimes smarted a little from a few shot penetrating +her skin. But her fur was so thick and close that small shot could not +injure her much, unless fired from a very short distance, and she took +care that her enemies should not approach too near. + + [7] The wild-cat is now almost, if not quite extinct in England, + except in the northern parts. It is still, however, to be met + with in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. But the numbers of these + animals that have been killed in different parts of the country + have no doubt been much over-rated, as it is well known that the + domestic cat will sometimes stray into the woods, bringing forth + its young there, living on birds and small quadrupeds, and + becoming a terrible destroyer of game. When, therefore, one of + these half-wild cats happens to resemble the true wild-cat in + colour, (which is an indistinct tabby,) it is at once pronounced + to be a specimen of that animal. But Mr. Bell, (who, however, + differs from almost all other naturalists on this point,) + considers that the native wild-cat of Britain is quite a distinct + species from the domestic cat, and that the latter does not owe + its origin to the wild animal at all, though from what country + the breed has been derived he is at a loss to determine. + +Such dreadful tales did Leatherwing relate of the extraordinary cunning +and fierceness of this hideous animal! When he had finished, the +squirrels became so terrified that they ran and hid themselves in their +snug retreat, declaring to each other that they never should be happy +till they were sure that the monster had been killed. They were +particularly uneasy too about their young ones, who were now grown so +strong that they were able to leave the nest; but their parents never +allowed them to go out of their sight, or to ramble beyond the branches +of the oak. + +One day Brush said to his partner, "Well, this is miserable work! I +declare I have no peace night or day, but am always thinking or +dreaming about this horrid wild-cat; I almost wish I had never been +born, or at least, that I had been a water-rat, or, better still, that +curious fellow called a mole, that Leatherwing talked to me about +once." + +"And where does this mole live?" said Mrs. Brush. + +"Why, he spends almost all his life under the ground, and though it +must be very dark and damp there, he is at least safe from being eaten +up by wild beasts. He makes famous long caverns, branching out from +each other and in one place he has a very comfortable nest, lined with +dry grass and leaves, and among the roots of some tree he makes what +Leatherwing called his fortress, because he always goes there when he +is frightened. And all these nice places are safe under the ground. Oh! +I really wish I was a mole! The wild-cat might come as soon as she +pleased, then." + +"I think she would scratch the earth up with her great claws, and pull +you out of your fortress, as you call it." + +"How could she? Why there are I don't know how many caverns, all +leading from the fortress, and I could easily escape by one or other of +them. Then I could dig through the earth a great deal faster than she +could, if I were a mole; for Leatherwing says, that his fore-feet are +amazingly large and strong. Oh! ten times stronger than mine! Then he +never goes to sleep much more in the winter than in the summer, for +when the ground is frozen hard, all he has to do is to dig down a +little deeper, till he finds the earth soft; so he never cares what +sort of weather it is, and he has no need to trouble himself about +laying up a store of provisions for the winter. Oh! it must be very +nice to be a mole!" + +"I should be afraid that my eyes would be filled with dust and dirt, +when I was digging under the ground." + +"_Your_ great staring eyes would, I dare say, but the mole's are very +different. They are so small, and covered over with fur, that he is +sometimes thought to be quite blind.[8] For, as Leatherwing says, +people _are_ so stupid and ignorant! But I believe the mole's little +eyes are not often of much use to him, for he seldom comes out of his +caverns, and when he does it is at night. I think he would be much +wiser to keep _always_ under ground, and then he would be quite safe. I +asked old Leatherwing how the mole could find out his food, as he +always lives in the dark, and he said that his nose is more useful to +him than his eyes, for he can smell anything at a great distance." + + [8] That acute observer, Aristotle, has been accused of + inaccuracy, in saying, that the mole is absolutely blind. It + has, however, been ascertained that in the South of Europe there + exists another species of mole, the eyelids of which are _totally + closed_, and it was probably this animal that fell under the + observation of Aristotle. The mole has never been found in any + part of Ireland. + +"And what can he find to eat under ground, I should like to know?" + +"Horrible! I forgot all about that when I wished to be a mole. His +food, I can hardly bear even to talk about it! He lives almost entirely +on _worms_! Horrid, long, twining worms! Oh! I had rather be hunted by +the wild-cat every day, than eat such disgusting food as that. No, no, +I don't wish to change places with the mole now, I am sure." + +So as Brush had neither the inclination nor the power to be transformed +into a worm-devourer, he was obliged to be content with his situation +as a _nut-cracker_. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + + +Time passed rapidly on, and the autumn drew near. The young squirrels +were now become so strong and active, and so fond of scampering about, +that their parents could hardly prevent them from rambling away by +themselves much further than was safe for them. One morning Brush was +almost certain that he had seen their terrible enemy in a distant tree, +and as his children happened to be unusually frolicsome just then, and +determined to have their own way, he thought he would try to keep them +at home, by relating a little story which he had heard at different +times, from Leatherwing. + +The old fellow said, that, one evening, as he was flying about in a +garden, he observed a very young lady sitting in a summer-house, +holding in her hand the smallest mouse he had ever seen, fastened by a +string and a leather collar round its neck. So, as the bat was of a +very inquisitive, prying disposition, he hung himself up to the ceiling +of the summer-house, determined to overhear the conversation that was +going on below. It appeared that the mouse was relating his adventures +to his mistress. Now to tell you the truth, this little history has no +connexion with the other parts of my tale; so if you are in a very +great hurry to get to the end of the book, you can skip it altogether, +but I hope you will not behave so rudely to a poor author, who has +really done his best to entertain his readers. + +Leatherwing's tale was called-- + + SOME PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF THE SMALLEST QUADRUPED IN THE + WORLD.[9] + + [9] When this was written, I was not aware that there existed in + other countries a quadruped still more diminutive than our little + harvest-mouse. However, as "Minimus" declares that he was much + smaller than others of his species, the title of his history may + still be correct. + +"Don't push and squeeze so Tiney! you take up more room than three or +four of us." + +"What a story! It is you Softsides, that want to have half the nest for +yourself." + +"Yes," squeaked sister Sleek, "and he has almost scratched my poor eye +out,--the cross creature! only because I asked him to let me suck when +he had had enough, and he knew how dreadfully thirsty I was." + +"Be quiet children, will you?" said mamma; "and let me go to sleep. You +forget what a terrible headache I have, and how tired I am with running +away from that frightful weasel that chased me almost to death this +morning. I should like to know what you would have done if he had +caught me! Now mind! if I hear any more quarrelling, as surely as a +grain of wheat has a husk, I will kick some of you out of the nest, and +let the weasel or the owl make a meal of you." + +This little specimen of a family quarrel, which took place when my +brothers and sisters and myself were a few days old, and were not so +large as hazel-nuts, is the earliest circumstance of my life of which I +have any recollection. At this time we were eight in number, and though +all of the same age, I was much the smallest and weakest of the brood, +for which reason I suppose they called me "Mini-mus," or "the little +mouse." My brothers and sisters despised me so for my poor health, and +were so cross and tyrannical, that I verily believe I should have +perished in infancy if my mother had not taken pity on me, and allowed +me to suck sometimes out of my turn. The truth is, I was rather a +favourite with my dear mamma; why, I cannot imagine, for I was a +miserable looking little object, and was often very cross and rude to +her. But since I have seen more of the world, I find that mothers of +your species, my dear mistress, often show the strongest attachment to +those children who are the most worthless in mind and body, and the +least deserving of their affection. + +Well! thanks to my dear mother's care, I got through my infancy pretty +well, though I am still much smaller than the rest of my family. But if +you could have seen my poor brother Softsides! oh, he was a noble +animal! Will you believe it? he was nearly twice my size, and such a +runner and leaper! He made nothing of jumping up to our nest at one +bound, without taking the trouble to climb up in the usual way. But I +must leave Softsides for the present, and tell you what sort of a house +our careful mother had provided for us. + +It was built on the top of a thistle at a little distance from the +ground, and was nicely sheltered from the wind and rain by a high close +hedge. It was as round as a ball, and was made entirely of the blades +of grass and small straws, carefully woven together like basket-work, +while the inside was as smooth and warm as possible; for there was only +one very small opening, and even that was closed at night, and in the +daytime when the weather was cold. A most delightfully warm, snug house +it was, I assure you; but as we increased in size, it became rather too +small for us, and, as I have already mentioned, we sometimes squabbled +a little for want of room. Indeed I once heard mamma saying to herself, +when she thought we were all asleep, "Well, if I had known that I +should have had such a large family I would have built a bigger house." +Now you must know that she was only one year old herself, and we were +her first brood of young ones. But though this was the first nest she +had ever made, she had shown great judgment in choosing a situation, +which was not, as is usually the case with our tribe, in a corn-field, +where both the nests and the inhabitants are often destroyed by the +reapers. Fearful of this dreadful disaster, our mother had built her +nest on a grassy bank, in an unfrequented meadow, in which there was no +public path, and where a few quiet sheep were our only companions. The +field adjoining ours was a wheat-field, and so we had an abundant +supply of food on the other side of the hedge. + +For the first week or two we never left the nest; but mamma soon began +to feed us with seeds, and when our teeth were too weak to nibble hard +grains, she brought us the soft, unripe wheat, which was delicious +juicy food for tender infants. + +Never shall I forget the terrible fright I was in the first time I +ventured to leave the nest, and clamber down the thistle-stalk to the +ground! My brothers and sisters had been down the day before, and +laughed at my timidity; and then they boasted that they had scrambled +up the bank, and looked through the hedge, into the wheat-field, where +they had seen the reapers at work; and they told me that they had been +terribly frightened by the barking of a large dog. But Softsides said +that _he_ was not frightened a bit, and that he only came back to the +nest because he wanted his dinner; and he declared that he would fight +the dog the next time he saw him. + +Then they told me that they had seen a little girl in the wheat-field, +gathering flowers, and that they had heard her sing most +divinely--something about "Trip with me," and "the moon shining +bright." And Softy said that he had learned part of the song, and that +if we would give over prating so, and would listen to him, he would +sing it as sweetly as the little girl did. So he sat up on his hinder +parts, and began, "Trip with me, trip with me," but he made such a +funny whistling noise through his long front teeth, that we all laughed +till we cried. Then brother Softsides was angry, and bit my ear till I +cried most bitterly, without laughing at all. + +The next day, with the help of mamma, I managed to get down to the +ground, and to climb up the bank; and in the wheat-field was the little +girl again, singing her pretty song, and gathering wild-flowers in the +hedge. But either because she had had more practice in singing than +Softy, or because her front teeth were not so long as his, her +performance was much more pleasing, to my ears at least, and I did not +feel at all inclined to laugh at her. Presently, another little girl, +who had been all the morning gleaning, came up to her, crying, and +complaining that somebody had stolen a large bunch of wheat that she +had collected and hid in a corner of the field. Then we saw that the +young lady with the sweet voice had a sweet disposition also, for she +gave the little gleaner her last sixpence, and sent her home as happy +as a bird. + +[Illustration: THE HARVEST-MICE. Page 134.] + +I was dreadfully tired with this expedition, and was quite lame for +several days after, with a thorn in my left hind-foot, but at last +mamma sucked it out for me. When it got well, I took courage to leave +the nest again, and joined my brothers and sisters in their games of +play, among the high grass, at the foot of the thistle, while mamma +would sit on the nest, keeping watch lest some enemy should approach. +As we became stronger and more courageous, we rambled further from +home, and when the distance was not too great, I generally joined the +party. All my family were now very kind to me, and I hope that I was +less pettish in my behaviour to them, for mamma had convinced us how +silly and wicked it is for brothers and sisters to quarrel with each +other. + +And now I must tell you of the dreadful fate of brother Softsides. Poor +fellow! he was very vain of his running and leaping abilities, and at +last he perished miserably by his rashness. One fine afternoon, when we +were more than half grown, Softsides, Tiney, and Sleek set off for a +very long ramble along the hedge, nearly to the bottom of the field. I +was too weak to join the party, but sister Sleek gave me a particular +account of this unfortunate expedition. Softy was in very high spirits, +and was trying to make Tiney lay wagers of so many grains of corn, +about the distance he could leap. Fine fun they had, jumping and +tumbling about; but at last they came to a place where some labourers +had been dining, and had left a basket, with bread and cheese in it, +and a small keg of beer, or cider. Our party made a glorious meal on +the cheese, which was quite new food to them; and then Softsides said +he would try to leap on to the keg, to enjoy the beautiful prospect. +But sister Sleek begged him not to make the attempt, saying that she +was sure he would come to some mischief if he did. Now I must tell you, +that Sleek, though very demure and quiet in her manners, was considered +to be much the most sensible of all our family; and indeed mamma, who +was confined at home that day by a sprained ankle, had made her join +this exploring party, in the hopes that she would keep the boys out of +mischief. + +"Now what harm can there possibly be in trying to jump on to this keg, +I should like to know?" said Softsides; "but sister Sleek, or _Meek_, +if you like that name better, you are always spoiling my fun." + +"You may call me what name you like, Softy," replied his sister, "but I +feel quite convinced in my own mind that if you don't take my advice, +something dreadful will happen." + +And sure enough something dreadful did happen--something very dreadful +indeed: for poor brother Softsides, taking a run of about a couple of +feet, jumped on to the fatal keg, pretty easily, but, alas! he never +jumped down again! for the heat of the sun had forced the bung out, +though we could not see this from the ground. Poor Softy saw it, when +too late, for he could not save himself from tumbling down headlong +into the keg, where he was soon drowned, while his brother and sister +were horrified by hearing him screaming for assistance, which they +could not possibly give him, and lamenting that he had not taken +Sleek's advice. + +So Tiney and his sister came back, frightened and sorrowful enough, and +our cheerful home became a house of mourning. Mamma was in hysterics +all night, and I verily thought we should have lost her. But sister +Sleek, who knew something of the virtues of herbs, sent two of the boys +into the wheat-field for a red poppy-head, which she persuaded mamma to +eat, and soon after she became quiet, and slept all the next day and +night. Then we were terribly afraid that she had taken so much of this +powerful medicine that she would never wake again; and though Sleek +said that she was not at all alarmed, I am sure she seemed very nervous +and agitated, till at last our dear mother opened her eyes, and asked +for some food. + +In one corner of our field was an old deserted stable, which we +sometimes visited, partly for the sake of a few horse-beans which we +found on the floor, and partly to have a chat with a very odd creature +who had taken up his abode there, and with whom we had formed a sort of +acquaintance. This creature was an immense _toad_, a very strange +companion, you will say, for a family of little mice. Certainly, he +_was_ an odd fellow, and a very ugly fellow too; but then he had the +most beautiful eyes in the world, and I am sure he gave us very good +advice, if we had been wise enough to have attended to it, instead of +laughing at his croaking voice, and formal manner of talking. + +The first time we visited the hermit, as we called him, after the loss +of our brother, we were almost afraid to tell him of the accident, +expecting he would say that poor Softsides was rightly served, and that +we should all perish like him, by our folly, if we did not pay a little +more attention to the advice of our elders. But Toady had a more +feeling heart than you would have supposed from his manners and +appearance, and when he had heard the sad tale to an end, and we were +expecting a terrible lecture, he closed his searching eyes for a minute +or two, and then said, + +"Children, I commiserate your distress. My spirit is pained, yea, what +if I say, sorely troubled and grieved, at this sad catastrophe! +Unfortunate Softsides! truly he was a handsome juvenal, and active of +limb withal. Know, my children, that he found favour in my sight, more +especially inasmuch as I have sometimes thought that I resembled him +not a little, both in feature and disposition, in the joyous days of my +youth. Leave me now to meditate for a season upon this grievous +visitation. In that corner you will find a few beans which I have +collected for you. Peradventure, when you have finished them, I may +relate some little tale or fable for your amusement. Yea, and for your +instruction also, if you will receive it." + +So when we had finished the luncheon which the good hermit had provided +for us, we seated ourselves around the entrance of his hole, when, +after a few minutes' recollection, and his usual preparation for a +speech, by closing his eyes for a time, he related the following + + FABLE OF THE SUNFLOWER AND THE MIGNIONETTE. + +A gigantic Sunflower reared his many-headed stem very far above all the +other plants in the parterre, and affected not a little to despise +their lowly condition and insignificance. A bed of Mignionette, which +grew close to him, particularly excited the anger of this arrogant +fellow. And "what," exclaimed he, "could the stupid gardener be +thinking of, when he planted such miserable, little half-starved +wretches as you in the same border as a kingly Sunflower! Does not my +very name declare my rank and noble origin, in token whereof, I never +fail to pay my respects to the glorious lord of the skies, by turning +my head towards him, whenever he deigns to remove the misty veil from +his countenance? But as for you---- By the by, do you ever mean to +blossom, or have you the vanity to say, that those yellowish tufts +(which at this height I can hardly distinguish from leaves) deserve the +name of flowers? Ridiculous! I have a great mind to say, that if the +mistress of this garden does not remove you, and some other of your +vulgar companions, a little further off, I won't expand another blossom +this summer; I'll kill myself in spite! I will, I declare!" + +The Mignionette plants were so diverted at this threat, that for some +time they could not reply to his abusive speech. At length one of them +quietly said, "Vain babbler! to be angry at thy impertinence would +prove that we were as silly as thyself. But know this, thou +empty-pated, and worthless one,--though mean in appearance, and +dwarfish in stature, we are nevertheless especial favourites with our +mistress, who is so delighted with the rich perfume of our 'yellowish +tufts,' as thou hast the impertinence to call them, that she frequently +honours them with a place in her bosom. Flowers must be very scarce +before any of thy huge gaudy-coloured blossoms attain to that envied +situation, I trow. But thy pride will soon be humbled, for yesterday I +overheard our mistress complaining of thy encroaching shade, and +directing the gardener to root thee up, and cast thee forth, to rot +like a vile weed upon the dunghill, that the more humble inhabitants of +the flower-bed may benefit by the life-bestowing rays of that being +whom we all worship, though we are not honoured, like thyself, by +bearing his name. Lo! while I speak, the gardener draweth near with his +spade, and thy destruction is at hand." + + * * * * * + +Our hermit was explaining to us how we might derive instruction from +this fable, when suddenly a fierce weasel and a half-grown young one +bounced in through the open doorway; but fortunately for us poor +little mice they did not see us for half a minute, and this delay +enabled the worthy Toady to save our lives. Scrambling out of his +hole, with a great deal more activity than could be expected in such a +corpulent old gentleman, he exclaimed, "Enter speedily, my children!" +For once we followed his advice, without asking for a reason why; but +we had hardly time to take refuge, when Mother Weasel espied the last +tail whisking into the hole, and screeching out to her son, "A prey! +a prey! I thought I smelt mice!" at a single bound she reached the +entrance. She was too late, for our protector had backed his fat body +into the hole, which he fitted so exactly, that the smallest beetle +could hardly have passed him. "Friend Weasel," said he, "I dispute not +that thou mayst have _smelt_ mice, but this day shalt thou _taste_ +none, if my protection availeth anything. Verily, it appeareth to me +that for once in thy life thou art baulked." + +Now you must know that most animals are rather afraid to attack a toad, +believing that he is a magician, and has the power of injuring his +enemies by spitting at them. Whether this be true or not I cannot say, +but I am sure that our friend was the most quiet, inoffensive creature +on earth. But Mrs. Weasel seemed to think differently, for bounding +away towards the door-way, she said to her son, "Come along, my boy! my +nose tells me that they are nothing but little miserable harvest-mice. +Let us try if we cannot meet with some of the great fat field-mice in +the wheat-field, they are six times as large as these little wretches. +For my part I am not at all hungry, but 'tis glorious fun hunting them +to death." + +But there was another animal close at hand, who was also very fond of +hunting, and for the same reason; because he thought it was "_glorious +fun_." This was the little terrier dog "Pepper," whose master, Farmer +Winter, had come into the meadow that morning, to see how his sheep +were getting on. Now it so happened that "Pep" took it into his random +head to visit the stable, and he entered exactly as Mistress and Master +W. were going out. Of course our situation prevented us from witnessing +this interesting meeting, but we heard a scuffle, and two loud squeaks, +which our protector, who saw the whole affair from the mouth of his +den, informed us were the last sounds ever uttered by the long-backed +mother and son. But though Pepper had kindly shaken our enemies to +death, we did not like to trust ourselves in his power, thinking that +he would most likely serve us in the same manner; so we remained +quietly in the hole, till our kind friend had seen that the coast was +clear, and then, having thanked him for his protection, we ran home as +fast as possible. + +We passed by the dead bodies of the weasels, and found that they were +much handsomer animals than we had supposed, for though their backs +were ridiculously long, their colours were very pretty; a beautiful +reddish brown on the upper parts, but underneath they were as white as +snow, or as your frock, my dear mistress. The hermit informed us +afterwards, that they are the boldest animals for their size in the +world, and that they will sometimes kill even young rabbits and hares. +He said, that when a weasel attacks an animal so much larger than +himself, he sticks fast to his neck, and though the poor creature runs +away, he cannot get rid of his tormentor, but is soon exhausted and +killed. Toady said, he once saw a weasel seized by a kite, and carried +up into the air. After a little while, however, the bird began to fly +very oddly, as if in pain, and at last fell down quite dead, close to +the spot where the hermit was sitting. While he was in the air the +weasel had killed the kite by gnawing a great hole in his side. So they +both came down together, but the conqueror was not at all injured by +his fall. + +After our fortunate escape, nothing worth relating occurred till the +day I was caught by that cruel boy from whose hands you so kindly +rescued me. Being now nearly full grown our mother allowed us to take +care of ourselves in the daytime, but she made two of my sisters and +myself sleep in the nest with her at night. + +One morning, wishing to see a little of the world, I set off by myself +across the meadow, intending to visit a pleasant little wood we could +just see from the bank above our house. But I had hardly reached the +middle of the field, when a tremendous hail-storm came on. Oh! what a +dreadful predicament I was in! The sheep had eaten down the grass so +close that it gave me no shelter whatever, neither could I find any +hole or crack to creep into, till the storm was over. So I made the +best of my way back again, though dreadfully bruised by the +hail-stones, and at last a very heavy one struck me such a blow on the +top of my head, that I was quite stunned; and I can remember nothing +more, till I found myself in the hands of your papa's stable-boy, Tom. +He had picked me up, when looking for mushrooms in the meadow, and +thought perhaps that I should make a nice breakfast for his kitten. But +when he found me come to life again, he said he would tame me, and make +me draw a little pasteboard cart to amuse his sister Jenny. You cannot +think how cruelly he used me, and how he made my lips bleed by forcing +an iron bit into my mouth. And then he almost killed me by trying to +make me swallow raw meat, which is a sort of food none of our species +can abide. Truly, I should never have lived to have related this +history, if you had not come into the stable-yard to see the young +rabbits. Most fortunately for me, you were singing your favourite song. +I remembered the words and the sweet clear voice instantly, and I said +to myself, "Perhaps the young lady that was so kind to the little +gleaner, may have compassion on a poor harvest-mouse." You know the +rest: I squeaked with all my might; you heard me, and soon persuaded +Tom to give up his prize in exchange for a dozen fine apples from your +own little tree. + +And now, my dear kind mistress, will you not fulfil your promise, and +give me my liberty? I have been very happy with you, but I long +exceedingly to return to the beautiful green bank again, and to see +dear mamma, who must be dreadfully anxious about me, for it is now six +days since I left the nest. Hold me up to your face, and let me read my +fate in your beautiful eyes, which I declare are almost as bright and +dark as my mother's. Bring me closer, quite close, for I am rather +near-sighted. That will do. Oh joy! I see by those sweet sparklers, +that my petition is granted, and that I shall sleep to-night by my +mother's side in the downy nest on the thistle. + + * * * * * + +When this history was finished, Leatherwing said, that the little girl +pressed her captive to her lips, and then, putting on her straw hat, +she immediately walked out into the fields, with Minimus perched upon +her hand. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + + +It was now the season for collecting nuts, acorns, and beech-mast; and +it was time that the squirrels attended to the important business of +filling their several storehouses with a supply of provisions for the +winter. + +Now their own oak would furnish acorns for hundreds of squirrels, and +some beech-trees, laden with mast, were close at hand; but in order to +procure hazle-nuts, their favourite food, it was necessary to go rather +further from home. The nearest spot where the business of nutting could +be carried on with much success, was a large hazel-copse, on the side +of a hill, at the upper end of the valley. But the great difficulty +was, how to obtain these nuts without risking their lives. For since +the appearance of the wild-cat in the neighbourhood the squirrels had +always avoided the thick bushes and underwood, knowing that she could +more easily surprise them there, than among the open branches of large +trees. Even in the trees they were very careful to look well about +them, as they fully believed that the enemy was still in the +neighbourhood, for Leatherwing, who had promised to give them early +information, could hear no account of her having been killed. Indeed, +he had very lately overheard a farmer complaining to a neighbour, that +the night before, he had had three fine lambs killed, and several +others sadly mangled by this destructive wild beast. + +But to pass the tedious winter without a supply of nuts appeared as +great a hardship to the squirrels as it would be to us to live for +several months upon bread and water. Therefore, after several +consultations on the subject, it was at length agreed, that _nuts +they would have_, at all hazards; for said Brush, "Better to be eaten +up by the wild-cat than starved." So one fine morning the whole party +set off to the hazel-copse. + +Now this reminds me of the happy hours I have myself passed in the +woods, when I have joined a merry party of my young friends on one of +those most joyful occasions, a _nutting expedition_. How can a day be +passed more pleasantly? Oh! the delight of gathering the lovely brown +clusters of five or six, or even sometimes seven or eight together! +Then the dinner by the side of the clear stream, whose pure waters +furnish not the least grateful part of the repast! and the notes of +unrestrained merriment and joy, filling the woods with the echoes of +sweet young voices! Even the torn frocks, and scratched hands and arms, +are disregarded; and they are such common attendants upon these joyous +expeditions, that to return from them with perfectly whole garments and +_skins_, would imply that the bag of nuts might have been heavier, if +the party had been less fearful of the brambles and thorns. Now for the +squirrels again. + +The nuts were exactly in that state in which I like to find them--quite +full and brown, and _almost_ ready to fall out of their husks. But not +_quite_ ripe enough to do this, for then a great many are shaken out +upon the ground, and lost. But the nuts were in perfection, and our +party were employed the whole day in journeying backwards and forwards, +between the hazel-copse and their storehouses in the old oak. No +wild-cat or other enemy appeared, and the young squirrels began to +think that their parents' continual cautions to be on the look out for +this animal were unnecessary. + +The next day the party were again hard at work, and even the old +squirrels were so busily employed in filling their own mouths, and in +teaching their children how to select the ripest and soundest nuts, +that they seemed almost to have forgotten that they had a single enemy +in the world. They had already made several journeys, and were now +eagerly engaged in some large old hazel-trees, close to a wide pathway, +which had been cut through the wood for the convenience of the +sportsmen. Suddenly Brush perceived, partly concealed among the thick +underwood, a dark, fearful-looking object, which--_could_ it be the +dreaded foe, or was it only the brown trunk of a tree? He was not long +in doubt, for now the head of the monster appeared from among the +leaves, and then those savage eyes! having once seen them how could he +possibly mistake their terrible glances? Brush was so frightened, that +he absolutely allowed three remarkably fine nuts to fall out of his +mouth upon the ground, and at last he gave the note of alarm. "Fly all +of you," cried he, "the enemy is close at hand!" Then he recovered +sufficient presence of mind to remember how he had himself escaped from +his pursuer in the oak, and he desired his family to retreat to the +small outer branches of the trees, where they would but just support +their weight, for he knew that the young ones were too small and weak +to make their escape by flight. + +But this clever plan did not succeed so well in these low nut-trees as +among the lofty branches of the oak, where a tumble to the ground would +most likely have broken some of the adversary's bones. The cunning +beast appeared to understand the difference between the two situations, +but for a minute or two she remained motionless, as if she were +planning the best way of making her attack. At last, with a single +bound she was in the tree. She fearlessly dashed at one of the young +squirrels, who sat trembling at the farther end of a branch, +overhanging the pathway; it gave way beneath her weight, and both +animals fell to the ground below. But while the poor little squirrel +was so shaken by the fall that he could only crawl slowly away, the +cat, like all animals of her kind, pitched unhurt upon her feet,[10] +and was just upon the point of seizing her prey in her terrible hooked +claws, when bang!--the report of a gun from the adjoining thicket. + + [10] It is well known that cats have the power of turning + themselves over in the air, so as to bring their legs undermost, + when they fall, or are thrown, from a height; but how this + desirable change of position is brought about or maintained, it + is not very easy to explain. One would have supposed that the + centre of gravity would have brought the _back_ undermost. To + prove that these animals _do_ possess the power of turning over + in the air, take a cat, or a kitten, and hold her by her four + feet, two in each of your hands, with her back downwards, at + about the height of the table from the ground. Now if you open + both your hands suddenly, your assistant in the experiment will + change her position almost as quickly as a shuttlecock turns + round when struck by the battledore, and will alight safely on + her feet. But if you hold her at a _very short_ distance from the + ground, poor puss will not have time to execute her clever feat, + and will fall on her back. Therefore, for her sake, practise this + experiment _over a bed_. + +Here I must inform you, that Harvey, the gamekeeper, who had long been +looking out for the destroyer, had this morning been informed by some +boys who were nutting in the copse, that they had seen her running +across an open space, with a fine cock pheasant in her mouth. Now the +keeper had found, from his experience on two former occasions, that it +was useless to fire small shot at an animal who had such a defence in +her thick close fur, and who was too wary to allow him to approach very +near. Therefore, giving his double-barrelled fowling-piece into the +hands of his son, a lad of about fourteen, who accompanied him, he +armed himself with a _rifle_, which is a gun made on purpose for +throwing bullets very accurately, to a long distance. He left all his +dogs at home, thinking they would be of more harm than use. + +Harvey and his boy had already been some hours in the wood, and were +beginning to think that they had received false information, when young +Dick, who was a remarkably sagacious, intelligent fellow, suddenly +stopped his father, and pointed to some trees at a little distance. + +"Well, lad," whispered Harvey, "what dost see now?" + +"Look at those squirrels, father!" + +"I see 'em plain enough, but it won't do. Though if it wasn't for +master's orders, I should like to try the rifle upon one of 'em, I must +say." + +"No, no, father," replied Dick, "that isn't what I mean. But only look +at them! They aint eating, nor doing nothing, but they have all got +their heads one way, and they stick themselves up as if they were +frightened at something. Depend upon it, father, the wild-cat isn't far +from those squirrels, if she is in the wood at all." + +"_I see!_" replied his father: "that's as bright a thought as ever came +into thy head, son Dick! But we have no chance among these plaguy thick +bushes. We must creep quietly out into the path, and then perhaps we +may get a shot at the varmint." + +So the two cat-hunters concealed themselves behind a tree, by the side +of the path, and just as the wild-cat was pouncing upon her prey, a +ball from the keeper's well-directed rifle laid her howling upon the +ground, with the bone of her hind-leg smashed to atoms. + +But he who supposes that one of these ferocious animals is conquered +merely because her leg is broken, will find himself very much mistaken. +A wild-cat conquered! no, indeed! You may kill her, but she _never +yields_, so long as she has any life remaining. And so Harvey found to +his cost. For when he saw the animal rolling upon the ground, supposing +her to be mortally wounded, he ran up towards her, intending to finish +the affair with a blow from the butt end of his rifle. Now this +imprudent conduct proved that he had never encountered a wounded +wild-cat before. No sooner had he approached within a few yards of her, +than, regardless of her broken leg, she sprang upon him like a fury, +and before he could aim a blow at her, she was at his throat, with her +fore-legs clasped round his neck. + +Frightful! only imagine the horrors of such an embrace! In vain poor +Harvey strove with all his might to cast off the savage creature from +him, and I cannot tell how the affair might have ended, if Dick had not +been at hand to render assistance. Waiting for a favourable opportunity, +he put the muzzle of his gun close to the creature's body, and firing +both barrels at once, in his eagerness to do the business effectually, +he made such a terrible hole in her side, that, if she had had nine +hundred lives, instead of the usual moderate number of nine, they would +all have taken flight through the wound in an instant. She fell to the +ground, a mangled, blackened corpse. + +And how did poor Harvey escape? Better than could have been expected, +considering the powerful teeth and claws of his adversary. To be sure, +he was pretty severely bitten and scratched, but his wounds were not +dangerous; and when he had recovered his breath, and wiped the blood +from his face, the first thing he did was to stretch his vanquished foe +at her full length upon the ground. Then laying his rifle by her side, +he said to Dick, "She's full four feet long, if she's an inch, and I +have gained my wager! I laid a bet of a guinea, with Lord +What's-his-name's keeper, that she would turn out to be four feet long, +and so she is, and more, as I can tell by the length of this barrel. +But only look at her teeth, Dick, and her terrible claws!" + +"And what a great bushy tail!" said Dick, rubbing it through his hands; +"and see, father, 'tis the same size from end to end, and quite black +at the tip, just as that learned stranger gentleman up at the hall said +that all real wild-cats were." + +"A learned gentleman! Let me tell thee, son Dick, if thee hadst had thy +face and hands clawed to pieces like mine are, thee wouldst have said +the varmint was _wild_ enough, in all conscience, without waiting for +any _learned gentleman_ to tell thee so. How my face do smart to be +sure! And look at my new jacket! All burnt and torn to pieces! 'T was a +wonder my arm wasn't blown off too. Well, boy, 't was a bold shot, and +I can't tell what I should have done if somebody hadn't been by. But +come, throw the beast over thy shoulder. I must go home and get mother +to put some plaister on these bites and scratches." + +At the very beginning of this fierce conflict, all the squirrels, +except the father of the family, fled from the scene of action, and in +five minutes they were safe in the nest. But Brush was so determined to +see the end of the affair, that he remained concealed in the +hazel-tree, till Dick had fired the finishing shot; and then, being +convinced that he had nothing more to fear from his old enemy, he +scampered off to his home, to relate what he had seen. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + + +I have not much more to tell you about "Squirrels and other Animals," +for by the time the tenants of the oak-tree had collected a good stock +of provisions, the weather had become rather cold and dismal, and it +seemed likely that the winter would set in very early that year. But +the time for their long sleep was not yet quite arrived, and on fine +days they were still to be seen abroad, roaming about from tree to +tree, and sometimes bringing home a few more nuts and acorns. But to +find these they were now obliged to search on the ground, for the wind +had shaken the ripe fruit from the trees. Now they were relieved from +the dread of being seized by their terrible enemy, they could ramble +about where they pleased. + +One day as they were rummaging about among the dry leaves, under the +hazel-bushes, the squirrels fell in with the very oddest creature they +had ever seen. They had heard from Leatherwing that such an animal +lived in the woods, but they did not think they should ever meet with +him, as the bat had told them that he never came abroad till it was +dark. But the old fellow was mistaken a little for once in his life, +for here this most extraordinary looking creature certainly was, in the +middle of the day.[11] From the description Brush had received of this +animal, he knew at once that he was one _Touchmenot_, a hedgehog; and +that though he was considered to be rather a queer-tempered fellow, he +was not likely to do him any harm. But the young squirrels and their +mother were so frightened at his very warlike appearance, that they +leaped up into the bushes overhead. + + [11] I can bear witness, that hedgehogs are not always nocturnal + animals, having more than once seen them running about in the + daytime, and I remember capturing one that was trotting across + the corner of a field when the mid-day sun was shining brightly. + And if the hedgehog occasionally kills snakes, as Mr. Bell + informs us, how can he meet with these animals by night, when + they are invariably safe in their holes? + +[Illustration: THE SQUIRREL AND THE HEDGEHOG. Page 189.] + +Brush remained on the ground, but his family observed that he took care +to keep close to the stem of a small tree, for he thought that if his +new acquaintance should become uncivil, he could not possibly climb up +after him. After the two animals had looked at each other for some time +in silence, Touchmenot began the conversation. + + * * * * * + +TOUCHMENOT. + +Well! what d'ye stare at? What d'ye want? Never saw me before, eh? Hope +you will remember me when we meet again, for you have looked at me long +enough, I am sure, with those great black eyes of yours. + +Oh! don't be frightened! You may stare at me till you are blind for all +I care. I'm not ashamed of myself. Oh dear no! Well, now you have +examined me pretty well, who d'ye think I am, eh? + +BRUSH, + +(_Rather frightened at the surly address of the stranger_). + +I believe you are called Mr. Touchmenot, are you not, Sir? + +TOUCHMENOT. + +Touchmenot, indeed! What fool told you that? Well, I don't care, they +may call me so if they please. Ha! ha! no bad name neither! _Touch me +not_, I advise you, or you will smart for it! So _that's_ the name they +give me, is it? Oh, with all my heart! And what else have you heard +about me, Mr. Greateyes? + +BRUSH. + +Oh, nothing very particular. Yes, now I recollect, I have heard that +you have got a very odd way of defending yourself, by rolling up into a +ball, when you see any animal coming that you think is an enemy. + +TOUCHMENOT. + +That I _think_ is an enemy? I consider _all_ animals my enemies. Except +my own family, I don't believe I have a friend in the world. My comfort +is, that I am very well able to take care of myself; and yet I can +neither fly like a bird, nor run like a hare, nor swim like a fish, nor +leap like yourself. No, I can do none of these; but I can _roll up_, +and so set all my enemies at defiance; and I had half a mind to have +done so when I first saw you, but it was hardly worth while, for you +are much smaller than I am, and, besides, to tell you the truth, you +look rather like a good-tempered fellow. Now what other tales have you +heard about my doings? + +BRUSH. + +Why if you wont be angry, I was going to say, though I didn't believe +it at the time, but I _have_ heard it said that you are _rather fond of +milk_, and don't mind sucking the farmers' cows sometimes. + +TOUCHMENOT. + +So you have heard that ridiculous story, have you? Well, you say you +don't believe it, so I sha'n't take the trouble to prove what a +monstrous fib it is. Now then, I'll tell you what I have heard about +_you_. I have heard that you _are rather fond of nuts_, and that, not +content with eating as many as you can possibly cram, you are such a +glutton that you carry a great many home with you, on purpose to stuff +yourself with in the winter. + +BRUSH. + +Well, and what harm? Nuts are very wholesome food, I am sure. And don't +_you_ lay up any store of provisions for the winter, then? + +TOUCHMENOT. + +Not I, indeed! I am better employed in the winter than in eating. I +sleep _all_ the winter, Mr. Nutcracker! When the weather gets a little +colder, perhaps in a few days, I shall creep into my snug nest which I +have made under the roots of a great tree. There I shall roll myself +up, in my bed of dry leaves, and when once fairly asleep, I am safe +till next spring. Nothing can make _me_ wake up. What a fool I should +be to trouble myself about collecting a quantity of food for the +winter, when I am sound asleep all the time! + +BRUSH. + +And what do you live upon, when you _are_ awake, if it isn't an unfair +question? + +TOUCHMENOT. + +Oh, I am not very particular. Almost anything will do at a pinch. I +often make a meal upon roots and vegetables, when I can find nothing +else. But I like animal food much better, such as insects, worms, +snails, bird's eggs, frogs, mice, and now and then I dine upon a snake +when I can contrive to catch him. Well! what's the matter now? What do +you jump up into the tree for? + +BRUSH. + +Oh, shocking! I never heard anything so dreadful in my life! I beg your +pardon. I mean, I should not like to dine upon snake at all. + +TOUCHMENOT. + +Very likely not. Tastes differ, you know. But here comes a gentleman +who will most certainly _dine upon you_, if you don't get up a little +higher into the tree; for though he can't climb, he is a pretty good +leaper. For my part, I scorn to run away from any animal, large or +small. Stay where you are, and you will see some fun. + + * * * * * + +The animal that now approached was a hungry young fox, who would +certainly have made a meal of the squirrel if he could have caught him. +But after trying to reach him, by jumping till he was tired, he gave it +up at last for a bad job; and then, spying the hedgehog, he dashed at +him, as if he had intended to have swallowed him at a single mouthful. +But Touchmenot was quite prepared for the attack, for he had rolled +himself up into a round ball, with nothing but sharp spines sticking +out on every side; and when the fox attempted to seize his prey, you +would have laughed to have seen how very much surprised and +disappointed he looked. As he was but young, though he appeared more +than half-grown, I suppose he had never seen a hedgehog before, or he +would not have acted so imprudently, for he pounced upon this ball of +spines as he would upon a rabbit, or a pheasant, but he soon found out +his mistake, and retreated to a little distance, howling dismally, and +licking his bleeding lips and nose. + +When he recovered a little from his surprise, he made another attempt. +But now he proceeded more cautiously, and rolled old Touchmenot over +and over with his paws, hoping to find some part of him that was not +protected by this spiny coat of armour. He could make nothing of it! +This strange-looking ball was spines above, spines below--strong, sharp +spines on every side. It was really very provoking, for it contained a +nice meal inside, no doubt, if he could but get at it. + +After watching his vain attempts for some time, the squirrels saw that +the fox had no chance of succeeding, and they made the best of their +way home, keeping on the trees for fear he should leave Touchmenot, and +follow them instead. However, they had nothing to fear from this silly +young fellow, for he seemed fully occupied in rolling this tiresome +ball about, but how long he continued his amusement, I cannot tell. +However, I must inform you, that the hedgehog boasted rather too much, +when he said he could set _all_ his enemies at defiance, by his strange +plan of defence; for though very few animals will venture to attack him +when rolled up, it sometimes happens that a thoroughly game and +courageous terrier-dog will seize him, and kill him too, in spite of +his prickly armour. Of course, his own lips and mouth must suffer +severely from the animal's sharp spines. + +A week or two after the interview with the hedgehog, one very cold +dismal afternoon, all the squirrels were in the nest, except the father +of the family, and he was gone abroad for a short time, just to stretch +his legs a little. Suddenly he darted into the hole, as if he had been +pursued by another wild-cat, and when he was asked what was the matter, +he exclaimed, "_Snow!_ cold, dismal _snow_! Flakes of snow as large as +white butterflies, and falling so thickly that I could hardly see my +way back to the nest! Here I am, however, and here I mean to stay till +fine weather comes again. It will be a long while before that happens +though, I fancy." + +Brush was a true prophet. The weather became colder and colder every +day, till at last, after a sharp frosty night, the squirrels quite +forgot to wake up in the morning, and then their first long nap of +several weeks began. If you could have looked in upon them in their +comfortable nest, you could hardly have believed that the little curled +up squirrels, with their blankets over their heads, were the same +active, playful creatures, whose summer gambols among the branches had +afforded you so much amusement. + +Well, then, there _can_ be nothing more to say about these sleeping +squirrels, and now I must inform you what effect the cold weather had +upon the other animals, whose summer habits have been imperfectly +described in this history. The dormice, in their nests at the bottom of +the oak-tree, and the water-rats, in their holes in the bank of the +pond, were sound asleep also; but all these animals had taken the +precaution to provide a store of provisions for the early part of the +spring, and in case they should wake up for a few days in the winter. +Now, with respect to the curious little water-shrew-mouse, Velvet-coat, +I am not quite so certain about his winter habits. But no doubt he +slept comfortably in his hole till the spring; and as he was an +insect-feeder, we may conclude that he followed the example of +Touchmenot, in not laying up any food for the winter. + +If we could have questioned old Leatherwing, I think he would have told +us that the harvest-mice, whose history he overheard related by +Minimus, abandoned their nest on the thistle, and made themselves a +warmer house, deep under the ground, where they passed the cold weather +in sleeping, and now and then nibbling the grains of wheat which they +had buried with them. The bat has already related how he passed the +winter himself, and how he was obliged to waste some part of it in +sleep, not altogether from the effects of cold, but also from the want +of food. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + + +Though the history of the squirrels and their companions was finished +in the last chapter, I still feel unwilling to part from my young +friends, who have kindly taken some interest in the events I related +for their amusement. It is true, that in the following tale no mention +will be made of any of those "smaller British quadrupeds" of whose +"habits and instincts" the title-page has engaged to communicate some +information. But it is always better to do _more_ than _less_ than +we have promised. Therefore, perhaps you will not be displeased if this +little book should contain something that you did not expect to find +there, and I hope you will think this additional chapter not less +entertaining than those you have already read. + +You may remember, that Leatherwing related to the squirrel the History +of Minimus, or "Some Passages in the Life of the smallest Quadruped in +the World." In the following pages, you will find a companion to the +bat's story, and the title shall be, + + SOME PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF THE LARGEST QUADRUPED IN THE + WORLD! + +As inquisitive readers may perhaps wish to be informed by what means +the following little history came into my possession, I will endeavour +to satisfy them as to its authenticity, by telling them that it was +related to me by an old man, a native of Sumatra, in which island, "the +largest quadrupeds in the world" are, or were, abundant in a wild +state. This old fellow was cook on board the ship, "All's Well," in +which (fifty-three years ago,) I first went to sea as an apprentice, +and he was called "Jolly," but what his real name was no one on board +knew nor cared. He was a merry-hearted old man, and had made himself +a great favourite, especially with us boys, by his extraordinary +abilities in "_spinning a good yarn_," as the sea-phrase goes, meaning +neither more nor less than telling a good story. The following strange +history was a favourite "yarn" of old Jolly's; and though it is now +more than half a century since I first heard it, it is still fresh in +my memory, having so often related it to my little brothers, who, on my +return home, were always very eager in their inquiries about "the +doings of the dreadful wild-beasts of foreign countries." + +But I must mention, that our old friend Jolly boasted of other +accomplishments more extraordinary than story-telling, such as the art +of foretelling future events, of understanding the language of birds +and beasts, and he sometimes hinted, that he had the dangerous power of +killing an enemy who might be five hundred leagues distant, by the +performance of certain magical ceremonies. Perhaps you are not disposed +to believe that Jolly was such a clever old fellow. Well, I cannot help +it. I have no time now to endeavour to convince you, but here is his +story, though not in his own words, for if I had not corrected his bad +English, the narrative would be almost unintelligible to those who were +not accustomed to his extraordinary mixture of languages. + + * * * * * + +(JOLLY _begins his Story_.) + +Tell you about the elephants again? Why, I have given you a dozen +stories at least about them this voyage! Well, if you must have it, +here goes. + +You must know, then, that about two years before, (like a great fool +that I was,) I left my dear native island: I accompanied my father, and +twenty or thirty of our tribe, on an elephant-catching expedition, to +the banks of a large river more than fifty miles from our village. We +were five days on our journey, for we had to pass through deep and +tangled forests. As our object was merely to procure the valuable +tusks, which we bartered at the Dutch settlement, for linen cloth, and +other European articles, we did not attempt to take our game alive, but +contented ourselves with digging deep pit-falls in the forest-paths +made by the elephants in their visits to the river-side; for you must +know that elephants are very fond of bathing and splashing about in the +water. These pits of ours were slightly covered over with branches of +trees and grass, and at the bottom we fixed a strong, sharp-pointed +stake, on which, when they tumbled down headlong, the unwieldy animals +were impaled and killed. We always took care to bait our traps with +green boughs and tempting fruits. When we were so fortunate as to +entrap an elephant in this manner, some of our party would descend to +cut out the valuable tusks with a hatchet; and as we were quite unable +to raise the immense carcass out of the pit, we were obliged to fill it +up and dig another. + +This method of catching elephants was generally adopted by our nation, +for at that time fire-arms were not in use among us. But I have heard +that in some countries, when the hunters wish to take the animals +alive, they make large enclosures of very strong stakes, and employ +tame elephants to entice the wild ones inside, when the door is shut, +and they are immediately bound fast with ropes, and kept without food +for several days, till they are partly tamed. But I must return to our +expedition. + +At this time we were very unfortunate indeed. Though the herd of +elephants was numerous, and we had dug a great number of pit-falls, +more than a week had passed, and we had made only one capture, a very +young animal whose tusks were hardly worth taking home. This bad luck +was not occasioned by our want of skill, for some of our party, my +father and elder brother in particular, were the most experienced +hunters of our nation, and our traps were covered over and baited with +the greatest care. It was of no use; after the little fellow who met +with his fate on the second day of our falling in with the herd, not a +single elephant would venture his life for the most tempting baits we +could select; and in some places where the path was so narrow that +there was no room to pass the trap, these provoking animals would +either return, or make another track by the side of it, by tearing up +the trees with their trunks, and trampling down the bushes and +underwood. + +"This will never do!" said my father; "these rascals are too cunning +for us. We must find another herd. If we do not get some ivory soon, +the Dutch ships will have left the port, and then we shall not be able +to sell our tusks for a pretty while." + +So it was agreed, that the next day we would move further up the river, +in hopes of falling in with a less sagacious herd. But the same +afternoon a circumstance occurred which explained the cause of our want +of success in a very satisfactory manner, to _me_ at least, though some +of our company were so stupid as to say that what I am now going to +relate was all nonsense, and that I had been dreaming. + +I was stationed in the upper part of a lofty tree within view of one of +our pit-falls, when I perceived three elephants approaching. Two were +of moderate size, but the third was by far the largest animal I had +ever seen or heard of. He seemed almost decrepit with age, and had a +very remarkable appearance, from one of his immense tusks being broken +off, leaving a ragged stump of about a foot in length. He and his +companions had been enjoying a cool bathe in the river, as I could +perceive from the light-coloured mud on their legs and sides, and their +way lay directly by the trap I was appointed to watch. But this peril +they took especial care to avoid. However, I observed the old elephant +point at it with his trunk, whereupon they all three tossed up their +heads with an indignant snort. So they paced leisurely along till they +reached my tree, at the foot of which, the old gentleman, apparently +exhausted with fatigue, threw himself down on his side so suddenly, +that he occasioned a partial earthquake. The others kept watch by him. + +After lying perfectly still for about an hour, during which time, we +may safely conclude that he was refreshed by a comfortable nap, the +venerable patriarch raised his immense bulk till he was in a sort of +squatting posture, and began to converse with his companions; but I was +at such a great height above him, that I could only catch a word or two +here and there. But what are you laughing at, Bill Stacey? Do you think +everybody is as deaf and as stupid as yourself? You had better say at +once that you don't believe I could understand the elephant's language, +and then I'll leave off and turn in for the rest of the watch. Well, +then, behave yourself, my boy, and don't interrupt me any more, or I +won't say another word to-night. + +Let me see, where was I? Oh, I told you that I was too high up in the +tree to make out what the elephants were saying, but no doubt their +conversation related to the pitfall, as the old fellow grumbled out the +words, "stupid idiots!" "shallow contrivance!" and "whoever saw fruit +growing on a beaten path?" Hoping to gain some useful information, I +now, with extreme caution, descended from the top of the tree till I +reached a branch about twenty feet from the ground, and concealed +myself among the thick leaves. For some time after I had been in this +situation there was a dead silence below, and I almost feared that the +elephants had heard or smelt me, and were meditating some mischief. But +there was a strong breeze blowing, and this prevented them from hearing +me. In a few minutes, the patriarch, after casting a very affectionate +glance on his companions, and giving utterance to a tremendous grunt, +which I suppose he meant for a _sigh_, though you might have heard it +at the distance of a mile, began a sort of history of his life, which I +will repeat, if Bill Stacey will be quiet. + + * * * * * + +(_The old_ ELEPHANT _speaks for himself at last_.) + +True, my dear children, I have often promised to relate to you as much +as I can remember of my long life and experience, and as my increasing +bodily infirmities warn me that my days are drawing to a close, I +cannot do better than embrace this opportunity when we are not likely +to be interrupted by our companions. + +I am now going to put you in possession of a secret, which I should be +very unwilling to make public. It is universally believed by our +company, that I have spent many years in the service of man, and that +at this period of my life, I acquired that knowledge of his ways which +has been so useful in enabling me to detect and avoid his wicked +devices for the destruction of our noble race. To this belief I am +indebted for the influence I possess in our councils, and though my +years and experience might still be respected, I am certain, that the +ungrateful herd, ever fond of change, would immediately choose a new +leader, if they had the least suspicion of what I am going to +communicate to you. + +Know, then, my children, that I have never been a slave to the tyrant! +that I have never been that most abject of creatures, "_a tame +elephant_." No! my last days are not embittered by the consideration, +that I have ever in the smallest degree contributed to the happiness of +the two-legged monster. On the contrary, I am cheered by the +recollection, that a great part of my life has been spent in detecting +his tricks, and in thwarting his wicked designs. If our laws did not +forbid us to take the life of any creature except in self-defence, with +my knowledge of our enemies' weakness, we might easily take such +terrible vengeance, as would induce him at least to confine himself to +the neighbourhood of his own towns and settlements. But he cannot do us +much injury. So successful have I been in detecting his ridiculous +traps and pit-falls, that, for the last fifty years, not one of our +herd has fallen a victim to his vile designs, except the poor young +creature who threw his life away a few days ago, when, foolishly +confident in his own knowledge, he persisted in rambling about by +himself. Even in this melancholy affair, we may comfort ourselves that +we could better spare him than any other of his companions, and that +our enemies have gained little or nothing by his capture. + +But you will ask, if I have never been the companion of man, by what +means have I obtained that superior intelligence and knowledge of his +arts, for which our tribe are pleased to give me credit? I answer, +simply by keeping my _eyes_ and my _ears_ open, and by remembering what +I have _seen_ and _heard_. Follow my example, my dear children, and if +you ever arrive at my age, you will no longer wonder at the extent of +my information. + +Now let me endeavour to remember some of the most remarkable incidents +of my life. I have but a confused recollection of my very early +childhood, or of anything that happened before my thirteenth year, but +about that time I well remember I was in terrible distress at the loss +of my first tusks, and that my mother could hardly make me believe that +they would ever be replaced by others. But when these long-looked-for +second tusks really made their appearance, and had reached about the +length of my present miserable stump, I used to plague all my +acquaintance, by asking them whether they thought my tusks had grown +lately, or whether they would ever be as large and strong as our +leader's. At last I met with a cutting reproof from a surly old fellow, +who had often been pestered by me in this manner. + +"You impertinent young scamp," said he, "what do I care about your +tusks, or whether they grow or not? One thing I know, and will tell you +for your comfort. If, when you grow up, your head should be as +deficient in _ivory_ as it is in _sense_, you need have no fear +whatever of the hunters, for I am sure you would not repay them for +the trouble of killing you." + +This was very severe; but I must tell you that the old brute was +particularly cross on this occasion, for the day before he had been +terribly disappointed by not being chosen leader of the herd, and he +had found out, as I was afterwards informed, that he had lost his +election by the influence of my mother and some others of our family. + +Well, my children, if I was once proud of my tusks, I have no cause for +such foolish vanity now with this hideous stump, though the other is +still nearly half as long again as any in the herd. + +I will now relate to you how I first became acquainted with that +contemptible little animal, who has the vanity to call himself "the +lord of the creation." I think it was in my twentieth year, just at the +end of the rainy season, that our herd had approached within less than +fifty miles of the Dutch settlement, for the purpose of visiting a +tract of marshy land overrun with high canes, the tender tops of which, +you well know, are such delicious food. I was busily employed in a +cane-brake, close to the banks of the river, in company with my mother +and two of my younger brothers, when one of the latter, who had left us +for a few minutes to wash the clammy juice of the canes from his mouth +and trunk, returned in such haste and agitation, that for some time not +a sound could he utter, except unintelligible gruntings and +sputterings. At last, he stammered out, "Mother! mother! dreadful! I +have seen such a thing! Great monstrous monkeys, with long poles in +their paws, and sitting upright on the backs of immense deer, or some +such creatures, only they have got no horns on their heads!" + +Upon this, my mother, raising her trunk high in the air, immediately +sounded the well-known signal of alarm, and saying to us, "Follow, +boys, follow!" she darted through the cane-brake like a mad thing, only +stopping now and then to see how we kept up with her. We did our best; +but it was very laborious work, forcing our way at our utmost speed +through the thick canes, which were much higher than our heads, and in +some places; the ground was so soft, that we sunk in up to our bellies. +What a tremendous crash and splash we made, and how we did grunt and +snort! However, at last we reached the open country, two or three miles +from the bank of the river. Here we found more than half of the herd, +(we were seventy-five in number at that time,) and others were every +minute making their appearance from the canes. And now my mother, when +she had a little recovered her breath, turning to my brother who had +first given the alarm, explained to us the cause of this sudden +retreat. "My son," said she, "not _monkeys_ sitting upon _deer_ have +you seen, but _men_ upon _horses_, and the _long poles_ are _cruel +spears_ intended for your destruction." + +Our careful leader now called over the names of his company, and +finding that two were missing, he ordered us to retreat to a thick wood +at a short distance, while himself and his brother, a steady sedate old +fellow, entered the cane-brake again, in hopes of falling in with the +lost ones. Being now collected together, we did not fear the enemy, who +is too cowardly to attack any but stragglers from the main body; but we +were very anxious about the fate of our missing friends, especially as +they were both rather young and giddy. + +In about an hour we perceived the leader and his brother issuing from +the cane-brake, supporting between them one of the stragglers, who +appeared quite unable to walk by himself, and as they came near, we +could see that he was bleeding from several wounds in his body, and +that he had lost the use of one of his hind-legs. + +But what a dreadful account he gave us! He said that he and his +brother, whose name was Brisk, were feeding in an open space close to +the river, when they heard my mother's alarm-call, which Brisk said was +nothing more than her usual voice when she was scolding her children. +So he refused to retreat, and persuaded his brother to remain with him, +when suddenly they found themselves surrounded by ten or twelve hunters +mounted on horse-back, and armed with long spears. They made the best +resistance they could, and killed one of the hunters; but at length our +wounded friend, finding himself weak from his wounds, rolled down the +steep bank into the river, where he was concealed by the overhanging +trees, and as the cold water refreshed and strengthened him, he swam +gently down the stream, keeping close under the bank till he came to a +good landing-place. Here, he with difficulty managed to scramble on +shore, and was proceeding slowly and in great pain through the canes, +when he was found by the leader and his brother, without whose +assistance he said he should never have reached the herd, for he was +bleeding fast, and a deep spear-wound in the upper joint of his +hind-leg was becoming more and more painful at every step. + +After his wounds had been examined, and the bleeding had been stopped +by the application of the proper herbs, our poor friend was questioned +as to the fate of his brother, when he immediately swooned from excess +of agitation. Recovering a little, in a low voice and in broken words +he endeavoured to communicate the sad tidings. + +"Brother," said he, "brother Brisk--brother Brisk barbarously"--then +suddenly, to our amazement, jumping up on his three legs, he bellowed +forth with tremendous energy, "Brother Brisk barbarously butchered!" +Whereupon the whole herd, old and young, with quivering trunks high +raised in air, continued for some minutes to thunder forth in their +loudest tones, "Brother Brisk barbarously butchered! Brother Brisk +barbarously butchered!" + +Did that wild cry of despair reach the ears of the hunters? If so, I +envy them not their feelings. + +We continued in a close body all night with watchful sentinels on the +look-out. The next morning a council was held, from which my youth +excluded me; but we were soon informed, that our elders had determined +that we should retreat fifty or a hundred miles up the river, not (as +they were very particular in declaring) that they had any fear of the +enemy themselves, but on account of the number of young ones in the +herd, who, by wandering to a distance from the rest, would run great +risk of sharing the fate of poor Brisk. So, after waiting three or four +days for our wounded companion to recover a little, we set off on our +journey, keeping near the banks of the river, for the sake of the canes +and the opportunity of bathing. On the second day, coming to a narrow +part of the river, we determined to cross it as a greater security. It +was so shallow, that most of us could walk on the bottom with our +trunks raised above the surface of the water to breathe through, but +the very young ones either swam or were helped over by their mothers. + +When we were all collected together, we heard a loud shout from the +opposite bank of the river, and lo! there were our enemies again, eight +in number, mounted on horses, and with their long steel lances +glittering in the sun. They had no doubt been following us closely all +day, looking out for stragglers. Some of our company who had complained +bitterly of our leader's strict discipline in obliging us to march in a +close body, now began to look rather silly. In a few minutes, another +horseman who appeared more heavily laden than his companions rode up to +them, and, oh! sight of horror! from his saddle were hanging a pair of +tusks, which no doubt a few days before had adorned the head of the +unfortunate Brisk! + +After looking at us for some time, one of the hunters, more courageous +or more foolish than his companions, rode into the river as far as his +horse could go without swimming, till he was nearly half-way across, +and then, for the first time in my life, I had a fall view of the human +form and countenance. + +Never before had I seen such a ridiculous object as this hunter, who +was pronounced to be an Englishman by some knowing ones in our company. +He was larger, certainly, than our amusing friends the monkeys, but his +pale face was not half so agreeable and intelligent, and as he sat on +his horse with his long thin legs dangling in the water, he looked so +disappointed and miserable, that, forgetting for a moment his villanous +cruelty, I almost pitied him. And so much for "the majesty of the human +countenance" which I have heard spoken of, but could never yet perceive. +It has been said that a bold man can subdue the rage even of the +ferocious tiger, merely by fixing his eye upon him. Very likely, for the +tiger is as cowardly as he is cruel; but did anybody ever hear of an +_elephant_, old or young, being frightened at a couple of little +twinkling eyes? Oh! most absurd! + +After a little while the monkey--I mean the man in the river--joined +his companions on the bank, and when they had consulted together, they +seemed to give it up as a bad job. So they rode back down the river, +and we proceeded quietly on our journey. + +It was more than fifty years after this adventure before I again +encountered any of these savage disturbers of the peace of the +wilderness, though we often heard of them from herds who had lost some +of their number by the treacherous devices of the enemy. During this +long period of tranquillity, so little occurred worth noticing, that I +shall leave the relation of this part of my life till another +opportunity, and hasten to give you an account of my next interview +with man, on which occasion it was that I began those observations on +his manner of making pit-falls, and other contrivances for our +destruction, which have been of such service in enabling us to avoid +these dangers. At this time, instead of losing one of our companions, +we had the pleasure of rescuing a member of another community from a +lingering and dreadful death. + +We were quite on the other side of the island, several hundred miles +from the scene of the last tragedy. For some days we had been aware of +the neighbourhood of man from the smell of his watch-fires, and +accordingly we had doubled the number of our sentinels, and had taken +care not to wander far from each other. But we neither saw nor heard +anything of the enemy until about noon of a burning hot day, when, as +we were sheltering ourselves from the sun in a thick wood, we were +suddenly startled by loud shouts and yells, so discordant and hideous, +that we were sure they could be produced by no other animal but man. To +these cries we paid little attention, but presently was heard in the +same direction another sound--a sound which caused our very hearts to +burn within us, as we recognised the peculiar cry which a female of our +own species utters when in terrible distress and danger. A hasty +council was immediately called, when it was determined to rescue the +sufferer at all hazards, and twenty strong fellows, myself having the +command of the party, set off at full speed through the wood in the +direction of the cries,--every one of us bellowing as loud as we were +able. + +A very short time sufficed to bring us within sight of the enemy. In an +open part of the forest was a troop of twenty or thirty hunters, but +very different in their appearance from those I have before described; +for these were nearly naked savages, on foot, and armed only with those +ridiculous things, bows and arrows--weapons which our good stout skins +enable us to laugh at. These wretches, as soon as they caught sight of +our formidable band, took to their heels in great confusion, flying in +every direction, like a herd of antelopes before the cruel tiger; we +did not deign to follow them, but hastened at once to the spot they had +left. Here we found a deep pit-fall, and at the bottom was an +exceedingly beautiful and very black female elephant unhurt by the +fall, for the pit being large, she had fortunately escaped the +murderous sharp-pointed stake, and her cry of distress was soon +exchanged for one of joyful recognition, as she saw so many of her +friends looking down upon her, and assuring her that they would leave +no means untried to rescue her from her prison. But this was a much +more difficult matter than we had supposed; for the pit was so deep, +that, when the captive stood up on her hind-legs, her eyes were but +just level with the ground, and though we made many efforts to lift her +out with our trunks, our attempts were always ended by our poor +friend's tumbling back again with great violence into the pit, and +nearly pulling three or four of us down with her. I now sent off a +messenger for our leader, who soon arrived, bringing the whole herd +with him; but numbers could not help us out of the difficulty. + +At length, when we were beginning almost to despair, I chanced to +remember a plan, which I had heard was sometimes adopted by the +hunters, when they wished to take an elephant alive out of a pitfall. +Here, my children, was an instance of the advantage of _remembering +what we have heard_; and of remembering it at the right time too, for +our knowledge and experience are doubly useful to us when they enable +us to decide not only _wisely_, but _quickly_, in affairs of +difficulty. + +The method, which, at my suggestion, we now adopted, was this;--with +our tusks we dug up the earth around the pit, and then shovelled it in +with our feet, while our friend below trampled it down hard as fast as +it came in. This was very laborious, tedious work for both parties, but +we were amply rewarded for our toil; for at length the pit was so far +filled up, that, with the assistance of our trunks, the poor captive +managed to scramble out of her dungeon. She was dreadfully exhausted +with fatigue and hunger, for she told us that she had been in captivity +for three days, and she had no doubt that the hunters intended to +starve her to death, for they had made no attempts either to release +her, or to put an end to her sufferings. I need not tell you that our +unfortunate friend received the hearty congratulations of our +community, and that she was supplied with abundance of the most +nourishing food we could collect, having first been conducted by two of +our females to the river to wash and refresh herself after her +sufferings. + +So, when she was a little recovered, she informed us that she had +strayed away from her herd nearly a moon before, and that she was in +search of her companions when she met with her grievous disaster. Then +she begged permission to join our community, and the question being put +to the vote, was decided unanimously in her favour. + +Who was this adopted stranger? My children, she was _your mother_! the +faithful friend, who for seventy years has rewarded me, by her +affectionate companionship, for my exertions in rescuing her from the +cruel grasp of her enemies. + + * * * * * + +At this part of his story, said Jolly, the old elephant became so prosy +and tiresome, talking of his family affairs, and praising his great fat +black wife, that I have almost forgotten the rest of his adventures. +But I remember that he was chosen leader of the herd soon after his +marriage, partly on account of his cleverness in getting the old lady +out of the pit, but chiefly because, as he has already told us, his +companions believed that he had formerly been a tame elephant. He also +reminded his sons, that, though so old and infirm, he had lately broken +his tusk by fighting with and killing a very fierce rhinoceros. + +So when the old fellow had finished his history, he and his sons moved +off slowly towards the thickest part of the forest, and as soon as they +were out of sight I slid down from the tree and ran home to our +encampment. + +We set off next day in pursuit of another herd, which we soon fell in +with, and had good luck with our traps, so that we quickly loaded +ourselves with ivory. I persuaded my companions not to put any bait on +the pit-falls, for sure enough, as the elephant observed, it _does_ +look very unnatural to see fruit and green branches growing on a beaten +path. But whether our success was occasioned by this alteration in our +plans, or to the elephants being less cunning than the others, I cannot +pretend to tell you; but I say, boys, how angry the old leader would +have been, if he had thought, that, by letting out this secret, he had +lent a helping hand to "the contemptible little animals," as he had the +impertinence to call us! + +But I have talked myself hoarse, and it is high time to turn in. So +good night, youngsters, all! + + * * * * * + +Now _all_ my tales are finished, and I am going to add what an Irishman +might call a _Preface_, at the _end_ of the book. I have a reason for +this. If my preface had been placed at the beginning, perhaps you would +never have read it at all, but would have skipped over it, in hopes of +finding something more entertaining. For I was a _stranger_ to you when +you first took this little book into your hand, but now you have +finished it, I hope you will consider the author as a _friend_, who +will be very much grieved if you refuse to listen to his parting words. +And a very few words they shall be. + +Do you think this book has been written for your _amusement_ only? That +was my principal object, certainly; but I also intended slyly to convey +a little _instruction_ also. Therefore, in the descriptions of the +forms and habits of animals, some of which, though not uncommon in this +country, were perhaps almost unknown to you before, the greatest care +has been taken to insert no information which had not been proved to +be correct, either from consulting the best authors on the subject,[12] +or from my own observation. This may be called a _true story_, then, +except in one respect, that the characters have been endowed with the +gifts of speech and reason. How could I write a tale about animals that +could neither speak to each other, nor understand what was spoken to +them? And how can we be sure that "dumb creatures," as they are often +called, are not improperly named so, and that they do not possess a +sort of language of their own? That they have the power of expressing +some of their sentiments to each other is certain. + + [12] Especially "Bell's History of British Quadrupeds," a work + abounding in valuable and most interesting matter, and adorned + with beautiful wood-cuts, many of which are complete portraits of + the animals they represent. + +In studying the natural history of animals, we might at first suppose, +that some were less fitted for enjoyment than others, and we might say +that the mole, for instance, has had a hard lot assigned him, because +he is nearly deprived of sight, and is condemned to labour all his days +in searching for his food under the earth. But a more perfect knowledge +of the form and structure of this and other animals will convince us, +that they are _all_ so beautifully fitted for the situations for which +they were designed, that each may be said to pass its life in the +enjoyment of almost perfect happiness and abundance. For the Great +Spirit who called them into existence loves _all_ his creatures, even +the meanest and smallest. + +Do you believe this? You cannot doubt it, if you have made even a small +progress in the study of Natural history. The Creator's love for every +breathing thing, and provident care for its happiness, must be evident +to all those who pay attention to the works of his hands. What a great +crime, then, shall we be guilty of, if we inflict unnecessary suffering +on any of those creatures he has placed in our power! Creatures beloved +and cared for by God, but so frequently despised and ill-used by us! +Let us think of this, when we are treating any animal unkindly, and +beware lest we "be found even to _fight against God_," by thwarting his +benevolent designs for the happiness of every creature he has sent +forth upon the earth. + + +THE END. + +J. Rickerby, Printer, Sherbourn Lane. + + + + +New and Interesting Works for Young People, +PUBLISHED BY +HARVEY AND DARTON, +GRACECHURCH-STREET. + + +Fourth Edition, revised and enlarged, +HISTORICAL PRINTS. + +REPRESENTING SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE EVENTS IN +ENGLISH HISTORY, +IN WHICH THE COSTUMES OF THE TIMES ARE CAREFULLY PRESERVED. + +WITH DESCRIPTIONS BY EMILY TAYLOR, +Author of "Tales of the Saxons," &c. +TO WHICH IS ADDED, A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE +KINGS OF ENGLAND. + +Foolscap 8vo., cloth, gilt edges. 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