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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Animal Story Book, by Various
+
+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 Animal Story Book
+
+Author: Various
+
+Editor: Andrew Lang
+
+Illustrator: H. J. (Henry Justice) Ford
+
+Release Date: December 4, 2011 [EBook #38208]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Louise Davies, Sam W. and 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.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the
+transcriber, with reference to the list of illustrations, for the
+convenience of the reader.
+
+
+
+
+                      THE
+               ANIMAL STORY BOOK
+
+                   EDITED BY
+                  ANDREW LANG
+
+
+  _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. J. FORD_
+
+
+       [Illustration: {TWO ORAN OTANS}]
+
+
+           LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
+     FOURTH AVENUE & 30TH STREET, NEW YORK
+      LONDON, BOMBAY, CALCUTTA AND MADRAS
+                     1914
+
+
+              _Copyright, 1896,_
+           By Longmans, Green, & Co.
+
+            _All rights reserved._
+
+        First Edition, September, 1896.
+    Reprinted, November, 1896, July, 1899,
+          June, 1904, February, 1909,
+               September, 1914.
+
+
+
+
+    THE FAIRY BOOK SERIES
+
+    Edited by Andrew Lang
+
+    _New and Cheaper Issue_
+
+
+    EACH VOLUME, $1.00 NET
+
+
+    THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK. With 138 Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED FAIRY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.
+
+    THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. With 101 Illustrations.
+
+    THE GREY FAIRY BOOK. With 65 Illustrations.
+
+    THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. With 104 Illustrations.
+
+    THE PINK FAIRY BOOK. With 67 Illustrations.
+
+    THE BLUE POETRY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.
+
+    THE TRUE STORY BOOK. With 66 Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED TRUE STORY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.
+
+    THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK. With 67 Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED BOOK OF ANIMAL STORIES. With 65 Illustrations.
+
+    THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS. With 66 Illustrations.
+
+    THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 54 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE CRIMSON FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE BROWN FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 42 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE OLIVE FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 50 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE BOOK OF ROMANCE. With 8 Coloured Plates and 44 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED ROMANCE BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 44 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE BOOK OF PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. By Mrs. Lang. With 8
+      Coloured Plates and 43 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED BOOK OF HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. With 8 Coloured Plates
+      and 40 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE LILAC FAIRY BOOK. With 6 Coloured Plates and 46 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE ALL SORTS OF STORIES BOOK. By Mrs. Lang. With 5 Coloured
+      Plates and 43 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE BOOK OF SAINTS AND HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. With 12 Coloured
+      Plates and 18 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE STRANGE STORY BOOK. By Mrs. Lang. With Portrait of Andrew
+      Lang, 12 Coloured Plates and 18 other Illustrations.
+
+
+    LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO., NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+  [Illustration: ANDROCLES IN THE ARENA]
+
+
+
+
+    _To_
+
+    _MASTER FREDERICK LONGMAN_
+
+
+    This year our Book for Christmas varies,
+    Deals not with History nor Fairies
+      (I can't help thinking, children, you
+      Prefer a book which is _not_ true).
+    We leave these intellectual feasts,
+    To talk of Fishes, Birds, and Beasts.
+      These--though his aim is hardly steady--
+      These are, I think, a theme for Freddy!
+    Trout, though he is not up to fly,
+    He soon will catch--as well as I!
+      So, Freddy, take this artless rhyme,
+      And be a Sportsman in your time!
+
+
+
+
+_PREFACE_
+
+
+Children who have read our Fairy Books may have noticed that there are
+not so very many fairies in the stories after all. The most common
+characters are birds, beasts, and fishes, who talk and act like
+Christians. The reason of this is that the first people who told the
+stories were not very clever, or, if they were clever, they had never
+been taught to read and write, or to distinguish between Vegetable,
+Animal, and Mineral. They took it that all things were 'much of a
+muchness:' they were not proud, and held that beast and bird could
+talk like themselves, only, of course, in a different language.
+
+After offering, then, so many Fairy Books (though the stories are not
+all told yet), we now present you (in return for a coin or two) with a
+book about the friends of children and of fairies--the beasts. The
+stories are all true, more or less, but it is possible that Monsieur
+Dumas and Monsieur Théophile Gautier rather improved upon their tales.
+I own that I have my doubts about the bears and serpents in the tales
+by the Baron Wogan. This gentleman's ancestors were famous Irish
+people. One of them held Cromwell's soldiers back when they were
+pursuing Charles II. after Worcester fight. He also led a troop of
+horse from Dover to the Highlands, where he died of a wound, after
+fighting for the King. The next Wogan was a friend of Pope and Swift;
+he escaped from prison after Preston fight, in 1715, and, later,
+rescued Prince Charlie's mother from confinement in Austria, and took
+her to marry King James. He next became Governor of Don Quixote's
+province, La Mancha, in Spain, and was still alive and merry in 1752.
+Baron Wogan, descended from these heroes, saw no longer any king to
+fight for, so he went to America and fought bears. No doubt he was as
+brave as his ancestors, but whether all his stories of serpents are
+absolutely correct I am not so certain. People have also been heard to
+express doubts about Mr. Waterton and the Cayman. The terrible tale of
+Mr. Gully and his deeds of war I _know_ to be accurate, and the story
+of Oscar, the sentimental tyke, is believed in firmly by the lady who
+wrote it. As for the stories about Greek and Roman beasts, Pliny, who
+tells them, is a most respectable author. On the whole, then, this is
+more or less of a true story-book.
+
+There ought to be a moral; if so, it probably is that we should be
+kind to all sorts of animals, and, above all, knock trout on the head
+when they are caught, and don't let the poor things jump about till
+they die. A chapter of a very learned sort was written about the
+cleverness of beasts, proving that there must have been great
+inventive geniuses among beasts long ago, and that now they have
+rather got into a habit (which I think a very good one) of being
+content with the discoveries of their ancestors. This led naturally to
+some observations on Instinct and Reason; but there may be children
+who are glad that there was no room for this chapter.
+
+The longer stories from Monsieur Dumas were translated from the French
+by Miss Cheape.
+
+'A Rat Tale' is by Miss Evelyn Grieve, who knew the rats.
+
+'Mr. Gully' is by Miss Elspeth Campbell, to whom Mr. Gully belonged.
+
+'The Dog of Montargis,' 'More Faithful than Favoured,' and 'Androcles'
+are by Miss Eleanor Sellar.
+
+Snakes, Bears, Ants, Wolves, Monkeys, and some Lions are by Miss Lang.
+
+'Two Highland Dogs' is by Miss Goodrich Freer.
+
+'Fido' and 'Oscar' and 'Patch' are by Miss A. M. Alleyne.
+
+'Djijam' is by his master.
+
+'The Starling of Segringen' and 'Grateful Dogs' are by Mr. Bartells.
+
+'Tom the Bear,' 'The Frog,' 'Jacko the Monkey' and 'Gazelle' are from
+Dumas by Miss Blackley.
+
+All the rest are by Mrs. Lang.
+
+
+
+
+_CONTENTS_
+
+
+                                                            PAGE
+    'Tom': an Adventure in the Life of a Bear in Paris         1
+
+    Saï the Panther                                           14
+
+    The Buzzard and the Priest                                25
+
+    Cowper and his Hares                                      30
+
+    A Rat Tale                                                34
+
+    Snake Stories                                             43
+
+    What Elephants can Do                                     50
+
+    The Dog of Montargis                                      56
+
+    How a Beaver builds his House                             64
+
+    The War Horse of Alexander                                68
+
+    Stories about Bears                                       71
+
+    Stories about Ants                                        82
+
+    The Taming of an Otter                                    88
+
+    The Story of Androcles and the Lion                       91
+
+    Monsieur Dumas and his Beasts                             99
+
+    The Adventures of Pyramus                                154
+
+    The Story of a Weasel                                    160
+
+    Stories about Wolves                                     163
+
+    Two Highland Dogs                                        174
+
+    Monkey Tricks and Sally at the Zoo                       191
+
+    How the Cayman was killed                                194
+
+    The Story of Fido                                        200
+
+    Beasts Besieged                                          205
+
+    Mr. Gully                                                209
+
+    Stories from Pliny                                       213
+
+    The Strange History of Cagnotte                          215
+
+    Still Waters Run Deep; or, the Dancing Dog               219
+
+    Theo and his Horses: Jane, Betsy, and Blanche            225
+
+    Madame Théophile and the Parrot                          231
+
+    The Battle of the Mullets and the Dolphins               233
+
+    Monkey Stories                                           237
+
+    Eccentric Bird Builders                                  245
+
+    The Ship of the Desert                                   248
+
+    Hame, hame, hame, where I fain wad be                    253
+
+    Nests for Dinner                                         257
+
+    Fire-eating Djijam                                       259
+
+    The Story of the Dog Oscar                               264
+
+    Dolphins at Play                                         274
+
+    The Starling of Segringen                                278
+
+    Grateful Dogs                                            280
+
+    Gazelle                                                  282
+
+    Cockatoo Stories                                         289
+
+    The Otter who was reared by a Cat                        292
+
+    Stories about Lions                                      295
+
+    Builders and Weavers                                     307
+
+    More Faithful than Favoured                              310
+
+    Dolphins, Turtles, and Cod                               316
+
+    More about Elephants                                     321
+
+    Bungey                                                   329
+
+    Lions and their Ways                                     333
+
+    The History of Jacko I.                                  338
+
+    Signora and Lori                                         348
+
+    Of the Linnet, Popinjay, or Parrot, and other Birds
+      that can Speak                                         351
+
+    Patch and the Chickens                                   354
+
+    The Fierce Falcon                                        356
+
+    Mr. Bolt, the Scotch Terrier                             360
+
+    A Raven's Funeral                                        364
+
+    A Strange Tiger                                          368
+
+    Halcyons and their Biographers                           373
+
+    The Story of a Frog                                      375
+
+    The Woodpecker Tapping on the Hollow Oak Tree            384
+
+    Dogs Over the Water                                      387
+
+    The Capocier and his Mate                                394
+
+    Owls and Marmots                                         396
+
+    Eagles' Nests                                            399
+
+
+
+
+_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS_
+
+
+                                                            PAGE
+    Tom is invited to the Ball                                 3
+
+    'The Minuet was Tom's greatest Triumph'                    9
+
+    Tom discovered in the Box                                 12
+
+    'They at last all took hold of his Tail'                  16
+
+    Terror of the Orang-outang at Saï                         17
+
+    Saï has to take a Pill                                    21
+
+    The Cats no match for the Buzzard                         27
+
+    The Buzzard carries off Hat and Wig                       28
+
+    'Seeing such a number of Rats, he left his Horses
+      and ran for his Life'                                   37
+
+    The Rats in the Larder                                    41
+
+    The Baron kills the Snake                                 44
+
+    The Baron slays the Horned Snake                          46
+
+    How the Indians make the Horned Snake disgorge his
+      Dinner                                                  48
+
+    The Elephant helps the Gardener                           53
+
+    De Narsac recognises his Friend's Dog                     57
+
+    The Dog flies at Macaire in the presence of the King      61
+
+    The Baron kills the Bear                                  75
+
+    The Grizzly                                               79
+
+    Androcles in the Lion's Cave                              93
+
+    Androcles in the Arena                                    97
+
+    'Monsieur Dumas, may I accommodate you with my
+      Monkey and my Parrot?'                                 107
+
+    The Auvergnat and his Monkey                             111
+
+    The Last of the Laidmanoirs and Mademoiselle
+      Desgarcins                                             120
+
+    Dumas arrives at Stora with his Vulture                  127
+
+    'It's a regular Kennel'                                  131
+
+    Jugurtha becomes Diogenes                                135
+
+    Pritchard and the Hens                                   142
+
+    'Pritchard reappeared next moment with a Hare
+      in his Mouth'                                          145
+
+    Cartouche outwits Pyramus                                156
+
+    Mademoiselle de Laistre and her Weasel                   161
+
+    'When Day broke'                                         166
+
+    The Death of the Famous Wolf of Gévaudan                 171
+
+    'The Long Vigil'                                         187
+
+    The Capture of the Cayman                                197
+
+    The Wounding of Fido                                     201
+
+    The Dream of the Hungry Lion                             207
+
+    Cagnotte comes out of his Skin                           217
+
+    'And what do you Think she Saw'                          221
+
+    Blanche telling Ghost Stories to Jane in the Stable      227
+
+    How the Dolphins helped the Fishermen to catch
+      the Mullets                                            234
+
+    Two Oran Otans                                           238
+
+    The Baboons who stole the Poor Man's Dinner              241
+
+    Birds' Nests for Dinner                                  258
+
+    'In the full enjoyment of a large lighted Log
+      on the Dining-room Carpet'                             261
+
+    'Oscar would charge and rout them'                       265
+
+    'Oscar felt rather Frightened'                           269
+
+    'Oh, Oscar, Oscar, lad what _have_ you Done?'            271
+
+    The Boy goes to School on the Dolphin's back             275
+
+    Dumas finds Joseph standing on Gazelle's back            284
+
+    Dumas brings Gazelle to No. 109 Faubourg St.-Denis       288
+
+    The Lion caught in the Pit                               297
+
+    The Ambush                                               300
+
+    'All Three stopped to gaze at the Man who dared to
+      put himself in their Path'                             303
+
+    'And pinned Him to the Ground'                           314
+
+    'Long, Long Ago.' The Elephant dreams of his Old
+      Companions                                             323
+
+    The Elephant falls on his knees before the little
+      Scotch Terrier                                         327
+
+    Bungey at the Spanish Ambassador's House                 331
+
+    The Hottentot noticed a huge Lion lying in the Water     335
+
+    Annoyance of the Captain on finding his Flask of
+      Rum upset                                              339
+
+    Lori refuses to Share with the Signora                   349
+
+    A Raven's Funeral                                        365
+
+    The Tiger and his Friend                                 369
+
+    Love's disgraceful Behaviour out Shooting                377
+
+    The Sole Result of his Day's Sport                       380
+
+    Mademoiselle Camargo becomes a Barometer                 381
+
+    The Faithful Spaniel                                     389
+
+
+
+
+_'TOM'_
+
+_AN ADVENTURE IN THE LIFE OF A BEAR IN PARIS_
+
+From Alexandre Dumas.
+
+
+Some sixty years ago and more, a well-known artist named Décamps lived
+in Paris. He was the intimate friend of some of the first authors,
+artists, and scientific men of the day, and was devotedly fond of
+animals of all sorts. He loved to paint them, and he kept quite a
+small ménagerie in his studio where a bear, a monkey, a tortoise, and
+a frog lived (more or less) in peace and harmony together.
+
+The bear's name was 'Tom,' the monkey was called 'Jacko I.,'[1] the
+frog was 'Mademoiselle Camargo,' and the tortoise 'Gazelle.'
+
+    [1] To distinguish him from Jacko II., a monkey belonging to Tony
+    Johannot, the painter.
+
+Here follows the story of Tom, the bear.
+
+It was the night of Shrove Tuesday in the year 1832. Tom had as yet
+only spent six months in Paris, but he was really one of the most
+attractive bears you could wish to meet.
+
+He ran to open the door when the bell rang, he mounted guard for hours
+together, halberd in hand, standing on his hind legs, and he danced a
+minuet with infinite grace, holding a broomstick behind his head.
+
+He had spent the whole day in the exercise of these varied
+accomplishments, to the great delight of the frequenters of his
+master's studio, and had just retired to the press which did duty as
+his hutch, to seek a little repose, when there was a knock at the
+street door. Jacko instantly showed such signs of joy that Décamps
+made a shrewd guess that the visitor could be no other than Fan, the
+self-elected tutor in chief to the two animals--nor was he mistaken.
+The door opened, Fan appeared, dressed as a clown, and Jacko flung
+himself in rapture into his arms.
+
+'Very good, very good,' said Fan, placing the monkey on the table and
+handing him a cane. 'You're really a charming creature. Carry arms,
+present arms, make ready, fire! Capital!'
+
+'I'll have a complete uniform made for you, and you shall mount guard
+instead of me. But I haven't come for you to-night; it's your friend
+Tom I want. Where may he be?'
+
+'Why, in his hutch, I suppose,' said Décamps.
+
+'Tom! here, Tom!' cried Fan.
+
+Tom gave a low growl, just to show that he knew very well who they
+were talking of, but that he was in no hurry to show himself.
+
+'Well!' exclaimed Fan, 'is this how my orders are obeyed? Tom, my
+friend, don't force me to resort to extreme measures.'
+
+Tom stretched one great paw beyond the cupboard without allowing any
+more of his person to be seen, and began to yawn plaintively like a
+child just wakened from its first sleep.
+
+'Where is the broomstick?' inquired Fan in threatening tones, and
+rattling the collection of Indian bows, arrows, and spears which stood
+behind the door.
+
+'Ready!' cried Décamps, pointing to Tom, who, on hearing these well
+known sounds, had roused himself without more ado, and advanced
+towards his tutor with a perfectly innocent and unconscious air.
+
+'That's right,' said Fan: 'now be a good fellow, particularly as one
+has come all this way on purpose to fetch you.'
+
+  [Illustration: TOM IS INVITED TO THE BALL]
+
+Tom waved his head up and down.
+
+'So, so--now shake hands with your friends:--first rate!'
+
+'Do you mean to take him with you?' asked Décamps.
+
+'Rather!' replied Fan; 'and give him a good time into the bargain.'
+
+'And where are you going?'
+
+'To the Carnival Masked Ball, nothing less! Now then Tom, my friend,
+come along. We've got a cab outside waiting by the hour.'
+
+As though fully appreciating the force of this argument, Tom trundled
+down stairs four steps at a time followed by his friend. The driver
+opened the cab door, and Tom, under Fan's guidance, stepped in as if
+he had done nothing else all his life.
+
+'My eye! that's a queer sort of a fancy dress,' said cabby; 'anyone
+might take him for a real bear. Where to, gentlemen?'
+
+'Odéon Theatre,' said Fan.
+
+'Grrrooonnn,' observed Tom.
+
+'All right,' said the cabman. 'Keep your temper. It's a good step from
+here, but we shall get there all in good time.'
+
+Half an hour later the cab drew up at the door of the theatre. Fan got
+down first, paid the driver, handed out Tom, took two tickets, and
+passed in without exciting any special attention.
+
+At the second turn they made round the crush-room people began to
+follow Fan. The perfection with which the newcomer imitated the walk
+and movements of the animal whose skin he wore attracted the notice of
+some lovers of natural history. They pressed closer and closer, and
+anxious to find out whether he was equally clever in imitating the
+bear's voice, they began to pull his hairs and prick his
+ears--'Grrrooonnn,' said Tom.
+
+A murmur of admiration ran through the crowd--nothing could be more
+lifelike.
+
+Fan led Tom to the buffet and offered him some little cakes, to which
+he was very partial, and which he proceeded to swallow with so
+admirable a pretence of voracity that the bystanders burst out
+laughing. Then the mentor poured out a tumbler full of water, which
+Tom took gingerly between his paws, as he was accustomed to whenever
+Décamps did him the honour of permitting him to appear at table, and
+gulped down the contents at one draught. Enthusiasm knew no bounds!
+Indeed such was the delight and interest shown that when, at length,
+Fan wished to leave the buffet, he found they were hemmed in by so
+dense a crowd that he felt nervous lest Tom should think of clearing
+the road with claws and teeth. So he promptly led his bear to a
+corner, placed him with his back against the wall, and told him to
+stay there till further orders.
+
+As has been already mentioned, this kind of drill was quite familiar
+to Tom, and was well suited to his natural indolence, and when a
+harlequin offered his hat to complete the picture, he settled himself
+comfortably, gravely laying one great paw on his wooden gun.
+
+'Do you happen to know,' said Fan to the obliging harlequin, '_who_
+you have lent your hat to?'
+
+'No,' replied harlequin.
+
+'You mean to say you don't guess?'
+
+'Not in the least.'
+
+'Come, take a good look at him. From the grace of all his movements,
+from the manner in which he carries his head, slightly on one side,
+like Alexander the Great--from the admirable imitations of the bear's
+voice--you don't mean to say you don't recognise him?'
+
+'Upon my word I don't.'
+
+'Odry!'[2] whispered Fan mysteriously; 'Odry, in his costume from "The
+Bear and the Pacha"!'
+
+    [2] A well-known actor of the time.
+
+'Oh, but he acts a _white_ bear, you know.'
+
+'Just so; that's why he has chosen a brown bear's skin as a disguise.'
+
+'Ho, ho! You're a good one,' cried harlequin.
+
+'Grrooonnn,' observed Tom.
+
+'Well, now you mention it, I _do_ recognise his voice. Really, I
+wonder it had not struck me before. Do ask him to disguise it better.'
+
+'Yes, yes,' said Fan, moving towards the ball-room, 'but it will never
+do to worry him. However, I'll try to persuade him to dance a minuet
+presently.'
+
+'Oh, could you really?'
+
+'He promised to do so. Just give a hint to your friends and try to
+prevent their teasing him.'
+
+'All right.'
+
+Tom made his way through the crowd, whilst the delighted harlequin
+moved from one mask to another, telling his news with warnings to be
+discreet, which were well received. Just then, too, the sounds of a
+lively galop were heard, and a general rush to the ball-room took
+place, harlequin only pausing to murmur in Tom's ear: 'I know you, my
+fine mask.'
+
+'Grroooonnn,' replied Tom.
+
+'Ah, it's all very well to growl, but you'll dance a minuet, won't
+you, old fellow?'
+
+Tom waved his head up and down as his way was when anyone asked him a
+question, and harlequin, satisfied with this silent consent, ran off
+to find a columbine and to dance the galop.
+
+Meanwhile, Tom remained alone with the waiters; motionless at his
+post, but with longing eyes turned towards the counter on which the
+most tempting piles of cake were heaped on numerous dishes. The
+waiters, remarking his rapt attention, and pleased to tempt a
+customer, stretched out a dish, Tom extended his paw and gingerly took
+a cake--then a second--then a third: the waiters seemed never tired of
+offering, or Tom of accepting these delicacies, and so, when the
+galop ended and the dancers returned to the crush-room, he had made
+short work of some dozens of little cakes.
+
+Harlequin had recruited a columbine and a shepherdess, and he
+introduced these ladies as partners for the promised minuet. With all
+the air of an old friend he whispered a few words to Tom, who, in the
+best of humours after so many cakes, replied with his most gracious
+growl. The harlequin, turning towards the gallery, announced that his
+lordship had much pleasure in complying with the universal request,
+and amidst loud applause, the shepherdess took one of Tom's paws and
+the columbine the other. Tom, for his part, like an accomplished
+cavalier, walked between his two partners, glancing at them by turns
+with looks of some surprise, and soon found himself with them in the
+middle of the pit of the theatre which was used as a ball-room. All
+took their places, some in the boxes, others in the galleries, the
+greater number forming a circle round the dancers. The band struck up.
+
+The minuet was Tom's greatest triumph and Fan's masterpiece, and with
+the very first steps success was assured and went on increasing with
+each movement, till at the last figure the applause became delirious.
+Tom was swept off in triumph to a stage box where the shepherdess,
+removing her wreath of roses, crowned him with it, whilst the whole
+theatre resounded with the applause of the spectators.
+
+Tom leant over the front of the box with a grace all his own; at the
+same time the strains of a fresh dance were heard, and everyone
+hurried to secure partners except a few courtiers of the new star who
+hovered round in hope of extracting an order for the play from him,
+but Tom only replied to their broadest hints with his perpetual
+'Grroonnn.'
+
+By degrees this became rather monotonous, and gradually Tom's court
+dwindled away, people murmuring that, though his dancing powers were
+certainly unrivalled, his conversation was a trifle insipid. An hour
+later Tom was alone! So fleeting is public favour.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THE MINUET WAS TOM'S GREATEST TRIUMPH']
+
+And now the hour of departure drew near. The pit was thinning and the
+boxes empty, and pale rays of morning light were glinting into the
+hall when the box-opener, who was going her rounds, heard sounds of
+snoring proceeding from one of the stage boxes. She opened the door,
+and there was Tom, who, tired out after his eventful night, had fallen
+fast asleep on the floor. The box-opener stepped in and politely
+hinted that it was six o'clock and time to go home.
+
+'Grrooonnn,' said Tom.
+
+'I hear you,' said the box-opener; 'you're asleep, my good man, but
+you'll sleep better still in your own bed. Come, come, your wife must
+be getting quite anxious! Upon my word I don't believe he hears a word
+I say. How heavily he sleeps!' And she shook him by the shoulder.
+
+'Grrrooonnn!'
+
+'All right, all right! This isn't a time to make believe. Besides, we
+all know you. There now, they're putting out the lights. Shall I send
+for a cab for you?'
+
+'Grrroooonnn.'
+
+'Come, come, the Odéon Theatre isn't an inn; come, be off! Oh,
+_that's_ what you're after, is it? Fie, Monsieur Odry, fie! I shall
+call the guard; the inspector hasn't gone to bed yet. Ah, indeed! You
+won't obey rules! You are trying to beat me, are you? You would beat a
+woman--and a former artiste to M. Odry, would you? For shame! But we
+shall see. Here, help--police--inspector--help!'
+
+'What's the matter?' cried the fireman on duty.
+
+'Help!' screamed the box-opener, 'help!'
+
+'What's the matter?' asked the sergeant commanding the patrol.
+
+'Oh, it's old mother what's her name, shrieking for help in one of the
+stage boxes.'
+
+'Coming!' shouted the sergeant.
+
+'This way, Mr. Sergeant, this way,' cried the box-opener.
+
+'All right, my dear, here I am. But where are you?'
+
+'Don't be afraid; there are no steps--straight on this way--he's in
+the corner. Oh, the rascal, he's as strong as a Turk!'
+
+'Grrrooonnn,' said Tom.
+
+'There, do you hear him? Is that to be called a Christian language?'
+
+'Come, come, my friend,' said the sergeant, who had at last managed to
+distinguish Tom in the faint twilight. 'We all know what it is to be
+young--no one likes a joke better than I do--but rules are rules, and
+the hour for going home has struck, so right about face, march! and
+quick step too.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn'--
+
+'Very pretty; a first-rate imitation. But suppose we try something
+else now for a change. Come, old fellow, step out with a good will.
+Ah! you won't. You're going to cut up rough, are you? Here, my man,
+lay hold and turn him out.'
+
+'He won't walk, sergeant.'
+
+'Well, what are the butt ends of your muskets for? Come, a tap or two
+will do no harm.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn--Grrrooonnn--Grrrooonnn--'
+
+'Go on, give it him well!'
+
+'I say, sergeant,' said one of the men, 'it strikes me he's a _real_
+bear. I caught hold of him by the collar just now, and the skin seems
+to grow on the flesh.'
+
+'Oh, if he's a real bear treat him with every consideration. His owner
+might claim damages. Go and fetch the fireman's lantern.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn.'
+
+'Here's the lantern,' said a man; 'now then, throw some light on the
+prisoner.'
+
+The soldier obeyed.
+
+'It is certainly a real snout,' declared the sergeant.
+
+'Goodness gracious me!' shrieked the box-opener as she took to her
+heels, 'a real live bear!'
+
+'Well, yes, a real live bear. Let's see if he has any name or address
+on him and take him home. I expect he has strayed, and being of a
+sociable disposition, came in to the Masked Ball.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn.'
+
+'There, you see, he agrees.'
+
+'Hallo!' exclaimed one of the soldiers.
+
+'What's the matter?'
+
+  [Illustration: TOM DISCOVERED IN THE BOX]
+
+'He has a little bag hung round his neck.'
+
+'Open the bag.'
+
+'A card.'
+
+'Read the card.'
+
+The soldier took it and read:
+
+'My name is Tom. I live at No. 109 Rue Faubourg St.-Denis. I have
+five francs in my purse. Two for a cab, and three for whoever takes me
+home.'
+
+'True enough; there are the five francs,' cried the sergeant. 'Now
+then, two volunteers for escort duty.'
+
+'Here!' cried the guard in chorus.
+
+'Don't all speak at once! Let the two seniors have the benefit of the
+job; off with you, my lads.'
+
+Two of the municipal guards advanced towards Tom, slipped a rope round
+his neck and, for precaution's sake, gave it a twist or two round his
+snout. Tom offered no resistance--the butt ends of the muskets had
+made him as supple as a glove. When they were fifty yards from the
+theatre, 'Bah!' said one of the soldiers, ''tis a fine morning.
+Suppose we don't take a cab. The walk will do him good.'
+
+'Besides,' remarked the other, 'we should each have two and a half
+francs instead of only one and a half.'
+
+'Agreed.'
+
+Half an hour later they stood at the door of 109. After some knocking,
+a very sleepy portress looked out.
+
+'Look here, Mother Wideawake,' said one of the guard; 'here's one of
+your lodgers. Do you recognise him?'
+
+'Why, I should rather think so. It's Monsieur Décamps' bear!'
+
+The same day, Odry the actor received a bill for little cakes,
+amounting to seven francs and a half.
+
+
+
+
+_SAÏ THE PANTHER_
+
+From Loudon's _Magazine of Natural History_.
+
+
+About seventy or eighty years ago two little panthers were deserted by
+their mother in one of the forests of Ashantee. They were too young to
+get food for themselves, and would probably have died had they not
+been found by a passing traveller, and by him taken to the palace as a
+present to the king. Here they lived and played happily for several
+weeks, when one day the elder and larger, whose name was Saï, gave his
+brother, in fun, such a dreadful squeeze that, without meaning it, he
+suffocated him. This frightened the king, who did not care to keep
+such a powerful pet about him, and he gave him away to Mr. Hutchison,
+an English gentleman, who was a sort of governor for the English
+traders settled in that part of Africa.
+
+Mr. Hutchison and Saï took a great fancy to each other, and spent a
+great deal of time together, and when, a few months later, Mr.
+Hutchison returned to Cape Coast he brought Saï with him. The two
+friends always had dinner at the same time, Saï sitting at his
+master's side and eating quietly whatever was given him. In general he
+was quite content with his portion, but once or twice, when he was
+hungrier than usual, he managed to steal a fowl out of the dish. For
+the sake of his manners the fowl was always taken from him, although
+he was invariably given some other food to satisfy his hunger.
+
+At first the inhabitants of the castle and the children were much
+afraid of him, but he soon became very tame, and his teeth and claws
+were filed so that he should not hurt anyone, even in play. When he
+got a little accustomed to the place, he was allowed to go where he
+liked within the castle grounds, and a boy was told off to look after
+him. Sometimes the boy would go to sleep when he ought to have been
+watching his charge, and then Saï, who knew perfectly well that this
+was not at all right, would steal quietly away and amuse himself till
+he thought his keeper would be awake again. One day, when he returned
+from his wanderings, he found the boy, as usual, comfortably curled up
+in a cool corner of the doorstep sound asleep. Saï looked at him for a
+moment, and then, thinking that it was full time for him to be taught
+his duty, he gave him one pat on his head, which sent the boy over
+like a ninepin and gave him a good fright, though it did not do him
+any harm.
+
+Saï was very popular with everybody, but he had his own favourites,
+and the chief of these was the governor, whom he could not bear to let
+out of his sight. When his master went out he would station himself at
+the drawing-room window, where he could watch all that was going on,
+and catch the first sight of his returning friend. Being by this time
+nearly grown up, Saï's great body took up all the space, to the great
+disgust of the children, who could see nothing. They tried to make him
+move, first by coaxings and then by threats, but as Saï did not pay
+the smallest attention to either one or the other, they at last all
+took hold of his tail and pulled so hard that he was forced to move.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THEY AT LAST ALL TOOK HOLD OF HIS TAIL']
+
+Strange to say, the black people were a great deal more afraid of Saï
+than any of the white ones, and one of his pranks nearly caused the
+death of an old woman who was the object of it. It was her business to
+sweep out and keep clean the great hall of the castle, and one morning
+she was crouching down on all fours with a short broom in her hand,
+thinking of nothing but how to get the dust out of the floor, when
+Saï, who had hidden himself under a sofa, and was biding his time,
+suddenly sprang on to her back, where he stood triumphantly. The old
+woman believed her last hour had come, and the other servants all ran
+away shrieking, lest it should be their turn next. Saï would not
+budge from his position till the governor, who had been alarmed by the
+terrible noise, came to see what was the matter, and soon made Master
+Saï behave himself.
+
+  [Illustration: TERROR OF THE ORANG-OUTANG AT SAÏ]
+
+At this time it was settled that Saï was to travel to England under
+the care of one of his Cape Coast friends and be presented to the
+Duchess of York, who was very fond of animals. In those days, of
+course, journeys took much longer than they do now, and there were
+other dangers than any which might arise from storms and tempests.
+While the strong cage of wood and iron was being built which was to
+form Saï's house on the way to England, his lady keeper thought it
+would be a good opportunity to make friends with him, and used to
+spend part of every day talking to him and playing with him; for this,
+as everyone knows, is the only way to gain the affection of bird or
+beast. It was very easy to love Saï; he was so gentle and caressing,
+especially with children; and he was very handsome besides in his
+silky yellow coat with black spots, which, as the French say, does not
+spoil anything. Many creatures and many men might have made a great
+fuss at being shut into a cage instead of being allowed to walk about
+their own house and grounds, but everyone had always been kind to Saï,
+so he took for granted it was all right, and made himself as
+comfortable as he could, and was quite prepared to submit to anything
+disagreeable that he thought reasonable. But it very nearly happened
+that poor Saï had no voyage at all, for while he was being hauled from
+the canoe which had brought him from the shore into the ship, the men
+were so afraid to come near him that they let his cage fall into the
+sea, and if the sailors from the vessel had not been very quick in
+lowering a boat it would have been too late to save him. As it was,
+for many days he would not look up or eat or speak, and his friend was
+quite unhappy about him, although the same symptoms have sometimes
+been shown by human beings who have only been _on_ the sea instead of
+_in_ it. At last he was roused from his sad condition by hearing the
+lady's voice. He raised his head and cocked his ears, first a little,
+then more; and when she came up to the cage he rolled over and over
+with delight, and howled and cried and tried to reach her. When he got
+a little calmer she told him to put his paws through the bars and
+shake hands, and from that moment Saï was himself again.
+
+Now it was a very strange taste on the part of a panther whose fathers
+and grandfathers had lived and died in the heart of African forests,
+but Saï loved nothing so much as lavender water, which white people
+use a great deal in hot countries. If anyone took out a handkerchief
+which had been sprinkled with lavender water, Saï would instantly
+snatch it away, and in his delight would handle it so roughly that it
+was soon torn to atoms. His friend in charge knew of this odd fancy,
+and on the voyage she amused herself regularly twice a week with
+making a little cup of paper, which she filled with the scent and
+passed through the bars, taking care never to give it him till he had
+drawn back his claws into their sheaths. Directly he got hold of the
+cup Saï would roll over and over it, and would pay no attention to
+anyone as long as the smell lasted. It almost seemed as if he liked it
+better than his food!
+
+For some reason or other the vessel lay at anchor for nearly two
+months in the river Gaboon, and Saï might have been allowed to leave
+his cage if he had not been an animal of such very strong prejudices.
+Black people he could not endure, and, of course, they came daily in
+swarms with food for the ship. Pigs, too, he hated, and they ran
+constantly past his cage, while as for an orang-outang monkey about
+three feet high, which a black trader once tried to sell to the
+sailors, Saï showed such mad symptoms at the very sight of it that the
+poor beast rushed in terror to the other end of the vessel, knocking
+down everything that came in its way. If the monkey took some time
+to recover from his fright, it was very long before Saï could
+forget the shock he had received. Day and night he watched and
+listened, and sometimes, when he fancied his enemy was near, he would
+give a low growl and arch his back and set up his tail; yet, as far as
+we know, he had never from his babyhood killed anything.
+
+  [Illustration: SAÏ HAS TO TAKE A PILL]
+
+But when at last the winds were favourable, and the ship set sail for
+the open sea, other adventures were in store for the passengers.
+Pirates infested the coast of Africa in those days, and they came on
+board and carried off everything of value, including the stores of
+provisions. The only things they did not think worth removing were the
+parrots, of which three hundred had been brought by the sailors, and
+as these birds could not stand the cold, and died off fast as the ship
+steered north, Saï was allowed one a day, which just managed to keep
+him alive. Still, there is very little nourishment to be got out of a
+parrot, especially when you eat it with the feathers on, and Saï soon
+became very ill and did not care even for parrots. His keeper felt his
+nose and found it dry and feverish, so she begged that she might take
+him out of his cage and doctor him herself. A little while before, Saï
+would have been enchanted to be free, but now he was too ill to enjoy
+anything, and he just stretched himself out on deck, with his head on
+his mistress's feet. Luckily she had some fever medicine with her,
+good for panthers as well as men and women, and she made up three
+large pills which she hoped might cure Saï. Of course it was not to be
+expected that he would take them of his own free will, so she got the
+boy who looked after him to hold open his mouth, while she pushed down
+the pills. Then he was put back into his cage, the boy insisting on
+going with him, and both slept comfortably together. In a few days,
+with the help of better food than he had been having, he got quite
+well, and on his arrival in England won the admiration of the Duchess
+of York, his new mistress, by his beauty and gentle ways. As his
+country house was not quite ready for him, he was left for a few
+weeks with a man who understood animals, and seemed contented and
+happy, and was allowed to walk about as he liked. Here the Duchess of
+York used constantly to visit him and play with him, even going to see
+him the very day before he--and she--were to move into the country. He
+was in excellent spirits, and appeared perfectly well, but he must
+somehow have taken a chill, for when, on the following day, the
+Duchess's coachman came to fetch him, he found poor Saï had died after
+a few hours' illness from inflammation of the lungs.
+
+After all he is not so much to be pitied. He had had a very happy
+life, with plenty of fun and plenty of kindness, and he had a very
+rapid and painless death.
+
+
+
+
+_THE BUZZARD AND THE PRIEST_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+About one hundred and forty years ago a French priest received a
+present of a large brown and grey bird, which had been taken in a
+snare intended for some other creature, and was very wild and savage.
+The man who brought it was quite ignorant what kind of bird it was,
+but the priest knew it to be the common buzzard, and made up his mind
+to try to tame it. He began by keeping it shut up, and allowing it to
+take no food except out of his hand, and after about six weeks of this
+treatment it grew much quieter, and had learnt to know its master. The
+priest then thought it would be safe to give the buzzard a little more
+freedom, and after carefully tying its wings, so that it could not fly
+away, he turned it out into the garden. Of course it was highly
+delighted to find itself in the sun once more, and hopped about with
+joy, and the time passed quickly till it began to get hungry, when it
+was glad to hear its master calling it to come in to dinner. Indeed,
+the bird always seemed so fond of the priest, that in a few days he
+thought he might leave it quite free, so he unfastened its wings and
+left them loose, merely hanging a label with his own name round its
+neck, and putting a little bell round its leg. But what was the poor
+man's disgust, to see the buzzard instantly spread out its great wings
+and make for the neighbouring forest, deaf to all his calls! He
+naturally expected that, in spite of his trouble and precautions, the
+bird had flown away for ever, and sat sadly down to prepare his next
+day's sermon. Now sermons are things that take up a great deal of
+attention, and he had almost forgotten his lost favourite when he was
+startled by a tremendous noise in the hall outside his study, and on
+opening the door to see what was the matter, he saw his buzzard
+rushing about, followed by five others, who were so jealous of its
+copper plate and bell, that they had tried to peck them off, and the
+poor thing had flown as fast as it could to its master's house, where
+it knew it was safe.
+
+After this it took care not to wander too far from home, and came back
+every night to sleep on the priest's window sill. Soon it grew bolder
+still, and would sit on the corner of the table when he was at dinner,
+and now and then would rub his head against his shoulder, uttering a
+low cry of affection and pleasure. Sometimes it would even do more,
+and follow him for several miles when he happened to be riding.
+
+But the buzzard was not the only pet the priest had to look after.
+There were ducks, and chickens, and dogs, and four large cats. The
+ducks and chickens it did not mind, at least those that belonged to
+the house, and it would even take its bath at the same time with the
+ducklings, and never trod upon them when they got in its way, or got
+cross and pecked them. And if hawks or any such birds tried to snap up
+the little ones who had left their mother's wing to take a peep at the
+world, the buzzard would instantly fly to their help, and never once
+was beaten in the battle. Curiously enough, however, it seemed to
+think it might do as it liked with the fowls and ducks that belonged
+to other people, and so many were the complaints of cocks and hens
+lamed and killed, that the priest was obliged to let it be known that
+he would pay for all such damage, in order to save his favourite's
+life. As to dogs and cats, it always got the better of _them_; in any
+experiment which it amused the priest to make. One day he threw a
+piece of raw meat into the garden where the cats were collected, to
+be scrambled for. A young and active puss instantly seized it and ran
+away with her prize, with all the other cats after her. But quick as
+she was, the buzzard, who had been watching her movements from the
+bough of a tree, was quicker still. Down it pounced on her back,
+squeezed her sides with its claws, and bit her ears so sharply, that
+she was forced to let go. In one moment another cat had picked the
+morsel up in its teeth, but it did not hold it long. The process that
+had answered for one cat would answer for a second, as the buzzard
+very well knew. Down he swooped again, and even when the whole four
+cats, who saw in him a common enemy, attacked the bird at once, they
+proved no match for him, and in the end they were clever enough to
+find that out.
+
+  [Illustration: THE CATS NO MATCH FOR THE BUZZARD]
+
+It is not easy to know what buzzards in general think about things,
+but this one hated scarlet as much as any bull. Whenever he saw a red
+cap on any of the peasants' heads, he would hide himself among the
+thick boughs overhanging the road where the man had to pass, and would
+nip it off so softly that the peasant never felt his loss. He would
+even manage to take off the wigs which every one wore then, and that
+was cleverer still, and off he would carry both wigs and caps to a
+tall tree in a park near by, and hang them all over it, like a new
+kind of fruit.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BUZZARD CARRIES OFF HAT AND WIG]
+
+As may be imagined, a bird so bold made many enemies, and was often
+shot at by the keepers, but for a long time it appeared to bear a
+charmed life, and nothing did it any harm. However, one unlucky day a
+keeper who was going his rounds in the forest, and who did not know
+what a strange and clever bird this buzzard was, saw him on the back
+of a fox which he had attacked for want of something better to do, and
+fired two shots at them. One shot killed the fox; the other broke the
+wing of the buzzard, but he managed to fly out of reach of the
+keeper, and hid himself. Meanwhile the tinkling of the bell made the
+keeper guess that this must be the priest's pet, of which he had so
+often heard; and being anxious to do what he could to repair the
+damage he had done, he at once told the priest what had happened. The
+priest went out directly to the forest, and gave his usual whistle,
+but neither on that evening nor on several others was there any reply.
+At last on the seventh night he heard a low answer, and on searching
+narrowly all through the wood, the priest found the poor buzzard,
+which had hopped nearly two miles towards its old home, dragging its
+broken wing after it. The bird was very thin, but was enchanted to see
+his old master, who carried him home and nursed him for six weeks,
+when he got quite well, and was able to fly about as boldly as ever.
+
+
+
+
+_COWPER AND HIS HARES_
+
+From Bingley's _British Quadrupeds_.
+
+
+No one was fonder of animals, or kinder to them, than Cowper the poet,
+who lived towards the end of the last century; but of all creatures he
+loved hares best, perhaps because he, like them, was timid and easily
+frightened. He has left a very interesting account of three hares that
+were given to him when he was living in the country in the year 1774,
+and as far as possible the poet shall tell his own story of the
+friendship between himself and his pets--Puss, Tiney, and Bess, as he
+called them.
+
+Cowper was not at all a strong man, and suffered terribly from fits of
+low spirits, and at these times he could not read, and disliked the
+company of people, who teased him by giving him advice or asking him
+questions. It was during one of these seasons of solitude and
+melancholy that he noticed a poor little hare belonging to the
+children of one of his neighbours, who, without meaning really to be
+unkind, had worried the little thing almost to death. Soon they got
+tired even of playing with it, and the poor hare was in danger of
+being starved to death, when their father, whose heart was more tender
+than theirs, proposed that it should be given to their neighbour Mr.
+Cowper.
+
+Now Cowper, besides feeling pity for the poor little creature, felt
+that he should like to teach and train it, and as just then he was too
+unhappy to care for his usual occupations, he gladly accepted the
+present. In a very short time Puss was given two companions, Tiney
+and Bess, and could have had dozens more if Cowper had wanted them,
+for the villagers offered to catch him enough to have filled the whole
+countryside if he would only give the order.
+
+However, Cowper decided that three would be ample for his purposes,
+and as he wished them to learn nice clean habits, he began with his
+own hands to build them a house. The house contained a large hall and
+three bedrooms, each with a separate bed, and it was astonishing how
+soon every hare knew its own bedroom, and how careful he was (for in
+spite of their names they were all males) never to go into those of
+his friends.
+
+Very soon all three made themselves much at home in their comfortable
+quarters, and Puss, the first comer, would jump on his master's lap
+and, standing up on his hind legs, would bite the hair on his temples.
+He enjoyed being carried about like a baby, and would even go to sleep
+in Cowper's arms, which is a very strange thing for a hare to do. Once
+Puss got ill, and then the poet took care to keep him apart from the
+other two, for animals have a horror of their sick companions, and are
+generally very unkind to them. So he nursed Puss himself, and gave him
+all sorts of herbs and grasses as medicine, and at last Puss began to
+get better, and took notice of what was going on round him. When he
+was strong enough to take his first little walk, his pleasure knew no
+bounds; and in token of his gratitude he licked his master's hand,
+first back, then front, and then between every finger. As soon as he
+felt himself quite strong again, he went with the poet every day,
+after breakfast, into the garden, where he lay all the morning under a
+trailing cucumber, sometimes asleep, but every now and then eating a
+leaf or two by way of luncheon. If the poet was ever later than usual
+in leaving the house, Puss would down on his knees and look up into
+his eyes with a pleading expression, or, if these means failed, he
+would seize his master's coat between his teeth, and pull as hard as
+he could towards the window. Puss was, perhaps, the pleasantest of all
+the hares, but Bess, who died young, was the cleverest and most
+amusing. He had his little tempers, and when he was not feeling very
+well, he was glad to be petted and made much of; but no sooner had he
+recovered than he resented any little attentions, and would growl and
+run away or even bite if you attempted to touch him. It was impossible
+really to tame Tiney, but there was something so serious and solemn in
+all he did, that it made you laugh even to watch him.
+
+Bess, the third, was very different from the other two. He did not
+need taming, for he was tame from the beginning, as it never entered
+into his head that anyone could be unkind to him. In many things he
+had the same tastes as his friends. All three loved lettuces,
+dandelions, and oats; and every night little dishes were placed in
+their bedrooms, in case they might feel hungry. One day their master
+was clearing out a birdcage while his three hares were sitting by, and
+he placed on the floor a pot containing some white sand, such as birds
+use instead of a carpet. The moment they saw the sand, they made a
+rush for it and ate it up greedily. Cowper took the hint, and always
+saw, after that, that sand was placed where the hares could get at it.
+
+After supper they all spent the evenings in the parlour, and would
+tumble over together, and jump over each other's backs, and see which
+could spring the farthest, just like a set of kittens. But the
+cleverest of them all was Bess, and he was also the strongest.
+
+Poor Bess! he was the first to die, soon after he was grown up, and
+Tiney and Puss had to get on as best they could without him, which was
+not half as much fun. There was no one now to invent queer games, or
+to keep the cat in order when it tried to take liberties; and no one,
+too, to prevent Tiney from bullying Puss, as he was rather fond of
+doing. Tiney lived to be nine, quite a respectable age for a hare, and
+died at last from the effects of a fall. Puss went on for another
+three years, and showed no signs of decay, except that he was a little
+less playful, which was only to be expected. His last act was to make
+friends with a dog called Marquis, to whom he was introduced by his
+master; and though the spaniel could not take the place of Puss's
+early companions, he was better than nobody, and the two got on quite
+happily together, till the sad day (March 9, 1796) when Puss stretched
+himself at his master's feet and died peacefully and without pain,
+aged eleven years and eleven months.
+
+
+
+
+_A RAT TALE_
+
+
+Huggy was an old rat when he died--very old indeed. He was born in the
+middle of a corn-rick, and there he might have lived his little life
+had not the farmer who owned the rick caused it to be pulled down.
+That was Huggy's first experience of flitting, and it was done in such
+a hurry that he had hardly time to be sorry. It was pitch dark when
+his mother shook him up roughly and told him to 'come along, or he
+would be killed by the farmer,' and poor Huggy, blinking his sleepy
+eyes, struggled out of his snug little bed into the cold black night.
+
+Several old rats met him at the entrance, and sternly bade him stay
+where he was and make no noise, for the leader was about to speak.
+Huggy was wide-awake by this time. The rat spirit of adventure was
+roused within him by the scent of coming danger, and eagerly he
+listened to the shrill, clear voice of the leader:
+
+'Friends, old and young, this is not a time for many words, but I want
+you all to know the cause of this sudden disturbance. Last night I was
+scavenging round the farmer's kitchen, seeking what I might devour,
+when in came the stable-boy tapping an empty corn-sieve which he had
+in his hand. He said a few words to the farmer, who rose hastily, and
+together they left the kitchen, I following at a convenient distance.
+They went straight to the stable, and talked for some time with their
+backs to the corn-bin, which was standing open in the window. After a
+while I managed to scramble up and peer into it, only to confirm what
+I dreaded most--the corn-bin was empty! To-morrow they will pull down
+this rick, thresh the corn, and replenish the empty bin. So, my
+friends, unless we mean to die by dog, stick, or fork, we had better
+be off as soon as it is daylight.'
+
+There was a shuffle of feet all round, and a general rush of anxious
+mothers into the rick to fetch out their young. Huggy was waiting at
+the entrance; so, as soon as he caught sight of his mother, he raced
+off with her to join the fast-assembling crowd at the back of the
+rick. The leader ranged them in lines of ten abreast, and, after
+walking up and down to see that all were in their places, he gave a
+shrill squeak, and the column started. They marched steadily for about
+two miles--slowly, of course, because of the young ones. Nothing
+proved an obstacle to them. Sometimes a high wall crossed their path,
+but they merely ran up one side and down the other, as if it was level
+road. Sometimes it was a broad river which confronted them, but that
+they swam without hesitation--rats will not stop at such trifles.
+
+At length they came to a field where a man with a pair of horses was
+ploughing. His coat, in which his dinner was wrapt, lay on the wall
+some little distance from him. Seeing such a number of rats, he left
+his horses and ran for his life, and hid behind a knoll, whence he
+could view the proceedings without himself being seen. To his great
+disgust, he saw the creatures first crowd round his coat, then run
+over it, and finally eat out of his pocket the bread and cheese his
+wife had provided for his dinner!
+
+That was a stroke of luck for the rats. They had not counted on so
+early a breakfast; so it was with lightsome hearts they performed the
+rest of their journey.
+
+Huggy was very glad when it was over. He had never been so far in his
+life--he was only three weeks old. Their new home proved to be a
+cellar, which communicated on one side with sundry pipes running
+straight to the kitchen, and on the other with a large ventilator
+opening to the outside air. A paradise for rats! and as to the
+inhabitants of the house--we shall see.
+
+It was early in the afternoon when they arrived, so they had plenty of
+time to settle down before night. Huggy, having selected his corner,
+left his mother to make it comfortable for him, and scampered off for
+'a poke round,' as he called it. First he went to the kitchen, peeped
+up through a hole in the floor, and, seeing no one about, cautiously
+crept out and sniffed into all the cupboards. As he was emerging from
+the last he beheld a sight which made his little heart turn sick.
+There, in a corner which Huggy had not noticed before, lay a huge dog
+half asleep! And so great was Huggy's fright that he squeaked, very
+faintly indeed, yet loud enough to set Master Dog upon his feet. Next
+minute they were both tearing across the kitchen. Huggy was a wee bit
+in front, but so little that he could feel the dog's hot breath behind
+him. There was the hole--bump--scrabble, scrabble--Huggy was safe!
+Safe! yes--but oh, so frightened!--and what made him smart so
+dreadfully? Why, his tail ... was gone--bitten off by the dog! Ah,
+Huggy, my poor little rat, if it had not been for that foolish little
+squeak of fright you might have been as other rats are--but now! Huggy
+almost squeaked again, it was so very sad--and painful. Slowly he
+crept back to the cellar, where he had to endure the jeers of his
+young companions and the good advice of his elders.
+
+  [Illustration: 'SEEING SUCH A NUMBER OF RATS, HE LEFT HIS HORSES AND
+    RAN FOR HIS LIFE']
+
+It was some weeks before Huggy fully recovered himself, and more weeks
+still before he could screw up his courage to appear among his
+companions as the 'tailless rat;' but at long and at last he did crawl
+out, and, because he looked so shy and frightened, the other rats were
+merciful, and let him alone. The old rat, too--the leader--took a
+great fancy to him, and used to allow Huggy to accompany him on his
+various exploits, which was considered a great privilege among the
+older rats, and Huggy was very proud of it. One night he and the
+leader were out together, when their walk happened to take them (as it
+generally did) round by the pantry. As a matter of course, they went
+in, and had a good meal off a loaf which the careless table-maid had
+left standing on the shelf. Beside the loaf was a box of matches, and
+Huggy could not be happy till he had found out what was inside. First
+he gnawed the box a little, then he dragged it up and down, then he
+gnawed a little more, and, finding it was not very good to eat, he
+began to play with it. Suddenly, without any warning, there was a
+splutter and a flare. Huggy and the leader were outside in a
+twinkling, leaving the pantry in a blaze. Luckily no great damage was
+done, for the flames were seen and put out in time.
+
+So, little by little, Huggy was led on. In vain did his mother plead
+with him to be careful. He was 'a big rat now, and could look after
+himself,' he said. The following week the leader organised a party to
+invade the hen-house. Of course Huggy was among the number chosen. It
+required no little skill to creep noiselessly up the broken ladder,
+visiting the various nests ranged along each side of the walls; for
+laying hens are nervous ladies, and, if startled, make enough noise to
+waken a town. But the leader had selected his party well, and not a
+sound was made till the proper time came. Once up the ladder, each rat
+took it in turn to slip in behind the hen, and gently roll one egg at
+a time from under her. The poor birds rarely resisted; experience had
+taught them long since the futility of such conduct. It was the young
+and ignorant fowls who gave all the trouble; they fluttered about in a
+fright and disturbed the whole house. But the rats knew pretty well
+which to go to; so they worked on without interruption. When they had
+collected about a dozen eggs, the next move was to take them safely
+down the ladder into the cellar. This was very soon done. Huggy lay
+down on his back, nestled an egg cosily between himself and his two
+front paws; a feather was put through his mouth, by which means a rat
+on either side dragged him along. Huggy found it rather rough on his
+back going down the ladder, but, with a good supper in view, he could
+bear most things. The eggs having been brought thus to the level of
+the ground, the rats dragged them in the same way slowly and carefully
+down to the cellar.
+
+So time went on. Night after night parties of rats went out, and each
+morning they returned with tales of adventure and cunning--all more or
+less daring. But the leader was getting old. Huggy had noticed for
+some time how grey and feeble he was becoming; nor was he much
+surprised when, one day, the leader told him that he (Huggy) would
+have to take his place as leader of the rats. Two days after this the
+old rat died, leaving Huggy to succeed him; and a fine lot of scrapes
+did that rat and his followers get into.
+
+The larder was their favourite haunt, where joints of meat were hung
+on hooks 'quite out o' reach o' them rats,' as the cook said. But
+Huggy thought differently, and in a trice ten large rats had run up
+the wall and down the hook, and were gobbling the meat as fast as they
+could. But there was one hook in the centre of the ceiling which Huggy
+could not reach; from this hook a nice fat duck was suspended by a
+string. 'If only I could get on to that hook I should gnaw the string,
+and the duck would fall, and----'
+
+Huggy got no further. An idea had come to him which he communicated
+quickly to the others. The plan seemed to be appreciated, for they all
+ran to an old chair, which was standing just under this difficult
+centre hook. The strongest rat went first, climbed up the back of the
+chair, and balanced himself on the top; Number 2 followed, and
+carefully balanced on Number 1; Number 1 then squeaked, which meant he
+could bear no more. It was a pity he could not stand _one_ more; for,
+as they were, the topmost rat could just reach the prize, and though
+he nibbled all round as far as he could, it was not what might be
+called 'a square meal.' The cook was indeed amazed when, next morning,
+she found only three-fourths of her precious duck remaining. 'Ah!' she
+said, 'I'll be even with you yet, you cunning beasts!' And that night
+she sliced up part of a duck with some cheese, and put it in a plate
+on the larder floor. At his usual hour, when all was dark and quiet,
+Huggy and his followers arrived, and, seeing their much-coveted prize
+under their very noses, were cautious. But Huggy was up to the trick.
+'To-night and to-morrow night you may eat it,' he said, 'but beware of
+the third.' So they partook of the duck, and enjoyed it that night and
+the next, but the third the dish was left untouched.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE RATS IN THE LARDER}]
+
+The cook was up betimes that morning, so that she might bury the
+corpses before breakfast. Her dog (the same who had robbed Huggy of
+his tail), according to his custom, followed her into the larder. On
+seeing the plate just as she had left it the night before, the cook,
+in her astonishment, forgot the dog, who, finding no one gainsay him,
+licked the dish with infinite relish. Poor dog! In spite of all
+efforts to save him he died ten minutes afterwards; and the cook
+learnt her lesson also, for she never tried poisoning rats again.
+
+Here end the chief events of Huggy's life--all, at least, that are
+worth recording.
+
+Some years after the death of the dog I was sitting in the gloaming
+close to a steep path which led from the cellar down to the river,
+when what should I see but three large rats coming slowly towards me.
+The middle one was the largest, and evidently blind, for he had in his
+mouth a long straw, by which the other two led him carefully down the
+path. As the trio passed I recognised the centre one to be Huggy the
+Tailless.
+
+Next morning my little Irish terrier, Jick, brought him to me in his
+mouth, dead; and I buried him under a Gloire de Dijon in a sunny
+corner of the garden.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Fantastic as some of the incidents may sound, they are, nevertheless,
+true, having been collected mainly from an old rat-catcher living in
+the town of Hawick.
+
+
+
+
+_SNAKE STORIES_
+
+
+In 1850 Baron de Wogan, a French gentleman, left his native land and
+set sail for North America, to seek his fortune and adventures. He was
+descended from two noble adventurers, the Wogan who led a cavalry
+troop from Dover to the Highlands, to fight for Charles II., and the
+Wogan who rescued Queen Clementina, wife of James III., from prison in
+Innspruck. In 1850 adventures, wild beasts, and Red Indians were more
+plentiful than now, and Wogan had some narrow escapes from snakes and
+bears. Soon after coming to North America he had his first adventure
+with a rattlesnake; he was then camping at the gold fields of
+California, seeking for gold in order to have money enough to start on
+his voyages of discovery. His house was a log hut, built by himself,
+and his bed a sack filled with dry oak leaves.
+
+One day, finding that his mattress required renewing, he went out with
+the sack and his gun. Having filled the sack with leaves, he went off
+with his gun in search of game for his larder, and only came home at
+nightfall. After having cooked and eaten his supper, he threw himself
+on his new mattress, and soon was asleep. He awoke about three, and
+would soon have fallen asleep again, but he felt something moving in
+the sack. His first thought was that it was a rat, but he soon felt by
+the way it moved that it was no quadruped, but a reptile, no rat, but
+a snake! He must have put it in the sack with the leaves, as might
+easily happen in winter when these creatures are torpid from the cold,
+and sleep all curled up. With one leap the Baron was out of its
+reach, but wishing to examine it more closely, he took his gun to
+protect him in case of danger, and came near the bed again; but the
+ungrateful beast, forgetting that they had been bedfellows, threw
+itself on the gun and began to bite the muzzle. Fearing that it might
+turn and bite him next the Baron pulled the trigger, and hitting the
+serpent, literally cut it in two. It measured two feet long, and when
+the Baron cut off its tail, he found a quantity of scales which made
+the rattling sound from which this serpent gets its name.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BARON KILLS THE SNAKE]
+
+As soon as the Baron had found enough gold, he bought a mule whom he
+called Cadi, and whom he became very fond of, and set off into the
+backwoods in search of sport and adventure. (Poor Cadi eventually met
+a terrible end, but that is a Bear story.) He soon added another
+companion, a young Indian girl, Calooa by name. She was the daughter
+of a chief of the Utah tribe, and had been taken prisoner, with
+several other women, by a tribe of hostile Indians whom the Baron fell
+in with. She would have been tortured and then burnt with the other
+prisoners had the Baron not saved her life by buying her for a silk
+handkerchief, a knife and fork, and some coloured pictures. She
+wandered with him and shared all his adventures, till she was found
+again by her tribe and taken back to them. One hot day they had been
+marching together about thirty miles through a country infested with
+panthers and pumas. The Baron was heading the little procession, when
+suddenly a cry from Calooa that she only used in moments of danger
+made him turn round. Then he saw that what he had taken to be a huge
+rotten branch of a tree, and had even thought of taking with him for
+their camp fire, that evening, was in reality an enormous serpent. It
+lay across the path asleep, its head resting on the trunk of a tree.
+The Baron raised his gun to his shoulder, and came nearer the monster
+to get a good aim. He fired, but missed. The horrid creature reared
+itself nearly on end and looked at him with that fixed stare by which
+the serpent fascinates and paralyses its victim. The Baron felt all
+the fascination, but conquering it, he fired a second time, and this
+time wounded the creature without killing it outright. Though mortally
+wounded, the snake's dying struggles were so violent that the young
+trees all round were levelled as if they had been cut with a scythe.
+As soon as they were sure that life was extinct, Calooa and the Baron
+came nearer to examine the snake's dead body. Though part of his tail
+was missing, he measured nevertheless five yards long and eighteen
+inches round. Thinking that it seemed of unusual girth, the Baron cut
+it open with an axe, and found inside the body of a young prairie
+wolf, probably about a week old. The peculiarity of this snake was
+that it gave out a strong odour of musk, like the sea serpent in Mr.
+Kipling's book.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE BARON SLAYS THE HORNED SNAKE}]
+
+The most horrible serpent that the Baron encountered and slew was the
+horned snake; he learned afterwards from the Indians that it is the
+most deadly of all the snakes of North America, for not only is its
+bite venomous, but its tail has a sting which contains the same
+poison. It crawls like other snakes, but when it attacks it forms
+itself into a circle, and then suddenly unbending itself flings itself
+like a lion on its victim, head forward and tail raised, thus
+attacking with both ends at once. If by chance it misses its aim and
+its tail strikes a young tree and penetrates the bark, that tree
+immediately begins to droop, and before long withers and dies. On the
+occasion when the Baron encountered it, Calooa and he had been fleeing
+all night fearing an attack of hostile Indians. About daylight they
+ventured to stop to take rest and food. While Calooa lit the fire the
+Baron took his gun and went in search of game. In about half an hour
+he returned with a wild turkey. When they had cooked and eaten it, he
+lay down and fell asleep, but had only slept two hours when he awoke,
+feeling his hand touched. It was Calooa, who woke him with a
+terror-stricken face. Looking in the direction she pointed, he saw
+about fifty yards away an enormous horned snake wound round a branch
+of sassafras. It was lying in wait for a poor little squirrel, that
+cowered in the hollow of an oak. As soon as the squirrel dared to show
+even the tip of its nose, the serpent flung itself at it, but in vain,
+as its great head could not get into the hole.
+
+  [Illustration: HOW THE INDIANS MAKE THE HORNED SNAKE DISGORGE HIS
+    DINNER]
+
+'Fortunately,' the Baron says, 'my gun was by my side. I rose and went
+to the rescue of the defenceless little creature. When the serpent saw
+me he knew he had another sort of enemy to deal with, and hissing
+furiously hurled himself in my direction, though without quitting his
+branch. I stopped and took aim. The serpent evidently understood my
+attitude perfectly, for unwinding himself he began to crawl with all
+his speed towards me. Between us there was fortunately an obstacle, a
+fallen chestnut tree; to reach me he must either climb over it or go
+round, and he was too furious to put up with any delay. Ten paces from
+the tree I waited for him to appear, one knee on the ground, my gun at
+my shoulder, and the other elbow resting on my knee to steady my aim.
+At last I saw his horrid head appear above the fallen tree, at the
+same moment I fired, and the ball pierced his head through and
+through, though without instantly killing him. Quick as lightning he
+wound himself round a branch, lashing out with his tail in all
+directions. It was his dying struggle; slowly his fury subsided, and
+uncoiling himself he fell dead alongside the tree. I measured him and
+found he was eight feet long, and seven or eight inches round. He was
+dark brown, and his head had two horns, or rather hard knobs. Wishing
+to carry away some souvenir to remember him by when I should be at
+home again in France, I tried to cut off his horns, but found it
+impossible. Out of curiosity I then took an axe and cut him open, when
+I found inside a little bird, dazed but living. Presently it revived
+and began to flutter about, and soon flew away among the bushes and
+was lost to sight. I did not then know that this is a common
+occurrence, and that when the Indians find a serpent asleep, as is
+generally the case after the creature has gorged itself, they hit it
+on the head with a stick, which makes it throw up what it has
+swallowed whole, and its victims are often still living.'
+
+Calooa on one occasion had a narrow escape. She had put her hand into
+a hollow in a branch of a cherry-tree where was a blue jay's nest, to
+take eggs as she thought. Hardly had she put in her hand when she
+screamed with pain; a rattlesnake that had taken possession of the
+nest had stung her. The Baron, much alarmed, expected to see Calooa
+die before his eyes. He did not know of the remedy the Indians use for
+snake bites. Calooa herself was quite undisturbed, and hunted about
+among the bushes till she found the plant she knew of, then crushing
+some of the leaves between two stones, she applied them to the bite,
+and in a couple of hours was completely cured.
+
+Besides these snakes the Baron learned from the Indians that there is
+another even more dangerous, not from its sting, which is not
+poisonous, but because it winds itself round its victim, and strangles
+him to death. Fortunately the Baron never met one, or he would
+probably not have lived to tell his snake stories.
+
+
+
+
+_WHAT ELEPHANTS CAN DO_
+
+
+Long, long ago the earth was very different from what it is now, and
+was covered with huge forests made up of enormous trees, and in these
+forests there roamed immense beasts, whose skeletons may sometimes be
+seen in our museums.
+
+Of all these beasts there is only one remaining, and that is the
+elephant. Now the elephant is so big and shapeless that he makes one
+think he has been turned out by a child who did not know how to finish
+his work properly. He seems to need some feet badly and to want
+pinching about his body. He would also be the better for a more
+imposing tail; but such as he is, the elephant is more useful and
+interesting than many creatures of ten times his beauty. Large and
+clumsy though he may be, he alone of all animals has 'between his eyes
+a serpent for a hand,' and he turns his trunk to better account than
+most men do their two hands.
+
+Ever since we first read about elephants in history they were just the
+same as they are now. They have not learnt, from associating with men,
+fresh habits which they hand down from father to son; each elephant,
+quick though he is to learn, has to be taught everything over again.
+
+Yet there is no beast who has lived in such unbroken contact with man
+for so many thousands of years. We do not know when he first began to
+be distinguished for his qualities from the other wild animals, but as
+far back as we can trace the sculptures which adorn the Indian temples
+the elephant has a place. Several hundred years before Christ, the
+Greek traveller Herodotus was passing through Babylon and found a
+large number of elephants employed in the daily life of the city, and
+from time to time we catch glimpses of them in Eastern warfare, though
+it was not till the third century B.C. that they were introduced into
+Europe by Alexander the Great. The Mediterranean nations were quick to
+see the immense profit to which the elephant could be put, both in
+respect to the great weights he could carry, and also for his
+extraordinary teachableness. In India at the present day he performs
+all kinds of varied duties, and many are the stories told about his
+cleverness, for he is the only animal that can be taught to push as
+well as pull.
+
+Most of us have seen elephants trained to perform in a circus, and
+there is something rather sad in watching their great clumsy bodies
+gambolling about in a way that is unnatural as well as ungraceful. But
+there is no question as to the amount that elephants can be taught,
+particularly by kindness, or how skilfully they will revenge
+themselves for any ill-treatment.
+
+In the early part of this century an elephant was sent by a lady in
+India as a present to the Duke of Devonshire, who had a large villa at
+Chiswick.
+
+This lucky captive had a roomy house of its own, built expressly for
+it in the park, a field to walk about in, and a keeper to look after
+it, and to do a little light gardening besides. This man treated the
+elephant (a female) with great kindness, and they soon became the best
+of friends. The moment he called out she stopped, and at his bidding
+would take a broom in her trunk and sweep the dead leaves off the
+grass; after which she would carefully carry after him a large pail of
+water for him to re-fill his watering pot--for in those days the
+garden-hose was not invented. When the tidying up was all done, the
+elephant was given a carrot and some of the water, but very often the
+keeper would amuse himself with handing her a soda-water bottle
+tightly corked, and telling her to empty it. This she did by placing
+the bottle in an inclined position on the ground and holding it at the
+proper angle with her foot, while she twisted the cork out with her
+trunk. This accomplished, she would empty all the water into her trunk
+without spilling a drop, and then hand the bottle back to her keeper.
+
+In India small children are often given into the charge of an
+elephant, and it is wonderful to see what care the animals take of
+them. One elephant took such a fancy to a small baby, that it used to
+stand over its cradle, and drive away the flies that teased it while
+it slept. When it grew restless the elephant would rock the cradle, or
+gently lift it to the floor and let it crawl about between its legs,
+till the child at last declined to take any food unless her friend was
+by to see her eat it.
+
+Amazing tales have been told of what elephants can be trained to do,
+but none is stranger than a story related by a missionary named
+Caunter, about some wild elephants in Ceylon. Some native soldiers who
+had been set to guard a large storehouse containing rice, were
+suddenly ordered off to put down a rising in a village a little
+distance away. Hardly were their backs turned when a wild elephant was
+seen advancing to the storehouse, which was situated in a lonely
+place, and after walking carefully round it, he returned whence he
+came. In a short time he was noticed advancing for the second time,
+accompanied by a whole herd of elephants, all marching in an orderly
+and military manner.
+
+  [Illustration: THE ELEPHANT HELPS THE GARDENER]
+
+Now in order to secure the granary as much as possible, the only
+entrance had been made in the roof, and had to be reached by a ladder.
+This was soon found out by the elephants, who examined the whole
+building attentively, and being baffled in their designs, retired to
+consult as to what they should do next. Finally one of the largest
+among them began to attack one of the corners with his tusks, and some
+of the others followed his example. When the first relay was tired
+out, another set took its place, but all their efforts seemed
+useless; the building was too strong for them. At length a third
+elephant came forward and attacked the place at which the others had
+laboured with such ill-success, and, by a prodigious effort, he
+managed to loosen one brick. After this it did not take long to dig a
+hole big enough to let the whole herd pass through, and soon the two
+spectators, hidden in a banyan-tree, saw little companies of three or
+four enter the granary and take their fill of rice until they all were
+satisfied. The last batch were still eating busily, when a shrill
+noise from the sentinel they had set on guard caused them to rush out.
+From afar they could perceive the white dress of the soldiers who had
+subdued the unruly villagers and were returning to their post, and the
+elephants, trunks in air, took refuge in the jungle, and only wagged
+their tails mockingly at the bullets sent after them by the
+discomfited soldiers.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DOG OF MONTARGIS_
+
+
+For three days Aubrey de Montdidier had not been seen by his friends
+and comrades in arms. On Sunday morning he had attended mass in the
+Church of Our Lady, but it was noticed that in the afternoon he was
+absent from the great tournament which was held at Saint Katherine's.
+This astonished his friend the young Sieur de Narsac, who had
+appointed to meet him there, that they might watch together the
+encounter between a Burgundian knight and a gentleman from Provence,
+both renowned in tilting, who were to meet together for the first time
+that day in Paris. It was unlike Aubrey to fail to be present on such
+an occasion, and when for three successive days he did not appear at
+his accustomed haunts, his friends grew anxious, and began to question
+among themselves whether some accident might not have befallen him.
+Early on the morning of the fourth day De Narsac was awakened by a
+continuous sound, as of something scratching against his door.
+Starting up to listen, he heard, in the intervals of the scratching, a
+low whine, as of a dog in pain. Thoroughly aroused, he got up and
+opened the door. Stretched before it, apparently too weak to stand,
+was a great, gaunt greyhound, spent with exhaustion and hunger. His
+ribs stood out like the bars of a gridiron beneath his smooth coat;
+his tongue hung down between his jaws, parched and stiff; his eyes
+were bloodshot, and he trembled in every limb.
+
+  [Illustration: DE NARSAC RECOGNISES HIS FRIEND'S DOG]
+
+On seeing De Narsac the poor creature struggled to his feet, feebly
+wagged his tail, and thrust his nose into the young man's hands. Then
+only did De Narsac recognise in the half-starved skeleton before him
+the favourite dog and constant companion of his friend, Aubrey de
+Montdidier. It was clear from the poor animal's emaciated appearance
+that it was in the last stage of exhaustion. Summoning his servant, De
+Narsac ordered food and water to be brought at once, and the dog
+devoured the huge meal set before it. From his starved appearance, and
+from the voracity with which he devoured the food set before him, it
+was evident that he had had nothing to eat for some days. No sooner
+was his hunger appeased than he began to move uneasily about the room.
+Uttering low howls of distress from time to time, he approached the
+door; then, returning to De Narsac's side, he looked up in his face
+and gently tugged at his mantle, as if to attract attention. There was
+something at once so appealing and peculiar in the dog's behaviour
+that De Narsac's curiosity was aroused, and he became convinced that
+there was some connection between the dog's starved appearance and
+strange manner and the unaccountable disappearance of his master.
+Perhaps the dog might supply the clue to Aubrey's place of
+concealment. Watching the dog's behaviour closely, De Narsac became
+aware that the dumb beast was inviting him to accompany him.
+Accordingly he yielded to the dog's apparent wish, and, leaving the
+house, followed him out into the streets of Paris.
+
+Looking round from time to time to see that De Narsac was coming after
+him, the greyhound pursued its way through the narrow, tortuous
+streets of the ancient city, over the Bridge, and out by the Porte
+St.-Martin, into the open country outside the gates of the town. Then,
+continuing on its track, the dog headed for the Forest of Bondy, a
+place of evil fame in those far-off days, as its solitudes were known
+to be infested by bands of robbers. Stopping suddenly in a deep and
+densely wooded glade of the wood, the dog uttered a succession of low,
+angry growls; then, tugging at De Narsac's mantle, it led him to some
+freshly turned-up earth, beneath a wide-spreading oak-tree. With a
+piteous whine the dog stretched himself on the spot, and could not be
+induced by De Narsac to follow him back to Paris, where he straightway
+betook himself, as he at once suspected foul play. A few hours later
+a party of men, guided to the spot by the young Sieur de Narsac,
+removed the earth and dead leaves and ferns from the hole into which
+they had been hastily flung, and discovered the murdered body of
+Aubrey de Montdidier. Hurriedly a litter was constructed of boughs of
+trees, and, followed by the dog, the body was borne into Paris, where
+it was soon afterwards buried.
+
+From that hour the greyhound attached himself to the Sieur de Narsac.
+It slept in his room, ate from his table, and followed close at his
+heels when he went out of doors. One morning, as the two were
+threading their way through the crowded Rue St.-Martin, De Narsac was
+startled by hearing a low, fierce growl from the greyhound. Looking
+down he saw that the creature was shaking in every limb; his smooth
+coat was bristling, his tail was straight and stiff, and he was
+showing his teeth. In another moment he had made a dart from De
+Narsac's side, and had sprung on a young gentleman named Macaire, in
+the uniform of the king's bodyguard, who, with several comrades in
+arms, was sauntering along on the opposite side of the street. There
+was something so sudden in the attack that the Chevalier Macaire was
+almost thrown on the ground. With their walking-canes he and his
+friends beat off the dog, and on De Narsac coming up, it was called
+away, and, still trembling and growling, followed its master down the
+street.
+
+A few days later the same thing occurred. De Narsac and the Chevalier
+Macaire chanced to encounter each other walking in the royal park. In
+a moment the dog had rushed at Macaire, and, with a fierce spring at
+his throat, had tried to pull him to the ground. De Narsac and some
+officers of the king's bodyguard came to Macaire's assistance, and the
+dog was called off. The rumour of this attack reached the ears of the
+king, and mixed with the rumour were whisperings of a long-standing
+quarrel between Macaire and Aubrey de Montdidier. Might not the dog's
+strange and unaccountable hatred for the young officer be a clue to
+the mysterious murder of his late master? Determined to sift the
+matter to the bottom, the king summoned De Narsac and the dog to his
+presence at the Hôtel St.-Pol. Following close on his master's heels,
+the greyhound entered the audience-room, where the king was seated,
+surrounded by his courtiers. As De Narsac bowed low before his
+sovereign, a short, fierce bark was heard from the dog, and, before he
+could be held back, he had darted in among the startled courtiers, and
+had sprung at the throat of the Chevalier Macaire, who, with several
+other knights, formed a little group behind the king's chair.
+
+It was impossible longer to doubt that there was some ground for the
+surmises that had rapidly grown to suspicion, and that had received
+sudden confirmation from the fresh evidence of the dog's hatred.
+
+The king decided that there should be a trial by the judgment of God,
+and that a combat should take place between man, the accused, and dog,
+the accuser. The place chosen for the combat was a waste, uninhabited
+plot of ground, frequently selected as a duelling-ground by the young
+gallants of Paris.
+
+In the presence of the king and his courtiers the strange unnatural
+combat took place that afternoon. The knight was armed with a short
+thick stick; the dog was provided with an empty barrel, as a
+retreating ground from the attacks of his adversary. At a given signal
+the combatants entered the lists. The dog seemed quite to understand
+the strange duel on which it was engaged. Barking savagely, and
+darting round his opponent, he made attempts to leap at his throat;
+now on this side, now on that he sprang, jumping into the air, and
+then bounding back out of reach of the stick. There was such swiftness
+and determination about his movements, and something so unnatural in
+the combat, that Macaire's nerve failed him. His blows beat the air,
+without hitting the dog; his breath came in quick short gasps;
+there was a look of terror on his face, and for a moment, overcome by
+the horror of the situation, his eye quailed and sought the ground. At
+that instant the dog sprang at his throat and pinned him to the earth.
+In his terror, he called out and acknowledged his crime, and implored
+the king's mercy. But the judgment of God had decided. The dog was
+called off before it had strangled its victim, but the man was hurried
+away to the place of execution, and atoned that evening for the murder
+of the faithful greyhound's master.
+
+  [Illustration: THE DOG FLIES AT MACAIRE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING]
+
+The dog has been known to posterity as the Dog of Montargis, as in the
+Castle of Montargis there stood for many centuries a sculptured stone
+mantelpiece, on which the combat was carved.
+
+
+
+
+_HOW A BEAVER BUILDS HIS HOUSE_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+If we could look back and see England and Wales as they were about a
+thousand years ago, we should most likely think that the best houses
+and most prosperous villages were the work not of the Saxon or British
+natives, but of the little beavers, which were then to be found in
+some of the rivers, though they have long ceased to exist there. Those
+who want to see what beavers can do, must look to America, and there,
+either in Canada or even as far south as Louisiana, they will find the
+little creatures as busy as ever and as clever at house-building as
+when they taught our forefathers a lesson in the time of Athelstan or
+Canute.
+
+A beaver is a small animal measuring about three feet, and has fine
+glossy dark brown hair. Its tail, which is its trowel, and call bell,
+and many other things besides, is nearly a foot long, and has no hair
+at all, and is divided into little scales, something like a fish.
+Beavers cannot bear to live by themselves, and are never happy unless
+they have two or three hundred friends close at hand whom they can
+visit every day and all day, and they are the best and most kindly
+neighbours in the world, always ready to help each other either in
+building new villages or in repairing old ones.
+
+Of course the first thing to be done when you wish to erect a house or
+a village is to fix on a suitable site, and the spot which every
+beaver of sense thinks most desirable is either a large pond or, if no
+pond is to be had, a flat low plain with a stream running through,
+out of which a pond can be made.
+
+It must be a very, very long while since beavers first found out that
+the way to make a pond out of a stream was to build a dam across it so
+strong that the water could not break through. To begin with, they
+have to know which way the stream runs, and in this they never make a
+mistake. Then they gather together stakes about five feet long, and
+fix them in rows tight into the ground on each side of the stream; and
+while the older and more experienced beavers are doing this--for the
+safety of the village depends on the strength of the foundation--the
+younger and more active ones are fetching and heaping up green
+branches of trees. These branches are plaited in and out of the rows
+of stakes, which by this time stretch right across the river, and form
+a dam often as much as a hundred feet from end to end. When the best
+workmen among them declare the foundation solid, the rest form a large
+wall over the whole, of stones, clay, and sand, which gradually tapers
+up from ten or twelve feet at the bottom, where it has to resist the
+pressure of the stream, to two or three at the top, so that the
+beavers can, if necessary, pass each other in comfort. And when the
+dam is pronounced finished, the overseer or head beaver goes carefully
+over every part, to see that it is the proper shape and exactly smooth
+and even, for beavers cannot bear bad work, and would punish any of
+their tribe who were lazy or careless.
+
+The dam being ready and the pond made, they can now begin to think
+about their houses, and as all beavers have a great dislike to damp
+floors and wet beds, they have to raise their dwellings quite six or
+eight feet above the level of the stream, so that no sudden swelling
+of the river during the rainy season shall make them cold and
+uncomfortable. Beavers are always quite clear in their minds as to
+what they want, and how to get it, and they like to keep things
+distinct. When they are in the water they are perfectly happy, but
+when they are out of it they like to be dry, and in order to keep
+their houses warm and snug they wait till the water is low during the
+summer, and then they can drive piles into the bed of the stream with
+more safety and less trouble than if the river is running hard. It
+generally takes two or three months before the village is finished,
+and the bark and shoots of young trees, which is their favourite food,
+collected and stored up. But the little round huts, not unlike
+beehives, are only intended for winter homes, as no beaver would think
+of sleeping indoors during the summer, or, indeed, of staying two days
+in the same place. So every three or four years they spend the long
+days in making their village of earth, stones, and sticks, plastered
+together with some kind of mortar which they carry about on their
+tails, to spread neatly over the inside of their houses. All that a
+beaver does is beautifully finished as well as substantial. The walls
+of his house are usually about two feet thick, and sometimes he has as
+many as three stories to his house, when he has a large family or a
+number of friends to live with him. One thing is quite certain: no
+beaver will ever set up housekeeping alone; but sometimes he will be
+content with one companion, and sometimes he will have as many as
+thirty. But however full the hut may be, there is never any confusion;
+each beaver has his fixed place on the floor, which is covered with
+dried leaves and moss, and as they manage to keep open a door right
+below the surface of the stream, where their food is carefully stored
+up, there is no fear that they will ever be starved out. And there
+they lie all through the winter, and get very fat.
+
+Once a French gentleman who was travelling through Louisiana, was very
+anxious to see the little beaver colony at work, so he hid himself
+with some other men close to a dam, and in the night they cut a
+channel about a foot wide right through, and very hard labour they
+found it.
+
+The men had made no noise in breaking the dam, but the rush of the
+water aroused one beaver who slept more lightly than the rest, and he
+instantly left his hut and swam to the dam to examine what was wrong.
+He then struck four loud blows with his tail, and at the sound of his
+call every beaver left his bed and came rushing to see what was the
+matter. No sooner did they reach the dam and see the large hole made
+in it, than they took counsel, and then the one in whom they put the
+most trust gave orders to the rest, and they all went to the bank to
+make mortar. When they had collected as much as they could carry, they
+formed a procession, two and two, each pair loading each others'
+tails, and so travelling they arrived at the dam, where a relay of
+fresh labourers were ready to load. The mortar was then placed in the
+hole and bound tight by repeated blows from the beavers' tails. So
+hard did they work and so much sense did they show, that in a short
+time all was as firm as ever. Then one of the leading spirits clapped
+his tail twice, and in a moment all were in bed and asleep again.
+
+Beavers are very hard-working, but they know how to make themselves
+comfortable too, and if they are content with bark and twigs at home,
+they appreciate nicer food if they can get it. A gentleman once took a
+beaver with him to New York, and it used to wander about the house
+like a dog, feeding chiefly upon bread, with fish now and then for a
+treat. Not being able to find any moss or leaves for a bed, it used to
+seize upon all the soft bits of stuff that came in its way, and carry
+them off to its sleeping corner. One day a cat discovered its hiding
+place, and thought it would be a nice comfortable place for her
+kittens to sleep, and when the beaver came back from his walk he
+found, like the three bears, that someone was sleeping in his bed. He
+had never seen things of that kind before, but they were small and he
+was big, so he said nothing and lay down somewhere else. Only, if ever
+their mother was away, he would go and hold one of them to his breast
+to warm it, and keep it there till its mother came back.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WAR HORSE OF ALEXANDER_
+
+Part of the story of Bucephalus is taken from Plutarch.
+
+
+There are not so many stories about horses as there are about dogs and
+cats, yet almost every great general has had his favourite horse, who
+has gone with him through many campaigns and borne him safe in many
+battle-fields. At a town in Sicily called Agrigentum, they set such
+store by their horses, that pyramids were raised over their
+burial-place, and the Emperor Augustus built a splendid monument over
+the grave of an old favourite.
+
+The most famous horse, perhaps, who ever lived, was one belonging to
+Alexander the Great, and was called Bucephalus. When the king was a
+boy, Bucephalus was brought before Philip, King of Macedon,
+Alexander's father, by Philonicus the Thessalian, and offered for sale
+for the large sum of thirteen talents. Beautiful though he was, Philip
+wisely declined to buy him before knowing what manner of horse he was,
+and ordered him to be led into a neighbouring field, and a groom to
+mount him. But it was in vain that the best and most experienced
+riders approached the horse; he reared up on his hind legs, and would
+suffer none to come near him. So Philonicus the Thessalian was told to
+take his horse back whence he came, for the king would have none of
+him.
+
+Now the boy Alexander stood by, and his heart went out to the
+beautiful creature. And he cried out, 'What a good horse do we lose
+for lack of skill to mount him!' Philip the king heard these words,
+and his soul was vexed to see the horse depart, but yet he knew not
+what else to do. Then he turned to Alexander and said: 'Do you think
+that you, young and untried, can ride this horse better than those who
+have grown old in the stables?' To which Alexander made answer, 'This
+horse I know I could ride better than they.' 'And if you fail,' asked
+Philip, 'what price will you pay for your good conceit of yourself?'
+And Alexander laughed out and said gaily, 'I will pay the price of the
+horse.' And thus it was settled.
+
+So Alexander drew near to the horse, and took him by the bridle,
+turning his face to the sun so that he might not be frightened at the
+movements of his own shadow, for the prince had noticed that it scared
+him greatly. Then Alexander stroked his head and led him forwards,
+feeling his temper all the while, and when the horse began to get
+uneasy, the prince suddenly leapt on his back, and gradually curbed
+him with the bridle. Suddenly, as Bucephalus gave up trying to throw
+his rider, and only pawed the ground impatient to be off, Alexander
+shook the reins, and bidding him go, they flew like lightning round
+the course. This was Alexander's first conquest, and as he jumped down
+from the horse, his father exclaimed, 'Go, my son, and seek for a
+kingdom that is worthy, for Macedon is too small for such as thee.'
+
+Henceforth Bucephalus made it clear that he served Alexander and no
+one else. He would submit quietly to having the gay trappings of a
+king's steed fastened on his head, and the royal saddle put on, but if
+any groom tried to mount him, back would go his ears and up would go
+his heels, and none dared come near him. For ten years after Alexander
+succeeded his father on the throne of Macedon (B.C. 336), Bucephalus
+bore him through all his battles, and was, says Pliny, 'of a passing
+good and memorable service in the wars,' and even when wounded, as he
+once was at the taking of Thebes, would not suffer his master to mount
+another horse. Together these two swam rivers, crossed mountains,
+penetrated into the dominions of the Great King, and farther still
+into the heart of Asia, beyond the Caspian and the river Oxus, where
+never European army had gone before. Then turning sharp south, he
+crossed the range of the Hindoo Koosh, and entering the country of the
+Five Rivers, he prepared to attack Porus, king of India. But age and
+the wanderings of ten years had worn Bucephalus out. One last victory
+near the Hydaspes or Jelum, and the old horse sank down and died, full
+of years and honours (B.C. 326). Bitter were the lamentations of the
+king for the friend of his childhood, but his grief did not show
+itself only in weeping. The most splendid funeral Alexander could
+devise was given to Bucephalus, and a gorgeous tomb erected over his
+body. And more than that, Alexander resolved that the memory of his
+old horse should be kept green in these burning Indian deserts,
+thousands of miles from the Thessalian plains where he was born, so
+round his tomb the king built a city, and it was called
+
+    'BUCEPHALIA.'
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT BEARS_
+
+
+Baron de Wogan, a French gentleman, whose adventures with snakes are
+also curious, was the hero of some encounters with the grizzly bear of
+North America. First, I would have you understand what sort of a
+creature he had for an opponent. Imagine a monster measuring when
+standing upright eight or nine feet, weighing 900 lbs., of a most
+terrifying appearance, in agility and strength surpassing all other
+animals, and cruel in proportion. Like his cousin the brown bear, whom
+he resembles in shape, he is a hermit and lives alone in the immense
+trackless forests which covered the Rocky Mountains, and indeed (at
+least in olden times) the greater part of North America. During the
+day he sleeps in the depths of some mountain cavern, and wakes up at
+dusk to go out in search of prey. All the beasts of the forest live in
+terror of him--even the white bear flies before him. He would go down
+to the valleys and attack the immense herds of buffaloes which grazed
+there, and which were powerless against him, in spite of their numbers
+and their great horns. They join themselves closely together and form
+one compact rank, but the grizzly bear hurls himself at them, breaks
+their ranks, scatters them, and then pursuing them till he catches
+them up, flings himself on the back of one, hugs it in his iron
+embrace, breaks its skull with his teeth, and so goes slaying right
+and left before he eats one. Before the Baron's first, so to say,
+hand-to-hand encounter with a grizzly, he had been long enough in the
+country to know something of their ways, and how worse than useless a
+shot is unless in a fatal spot.
+
+After the return to her tribe of Calooa, a young Indian girl, who had
+been his one human companion in many days of wandering, the Baron was
+left with only his mule Cadi for friend and companion, and naturally
+felt very lonely. He set his heart on getting to the top of the Rocky
+Mountains, at the foot of which he then happened to be. Their
+glittering summits had so irresistible an attraction for him, that he
+did not stay to consider the difficulties which soon beset him at
+every step. No sooner did he conquer one than another arose, added to
+which the cold of these high regions was intense, and it constantly
+snowed. After three days he had to declare himself not only beaten,
+but so worn out that he must take a week's rest if he did not want to
+fall ill. First it was necessary to have some sort of a shelter, and
+by great good luck he found just at hand a cavern in the rock, which,
+without being exactly a palace, seemed as if it would answer his
+purpose.
+
+Upon closer examination he found that it had more drawbacks than he
+cared about. All round were scattered gnawed bones of animals, and the
+prints of bear's claws on the ground left no doubt as to who the last
+inmate had been. The Baron, however, preferred to risk an invasion
+rather than seek another abode, and prepared for probable inroads by
+making across the entrance to the cave a barricade of branches of oak
+tied together with flax, a quantity of which grew near. He then lit a
+good fire inside the cave, but as the last tenant had not considered a
+chimney necessary; the dense smoke soon obliged him to beat a hasty
+retreat. Besides he had to go out to get supplies for his larder, at
+present as bare as Mother Hubbard's. With his usual good luck the
+Baron found, first, a large salmon flapping wildly in its effort to
+get out of a pool, where the fallen river had left it. This he killed,
+and next he shot a young deer about a mile away and carried it to
+camp on his back. In order to preserve these eatables he salted some
+of them with salt that he had previously found in a lake near, and had
+carefully preserved for future use. He then dug a hole in a corner of
+the cave, putting a thick layer of dry hay at the bottom, and buried
+his provisions Indian fashion, in order to preserve them.
+
+As it was still only twelve o'clock, the Baron thought he would spend
+the rest of the day in exploring the neighbourhood; first he examined
+the cave, which he found to be formed of big blocks of rock firmly
+joined together; above the cave rose the cliff, and in front of it
+grew a fir-tree, which served at the same time to defend the entrance,
+and as a ladder to enable him to mount the cliff. As he could not take
+Cadi with him, he fastened him to the fir-tree by his halter and girth
+joined together, so as to leave him plenty of room to graze. Then he
+put some eatables in his game bag, and set off on a tour of discovery.
+When he had walked about three hours, and had reached a rocky point
+from which he had a fine view of the surrounding country, he sat down
+to rest under an oak-tree. He knew nothing more till the cold awoke
+him--it was now six o'clock, and he had slept three hours. He started
+with all the haste he could to get back to his cave and Cadi before
+dark, but so tired and footsore was he that he was obliged to give in
+and camp where he was, for night was coming on fast. It was bitterly
+cold and snow fell constantly, so he lit a large fire, which at the
+same time warmed him, and kept away the bears whom he heard wandering
+round the camp most of the night. As soon as the sun was up in the
+morning, he set off with all his speed to see what had become of Cadi;
+but though fifteen miles is not much to bears balked of their prey, it
+is much to a weary and footsore man, and when he had hobbled to within
+half a mile of the camp, he saw that it was too late: the bears, whom
+he had driven away from his camp in the night with fire-brands, had
+scented poor Cadi, and four of them were now devouring him--father,
+mother, and two cubs. Imagine his rage and grief at seeing his only
+friend and companion devoured piecemeal before his very eyes!
+
+His first impulse was to fire, but he reflected in time that they were
+four to one, and that, instead of avenging Cadi, he would only share
+his fate. He decided to wait on a high rock till the meal was ended.
+It lasted an hour, and then he saw the whole family set off to climb
+the mountain, from the top of which he had been watching them. They
+seemed to be making straight for him, and as it would be certain death
+to sit and wait for them, he slipped into a cranny in the rock, hoping
+that he might not be perceived; even if he was, he could only be
+attacked by one at a time. He had not long to wait: soon all four
+bears passed in single file, without smelling him or being aware of
+him; for this he had to thank poor Cadi: their horrid snouts and jaws
+being smeared with his blood prevented their scenting fresh prey.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE BARON KILLS THE BEAR}]
+
+When he had seen them at a safe distance, he ventured to go down to
+the cave he could no longer call his own. Of Cadi, nothing remained
+but his head, still fastened to the tree by his halter. The barricade
+was gone, too, and from the cave came low but unmistakable growls.
+With one bound the Baron was up the tree, and from the tree on to the
+cliff. From there he threw stones down before the entrance to the
+cave, to induce the present inmate to come out, in order that he might
+take possession again. The bear soon came out, and, perceiving him,
+made for the fir-tree. By its slow and languid movements the Baron saw
+that it was curiosity more than anger that prompted it, and, moreover,
+it was evidently a very old bear, probably a grandfather, whose
+children and grandchildren had been to pay it a visit. Curiosity or
+not, the Baron had no wish to make a closer acquaintance, and fired a
+shot at the brute by way of a hint to that effect. This immediately
+turned his curiosity into wrath. Seizing the fir-tree, which he was
+going to use as a ladder, he began to climb up. A second shot hit him
+in the shoulder. He fell mortally wounded, but even after a third
+shot, which took him in the flank, his dying struggles lasted twenty
+minutes, during which he tore at the roots of the fir-trees with his
+terrific claws. The Baron did not care to waste any of his bullets,
+now getting scarce, in putting out of his pain one of Cadi's
+murderers. When finally the bear was dead, the Baron came down to take
+possession of his cave, and at the same time of the bear's skin. On
+penetrating into the cave, he found that the rascal had paid him out
+in his own coin, and, in revenge for the Baron taking his cave, had
+eaten his provisions. The Baron was quits in the end, however, as the
+bear's carcase furnished him meat enough for several days. The Baron
+cut off pounds of steak, which he salted and dried over the fire. The
+useless remains he threw over the nearest precipice, so that they
+should not attract wild beasts, to keep him awake all night with their
+cries. Then, having made a huge fire in front of the entrance, which,
+moreover, he barricaded with branches, he threw himself on his bed of
+dry leaves to sleep the sleep of exhaustion.
+
+Some time passed before the Baron's next encounter with a bear. He was
+camping one night in a dense forest, sleeping, as usual, with one eye
+and one ear open, and his weapon at hand, all ready loaded. His rest
+was broken by the usual nightly sounds of the forest, of leaves
+crunched and branches broken, showing that many of the inmates of the
+woods were astir; but he did not let these usual sounds disturb him,
+till he heard in the distance the hoarse and unmistakable cry of the
+bear; then he thought it time to change the shot in his gun for
+something more worthy of such a foe. This preparation made, he set off
+at dawn on his day's march, which up to midday led him along the bank
+of a large river. He thought no more of the blood-curdling howls of
+the night, till suddenly he heard from a distance terror-stricken
+cries. He put his ear to the ground, Indian fashion, to listen
+better, and as the danger, whatever it was, seemed to be coming
+nearer, he jumped into a thicket of wild cherry and willow trees, and
+waited there in ambush, gun in hand. In a few minutes, a band of
+Indians with their squaws appeared on the opposite bank of the river,
+and straightway leaped into the water, like so many frogs jumping into
+an undisturbed swamp. At first he thought he was being attacked, but
+soon saw it was the Indians who were being pursued, and that they all,
+men and women, were swimming for dear life; moreover, the women were
+laden with their children, one, and sometimes two, being strapped to
+their backs in a sort of cradle of birch bark. This additional weight
+made them swim slower than the men, who soon reached the opposite
+shore, and then took to their heels helter-skelter, except three, who
+remained behind to encourage the women.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE GRIZZLY}]
+
+The Baron at first thought it was an attack of other Indians, and that
+it would be prudent to beat a retreat, when suddenly the same terrible
+cry that had kept him awake in the latter part of the night resounded
+through the forest, and at the same time there appeared on a high bank
+on the other shore a huge mass of a dirty grey colour, which hurled
+itself downhill, plunged into the river, and began to swim across at a
+terrific speed. It was a grizzly bear of tremendous size. So fast did
+it swim, that in no time it had nearly caught up with the last of the
+squaws, a young woman with twin babies at her back, whose cries, often
+interrupted by the water getting into their mouths, would have melted
+the heart of a stone. The three Indians who had remained on the bank
+did their utmost to stop the bear by shooting their poisoned arrows at
+it; but the distance was too great, and the huge animal came on so
+fast that in another minute mother and children would be lost. The
+Baron could not remain a spectator of so terrible a scene. He came out
+of the thicket where he was hidden, and frightened the Indians almost
+as much as if he had been another bear. Resting his gun on the trunk
+of a tree, he fired at the distance of 125 yards, and hit the animal
+right on the head. It dived several times, and the water all round was
+dyed red with blood; but the wound was not mortal, and it continued on
+its way, only more slowly. After urging the Indian, who seemed to be
+the unhappy woman's husband, to go into the water to help her--for,
+through terror and fatigue, she could no longer swim--the Baron took
+deliberate aim again and fired. The second shot, like the first, hit
+the bear on the head, but again without killing it. It stopped the
+brute, however, long enough to let the poor woman get to shore, where
+she fainted, and was carried away by the men to the forest, leaving
+the Baron and the bear to fight out their duel alone. The Baron had
+barely time to reload and climb to the top of one of the trees, when
+the bear was already at the foot of it. So near was he when he stood
+upright, that the Baron could feel his horrid breath. Up to then the
+Baron thought that all bears could climb like squirrels; fortunately
+for him he was mistaken. Expecting to be taken by storm, he fired
+straight in the creature's face. The two balls took a different
+course: one went through the jaw and came out by the neck, the other
+went into the chest. The bear uttered a terrific roar, stiffened
+itself in a last effort to reach him, and fell heavily on its back at
+the foot of the tree. The Baron might have thought him dead had he not
+already seen such wonderful resurrections on the part of bears; but
+the four shots, though at first they dazed and troubled the beast,
+seemed afterwards to act as spurs, and he rose furious and returned to
+the charge. The Baron tried to use his revolver, but, finding it
+impossible, he drew out his axe from his belt, and dealt a violent
+blow at the bear's head, which nearly split it in two, and sent the
+blood splashing in all directions. The bear again fell to the ground,
+this time to rise no more. The Baron being now convinced that the
+grizzly bear is no tree-climber, took his time to draw out his
+revolver, to take aim and fire. The shot put out one of the bear's
+eyes, the axe had already taken out the other. This finished him, but
+his death struggles lasted twenty minutes, during which the tree was
+nearly uprooted. When all was at an end the Baron came down; he cut
+off the formidable claws, and broke off the teeth with an axe to make
+a trophy in imitation of the Indians, and then proceeded to skin him
+and cut him up. The Indians, who had been watching the combat at a
+safe distance, now came back, enthusiastic. They surrounded them, the
+victor and the vanquished, and danced a war-dance, singing impromptu
+words. The Baron, seated on the bear's carcase, joined in the chorus;
+but the Indians, not content with that, insisted on his joining in the
+dance as well. The rejoicing over, the Baron divided among the twenty
+Indians the flesh of the bear--about 15 lb. or 20 lb. fell to each.
+The skin he kept to himself, and the claws, of which the Indians made
+him a warrior's necklace, hanging it round his neck like an order of
+knighthood.[3]
+
+    [3] The young reader must no longer expect such adventures as the
+    Baron de Wogan achieved.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT ANTS_
+
+
+If any one will watch an ant-hill on a fine day in April, he will see
+the little inhabitants begin to rouse themselves from their winter's
+sleep, which lasts from the month of October, with the red ant at all
+events. Groups of them come out to the top of the ant-hill to warm and
+thaw themselves in the rays of the sun. Some, more active and robust,
+run in and out, waking up the lazy, hurrying the laggards, and rousing
+all the little community to begin their summer habits. But this
+activity does not last long; they are as yet only half awake, and
+still numb and torpid from the winter's cold, and the little throng
+increases or diminishes as the sun shines or disappears behind a
+cloud. As two, half-past two, and three o'clock arrive, they have
+nearly all disappeared inside the ant-heap, leaving only a few
+warriors, of a larger make and tried courage, to watch over the
+well-being of the little republic and to close up all openings with
+tiny chips of wood, dry leaves, and shreds of moss, so as to hide the
+entrances from human eye. Two or three sentinels wander round to see
+that all is secure. And then they enter, and all is still.
+
+If we come back again in about a week, we shall find the ants in the
+middle of their regular migration to their summer quarters, not far
+from their winter ones. This takes place, with the red ant, at all
+events, with great regularity every April and October. The red ant is
+beyond doubt a slave-owner; the slaves may be easily recognised from
+their masters by being of a smaller make and light yellow colour. As
+soon as the masters have fixed the day of their 'flitting,' they
+begin probably to ensure the consent of the slaves by violently
+seizing them, and rolling them into a ball, and then grasping them
+firmly they set off towards the summer quarters at full gallop, if an
+ant can be said to gallop. The master ant is in a great hurry to get
+rid of his living burden; he goes straight ahead in spite of all
+obstacles, avoiding all interruptions and delays, and as soon as he
+arrives at the summer ant-heap, plunges in, deposits the slave all
+breathless and terrified from his forced journey, and sets off back
+for another.
+
+Darwin, who closely studied the migrations of the ant, says that they
+differ in their means of transport: one sort is carried by the slaves;
+the other, our friend the red ant, scientifically called 'formica
+sanguinea,' carries his property carefully in his mouth. It seems
+strange to us that the master should carry the slave, but no stranger
+than it would appear to the ants if they should begin to study our
+habits, that some of us should sit in a carriage and be driven by the
+coachman. The slave, once installed in his summer quarters, seldom
+appears again before the autumn exodus, unless in the event of some
+disturbance in the camp, or its invasion by some ants of a hostile
+tribe, when the slaves take part in the defence and especially watch
+over the young ones. The slaves seem to be carpenters and miners, and
+warriors when necessary. They build the dwelling, repair it, of which
+it has constant need, and defend it in case of attack with dauntless
+courage. But their principal duties seem to be to take charge of the
+development of the young, and to feed the masters--no small task, as
+there seem to be ten masters to one slave, and they seem incapable of
+eating unless fed. Experiments have been tried of removing the slaves
+from them, and though sugar and every sort of tempting food is put
+down beside them, they will starve rather than help themselves. In
+fact, one wonders what the masters can be left for but to drive the
+slaves, which they do with great ardour. A French gentleman who spent
+years studying the habits of the ants, tried one day, by way of
+experiment, to take a slave away from its master; he had great
+difficulty in removing it from its bearer, who struggled furiously and
+clung to its burden. When at last the slave was set free, instead of
+profiting by its liberty, it turned round and round in a circle as if
+dazed, then hid itself under a dead leaf. A master ant presently came
+along, an animated conversation took place, and the slave ant was
+seized upon and borne off again to bondage. The same gentleman another
+day observed a slave ant venture out to the entrance to the ant-hill
+to enjoy the warmth of the sun. A great master ant spied it and set to
+with blows of its horns (antennæ they are called) to persuade it that
+that was not its place. Finding the slave persisted in not
+understanding, the master resorted to force, and seizing it by its
+head, without taking the trouble to roll it up, as they are generally
+carried, he hurled it into the ant-hill, where no doubt it received
+the punishment it deserved.
+
+If we came back to the ant-heap a week after our last visit, we should
+find the migration finished if the weather has been fine; but ants,
+especially after their first awaking, are extremely sensitive to wind
+and rain, and only work well in fine weather. They are equally
+affected by weather before a storm: even though the sun may be
+shining, they will remain in the ant-heap with closed doors. If it is
+shut before midday, the storm will burst before evening; if it is shut
+before eight or nine in the morning, the rain will fall before noon.
+
+All this time we have been speaking only of the red ant; but there are
+any number of different kinds in Europe, not to mention the enormous
+ants of the tropics, who march in such armies that the people fly
+before them, deserting their villages. Different species differ
+totally in their habits and ways of building and living. The greater
+number of species live apart, and not in a community with an
+elaborately constructed house like the red ant. The little black ant
+is the commonest in this country, and the busiest and most active. She
+is the first to awake, in March, sometimes in February, and the last
+to sleep, sometimes not till November. Their instincts and habits of
+activity, however, are apt to deceive them, and they get up too soon.
+The French gentleman already mentioned observed an instance of the
+kind. On February 24, after an unusually mild winter, the sun shone as
+if it were already summer, and it was difficult to persuade oneself
+that it was not, except that there were no leaves on the trees, no
+birds singing in the branches, and no insects humming in the air.
+First our friend went to examine the red-ant heap, which was closed as
+usual, all the inhabitants being still plunged in their winter sleep.
+The black ants, on the contrary, were all awake and lively, and seemed
+persuaded that the fine weather had come to stay. Their instincts
+deceived them, for that night it froze; rain, snow, and fog succeeded
+each other in turn, and when next he visited the ant-heap he found
+them lying in masses, stiff and dead, before the entrance to their
+dwelling.
+
+Between the red and black ants there is great enmity, and terrible
+combats take place. When they fight they grasp each other like men
+wrestling, and each tries to throw the other down, and break his back.
+The conquered remain on the battlefield, nearly broken in two, and
+feebly waving their paws, till they slowly expire in agonies. The
+conqueror, on the other hand, carries away his dead to burial and his
+wounded to the camp, and then, entering triumphantly himself, closes
+the doors after him. The gentleman already quoted witnessed the
+funeral of an ant. He had passed the ant-heap about a quarter of an
+hour, and left, as he thought, all the inhabitants behind him, when he
+saw what appeared to be an enormous red ant making for home. On
+stooping to look more closely, he saw that it was one ant carrying
+another. He succeeded in separating them from each other, and then
+saw that the burden was neither a slave nor a prisoner, but a dead
+comrade being carried back to the ant-heap for a decent burial; for if
+ants fall into the hands of the enemy, they are subjected if alive to
+the most cruel tortures and if dead to mutilations. Usually, when an
+ant is relieved of anything it is carrying--whether it be a slave, a
+wounded ant, or some eatable--it will set off at full speed and let
+the burden be picked up by the next passing ant; but this one made no
+attempt to run away, and only turned round and round in a perplexed
+and irresolute way, till its dead friend was put down beside it, then
+it seized its precious burden and set off homewards with it.
+Travellers even tell that in Algeria there are ant cemeteries near the
+ant-heaps.
+
+No lover of animals doubts that they have a language of their own,
+which we are too stupid or deaf to understand. Anyone who studies the
+ways of the ants sees, beyond a doubt, that they too have a way of
+communicating with each other. For instance, an ant was one day seen
+at some distance from the ant-hill, and evidently in no hurry to go
+back to it. In the middle of the path she perceived a large dead
+snail. She began by going round and round it, then climbed on its
+back, and walked all over it. Having satisfied herself that it was a
+choice morsel, but too large for her to carry home alone, she set off
+at once to seek help. On the way she met one of her companions; she
+ran at once to her; they rubbed their antennæ together, and evidently
+an animated conversation took place, for the second ant set off
+immediately in the direction of the snail. The first one continued on
+her way home, communicating with every ant she met in the same way; by
+the time she disappeared inside the ant-heap, an endless file of busy
+little ants were on their way to take their share of the spoil. In ten
+minutes the snail was completely covered by the little throng, and by
+the evening every trace of it had vanished.
+
+Recent observations have proved that the time-honoured idea of the
+ant storing up provision for the winter is a delusion, a delusion
+which La Fontaine's famous fable, 'Le Fourmis et la Cigale,' has done
+much to spread and confirm. It is now known, as we have already seen,
+that ants sleep all winter, and that the food which we constantly see
+them laden with is for immediate consumption in the camp. They eat all
+kinds of insects--hornets and cockchafers are favourite dishes--but
+the choicest morsel is a fine fat green caterpillar, caught alive.
+They seize it, some by its head, some by its tail; it struggles, it
+writhes, and sometimes succeeds in freeing itself from its enemies;
+but they do not consider themselves beaten, and attack it again.
+Little by little it becomes stupefied from the discharges of formic
+acid the ants throw out from their bodies, and presently it succumbs
+to their renewed forces. Finally, though the struggle may last an hour
+or more, it is borne to the ant-heap and disappears, to be devoured by
+the inmates. Perhaps these short 'Stories about Ants' may induce some
+of you to follow the advice of the Preacher, and 'go to the ant'
+yourselves for more.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TAMING OF AN OTTER_
+
+From Bingley's _British Quadrupeds_.
+
+
+Otters used once to be very common in England in the neighbourhood of
+rivers, and even in some instances of the sea, but in many places
+where they once lived in great numbers they have now ceased to exist.
+They destroy large quantities of fish, though they are so dainty that
+they only care for the upper parts of the body. If the rivers are
+frozen and no fish are to be had, they will eat poultry, or even
+lambs; and if these are not to be found, they can get on quite well
+for a long time on the bark of trees or on young branches.
+
+Fierce though otters are when brought to bay, they can easily be tamed
+if they are caught young enough. More than a hundred years ago the
+monks of Autun, in France, found a baby otter only a few weeks old,
+and took it back to the convent, and fed it upon milk for nearly two
+months, when it was promoted to soup and fish and vegetables, the food
+of the good monks. It was not very sociable with strange animals, but
+it made great friends with a dog and cat who had known it from a baby,
+and they would play together half the day. At night it had a bed in
+one of the rooms, but in the day it always preferred a heap of straw
+when it was tired of running about. Curious to say, this otter was not
+at all fond of the water, and it was very seldom that it would go near
+a basin of water that was always carefully left near its bed. When it
+did, it was only to wash its face and front paws, after which it would
+go for a run in the court-yard, or curl itself to sleep in the sun.
+Indeed it seemed to have such an objection to water of all kinds, that
+the monks wondered whether it knew how to swim. So one day, when they
+were not so busy as usual, some of the brothers took it off to a
+good-sized pond, and waited to see what it would do. The otter smelt
+about cautiously for a little, and then, recognising that here was
+something it had seen before, ducked its head and wetted its feet as
+it did in the mornings. This did not satisfy the monks, who threw it
+right in, upon which it instantly swam to the other shore, and came
+round again to its friends.
+
+All tame otters are not, however, as forgetful of the habits and
+manners of their race as this one was, and in some parts they have
+even been taught to fish for their masters instead of themselves.
+Careful directions are given for their proper teaching, and a great
+deal of patience is needful, because if an animal is once frightened
+or made angry, there is not much hope of training it afterwards. To
+begin with, it must be fed while it is very young on milk or soup, and
+when it gets older, on bread and the heads of fishes, and it must get
+its food from one person only, to whom it will soon get accustomed and
+attached. The next step is to have a sort of leather bag made, stuffed
+with wool and shaped like a fish, large enough for the animal to take
+in its mouth. Finally, he must wear a collar formed on the principle
+of a slip noose, which can tighten when a long string that is fastened
+to it, is pulled. This is, of course, to teach the otter to drop the
+fish after he has caught it.
+
+The master then leads the otter slowly behind him, till by this means
+he has learned how to follow, and then he has to be made to understand
+the meanings of certain words and tones. So the man says to him, 'Come
+here,' and pulls the cord; and after this has been repeated several
+times, the otter gradually begins to connect the words with the
+action. Then the string is dropped, and the otter trots up obediently
+without it. After that, the sham fish is placed on the ground, and
+the collar, which seems rather like a horse's bit, is pulled so as to
+force the mouth open, while the master exclaims 'Take it!' and when
+the otter is quite perfect in this (which most likely will not happen
+for a long time) the collar is loosened, and he is told to 'drop it.'
+
+Last of all, he is led down to a river with clear shallow water, where
+a small dead fish is thrown in. This he catches at once, and then the
+cord which has been fastened to his neck is gently pulled, and he
+gives up his prize to his master. Then live fish are put in instead of
+the dead one, and when they are killed, the otter is given the heads
+as a reward.
+
+Of course some masters have a special talent for teaching these
+things, and some otters are specially apt pupils. This must have been
+the case with the otter belonging to a Mr. Campbell who lived near
+Inverness. It would sometimes catch eight or ten salmon in a day, and
+never attempted to eat them; while a man in Sweden, called Nilsson,
+and his family, lived entirely on the fish that was caught for them by
+their otter. When he is in his wild state, the otter lives in holes in
+the rocks, or among the roots of trees, though occasionally he has
+been known to burrow under ground, having his door in the water, and
+only a very tiny window opening landwards, so that he may not die of
+suffocation.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF ANDROCLES AND THE LION_
+
+
+Many hundred years ago, there lived in the north of Africa a poor
+Roman slave called Androcles. His master held great power and
+authority in the country, but he was a hard, cruel man, and his slaves
+led a very unhappy life. They had little to eat, had to work hard, and
+were often punished and tortured if they failed to satisfy their
+master's caprices. For long Androcles had borne with the hardships of
+his life, but at last he could bear it no longer, and he made up his
+mind to run away. He knew that it was a great risk, for he had no
+friends in that foreign country with whom he could seek safety and
+protection; and he was aware that if he was overtaken and caught he
+would be put to a cruel death. But even death, he thought, would not
+be so hard as the life he now led, and it was possible that he might
+escape to the sea-coast, and somehow some day get back to Rome and
+find a kinder master.
+
+So he waited till the old moon had waned to a tiny gold thread in the
+skies, and then, one dark night, he slipped out of his master's house,
+and, creeping through the deserted forum and along the silent town, he
+passed out of the city into the vineyards and corn-fields lying
+outside the walls. In the cool night air he walked rapidly. From time
+to time he was startled by the sudden barking of a dog, or the sound
+of voices coming from some late revellers in the villas which stood
+beside the road along which he hurried. But as he got further into the
+country these sounds ceased, and there was silence and darkness all
+round him. When the sun rose he had already gone many miles away from
+the town in which he had been so miserable. But now a new terror
+oppressed him--the terror of great loneliness. He had got into a wild,
+barren country, where there was no sign of human habitation. A thick
+growth of low trees and thorny mimosa bushes spread out before him,
+and as he tried to thread his way through them he was severely
+scratched, and his scant garments torn by the long thorns. Besides the
+sun was very hot, and the trees were not high enough to afford him any
+shade. He was worn out with hunger and fatigue, and he longed to lie
+down and rest. But to lie down in that fierce sun would have meant
+death, and he struggled on, hoping to find some wild berries to eat,
+and some water to quench his thirst. But when he came out of the
+scrub-wood, he found he was as badly off as before. A long, low line
+of rocky cliffs rose before him, but there were no houses, and he saw
+no hope of finding food. He was so tired that he could not wander
+further, and seeing a cave which looked cool and dark in the side of
+the cliffs, he crept into it, and, stretching his tired limbs on the
+sandy floor, fell fast asleep.
+
+Suddenly he was awakened by a noise that made his blood run cold. The
+roar of a wild beast sounded in his ears, and as he started trembling
+and in terror to his feet, he beheld a huge, tawny lion, with great
+glistening white teeth, standing in the entrance of the cave. It was
+impossible to fly, for the lion barred the way. Immovable with fear,
+Androcles stood rooted to the spot, waiting for the lion to spring on
+him and tear him limb from limb.
+
+  [Illustration: ANDROCLES IN THE LION'S CAVE]
+
+But the lion did not move. Making a low moan as if in great pain, it
+stood licking its huge paw, from which Androcles now saw that blood
+was flowing freely. Seeing the poor animal in such pain, and noticing
+how gentle it seemed, Androcles forgot his own terror, and slowly
+approached the lion, who held up its paw as if asking the man to help
+it. Then Androcles saw that a monster thorn had entered the paw,
+making a deep cut, and causing great pain and swelling. Swiftly but
+firmly he drew the thorn out, and pressed the swelling to try to stop
+the flowing of the blood. Relieved of the pain, the lion quietly lay
+down at Androcles' feet, slowly moving his great bushy tail from side
+to side as a dog does when it feels happy and comfortable.
+
+From that moment Androcles and the lion became devoted friends. After
+lying for a little while at his feet, licking the poor wounded paw,
+the lion got up and limped out of the cave. A few minutes later it
+returned with a little dead rabbit in its mouth, which it put down on
+the floor of the cave beside Androcles. The poor man, who was starving
+with hunger, cooked the rabbit somehow, and ate it. In the evening,
+led by the lion, he found a place where there was a spring, at which
+he quenched his dreadful thirst.
+
+And so for three years Androcles and the lion lived together in the
+cave; wandering about the woods together by day, sleeping together at
+night. For in summer the cave was cooler than the woods, and in winter
+it was warmer.
+
+At last the longing in Androcles' heart to live once more with his
+fellow-men became so great that he felt he could remain in the woods
+no longer, but that he must return to a town, and take his chance of
+being caught and killed as a runaway slave. And so one morning he left
+the cave, and wandered away in the direction where he thought the sea
+and the large towns lay. But in a few days he was captured by a band
+of soldiers who were patrolling the country in search of fugitive
+slaves, and he was put in chains and sent as a prisoner to Rome.
+
+Here he was cast into prison and tried for the crime of having run
+away from his master. He was condemned as a punishment to be torn to
+pieces by wild beasts on the first public holiday, in the great circus
+at Rome.
+
+When the day arrived Androcles was brought out of his prison, dressed
+in a simple, short tunic, and with a scarf round his right arm. He
+was given a lance with which to defend himself--a forlorn hope, as he
+knew that he had to fight with a powerful lion which had been kept
+without food for some days to make it more savage and bloodthirsty. As
+he stepped into the arena of the huge circus, above the sound of the
+voices of thousands on thousands of spectators he could hear the
+savage roar of the wild beasts from their cages below the floor on
+which he stood.
+
+Of a sudden the silence of expectation fell on the spectators, for a
+signal had been given, and the cage containing the lion with which
+Androcles had to fight had been shot up into the arena from the floor
+below. A moment later, with a fierce spring and a savage roar, the
+great animal had sprung out of its cage into the arena, and with a
+bound had rushed at the spot where Androcles stood trembling. But
+suddenly, as he saw Androcles, the lion stood still, wondering. Then
+quickly but quietly it approached him, and gently moved its tail and
+licked the man's hands, and fawned upon him like a great dog. And
+Androcles patted the lion's head, and gave a sob of recognition, for
+he knew that it was his own lion, with whom he had lived and lodged
+all those months and years.
+
+And, seeing this strange and wonderful meeting between the man and the
+wild beast, all the people marvelled, and the emperor, from his high
+seat above the arena, sent for Androcles, and bade him tell his story
+and explain this mystery. And the emperor was so delighted with the
+story that he said Androcles was to be released and to be made a free
+man from that hour. And he rewarded him with money, and ordered that
+the lion was to belong to him, and to accompany him wherever he went.
+
+And when the people in Rome met Androcles walking, followed by his
+faithful lion, they used to point at them and say, 'That is the lion,
+the guest of the man, and that is the man, the doctor of the lion.'[4]
+
+    [4] Apparently this nice lion did not bite anybody, when he took
+    his walks abroad. Or, possibly, he was muzzled.--Ed.
+
+  [Illustration: ANDROCLES IN THE ARENA]
+
+
+
+
+_MONSIEUR DUMAS AND HIS BEASTS_
+
+
+I
+
+Most people have heard of Alexandre Dumas, the great French novelist
+who wrote 'The Three Musketeers' and many other delightful historical
+romances. Besides being a great novelist, M. Dumas was a most kind and
+generous man--kind both to human beings and to animals. He had a great
+many pets, of which he gives us the history in one of his books. Here
+are some of the stories about them in his own words.
+
+I was living, he says, at Monte Cristo (this was the name of his villa
+at St.-Germains); I lived there alone, except for the visitors I
+received. I love solitude, for solitude is necessary to anyone who
+works much. However, I do not like complete loneliness; what I love is
+that of the Garden of Eden, a solitude peopled with animals.
+Therefore, in my wilderness at Monte Cristo, without being quite like
+Adam in every way, I had a kind of small earthly paradise.
+
+This is the list of my animals. I had a number of dogs, of which the
+chief was Pritchard. I had a vulture named Diogenes; three monkeys,
+one of which bore the name of a celebrated translator, another that of
+a famous novelist, and the third, which was a female, that of a
+charming actress. We will call the writer Potich, the novelist the
+Last of the Laidmanoirs, and the lady Mademoiselle Desgarcins. I had a
+great blue and yellow macaw called Buvat, a green and yellow parroquet
+called Papa Everard, a cat called Mysouff, a golden pheasant called
+Lucullus, and finally, a cock called Cæsar. Let us give honour where
+honour is due, and begin with the history of Pritchard.
+
+I had an acquaintance named M. Lerat, who having heard me say I had no
+dog to take out shooting, said, 'Ah! how glad I am to be able to give
+you something you will really like! A friend of mine who lives in
+Scotland has sent me a pointer of the very best breed. I will give him
+to you. Bring Pritchard,' he added to his two little girls.
+
+How could I refuse a present offered so cordially? Pritchard was
+brought in.
+
+He was an odd-looking dog to be called a pointer! He was long-haired,
+grey and white, with ears nearly erect, mustard-coloured eyes, and a
+beautifully feathered tail. Except for the tail, he could scarcely be
+called a handsome dog.
+
+M. Lerat seemed even more delighted to give the present than I was to
+receive it, which showed what a good heart he had.
+
+'The children call the dog Pritchard,' he said; 'but if you don't like
+the name, call him what you please.'
+
+I had no objection to the name; my opinion was that if anyone had
+cause to complain, it was the dog himself. Pritchard, therefore,
+continued to be called Pritchard. He was at this time about nine or
+ten months old, and ought to begin his education, so I sent him to a
+gamekeeper named Vatrin to learn his duties. But, two hours after I
+had sent Pritchard to Vatrin, he was back again at my house. He was
+not made welcome; on the contrary, he received a good beating from
+Michel, who was my gardener, porter, butler, and confidential servant
+all in one, and who took Pritchard back to Vatrin. Vatrin was
+astonished; Pritchard had been shut up with the other dogs in the
+kennel, and he must have jumped over the enclosure, which was a high
+one. Early the next morning, when the housemaid had opened my front
+door, there was Pritchard sitting outside. Michel again beat the dog,
+and again took him back to Vatrin, who this time put a collar round
+his neck and chained him up. Michel came back and informed me of this
+severe but necessary measure. Vatrin sent a message to say that I
+should not see Pritchard again until his education was finished. The
+next day, while I was writing in a little summer-house in my garden, I
+heard a furious barking. It was Pritchard fighting with a great
+Pyrenean sheepdog which another of my friends had just given me. This
+dog was named Mouton, because of his white woolly hair like a sheep's,
+not on account of his disposition, which was remarkably savage.
+Pritchard was rescued by Michel from Mouton's enormous jaws, once more
+beaten, and for the third time taken back to Vatrin. Pritchard, it
+appears, had eaten his collar, though how he managed it Vatrin never
+knew. He was now shut up in a shed, and unless he ate the walls or the
+door, he could not possibly get out. He tried both, and finding the
+door the more digestible, he ate the door; and the next day at
+dinner-time, Pritchard walked into the dining-room wagging his plumy
+tail, his yellow eyes shining with satisfaction. This time Pritchard
+was neither beaten nor taken back; we waited till Vatrin should come
+to hold a council of war as to what was to be done with him. The next
+day Vatrin appeared.
+
+'Did you _ever_ see such a rascal?' he began. Vatrin was so excited
+that he had forgotten to say 'Good morning' or 'How do you do?'
+
+'I tell you,' said he, 'that rascal Pritchard puts me in such a rage
+that I have crunched the stem of my pipe three times between my teeth
+and broken it, and my wife has had to tie it up with string. He'll
+ruin me in pipes, that brute--that vagabond!'
+
+'Pritchard, do you hear what is said about you?' said I.
+
+Pritchard heard, but perhaps did not think it mattered much about
+Vatrin's pipes, for he only looked at me affectionately and beat upon
+the ground with his tail.
+
+'I don't know what to do with him,' said Vatrin. 'If I keep him he'll
+eat holes in the house, I suppose; yet I don't like to give him
+up--he's only a dog. It's humiliating for a man, don't you know?'
+
+'I'll tell you what, Vatrin,' said I. 'We will take him down to
+Vésinet, and go for a walk through your preserves, and then we shall
+see whether it is worth while to take any more trouble with this
+vagabond, as you call him.'
+
+'I call him by his name. It oughtn't to be Pritchard; it should be
+Bluebeard, it should be Blunderbore, it should be Judas Iscariot!'
+
+Vatrin enumerated all the greatest villains he could think of at the
+moment.
+
+I called Michel.
+
+'Michel, give me my shooting shoes and gaiters; we will go to Vésinet
+to see what Pritchard can do.'
+
+'You will see, sir,' said Michel, 'that you will be better pleased
+than you think.' For Michel always had a liking for Pritchard.
+
+We went down a steep hill to Vésinet, Michel following with Pritchard
+on a leash. At the steepest place I turned round. 'Look there upon the
+bridge in front of us, Michel,' I said, 'there is a dog very like
+Pritchard.' Michel looked behind him. There was nothing but the
+leather straps in his hand; Pritchard had cut it through with his
+teeth, and was now standing on the bridge amusing himself by looking
+at the water through the railing.
+
+'He _is_ a vagabond!' said Vatrin. 'Look! where is he off to now?'
+
+'He has gone,' said I, 'to see what my neighbour Corrège has got for
+luncheon.' Sure enough, the next moment Pritchard was seen coming out
+of M. Corrège's back door, pursued by a maid servant with a broom. He
+had a veal cutlet in his mouth, which he had just taken out of the
+frying-pan.
+
+'Monsieur Dumas!' cried the maid, 'Monsieur Dumas! stop your dog!'
+
+We tried; but Pritchard passed between Michel and me like a flash of
+lightning.
+
+'It seems,' said Michel, 'that he likes his veal underdone.'
+
+'My good woman,' I said to the cook, who was still pursuing Pritchard,
+'I fear that you are losing time, and that you will never see your
+cutlet again.'
+
+'Well, then, let me tell you, sir, that you have no right to keep and
+feed a thief like that.'
+
+'It is you, my good woman, who are feeding him to-day, not I.'
+
+'Me!' said the cook, 'it's--it's M. Corrège. And what will M. Corrège
+say, I should like to know?'
+
+'He will say, like Michel, that it seems Pritchard likes his veal
+underdone.'
+
+'Well, but he'll not be pleased--he will think it's my fault.'
+
+'Never mind, I will invite your master to luncheon with me.'
+
+'All the same, if your dog goes on like that, he will come to a bad
+end. That is all I have to say--he will come to a bad end.' And she
+stretched out her broom in an attitude of malediction towards the spot
+where Pritchard had disappeared.
+
+We three stood looking at one another. 'Well,' said I, 'we have lost
+Pritchard.'
+
+'We'll soon find him,' said Michel.
+
+We therefore set off to find Pritchard, whistling and calling to him,
+as we walked on towards Vatrin's shooting ground. This search lasted
+for a good half-hour, Pritchard not taking the slightest notice of our
+appeals. At last Michel stopped.
+
+'Sir,' he said, 'look there! Just come and look.'
+
+'Well, what?' said I, going to him.
+
+'Look!' said Michel, pointing. I followed the direction of Michel's
+finger, and saw Pritchard in a perfectly immovable attitude, as rigid
+as if carved in stone.
+
+'Vatrin,' said I, 'come here.' Vatrin came. I showed him Pritchard.
+
+'I think he is making a point,' said Vatrin. Michel thought so too.
+
+'But what is he pointing at?' I asked. We cautiously came nearer to
+Pritchard, who never stirred.
+
+'He certainly is pointing,' said Vatrin. Then making a sign to
+me--'Look there!' he said. 'Do you see anything?'
+
+'Nothing.'
+
+'What! you don't see a rabbit sitting? If I only had my stick, I'd
+knock it on the head, and it would make a nice stew for your dinner.'
+
+'Oh!' said Michel, 'if that's all, I'll cut you a stick.'
+
+'Well, but Pritchard might leave off pointing.'
+
+'No fear of him--I'll answer for him--unless, indeed, the rabbit goes
+away.'
+
+Vatrin proceeded to cut a stick. Pritchard never moved, only from time
+to time he turned his yellow eyes upon us, which shone like a topaz.
+
+'Have patience,' said Michel. 'Can't you see that M. Vatrin is cutting
+a stick?' And Pritchard seemed to understand as he turned his eye on
+Vatrin.
+
+'You have still time to take off the branches,' said Michel.
+
+When the branches were taken off and the stick was quite finished,
+Vatrin approached cautiously, took a good aim, and struck with all his
+might into the middle of the tuft of grass where the rabbit was
+sitting. He had killed it!
+
+Pritchard darted in upon the rabbit, but Vatrin took it from him, and
+Michel slipped it into the lining of his coat. This pocket had
+already held a good many rabbits in its time!
+
+Vatrin turned to congratulate Pritchard, but he had disappeared.
+
+'He's off to find another rabbit,' said Michel.
+
+And accordingly, after ten minutes or so, we came upon Pritchard
+making another point. This time Vatrin had a stick ready cut; and
+after a minute, plunging his hands into a brier bush, he pulled out by
+the ears a second rabbit.
+
+'There, Michel,' he said, 'put that into your other pocket.'
+
+'Oh,' said Michel, 'there's room for five more in this one.'
+
+'Hallo, Michel! people don't say those things before a magistrate.'
+And turning to Vatrin I added, 'Let us try once more, Vatrin--the
+number three is approved by the gods.'
+
+'May be,' said Vatrin, 'but perhaps it won't be approved by M.
+Guérin.'
+
+M. Guérin was the police inspector.
+
+Next time we came upon Pritchard pointing, Vatrin said, 'I wonder how
+long he would stay like that;' and he pulled out his watch.
+
+'Well, Vatrin,' said I, 'you shall try the experiment, as it is in
+your own vocation; but I am afraid I have not the time to spare.'
+
+Michel and I then returned home. Vatrin followed with Pritchard an
+hour afterwards.
+
+'Five-and-twenty minutes!' he called out as soon as he was within
+hearing. 'And if the rabbit had not gone away, the dog would have been
+there now.'
+
+'Well, Vatrin, what do you think of him?'
+
+'Why, I say he is a good pointer; he has only to learn to retrieve,
+and that you can teach him yourself. I need not keep him any longer.'
+
+'Do you hear, Michel?'
+
+'Oh, sir,' said Michel, 'he can do that already. He retrieves like an
+angel!'
+
+This failed to convey to me an exact idea of the way in which
+Pritchard retrieved. But Michel threw a handkerchief, and Pritchard
+brought it back. He then threw one of the rabbits that Vatrin carried,
+and Pritchard brought back the rabbit. Michel then fetched an egg and
+placed it on the ground. Pritchard retrieved the egg as he had done
+the rabbit and the handkerchief.
+
+'Well,' said Vatrin, 'the animal knows all that human skill can teach
+him. He wants nothing now but practice. And when one thinks,' he
+added, 'that if the rascal would only come in to heel, he would be
+worth twenty pounds if he was worth a penny.'
+
+'True,' said I with a sigh, 'but you may give up hope, Vatrin; that is
+a thing he will never consent to.'
+
+
+II
+
+I think that the time has now come to tell my readers a little about
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins, Potich, and the Last of the Laidmanoirs.
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins was a tiny monkey; I do not know the place of
+her birth, but I brought her from Havre, where I had gone--I don't
+know why--perhaps to look at the sea. But I thought I must bring
+something home with me from Havre. I was walking there on the quay,
+when at the door of a bird-fancier's shop I saw a green monkey and a
+blue and yellow macaw. The monkey put its paw through the bars of its
+cage and caught hold of my coat, while the blue parrot turned its head
+and looked at me in such an affectionate manner that I stopped,
+holding the monkey's paw with one hand, and scratching the parrot's
+head with the other. The little monkey gently drew my hand within
+reach of her mouth, the parrot half shut its eyes and made a little
+purring noise to express its pleasure.
+
+  [Illustration: 'MONSIEUR DUMAS, MAY I ACCOMMODATE YOU WITH MY MONKEY
+    AND MY PARROT?']
+
+'Monsieur Dumas,' said the shopman, coming out with the air of a man
+who was more decided to sell than I was to buy; 'Monsieur Dumas, may I
+accommodate you with my monkey and my parrot?' It would have been
+more to the purpose if he had said, 'Monsieur Dumas, may I _incommode_
+you with my monkey and my parrot?' However, after a little bargaining,
+I bought both animals, as well as a cage for the monkey and a perch
+for the parrot; and as soon as I arrived at home, I introduced them to
+Michel.
+
+'This,' said Michel, 'is the green monkey of Senegal--_Cercopithecus
+sabæa_.'
+
+I looked at Michel in the greatest astonishment. 'Do you know Latin,
+Michel?'
+
+'I don't know Latin, but I know my "Dictionary of Natural History."'
+
+'Oh, indeed! And do you know what bird this is?' I asked, showing him
+the parrot.
+
+'To be sure I know it,' said Michel. 'It is the blue and yellow
+macaw--_Macrocercus arararanna_. Oh, sir, why did you not bring a
+female as well as a male?'
+
+'What is the use, Michel, since parrots will not breed in this
+country?'
+
+'There you make a mistake, sir; the blue macaw will breed in France.'
+
+'In the south, perhaps?'
+
+'It need not be in the south, sir.'
+
+'Where then?'
+
+'At Caen.'
+
+'At Caen? I did not know Caen had a climate which permits parrots to
+rear their young. Go and fetch my gazetteer.'
+
+'You will soon see,' said Michel as he brought it. I read: 'Caen,
+capital of the department of Calvados, upon the Orne and the Odon: 223
+kilomètres west of Paris, 41,806 inhabitants.'
+
+'You will see,' said Michel, 'the parrots are coming.'
+
+'Great trade in plaster, salt, wood--taken by English in 1346--retaken
+by the French &c., &c.--never mind the date--That is all, Michel.'
+
+'What! Your dictionary never says that the arararanna, otherwise
+called the blue macaw, produces young at Caen?'
+
+'No, Michel, it does not say that here.'
+
+'What a dictionary! Just wait till I fetch you mine and you will see.'
+
+Michel returned in a few minutes with his book of Natural History.
+
+'You will soon see, sir,' he said, opening his dictionary in his turn.
+'Parrot--here it is--parrots are monogamous.'
+
+'As you know Latin, Michel, of course you know what monogamous means.'
+
+'That means that they can sing scales--gamut, I suppose?'
+
+'Well, no, Michel, not exactly. It means that they have only one
+"wife."'
+
+'Indeed, sir? That is because they talk like us most likely. Now, I
+have found the place: "It was long believed that parrots were
+incapable of breeding in Europe, but the contrary has been proved on a
+pair of blue macaws which lived at Caen. M. Lamouroux furnishes the
+details of these results."'
+
+'Let us hear the details which M. Lamouroux furnishes.'
+
+'"These macaws, from March 1818 until August 1822, including a period
+of four years and a half, laid, in all, sixty-two eggs."'
+
+'Michel, I never said they did not lay eggs; what I said was--'
+
+'"Out of this number,"' continued Michel in a loud voice,
+'"twenty-five young macaws were hatched, of which only ten died. The
+others lived and continued perfectly healthy."'
+
+'Michel, I confess to having entertained false ideas on the subject of
+macaws.'
+
+'"They laid at all seasons of the year,"' continued Michel, '"and more
+eggs were hatched in the latter than in the former years."'
+
+'Michel, I have no more to say.'
+
+'"The number of eggs in the nest varied. There have been as many as
+six at a time."'
+
+'Michel, I yield, rescue or no rescue!'
+
+'Only,' said Michel, shutting the book, 'you must be careful not to
+give them bitter almonds or parsley.'
+
+'Not bitter almonds,' I answered, 'because they contain prussic acid;
+but why not parsley?'
+
+Michel, who had kept his thumb in the page, reopened the book.
+'"Parsley and bitter almonds,"' he read, '"are a violent poison to
+parrots."'
+
+'All right, Michel, I shall remember.'
+
+I remembered so well, that some time after, hearing that M. Persil had
+died suddenly (persil being the French for parsley), I exclaimed, much
+shocked: 'Ah! poor man, how unfortunate! He must have been eating
+parrot!' However, the news was afterwards contradicted.
+
+The next day I desired Michel to tell the carpenter to make a new cage
+for Mademoiselle Desgarcins, who would certainly die of cramp if left
+in her small travelling cage. But Michel, with a solemn face, said it
+was unnecessary. 'For,' said he, 'I am sorry to tell you, sir, that a
+misfortune has happened. A weasel has killed the golden pheasant. You
+will, however, have it for your dinner to-day.'
+
+I did not refuse, though the prospect of this repast caused me no
+great pleasure. I am very fond of game, but somehow prefer pheasants
+which have been shot to those killed by weasels.
+
+'Then,' said I, 'if the cage is empty, let us put in the monkey.' We
+brought the little cage close to the big cage, and opened both doors.
+The monkey sprang into her new abode, bounded from perch to perch, and
+then came and looked at me through the bars, making grimaces and
+uttering plaintive cries.
+
+'She is unhappy without a companion,' said Michel.
+
+'Suppose we give her the parrot?'
+
+'You know that little boy, an Auvergnat, who comes here with his
+monkey asking for pennies. If I were you, sir, I would buy that
+monkey.'
+
+'And why that monkey rather than another?'
+
+'He has been so well educated and is so gentle. He has a cap with a
+feather, and he takes it off when you give him a nut or a bit of
+sugar.'
+
+  [Illustration: {THE AUVERGNAT AND HIS MONKEY}]
+
+'Can he do anything else?'
+
+'He can fight a duel.'
+
+'Is that all?'
+
+'No, he can also catch fleas on his master.'
+
+'But, Michel, do you think that that youth would part with so useful
+an animal?'
+
+'We can but ask him, and there he is at this moment!' And he called
+to the boy to come in. The monkey was sitting on a box which the
+little boy carried on his back, and when his master took off his cap,
+the monkey did the same. It had a nice gentle little face, and I
+remarked to Michel that it was very like a well-known translator of my
+acquaintance.
+
+'If I have the happiness to become the owner of this charming animal,'
+I continued, 'we will call it Potich.' And giving Michel forty francs,
+I left him to make his bargain with the little Auvergnat.
+
+
+III
+
+I had not entered my study since my return from Havre, and there is
+always a pleasure in coming home again after an absence. I was glad to
+come back, and looked about me with a pleased smile, feeling sure that
+the furniture and ornaments of the room, if they could speak, would
+say they were glad to see me again. As I glanced from one familiar
+object to another, I saw, upon a seat by the fire, a thing like a
+black and white muff, which I had never seen before. When I came
+closer, I saw that the muff was a little cat, curled up, half asleep,
+and purring loudly. I called the cook, whose name was Madame Lamarque.
+She came in after a minute or two.
+
+'So sorry to have kept you waiting, but you see, sir, I was making a
+white sauce, and you, who can cook yourself, know how quickly those
+sauces curdle if you are not looking after them.'
+
+'Yes, I know that, Madame Lamarque; but what I do not know is, where
+this new guest of mine comes from.' And I pointed to the cat.
+
+'Ah, sir!' said Madame Lamarque in a sentimental tone, 'that is an
+antony.'
+
+'An antony, Madame Lamarque! What is that?'
+
+'In other words, an orphan--a foundling, sir.'
+
+'Poor little beast!'
+
+'I felt sure that would interest you, sir.'
+
+'And where did you find it, Madame Lamarque?'
+
+'In the cellar--I heard a little cry--miaow, miaow, miaow! and I said
+to myself, "That _must_ be a cat!"'
+
+'No! did you actually say that?'
+
+'Yes, and I went down myself, sir, and found the poor little thing
+behind the sticks. Then I recollected how you had once said, "We ought
+to have a cat in the house."'
+
+'Did I say so? I think you are making a mistake, Madame Lamarque.'
+
+'Indeed, sir, you did say so. Then I said to myself, "Providence has
+sent us the cat which my master wishes for." And now there is one
+question I must ask you, sir. What shall we call the cat?'
+
+'We will call it Mysouff, if you have no objection. And please be
+careful, Madame Lamarque, that it does not eat my quails and
+turtle-doves, or any of my little foreign birds.'
+
+'If M. Dumas is afraid of that,' said Michel, coming in, 'there is a
+method of preventing cats from eating birds.'
+
+'And what is the method, my good friend?'
+
+'You have a bird in a cage. Very well. You cover three sides of the
+cage, you make a gridiron red-hot, you put it against the uncovered
+side of the cage, you let out the cat, and you leave the room. The
+cat, when it makes its spring, jumps against the hot gridiron. The
+hotter the gridiron is the better the cat is afterwards.'
+
+'Thank you, Michel. And what of the troubadour and his monkey?'
+
+'To be sure; I was coming to tell you about that. It is all right,
+sir; you are to have Potich for forty francs, only you must give the
+boy two white mice and a guinea-pig in return.'
+
+'But where am I to find two white mice and a guinea-pig?'
+
+'If you will leave the commission to me, I will see that they are
+found.'
+
+I left the commission to Michel.
+
+'If you won't think me impertinent, sir,' said Madame Lamarque, 'I
+should so like to know what _Mysouff_ means.'
+
+'Mysouff just means Mysouff, Madame Lamarque.'
+
+'It is a cat's name, then?'
+
+'Certainly, since Mysouff the First was so-called. It is true, Madame
+Lamarque, you never knew Mysouff.' And I became so thoughtful that
+Madame Lamarque was kind enough to withdraw quietly, without asking
+any questions about Mysouff the First.
+
+That name had taken me back to fifteen years ago, when my mother was
+still living. I had then the great happiness of having a mother to
+scold me sometimes. At the time I speak of, I had a situation in the
+service of the Duc d'Orléans, with a salary of 1,500 francs. My work
+occupied me from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon. We
+had a cat in those days whose name was Mysouff. This cat had missed
+his vocation--he ought to have been a dog. Every morning I started for
+my office at half-past nine, and came back every evening at half-past
+five. Every morning Mysouff followed me to the corner of a particular
+street, and every evening I found him in the same street, at the same
+corner, waiting for me. Now the curious thing was that on the days
+when I had found some amusement elsewhere, and was not coming home to
+dinner, it was no use to open the door for Mysouff to go and meet
+me.[5] Mysouff, in the attitude of the serpent with its tail in its
+mouth, refused to stir from his cushion. On the other hand, the days I
+did come, Mysouff would scratch at the door until someone opened it
+for him. My mother was very fond of Mysouff; she used to call him her
+barometer.
+
+    [5] A remarkable instance of telepathy in the Cat.--A. L.
+
+'Mysouff marks my good and my bad weather,' my dear mother would say;
+'the days you come in are my days of sunshine; my rainy days are when
+you stay away.'
+
+When I came home, I used to see Mysouff at the street corner, sitting
+quite still and gazing into the distance. As soon as he caught sight
+of me, he began to move his tail; then as I drew nearer, he rose and
+walked backwards and forwards across the pavement with his back arched
+and his tail in the air. When I reached him, he jumped up upon me as a
+dog would have done, and bounded and played round me as I walked
+towards the house; but when I was close to it he dashed in at full
+speed. Two seconds after, I used to see my mother at the door.
+
+Never again in this world, but in the next perhaps, I shall see her
+standing waiting for me at the door.
+
+That is what I was thinking of, dear readers, when the name of Mysouff
+brought back all these recollections; so you understand why I did not
+answer Madame Lamarque's questions.
+
+Henceforth Mysouff II. enjoyed the same privileges that Mysouff I. had
+done, although, as will be seen later, he was not distinguished by
+similar virtues, but was, in fact, a very different sort of cat.
+
+
+IV
+
+The following Sunday, when my son Alexandre and one or two intimate
+friends were assembled in my room, a second Auvergnat boy, with a
+second monkey, demanded admittance, and said that a friend having told
+him that M. Dumas had bought his monkey for forty francs, two white
+mice, and a guinea-pig, he was prepared to offer his for the same
+price. My friends urged me to buy the second monkey.
+
+'Do buy this charming creature,' said my artist friend Giraud.
+
+'Yes, do buy this ridiculous little beast,' said Alexandre.
+
+'Buy him, indeed,' said I; 'have I forty francs to give away every
+day, to say nothing of a guinea-pig and two white mice?'
+
+'Gentlemen,' said Alexandre, 'I am sorry to tell you that my father
+is, without exception, the most avaricious man living.'
+
+My guests exclaimed, but Alexandre said that one day he would prove
+the truth of his assertion. I was now called upon to admire the
+monkey, and to remark how like he was to a friend of ours. Giraud, who
+was painting a portrait of this gentleman, said that if I would let
+the monkey sit to him, it would help him very much in his work, and
+Maquet, another of my guests, offered, amidst general applause, to
+make me a present of it.[6] This decided me.
+
+    [6] Maquet. The immortal Augustus MacKeat.
+
+'You see,' said Alexandre, 'he accepts.'
+
+'Come, young man,' said I to the Auvergnat, 'embrace your monkey for
+the last time, and if you have any tears to shed, shed them without
+delay.'
+
+When the full price was paid, the boy made an attempt to do as I told
+him, but the Last of the Laidmanoirs refused to be embraced by his
+former master, and as soon as the latter had gone away, he seemed
+delighted and began to dance, while Mademoiselle Desgarcins in her
+cage danced, too, with all her might.
+
+'Look!' said Maquet, 'they like each other. Let us complete the
+happiness of these interesting animals.'
+
+We shut them up in the cage together, to the great delight of
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins, who did not care for Potich, and much
+preferred her new admirer. Potich, indeed, showed signs of jealousy,
+but, not being armed with the sword which he used to have when he
+fought duels, he could not wash out his affronts in the blood of his
+rival, but became a prey to silent melancholy and wounded affection.
+
+While we were still looking at the monkeys, a servant came in bringing
+a tray with wine and seltzer water.
+
+'I say,' said Alexandre, 'let us make Mademoiselle Desgarcins open the
+seltzer-water bottle!' and he put the bottle inside the cage on the
+floor. No sooner had he done so, than all three monkeys surrounded it
+and looked at it with the greatest curiosity. Mademoiselle Desgarcins
+was the first to understand that something would happen if she undid
+the four crossed wires which held down the cork. She accordingly set
+to work, first with her fingers, and then with her teeth, and it was
+not long before she undid the first three. She next attacked the
+fourth, while the whole company, both men and monkeys, watched her
+proceedings with breathless attention. Presently a frightful explosion
+was heard: Mademoiselle Desgarcins was knocked over by the cork and
+drenched with seltzer water, while Potich and the Last of the
+Laidmanoirs fled to the top of their cage, uttering piercing cries.
+
+'Oh!' cried Alexandre, 'I'll give my share of seltzer water to see her
+open another bottle!' Mademoiselle Desgarcins had got up, shaken
+herself, and gone to rejoin her companions, who were still howling
+lamentably.
+
+'You don't suppose she'll let herself be caught a second time,' said
+Giraud.
+
+'Do you know,' said Maquet, 'I should not wonder if she would. I
+believe her curiosity would still be stronger than her fear.'
+
+'Monkeys,' said Michel, who had come in on hearing their cries, 'are
+more obstinate than mules. The more seltzer-water bottles you give
+them, the more they will uncork.'
+
+'Do you think so, Michel?'
+
+'You know, of course, how they catch them in their own country.'
+
+'No, Michel.'
+
+'What! you don't know _that_, gentlemen?' said Michel, full of
+compassion for our ignorance. 'You know that monkeys are very fond of
+Indian corn. Well, you put some Indian corn into a bottle, the neck of
+which is just large enough to admit a monkey's paw. He sees the Indian
+corn through the glass----'
+
+'Well, Michel?'
+
+'He puts his hand inside, and takes a good handful of the Indian corn.
+At that moment the hunter shows himself. They are so obstinate--the
+monkeys, I mean--that they won't let go what they have in their hand,
+but as they can't draw their closed fist through the opening, there
+they are, you see, caught.'
+
+'Well, then, Michel, if ever our monkeys get out, you will know how to
+catch them again.'
+
+'Oh! no fear, sir, that is just what I shall do.'
+
+The seltzer-water experiment was successfully repeated, to the triumph
+of Michel and the delight of Alexandre, who wished to go on doing it;
+but I forbade him, seeing that poor Mademoiselle Desgarcins' nose was
+bleeding from the blow of the cork.
+
+'It is not that,' said Alexandre; 'it is because you grudge your
+seltzer water. I have already remarked, gentlemen, that my father is,
+I regret to say, an exceedingly avaricious man.'
+
+
+V
+
+It is now my painful duty to give my readers some account of the
+infamous conduct of Mysouff II. One morning, on waking rather late, I
+saw my bedroom door gently opened, and the head of Michel thrust in,
+wearing such a concerned expression that I knew at once that something
+was wrong.
+
+'What has happened, Michel?'
+
+'Why, sir, those villains of monkeys have managed to twist a bar of
+their cage, I don't know how, until they have made a great hole, and
+now they have escaped.'
+
+'Well--but, Michel, we foresaw that that might occur, and now you have
+only to buy your Indian corn, and procure three bottles the right
+size.'
+
+'Ah! you are laughing, sir,' said Michel, reproachfully, 'but you
+won't laugh when you know all. They have opened the door of the
+aviary----'
+
+'And so my birds have flown away?'
+
+'Sir, your six pairs of turtle doves, your fourteen quails, and all
+your little foreign birds, are eaten up!'[7]
+
+    [7] Let the reader compare the conduct of Mr. Gully, later!
+
+'But monkeys won't eat birds!'
+
+'No, but Master Mysouff will, and he has done it!'
+
+'The deuce he has! I must see for myself.'
+
+'Yes, go yourself, sir; you will see a sight--a field of battle--a
+massacre of St. Bartholomew!'
+
+As I was coming out, Michel stopped me to point to Potich, who had
+hung himself by the tail to the branch of a maple, and was swinging
+gracefully to and fro. Mademoiselle Desgarcins was bounding gaily
+about in the aviary, while the Last of the Laidmanoirs was practising
+gymnastics on the top of the greenhouse. 'Well, Michel, we must catch
+them. I will manage the Last of the Laidmanoirs if you will get hold
+of Mademoiselle Desgarcins. As to poor little Potich, he will come of
+his own accord.'
+
+'I wouldn't trust him, sir; he is a hypocrite. He has made it up with
+the other one--just think of that!'
+
+'What! he has made friends with his rival in the affections of
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins?'
+
+'Just so, sir.'
+
+'That is sad indeed, Michel; I thought only human beings could be
+guilty of so mean an action.'
+
+'You see, sir, these monkeys have frequented the society of human
+beings.'
+
+  [Illustration: {THE LAST OF THE LAIDMANOIRS AND MADEMOISELLE
+    DESGARCINS}]
+
+I now advanced upon the Last of the Laidmanoirs with so much
+precaution that I contrived to shut him into the greenhouse, where he
+retreated into a corner and prepared to defend himself, while Potich,
+from the outside, encouraged his friend by making horrible faces at me
+through the glass. At this moment piercing shrieks were heard from
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins; Michel had just caught her. These cries so
+enraged the Last of the Laidmanoirs that he dashed out upon me; but I
+parried his attack with the palm of my hand; with which he came in
+contact so forcibly that he lost breath for a minute, and I then
+picked him up by the scruff of the neck.
+
+'Have you caught Mademoiselle Desgarcins?' I shouted to Michel.
+
+'Have you caught the Last of the Laidmanoirs?' returned he.
+
+'Yes!' we both replied in turn. And each bearing his prisoner, we
+returned to the cage, which had in the meantime been mended, and shut
+them up once more, whilst Potich, with loud lamentations, fled to the
+top of the highest tree in the garden. No sooner, however, did he find
+that his two companions were unable to get out of their cage, than he
+came down from his tree, approached Michel in a timid and sidelong
+manner, and with clasped hands and little plaintive cries, entreated
+to be shut up again with his friends.
+
+'Just see what a hypocrite he is!' said Michel.
+
+But I was of opinion that the conduct of Potich was prompted by
+devotion rather than hypocrisy; I compared it to that of Regulus, who
+returned to Carthage to keep his promised word, or to King John of
+France, who voluntarily gave himself up to the English for the
+Countess of Salisbury's sake.
+
+Michel continued to think Potich a hypocrite, but on account of his
+repentance he was forgiven. He was put back into the cage, where
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins took very little notice of him.
+
+All this time Mysouff, having been forgotten, calmly remained in the
+aviary, and continued to crunch the bones of his victims with the most
+hardened indifference. It was easy enough to catch _him_. We shut him
+into the aviary, and held a council as to what should be his
+punishment. Michel was of opinion that he should be shot forthwith. I
+was, however, opposed to his immediate execution, and resolved to wait
+until the following Sunday, and then to cause Mysouff to be formally
+tried by my assembled friends. The condemnation was therefore
+postponed. In the meantime Mysouff remained a prisoner in the very
+spot where his crimes had been committed. He continued, however, to
+refresh himself with the remains of his victims without apparent
+remorse, but Michel removed all the bodies, and confined him to a diet
+of bread and water.
+
+Next Sunday, having convoked a council of all my friends, the trial
+was proceeded with. Michel was appointed Chief Justice and Nogent
+Saint-Laurent was counsel for the prisoner. I may remark that the jury
+were inclined to find a verdict of guilty, and after the first speech
+of the Judge, the capital sentence seemed almost certain. But the
+skilful advocate, in a long and eloquent speech, brought clearly
+before us the innocence of Mysouff, the malice of the monkeys, their
+quickness and incessant activity compared with the less inventive
+minds of cats. He showed us that Mysouff was incapable of
+contemplating such a crime; he described him wrapped in peaceful
+sleep, then, suddenly aroused from this innocent slumber by the
+abandoned creatures who, living as they did opposite the aviary, had
+doubtless long harboured their diabolical designs. We saw Mysouff but
+half awake, still purring innocently, stretching himself, opening his
+pink mouth, from which protruded a tongue like that of a heraldic
+lion. He shakes his ears, a proof that he rejects the infamous
+proposal that is being made to him; he listens; at first he
+refuses--the advocate insisted that the prisoner had begun by
+refusing--then, naturally yielding, hardly more than a kitten,
+corrupted as he had been by the cook, who instead of feeding him on
+milk or a little weak broth, as she had been told to do, had
+recklessly excited his carnivorous appetite by giving him pieces of
+liver and parings of raw chops; the unfortunate young cat yields
+little by little, prompted more by good nature and weakness of mind
+than by cruelty or greed, and, only half awake, he does the bidding of
+the villainous monkeys, the real instigators of the crime. The
+counsel here took the prisoner in his arms, showed us his paws, and
+defied any anatomist to say that with paws so made, an animal could
+possibly open a door that was bolted. Finally, he borrowed Michel's
+Dictionary of Natural History, opened it at the article 'Cat,'
+'Domestic Cat,' 'Wild Cat'; he proved that Mysouff was no wild cat,
+seeing that nature had robed him in white, the colour of innocence;
+then smiting the book with vehemence, 'Cat!' he exclaimed, 'Cat! You
+shall now hear, gentlemen, what the illustrious Buffon, the man with
+lace sleeves, has to say about the cat.
+
+'"The cat," says M. de Buffon, "is not to be trusted, but it is kept
+to rid the house of enemies which cannot otherwise be destroyed.
+Although the cat, especially when young, is pleasing, nature has given
+it perverse and untrustworthy qualities which increase with age, and
+which education may conceal, but will not eradicate." Well, then,'
+exclaimed the orator, after having read this passage, 'what more
+remains to be said? Did poor Mysouff come here with a false character
+seeking a situation? Was it not the cook herself who found him--who
+took him by force from the heap of sticks behind which he had sought
+refuge? It was merely to interest and touch the heart of her master
+that she described him mewing in the cellar. We must reflect also,
+that those unhappy birds, his victims--I allude especially to the
+quails, which are eaten by man--though their death is doubtless much
+to be deplored, yet they must have felt themselves liable to death at
+any moment, and are now released from the terrors they experienced
+every time they saw the cook approaching their retreat. Finally,
+gentlemen, I appeal to your justice, and I think you will now admit
+that the interesting and unfortunate Mysouff has but yielded, not only
+to incontrollable natural instincts, but also to foreign influence. I
+claim for my client the plea of extenuating circumstances.'
+
+The counsel's pleading was received with cries of applause, and
+Mysouff, found guilty of complicity in the murder of the quails,
+turtle-doves, and other birds of different species, but with
+extenuating circumstances, was sentenced only to five years of
+monkeys.
+
+
+VI
+
+The next winter, certain circumstances, with which I need not trouble
+my readers, led to my making a journey to Algiers. I seldom make any
+long journey without bringing home some animal to add to my
+collection, and accordingly I returned from Africa accompanied by a
+vulture, which I bought from a little boy who called himself a
+Beni-Mouffetard. I paid ten francs for the vulture, and made the
+Beni-Mouffetard a present of two more, in return for which he warned
+me that my vulture was excessively savage, and had already bitten off
+the thumb of an Arab and the tail of a dog. I promised to be very
+careful, and the next day I became the possessor of a magnificent
+vulture, whose only fault consisted in a strong desire to tear in
+pieces everybody who came near him. I bestowed on him the name of his
+compatriot, Jugurtha. He had a chain fastened to his leg, and had for
+further security been placed in a large cage made of spars. In this
+cage he travelled quite safely as far as Philippeville, without any
+other accident than that he nearly bit off the finger of a passenger
+who had tried to make friends with him. At Philippeville a difficulty
+arose. It was three miles from Stora, the port where we were to
+embark, and the diligence did not go on so far. I and several other
+gentlemen thought that we would like to walk to Stora, the scenery
+being beautiful and the distance not very great; but what was I to do
+about Jugurtha? I could not ask a porter to carry the cage; Jugurtha
+would certainly have eaten him through the spars. I thought of a plan:
+it was to lengthen his chain eight or ten feet by means of a cord; and
+then to drive him in front of me with a long pole. But the first
+difficulty was to induce Jugurtha to come out of his cage; none of us
+dared put our hands within reach of his beak. However, I managed to
+fasten the cord to his chain, then I made two men armed with pickaxes
+break away the spars. Jugurtha finding himself free, spread out his
+wings to fly away, but he could of course only fly as far as his cord
+would permit.
+
+Now Jugurtha was a very intelligent creature; he saw that there was an
+obstacle in the way of his liberty, and that I was that obstacle; he
+therefore turned upon me with fury, in the hope of putting me to
+flight, or devouring me in case of resistance. I, however, was no less
+sagacious than Jugurtha; I had foreseen the attack, and provided
+myself with a good switch made of dogwood, as thick as one's
+forefinger, and eight feet long. With this switch I parried Jugurtha's
+attack, which astonished but did not stop him; however, a second blow,
+given with all my force, made him stop short, and a third caused him
+to fly in the opposite direction, that is, towards Stora. Once
+launched upon this road, I had only to use my switch adroitly to make
+Jugurtha proceed at about the same pace as we did ourselves, to the
+great admiration of my fellow-travellers, and of all the people whom
+we met on the road. On our arrival at Stora Jugurtha made no
+difficulty about getting on board the steamer, and when tied to the
+mast, waited calmly while a new cage was made for him. He went into it
+of his own accord, received with gratitude the pieces of meat which
+the ship's cook gave him, and three days after his embarkation he
+became so tame that he used to present me with his head to scratch, as
+a parrot does. I brought Jugurtha home without further adventure, and
+committed him to the charge of Michel.
+
+It was not until my return from Algiers on this occasion that I went
+to live at Monte Cristo, the building of which had been finished
+during my absence. Up to this time I had lived in a smaller house
+called the Villa Medicis, and while the other was building, Michel
+made arrangements for the proper lodging of all my animals, for he
+was much more occupied about their comfort than he was about mine or
+even his own. They had all plenty of room, particularly the dogs, who
+were not confined by any sort of enclosure, and Pritchard, who was
+naturally generous, kept open house with a truly Scottish hospitality.
+It was his custom to sit in the middle of the road and salute every
+dog that passed with a little not unfriendly growl; smelling him, and
+permitting himself to be smelt in a ceremonious manner. When a mutual
+sympathy had been produced by this means, a conversation something
+like this would begin:
+
+'Have you a good master?' asked the strange dog.
+
+'Not bad,' Pritchard would reply.
+
+'Does your master feed you well?'
+
+'Well, one has porridge twice a day, bones at breakfast and dinner,
+and anything one can pick up in the kitchen besides.'
+
+The stranger licked his lips.
+
+'You are not badly off,' said he.
+
+'I do not complain,' replied Pritchard. Then, seeing the strange dog
+look pensive, he added, 'Would you like to dine with us?'
+
+The invitation was accepted at once, for dogs do not wait to be
+pressed, like some foolish human beings.
+
+At dinner-time Pritchard came in, followed by an unknown dog, who,
+like Pritchard, placed himself beside my chair, and scratched my knee
+with his paw in such a confiding way that I felt sure that Pritchard
+must have been commending my benevolence. The dog, after spending a
+pleasant evening, found that it was rather too late to return home, so
+slept comfortably on the grass after his good supper. Next morning he
+took two or three steps as if to go away, then changing his mind, he
+inquired of Pritchard, 'Should I be much in the way if I stayed on
+here?'
+
+  [Illustration: DUMAS ARRIVES AT STORA WITH HIS VULTURE]
+
+Pritchard replied, 'You could quite well, with management, make
+them believe you are the neighbour's dog, and after two or three days,
+nobody would know you did not belong to the house. You might live here
+just as well as those idle useless monkeys, who do nothing but amuse
+themselves, or that greedy vulture, who eats tripe all day long, or
+that idiot of a macaw, who is always screaming about nothing.'
+
+The dog stayed, keeping in the background at first, but in a day or
+two he jumped up upon me and followed me everywhere, and there was
+another guest to feed, that was all. Michel asked me one day if I knew
+how many dogs there were about the place. I answered that I did not.
+
+'Sir,' said Michel, 'there are thirteen.'
+
+'That is an unlucky number, Michel; you must see that they do not all
+dine together, else one of them is sure to die first.'
+
+'It is not that, though,' said Michel, 'it is the expense I am
+thinking of. Why, they would eat an ox a day, all those dogs; and if
+you will allow me, sir, I will just take a whip and put the whole pack
+to the door, to-morrow morning.'
+
+'But, Michel, let us do it handsomely. These dogs, after all, do
+honour to the house by staying here. So give them a grand dinner
+to-morrow; tell them that it is the farewell banquet, and then, at
+dessert, put them all to the door.'
+
+'But after all, sir, I cannot put them to the door, because there
+isn't a door.'
+
+'Michel,' said I, 'there are certain things in this world that one
+must just put up with, to keep up one's character and position. Since
+all these dogs have come to me, let them stay with me. I don't think
+they will ruin me, Michel. Only, on their own account, you should be
+careful that there are not thirteen.'
+
+'I will drive away one,' suggested Michel, 'and then there will only
+be twelve.'
+
+'On the contrary, let another come, and then there will be fourteen.'
+
+Michel sighed.
+
+'It's a regular kennel,' he murmured.
+
+It was, in fact, a pack of hounds, though rather a mixed one. There
+was a Russian wolfhound, there was a poodle, a water spaniel, a spitz,
+a dachshund with crooked legs, a mongrel terrier, a mongrel King
+Charles, and a Turkish dog which had no hair on its body, only a tuft
+upon its head and a tassel at the end of its tail. Our next recruit
+was a little Maltese terrier, named Lisette, which raised the number
+to fourteen. After all, the expense of these fourteen amounted to
+rather over two pounds a month. A single dinner given to five or six
+of my own species would have cost me three times as much, and they
+would have gone away dissatisfied; for, even if they had liked my
+wine, they would certainly have found fault with my books. Out of this
+pack of hounds, one became Pritchard's particular friend and Michel's
+favourite. This was a dachshund with short crooked legs, a long body,
+and, as Michel said, the finest voice in the department of
+Seine-et-Oise. Portugo--that was his name--had in truth a most
+magnificent bass voice. I used to hear it sometimes in the night when
+I was writing, and think how that deep-toned majestic bark would
+please St. Hubert if he heard it in his grave. But what was Portugo
+doing at that hour, and why was he awake while the other dogs
+slumbered? This mystery was revealed one day, when a stewed rabbit was
+brought me for dinner. I inquired where the rabbit came from.
+
+'You thought it good, sir?' Michel asked me with a pleased face.
+
+'Excellent.'
+
+'Well, then, you can have one just the same every day, sir, if you
+like.'
+
+  [Illustration: 'IT'S A REGULAR KENNEL']
+
+'Every day, Michel? Surely that is almost too much to promise.
+Besides, I should like, before consuming so many rabbits, to know
+where they come from.'
+
+'You shall know that this very night, if you don't mind coming out
+with me.'
+
+'Ah! Michel, I have told you before that you are a poacher!'
+
+'Oh, sir, as to that, I am as innocent as a baby--and, as I was
+saying, if you will only come out with me to-night--'
+
+'Must I go far, Michel?'
+
+'Not a hundred yards, sir.'
+
+'At what o'clock?'
+
+'Just at the moment when you hear Portugo's first bark.'
+
+'Very well, Michel, I will be with you.'
+
+I had nearly forgotten this promise, and was writing as usual, when
+Michel came into my study. It was about eleven o'clock, and a fine
+moonlight night.
+
+'Hallo!' said I, 'Portugo hasn't barked yet, has he?'
+
+'No, but I was just thinking that if you waited for that, you would
+miss seeing something curious.'
+
+'What should I miss, Michel?'
+
+'The council of war which is held between Pritchard and Portugo.'
+
+I followed Michel, and sure enough, among the fourteen dogs, which
+were mostly sleeping in different attitudes, Portugo and Pritchard
+were sitting up, and seemed to be gravely debating some important
+question. When the debate was ended, they separated; Portugo went out
+at the gate to the high road, turned the corner, and disappeared,
+while Pritchard began deliberately, as if he had plenty of time before
+him, to follow the little path which led up to a stone quarry. We
+followed Pritchard, who took no notice of us, though he evidently knew
+we were there. He went up to the top of the quarry, examined and smelt
+about over the ground with great care, and when he had found a scent
+and assured himself that it was fresh, he lay down flat and waited.
+Almost at the same moment, Portugo's first bark was heard some two
+hundred yards off. Now the plan the two dogs had laid was clear to us.
+The rabbits came out of their holes in the quarry every evening to go
+to their feeding ground; Pritchard found the scent of one; Portugo
+then made a wide circuit, found and chased the rabbit, and, as a
+rabbit or a hare always comes back upon its former track, Pritchard,
+lying in ambush, awaited its return. Accordingly, as the sound of
+Portugo's barking came closer, we saw Pritchard's yellow eyes light up
+and flame like a topaz; then all of a sudden he made a spring, and we
+heard a cry of fright and distress.
+
+'They've done it!' said Michel, and he went to Pritchard, took out of
+his mouth a nice plump rabbit, gave it a blow behind the ears to
+finish it, and, opening it on the spot, gave the inside to the two
+dogs, who shared their portion contentedly, although they probably
+regretted Michel's interference. As Michel told me, I could have eaten
+a stewed rabbit every day for dinner, if such had been my desire.
+
+But after this, events of a different kind were taking place, which
+obliged me to leave my country pursuits, and I spent about two months
+in Paris. The day before I returned to St.-Germains I wrote and told
+Michel to expect me, and found him waiting for me on the road half way
+from the station.
+
+'I must tell you, sir,' he said, as soon as I was within hearing,
+'that two important events have happened at Monte Cristo since you
+went away.'
+
+'Well, Michel, let me hear.'
+
+'In the first place, Pritchard got his hind foot into a snare and
+instead of staying where he was as any other dog would have done, he
+bit off his foot with his teeth, and so he came home upon three legs.'
+
+'But,' said I, much shocked, 'is the poor beast dead after such an
+accident?'
+
+'Dead, sir? Was not I there to doctor him?'
+
+'And what did you do to him then?'
+
+'I cut off the foot properly at the joint with a pruning knife. I then
+sewed the skin neatly over it, and now you would never know it was
+off! Look there, the rascal has smelt you and is coming to meet you.'
+
+  [Illustration: JUGURTHA BECOMES DIOGENES]
+
+And at that moment Pritchard appeared, coming at full gallop, so that,
+as Michel had said, one would hardly have noticed that he had only
+three feet. My meeting with Pritchard was, as may be supposed, full of
+deep emotion on both sides. I was sorry for the poor animal. When I
+had recovered a little, I asked Michel what his other piece of news
+was.
+
+'The latest news, sir, is that Jugurtha's name is no longer Jugurtha.'
+
+'What is it then?'
+
+'It is Diogenes.'
+
+'And why?'
+
+'Look, sir!'
+
+We had now reached the little avenue of ash-trees which formed the
+entrance to the villa. To the left of the avenue the vulture was seen
+walking proudly to and fro in an immense tub, which Michel had made
+into a house for him.
+
+'Ah! now I understand,' said I. 'Of course, directly he lives in a
+tub----'
+
+'That's it!' said Michel. 'Directly he lives in a tub, he cannot be
+Jugurtha any more; he _must_ be Diogenes.'
+
+I admired Michel's historical learning no less than I did his surgical
+skill, just as the year before, I had bowed before his superior
+knowledge of natural history.
+
+
+VII
+
+In order to lead to more incidents in the life of Pritchard I must now
+tell my readers that I had a friend called Charpillon, who had a
+passion for poultry, and kept the finest hens in the whole department
+of Yonne. These hens were chiefly Cochins and Brahmapootras; they laid
+the most beautiful brown eggs, and Charpillon surrounded them with
+every luxury and never would allow them to be killed. He had the
+inside of his hen-house painted green, in order that the hens, even
+when shut up, might fancy themselves in a meadow. In fact, the
+illusion was so complete, that when the hen-house was first painted,
+the hens refused to go in at night, fearing to catch cold; but after a
+short time even the least intelligent among them understood that she
+had the good fortune to belong to a master who knew how to combine the
+useful with the beautiful. Whenever these hens ventured out upon the
+road, strangers would exclaim with delight, 'Oh! what beautiful hens!'
+to which some one better acquainted with the wonders of this fortunate
+village would reply, 'I should think so! These are M. Charpillon's
+hens.' Or, if the speaker were of an envious disposition, he might
+add, 'Yes indeed! hens that _nothing_ is thought too good for!'
+
+When my friend Charpillon heard that I had returned from Paris, he
+invited me to come and stay with him to shoot, adding as a further
+inducement that he would give me the best and freshest eggs I had ever
+eaten in my life. Though I did not share Charpillon's great love of
+poultry, I am very fond of fresh eggs, and the nankeen-coloured eggs
+laid by his Brahma hens had an especially delicate flavour. But all
+earthly pleasures are uncertain. The next morning Charpillon's hens
+were found to have only laid three eggs instead of eight. Such a thing
+had never happened before, and Charpillon did not know whom to
+suspect; however he suspected every one rather than his hens, and a
+sort of cloud began to obscure the confidence he had hitherto placed
+in the security of his enclosures. While these gloomy doubts were
+occupying us, I observed Michel hovering about as if he had something
+on his mind, and asked him if he wanted to speak to me.
+
+'I should be glad to have a few words with you, sir.'
+
+'In private?'
+
+'It would be better so, for the honour of Pritchard.'
+
+'Ah, indeed? What has the rascal been doing now?'
+
+'You remember, sir, what your solicitor said to you one day when I was
+in the room?'
+
+'What did he say, Michel? My solicitor is a clever man, and says many
+sensible things; still it is difficult for me to remember them all.'
+
+'Well, sir,' he said, 'find out whom the crime benefits, and you will
+find the criminal.'
+
+'I remember that axiom perfectly, Michel. Well?'
+
+'Well, sir, whom can this crime of stolen eggs benefit more than
+Pritchard?'
+
+'Pritchard? You think it is he who steals the eggs? Pritchard, who
+brings home eggs without breaking them!'
+
+'You mean who _used_ to bring them. Pritchard is an animal who has
+vicious instincts, sir, and if he does not come to a bad end some day,
+I shall be surprised, that's all.'
+
+'Does Pritchard eat eggs, then?'
+
+'He does; and it is only right to say, sir, that that is _your_
+fault.'
+
+'What! my fault? My fault that Pritchard eats eggs?'
+
+Michel shook his head sadly, but nothing could shake his opinion.
+
+'Now really, Michel, this is too much! Is it not enough that critics
+tell me that I pervert everybody's mind with my corrupt literature,
+but you must join my detractors and say that my bad example corrupts
+Pritchard?'
+
+'I beg pardon, sir, but do you remember how one day, at the Villa
+Medicis, while you were eating an egg, M. Rusconi who was there said
+something so ridiculous that you let the egg fall upon the floor?'
+
+'I remember that quite well.'
+
+'And do you remember calling in Pritchard, who was scraping up a bed
+of fuchsias in the garden, and making him lick up the egg?'
+
+'I do not remember him scraping up a bed of fuchsias, but I do
+recollect that he licked up my egg.'
+
+'Well, sir, it is that and nothing else that has been his ruin. Oh! he
+is quick enough to learn what is wrong; there is no need to show it
+him twice.'
+
+'Michel, you are really extremely tedious. How have I shown Pritchard
+what is wrong?'
+
+'By making him eat an egg. You see, sir, before that he was as
+innocent as a new-born babe; he didn't know what an egg was--he
+thought it was a badly made golf ball. But as soon as you make him eat
+an egg, he learns what it is. Three days afterwards, M. Alexandre came
+home, and was complaining to me of his dog--that he was rough and tore
+things with his teeth in carrying them. "Ah! look at Pritchard," I
+said to him, "how gentle _he_ is! you shall see the way he carries an
+egg." So I fetched an egg from the kitchen, placed it on the ground,
+and said, "Fetch, Pritchard!" Pritchard didn't need to be told twice,
+but what do you think the cunning rascal did? You remember, some days
+before, Monsieur ---- the gentleman who had such a bad toothache, you
+know. You recollect his coming to see you?'
+
+'Yes, of course I remember.'
+
+'Well, Pritchard pretended not to notice, but those yellow eyes of his
+notice everything. Well, all of a sudden he pretended to have the same
+toothache that that gentleman had, and crack! goes the egg. Then he
+pretends to be ashamed of his awkwardness--he swallows it in a hurry,
+shell and all! I believed him--I thought it was an accident and
+fetched another egg. Scarcely did he make three steps with the egg in
+his mouth than the toothache comes on again, and crack! goes the
+second egg. I began then to suspect something--I went and got a third,
+but if I hadn't stopped then he'd have eaten the whole basketful. So
+then M. Alexandre, who likes his joke, said, "Michel, you may possibly
+make a good musician of Pritchard, or a good astronomer, but he'll
+never be a good incubator!"'
+
+'How is it that you never told me this before, Michel?'
+
+'Because I was ashamed, sir; for this is not the worst.'
+
+'What! not the worst?'
+
+Michel shook his head.
+
+'He has developed an unnatural craving for eggs; he got into M.
+Acoyer's poultry-yard and stole all his. M. Acoyer came to complain to
+me. How do you suppose he lost his foot?'
+
+'You told me yourself--in somebody's grounds where he had forgotten to
+read the notice about trespassing.'
+
+'You are joking, sir--but I really believe he can read.'
+
+'Oh! Michel, Pritchard is accused of enough sins without having _that_
+vice laid to his charge! But about his foot?'
+
+'I think he caught it in some wire getting out of a poultry-yard.'
+
+'But you know it happened at night, and the hens are shut up at night.
+How could he get into the hen-house?'
+
+'He doesn't need to get into the hen-house after eggs; he can charm
+the hens. Pritchard is what one may call a charmer.'
+
+'Michel, you astonish me more and more!'
+
+'Yes, indeed, sir. I knew that he used to charm the hens at the Villa
+Medicis; only M. Charpillon has such wonderful hens, I did not think
+they would have allowed it. But I see now all hens are alike.'
+
+'Then you think it is Pritchard who----'
+
+'I think he charms M. Charpillon's hens, and that is the reason they
+don't lay--at least, that they only lay for Pritchard.'
+
+'Indeed, Michel, I should much like to know how he does it!'
+
+'If you are awake very early to-morrow, sir, just look out of your
+window--you can see the poultry-yard from it, and you will see a sight
+that you have never seen before!'
+
+'I have seen many things, Michel, including sixteen changes of
+governments, and to see something I have never seen before I would
+gladly sit up the whole night!'
+
+'There is no need for that--I can wake you at the right time.'
+
+The next day at early dawn, Michel awoke me.
+
+'I am ready, Michel,' said I, coming to the window.
+
+'Wait, wait! let me open it very gently. If Pritchard suspects that he
+is watched, he won't stir; you have no idea how deceitful he is.'
+
+Michel opened the window with every possible precaution. From where I
+stood, I could distinctly see the poultry-yard, and Pritchard lying in
+his couch, his head innocently resting upon his two fore-paws. At the
+slight noise which Michel made in opening the window, Pritchard
+pricked up his ears and half opened his yellow eye, but as the sound
+was not repeated he did not move. Ten minutes afterwards we heard the
+newly wakened hens begin to cluck. Pritchard immediately opened both
+eyes, stretched himself and stood upright upon his three feet. He then
+cast a glance all round him, and seeing that all was quiet,
+disappeared into a shed, and the next moment we saw him coming out of
+a sort of little window on the other side. From this window Pritchard
+easily got upon the sloping roof which overhung one side of the
+poultry-yard. He had now only to jump down about six feet, and having
+got into the inclosure he lay down flat in front of the hen-house,
+giving a little friendly bark. A hen looked out at Pritchard's call,
+and instead of seeming frightened she went to him at once and received
+his compliments with apparent complacency. Nor did she seem at all
+embarrassed, but proceeded to lay her egg, and that within such easy
+reach of Pritchard that we had not time to see the egg--it was
+swallowed the same instant. She then retired cackling triumphantly,
+and her place was taken by another hen.
+
+'Well, now, sir,' said Michel, when Pritchard had swallowed his fourth
+egg, 'you see it is no wonder that Pritchard has such a clear voice.
+You know great singers always eat raw eggs the first thing in the
+morning.'
+
+'I know that, Michel, but what I don't know is how Pritchard proposes
+to get out of the poultry-yard.'
+
+'Just wait and see what the scoundrel will do.'
+
+Pritchard having finished his breakfast, or being a little alarmed at
+some noise in the house, stood up on his hind leg, and slipping one of
+his fore-paws through the bars of the gate, he lifted the latch and
+went out.
+
+'And when one thinks,' said Michel, 'that if anybody asked him why the
+yard door was left open, he would say it was because Pierre had
+forgotten to shut it last night!'
+
+  [Illustration: PRITCHARD AND THE HENS]
+
+'You think he would have the wickedness to say _that_, Michel?'
+
+'Perhaps not to-day, nor yet to-morrow, because he is not come to his
+full growth, but some day, mind you, I should not be surprised to hear
+him speak.'
+
+
+VIII
+
+Before going out to shoot that day, I thought it only right to give M.
+Charpillon an account of Pritchard's proceedings. He regarded him,
+therefore with mingled feelings, in which admiration was more
+prominent than sympathy, and it was agreed that on our return the dog
+should be shut up in the stable, and that the stable-door should be
+bolted and padlocked. Pritchard, unsuspicious of our designs, ran on
+in front with a proud step and with his tail in the air.
+
+'You know,' said Charpillon, 'that neither men nor dogs are allowed to
+go into the vineyards. I ought as a magistrate to set an example, and
+Gaignez still more, as he is the mayor. So mind you keep in
+Pritchard.'
+
+'All right,' said I, 'I will keep him in.'
+
+But Michel, approaching, suggested that I should send Pritchard home
+with him. 'It would be safer,' he said. 'We are quite near the house,
+and I have a notion that he might get us into some scrape by hunting
+in the vineyards.'
+
+'Don't be afraid, Michel; I have thought of a plan to prevent him.'
+
+Michel touched his hat. 'I know you are clever, sir--very clever; but
+I don't think you are as clever as that!'
+
+'Wait till you see.'
+
+'Indeed, sir, you will have to be quick, for there is Pritchard
+hunting already.'
+
+We were just in time to see Pritchard disappear into a vineyard, and a
+moment afterwards he raised a covey of partridges.
+
+'Call in your dog,' cried Gaignez.
+
+I called Pritchard, who, however, turned a deaf ear.
+
+'Catch him,' said I to Michel.
+
+Michel went, and returned in a few minutes with Pritchard in a leash.
+In the meantime I had found a long stake, which I hung crosswise round
+his neck, and let him go loose with this ornament. Pritchard
+understood that he could no longer go through the vineyards, but the
+stake did not prevent his hunting, and he only went a good deal
+further off on the open ground.
+
+From this moment there was only one shout all along the line.
+
+'Hold in your dog, confound him!'
+
+'Keep in your Pritchard, can't you! He's sending all the birds out of
+shot!'
+
+'Look here! Would you mind my putting a few pellets into your brute of
+a dog? How can anybody shoot if he won't keep in?'
+
+'Michel,' said I, 'catch Pritchard again.'
+
+'I told you so, sir. Luckily we are not far from the house; I can
+still take him back.'
+
+'Not at all. I have a second idea. Catch Pritchard.'
+
+'After all,' said Michel, 'this is nearly as good fun as if we were
+shooting.'
+
+And by-and-bye he came back, dragging Pritchard by his stake.
+Pritchard had a partridge in his mouth.
+
+'Look at him, the thief!' said Michel. 'He has carried off M.
+Gaignez's partridge--I see him looking for it.'
+
+'Put the partridge in your game-bag, Michel; we will give him a
+surprise.'
+
+Michel hesitated. 'But,' said he, 'think of the opinion this rascal
+will have of you!'
+
+'What, Michel? do you think Pritchard has a bad opinion of me?'
+
+'Oh, sir! a shocking opinion.'
+
+'But what makes you think so?'
+
+'Why, sir, do you not think that Pritchard knows in his soul and
+conscience that when he brings you a bird that another gentleman has
+shot, he is committing a theft?'
+
+'I think he has an idea of it, certainly, Michel.'
+
+'Well, then, sir, if he knows he is a thief, he must take you for a
+receiver of stolen goods. Look at the articles of the Code; it is said
+there that receivers are equally guilty with thieves, and should be
+similarly punished.'
+
+  [Illustration: 'PRITCHARD REAPPEARED NEXT MOMENT WITH A HARE IN HIS
+    MOUTH']
+
+'Michel, you open my eyes to a whole vista of terrors. But we are
+going to try to cure Pritchard of hunting. When he is cured of
+hunting, he will be cured of stealing.'
+
+'Never, sir! You will never cure Pritchard of his vices.'
+
+Still I pursued my plan, which was to put Pritchard's fore-leg through
+his collar. By this means, his right fore-foot being fastened to his
+neck, and his left hind-foot being cut off, he had only two to run
+with, the left fore-foot and the right hind-foot.
+
+'Well, indeed,' said Michel, 'if he can hunt now, the devil is in it.'
+
+He loosed Pritchard, who stood for a moment as if astonished, but once
+he had balanced himself he began to walk, then to trot; then, as he
+found his balance better, he succeeded in running quicker on his two
+legs than many dogs would have done on four.
+
+'Where are we now, sir?' said Michel.
+
+'It's that beast of a stake that balances him!' I replied, a little
+disappointed. 'We ought to teach him to dance upon the tight-rope--he
+would make our fortunes as an acrobat.'
+
+'You are joking again, sir. But listen! do you hear that?'
+
+The most terrible imprecations against Pritchard were resounding on
+all sides. The imprecations were followed by a shot, then by a howl of
+pain.
+
+'That is Pritchard's voice,' said Michel. 'Well, it is no more than he
+deserves.'
+
+Pritchard reappeared the next moment with a hare in his mouth.
+
+'Michel, you said that was Pritchard that howled.'
+
+'I would swear to it, sir.'
+
+'But how could he howl with a hare in his mouth?'
+
+Michel scratched his head. 'It was he all the same,' he said, and he
+went to look at Pritchard.
+
+'Oh, sir!' he said, 'I was right. The gentleman he took the hare from
+has shot him. His hind-leg is all over blood. Look! there is M.
+Charpillon running after his hare.'
+
+'You know that I have just put some pellets into your Pritchard?'
+Charpillon called out as soon as he saw me.
+
+'You did quite right.'
+
+'He carried off my hare.'
+
+'There! You see,' said Michel, 'it is impossible to cure him.'
+
+'But when he carried away your hare, he must have had it in his
+mouth?'
+
+'Of course. Where else would he have it?'
+
+'But how could he howl with a hare in his mouth?'
+
+'He put it down to howl, then he took it up again and made off.'
+
+'There's deceit for you, gentlemen!' exclaimed Michel.
+
+Pritchard succeeded in bringing the hare to me, but when he reached me
+he had to lie down.
+
+'I say,' said Charpillon, 'I hope I haven't hurt him more than I
+intended--it was a long shot.' And forgetting his hare, Charpillon
+knelt down to examine Pritchard's wound. It was a serious one;
+Pritchard had received five or six pellets about the region of his
+tail, and was bleeding profusely.
+
+'Oh, poor beast!' cried Charpillon. 'I wouldn't have fired that shot
+for all the hares in creation if I had known.'
+
+'Bah!' said Michel; 'he won't die of it.' And, in fact, Pritchard,
+after spending three weeks with the vet. at St.-Germains, returned to
+Monte Cristo perfectly cured, and with his tail in the air once more.
+
+
+IX
+
+Soon after the disastrous event which I have just related the
+revolution of 1848 occurred in France, in which King Louis Philippe
+was dethroned and a republic established. You will ask what the
+change of government had to do with my beasts? Well, although,
+happily, they do not trouble their heads about politics, the
+revolution did affect them a good deal; for the French public, being
+excited by these occurrences, would not buy my books, preferring to
+read the 'Guillotine,' the 'Red Republic,' and such like corrupt
+periodicals; so that I became for the time a very much poorer man. I
+was obliged greatly to reduce my establishment. I sold my three horses
+and two carriages for a quarter of their value, and I presented the
+Last of the Laidmanoirs, Potich, and Mademoiselle Desgarcins to the
+Jardin des Plantes in Paris. I had to move into a smaller house, but
+my monkeys were lodged in a palace; this is a sort of thing that
+sometimes happens after a revolution. Mysouff also profited by it, for
+he regained his liberty on the departure of the monkeys.
+
+As to Diogenes, the vulture, I gave him to my worthy neighbour
+Collinet, who keeps the restaurant Henri IV., and makes such good
+cutlets à la Béarnaise. There was no fear of Diogenes dying of hunger
+under his new master's care; on the contrary, he improved greatly in
+health and beauty, and, doubtless as a token of gratitude to Collinet,
+he laid an egg for him every year, a thing he never dreamt of doing
+for me. Lastly, we requested Pritchard to cease to keep open house,
+and to discontinue his daily invitations to strange dogs to dine and
+sleep. I was obliged to give up all thoughts of shooting that year. It
+is true that Pritchard still remained to me, but then Pritchard, you
+must recollect, had only three feet; he had been badly hurt when he
+was shot by Charpillon, and the revolution of February had occasioned
+the loss of one eye.
+
+It happened one day during that exciting period, that Michel was so
+anxious to see what was going on that he forgot to give Pritchard his
+dinner. Pritchard therefore invited himself to dine with the vulture,
+but Diogenes, being of a less sociable turn, and not in a humour to
+be trifled with, dealt poor Pritchard such a blow with his beak as to
+deprive him of one of his mustard-coloured eyes. Pritchard's courage
+was unabated; he might be compared to that brave field marshal of whom
+it was said that Mars had left nothing of him whole except his heart.
+But it was difficult, you see, to make much use of a dog with so many
+infirmities. If I had wished to sell him I could not have found a
+purchaser, nor would he have been considered a handsome present had I
+desired to give him away. I had no choice, then, but to make this old
+servant, badly as he had sometimes served me, a pensioner, a
+companion, in fact a friend. Some people told me that I might have
+tied a stone round his neck and flung him into the river; others, that
+it was easy enough to replace him by buying a good retriever from
+Vatrin; but although I was not yet poor enough to drown Pritchard,
+neither was I rich enough to buy another dog. However, later in that
+very year, I made an unexpected success in literature, and one of my
+plays brought me in a sufficient sum to take a shooting in the
+department of Yonne. I went to look at this shooting, taking Pritchard
+with me. In the meantime my daughter wrote to tell me that she had
+bought an excellent retriever for five pounds, named Catinat, and that
+she was keeping him in the stable until my return. As soon as I
+arrived, my first care was to make Catinat's acquaintance. He was a
+rough, vigorous dog of three or four years old, thoughtless, violent,
+and quarrelsome. He jumped upon me till he nearly knocked me down,
+upset my daughter's work-table, and dashed about the room to the great
+danger of my china vases and ornaments. I therefore called Michel and
+informed him that the superficial acquaintance which I had made with
+Catinat would suffice for the time, and that I would defer the
+pleasure of his further intimacy until the shooting season began at
+Auxerre.
+
+Poor Michel, as soon as he saw Catinat, had been seized with a
+presentiment of evil.
+
+'Sir,' he said, 'that dog will bring some misfortune upon us. I do not
+know yet what, but something will happen, I know it will!'
+
+'In the meantime, Michel,' I said, 'you had better take Catinat back
+to the stable.' But Catinat had already left the room of his own
+accord and rushed downstairs to the dining-room, where I had left
+Pritchard. Now Pritchard never could endure Catinat from the first
+moment he saw him; the two dogs instantly flew at one another with so
+much fury that Michel was obliged to call me to his assistance before
+we could separate them. Catinat was once more shut up in the stable,
+and Pritchard conducted to his kennel in the stable-yard, which, in
+the absence of carriages and horses, was now a poultry-yard, inhabited
+by my eleven hens and my cock Cæsar. Pritchard's friendship with the
+hens continued to be as strong as ever, and the household suffered
+from a scarcity of eggs in consequence. That evening, while my
+daughter and I were walking in the garden, Michel came to meet us,
+twisting his straw hat between his fingers, a sure sign that he had
+something important to say.
+
+'Well, what is it, Michel?' I asked.
+
+'It came into my mind, sir,' he answered, 'while I was taking
+Pritchard to his kennel, that we never have any eggs because Pritchard
+eats them; and he eats them because he is in direct communication with
+the hens.'
+
+'It is evident, Michel, that if Pritchard never went into the
+poultry-yard, he would not eat the eggs.'
+
+'Then, do you not think, sir,' continued Michel, 'that if we shut up
+Pritchard in the stable and put Catinat into the poultry-yard, it
+would be better? Catinat is an animal without education, so far as I
+know; but he is not such a thief as Pritchard.'
+
+'Do you know what will happen if you do that, Michel?' I said.
+'Catinat will not eat the eggs, perhaps, but he will eat the hens.'
+
+'If a misfortune like that were to occur, I know a method of curing
+him of eating hens.'
+
+'Well--but in the meantime the hens would be eaten.'
+
+Scarcely had I uttered these words, when a frightful noise was heard
+in the stable-yard, as loud as that of a pack of hounds in full cry,
+but mingled with howls of rage and pain which indicated a deadly
+combat.
+
+'Michel!' I cried, 'do you hear that?'
+
+'Oh yes, I hear it,' he answered, 'but those must be the neighbours'
+dogs fighting.'
+
+'Michel, those are Catinat and Pritchard killing each other!'
+
+'Impossible, sir--I have separated them.'
+
+'Well, then, they have met again.'
+
+'It is true,' said Michel, 'that scoundrel Pritchard can open the
+stable-door as well as any one.'
+
+'Then, you see, Pritchard is a dog of courage; he'll have opened the
+stable-door for Catinat on purpose to fight him. Be quick, Michel, I
+am really afraid one of them will be killed.'
+
+Michel darted into the passage which led to the stable, and no sooner
+had he disappeared than I knew from the lamentations which I heard
+that some misfortune had happened. In a minute or two Michel
+reappeared sobbing bitterly and carrying Pritchard in his arms.
+
+'Look, sir! just look!' he said; 'this is the last we shall see of
+Pritchard--look what your fine sporting dog has done to him. Catinat,
+indeed! it is Catilina he should be called!'
+
+I ran up to Pritchard, full of concern--I had a great love for him,
+though he had often made me angry. He was a dog of much originality,
+and the unexpected things he did were only a proof of genius.
+
+'What do you think is the matter?' I asked Michel.
+
+'The matter?--the matter is that he is dead!'
+
+'Oh no, surely not!'
+
+'Anyhow, he'll never be good for anything again.' And he laid him on
+the ground at my feet.
+
+'Pritchard, my poor Pritchard!' I cried.
+
+At the sound of my voice, Pritchard opened his yellow eye and looked
+sorrowfully at me, then stretched out his four legs, gave one sigh,
+and died. Catinat had bitten his throat quite through, so that his
+death was almost immediate.
+
+'Well, Michel,' said I, 'it is not a good servant, it is a good friend
+that we have lost. You must wash him carefully--you shall have a towel
+to wrap him in--you shall dig his grave in the garden and we will have
+a tombstone made for him on which shall be engraved this epitaph:
+
+    'Like conquering Rantzau, of courage undaunted,
+    Pritchard, to thee Mars honour has granted,
+    On each field of fight of a limb he bereft thee,
+    Till nought but thy gallant heart scatheless was left thee.'
+
+As my habit was, I sought consolation for my grief in literary
+labours. Michel endeavoured to assuage his with the help of two
+bottles of red wine, with which, mingled with his tears, he watered
+the grave of the departed. I know this because when I came out early
+next morning to see if my wishes with regard to Pritchard's burial had
+been carried out, I found Michel stretched upon the ground, still in
+tears, and the two bottles empty by his side.
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF PYRAMUS_
+
+
+Pyramus was a large brown dog, born of a good family, who had been
+given, when a mere pup, to Alexandre Dumas, the great French novelist,
+then quite a young man. Now the keeper to whom Pyramus first belonged
+had also a tiny little fox-cub without any relations about the place,
+so both fox-cub and dog-pup were handed over to the same mother, who
+brought them up side by side, until they were able to do for
+themselves. So when the keeper made young Dumas a present of Pyramus,
+he thought he had better bestow Cartouche on him as well.
+
+Of course it is hardly necessary to say that these fine names were not
+invented by the keeper, who had never heard of either Pyramus or
+Cartouche, but were given to his pets by Dumas, after he had spent a
+little time in observing their characters.
+
+Certainly it was a very curious study. Here were two animals, who had
+never been apart since they were born, and were now living together in
+two kennels side by side in the court-yard of the house, and yet after
+the first three or four months, when they were mere babies, every day
+showed some difference, and soon they ceased to be friends at all and
+became open enemies.
+
+The earliest fight known to have taken place between them happened in
+this way. One day some bones were thrown by accident within the bounds
+of Cartouche's territory, and though if they belonged to anybody, it
+was clearly Cartouche, Pyramus resolved most unfairly to get hold of
+them. The first time Pyramus tried secretly to commit this act of
+piracy, Cartouche growled; the second time he showed his teeth; the
+third time he bit.
+
+It must be owned that Cartouche had shown some excuse for his violent
+behaviour, because he always remained chained up, whereas Pyramus was
+allowed certain hours of liberty; and it was during one of these that
+he made up his mind to steal the bones from Cartouche, whose chain (he
+thought) would prevent any attempt at reprisals. Indeed, he even tried
+to make out to his conscience that probably the bones were not dainty
+enough for Cartouche, who loved delicate food, whereas anything was
+good enough for him, Pyramus. However, whether he wanted to eat the
+bones or not, Cartouche had no intention of letting them be stolen
+from him, and having managed to drive off Pyramus on the first
+occasion, he determined to get safely hold of the bones before his
+enemy was unchained again.
+
+Now the chains of each were the same length, four feet, and in
+addition to that, Pyramus had a bigger head and longer nose than
+Cartouche, who was much smaller altogether. So it follows that when
+they were both chained up, Pyramus could stretch farther towards any
+object that lay at an equal distance between their kennels. Pyramus
+knew this, and so he counted on always getting the better of
+Cartouche.
+
+But Cartouche had not been born a fox for nothing, and he watched with
+a scornful expression the great Pyramus straining at his chain with
+his eyes nearly jumping out of his head with greed and rage. 'Really,'
+said Cartouche to himself, 'if he goes on like that much longer, I
+shall have a mad dog for a neighbour before the day is out. Let me see
+if _I_ can't manage better.' But as we know, being a much smaller
+animal than Pyramus, his nose did not come nearly so close to the
+bones; and after one or two efforts to reach the tempting morsel which
+was lying about six feet from each kennel, he gave it up, and retired
+to his warm bed, hoping that he might somehow hit upon some idea
+which would enable him to reach the 'bones of contention.'
+
+All at once he jumped up, for after hard thought he had got what he
+wanted. He trotted merrily to the length of his chain, and now it was
+Pyramus's turn to look on and to think with satisfaction: 'Well, if
+_I_ can't get them, _you_ can't either, which is a comfort.'
+
+  [Illustration: CARTOUCHE OUTWITS PYRAMUS]
+
+But gradually his grin of delight changed into a savage snarl, as
+Cartouche turned himself round when he had got to the end of his
+chain, and stretching out his paw, hooked the bone which he gradually
+drew within reach, and before Pyramus had recovered from his
+astonishment, Cartouche had got possession of all the bones and was
+cracking them with great enjoyment inside his kennel.
+
+It may seem very unjust that Cartouche was always kept chained up,
+while Pyramus was allowed to roam about freely, but the fact was that
+Pyramus only ate or stole when he was really hungry, while Cartouche
+was by nature the murderer of everything he came across. One day he
+broke his chain and ran off to the fowl-yard of Monsieur Mauprivez,
+who lived next door. In less than ten minutes he had strangled
+seventeen hens and two cocks: nineteen corpses in all! It was
+impossible to find any 'extenuating circumstances' in his favour. He
+was condemned to death and promptly executed.
+
+Henceforth Pyramus reigned alone, and it is sad to think that he
+seemed to enjoy it, and even that his appetite grew bigger.
+
+It is bad enough for any dog to have an appetite like Pyramus when he
+was at home, but when he was out shooting, and should have been doing
+his duty as a retriever, this fault became a positive vice. Whatever
+might be the first bird shot by his master, whether it happened to be
+partridge or pheasant, quail or snipe, down it would go into Pyramus's
+wide throat. It was seldom, indeed, that his master arrived in time to
+see even the last feathers.
+
+A smart blow from a whip kept him in order all the rest of the day,
+and it was very rarely that he sinned twice in this way while on the
+same expedition, but unluckily before the next day's shooting came
+round, he had entirely forgotten all about his previous caning, and
+justice had to be done again.
+
+On two separate occasions, however, Pyramus's greediness brought its
+own punishment. One day his master was shooting with a friend in a
+place where a small wood had been cut down early in the year, and
+after the low shrubs had been sawn in pieces and bound in bundles, the
+grass was left to grow into hay, and this hay was now in process of
+cutting. The shooting party reached the spot just at the time that the
+reapers were having their dinner and taking their midday rest, and one
+of the reapers had laid his scythe against a little stack of wood
+about three feet high. At this moment a snipe got up, and M. Dumas
+fired and killed it. It fell on the other side of the stack of wood
+against which the scythe was leaning.
+
+As it was the first bird he had killed that day, he knew of course
+that it would become the prey of Pyramus, so he did not hurry himself
+to go after it, but watched with amusement, Pyramus tearing along,
+even jumping over the stack in his haste.
+
+But when after giving the dog the usual time to swallow his fat
+morsel, Monsieur did not see Pyramus coming back to him as usual in
+leaps and bounds, he began to wonder what could have happened, and
+made hastily for the stack of wood behind which he had disappeared.
+There he found the unlucky Pyramus lying on the ground, with the point
+of the scythe right through his neck. The blood was pouring from the
+wound, and he lay motionless, with the snipe dead on the ground about
+six inches from his nose.
+
+The two men raised him as gently as possible, and carried him to the
+river, and here they bathed the wound with water. They then folded a
+pocket-handkerchief into a band, and tied it tightly round his neck to
+staunch the blood, and when this was done, and they were wondering how
+to get him home, a peasant fortunately passed driving a donkey with
+two panniers, and he was laid in one of the panniers and taken to the
+nearest village, where he was put safely into a carriage.
+
+For eight days Pyramus lay between life and death. For a whole month
+his head hung on one side, and it was only after six weeks (which
+seems like six years to a dog) that he was able to run about as usual,
+and appeared to have forgotten his accident.
+
+Only, whenever he saw a scythe he made a long round to avoid coming in
+contact with it.
+
+Some time afterwards he returned to the house with his body as full of
+holes as a sieve. On this occasion he was taking a walk through the
+forest, and, seeing a goat feeding, jumped at its throat. The goat
+screamed loudly, and the keeper, who was smoking at a little distance
+off, ran to his help; but before he could come up the goat was half
+dead. On hearing the steps of the keeper, and on listening to his
+strong language, Pyramus understood very well that this stout man
+dressed in blue would have something very serious to say to him, so he
+stretched his legs to their fullest extent, and started off like an
+arrow from a bow. But, as Man Friday long ago remarked, 'My little
+ball of lead can run faster than thou,' the keeper's little ball of
+lead ran faster than Pyramus, and that is how he came home with all
+the holes in his body.
+
+There is no denying that Pyramus was a very bad dog, and as his master
+was fond of him, it is impossible to believe that he can _always_ have
+been hungry, as, for instance, when he jumped up in a butcher's shop
+to steal a piece of meat and got the hook on which it was hung through
+his own jaws, so that someone had to come and unhook him. But hungry
+or not, Monsieur Dumas had no time to be perpetually getting him out
+of scrapes, and when a few months later an Englishman who wanted a
+sporting dog took a fancy to Pyramus, his master was not altogether
+sorry to say good-bye.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF A WEASEL_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+Weasels are so sharp and clever and untiring, that their activity has
+been made into a proverb; and, like many other sharp and clever
+creatures, they are very mischievous, and fond of killing rabbits and
+chickens, and even of sucking their eggs, which they do so carefully
+that they hardly ever break one.
+
+A French lady, called Mademoiselle de Laistre, a friend of the great
+naturalist, Monsieur de Buffon, once found a weasel when he was very
+young indeed, and, as she was fond of pets, she thought she would
+bring him up. Now a weasel is a little creature, and very pretty. It
+has short legs and a long tail, and its skin is reddish brown above
+and white below. Its eyes are black and its ears are small, and its
+body is about seven inches in length. But this weasel was much smaller
+than that when it went to live with Mademoiselle de Laistre.
+
+Of course it had to be taught: all young things have, and this weasel
+knew nothing. The good lady first began with pouring some milk into
+the hollow of her hand and letting it drink from it. Very soon, being
+a weasel of polite instincts, it would not take milk in any other way.
+After its dinner, when a little fresh meat was added to the milk, it
+would run to a soft quilt that was spread in its mistress's bedroom,
+and, having soon discovered that it could get inside the quilt at a
+place where the stitches had given way, it proceeded to tuck itself up
+comfortably for an hour or two. This was all very well in the day,
+but Mademoiselle de Laistre did not feel at all safe in leaving such a
+mischievous creature loose during the night, so whenever she went to
+bed, she shut the weasel up in a little cage that stood close by. If
+she happened to wake up early, she would unfasten the cage, and then
+the weasel would come into her bed, and, nestling up to her, go to
+sleep again. If she was already dressed when he was let out, he would
+jump all about her, and would never once miss alighting on her hands,
+even when they were held out three feet from him.
+
+  [Illustration: MADEMOISELLE DE LAISTRE AND HER WEASEL]
+
+All his ways were pretty and gentle. He would sit on his mistress's
+shoulder and give little soft pats to her chin, or would run over a
+whole room full of people at the mere sound of her voice. He was very
+fond of the sun, too, and would tumble about and murmur with delight
+whenever it shone on him. The little weasel was rather a thirsty
+animal, but he would not drink much at a time, and, when he had once
+tasted milk, could not be persuaded to touch rain-water. Baths were
+quite new to him, too, and he could not make up his mind to them, even
+in the heat, from which he suffered a good deal. His nearest approach
+to bathing was a wet cloth wrapped round him, and this evidently gave
+him great pleasure.
+
+Cats and dogs about the place condescended to make friends with him,
+and they never quarrelled nor hurt each other. Indeed, in many of
+their instincts and ways, weasels are not very unlike cats, and one
+quality they have in common is their curiosity. Nothing was dull or
+uninteresting to this little weasel. It was impossible to open a
+drawer or take out a paper without his little sharp nose being thrust
+round the corner, and he would even jump on his mistress's hands, the
+better to read her letters. He was also very fond of attracting
+attention, and in the midst of his play would always stop to see if
+anyone was watching. If he found that no one was troubling about him,
+he would at once leave off, and, curling himself up, go off into a
+sleep so sound that he might be taken up by the head and swung
+backwards and forwards quite a long time before he would wake up and
+be himself again.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT WOLVES_
+
+
+Wolves are found in the colder and more northern parts of Asia and
+North America, and over the whole of Europe, except the British Isles,
+where they were exterminated long ago. Some say Lochiel killed the
+last wolf in Scotland, some say a gamekeeper was the hero. The wolf
+very much resembles the dog in appearance, except that his eyes are
+set in obliquely, and nearer his nose. His coat is commonly of a tawny
+grey colour, but sometimes black or white, and he varies in size
+according to the climate. Some wolves only measure two and a half feet
+in length, not counting the tail, others are much larger. They have
+remarkably keen sight, hearing, and sense of smell, and such a
+stealthy gait, that their way of slinking along has passed into a
+proverb in countries where wolves are common. They live in rocky
+caverns in the forest, sleep by day like other beasts of prey, and go
+out at night to forage for food. They eat small birds, reptiles, the
+smaller animals, such as rats and mice, some fruits, grapes among
+others, and rotten apples; they do not disdain even dead bodies, nor
+garbage of any sort. But in times of famine or prolonged snow, when
+all these provisions fail them, and they feel the pinch of hunger,
+then woe betide the flocks of sheep or the human beings they may
+encounter. In 1450 wolves actually came into Paris and attacked the
+citizens. Even so lately as the long and severe winter of 1894-5, the
+wolves came down into the plains of Piedmont and the lower Alpes
+Maritimes in such numbers that the soldiery had to be called out to
+destroy them. In such times a wolf in broad daylight will steal up to
+a flock of sheep peacefully feeding, seize on a fine fat one, and make
+away with it, unseen and unsuspected even by the watchful sheep dog.
+Should a first attempt prove successful, he will return again and
+again, till, finding he can no longer rob that flock unmolested, he
+will look out for another one still unsuspicious. If he once gets
+inside a sheep-fold at night, he massacres and mangles right and left.
+When he has slain to his heart's content, he goes off with a victim
+and devours it, then comes back for a second, a third, and a fourth
+carcase, which he carries away to hide under a heap of branches or
+dead leaves. When dawn breaks, he returns gorged with food to his
+lair, leaving the ground strewn with the bodies of the slain. The wolf
+even contrives to get the better of his natural enemy, the dog, using
+stratagem and cleverness in the place of strength. If he spies a gawky
+long-legged puppy swaggering about his own farmyard, he will come
+closer and entice him out to play by means of every sort of caper and
+gambol. When the young simpleton has been induced to come out beyond
+the farmyard, the wolf, throwing off his disguise of amiable
+playfulness, falls upon the dog and carries him away to make a meal
+of. In the case of a dog stronger and more capable of making
+resistance the stratagem requires two wolves; one appears to the dog
+in its true character of wolf, and then disappears into an ambush,
+where the other lies hidden. The dog, following its natural instinct,
+pursues the wolf into the ambush, where the two conspirators soon make
+an end of it.
+
+So numerous have wolves always been in the rural districts of France,
+that from the earliest times there has been an institution called the
+_Louveterie_, for their extermination. Since the French Revolution
+this has been very much modified, but there is still a reward of so
+much per head for every wolf killed. Under ordinary circumstances the
+wolf will not only not attack man, but will flee from him, for he is
+as cowardly as he is crafty. But if driven by hunger he will pursue,
+or rather he will follow a solitary traveller for miles, dogging his
+footsteps, and always keeping near, sometimes on one side, sometimes
+on the other, till the man, harassed and worn out by fatigue and
+fright, is compelled to halt; then the wolf, who had been waiting for
+this opportunity, springs on him and devours him.
+
+Audubon, in his 'Quadrupeds of America,' tells a story of two young
+negroes who lived on a plantation on the banks of the Ohio in the
+State of Kentucky, about the year 1820. They each had a sweetheart,
+whom they used to go to visit every evening after their work was done.
+These negresses lived on another plantation about four miles away, but
+a short cut led across a large cane brake. When winter set in with its
+long dark nights no ray of light illuminated this dismal swamp. But
+the negroes continued their nightly expeditions notwithstanding,
+arming themselves by way of precaution with their axes. One dark night
+they set off over a thin crust of snow, the reflection from which
+afforded all the light they had to guide them on their way. Hardly a
+star appeared through the dense masses of cloud that nearly covered
+the sky, and menaced more snow. About half way to their destination
+the negroes' blood froze at the sound of a long and fearful howl that
+rent the air; they knew it could only come from a pack of hungry and
+perhaps desperate wolves. They paused to listen, and only a dismal
+silence succeeded. In the impenetrable darkness nothing was visible a
+few feet beyond them; grasping their axes they went on their way
+though with quaking hearts. Suddenly, in single file, out of the
+darkness sprang several wolves, who seized on the first man,
+inflicting terrible wounds with their fangs on his legs and arms;
+others as ravenous leapt on his companion, and dragged him to the
+ground. Both negroes fought manfully, but soon one had ceased to move,
+and the other, despairing of aiding his companion, threw down his axe
+and sprang on to the branch of a tree, where he found safety and
+shelter for the rest of that miserable night. When day broke, only the
+bones of his friend lay scattered on the blood-stained, trampled snow;
+three dead wolves lay near, but the rest of the pack had betaken
+themselves to their lair, to sleep away the effects of their night's
+gorge.
+
+  [Illustration: 'WHEN DAY BROKE']
+
+A sledge journey through the plains of Siberia in winter is a perilous
+undertaking. If a pack of hungry wolves get on the track of a sledge,
+the travellers know, as soon as they hear the horrid howls and see the
+grey forms stealing swiftly across the snow, that their chances of
+escape are small. If the sledge stops one instant men and horses are
+lost; the only safety is in flight at utmost speed. It is indeed a
+race for life! The horses, mad with terror, seem to have wings; the
+wolves, no less swift, pursue them, their cruel eyes gleaming with the
+lust for blood. From time to time a shot is fired, and a wolf falls
+dead in the snow; bolder than the others, he has tried to climb into
+the sledge and has met his reward. This incident gives a momentary
+respite to the pursued, for the murderous pack will pause to tear in
+pieces and devour their dead comrade; then, further inflamed with the
+taste of blood, they will continue the headlong pursuit with redoubled
+vigour.
+
+Should the travellers be able to reach a village or friendly farmhouse
+before the horses are completely exhausted, the wolves, frightened by
+the lights, will slink away into the forest, balked this time of their
+prey. On the other hand, should no refuge be near, the wolves will
+keep up with the horses till the poor beasts stumble and fall from
+fatigue, when the whole pack will instantly spring upon men and
+horses, and in a few moments the blood-stained snow alone tells the
+tale.
+
+There have been instances, but fortunately few, of wolves with a
+perfect craving for human flesh. Such was the notorious Bête (or
+beast) du Gévaudan, that from the year 1764 and onwards ravaged the
+district of that name, in Auvergne, to the south of the centre of
+France. This wolf was of enormous size, measuring six feet from the
+point of its nose to the tip of its tail. It devoured eighty-three
+persons, principally women and children, and seriously wounded
+twenty-five or thirty others. It was attacked from first to last by
+between _two and three hundred thousand_ hunters, probably not all at
+once. With half a dozen wolves, each equal to 200,000 men, a country
+could afford to do without an army. But the wolf of Gévaudan was no
+common wolf. He never married, having no leisure, fortunately for the
+human race. The whole of France was in a state of alarm on its
+account; the peasants dared no longer go to their work in the fields
+alone and unarmed. Every day brought tidings of some fresh trouble; in
+the morning he would spread terror and confusion in some village in
+the plains, in the evening he would carry off some hapless victim from
+some mountain hamlet fifteen or twenty leagues away. Five little
+shepherd boys, feeding their flocks on the mountain-side, were
+attacked suddenly by the ferocious beast, who made off with the
+youngest of them; the others, armed only with sticks, pursued the
+wolf, and attacked it so valiantly that they compelled it to drop its
+prey and slink off into the wood. A poor woman was sitting at her
+cottage door with her three children, when the wolf came down on them
+and attempted to carry off each of the children in turn. The mother
+fought so courageously in defence of her little ones that she
+succeeded in putting the wolf to flight, but in so doing was terribly
+bitten herself, and the youngest child died of his wounds.
+
+Sometimes twenty or thirty parishes joined forces to attack the beast,
+led by the most experienced huntsmen and the chief _louvetier_ of the
+kingdom. On one occasion twenty thousand hunters surrounded the forest
+of Preinières, where it lay concealed; but on this, as well as every
+other occasion, the wolf escaped in the most surprising--one might
+almost say miraculous--manner, disappearing as if he had been turned
+into smoke. Some hunters declared that their bullets had rebounded off
+him, flattened and harmless. Others alleged that when he had been
+shot, like the great Dundee, with a silver bullet (a well-known charm
+against sorcery) at such close quarters that it appeared impossible he
+should not be mortally wounded, in a day or two some fresh horror
+would announce that the creature was still uninjured. The very dogs
+refused at length to go after him, and fled howling in the opposite
+direction. The belief became general that it was no ordinary wolf of
+flesh and blood, but the Fiend himself in beast shape. Prayers were
+put up in the churches, processions took place, and the Host remained
+exhibited as in the times of plague and public calamity.
+
+The State offered a reward of 2,000 francs to whosoever should slay
+the monster; the syndics of two neighbouring towns added 500 francs,
+making a total of 100_l._ English money, a large sum in those days.
+The young Countess de Mercoire, an orphan, and châtelaine of one of
+the finest estates of the district, offered her hand and fortune in
+marriage to whoever should rid the country of the scourge. This
+inspired the young Count Léonce de Varinas, who, though no sportsman
+by nature, was so deeply in love with the Countess that he determined
+to gain the reward or perish in the attempt. Assisted by a small band
+of well-trained hunters, and by two formidable dogs, a bloodhound and
+a mastiff, he began a systematic attack on the wolf. After many
+fruitless attempts they succeeded one day in driving the creature into
+an abandoned quarry of vast size, the sides of which were twenty or
+thirty feet high and quite precipitous, and the only entrance a narrow
+cart track blasted out of the rock. The young Count, determined to do
+or die alone, sternly refused to allow his men to accompany him into
+the quarry, and left them posted at the entrance with orders only to
+fire on the beast should it attempt to force its way out. Taking only
+the dogs with him, and having carefully seen to the state of his
+weapons, he went bravely to the encounter. The narrow defile was so
+completely hemmed in on every side that, to the vanquished, there was
+no escape nor alternative but death. Here and there, on patches of
+half-melted snow, were footprints, evidently recent, of the huge
+beast; but the creature remained invisible, and for nearly ten minutes
+the Count had wandered among the rocks and bushes before the dogs
+began to give sign of the enemy's presence.
+
+About a hundred yards from where he stood was a frozen pool, on the
+edge of which grew a clump of bulrushes. Among their dry and yellow
+stalks Léonce suddenly caught a glimpse of a pair of fiery
+eyes--nothing more; but it was enough to let him know that the
+longed-for moment had at length arrived. Léonce advanced cautiously,
+his gun cocked and ready to fire, and the dogs close at his heels,
+growling with rage and fear. Still the wolf did not stir, and Léonce,
+determining to try other tactics, stopped, raised his gun to his
+shoulder, and aimed between the gleaming eyes, nothing more being yet
+visible. Before he could fire the beast dashed from among the
+crackling reeds and sprang straight at him. Léonce, nothing daunted,
+waited till it was within ten paces and then fired. With a howl of
+anguish the wolf fell as if dead. Before Léonce had time to utter a
+shout of joy, it was on its feet again. Streaming with blood and
+terrible in its rage it fell on the young man. He attempted to defend
+himself with his bayonet, which, though of tempered steel, was broken
+as if it had been glass; his gun, too, was bent, and he himself was
+hurled to the ground. But for his faithful dogs it would soon have
+been all over with him. They flew at the wolf's throat, who quickly
+made an end of the bloodhound; one crunch broke his back, while one
+stroke of the ruthless paw disembowelled him. Castor, the mastiff,
+had, however, the wolf by the throat, and a fearful struggle ensued
+over the prostrate body of Léonce. They bit, they tore, they worried,
+they rolled over and over each other, the wolf, in spite of its
+wounds, having always the advantage. Half stunned by the fall,
+suffocated by the weight of the combatants, and blinded by the dust
+and snow they scattered in the fray, Léonce had just sufficient
+strength to make one last effort in self-defence. Drawing his
+hunting-knife, he plunged it to the hilt in the shaggy mass above him.
+From a distance he seemed to hear shouts of 'Courage, Monsieur!
+Courage, Castor! We are coming!' then conscious only of an
+overwhelming weight above him, and of iron claws tearing at his chest,
+he fainted away. When he came to himself he was lying on the ground,
+surrounded by his men. Starting up, he exclaimed, 'The beast! where is
+the beast?'
+
+  [Illustration: THE DEATH OF THE FAMOUS WOLF OF GÉVAUDAN]
+
+'Dead, Monsieur! stone dead!' answered the head-keeper, showing him
+the horrid creature, all torn and bloody, stretched out on the snow
+beside the dead bloodhound. Castor, a little way off, lay panting and
+bruised, licking his wound. The Count's knife was firmly embedded in
+the beast's ribs; it had gone straight to the heart and death had been
+instantaneous. A procession was formed to carry the carcase of the
+wolf in triumph to the castle of the Countess. The news had flown in
+advance, and she was waiting on the steps to welcome the conquering
+hero. It was not long before the Countess and the gallant champion
+were married; and, as the wolf left no family, the country was at
+peace. Are you not rather sorry for the poor wolf?
+
+
+
+
+_TWO HIGHLAND DOGS_
+
+
+I
+
+Righ and Speireag were two Highland dogs who lived in a beautiful
+valley not far from the west coast of Scotland, where high hills slope
+down to the shores of a blue loch, and the people talk a strange
+language quite different from English, or even from French, or German,
+or Latin, which is called Gaelic.
+
+The name 'Righ,' means a king, and 'Speireag' means a sparrow-hawk,
+but they are words no one, except a Highlander, can pronounce
+properly. However, the dogs had a great many friends who could not
+talk Gaelic, and when English-speaking people called them 'Ree' and
+'Spearah,' they would always answer.
+
+Righ was a great tawny deerhound, tall and slender, very stately, as a
+king should be, and as gentle as he was strong. He had a rough coat and
+soft brown eyes, set rather near together, and very bright and
+watchful. His chief business in life was to watch the faces of his
+friends, and to obey their wishes quickly, to take his long limbs away
+from the drawing-room hearth-rug when the butler came in to put on the
+coals, not to get in the way more than so big a dog could help, and not
+to get too much excited when anything in the conversation suggested the
+likelihood of a walk. But his father and all his ancestors had led very
+different lives; they had been trained to go out on the mountains with
+men who hunted the wild deer, and to help them in the chase, for the
+deerhounds run with long bounds and are as fleet as the stag himself.
+Then, when the beautiful creature had been killed, it was their duty to
+guard the body, and to see that carrion crows, and eagles, and other
+wild birds should not molest it. But Righ's master was a Bishop, who,
+though he lived quite near to a great deer forest, and often took his
+dogs over the hills to where the deer lived, never killed anything, but
+loved to see all his fellow-creatures happy among the things they liked
+best.
+
+Speireag was a very little dog, of the kind that is called a Skye
+terrier, though the island of Skye is one of the few places in which a
+long-haired terrier is very rare. He was quite small, what his
+Highland friends called 'a wee bit doggie;' he was very full of life
+and courage, wonderfully plucky for his size, like the fierce little
+bird whose name he bore. Like a good many little people he lacked the
+dignity and repose of his big companion, and, though very
+good-tempered among his friends, was quite ready to bite if beaten,
+and did not take a scolding with half the gentleness and humility with
+which Righ would submit to punishment, perhaps because he needed it
+oftener, for he was so busy and active that he sometimes got into
+scrapes. He was only three years old at the time of this story and
+Righ was seven, so it was perhaps natural that Righ should be the
+wiser of the two.
+
+They lived in a beautiful house quite near the loch, and they had a
+large garden to play in, and they could go in and out of the house and
+do just as they liked so long as they came when they were called and
+did as they were bid, and did not climb on the sofa cushions when
+their feet were muddy. There were very few houses on their side the
+water, and as their friends went about in boats as often as other
+people go out in carriages, the dogs were used to the water, and could
+swim as easily as walk, and what is more, knew how to sit still in a
+boat, so that they were allowed to go everywhere with their friends
+because they gave no trouble.
+
+They had a very happy life, for there was always something going on,
+which is what dogs like, and plenty of people to go walks with. Their
+young masters sometimes went out with guns, and a dog, a country dog,
+loves a gun better than anything in the world, because he knows it
+means business in which he can help. Sometimes their mistress took
+them for a walk, and then they knew that they must be on their best
+behaviour, and not wander too far away from the road and have to be
+whistled back, and not fight with the collies at the cottage doors,
+nor chase cats, nor be tiresome in any way; they generally kept close
+beside her, Righ walking very slowly so as to accommodate his big
+strides to the progress of a poor human thing with only two legs, and
+Speireag trotting along with tiny little footsteps that seemed to make
+a great fuss and to be in a great hurry about nothing at all.
+
+There was nothing, however, so delightful as going for walks with
+their own master, the Bishop. For one thing, they generally knew he
+really meant to do something worth while. Pottering about with a gun
+or escorting a lady is pleasant enough, but it generally means coming
+home to lunch or tea, and the real joy of a dog's walk is to feel that
+you are getting further and further away from home, and that there are
+miles of heather and pine-wood behind you, and yet you are still going
+on and on, with chances of more hares and more squirrels to run after.
+Sometimes the Bishop would stop at a shepherd's hut or a lonely
+cottage under the lee of a hill, and sometimes he would sit down to
+examine a flower he had gathered in the wood, but they forgave him
+very good-temperedly, and could always find something to interest them
+while they waited.
+
+Righ generally sat down beside his master and stretched out his great
+limbs on the heather, for he liked to think he was taking care of
+somebody or something. Speireag would lie down for a minute, panting,
+with his little red tongue hanging out and his hairy little paws all
+wet and muddy; but he never rested for long, but would dart off,
+pretending to have found a rat or a squirrel, even if none really
+existed.
+
+It was in December, 1887, the weather was raw and cold, there was ice
+floating about on the loch, and the sea gulls used to come up to the
+garden terrace to be fed. The young masters were away, and mistress
+could only take walks along the road, there was nothing to tempt her
+to a mountain scramble or a saunter in the woods. The Bishop was very
+busy, and day after day the dogs would start up from the rug at the
+sound of the opening of his study door upstairs, and after a minute's
+anxious listening, with ears cocked and heads erect, they would lie
+down again with a sigh of disappointment, for there was no sound of
+approach to the hat-stand nor of whistled invitation for a walk.
+
+Finally came a sad day when the Bishop went away, and dog-life
+threatened to become monotonous. Then, one Saturday, hope revived, for
+a visitor came to the house, an old friend whom they loved and trusted
+as a good dog always loves what is trustworthy. He was a frequent
+visitor, and had, in fact, left the house but three weeks before. He
+was there for a holiday rest, and had leisure to bestow on dogs and on
+long walks, which they always shared.
+
+He was very thoughtful for them, not the sort of man who would set off
+on a whole afternoon's ramble and say, when half a mile on his way, 'I
+wish I'd remembered Righ and Speireag!' He always remembered them, and
+thought for them; and when he fed them after dinner, would always give
+big bits of biscuit to the big dog, and little bits to the little dog,
+and it is not every one who has the sense for that!
+
+Every day, and often twice a day, he took them out, down to the church
+or the pier, or across the lake and up to the Pass of Glencoe, where
+stern grey hills and hovering eagles and a deep silent valley still
+seem to whisper together of a sad true story that happened there in
+just such weather as this two hundred years ago.
+
+These were very happy days for dogs, for they did not mind the cold,
+it was only an excuse for wild scampering and racing, and they were
+very grateful for their friend's return. He had been ill, but was able
+to enjoy his walks and though about sixty years of age he had all
+those qualities of youth which endear a man to a dog or a child. He
+was brave and unselfish, and strong to love and to endure, and they
+loved him without knowing why; without knowing that he had lost his
+health from overwork in the service of the poor and suffering, and
+among outcasts so low as to be beyond the sympathy of any heart less
+loving than that of a dog or of a very good man. 'Father' Mackonochie
+he was always called, and though he had never had wife or children of
+his own, many a fatherless child, and many a lonely grown-up man or
+woman, felt that it was quite easy and natural to call him by a name
+so sacred.
+
+On the Wednesday after he came, he took Righ and Speireag for a
+glorious walk through the shrubberies and out through a gate on to the
+road at the foot of the hills behind, a road that winds on and on for
+many miles, the mountains rising steeply above, the lake being cold
+and grey below; the bank, that slopes away from the road to the water,
+in places covered with gorse and low bushes and heather, where an
+enterprising dog may hunt for rats and rabbits, or rush headlong after
+a pee-wit or moor-fowl as it rises with a scream at his approach and
+flutters off high into the air, and then descending to within a few
+feet of him, skims low before him, hopelessly far, yet tantalisingly
+near.
+
+The way was familiar to them by land or by water. Often had they
+sailed up the loch in the same direction, further and further into the
+heart of the mountains, the valley becoming more and more narrow, the
+shores of the lake nearer and nearer to each other, till, had they
+gone far enough, they would have reached the Dog's Ferry, a spot where
+the water is so narrow that a dog may easily swim across. Righ, strong
+swimmer that he was, had often crossed the loch near his master's
+house, where the ferry boats ply, and needed no Dog's Ferry, but few
+dogs made such powerful strokes in the water as he.
+
+This day, however, they did not reach the Dog's Ferry. The afternoon
+was closing in, there were streaks of gold in the dull grey sky, and
+it was, the good Father thought, time to return. 'Never mind, little
+man,' he said as Speireag looked reproachfully at him with wistful
+brown eyes gleaming through overhanging silvery locks, 'we'll do it
+to-morrow, only we must set off earlier.'
+
+This was good news, and the little dog started home gaily, running, as
+little dogs will, ten miles, at least, to every one of the road, and
+tired enough when home was reached at last. Dinner was a welcome
+feast, and Righ and Speireag slept sound till it was time for evening
+service. They always attended chapel night and morning, and took their
+places at the foot of the steps, half-way, when both were present,
+between mistress in her seat and master at the place of his sacred
+office. To-night, as usual, they remained perfectly quiet and
+apparently indifferent to what was going on till, at the words
+'Lighten our darkness,' bed-time came into immediate prospect, and
+they started into expectant attitudes, awaiting the final 'Amen.'
+
+
+II
+
+The next morning, though cold, was fine and fairly bright, and the
+dogs watched eagerly for signs of the promised walk. The service in
+chapel was rather long this morning, for, as it was Advent, the
+'Benedicite' was read, and though Righ and Speireag noticed only that
+they had time for a longer nap than usual, there were some present who
+will never forget, as the season comes round again each year, the
+special significance of part of that song of praise--
+
+    O ye frost and cold--O ye ice and snow--O ye nights and days
+    O ye light and darkness, O ye mountains and hills,
+    O ye beasts and cattle, O ye holy and humble men of heart,
+    Bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever!
+
+But at last the service was over and the dogs trotted out into the
+hall, and followed mistress and their friend to the front door to see
+'what the weather was like.' It was not a specially pleasant morning,
+but it would do for a walk, and after waiting a few minutes to have
+some sandwiches cut, the only detention that could be endured with
+patience, the three set out. After about six miles they were on new
+ground, but on they went, the lake to the right of the road getting
+narrower--on past the Dog's Ferry and still on, till the loch had
+become a river, and could be crossed by a bridge.
+
+Righ and Speireag knew, by a more certain method than looking at
+clocks, that it was lunch time, half past one at least, and they never
+thought of doubting that they would cross the bridge and turn
+homewards along the other side the loch, and so get in about tea-time;
+or, for their friend was enterprising, by a longer way also on the
+further side, either of which would involve a delightful long walk,
+but with just that hint of a homeward turn which, even to dogs, is
+acceptable when breakfast has become a mere memory.
+
+They accordingly followed the road on to the bridge, but as Father
+Mackonochie did not overtake them, Righ, ever watchful of his friends,
+turned to look back and saw him speaking to a girl, after which, to
+their surprise, he whistled them back, and instead of continuing along
+the road as it turned off to the right, kept straight on, though there
+was now only a rough track leading through a gate into the wood
+beyond.
+
+When they had advanced a few paces into the wood, he sat down under a
+tree and took out his packet of sandwiches. Righ and Speireag, sitting
+close beside him, had their share, or perhaps more, for their wistful
+brown eyes hungrily reminded him that they had multiplied the distance
+many times over, and that an unexpected luncheon out of doors is a joy
+in a dog's day, of a kind for which a man may well sacrifice a part of
+his minor pleasure.
+
+Starting off again was a fresh delight. On they went, further and
+further, always climbing higher and getting deeper into the wood. To
+the left, the steep mountain-side rose abruptly above them; to the
+right, below the path, the river tore its way between steep banks
+down, down to its home in the lake. Now and then the trees parted and
+made way for a wild mountain torrent leaping from rock to rock down
+the hill side, and rushing across their path to join the river below.
+As they climbed further these became more frequent. Their friend could
+stride across, setting an occasional foot upon a stepping-stone, and
+Righ, too, could cross safely enough, long-limbed as he was, though
+now and then he had to swim, and the streams were so rapid that it
+needed all his strength to cross the current. Sometimes he helped
+Speireag, for the brave little dog would always try to follow his big
+companion, and sometimes, with an anxious bark, would give warning
+that help was needed, and then the kind Father would turn back to pick
+up the little dog and carry him till they were in safety.
+
+It was very hard work, they were always climbing, and in many places
+the road was polished with a thin coating of ice, but the dogs feared
+nothing and kept on bravely.
+
+The path dwindled to a mere track, and the climbing became steeper
+still. The streams crossed their road still oftener, and the stones
+were slippery with ice. The wood became thinner, and as they had less
+shelter from the trees, great flakes of half-frozen snow were driven
+against their faces. There was no thought now of hares or stags, Righ
+and Speireag had no energies left for anything but patient following.
+Poor little Speireag's long coat was very wet, and as it dried a
+little, it became hard and crisp with frost. The long hair falling
+over his eyes was matted together and tangled with briers, and his
+little feet were sore and heavy with the mud that had caked in the
+long tassels of silky hair. Even Righ was very weary, and he followed
+soberly now instead of bounding along in front, his ears and tail
+drooped, and each time he crossed the ice-cold water he seemed more
+and more dejected.
+
+As they left the wood behind them, the snow fell thick and blinding,
+but just at first, as they came out into the open, it seemed not quite
+so dark as under the trees. There was nothing to be seen but grey sky
+and grey moor, even the river had been left behind, and only blackened
+patches remained to show where, in summer, the ground was spread with
+a gay carpet of purple heather and sweet bog-myrtle. They got deeper
+at each step into half-frozen marsh; there was no sound or sign of
+life. The dogs felt hungry and weary, and they ached with the cold and
+wet. But they were following a friend, and they trusted him wholly.
+Well they knew that each step was taking them farther from home, and
+farther into the cold and darkness. But dog-wisdom never asserts
+itself, and in trustful humility they followed still, and the snow
+came down closer and closer around them, and even the grey sky and the
+grey moor were blotted out--and the darkness fell.
+
+
+III
+
+It was a disappointing home-coming for the Bishop that Thursday
+evening! There was no hearty handshake from waiting friend, no
+rejoicing bay of big dog or extravagant excitement of little dog to
+welcome him. The three had been out the whole day, he was told, and
+had not yet reappeared. A long walk had been projected, but they had
+been expected home long before this. When dinner-time came, and they
+did not appear, two servants had been sent out with lanterns to meet
+them, as the road, though not one to be missed, was dark, and some
+small accident might have happened. The men were not back yet, but
+doubtless the missing party would soon return.
+
+The night was dark and stormy, and Father Mackonochie had been for
+some time somewhat invalided, and as time passed the Bishop became
+increasingly anxious. At length he ordered a carriage, and with the
+gardener set off towards Kinloch, the head of the loch, thinking that
+accident or weariness might have detained his friend, and the carriage
+might be useful. On the way they met the first messengers returning
+with the news that nothing could be heard at Kinloch of the missing
+three, except that they had passed there between one and two o'clock
+in the afternoon. The Bishop and his men sought along the road, and
+inquired for tidings at the very few houses within reach, but in vain.
+The night was dark and little could be done, and there was always the
+hope that on their return they might find that some tidings had been
+heard, that the lost friends might have come back by the other side of
+the lake.
+
+So at last they turned back, reaching home about four o'clock in the
+morning. No news had been heard, and all felt anxious and perplexed,
+but most believed that some place of shelter had been reached, as the
+dogs had not come home. They could find their way home from anywhere,
+and there seemed little doubt that, overtaken by darkness, all three
+had found shelter in a shepherd's or gamekeeper's hut, perhaps on the
+other side of the lake, as they had almost certainly crossed the
+bridge, no one having met them on the road by which they had started.
+
+Nevertheless all that was possible must be done in case of the worst,
+and as soon as daylight returned four parties of men were despatched
+in different directions, the Bishop himself choosing that which his
+friend and his dogs were known to have taken the day before.
+
+A whole day of search over miles and miles of the desolate wintry
+mountains revealed but one fact, that the party had eaten their
+luncheon under a tree in the wood, beyond the bridge. The squirrels
+had left the sandwich paper there to tell the tale, and for the first
+time it seemed likely that they had not turned homewards on reaching
+the head of the lake, either by the same road they had come, or by
+that on the other side of the water and through Glencoe.
+
+One by one, the search parties came home with no tidings. No trace of
+the wanderers had been seen, no bark of dogs had been heard, no help
+had been found towards the discovery of the sad secret. Weary and
+heartsick as all felt, no time was to be lost, every hour made the
+anxiety greater, and all were ready in a very short time to start
+afresh.
+
+Again, for the second time, all through the long night they wandered
+over the mountains, through the wood, and across the deer-forest
+beyond. It was an awful night. Again and again were their lights blown
+out; the snow lay deep in all the hollows; where the streams had
+overflowed their banks, the path was a sheet of solid ice; the rocks,
+polished and slippery, were climbed with utmost difficulty. At every
+opening in the hills an ice-cold wind whirled down glen and corrie,
+sleet and hail-stones beat against their faces, the frozen pools in
+the marshes gave way beneath their feet. The night was absolutely
+dark, not a star shone out to give them courage. The silence and the
+sounds were alike awful. Sometimes they could hear each other's
+laboured breathing as they tottered on the ice or waded through the
+snow, sometimes all other sounds were lost in the shrieking of the
+whirlwinds, the crackling of the ice, and the roaring of the swollen,
+angry streams.
+
+What could have happened? Even if accident had occurred, either or
+both of the dogs would surely have returned, and how could even a
+Highland dog, hungry and shelterless, live through such a night as
+this?
+
+Morning came again, and returning to the point, near the bridge at
+which the carriage had been left, two of the parties met, and drove
+home for food and dry clothing, and to learn what others might have to
+tell.
+
+There was no news, and again the same earnest friends, with many more
+kind helpers, set out on their almost hopeless journey. The trackless
+wilds of the deer-forest seemed the most likely field for search, and
+all now, in various groups, set off in this direction.
+
+Hour after hour passed without any gleam of hope, and even the Bishop
+began to feel that everything possible had been done, and was turning
+sadly homewards. A second party, a few hundreds yards behind, had
+almost come to the same resolve, many of the men had been without rest
+since Thursday, and even the dog, who with one of the keepers of the
+deer-forest had joined the party, was limping wearily and was
+exhausted by the cold and the rough walking.
+
+Suddenly he stopped, and, with ears pricked and head erect, listened.
+No one knows better than a Highlander the worth of a collie's opinion,
+and more than one stopped to listen too. Not far away, and yet faint,
+came the bark of a dog! Among the men was Sandy, one of the Bishop's
+stablemen, who knew and loved Righ and Speireag, and his heart leapt
+up as he recognised the deerhound's bay!
+
+Away, to their left, the mountains were cleft by a narrow glen, the
+sound came from the bank on the hither side. The Bishop and his party
+had climbed to the further side, but a shout reached them, alert and
+watchful as they were.
+
+They turned back wondering, scarcely daring to hope. The men who had
+called to them were hastening to a given point, the dog, nose to
+ground, preceding them. There is no mistaking the air of a dog on
+business. The collie's intentness was as different from his late
+dejection as was the present haste of the men from the anxious
+watchful plodding of their long search.
+
+In another moment they came in sight of something which made them hold
+back the dog, and which arrested their own footsteps. The Bishop
+himself must be the first to tread on what all felt was holy ground.
+
+There, on the desolate hillside, lay the body of Father Mackonochie,
+wreathed about with the spotless snow, a peaceful expression on his
+face. One on either side sat the dogs, watching still, as they had
+watched through the two long nights of storm and darkness. Even the
+approach of friends did not tempt them to forsake their duty. With
+hungry, weary faces they looked towards the group which first came
+near them, but not till their own master knelt down beside all that
+remained of his old friend, did they yield up their trust, and rise,
+numbed and stiff, from the posts they had taken up, who knows how long
+before?
+
+To say a few words of prayer and thanksgiving was the Bishop's first
+thought, his second to take from his pocket the sandwiches he carried,
+and to give all to Righ and Speireag.
+
+A bier was contrived of sticks from a rough fence that marked the
+boundary of the deer-forest, and the body was lifted from the frozen
+ground on which it lay. The return to Kinloch, where the carriage
+waited, was very difficult, and the bearers had to change places very
+often.
+
+Slow as was their progress, it was as rapid as Righ could manage,
+numbed with cold, and exhausted with hunger. The little dog was easily
+carried, and for once little Speireag was content to rest.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THE LONG VIGIL']
+
+No one will ever know what those faithful dogs felt and endured
+during those two days and nights of storm and loneliness. Those who
+sought them in the darkness of that second awful night must have
+passed very near the spot where they lay, sleeping perhaps, or
+deafened by the storm, or even, possibly, listening anxiously with
+beating hearts to the footsteps which came so near, and yet turned
+away, leaving them, faithful to their post, in the night.
+
+They in their degree, like the man whose last sleep they guarded, were
+'true and faithful servants.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It is pleasant to know that Righ and Speireag did not suffer
+permanently for all they had undergone! They lived for five years and
+a half after, and had many and many a happy ramble when the sun was
+bright and the woods were green, and squirrels and hares were merry.
+They could not be better cared for than they had always been, but, if
+possible, they were more indulged. If they contrived to get a dinner
+in the kitchen as well as in the dining-room, their friends remembered
+the days when they had none, and nobody told tales. If they lay in the
+sun quite across the front door, or took up the whole of the rug
+before the winter fire, everyone felt that there were arrears of
+warmth to be made up to them. Their portraits were painted, and in the
+sculpture which in his own church commemorates Father Mackonochie's
+death, the dogs have not been forgotten.
+
+Righ was the elder of the two, and towards the end of his thirteen
+years showed signs of old age and became rheumatic and feeble, but
+Speireag, though three years younger, did not long survive him.
+
+They rest now under a cairn in the beautiful garden they loved so
+well; dark green fir trees shelter their grave, a gentle stream goes
+merrily by on its way to the lake below, and in the crannies of the
+stones of which the cairn is built, fox-gloves and primroses and
+little ferns grow fresh and green.
+
+On the cairn is this inscription:
+
+    IN MEMORY OF
+
+    15th December, 1887.
+
+    RIGH died 19th January, 1893.
+
+    SPEIREAG died 28th August, 1893.
+
+
+
+
+_MONKEY TRICKS AND SALLY AT THE ZOO_
+
+_Naturalist's Note-book._
+
+
+Some monkeys are cleverer and more civilised than others, and the
+chiefs have their followers well in hand; every monkey having his own
+especial duties, which he is very careful to fulfil. When the stores
+of food which have been collected are getting low, the elders of the
+tribe--grey beards with long manes--meet together and decide where
+they shall go to lay in fresh supplies. This important point being
+settled, the whole body of monkeys, even down to the very little ones,
+leave the woods or mountain ravine where they live, and form into
+regular order. First scouts are posted; some being sent on to places
+in advance, others being left to guard the rear, while the main body,
+made up of the young and helpless monkeys, follow the chiefs, who
+march solemnly in front and carefully survey every precipice or
+doubtful place before they suffer anyone to pass over it.
+
+It is not at all easy, even for an elderly and experienced monkey, to
+keep order among the host of lively chattering creatures for whose
+safety he is responsible, and indeed it would often be an impossible
+task if it were not for the help of the rear-guard. These much-tried
+animals have to make up quarrels which often break out by the way; to
+prevent the greedy ones from stopping to eat every scrap of fruit or
+berry that hangs from the trees as they pass, and to scold the mothers
+who try to linger behind in order to dress their children's hair and
+to make them smart for the day.
+
+Under these conditions, it takes a long time even for monkeys to
+reach their destination, which is generally a corn-field, but, once
+there, scouts are sent out to every rock or rising ground, so as to
+guard against any surprise. Then the whole tribe fall to, and after
+filling their cheek pouches with ears of corn, they make up bundles to
+tuck under their arms. After the long march and the hasty picking,
+they begin to get thirsty as well as hungry, and the next thing is to
+find some water. This is very soon done, as they seem able to detect
+it under the sand, however deep down it may be, and by dint of taking
+regular turns at digging, it does not take long before they have laid
+bare a well that is large enough for everybody.
+
+Monkeys love by nature to imitate what they see, and have been known
+to smoke a pipe, and to pretend to read a book that they have seen
+other people reading. But sometimes they can do a great deal more than
+this, and show that they can calculate and reason better than many
+men. A large Abyssinian monkey was one day being taken round Khartoum
+by its master, and made to perform all sorts of tricks for the
+amusement of the bystanders. Among these was a date-seller, who was
+squatting on the ground beside his fruit. Now the monkey was
+passionately fond of dates, but being very cunning was careful not to
+let this appear, and went on performing his tricks as usual, drawing
+little by little nearer to the date basket as he did so. When he
+thought he was near enough for his purpose, he first pretended to die,
+slowly and naturally, and then, after lying for a moment on the sand
+as stiff as a corpse, suddenly bounded up with a scream straight in
+front of the date-seller's face, and stared at him with his wild eyes.
+The man looked back at him spell-bound, quite unaware that one of the
+monkey's hind feet was in the date basket, clawing up as much fruit as
+its long toes could hold. By some such trick as this the monkey
+managed to steal enough food daily to keep him fat and comfortable.
+
+No cleverer monkey ever lived than the ugly old Sally, who died at
+the Zoological Gardens of London only a few years ago. Her keeper had
+spent an immense deal of time and patience in training her up, and it
+was astonishing what she was able to do. 'Sally,' he would say,
+putting a tin cup full of milk into her hands, with a spoon hanging
+from it, 'show us how you used to drink when you were in the woods,'
+upon which Sally stuck all her fingers into the milk and sucked them
+greedily. 'Now,' he continued, 'show us how you drink since you became
+a lady,' and then Sally took the spoon and drank her milk in dainty
+little sips. Next he picked up a handful of straw from the bottom of
+the cage, and remarked carelessly, 'Here, just tear those into six,
+will you, all the same length.' Sally took the straws, and in half a
+minute the thing was done. But she had not come to the end of her
+surprises yet. 'You're very fond of pear, I know,' said the keeper,
+producing one out of his pocket and cutting it with his knife; 'well,
+I'm going to put some on my hand, but you're not to touch it until
+I've cut two short pieces and three long ones, and then you may take
+the second long one, but you aren't to touch any of the rest.' The man
+went on cutting his slices without stopping, and was quite ready to
+begin upon a sixth, when Sally stretched out her hand, and took the
+fourth lying along the row, which she had been told she might have.
+Very likely she might have accomplished even more wonderful things
+than this, but one cold day she caught a chill, and died in a few
+hours of bronchitis.
+
+
+
+
+_HOW THE CAYMAN WAS KILLED_
+
+Waterton's _Wanderings in S. America_.
+
+
+In the year 1782 there was born in the old house of Walton, near
+Pontefract, in Yorkshire, a boy named Charles Waterton, who afterwards
+became very famous as a traveller and a naturalist. As soon as he
+could walk, he was always to be found poking about among trees, or
+playing with animals, and both at home and at school he got into many
+a scrape through his love of adventure. He was only about ten when
+some other boys dared him to ride on a cow, and of course he was not
+going to be beaten. So up he got while the cow was only thinking how
+good the grass tasted, but the moment she felt a strange weight on her
+back, she flung her heels straight into the air, and off flew Master
+Waterton over her head.
+
+Many years after this, Waterton was travelling in South America,
+seeing and doing many curious things. For a long time he had set his
+heart on catching a cayman, a kind of alligator that is found in the
+rivers of Guiana. For this purpose he took some Indians with him to
+the Essequibo, which falls into the sea not far from Demerara, and was
+known to be a famous place for caymans. It was no good attempting to
+go after them during the long, bright day. They were safely in hiding,
+and never thought of coming out till the sun was below the horizon.
+
+So Waterton and his Indians waited in patience till the moon rose, and
+everything was still, except that now and then a huge fish would leap
+into the air and plunge again under water. Suddenly there broke forth
+a fearful noise, unlike the cry of any other creature. As one cayman
+called another answered; and although caymans are not very common
+anywhere, that night you would have thought that the world was full of
+them.
+
+The three men stopped eating their supper of turtle and turned and
+looked over the river. Waterton could see nothing, but the Indian
+silently pointed to a black log that lay in the stream, just over the
+place where they had baited a hook with a large fish, and bound it on
+a board. At the end of the board a rope was fastened, and this was
+also made fast to a tree on the bank. By-and-bye the black log began
+to move, and in the bright moonlight he was clearly seen to open his
+long jaws and to take the bait inside them. But the watchers on shore
+pulled the rope too soon, and the cayman dropped the bait at once.
+Then for an hour he lay quite still, thinking what he should do next,
+but feeling cross at having lost his supper, he made up his mind to
+try once more, and cautiously took the bait in his mouth. Again the
+rope was pulled, and again the bait was dropped into the river; but in
+the end the cayman proved more cunning than the Indians, for after he
+had played this trick for three or four times he managed to get the
+fish without the hook, and when the sun rose again, Waterton knew that
+cayman hunting was over for that day.
+
+For two or three nights they watched and waited, but did not ever get
+so near success as before. Let them conceal a hook in the bait ever so
+cleverly, the cayman was sure to be cleverer than they, and when
+morning came, the bait was always gone and the hook always left. The
+Indians, however, had no intention of allowing the cayman to beat them
+in the long run, and one of them invented a new hook, which this time
+was destined to better luck. He took four or five pieces of wood about
+a foot long, barbed them at each end, and tied them firmly to the end
+of a rope, thirty yards long. Above the barb was baited the flesh of
+an acouri, a creature the size of a rabbit. The whole was then
+fastened to a post driven into the sand, and the attention of the
+cayman aroused to what was going on by some sharp blows on an empty
+tortoiseshell, which served as a drum.
+
+About half-past five the Indian got up and stole out to look, and then
+he called triumphantly to the rest to come up at once, for on the hook
+was a cayman, ten feet and a half long.
+
+But hard as it had been to secure him, it was nothing to the
+difficulty of getting him out alive, and with his scales uninjured,
+especially as the four Indians absolutely refused to help, and that
+left only two white men and a negro, to grapple with the huge monster.
+Of these, too, the negro showed himself very timid, and it was not
+easy to persuade him to be of any use.
+
+The position was certainly puzzling. If the Indians refused their
+help, the cayman could not be taken alive at all, and if they gave it,
+it was only at the price of injuring the animal and spoiling its skin.
+At length a compromise occurred to Waterton. He would take the mast of
+the canoe, which was about eight feet long, and would thrust it down
+the cayman's throat, if it showed any signs of attacking him. On this
+condition, the Indians agreed to give their aid.
+
+Matters being thus arranged, Waterton then placed his men--about seven
+in all--at the end of the rope and told them to pull till the cayman
+rose to the surface, while he himself knelt down with the pole about
+four yards from the bank, ready for the cayman, should he appear,
+roaring. Then he gave the signal, and slowly the men began to pull.
+But the cayman was not to be caught without a struggle. He snorted and
+plunged violently, till the rope was slackened, when he instantly
+dived below. Then the men braced all their strength for another
+effort, and this time out he came and made straight for Waterton.
+
+  [Illustration: THE CAPTURE OF THE CAYMAN]
+
+The naturalist was so excited by his capture, that he lost all sense
+of the danger of his position. He waited till the cayman was within a
+few feet of him, when he flung away his pole, and with a flying leap
+landed on the cayman's back, twisting up the creature's feet and
+holding tightly on to them. The cayman, very naturally, could not in
+the least understand what had happened, but he began to plunge and
+struggle, and to lash out behind with his thick scaly tail, while the
+Indians looked on from afar, and shouted in triumph.
+
+To Waterton the only fear was, lest the rope should prove too weak for
+the strain, in which case he and the cayman would promptly disappear
+into the depths of the Essequibo. But happily the rope was strong, and
+after being dragged by the Indians for forty yards along the sand, the
+cayman gave in, and Waterton contrived to tie his jaws together, and
+to lash his feet on to his back. Then he was put to death, and so
+ended the chase of the cayman.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF FIDO_
+
+
+Fido's master had to go a long journey across the country to a certain
+town, and he was carrying with him a large bag of gold to deposit at
+the bank there. This bag he carried on his saddle, for he was riding,
+as in those days there were no trains, and he had to travel as quickly
+as he could.
+
+Fido scampered cheerfully along at the horse's heels, and every now
+and then the man would call out to her, and Fido would wag her tail
+and bark back an answer.
+
+The sun was hot and the road dusty, and poor Fido's little legs grew
+more and more tired. At last they came to a cool, shady wood, and the
+master stopped, dismounted, and tied his horse to a tree, and took his
+heavy saddle-bags from the saddle.
+
+He laid them down very carefully, and pointing to them, said to Fido,
+'Watch them.'
+
+Then he drew his cloak about him, lay down with his head on the bags,
+and soon was fast asleep.
+
+Little Fido curled herself up close to her master's head, with her
+nose over one end of the bags, and went to sleep too. But she did not
+sleep very soundly, for her master had told her to watch, and every
+few moments she would open her eyes and prick up her ears, in case
+anyone were coming.
+
+  [Illustration: THE WOUNDING OF FIDO]
+
+Her master was tired and slept soundly and long--much longer than he
+had intended. At last he was awakened by Fido's licking his face. The
+dog saw that the sun was nearly setting, and knew that it was time
+for her master to go on his journey.
+
+The man patted Fido and then jumped up, much troubled to find he had
+slept so long. He snatched up his cloak, threw it over his horse,
+untied the bridle, sprang into the saddle, and calling Fido, started
+off in great haste. But Fido did not seem ready to follow him. She ran
+after the horse and bit at his heels, and then ran back again to the
+woods, all the time barking furiously. This she did several times, but
+her master had no time to heed her and galloped away, thinking she
+would follow him.
+
+At last the little dog sat down by the roadside, and looked
+sorrowfully after her master, until he had turned a bend in the road.
+When he was no longer in sight she sprang up with a wild bark, and ran
+after him again. She overtook him just as he had stopped to water his
+horse at a brook that flowed across the road. She stood beside the
+brook and barked so savagely that her master rode back and called her
+to him; but instead of coming she darted off down the road still
+barking.
+
+Her master did not know what to think, and began to fear that his dog
+was going mad. Mad dogs are afraid of water, and act in a strange way
+when they see it. While the man was thinking of this, Fido came
+running back again, and dashed at him furiously. She leapt at the legs
+of his horse, and even jumped up and bit the toe of her master's boot.
+Then she ran down the road again, barking with all her might.
+
+Her master was now sure that she was mad, and, taking out his pistol
+he shot her. He rode away quickly, for he loved her dearly and could
+not bear to see her die.
+
+He had not ridden very far when he stopped suddenly. He felt under his
+coat for his saddle-bags. They were not there!
+
+Could he have dropped them, or had he left them behind in the wood
+where he had rested? He felt sure they must be in the wood, for he
+could not remember having picked them up or fastening them to his
+saddle.
+
+He turned his horse and rode back again as hard as he could.
+
+When he came to the brook he sighed and said, 'Poor Fido!' but though
+he looked about he could see nothing of her. When he crossed the brook
+he saw some drops of blood on the ground, and all along the road he
+still saw drops of blood. Tears came into his eyes, and he felt very
+sad and guilty, for now he understood why little Fido had acted so
+strangely. She knew that her master had left behind his precious bags
+of gold, and so she had tried to tell him in the only way she could.
+
+All the way to the wood lay the drops of blood. At last he reached the
+wood, and there, all safe, lay the bags of gold, and beside them, with
+her little nose lying over one end of them, lay faithful Fido, who,
+you will be pleased to hear, recovered from her wound, and lived to a
+great age.
+
+
+
+
+_BEASTS BESIEGED_
+
+Adapted from Théophile Gautier.
+
+
+Twenty-five years ago (in the winter of 1870-1871) Paris was closely
+besieged by the Germans, who had beaten one French army after another
+on the frontier, and had now advanced into the very heart of the
+country. The cold was frightful, and no wood could be got, and as if
+this was not enough, food began to give out, and the people inside the
+city soon learned to know the tortures of hunger. There was no hay or
+corn for the horses; after sheep and oxen they were the first animals
+to be eaten, and then whispers were heard about elephants and camels
+and other beasts in the Jardin des Plantes, which is the French name
+for their Zoological Gardens.
+
+Now it is quite bad enough to be taken from the forests and deserts
+where you never did anything but just what you chose, and to be shut
+up in a small cage behind bars; but it is still worse not to have
+enough food to eat, and worst of all to be made into food for other
+people. Luckily the animals did not know what was being talked about
+in the world outside, or they would have been more uncomfortable than
+they were already.
+
+Any visitor to the Jardin des Plantes about Christmas time in 1870,
+and for many weeks later, would have seen a strange sight. Some parts
+of the Gardens were set aside for hospitals, and rows of beds occupied
+every sheltered building. Passing through these, the visitor found
+himself in the kingdom of the beasts, who were often much more gentle
+than their gaolers.
+
+After coming from the streets where nothing was the same as it had
+been six months before, and everything was topsy-turvy, it was almost
+soothing to watch the animals going on in their usual way, quite
+regardless of what men might be doing outside. There was the white
+bear swinging himself from side to side and rubbing his nose against
+the bars, just as he had done on the day that he had first taken up
+his abode there. There was a camel still asking for cakes, and an
+elephant trumpeting with fury because he didn't get any. Nobody had
+cakes for themselves, and it would have been far easier to place a
+gold piece in the twirling proboscis. An elephant who is badly fed is
+not a pretty spectacle. Its skin is so large that it seems as if it
+would take in at least three or four extra bodies, and having only one
+shrunken skeleton to cover, it shrivels up into huge wrinkles and
+looks like the earth after a dry summer. On the whole, certain kinds
+of bears come off best, for they can sleep all the winter through, and
+when they wake up, the world will seem the same as when they last shut
+their eyes, and unless their friend the white bear tells them in bear
+language all that has happened they will never be any the wiser.
+
+Still it is not all the bears who are lucky enough to have the gift of
+sleep. Some remained broad awake, and stood idly about in the corners
+of their dens, not knowing how to get rid of the time that hung so
+heavily on their paws. What was the use for the big brown marten to go
+up to the top of his tree, when there was no one to tickle his nose
+with a piece of bread at the end of a string? Why should his brother
+take the trouble to stand up on his hind legs when there was nobody to
+laugh and clap him? Only one very young bear indeed, with bright eyes
+and a yellow skin, went on his own way, regardless of spectators, and
+he was busily engaged in looking at himself in a pail of water and
+putting on all sorts of little airs and graces, from sheer admiration
+of his own beauty.
+
+  [Illustration: THE DREAM OF THE HUNGRY LION]
+
+Perhaps the most to be pitied of all were the lions, for they do not
+know how to play, and could only lie about and remember the days when
+towards sunset they crept towards the cool hill, and waited till the
+antelopes came down for their evening drink. And then, ah _then_! but
+that is only a memory, while stretched out close by is the poor
+lioness in the last stage of consumption, and looking more like those
+half-starved fighting lions you see on royal coats of arms than a real
+beast. At such times most children would give anything to catch up the
+Zoological Gardens and carry them right away into the centre of
+Africa, and let out the beasts and make them happy and comfortable
+once more. But that was not the feeling of the little boy who had been
+taken by his mother to see the beasts as a treat for his birthday. At
+each cage they passed he came to a standstill, and gazing at the
+animal with greedy eyes, he said, 'Mother, wouldn't you like to eat
+that?' Every time his mother answered him, 'No one eats these beasts,
+my boy; they are brought from countries a long way off, and cost a
+great deal of money.' The child was silent for a moment, but at the
+sight of the zebra, the elk, or the little hyæna, his face brightened
+again, and his voice might be heard piping forth its old question,
+'Mother, wouldn't you like to eat that?'
+
+It is a comfort to think that the horrid greedy boy was disappointed
+in his hopes. Whatever else he may have eaten, the taste of lions and
+of bears is still strange to him, for the siege of Paris came to an
+end at last, and the animals were made happy as of old with their
+daily portions.
+
+
+
+
+_MR. GULLY_
+
+
+He was a herring gull, and one of the largest I have ever seen. He was
+beautiful to look at with his soft grey plumage, never a feather of
+which was out of place. Of his character I will say nothing; that can
+be best judged by reading the following truthful biography of my 'dove
+of the waters.'
+
+I cannot begin at the beginning. Of his youth, which doubtless, in
+every sense of the word, was a stormy one, I know nothing. He had
+already acquired the wisdom, or perhaps in his case slyness is a
+better word, of years by the time that he came to us.
+
+Gully was found one day in a field near our house in a very much
+exhausted condition. He had probably come a long distance, which he
+must have accomplished on foot, as he was unable to fly owing to his
+wing having been pinioned.
+
+He was very hungry and greedily bolted a small fish that we offered
+him, and screamed for more. We then turned him into the garden, where
+he soon found a sheltered corner by our dining-room window and went to
+sleep standing on one leg. The other one he always kept tucked away so
+that was quite invisible.
+
+Next morning I came out to look for Gully and feed him. He had
+vanished! I thought of the pond where I kept my goldfish, forty
+beautiful goldfish. There sure enough was Mr. Gully swimming about
+contentedly, but where were the goldfish? Instead of the crystal
+clear pond, was a pool of muddy water; instead of forty goldfish, all
+that I could make out, when Mr. Gully had been chased away and the
+water given time to settle, was one miserable little half-dead fish,
+the only survivor of the forty.
+
+This was the first of Gully's misdeeds. To look at Gully, no one could
+believe him to be capable of hurting a fly. He had the most lovely
+gentle brown eyes you ever saw, and seemed more like a benevolent old
+professor than anything else. He generally appeared to be half asleep
+or else sunning himself with a contented smile on his thoughtful
+countenance.
+
+Gully next took to killing the sparrows; he was very clever at this.
+When he had finished eating, the sparrows were in the habit of
+appropriating the remnants of the feast. This Gully strongly
+disapproved of, so when he had eaten as much as he wanted, he retired
+behind a chair and waited till the sparrows were busy feasting, then
+he would make a rush and seize the nearest offender. He sometimes used
+to kill as many as from two to four sparrows a day in this manner. The
+pigeons then took to coming too near his reach. At first he was afraid
+of them and left them alone; but the day came when a young fan-tail
+was foolish enough to take his airing on the terrace, close to Mr.
+Gully's nose. This was too much for Mr. Gully, who pounced upon the
+unfortunate 'squeaker' and slew him. _L'appétit vient en mangeant_,
+and after this Mr. Gully took the greatest delight in hunting these
+unfortunate birds and murdering them. No pigeon was too large for him
+to attack. I only just succeeded in saving the cock-pouter, a giant
+among pigeons, from an untimely death, by coming up in time to drive
+Mr. Gully away from his victim.
+
+After this we decided to shut Mr. Gully up. We thought he would make a
+charming companion for the guinea-pigs. At that time I used to keep
+about fifty of various species in a hen-run. So to the guinea-pigs
+Gully was banished. At first the arrangement answered admirably, Gully
+behaved as nicely as possible for about a month, and we were all
+congratulating ourselves on having found such a good way out of our
+difficulty, when all at once his thirst for blood was roused afresh.
+One day he murdered four guinea-pigs and the next day three more of
+these unfortunate little beasts.
+
+We then let him join the hens and ducks. He at once constituted
+himself the leader of the latter; every morning he would lead them
+down to a pond at the bottom of the fields, a distance of about a
+quarter of a mile; and every evening he would summon them round him
+and lead them home. At his cry the ducks and drakes would come
+waddling up to him with loud quacks; he used always to march in the
+most stately manner about two yards ahead of them. Of the cocks and
+hens Gully deigned to take no notice. On two occasions he made an
+exception to this rule of conduct. On the first, he and a hen had a
+dispute over the possession of a worm. This dispute led to a fight of
+which Gully was getting the best when the combatants were separated.
+On the second occasion Gully was accused of decapitating a hen. No one
+saw him do it, but it looked only too like his work. He had a neat
+clean style.
+
+One day he led his ducks to the pond as usual, but in the evening they
+returned by themselves. We came to the conclusion that the poor old
+bird must be dead. We quite gave him up for lost, and had mourned him
+for two or three weeks, when what should we see one day but Mr. Gully
+leading his ducks as usual to his favourite pond, as if he had never
+been away.
+
+Where he had spent all the time he was absent remains a mystery to
+this day. After this he remained with us some time, during which he
+performed no new feat of valour with the exception of one fight which
+he had with a cat. In this fight he had some feathers pulled out, but
+ultimately succeeded in driving her off after giving her leg such a
+bite that she was lame for many a long day.
+
+Since then he has again disappeared. Will he ever return? Mysterious
+was his coming and mysterious his going.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES FROM PLINY_
+
+HOW DOGS LOVE
+
+
+Now there was living at Rome, under the Emperors Vespasian and Titus
+(A.D. 69-81) a man called Pliny, who gave up his life to the study of
+animals and plants. He not only watched their habits for himself, but
+he listened eagerly to all that travellers would tell him, and
+sometimes happened to believe too much, and wrote in his book things
+that were not true. Still there were a great many facts which he had
+found out for himself, and the stories he tells about animals are of
+interest to every one, partly because it seems strange to think that
+dogs and horses and other creatures were just the same then as they
+are now.
+
+The dogs that Pliny writes about lived in all parts of the Roman
+Empire, and were as faithful and devoted to their masters as our dogs
+are to us. One dog called Hyrcanus, belonging to King Lysimachus, one
+of the successors of Alexander the Great, jumped on to the funeral
+pyre on which lay burning the dead body of his master. And so did
+another dog at the burial of Hiero of Syracuse. But during the
+lifetime of Pliny himself, a dog's devotion in the heart of Rome had
+touched even the Roman citizens, ashamed though they generally were of
+showing their feelings. It had happened that a plot against the life
+of Nero had been discovered, and the chief conspirator, Titus Sabinus
+by name, was put to death, together with some of his servants. One of
+these men had a dog of which he was very fond, and from the moment
+the man was thrown into prison, the dog could not be persuaded to move
+away from the door. At last there came a day when the man suffered the
+cruel death common in Rome for such offences, and was thrown down a
+steep flight of stairs, where he broke his neck. A crowd of Romans had
+gathered round the place of execution, in order to see the sight, and
+in the midst of them all the dog managed to reach his master's side,
+and lay there, howling piteously. Then one of the crowd, moved with
+pity, threw the dog a piece of meat, but he only took it, and laid it
+across his master's mouth. By-and-bye, the men came for the body in
+order to throw it into the river Tiber, and even then the dog followed
+and swam after it, and held it up and tried to bring it to land, till
+the people came out in multitudes from the houses round about, to see
+what it was to be faithful unto death--and beyond it.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STRANGE HISTORY OF CAGNOTTE_
+
+_Ménagerie Intime._
+
+
+In the early part of this century, a little boy of three years old,
+named Théophile Gautier, travelled with his parents from Tarbes, in
+the south of France, to Paris. He was so small that he could not speak
+any proper French, but talked like the country people; and he divided
+the world into those who spoke like him and were his friends, and
+those who did not, and were strangers.
+
+But though he was only three, and a great baby in many ways, he loved
+his home dearly, and everything about it, and it nearly broke his
+heart to come away. His parents tried to comfort him by giving him the
+most beautiful chocolates and little cakes, and when that failed they
+tried what drums and trumpets would do. But drums and trumpets
+succeeded no better than cakes and chocolates, for the greater part of
+poor Théophile's tears were shed for the 'dog he had left behind him,'
+called Cagnotte, which his father had given away to a friend, as he
+did not think that any dog who had been accustomed to run along the
+hills and valleys above Tarbes, could ever make himself happy in
+Paris.
+
+Théophile, however, did not understand this, but cried for Cagnotte
+all day long; and one morning he could bear it no longer. His nurse
+had put out all his tin soldiers neatly on the table, with a little
+German village surrounded by stiff green trees just in front of them,
+hoping Théophile might play at a battle or a siege, and she had also
+placed his fiddle (which was painted bright scarlet) quite handy, so
+that he might play the triumphal march of the victor. Nothing was of
+any use. As soon as Josephine's back was turned Théophile threw
+soldiers and village and fiddle out of the window, and then prepared
+to jump after them, so that he might take the shortest way back to
+Tarbes and Cagnotte. Luckily, just as his foot was on the sill,
+Josephine came back from the next room, and saw what he was about. She
+rushed after him and caught him by the jacket, and then took him on
+her knee, and asked him why he was going to do anything so naughty and
+dangerous. When Théophile explained that it was Cagnotte whom he
+wanted and must have, and that nobody else mattered at all, Josephine
+was so afraid he would try to run away again, that she told him that
+if he would only have patience and wait a little Cagnotte would come
+to him.
+
+All day long Théophile gave Josephine no peace. Every few minutes he
+came running to his nurse to know if Cagnotte had arrived, and he was
+only quieted when Josephine went out and returned carrying a little
+dog, which in some ways was very like his beloved Cagnotte. Théophile
+was not quite satisfied at first, till he remembered that Cagnotte had
+travelled a long, long way, and it was not to be expected that he
+should look the same dog as when he started; so he put aside his
+doubts, and knelt down to give Cagnotte a great hug of welcome. The
+new Cagnotte, like the old, was a lovely black poodle, and had
+excellent manners, besides being full of fun. He licked Théophile on
+both cheeks, and was altogether so friendly that he was ready to eat
+bread and butter off the same plate as his little master.
+
+The two got on beautifully, and were perfectly happy for some time,
+and then gradually Cagnotte began to lose his spirits, and instead of
+jumping and running about the world, he moved slowly, as if he was in
+pain. He breathed shortly and heavily, and refused to eat anything,
+and even Théophile could see he was feeling ill. One day Cagnotte was
+lying stretched out on his master's lap, and Théophile was softly
+stroking his skin, when suddenly his hand caught in what seemed to be
+string, or strong thread. In great surprise, Josephine was at once
+called, to explain the strange matter. She stooped down, and peered
+closely at the dog's skin, then took her scissors and cut the thread.
+Cagnotte stretched himself, gave a shake, and jumped down from
+Théophile's lap, leaving a sort of black sheep-skin behind him.
+
+  [Illustration: CAGNOTTE COMES OUT OF HIS SKIN]
+
+Some wicked men had sewn him up in this coat, so that they might get
+more money for him; and without it he was not a poodle at all, but
+just an ugly little street dog, without beauty of any kind.
+
+After helping to eat Théophile's bread and butter and soup for some
+weeks, Cagnotte began to grow fatter, and his outside skin became too
+tight for him, and he was nearly suffocated. Once delivered from it,
+he shook his ears for joy, and danced a waltz of his own round the
+room, not caring a straw how ugly he might be as long as he was
+comfortable. A very few weeks spent in the society of Cagnotte made
+the memory of Tarbes and its mountains grow dim in the mind of
+Théophile. He learnt French, and forgot the way the country people
+talked, and soon he had become, thanks to Cagnotte, such a thorough
+little Parisian, that he would not have understood what his old
+friends said, if one of them had spoken to him.
+
+
+
+
+_STILL WATERS RUN DEEP; OR THE DANCING DOG_
+
+_Ménagerie Intime._
+
+
+When Little Théophile became Big Théophile, he was as fond as ever of
+dogs and cats, and he knew more about them than anybody else. After
+the death of a large white spaniel called Luther, he filled the vacant
+place on his rug by another of the same breed, to whom he gave the
+name of Zamore. Zamore was a little dog, as black as ink, except for
+two yellow patches over his eyes, and a stray patch on his chest. He
+was not in the least handsome, and no stranger would ever have given
+him a second thought. But when you came to know him, you found Zamore
+was not a common dog at all. He despised all women, and absolutely
+refused to obey them or to follow them, and neither Théophile's mother
+nor his sisters could get the smallest sign of friendship from him. If
+they offered him cakes or sugar, he would accept them in a dignified
+manner, but never dreamed of saying 'thank you,' still less of wagging
+his tail on the floor, or giving little yaps of delight and gratitude,
+as well-brought-up dogs should do. Even to Théophile's father, whom he
+liked better than anyone else, he was cold and respectful, though he
+followed him everywhere, and never left his master's heels when they
+took a walk. And when they were fishing together, Zamore would sit
+silent on the bank for hours together, and only allowed himself one
+bark when the fish was safely hooked.
+
+Now no one could possibly have guessed that a dog of such very quiet
+and reserved manners was at heart as gay and cheerful as the silliest
+kitten that ever was born, but so he was, and this was how his family
+found it out.
+
+One day he was walking as seriously as usual through a broad square in
+the outskirts of Paris, when he was surprised at meeting a large grey
+donkey, with two panniers on its back, and in the panniers a troop of
+dogs, some dressed as Swiss shepherdesses, some as Turks, some in full
+court costume. The owner of the animals stopped the donkey close to
+where Zamore was standing, and bade the dogs jump down. Then he
+cracked his whip; the fife and drum struck up a merry tune, the dogs
+steadied themselves on their hind legs, and the dance began.
+
+Zamore looked on as if he had been turned into stone. The sight of
+these dogs, dressed in bright colours, this one with his head covered
+by a feathered hat, and that one by a turban, but all moving about in
+time to the music, and making pirouettes and little bows; were they
+really _dogs_ he was watching or some new kind of men? Anyway he had
+never seen anything so enchanting or so beautiful, and if it was true
+that they were only dogs--well, _he_ was a dog too!
+
+With that thought, all that had lain hidden in Zamore's soul burst
+forth, and when the dancers filed gracefully before him, he raised
+himself on his hind legs, and in spite of staggering a little,
+prepared to join the ring, to the great amusement of the spectators.
+
+The dog-owner, however, whose name was Monsieur Corri, did not see
+matters in the same light. He raised his whip a second time, and
+brought it down with a crack on the sides of Zamore, who ran out of
+the ring, and with his tail between his legs and an air of deep
+thought, he returned home.
+
+  [Illustration: 'AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE SAW?']
+
+All that day Zamore was more serious and more gloomy than ever.
+Nothing would tempt him out, hardly even his favourite dinner, and it
+was quite plain that he was turning over something in his mind. But
+during the night his two young mistresses were awakened by a strange
+noise that seemed to come from an empty room next theirs, where Zamore
+usually slept. They both lay awake and listened, and thought it was
+like a measured stamping, and that the mice might be giving a ball.
+But could little mice feet tread so heavily as that? Supposing a thief
+had got in? So the bravest of the two girls got up, and stealing to
+the door softly opened it and looked into the room. And what do you
+think she saw? Why, Zamore, on his hind legs, his paws in the air,
+practising carefully the steps that he had been watching that morning!
+
+This was not, as one might have expected, a mere fancy of the moment,
+which would be quite forgotten the next day. Zamore was too serious a
+dog for that, and by dint of hard study he became in time a beautiful
+dancer. As often as the fife and drum were heard in the streets,
+Zamore rushed out of the house, glided softly between the spectators,
+and watched with absorbed attention the dancing dogs who were doing
+their steps: but remembering the blow he had had from the whip, he
+took care not to join them. He noted their positions, the figures, and
+the way they held their bodies, and in the night he copied them,
+though by day he was just as solemn as ever. Soon he was not contented
+with merely copying what he saw, he invented for himself, and it is
+only just to say that, in stateliness of step, few dogs could come up
+to him. Often his dances were witnessed (unknown to himself) by
+Théophile and his sisters, who watched him through the crack of the
+door; and so earnest was he, that at length, worn out by dancing, he
+would drink up the whole of a large basin of water, which stood in the
+corner of the room.
+
+When Zamore felt himself the equal of the best of the dancing dogs, he
+began to wish that like them he might have an audience.
+
+Now in France the houses are not always built in a row as they are in
+England, but sometimes have a square court-yard in front, and in the
+house where Zamore lived, this court was shut in on one side by an
+iron railing, which was wide enough to let dogs of a slim figure
+squeeze through.
+
+One fine morning there met in this court-yard fifteen or twenty dogs,
+friends of Zamore, to whom the night before he had sent letters of
+invitation. The object of the party was to see Zamore make his _début_
+in dancing, and the ball-room was to be the court-yard, which Zamore
+had carefully swept with his tail. The dance began, and the spectators
+were so delighted, that they could not wait for the end to applaud, as
+people ought always to do, but uttered loud cries of 'Ouah, ouah,'
+that reminded you of the noises you hear at a theatre. Except one old
+water spaniel who was filled with envy at Zamore's talents, and
+declared that no decent dog would ever make an exhibition of himself
+like that, they all vowed that Zamore was the king of dancers, and
+that nothing had ever been seen to equal his minuet, jig, and waltz
+for grace and beauty.
+
+It was only during his dancing moments that Zamore unbent. At all
+other times he was as gloomy as ever, and never cared to stir from the
+rug unless he saw his old master take up his hat and stick for a walk.
+Of course, if he had chosen, he might have joined Monsieur Corri's
+_troupe_, of which he would have made the brightest ornament; but the
+love of his master proved greater than his love of his art, and he
+remained unknown, except of his family. In the end he fell a victim to
+his passion for dancing, and he died of brain fever, which is supposed
+to have been caused by the fatigue of learning the schottische, the
+fashionable dance of the day.
+
+
+
+
+_THEO AND HIS HORSES; JANE, BETSY, AND BLANCHE_
+
+From _Ménagerie Intime_.
+
+
+After Théophile grew to be a man, he wrote a great many books, which
+are all delightful to read, and everybody bought them, and Théophile
+got rich and thought he might give himself a little carriage with two
+horses to draw it.
+
+And first he fell in love with two dear little Shetland ponies who
+were so shaggy and hairy that they seemed all mane and tail, and whose
+eyes looked so affectionately at him, that he felt as if he should
+like to bring them into the drawing-room instead of sending them to
+the stable. They were charming little creatures, not a bit shy, and
+they would come and poke their noses into Théophile's pockets in
+search for sugar, which was always there. Indeed their only fault was,
+that they were so very, very small, and that, after all, was _not_
+their fault. Still, they looked more suited to an English child of
+eight years old, or to Tom Thumb, than to a French gentleman of forty,
+not so thin as he once was, and as they all passed through the
+streets, everybody laughed, and drew pictures of them, and declared
+that Théophile could easily have carried a pony on each arm, and the
+carriage on his back.
+
+Now Théophile did not mind being laughed at, but still he did not
+always want to be stared at all through the streets, whenever he went
+out. So he sold his ponies and began to look out for something nearer
+his own size. After a short search he found two of a dapple grey
+colour, stout and strong, and as like each other as two peas, and he
+called them Jane and Betsy. But although, to look at, no one could
+ever tell one from the other, their characters were totally different,
+as Jane was very bold and spirited, and Betsy was terribly lazy. While
+Jane did all the pulling, Betsy was quite contented just to run by her
+side, without troubling herself in the least, and, as was only
+natural, Jane did not think this at all fair, and took a great dislike
+to Betsy, which Betsy heartily returned. At last matters became so bad
+that, in their efforts to get at each other, they half kicked the
+stable to pieces, and would even rear themselves upon their hind legs
+in order to bite each other's faces. Théophile did all he could to
+make them friends, but nothing was of any use, and at last he was
+forced to sell Betsy. The horse he found to replace her was a shade
+lighter in colour, and therefore not quite so good a match, but
+luckily Jane took to her at once, and lost no time in doing the
+honours of the stable. Every day the affection between the two became
+greater: Jane would lay her head on Blanche's shoulder--she had been
+called Blanche because of her fair skin--and when they were turned out
+into the stable-yard, after being rubbed down, they played together
+like two kittens. If one was taken out alone, the other became sad and
+gloomy, till the well-known tread of its friend's hoofs was heard from
+afar, when it would give a joyful neigh, which was instantly answered.
+
+Never once was it necessary for the coachman to complain of any
+difficulty in harnessing them. They walked themselves into their
+proper places, and behaved in all ways as if they were well brought
+up, and ready to be friendly with everybody. They had all kinds of
+pretty little ways, and if they thought there was a chance of getting
+bread or sugar or melon rind, which they both loved, they would make
+themselves as caressing as a dog.
+
+  [Illustration: BLANCHE TELLING GHOST STORIES TO JANE IN THE STABLE]
+
+Nobody who has lived much with animals can doubt that they talk
+together in a language that man is too stupid to understand; or, if
+anyone _had_ doubted it, they would soon have been convinced of the
+fact by the conduct of Jane and Blanche when in harness. When Jane
+first made Blanche's acquaintance, she was afraid of nothing, but
+after they had been together a few months, her character gradually
+changed, and she had sudden panics and nervous fits, which puzzled her
+master greatly. The reason of this was that Blanche, who was very
+timid and easily frightened, passed most of the night in telling Jane
+ghost stories, till poor Jane learnt to tremble at every sound. Often,
+when they were driving in the lonely alleys of the Bois de Boulogne
+after dark, Blanche would come to a dead stop or shy to one side as if
+a ghost, which no one else could see, stood before her. She breathed
+loudly, trembled all over with fear, and broke out into a cold
+perspiration. No efforts of Jane, strong though she was, could drag
+her along. The only way to move her was for the coachman to dismount,
+and to lead her, with his hand over her eyes for a few steps, till the
+vision seemed to have melted into air. In the end, these terrors
+affected Jane just as if Blanche, on reaching the stable, had told her
+some terrible story of what she had seen, and even her master had been
+known to confess that when, driving by moonlight down some dark road,
+where the trees cast strange shadows, Blanche would suddenly come to a
+dead halt and begin to tremble, he did not half like it himself.
+
+With this one drawback, never were animals so charming to drive. If
+Théophile held the reins, it was really only for the look of the
+thing, and not in the least because it was necessary. The smallest
+click of the tongue was enough to direct them, to quicken them, to
+make them go to the right or to the left, or even to stop them. They
+were so clever that in a very short time they had learned all their
+master's habits, and knew his daily haunts as well as he did himself.
+They would go of their own accord to the newspaper office, to the
+printing office, to the publisher's, to the Bois de Boulogne, to
+certain houses where he dined on certain days in the week, so very
+punctually that it was quite provoking; and if it ever happened that
+Théophile spent longer than usual at any particular place, they never
+failed to call his attention by loud neighs, or by pawing the ground,
+sounds of which he quite well knew the meaning.
+
+But alas, the time came when a Revolution broke out in Paris. People
+had no time to buy books or to read them; they were far too busy in
+building barricades across the streets, or in tearing up the paving
+stones to throw at each other. The newspaper in which Théophile wrote,
+and which paid him enough money to keep his horses, did not appear any
+more, and sad though he was at parting, the poor man thought he was
+lucky to find some one to buy horses, carriage, and harness, for a
+fourth part of their worth. Tears stood in his eyes as they were led
+away to their new stable; but he never forgot them, and they never
+forgot him. Sometimes, as he sat writing at his table, he would hear
+from afar a light quick step, and then a sudden stop under the
+windows.
+
+And their old master would look up and sigh and say to himself, 'Poor
+Jane, poor Blanche, I hope they are happy.'
+
+
+
+
+_MADAME THÉOPHILE AND THE PARROT_
+
+_Ménagerie Intime._
+
+
+After the death of Cagnotte, whose story you may have read, Théophile
+was so unhappy that he would not have another dog, but instead,
+determined to fill the empty place in his heart with cats. One of
+those that he loved the best was a big yellowy-red puss, with a white
+chest, a pink nose, and blue eyes, that went by the name of Madame
+Théophile, because, when he was in the house, it never left his side
+for a single instant. It slept on his bed, dreamed while sitting on
+the arm of Théophile's chair while he was writing (for Théophile was
+by this time almost a grown-up man), walked after him when he went
+into the garden, sat by his side while he had his dinner, and
+sometimes took, gently and politely, the food he was conveying to his
+own mouth.
+
+One day, a friend of Théophile's, who was leaving Paris for a few
+days, brought a parrot, which he begged Théophile to take care of
+while he was away. The bird not feeling at home in this strange place,
+climbed up to the top of his cage and looked round him with his funny
+eyes, that reminded you of the nails in a sofa. Now Madame Théophile
+had never seen a parrot, and it was plain that this curious creature
+gave her a shock. She sat quite still, staring quietly at the parrot,
+and trying to think if she had ever seen anything like it among the
+gardens and roofs of the houses, where she got all her ideas of the
+world. At last she seemed to make up her mind:
+
+'Of course, it must be a kind of green chicken.'
+
+Having set the question at rest, Madame Théophile jumped down from the
+table where she had been seated while she made her observations, and
+walked quickly to the corner of the room, where she laid herself flat
+down, with her head bent and her paws stretched out, like a panther
+watching his prey.
+
+The parrot followed all her movements with his round eyes, and felt
+that they meant no good to him. He ruffled his feathers, pulled at his
+chain, lifted one of his paws in a nervous way, and rubbed his beak up
+and down his food tin. All the while the cat's blue eyes were talking
+in a language the parrot clearly understood, and they said: 'Although
+it is green, that fowl would make a nice dinner.'
+
+But Madame Théophile had not lain still all this while. Slowly,
+without even appearing to move, she had drawn closer and closer. Her
+pink nostrils trembled, her eyes were half shut, her claws were pushed
+out and pulled into their sheaths, and little shivers ran down her
+back.
+
+Suddenly her back rounded itself like a bent bow, and with one bound
+she leapt on the cage. The parrot knew his danger, and was too
+frightened to move; then, calling up all his courage, he looked his
+enemy full in the face, and, in a low and deep voice he put the
+question: 'Jacky, did you have a good breakfast?'
+
+This simple phrase struck terror into the heart of the cat, who made a
+spring backwards. If a cannon had been fired close to her ear, or a
+shopful of glass had been broken, she could not have been more
+alarmed. Never had she dreamed of anything like this.
+
+'And what did you have--some of the king's roast beef?' continued the
+parrot.
+
+'It is not a chicken, it is a man that is speaking,' thought the cat
+with amazement, and looking at her master, who was standing by, she
+retired under the bed. Madame Théophile knew when she was beaten.
+
+
+
+
+_THE BATTLE OF THE MULLETS AND THE DOLPHINS_
+
+
+Many singular stories may be found in Pliny, but the most interesting
+is how men and dolphins combine together on the coast of France, near
+Narbonne, to catch the swarms of mullet that come into those waters at
+certain seasons of the year.
+
+  [Illustration: HOW THE DOLPHINS HELPED THE FISHERMEN TO CATCH THE
+    MULLETS]
+
+'In Languedoc, within the province of Narbonne, there is a standing
+pool or dead water called Laterra, wherein men and dolphins together
+used to fish; for at one certain time of the year an infinite number
+of fishes called mullets, taking the vantage of the tide when the
+water doth ebb, at certain narrow weirs and passages with great force
+break forth of the said pool into the sea; and by reason of that
+violence no nets can be set and pitched against them strong enough to
+abide and bear their huge weight and the stream of the water together,
+if so be men were not cunning and crafty to wait and espie their time
+and lay for them and to entrap them. In like manner the mullets for
+their part immediately make speed to recover the deep, which they do
+very soon by reason that the Channel is near at hand; and their only
+haste is for this, to escape and pass that narrow place which
+affordeth opportunities to the fishers to stretch out and spread their
+nets. The fishermen being ware thereof and all the people besides (for
+the multitude knowing when fishing time is come, run thither, and the
+rather for to see the pleasant sport), cry as loud as ever they can to
+the dolphins for aid, and call "Simo, Simo," to help to make an end of
+this their game and pastime of fishing. The dolphins soon get the ear
+of their cry and know what they would have, and the better if the
+north winds blow and carry the sound unto them; for if it be a
+southern wind it is later ere the voice be heard, because it is
+against them. Howbeit, be the wind in what quarter soever, the
+dolphins resort thither flock-meal, sooner than a man would think, for
+to assist them in their fishing. And a wondrous pleasant sight it is
+to behold the squadrons as it were of those dolphins, how quickly they
+take their places and be arranged in battle array, even against the
+very mouth of the said pool, where the mullets are to shoot into the
+sea, to see (I say) how from the sea they oppose themselves and fight
+against them and drive the mullets (once affrighted and scared) from
+the deep on the shelves. Then come the fishers and beset them with net
+and toile, which they bear up and fortify with strong forks; howbeit,
+for all that, the mullets are so quick and nimble that a number of
+them whip over, get away, and escape the nets. But the dolphins are
+ready to receive them; who, contenting themselves for the present to
+kill only, make foul work and havoc among them, and put off the time
+of preying and feeding upon, until they have ended the battle and
+achieved the victory. And now the skirmish is hot, for the dolphins,
+perceiving also the men at work, are the more eager and courageous in
+fight, taking pleasure to be enclosed within the nets, and so most
+valiantly charging upon the mullets; but for fear lest the same should
+give an occasion unto the enemies and provoke them to retire and fly
+back between the boats, the nets, and the men there swimming, they
+glide by so gently and easily that it cannot be seen where they get
+out. And albeit they take great delight in leaping, and have the cast
+of it, yet none essayeth to get forth but where the nets lie under
+them, but no sooner are they out, but presently a man shall see brave
+pastime between them as they scuffle and skirmish as it were under the
+ramparts. And so the conflict being ended and all the fishing sport
+done, the dolphins fall to spoil and eat those which they killed in
+the first shock and encounter. But after this service performed, the
+dolphins retire not presently into the deep again, from whence they
+were called, but stay until to-morrow, as if they knew very well they
+had so carried themselves as that they deserved a better reward than
+one day's refection and victuals; and therefore contented they are not
+and satisfied unless to their fish they have some sops and crumbs of
+bread given them soaked in wine, and had their bellies full.'
+
+
+
+
+_MONKEY STORIES_
+
+
+Before telling you more stories about monkeys, we must tell you some
+dry facts about them, in order that you may understand the stories.
+There are three different kinds of monkeys--apes, baboons, and monkeys
+proper. The difference is principally in their tails, so that when you
+see them at the Zoo (for there are none wild in Europe, except at
+Gibraltar), you will know them by the apes having no tails and walking
+upright; baboons have short tails and go on all fours; and monkeys
+have tails sometimes longer than their whole bodies, by which they can
+swing themselves from tree to tree. Apes and monkeys are so ready to
+imitate everything which men do, that the negroes believe that they
+are a lazy race of men, who will not be at the trouble to work.
+Baboons, on the contrary, can be taught almost nothing.
+
+There are two kinds of apes, called oran otans and chimpanzees. They
+are both very wild and fierce, and difficult to catch, but, when
+caught, become not only tame, but very affectionate, and can be taught
+anything. Nearly two hundred years ago, in 1698, one was brought to
+London that had been caught in Angola. On board ship he became very
+fond of the people who took care of him, and was very gentle and
+affectionate, but would have nothing to do with some monkeys who were
+on the same ship. He had had a suit of clothes made for him, probably
+to keep him warm. As the ship got into colder regions he took great
+pleasure in dressing himself in them, and anything he could not put on
+for himself he used to bring in his paw to one of the sailors, and
+seem to ask him to dress him. He had a bed to sleep in, and at night
+used to put his head on the pillow and tuck himself in like a human
+being. His story is unfortunately a short one, for he died soon after
+coming to London. He could not long survive the change from his native
+forests to the cage of a menagerie.
+
+  [Illustration: TWO ORAN OTANS]
+
+Another, a female, was brought to Holland nearly a hundred years
+later, in 1776, but she, too, pined and died after seven months'
+captivity. She was very gentle and affectionate, and became so fond of
+her keeper that when they left her alone, she used to throw herself on
+the ground screaming, and tearing in pieces anything in her reach,
+just like a naughty child. She could behave as well as any lady in
+the land when she liked. When asked out to tea, she used to bring a
+cup and saucer, put sugar in the cup, pour out the tea, and leave it
+to cool; and at dinner her manners were just as good. She used her
+knife and fork, table napkin, and even toothpick, as if she had been
+accustomed to them all her life, which, of course, in her native
+forest was far from being the case. She learnt all her nice habits
+either from watching people at table, or from her keeper's orders. She
+was fond of strawberries, which she ate very daintily, on a fork,
+holding the plate in the other hand. She was particularly fond of
+wine, and drank it like a human being, holding the glass in her hand.
+She was better behaved than two other oran otans, who, though they
+could behave as well at table as any lady, and could use their knives
+and forks and glasses, and could make the cabin boy (for it was on
+board ship) understand what they wanted, yet, if he did not attend to
+them at once, they used to throw him down, seize him by the arm, and
+bite him.
+
+A French priest had an oran otan that he had brought up from a baby,
+and who was so fond of his master that he used to follow him about
+like a dog. When the priest went to church he used to lock the oran
+otan up in a room; but one day he got out, and, as sometimes happens
+with dogs, who cannot get reconciled to Sunday, he followed his master
+to church. He managed, without the priest's seeing him, to climb on
+the sounding board above the pulpit, where he lay quite still till the
+sermon began. He then crept forward till he could see his master in
+the pulpit below, and imitated every one of his movements, till the
+congregation could not keep from laughing. The priest thought they
+were making fun of him, and was naturally very angry. The more angry
+he became the more gestures he used, every one of which the ape
+overhead repeated. At last a friend of the priest stood up in the
+congregation, and pointed out the real culprit. When the priest looked
+up and saw the imitation of himself, he could not keep from laughing
+either, and the service could not go on till the disturber had been
+taken down and locked up again at home.
+
+Another kind is called the Barbary ape, because they are found in such
+numbers in Barbary that the trees in places seem nearly covered with
+them, though there are quantities as well in India and Arabia. They
+are very mischievous and great fighters. In India the natives
+sometimes amuse themselves by getting up a fight among them. They put
+down at a little distance from each other baskets of rice, with stout
+sticks by each basket, and then they go off and hide themselves among
+the trees to watch the fun. The apes come down from the trees in great
+numbers, and make as though they were going to attack the baskets, but
+lose courage and draw back grinning at each other. The females are
+generally the boldest, and the first to seize on the food; but as soon
+as they put their heads down to eat, some of the males set-to to drive
+them off. Others attack them in their turn. They all seize on the
+sticks, and soon a free fight begins, which ends in the weakest being
+driven off into the woods, and the conquerors enjoying the spoil. They
+are not only fierce but revengeful, and will punish severely any
+person who kills one of them. Some English people who were driving
+through a country full of these apes in the East Indies, wished, out
+of sheer wantonness, to have one shot. The native servants, knowing
+what the consequences would be, were afraid; but, as their masters
+insisted, they had to obey, and shot a female whose little ones were
+clinging to her neck. She fell dead from the branches, and the little
+ones, falling with her, were killed too. Immediately all the other
+apes, to the number of about sixty, came down and attacked the
+carriage. They would certainly have killed the travellers if the
+servants, of whom there was fortunately a number, had not driven the
+apes off; and though the carriage set off as fast as the horses could
+lay legs to the ground, the apes followed for three miles.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BABOONS WHO STOLE THE POOR MAN'S DINNER]
+
+_Baboons_ are as ugly, revolting creatures as you could wish to see,
+and very fierce, so they can seldom be tamed nor even caught. There
+are, of course, few stories about them. When people try to catch
+them, they let their pursuers come so near that they think they have
+them, and then they bound away ten paces at once, and look down
+defiantly from the tree-top as much as to say, 'Don't you wish you may
+get me?' One baboon had so wearied his pursuers by his antics that
+they pointed a gun at him, though with no intention of firing. He had
+evidently seen a gun before, and knew its consequences, and was so
+frightened at the bare idea, that he fell down senseless and was
+easily captured. When he came to himself again he struggled so
+fiercely that they had to tie his paws together, and then he bit so
+that they had to tie his jaws up.
+
+Baboons are great thieves, and come down from the mountains in great
+bodies to plunder gardens. They cram as much fruit as they possibly
+can into their cheek pouches to take away and eat afterwards at their
+leisure. They always set a sentinel to give the alarm. When he sees
+anyone coming, he gives a yell that lasts a minute, and then the whole
+troop sets off helter-skelter.
+
+They will rob anyone they come upon alone in the most impudent way.
+They come softly up behind, snatch away anything they can lay their
+hands on, and then run off a little way and sit down. Very often it is
+the poor man's dinner that they devour before his eyes. Sometimes they
+will hold it out in their hands and pretend they are going to give it
+back, in such a comic way that I would defy you not to laugh, though
+it were your own dinner that had been snatched away and then offered
+to you.
+
+_Monkeys_ live in the tree-tops of the forests of India and South
+Africa, where they keep up a constant chattering and gambolling, all
+night as well as all day, playing games and swinging by their tails
+from tree to tree. One kind, the four-fingered monkey, can pass from
+one high tree-top to another, too far even for a monkey to jump, by
+making themselves into a chain, joined to each other by their tails.
+They can even cross rivers in this way. There are any number of
+different kinds of monkeys, as you can see any day in the monkey house
+at the Zoo. One kind is well named the howling monkey, because they
+howl in chorus every morning two hours before daylight, and again at
+nightfall. The noise they make is so fearful that, if you did not
+know, you would think it was a forest full of ferocious beasts quite
+near, thirsting for their prey, instead of harmless monkeys a mile or
+two away. There is always a leader of the chorus, who sits on a high
+branch above the others. He first howls a solo, and then gives a
+signal for the others to join in; then they all howl together, till he
+gives another signal to stop.
+
+The egret monkeys are great thieves. When they set to work to rob a
+field of millet, they put as many stalks as they can carry in their
+mouths, in each paw, and under each arm, and then go off home on their
+hind legs. If pursued, and obliged for greater speed to go on all
+their four legs, they drop what they carry in their paws, but never
+let go what they have in their mouths. The Chinese monkey is also a
+great thief, and even cleverer about carrying away his booty. They
+always set a sentinel on a high tree; when he sees anyone coming, he
+screams 'Houp, houp, houp!' The others then seize as much as they can
+carry in their right arm, and set off on three legs. They are called
+Chinese, not because they come from China, but because the way the
+hair grows on their heads is like a Chinese cap. It is long and parts
+in the middle, spreading out all round.
+
+In many parts of India monkeys are worshipped by the natives, and
+temples are erected for them. But monkeys of one tribe are never
+allowed to come into any of these sanctuaries when another tribe is
+already in possession. A large strong monkey was once seen by some
+travellers to steal into one of these temples; as soon as the
+inhabitants saw that he did not belong to their tribe, they set on him
+to drive him out. As he was only one against many, though bigger and
+stronger than the others, he saw that he had no chance, and bounded up
+to the top, eleven stories high. As the temple ended in a little round
+dome just big enough for himself, he was master of the situation, and
+every monkey that ventured to climb up he flung down to the bottom.
+When this had happened three or four times, his enemies thought it
+best to let him alone, and he stayed there in peace till it was dark
+and he could slip away unseen.
+
+
+
+
+_ECCENTRIC BIRD BUILDERS_
+
+From Jones' _Glimpses of Animal Life_.
+
+
+Everybody knows how fond birds are of building their nests in church,
+and if we come to think of it, it is a very reasonable and sensible
+proceeding. Churches are so quiet, and have so many dark
+out-of-the-way corners, where no one would dream of poking, certainly
+not the woman whose business it is to keep the church clean. So the
+birds have the satisfaction of feeling that their young are kept safe
+and warm while they are collecting food for them, and there is always
+some open door or window to enable the parents to fly in or out.
+
+But all birds have not the wisdom of the robins, and swallows, and
+sparrows that have selected the church for a home, and some of them
+have chosen very odd places indeed wherein to build their nests and
+lay their eggs. Hinges of doors, turning lathes, even the body of a
+dead owl hung to a ring, have all been used as nurseries; but perhaps
+the oddest spot of all to fix upon for a nest is the outside of a
+railway carriage, especially when we remember how often railway
+stations are the abode of cats, who move safely about the big wheels,
+and even travel by train when they think it necessary.
+
+Yet, in spite of all the drawbacks, railway carriages remain a
+favourite place for nesting birds, and there is a curious story of a
+pair of water-wagtails which built a snug home underneath a
+third-class carriage attached to a train which ran four times daily
+between Cosham and Havant. The father does not seem to have cared
+about railway travelling, which, to be sure, must appear a wretched
+way of getting about to anything that has wings; for he never went
+with the family himself, but spent the time of their absence
+fluttering restlessly about the platform to which the train would
+return. He was so plainly anxious and unhappy about them, that one
+would have expected that he would have insisted on some quieter and
+safer place the following year when nesting time came round again; but
+the mother apparently felt that the situation had some very distinct
+advantages, for she deliberately passed over every other spot that her
+mate pointed out, and went back to her third-class carriage.
+
+Yet a railway carriage seems safety itself in comparison with a London
+street lamp, where a fly-catcher's nest was found a few years ago.
+Composed as it was of moss, hair, and dried grass, it is astonishing
+that it never caught fire, but no doubt the great heat of the gas was
+an immense help in hatching the five eggs which the birds had laid.
+
+Those fly-catchers had built in a hollow iron ornament on the top of
+the lamp, but some tomtits are actually known to have chosen such a
+dangerous place as the spot close to the burner of a paraffin street
+lamp. And even when the paraffin was exchanged for gas, the birds did
+not seem to mind, and would sit quite calmly on the nest, while the
+lamplighter thrust his long stick past them to put out the light.
+
+Birds reason in a different way from human beings, for a letter-box
+would not commend itself to us as being a very good place to bring up
+a family, with letters and packages tumbling on to their heads every
+instant. A pair of Scotch tomtits, however, thought otherwise, and
+they made a comfortable little nest at the back of a private
+letter-box, nailed on to the trunk of a tree in Dumfriesshire. The
+postman soon found out what was going on, but he took great pains not
+to disturb them, for he was fond of birds, and was very curious to see
+what the tomtits would do. What the tomtits did was to go peacefully
+on with their nest, minding their own business, and by-and-bye eight
+little eggs lay in the nest. By this time the mother had got so used
+to the postman, that she never even moved when he unlocked the door,
+only giving his hand a friendly peck when he put it in to take out the
+letters, and occasionally accepting some crumbs which he held out to
+it. But no sooner did the little birds break through their shells than
+the parents became more difficult to deal with. They did not mind
+knocks from letters for themselves, but they grew furiously angry if
+the young ones ever were touched by so much as a corner, and one day,
+when a letter happened to fall plump on top of the nest, they tore it
+right to pieces. In fact, it was in such a condition, that when the
+postman came as usual to make his collection, he was obliged to take
+the letter back to the people who had written it, for no Post Office
+would have sent it off in such a state.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SHIP OF THE DESERT_
+
+From Burckhardt's _Travels in Nubia_.
+
+
+Of all animals under the sun, perhaps the very ugliest is the camel;
+but life in the deserts of Africa and Arabia could not go on at all
+without the constant presence of this clumsy-looking creature. Some
+African tribes keep camels entirely for the use of their milk and
+flesh; and it is noticeable that these animals are much shyer and more
+timid than their brothers in Syria and Arabia, who will instantly come
+trotting up to any fresh camel that appears on the scene, or obey the
+call of any Bedouin, even if he is a stranger.
+
+In general, the camel is merely employed as a beast of burden, and
+from this he gets his name of the 'ship of the desert.' Like other
+ships, he sways from side to side, and his awkward motion is apt to
+make his rider feel very sick, till he gets accustomed to this way of
+travelling. Camels are wonderfully strong and enduring animals, and
+can stow up water within them for several days, besides having an
+extraordinary power of smelling any water or spring that is far beyond
+the reach of man's eyes. These qualities are naturally very valuable
+in the burning deserts which stretch unbroken for hundreds of miles,
+where everything looks alike, and the sun as he passes across the
+heavens is the traveller's only guide.
+
+Partly from fear of warlike tribes, which wander through the deserts
+of Arabia and Nubia, and partly from the help and protection which a
+large body can give, the one to the other, it is the custom for
+merchants and travellers to band together and travel in great
+caravans of men and camels. They try, if possible, to find some well
+by which they can encamp, and every man fills his own skins with water
+before starting afresh on his journey. More quarrels arise about water
+than people who live in countries with plenty of streams and rivers
+can have any idea of. One man will sell his skinful to another at a
+very high price, while if a traveller thinks he will be very prudent
+and lay in a large store, the rest are certain to take it from him
+directly their own supply runs short. Foods they can do without on
+those burning plains, but not water.
+
+Some of these misfortunes befel a traveller of the name of Burckhardt,
+who left Switzerland in the opening years of this century, to pass
+several years in Africa and the East. After going through Syria, he
+began to make his way up the Nile, and even penetrated as far as
+Nubia, joining for that purpose a caravan of traders under the
+leadership of a Ababde--an Arab race who from the earliest days have
+been acknowledged to be the best guides across the desert.
+
+Owing to the intense heat which prevails in those countries, the
+marches always take place in the small hours of the morning, and
+midnight seems to have been the usual hour for the start. Very
+commonly the march would continue for eleven hours, during which time
+the men were only allowed to drink twice, while the asses, who with
+the camels formed part of the caravan, were put on half their
+allowance. Sometimes a detachment was sent on to wells that were known
+to lie along the route, to get everything ready for the rest when they
+came up; but it often happened that the springs were so choked up by
+drifting sand that no amount of digging would free them. Then there
+was nothing for it but to go on again.
+
+It was in the month of March that Burckhardt and his companions had
+their hardest experience of the dreadful desert thirst. The year had
+been drier than was common even in Nubia, and even in the little oases
+or fertile spots, most of the trees and acacias were withered and
+dead. Hour after hour the travellers toiled on, and soon the asses
+gave out, and their riders were forced to walk over the scorching
+sand. Burckhardt had been a little more careful of his stock of water
+than the other members of the caravan, and for some days had cooked no
+food or eaten anything but biscuits, so that he had been able to spare
+a draught every now and then for his own ass, and still had enough to
+last both of them for another day. However, it was quite clear that
+unless water was quickly found they must all die together, and a
+council was held as to what was best to be done. The Ababde chief's
+advice was--and always had been--to send out a company of ten or
+twelve of the strongest camels, to try to make their way secretly to
+the Nile, through the ranks of unfriendly Arab tribes encamped all
+along its eastern shore.
+
+This was agreed upon; and about four in the afternoon the little band
+set out, loaded with all the skins in the caravan. The river was a
+ride of five or six hours distant; so that many hours of dreadful
+suspense must pass before the watchers left behind could know what was
+to be their fate. Soon after sunset a few stragglers came in, who had
+strayed from the principal band; but they had not reached the river,
+and could give no news of the rest. As the night wore on, several of
+the traders came to Burckhardt to beg for a taste of the water he was
+believed to have stored up; but he had carefully hidden what remained,
+and only showed them his skins which were empty. Then the camp
+gradually grew silent, and all sat and waited under the stars for the
+verdict of life or death. It was three in the morning when shouts were
+heard, and the camels, refreshed by deep draughts of the Nile water,
+came along at their utmost speed, bearing skins full enough for many
+days' journey. Only one man was missing; but traders are a cruel
+race, and these cared nothing about his fate, giving themselves up to
+feasting and song, and joy at their deliverance.
+
+Yet only a year later, the fate that had almost overtaken them befel a
+small body of merchants who set out with their camels from Berber to
+Daraou. The direct road, which led past the wells of Nedjeym, was
+known to be haunted at that date by the celebrated robber Naym, who
+waylaid every caravan from Berber; so the merchants hired an Ababde
+guide to take them by a longer and more easterly road, where there was
+another well at which they could water. Unluckily the guide knew
+nothing of the country that lay beyond, and the whole party soon lost
+themselves in the mountains. For five days they wandered about, not
+seeing a creature who could give them help, or even direct them to the
+right path. Then, their water being quite exhausted, they turned
+steadily westwards, hoping by this means soon to reach the Nile. But
+the river at this point takes a wide bend, and was, if they had known
+it, further from them than before; and after two days of dreadful
+agony, fifteen slaves and one merchant died. In desperation, another
+merchant, who was an Ababde, and owner of ten camels, had himself
+lashed firmly on to the back of the strongest beast, lest in his
+weakness he should fall off, and then ordered the whole herd to be
+turned loose, thinking that perhaps the instinct of the animals would
+succeed where the knowledge of man had failed. But neither the Ababde
+nor his camels were ever seen again.
+
+The merchants struggled forwards, and eight days after leaving the
+well of Owareyk they arrived in sight of some mountains which they
+knew; but it was too late, and camels and merchants sank down helpless
+where they lay. They had just strength to gasp out orders for two of
+their servants to make their way on camels to the mountains where
+water would be found, but long before the mountains were reached, one
+of the men dropped off his camel and, unable to speak, waved his
+hands in farewell to his comrade. The other mechanically rode on, but
+his eyes grew dim and his head dizzy, and well though he knew the
+road, he suffered his camel to wander from it. After straying
+aimlessly about for some time, he dismounted and lay down in the shade
+of a tree to rest, first tying his camel to one of the branches. But a
+sudden puff of wind brought the smell of the water to the camel's
+nostrils, and with a furious bound, he broke the noose and galloped
+violently forward, and in half an hour was sucking in deep draughts
+from a clear spring. The man, understanding the meaning of the camel's
+rush, rose up and staggered a few steps after him, but fell to the
+ground from sheer weakness. Just at that moment a wandering Bedouin
+from a neighbouring camp happened to pass that way, and seeing that
+the man still breathed, dashed water in his face, and soon revived
+him. Then, laden with skins of water, the two men set out for those
+left behind, and hopeless though their search seemed to be, they found
+they had arrived in time, and were able to save them from a frightful
+death.
+
+
+
+
+_'HAME, HAME, HAME, WHERE I FAIN WAD BE'_
+
+
+Nothing in nature is more curious or more difficult of explanation
+than the stories recorded of animals conveyed to one place, finding
+their way back to their old home, often many hundreds of miles away.
+Not very long ago, a lady at St. Andrews promised to make a present to
+a friend who lived somewhere north of Perth, of a fine cat which she
+wished to part with. When the day arrived, the cat was tied safely up
+in a hamper, put in charge of the guard, and sent on its way. It was
+met at the station by its new mistress, who drove it home, and gave it
+an excellent supper and a comfortable bed. This was on Friday. All
+Saturday it poked about, examining everything as cats will, but
+apparently quite happy and content with its quarters. About seven on
+Sunday morning, as the lady drew up her blind to let in the sunshine,
+she saw the new puss trotting down the avenue. She did not pay much
+attention to the fact till the day went on, and the cat, who generally
+had a good appetite, did not come in to its meals. When Monday came,
+but the puss did not, the lady wrote to her friend at St. Andrews
+saying she feared that the cat had wandered away, but she would make
+inquiries at all the houses round, and still hoped to find it. On
+Tuesday evening loud mews were heard outside the kitchen door of the
+St. Andrews house, and when it was opened, in walked the cat, rather
+dirty and very hungry, but otherwise not at all the worse for wear.
+Now as anybody can see if he looks at the map, it is a long way from
+St. Andrews to Perth, even as the crow flies. There are also two big
+rivers which _must_ be crossed, the Tay and the Eden, or if the cat
+preferred coming by train, at least two changes have to be made. So
+you have to consider whether, granting it an instinct of _direction_,
+which is remarkable enough in itself, the animal was sufficiently
+strong to swim such large streams; or whether it was so clever that it
+managed to find out the proper trains for it to take, and the places
+where it must get out. Any way, home it came, and was only two days on
+the journey, and there it is still in St. Andrews, for its mistress
+had not the heart to give it away a second time.
+
+Trains seem to have a special fascination for cats, and they are often
+to be seen about stations. For a long while one was regularly to be
+seen travelling on the Metropolitan line, between St. James's Park and
+Charing Cross, and a whole family of half-wild kittens are at this
+moment making a play-ground of the lines and platforms at Paddington.
+One will curl up quite comfortably on the line right under the wheel
+of a carriage that is just going to start, and on being disturbed
+bolts away and hides itself in some recess underneath the platform.
+Occasionally you see one with part of its tail cut off, but as a rule
+they take wonderfully good care of themselves. The porters are very
+kind to them, and they somehow contrive to get along, for they all
+look fat and well-looking, and quite happy in their strange quarters.
+
+Of course cats are not the only animals who have what is called the
+'homing instinct.' Sheep have been known to find their way back from
+Yorkshire to the moors north of the Cheviots where they were born and
+bred, although sheep are not clever beasts and they had come a
+roundabout journey by train. But there are many such stories of dogs,
+and one of the most curious is told by an English officer who was in
+Paris in the year 1815. One day, as the officer was walking hastily
+over the bridge, he was annoyed by a muddy poodle dog rubbing up
+against him, and dirtying his beautifully polished boots. Now dirty
+boots were his abhorrence, so he hastily looked round for a
+shoe-black, and seeing one at a little distance off, at once went up
+to him to have his boots re-blacked. A few days later the officer was
+again crossing the bridge, when a second time the poodle brushed
+against him and spoilt his boots. Without thinking he made for the
+nearest shoe-black, just as he had done before, and went on his way;
+but when the same thing happened a third time, his suspicions were
+aroused, and he resolved to watch. In a few minutes he saw the dog run
+down to the river-side and roll himself in the mud, and then come back
+to the bridge and keep a sharp look-out for the first well-dressed man
+who would be likely to repay his trouble. The officer was so delighted
+with the poodle's cleverness, that he went at once to the shoe-black,
+who confessed that the dog was his and that he had taught him this
+trick for the good of trade. The officer then proposed to buy the dog,
+and offered the shoe-black such a large sum that he agreed to part
+with his 'bread-winner.'
+
+So the officer, who was returning at once to England, carried the dog,
+by coach and steamer to London, where he tied him up for some time, in
+order that he should forget all about his old life, and be ready to
+make himself happy in the new one. When he was set free, however, the
+poodle seemed restless and ill at ease, and after two or three days he
+disappeared entirely. What he did then, nobody knows, but a fortnight
+after he had left the London house, he was found, steadily plying his
+old trade, on the Pont Henri Quatre.
+
+A Northumbrian pointer showed a still more wonderful instance of the
+same sagacity. He was the property of one Mr. Edward Cook, who after
+paying a visit to his brother, the owner of a large property in
+Northumberland, set sail for America, taking the dog with him. They
+travelled south together as far as Baltimore, where excellent shooting
+was to be got; but after one or two days' sport the dog disappeared,
+and was supposed to have lost itself in the woods. Months went by
+without anything being known of the dog, when one night a dog was
+heard howling violently outside the quiet Northumberland house. It was
+admitted by the owner, Mr. Cook, who to his astonishment recognised it
+as the pointer which his brother had taken to America. They took care
+of him till his master came back, and then they tried to trace out his
+journey. But it was of no use. How the pointer made its way through
+the forest, from what port it started, and where it landed, remain a
+mystery to this day.
+
+
+
+
+_NESTS FOR DINNER_
+
+
+However wonderful and beautiful nests may be, very few English people
+would like to eat them; yet in China the nest of a particular variety
+of swallow is prized as a great delicacy.
+
+These nests are chiefly gathered from Java, Sumatra, and other islands
+of the Malay Archipelago, and are carried thence to China, where they
+fetch a large price. Although, within certain limits, they are very
+plentiful, they are very difficult and dangerous to get, for the
+swallows build in the depths of large and deep caverns, mostly on the
+seashore, and the men have to be let down from above by ropes, or
+descend on ladders of bamboo. In Java, so many men have lost their
+lives in nest gathering, that in some parts a regular religious
+ceremony is held, twice or three times a year, before the expedition
+is undertaken; prayers are said, and a bull is sacrificed.
+
+It is not easy to know what the nests are really made of, because from
+the time that Europeans first noticed the trade--about two hundred
+years ago--they have differed among themselves in their accounts of
+the jelly-like substance used by the swallows. Some naturalists have
+thought it is the spawn of the fish, which floats thickly on the
+surface of these seas; others, that it is a kind of deposit of dried
+sea foam gathered by the birds from the beach, while others again
+think that the substance is formed of sea plants chewed by the birds
+into a jelly; but, whatever it may be, the Chinese infinitely prefer
+nests to oysters or anything else, and are willing to pay highly for
+them.
+
+  [Illustration: {BIRD'S NESTS FOR DINNER}]
+
+The nests, which take about two months to build, are always found to
+be of two sorts: an oblong one just fitted to the body of the male
+bird, and a rounder one for the mother and her eggs. The most valuable
+nests are those which are whitest, and these generally belong to the
+male; they are very thin, and finely worked. The birds are small and
+feed chiefly on insects, which are abundant on these islands; their
+colour is grey, and they are wonderfully quick in their movements,
+like the humming birds, which are about their own size. They are
+sociable, and build in swarms, but they seldom lay more than two eggs,
+which take about a fortnight to hatch.
+
+
+
+
+_FIRE-EATING DJIJAM_
+
+
+Some curious notes about walking unharmed through fire, in the
+November (1894) number of 'Longman's Magazine,' under the heading 'At
+the Sign of the Ship,' suggested that a record might be kept of
+Djijam's eccentricities, especially as they differed somewhat from
+those of most other dogs. Anyone accustomed to animals knows, and
+anyone who is not can imagine, that dogs differ as much in their
+behaviour and ways as human beings. Djijam was as unlike any dog I
+have ever had, seen, or heard of, as could be. My wife, who is a
+patient and successful instructor of animals, never managed to teach
+him anything, any attempt to impart usual or unusual accomplishments
+being met with the most absolute, impenetrable idiocy, which no
+perseverance could conquer or diminish in the least degree. That this
+extreme stupidity was really assumed is now pretty clear, though at
+the time it was attributed to natural density.
+
+It was at Christmas-tide, about two years ago, that my wife and I
+drove over to a village some few miles away, to choose one of a litter
+of four fox-terrier pups, which we heard were on sale at a livery
+stable. We found the mother of the lively litter almost overpowered by
+her boisterous progeny, who though nearly three months old had not yet
+found other homes. Without any particular objection on the part of the
+parent we examined the pups, and selected and brought away one which
+seemed to have better points than the rest, whom we left to continue
+their gambols in the straw, unconscious probably that any other means
+of warming themselves were possible. The journey home was accomplished
+with the customary puppish endeavors to escape restraint. The same
+evening, after the servants had retired to bed, Master Djijam was
+placed in the kitchen, out of harm's way as it was thought. The last
+thing at night we went to inspect the little animal, and could not at
+first discover his whereabouts. When a thing is lost it is customary
+to hunt about in unlikely places, so we looked into the high
+cinder-box under the kitchener, and found the object of our search
+comfortably curled up directly under the red-hot fire. It was fairly
+warm work fishing him out.
+
+For another reason, not connected with heat, he was subsequently
+christened Djijam, a truly oriental name, which some of our friends
+think may have helped to develop his original taste for fire.
+
+When Djijam was about six months old we observed that he frequently
+jumped up to people who were seated smoking. This induced a humorous
+friend one day to offer him the lighted end of a cigarette, which
+Djijam promptly seized in his mouth and extinguished. After that
+triumph Djijam usually watched for, and plainly demanded the lighted
+fag ends of cigarettes and cigars, so that his might be the
+satisfaction of finishing them off. This led to lighted matches being
+offered to him, which he eagerly took in his mouth, and if wax vestas,
+swallowed as a welcome addition to his ordinary diet. From matches to
+lighted candles was an easy step, and these he rapidly extinguished
+with great gusto as often as they were presented to him. He would also
+attack lighted oil lamps if placed on the floor, but they puzzled him,
+and defied his efforts to bite or breathe them out. A garden bonfire
+used to drive him wild with delight, and snatching brands from the
+fire, indoors or out, was a delirious joy. My wife discovered him once
+in the full enjoyment of a large lighted log on the dining-room
+carpet. Red-hot cinders he highly relished, though in obtaining them
+he frequently singed off his moustaches. Perhaps the oddest of his
+fiery tricks was performed one day when he wished the cook to hand him
+some dainty morsel on which she chanced to be operating. This was
+against the rules, as he well knew, so she declined to accept the
+hint. Djijam was at once provoked to anger and cast round for some way
+of obtaining compensation, at the same time hoping, perhaps, to
+retaliate. He naturally went for the kitchen fire, out of which he
+drew a red-hot cinder and carried it in his mouth across the kitchen,
+through a small lobby into the scullery, to his box-bed, into the
+straw of which he must have speedily dropped the live coal, and jumped
+in after it. Soon after, the cook smelt wood burning and searched the
+lower part of the house lest anything were afire. Finding nothing
+wrong, she last of all visited the scullery, and found Djijam enjoying
+the warmth of his smouldering straw bed and wooden box.
+
+  [Illustration: 'IN THE FULL ENJOYMENT OF A LARGE LIGHTED LOG ON THE
+    DINING-ROOM CARPET']
+
+Alas, Djijam grew snappish even to his best friends, and although it
+was suggested that he might be found an engagement on the Variety
+stage of the Westminster Aquarium, as a fire-eating hound, it was
+reluctantly decided that he should go the way of all flesh. I am sure
+if he had been asked, he would in some way have indicated that he
+preferred cremation to any other mode of disposal. But it was not to
+be, yet it was a melancholy satisfaction to learn that his end was
+peaceful though commonplace.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF THE DOG OSCAR_
+
+
+In the north-west of Scotland there is a very pretty loch which runs
+far up into the land. On one side great hills--almost mountains--slope
+down into the water, while on the opposite side there is a little
+village, with the road along which the houses straggle, almost part of
+the loch shore. At low tide, banks of beautiful golden seaweed are
+left at the edges of the water, and on this seaweed huge flocks of
+sea-gulls come and feed.
+
+A few years ago there lived in this village a minister who had a
+collie-dog named Oscar. He lived all alone in his little cottage, and
+as Jean, the woman who looked after him, was a very talkative person,
+by no means congenial to him. Oscar was his constant companion and
+friend.
+
+He seemed to understand all that was said to him, and in his long,
+lonely walks across the hills, it cheered him to have Oscar trotting
+quietly and contentedly beside him. And when he came home from
+visiting sick people, and going to places where he could not take
+Oscar, he would look forward to seeing the soft brown head thrust out
+of the door, peering into the darkness, ready to welcome him as soon
+as he should come in sight.
+
+One of Oscar's favourite games was to go down to the shore when the
+tide was low, and with his head thrown up and his tail straight out,
+he would run at the flocks of gulls feeding on the seaweed, and
+scatter them in the air, making them look like a cloud of large white
+snow-flakes. In a minute or two the gulls would settle down again
+to their meal, and again Oscar would charge and rout them.
+
+  [Illustration: 'OSCAR WOULD CHARGE AND ROUT THEM']
+
+This little manoeuvre of his would be repeated many times, till a
+long clear whistle was heard from the road by the loch. Then the gulls
+might finish their supper in peace, for Oscar's master had called him,
+and now he was walking quietly along by his side, looking as if there
+were no such things in the world as gulls.
+
+'No, Oscar, lad! Not to-day! not to-day!' said the minister one
+afternoon, as he put on his hat and coat and took his stick from the
+dog who always fetched it when he saw preparations being made for a
+walk.
+
+'I can't take you with me; you must stay in the paddock. No run by the
+loch this afternoon, lad. 'Tis too long, and you are not so strong as
+you were. We are growing old together, Oscar.'
+
+The dog watched his master till he disappeared over the little bridge
+and up the glen, and then he went and lay down by the paling which
+surrounded the bit of field. Jean soon went out to a friend's house to
+have a little gossip, and Oscar was left alone.
+
+He felt rather forlorn. Across the road he heard the distant splashing
+of the waves as they ran angrily up the beach of the loch, and the
+whistling of the wind down the glen.
+
+He watched the grey clouds scudding away overhead, and he envied the
+children he heard playing in the street, or racing after the tourist
+coach on its way up the Pass.
+
+He began to feel drowsy.
+
+'The gulls will be feeding on the banks now! How I wish ...' and his
+eyes closed, and he dreamt a nice dream, that he was dashing along
+through shallow pools of water towards the white chattering flock,
+when--what was this in front of him? White feathers! Two gulls! Was he
+dreaming still? No the gulls were real! What luck! He could not go to
+the gulls, so the gulls had come to him.
+
+In a moment he was wide awake, and made a rush at the two birds who
+were gazing at him inquiringly with their heads on one side. But after
+two or three rushes, 'What stupid gulls these are!' thought Oscar.
+'They can scarcely fly.'
+
+And, indeed, the birds seemed to have great difficulty in lifting
+themselves off the ground, and appeared to grow more and more feeble
+after each of Oscar's onslaughts. At last one of them fell.
+
+'Lazy creature! you have had too much dinner! Up you get!'
+
+But the gull lay down gasping.
+
+Oscar made for the other. Why, that was lying down too! He went to the
+first one. It was quite still and motionless, and after one or two
+more gasps its companion was the same.
+
+Oscar felt rather frightened. Was it possible that he had killed them?
+What would his master say? How was he to tell him it was quite a
+mistake? That he had only been in fun? He must put the gulls out of
+sight.
+
+He dragged them to one side of the cottage where the minister used to
+try every year to grow a few cherished plants, and there in the loose
+earth he dug a grave for the birds.
+
+Then he went back to his old place, and waited for his master's
+return.
+
+When the minister came back, for the first time in his life, Oscar
+longed to be able to speak and tell him all that had happened. How
+could he without speech explain that the death of the birds was an
+accident--an unfortunate accident?
+
+He felt that without an explanation it was no use unearthing the white
+forms in the border.
+
+'Sir, sir!' cried Jean, putting her head in at the door. 'Here's Widow
+McInnes come to see you. She's in sore trouble.'
+
+The minister rose and went to the door.
+
+'Stay here, Oscar,' he said, for Widow McInnes was not fond of Oscar.
+
+In a few minutes the minister came back.
+
+He patted Oscar's soft head.
+
+  [Illustration: 'OSCAR FELT RATHER FRIGHTENED']
+
+'She wanted to accuse thee, Oscar lad, of killing the two white
+pigeons which her son sent her yesterday from the south, and which
+escaped this afternoon from their cage. As if you would touch the
+bairnies, as the poor woman calls them! Eh, lad?'
+
+Oscar wagged his tail gratefully. Then in a sudden flash it came upon
+him that he _had_ killed the pigeons. Now he saw the birds were
+pigeons, not gulls, and, worse than killing them, he had, all
+unknowingly, told his master a lie; and he could not undo it. He
+whined a little as if in pain, and moved slowly out of the room. The
+minister sat on, deep in thought, and then went outside the house to
+see the sunset. Great bands of thick grey cloud wrapped the hill-tops
+in their folds, and lay in long bands across the slopes, while here
+and there in the rifts were patches of pale lemon-coloured sky. The
+loch waters heaved sullenly against the shore. The minister looked
+away from the sunset, and his eye fell on a little mound in the bed by
+the cottage.
+
+'What did I plant there?' he thought, and began poking it with his
+stick.
+
+'Oscar, Oscar!'
+
+Oscar was bounding down the path. He had just determined to unbury the
+pigeons and bring them to his master, and, even if he received a
+beating, his master would know he had not meant to deceive.
+
+But now, hearing the call, and the tone of the minister's voice, he
+knew it was too late. He stopped, and then crept slowly towards that
+tall black figure standing in the twilight, with the two white pigeons
+lying at his feet.
+
+'Oh, Oscar, Oscar lad, what _have_ you done?'
+
+At that moment a boy came running to the gate.
+
+'Ye'll be the minister that Sandy Johnston is speiring after. He says,
+"Fetch the minister, and bid him come quick."'
+
+  [Illustration: 'OH, OSCAR, OSCAR LAD, WHAT _HAVE_ YOU DONE?']
+
+The minister gave a few directions to Jean, and in a moment or two was
+ready to go with the boy. It was a long row to the head of the loch,
+and a long walk to reach the cottage where Sandy Johnston lay dying.
+The minister stayed with him for two nights, till he seemed to need
+his help no more, and then started off to come home. But while he was
+being rowed along the loch, a fierce snowstorm came on. The boat
+made but little way, and they were delayed two or three hours. Cold
+and tired, the minister thought with satisfaction of his warm
+fireside, with Oscar lying down beside his cosy chair. Then, for the
+first time since it had happened, he thought of the pigeons, and he
+half smiled as he recalled Oscar's downcast face as he came up the
+path.
+
+With quick steps he hurried along the street from the landing-place.
+The snow was being blown about round him, and the night was fast
+closing in. He was quite near his own gate now, and he looked up,
+expecting to see the familiar brown head peering out of the door for
+him; but there was no sign of it.
+
+He opened the gate and strode in. Still no Oscar to welcome him.
+
+'Jean, Jean!' he called. Jean appeared from the kitchen, and even in
+the firelight he could see traces of tears on her rough face.
+
+'Where is Oscar?'
+
+'Ah, sir, after ye were gone wi' the lad, he wouldna' come into the
+house, and wouldna' touch a morsel o' food. He lay quite still in the
+garden, and last night he died. An' it's my belief, sir, he died of a
+broken heart, because ye did na' beat him after killing the pigeons,
+and he couldna' make it up wi' ye.'
+
+And the minister thought so, too; and when Jean was gone, he sat down
+by his lonely fireside and buried his face in his hands.
+
+
+
+
+_DOLPHINS AT PLAY_
+
+
+For some reason or other, dolphins, those queer great fish that always
+seem to be at play, have been subjects for many stories. Pliny himself
+has told several, and his old translator's words are so strange, that,
+as far as possible, we will tell the tale as he tells it.
+
+'In the days of Augustus Cæsar, the Emperor,' says Pliny, 'there was a
+dolphin entered the gulf or pool Lucrinus, which loved wondrous well a
+certain boy, a poor man's son; who using to go every day to school
+from Baianum to Puteoli, was wont also about noon-tide to stay at the
+water side and call unto the dolphin, "Simo, Simo," and many times
+would give him fragments of bread, which of purpose he ever brought
+with him, and by this means allured the dolphin to come ordinarily
+unto him at his call. Well, in process of time, at what hour soever of
+the day this boy lured for him and called "Simo," were the dolphin
+never so close hidden in any secret and blind corner, out he would and
+come abroad, yea, and scud amain to this lad, and taking bread and
+other victuals at his hand, would gently offer him his back to mount
+upon, and then down went the sharp-pointed prickles of his fins, which
+he would put up as it were within a sheath for fear of hurting the
+boy. Thus, when he once had him on his back, he would carry him over
+the broad arm of the sea as far as Puteoli to school, and in like
+manner convey him back again home; and thus he continued for many
+years together, so long as the child lived. But when the boy was
+fallen sick and dead yet the dolphin gave not over his haunt, but
+usually came to the wonted place, and missing the lad seemed to be
+heavy and mourn again, until for very grief and sorrow he also was
+found dead upon the shore.'
+
+  [Illustration: THE BOY GOES TO SCHOOL ON THE DOLPHIN'S BACK]
+
+
+
+
+_THE STARLING OF SEGRINGEN_
+
+Translated from the German of Johann Peter Hebel.
+
+
+In a little German village in Suabia, there lived a barber, who
+combined the business of hair-cutting and shaving with that of an
+apothecary; he also sold good brandy, so that he had no lack of
+customers, not to speak of those who merely wished to pass an hour in
+gossiping.
+
+Not the least of the attractions, however, was a tame starling, named
+Hansel, who had been taught to speak, and had learnt many sayings
+which he overheard, either from his master, the barber, or from the
+idlers who gathered about the shop. His master especially had some
+favourite sayings, or catchwords, such as, 'Truly, I am the barber of
+Segringen'--for this is the name of the village--'As heaven will,' 'By
+keeping bad company,' and the like; and these were most familiar to
+the starling.
+
+Everybody for miles round had at least heard of Hansel, and many came
+on purpose to see him and hear him talk, for Hansel would often
+interpose a word into the conversation, which came in very aptly.
+
+But it happened one day, Hansel's wings--which had been cut--having
+grown again, that he thought to himself: 'I have now learnt so much, I
+may go out and see the world.' And when nobody was looking,
+whirr!--away he went out of the window.
+
+Seeing a flock of birds, he joined them, thinking: 'They know the
+country better than I.'
+
+But alas! this knowledge availed them little, for all of them, with
+Hansel, fell into a snare which had been laid by a fowler, who soon
+came to see what was in his net. Putting in his hand, he drew out one
+prisoner after another, callously wringing their necks one by one.
+
+But suddenly, when he was stretching out his murderous fingers to
+seize another victim, this one cried out: 'I am the barber of
+Segringen!'
+
+The man almost fell backwards with astonishment and fright, believing
+he had to do with a sorcerer at least; but presently recovering
+himself a little, he remembered the starling, and said: 'Eh, Hansel,
+is it you! How did you come into the net?'
+
+'By keeping bad company,' replied Hansel.
+
+'And shall I carry you home again?'
+
+'As heaven will,' replied the starling.
+
+Then the fowler took him back to the barber, and related the manner of
+his capture, receiving a good reward.
+
+The barber also reaped a fine harvest, for more people came to his
+shop on purpose to see the clever bird, who had saved his life by his
+ready tongue.
+
+
+
+
+_GRATEFUL DOGS_
+
+From 'Das Echo,' June 8, 1895. Letter to the editor, signed G. M.,
+Mexico, purporting to be an extract from a letter of his brother in
+Nebraska. I have translated and recast it.
+
+
+A farmer in Nebraska--one of the Western States of North
+America--possessed two dogs, a big one called Fanny, and a small one
+who was named Jolly. One winter day the farmer went for a walk and
+took with him his two pets; they came to a brook that ran through the
+farm, and was now frozen up.
+
+Fanny crossed it without much ado, but Jolly, who was always afraid of
+water, distrusted the ice, and refused to follow. Fanny paused at the
+other side, and barked loudly to induce her companion to come, but
+Jolly pretended not to understand.
+
+Then Fanny ran back to him, and tried to explain that it was quite
+safe, but in vain, Jolly only looked after his master, and whimpered;
+upon which, Fanny, losing patience, seized him by the collar, and
+dragged him over.
+
+For this kindness Jolly showed himself grateful some time afterwards.
+
+Fanny, greedy creature, was fond of fresh eggs. When she heard a hen
+cackle she always ran to look for the nest, and one day she discovered
+one under the fruit-shed. But, alas! she could not get the beloved
+dainty because she was too large to go under the shed. Looking very
+pensive and thoughtful, she went away, and soon returned with Jolly,
+bringing him just before the hole.
+
+Jolly, however, was stupid and did not understand; Fanny put her head
+in, and then her paws, without being able, with all her efforts, to
+reach the egg; the smaller dog, seeing that there was something in the
+hole, went in to look, but not caring for eggs, came out empty-handed.
+
+Thereupon Fanny looked at him in such a sad and imploring way, that
+her master, who was watching them, could scarcely suppress his
+laughter.
+
+At last Jolly seemed to understand what was wanted; he went under the
+shed again, brought out the egg, and put it before Fanny, who ate it
+with great satisfaction, and then both dogs trotted off together.
+
+
+
+
+_GAZELLE_
+
+PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A TORTOISE
+
+
+Alexandre Dumas, in whose book, as I told you, I read the story of Tom
+the Bear, as well as those of other animals, was one day walking past
+the shop of a large fishmonger in Paris. As he glanced through the
+window he saw an Englishman in the shop holding a tortoise, which he
+was turning about in his hands. Dumas felt an instant conviction that
+the Englishman proposed to make the tortoise into turtle soup, and he
+was so touched by the air of patient resignation of the supposed
+victim that he entered the shop, and with a sign to the shopwoman
+asked whether she had kept the tortoise for him which he had bespoken.
+
+The shopwoman (who had known Dumas for many years) understood with
+half a word, and gently slipping the tortoise out of the Englishman's
+grasp, she handed it to Dumas, saying, 'Pardon, milord, the tortoise
+was sold to this gentleman this morning.'
+
+The Englishman seemed surprised, but left the shop without
+remonstrating, and Dumas had nothing left for it but to pay for his
+tortoise and take it home.
+
+As he carried his purchase up to his rooms on the third floor he
+wondered what could have possessed him to buy it, and what on earth he
+was to do with it now he had got it. It was certainly a remarkable
+tortoise, for the moment he put it down on the floor of his bedroom it
+started off for the fireplace at such a pace as to earn for itself the
+name of 'Gazelle.'
+
+Once near the fire, Gazelle settled herself in the warmest corner she
+could find, and went to sleep.
+
+Dumas, who wished to go out again and was afraid of his new possession
+coming to any harm, called his servant and said: 'Joseph, whilst I am
+out you must look after this creature.'
+
+Joseph approached with some curiosity. 'Ah!' he remarked, 'why, it's a
+tortoise; that creature could bear a carriage on its back.'
+
+'Yes, yes, no doubt it might, but I beg you won't try any experiments
+with it.'
+
+'Oh, it wouldn't hurt it,' assured Joseph, who enjoyed showing off his
+information. 'The Lyons diligence might drive over it without hurting
+it.'
+
+'Well,' replied his master, 'I believe the great sea turtle _might_
+bear such a weight, but I doubt whether this small variety----'
+
+'Oh, _that's_ of no consequence,' interrupted Joseph; 'it's as strong
+as a horse, and small though it is, a cartload of stones might
+pass----'
+
+'Very good, very good; never mind that now. Just buy the creature a
+lettuce and some snails.'
+
+'Snails! why, is its chest delicate?'
+
+'No, why on earth do you ask such a thing?'
+
+'Well, my last master used to take an infusion of snails for his
+chest--not that it prevented----'
+
+Dumas left the room without waiting for the end. Before he was
+half-way downstairs he found that he had forgotten his handkerchief,
+and on returning surprised Joseph standing on Gazelle's back,
+gracefully poised on one leg, with the other out-stretched behind him
+in such a way that not an ounce of his eleven-stone weight was lost on
+the poor creature.
+
+'Idiot! what are you about?'
+
+'There, sir, didn't I say so?' rejoined Joseph, proudly.
+
+'There, there, give me a handkerchief and mind you don't touch that
+creature again.'
+
+  [Illustration: DUMAS FINDS JOSEPH STANDING ON GAZELLE'S BACK]
+
+'There, sir,' said the irrepressible Joseph, bringing the
+handkerchief. 'But indeed you need not be at all afraid; a waggon
+could drive over----'
+
+Dumas fled.
+
+He returned rather late at night, and no sooner took a step into his
+room than he felt something crack under his boot. He hastily raised
+his foot and took a further step with the same result: he thought he
+must be treading on eggs. He lowered his candlestick--the carpet was
+covered with snails.
+
+Joseph had obeyed orders literally. He had bought the lettuces and the
+snails, had placed them all in a basket and Gazelle on the top, and
+then put the basket in the middle of his master's bedroom. Ten minutes
+later the warmth of the fire thawed the snails into animation, and the
+entire caravan set forth on a voyage of discovery round the room,
+leaving silvery tracks behind them on carpet and furniture.
+
+As for Gazelle, she was quietly reposing at the bottom of the basket,
+where a few empty shells proved that all the fugitives had not been
+brisk enough to make their escape.
+
+Dumas, feeling no fancy for a possible procession of snails over his
+bed, carefully picked up the stragglers one by one, popped them back
+into the basket, and shut down the lid. But in five minutes' time he
+realised that sleep would be out of the question with the noise going
+on, which sounded like a dozen mice in a bag of nuts. He decided to
+move the basket to the kitchen.
+
+On the way there it occurred to him that if Gazelle went on at this
+rate she would certainly die of indigestion before morning. He
+remembered that the owner of the restaurant on the ground floor had a
+tank in the back yard where he often put fish to keep till wanted, and
+it struck him that the tank would be the very place for his tortoise.
+He at once put his idea into execution, got back to his room and to
+bed, and slept soundly till morning.
+
+Joseph woke him early.
+
+'Oh, sir, such a joke!' he exclaimed, standing at the foot of the bed.
+
+'What joke?'
+
+'Why, what your tortoise has been up to!'
+
+'What on earth do you mean?'
+
+'Well, sir, could you believe that it got out of your room--goodness
+knows how--and walked downstairs and right into the tank?'
+
+'You owl! you might have guessed I put it there myself.'
+
+'Did you indeed, sir? Well, you certainly _have_ made a mess of it
+then.'
+
+'How so?'
+
+'Why the tortoise has eaten up a tench--a superb tench weighing three
+pounds--which the master of the restaurant put into the tank only last
+night. The waiter has just been telling me about it.'
+
+'Go at once and fetch me Gazelle and the scales.'
+
+During Joseph's absence his master took down a volume of Buffon, and
+consulted that eminent authority on the subject of tortoises and
+turtles. There seemed to be no doubt, according to the celebrated
+naturalist, that these creatures did eat fish voraciously when they
+got the chance.
+
+'Dear, dear,' thought Dumas, 'I fear the owner of the tank has Buffon
+on his side.'
+
+Just then Joseph returned with the accused in one hand and the kitchen
+scales in the other.
+
+'You see,' began the irrepressible valet, 'these sort of creatures eat
+a lot. They need it to keep up their strength, and fish is
+particularly nourishing. Only see how strong sailors are, and they
+live so much on fish----'
+
+His master cut him short.
+
+'How much did you say that tench weighed?'
+
+'Three pounds. The waiter asks nine francs for it.'
+
+'And Gazelle ate it all?'
+
+'Every bit except the head, the back-bone, and the inside.'
+
+'Quite correct, Monsieur Buffon had said as much. Very well--but
+still--three pounds seems a good deal.'
+
+He put Gazelle in the scale. She weighed exactly two pounds and a
+half! The deduction was simple. Either Gazelle had been falsely
+accused or the theft had been much smaller than was represented.
+Indeed the waiter readily took this view of the matter, and was quite
+satisfied with five francs as an indemnity.
+
+The varied adventures of Gazelle had become rather a bore, and her
+owner felt that he must try to find some other home for her. She spent
+the following night in his room, but thanks to the absence of snails
+all went well. When Joseph came in next morning, his first act as
+usual was to roll up the hearth-rug, and, opening the window, to shake
+it well out in the air. Suddenly he uttered an exclamation and flung
+himself half out of the window.
+
+'What's the matter, Joseph?' asked his master, only half awake.
+
+'Oh, sir--it's your tortoise. It was on the rug, and I never saw
+it--and----'
+
+'Well! and----?'
+
+'And I declare, before I knew what I was about, I shook it out of the
+window.'
+
+'Imbecile!' shouted Dumas, springing out of bed.
+
+'Ah!' cried Joseph with a sigh of relief. 'See, she's eating a
+cabbage!'
+
+And so she was. Her fall had been broken by a rubbish heap, and after
+a few seconds in which to recover her equanimity, she had ventured to
+thrust her head out, when finding a piece of cabbage near, she at once
+began her breakfast.
+
+'Didn't I say so, sir?' cried Joseph, delighted. 'Nothing hurts those
+creatures. There now, whilst she's eating that cabbage a
+coach-and-four might drive over her----'
+
+'Never mind, never mind; just run down and fetch her up quick.'
+
+  [Illustration: DUMAS BRINGS GAZELLE TO NO. 109 FAUBOURG ST.-DENIS]
+
+Joseph obeyed, and as soon as his master was dressed he called a cab,
+and taking Gazelle with him, drove off to No. 109 in the Faubourg
+St.-Denis. Here he climbed to the fifth floor and walked straight into
+the studio of his friend, who was busy painting a delightful little
+picture of performing dogs. He was surrounded by a bear, who was
+playing with a log as he lay on his back, a monkey, busy pulling a
+paint brush to pieces, and a frog, who was half-way up a little ladder
+in a glass jar. You will, I dare say, have guessed already that the
+painter's name was Décamps, the bear's Tom, the monkey's Jacko I., and
+the frog's Mademoiselle Camargo, and you will not wonder that Dumas
+felt that he could not better provide for Gazelle than by leaving her
+as an addition to the menagerie in his friend's studio.[8]
+
+    [8] See p. 375.
+
+
+
+
+_COCKATOO STORIES_
+
+_Naturalist's Note-Book._ Reeves & Turner: 1868.
+
+
+About thirty years ago a gentleman, who was fond of birds and beasts,
+took into his head to try if parrots could not be persuaded to make
+themselves at home among the trees in his garden. For a little while
+everything seemed going beautifully, and the experimenter was full of
+hope. The parrots built their nests in the woods, and in course of
+time some young ones appeared, and gradually grew up to their full
+size. Then, unluckily, they became tired of the grounds which they
+knew by heart, and set off to see the world. The young parrots were
+strong upon the wing, and their beautiful bright bodies would be seen
+flashing in the sun, as much as fifteen miles away, and, then, of
+course, some boy or gamekeeper with a gun in his hand was certain to
+see them, and covet them for the kitchen mantel-shelf or a private
+collection.
+
+The cockatoos however did not always care to choose trees for their
+building places. One little pair, whose grandparents had whisked about
+in the heat of a midsummer day in Australia, found the climate of
+England cold and foggy, and looked about for a warm cover for their
+new nest. They had many conversations on the subject, and perhaps one
+of these may have been overheard by a jackdaw, who put into their
+minds a brilliant idea, for the very next morning the cockatoos were
+seen carrying their materials to one of the chimneys, and trying to
+fasten them together half-way up. But cockatoos are not as clever as
+jackdaws about this kind of thing, and before the nest had grown to
+be more than a shapeless mass, down it came, and such a quantity of
+soot with it, that the poor cockatoos were quite buried, and lay for a
+day and night nearly smothered in soot, till they happened to be found
+by a housemaid who had entered the room. But in spite of this mishap
+they were not disheartened, and as soon as their eyes and noses had
+recovered from their soot bath, they began again to search for a more
+suitable spot. To the great delight of their master, they fixed upon a
+box which he had nailed for this very purpose under one of the gables,
+and this time they managed to build a nest that was as good as any
+nest in the garden. Still, they had no luck, for though the female
+laid two eggs, and sat upon them perseveringly, never allowing them to
+get cold for a single instant, it was all of no use, for the eggs
+turned out to be both bad!
+
+Some cousins of theirs, a beautiful white cockatoo and his lovely
+rose-coloured wife, were more prosperous in their arrangements. They
+scooped out a most comfortable nest with their claws and bills in the
+rotten branch of an acacia tree, and there they brought up two young
+families, all of them white as snow, with flame-coloured crests. The
+eldest son, unhappily for himself, got weary of his brothers and
+sisters, and the little wood on the outskirts of the garden, where he
+was born, and one winter day took a flight towards the town. His
+parents never quite knew what occurred, but the poor young cockatoo
+came back severely wounded, to the great fury of all his family, who
+behaved very unkindly to him. It is a curious fact that no animals and
+very few birds can bear the sight of illness, and these cockatoos were
+no better than the rest. They did not absolutely ill-treat him, but
+they refused to let him enter their nest, and insisted that he should
+live by himself in a distant bush. At last his master took pity on
+him, and brought him into the garden, but this so enraged the
+cockatoos who were already in possession, that they secretly murdered
+him. However it is only just to the race of cockatoos to observe that
+they are not always so bad as this, for during the very same season an
+unlucky young bird, whose wing and leg were broken by an accident, was
+adopted by an elderly cockatoo who did not care for what her
+neighbours said, and treated him as her own son. The following year,
+when nesting time came round, the white cockatoos went back to their
+acacia branch, but were very much disgusted to find a pair of grey
+parrots there before them, and a little pair of bald round heads
+peeping over the edge. These little parrots grew up with such very bad
+tempers that no one would have anything to do with them, and as for
+their own relations, they looked upon them with the contempt that a
+cat often shows to a man. To be sure these relations were considered
+to be rather odd themselves, for they did not care to be troubled with
+a family of their own, so had taken under their protection two little
+kittens, who had been born in one of the boxes originally set apart
+for the parrots. The two birds could not endure to see the old cat
+looking after her little ones, and whenever she went out for a walk or
+to get her food, one of the parrots always took her place in the box.
+It would have been nice to know how long this went on, and if the
+kittens adopted any parrot-like ways. Luckily, there was one
+peculiarity of the parrots which it was beyond their power to imitate,
+and that was the horrible voice which renders the society of a parrot,
+and still more of a cockatoo, unendurable to most people.
+
+
+
+
+_THE OTTER WHO WAS REARED BY A CAT_
+
+_Naturalist's Note-Book._
+
+
+There is still living in the kingdom of Galloway a wonderful cat who
+is so completely above all the instincts and prejudices of her race,
+that she can remain on friendly terms with young rabbits, and wile
+away a spare hour by having a game with a mouse. A _real_ game, where
+the fun is not all on one side, but which is enjoyed by the mouse as
+much as by the cat.
+
+Hardly less strange, from the opposite point of view, is the
+friendship that existed between two cats and an otter, which had been
+taken from its mother when only a few hours old, to be brought up by
+hand by a gentleman. This was not a very easy thing to manage. It was
+too young to suck milk out of a spoon, which was the first thing
+thought of, but a quill passed through a cork and stuck into a baby's
+bottle proved a success, and through this the little otter had its
+milk five times every day, until he was more than five weeks old. Then
+he was introduced to a cat who had lately lost a kitten, and though
+not naturally very good-tempered, the puss took to him directly,
+evidently thinking it was her own kitten grown a little bigger. In
+general this cat, which was partly Persian, and, as I have said, very
+cross, did not trouble herself much about her young ones, which had to
+take care of themselves as well as they could; but she could not make
+enough of the little otter, and when he was as big as herself she
+would walk with him every day to the pond in the yard, where he had
+his bath, watching his splashings and divings with great anxiety, and
+never happy till he got out safe.
+
+But, like human children, the baby otter would have been very dull
+without someone to play with, and as there were no little otters
+handy, he made friends with a young cat called Tom.
+
+All through the long winter, when the pond was frozen, and diving and
+swimming were no longer possible, he and Tom used to spend happy
+mornings playing hide and seek among the furniture in the dining-room,
+till Tom began to feel that the otter was getting rather rough, and
+that his teeth were very sharp, and that it would be a good thing to
+get out of his reach, on the top of a high cupboard or chimney piece.
+
+But at last the snow melted, and the ice became water again, and the
+first day the sun shone, the otter and the old cat went out for a walk
+in the yard. After the little fellow had had his dive, which felt
+delicious after all the weeks that he had done without it, he wandered
+carelessly into a shed where he had never been before, and to his
+astonishment he suddenly heard a flutter of wings, and became
+conscious of a sharp pain in his neck. This was produced by the beak
+of a falcon, who always lived in the shed, and seeing the strange
+creature enter his door, at once made up his mind that it was its duty
+to kill it. The cat and the gentleman who happened to come in at the
+same moment rushed forward and beat off the bird, and then, blinded by
+excitement, like a great many other people, and not knowing friends
+from foes, the cat rushed at her master. In one moment she had
+severely bitten the calf of his leg, given his thigh a fearful
+scratch, and picked up the otter and carried him outside. Then, not
+daring to trust him out of her sight, she marched him sternly up the
+hill, keeping him all the while between her legs, so that no danger
+should come near him.
+
+As the otter grew bigger the cats became rather afraid of his claws
+and teeth, which grew bigger too, and inflicted bites and scratches
+without his knowing it. But if the cats tired of him, he never tired
+of the cats, and was always dull and unhappy when they were out of his
+way. Sometimes, when his spirits were unusually good (and his teeth
+unusually sharp), the poor playfellows were obliged to seek refuge in
+the bedrooms of the house, or even upon the roof, but the little otter
+had not lived so long with cats for nothing, and could climb nearly as
+well as they. When he had had enough of teasing, he told them so (for,
+of course, he knew the cat language), and they would come down, and he
+would stretch himself out lazily in front of the fire, with his arms
+round Tom's neck.
+
+It would be nice to know what happened to him when he really grew up,
+whether the joys of living in a stream made him forget his old friends
+at the farm, or whether he would leave the chase of the finest trout
+at the sound of a mew or a whistle. But we are not told anything about
+it, so everybody can settle it as they like.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT LIONS_
+
+
+The lion in its wild state is a very different animal from the lion of
+menageries and wild-beast shows. The latter has probably been born in
+captivity, reared by hand, and kept a prisoner in a narrow cage all
+its life, deprived not only of liberty and exercise, but of its proper
+food. The result is a weak, thin, miserable creature, with an unhappy
+furtive expression, and a meagre mane, more like a poodle than the
+king of beasts in a savage state.
+
+The lion of South Africa differs in many points from that of Algeria,
+of whom we are going to speak. In Algeria there are three kinds of
+lions--the black, the tawny, and the grey. The black lion, more rarely
+met with than the two others, is rather smaller, but stronger in
+build. He is so called from the colour of his mane, which falls to his
+shoulder in a heavy black mass. The rest of his coat is the colour of
+a bay horse. Instead of wandering like the other two kinds, he makes
+himself a comfortable dwelling, and remains there probably all his
+life, which may last thirty or forty years, unless he falls a victim
+to the hunter. He rarely goes down to the plains in search of prey,
+but lies in ambush in the evening and attacks the cattle on their way
+down from the mountain, killing four or five to drink their blood. In
+the long summer twilights he waits on the edge of a forest-path for
+some belated traveller, who seldom escapes to tell the tale.
+
+The tawny and grey lion differ from each other only in the colour of
+their mane; all three have the same habits and characteristics, except
+those peculiar to the black lion just described. They all turn night
+into day, and go out at dusk to forage for prey, returning to their
+lair at dawn to sleep and digest in peace and quiet. Should a lion,
+for any reason, shift his camp during the day, it is most unlikely
+that he will attack, unprovoked, any creature, whether human or
+otherwise, whom he may chance to meet; for during the day he is 'full
+inside,' and the lion kills not for the sake of killing, but to
+satisfy his hunger. The lion is a devoted husband; when a couple go
+out on their nightly prowl, it is always the lioness who leads the
+way; when she stops he stops too, and when they arrive at the fold
+where they hope to procure their supper, she lies down, while he leaps
+into the midst of the enclosure, and brings back to her the pick of
+the flock. He watches her eat with great anxiety lest anything should
+disturb her, and never begins his own meal till she has finished hers.
+As a father he is less devoted; the old lion being of a serious
+disposition, the cubs weary him with their games, and while the family
+is young the father lives by himself, but at a short distance, so as
+to be at hand in case of danger. When the cubs are about three months
+old, and have finished teething (a process which often proves fatal to
+little lionesses), their mother begins to accustom them to eat meat by
+bringing them mutton to eat, which she carefully skins, and chews up
+small before giving to them. Between three and four months old they
+begin to follow their mother at night to the edge of the forest, where
+their father brings them their supper. At six months the whole family
+change their abode, choosing for the purpose a very dark night.
+Between eight months and a year old they begin to attack the flocks of
+sheep and goats that feed by day in the neighbourhood of their lair,
+and sometimes venture to attack oxen, but being still young and
+awkward, they often wound ten for one killed, and the father lion is
+obliged to interfere. At the age of two years they can slay with one
+blow an ox, horse, or camel, and can leap the hedges two yards high
+that surround the folds for protection. This period in the history of
+the lion is the most disastrous to the shepherds and their flocks, for
+then the lion goes about killing for the sake of learning to kill. At
+three years they leave their parents and set up families of their own,
+but it is only at the age of eight that they attain their full size
+and strength, and, in the case of the male, his full mane.
+
+  [Illustration: THE LION CAUGHT IN THE PIT]
+
+The question is sometimes asked, why does the lion roar? The answer
+is, for the same reason that the bird sings. When a lion and lioness
+go out together at night, the lioness begins the duet by roaring when
+she leaves her den, then the lion roars in answer, and they roar in
+turn every quarter of an hour, till they have found their supper;
+while they are eating they are silent, and begin roaring as soon as
+satisfied, and roar till morning. In summer they roar less and
+sometimes not at all. The Arabs, who have good reason to know and
+dread this fearsome sound, have the same word for it as for the
+thunder. The herds being constantly exposed to the ravages of the
+lion, the natives are obliged to take measures to protect them, but,
+the gun in their unskilled hands proving often as fatal to themselves
+as to their enemy, they are forced to resort to other means. Some
+tribes dig a pit, about ten yards deep, four or five wide, and
+narrower at the mouth than the base. The tents of the little camp
+surround it, and round them again is a hedge two or three yards high,
+made of branches of trees interlaced; a second smaller hedge divides
+the tents from the pit in order to prevent the flocks from falling
+into it. The lion prowling in search of food scents his prey, leaps
+both hedges at one bound, and falls roaring with anger into the pit
+digged for him. The whole camp is aroused, and so great is the
+rejoicing that no one sleeps all night. Guns are let off and fires lit
+to inform the whole district, and in the morning all the neighbours
+arrive, not only men, but women, children, and even dogs. When it is
+light enough to see, the hedge surrounding the pit is removed in order
+to look at the lion, and to judge by its age and sex what treatment it
+is to receive, according to what harm it may have done. If it is a
+young lion or a lioness the first spectators retire from the sight
+disgusted, to make room for others whose raptures are equally soon
+calmed. But if it is a full-grown lion with abundant mane, then it is
+a very different scene; frenzied gestures and appropriate cries spread
+the joyful news from one to another, and the spectators crowd in such
+numbers that they nearly edge each other into the pit. When everyone
+has thrown his stone and hurled his imprecation, men armed with guns
+come to put an end to the noble animal's torture; but often ten shots
+have been fired before, raising his majestic head to look
+contemptuously on his tormentors, he falls dead. Not till long after
+this last sign of life do the bravest venture to let themselves down
+into the pit, by means of ropes, to pass a net under the body of the
+lion, and to hoist it up to the surface by means of a stake planted
+there for the purpose. When the lion is cut up, the mothers of the
+tribe receive each a small piece of his heart, which they give to
+their sons to eat to make them strong and courageous; with the same
+object they make themselves amulets of hairs dragged out from his
+mane.
+
+Other tribes make use of the ambush, which may be either constructed
+underground or on a tree. If underground a hole is dug, about one yard
+deep, and three or four wide, near a path frequented by the lion; it
+is covered with branches weighted down by heavy stones, and loose
+earth is thrown over all. Four or five little openings are left to
+shoot through, and a larger one to serve as a doorway, which may be
+closed from within by a block of stone. In order to ensure a good aim
+the Arabs kill a boar and lay it on the path opposite the ambush; the
+lion inevitably stops to sniff this bait, and then they all fire at
+once. Nevertheless he is rarely killed on the spot, but frantically
+seeking his unseen enemies, who are beneath his feet, he makes with
+frenzied bounds for the nearest forest, there sometimes to recover
+from his wounds, sometimes to die in solitude. The ambush in a tree is
+conducted on the same lines as the other, except that the hunters are
+above instead of below their quarry, from whom they are screened by
+the branches.
+
+  [Illustration: THE AMBUSH]
+
+There are, however, in the province of Constantine some tribes of
+Arabs who hunt the lion in a more sportsmanlike manner. When a lion
+has made his presence known, either by frequent depredations or by
+roarings, a hunting party is formed. Some men are sent in advance to
+reconnoitre the woods, and when they return with such information as
+they have been able to gather as to the age, sex, and whereabouts of
+the animal, a council of war is held, and a plan of campaign formed.
+Each hunter is armed with a gun, a pistol, and a yataghan, and then
+five or six of the younger men are chosen to ascend the mountain,
+there to take their stand on different commanding points, in order to
+watch every movement of the lion, and to communicate them to their
+companions below by a pre-arranged code of signals. When they are
+posted the general advance begins; the lion, whose hearing is
+extremely acute, is soon aware of the approach of enemies, who in
+their turn are warned by the young men on the look-out. Finally, when
+the lion turns to meet the hunters the watchers shout with all their
+might 'Aoulikoum!' 'Look out!' At this signal the Arabs draw
+themselves up in battle array, if possible with their backs to a rock,
+and remain motionless till the lion has approached to within twenty or
+thirty paces; then the word of command is given, and each man, taking
+the best aim he can, fires, and then throws down his rifle to seize
+his pistol or yataghan. The lion is generally brought to the ground by
+this hail of bullets, but unless the heart or the brain have been
+pierced he will not be mortally wounded; the hunters therefore throw
+themselves upon him before he can rise, firing, stabbing right and
+left, blindly, madly, without aim, in the rage to kill. Sometimes in
+his mortal agony the lion will seize one of the hunters, and, drawing
+him under his own body, will torture him, almost as a cat does a mouse
+before killing it. Should this happen, the nearest relation present of
+the unhappy man will risk his own life in the attempt to rescue him,
+and at the same time to put an end to the lion. This is a perilous
+moment; when the lion sees the muzzle of the avenger's rifle pointed
+at his ear he will certainly crush in the head of his victim, even if
+he has not the strength left to spring on his assailant before the
+latter gives him the _coup de grâce_.
+
+The Arabs in the neighbourhood of Constantine used, about fifty years
+ago, to send there for a famous French lion-hunter, Jules Gérard by
+name, to rid them of some unusually formidable foe. They never could
+understand his way of going to work--alone and by night--which
+certainly presented a great contrast to their methods. On one occasion
+a family of five--father, mother, and three young lions--were the
+aggressors. The Arab sheik, leading Monsieur Gérard to the river,
+showed him by their footprints on the banks where this fearful family
+were in the habit of coming to drink at night, but begged him not to
+sacrifice himself to such fearful odds, and either to return to the
+camp, or to take some of the tribe with him. Gérard declining both
+suggestions, the sheik was obliged to leave, as night was at hand, and
+the lions might appear at any moment. First he came near the hunter,
+and spoke these words low: 'Listen, I have a counsel to give thee. Be
+on thy guard against the Lord of the Mighty Head; he will lead the
+way. If thy hour has come, he will kill thee, and the others will eat
+thee.' Coming still nearer the sheik whispered: '_He_ has stolen my
+best mare and ten oxen.' 'Who? who has stolen them?' asked Monsieur
+Gérard. '_He_,' and the sheik pointed for further answer to the
+mountain. 'But name him, name the thief.' The answer was so low as to
+be barely audible: 'The Lord of the Mighty Head,' and with this
+ominous counsel the sheik departed, leaving Gérard to his vigil.
+
+As the night advanced the moon appeared, and lit up the narrow ravine.
+Judging by its position in the heavens it might be eleven o'clock,
+when the tramp of many feet was heard approaching, and several
+luminous points of reddish light were seen glittering through the
+thicket. The lions were advancing in single file, and the lights were
+their gleaming eyes. Instead of five there were only three, and the
+leader, though of formidable dimensions, did not come up to the
+description of the Lord of the Mighty Head. All three stopped to gaze
+in wonder at the man who dared to put himself in their path. Gérard
+took aim at the shoulder of the leader and fired. A fearful roar
+announced that the shot had told, and the wounded lion began painfully
+dragging himself towards his assailant, while the other two slunk away
+into the wood. He had got to within three paces when a second shot
+sent him rolling down into the bed of the stream. Again he returned to
+the charge, but a third ball right in the eye laid him dead. It was a
+fine, large, young lion of three years, with formidable teeth and
+claws. As agreed upon with the sheik, Monsieur Gérard immediately
+lit a bonfire in token of his victory, in answer to which shots were
+fired to communicate the good news to all the surrounding district. At
+break of day two hundred Arabs arrived to insult their fallen enemy,
+the sheik being the first to appear, with his congratulations, but
+also with the information that at the same hour that the young lion
+had been shot, the Lord of the Mighty Head had come down and taken
+away an ox. These devastations went on unchecked for more than a year,
+one man alone, Lakdar by name, being robbed of forty-five sheep, a
+mare, and twenty-nine oxen. Finally he lost heart, and sent to beg
+Monsieur Gérard to come back and deliver him if possible of his
+tormentor. For some nights the lion made no sign, but on the
+thirteenth evening Lakdar arrived at the lion-hunter's camp, saying:
+'The black bull is missing from the herd; to-morrow morning I shall
+find his remains and thou wilt slay the lion for me.'
+
+  [Illustration: 'ALL THREE STOPPED TO GAZE AT THE MAN WHO DARED TO
+    PUT HIMSELF IN THEIR PATH']
+
+Accordingly next morning at dawn Lakdar returned to announce that he
+had found the dead bull. Gérard rose and, taking his gun, followed the
+Arab. Through the densest of the forest they went, till at the foot of
+a narrow rocky ravine, close to some large olive trees, they found the
+partially devoured carcase. Monsieur Gérard cut some branches the
+better to conceal himself, and took up his position under one of the
+olive trees, there to await the approach of night, and with it the
+return of the lion to the spoil. Towards eight o'clock, when the
+feeble light of the new moon barely penetrated into the little glade,
+a branch was heard to crack at some distance. The lion-hunter rose
+and, shouldering his weapon, prepared to do battle. From about thirty
+paces distant came a low growl, and then a guttural sound, a sign of
+hunger with the lion, then silence, and presently an enormous lion
+stalked from the thicket straight towards the bull, and began licking
+it. At this moment Monsieur Gérard fired, and struck the lion within
+about an inch of his left eye. Roaring with pain, he reared himself
+up on end, when a second bullet right in the chest laid him on his
+back, frantically waving his huge paws in the air. Quickly reloading,
+Monsieur Gérard came close to the helpless monster, and while he was
+raising his great head from the ground fired two more shots, which
+laid the lion stone dead, and thus brought to an end the career of the
+'Lord of the Mighty Head.'
+
+
+
+
+_BUILDERS AND WEAVERS_
+
+
+No one can examine birds and their ways for long together without
+being struck by the wonderful neatness and cleverness of their
+proceedings. They make use of a great many different kinds of
+materials for their nests, and manage somehow to turn out a nest which
+not only will hold eggs, but is strong and of a pretty shape. Rotten
+twigs are, curiously enough, what they love best for the outside, and
+upon the twigs various substances are laid, according to the species
+and taste of the builder. The jay, for instance, collects roots and
+twists them into a firm mass, which he lays upon the twigs; the
+American starling uses tough wet rushes and coarse grass, and after
+they are matted together, somehow ties the nest on to reeds or a bush;
+while the missel thrush lines the casing of twigs with tree moss, or
+even hay. To these they often add tufts of wool, and lichen, and the
+whole is fastened together by a kind of clay. The favourite spot
+chosen by the missel thrush is the fork of a tree in an orchard, where
+lichens are large and plentiful enough to serve as a covering for the
+nests.
+
+Still, if the account given by Vaillant and Paterson is true, the
+sociable grosbeaks surpass all the other birds in skill and invention.
+They have been known to cover the trunks of trees with a huge kind of
+fluted umbrella, made of dry, fine grass, with the boughs of the trees
+poking through in various places. No doubt in the beginning the nest
+was not so large, but it is the custom of these birds to live
+together in clans, and each year fresh 'rooms' have to be added. When
+examined, the bird city was found to have many gates and regular
+streets of nests, each about two inches distant from the other. The
+structure was made of 'Boshman's' grass alone, but so tightly woven
+together that no rain could get through. The nests were all tucked in
+under the roof, which, by projecting, formed eaves, thus keeping the
+birds warm and dry. Sometimes the umbrella has been known to contain
+as many as three hundred separate nests, so it is no wonder that the
+tree at last breaks down with the weight, and the city has to be
+founded again elsewhere.
+
+Now in the nests of all these birds there has been a good deal of what
+we called 'building' and 'carpentry' when we are talking of our own
+houses and our own trades. But there are a whole quantity of birds
+spread over the world, who are almost exclusively weavers, and can
+form nests which hang down from the branch of a tree without any
+support. To this class belongs the Indian sparrow, which prefers to
+build in the tops of the very highest trees (especially on the Indian
+fig) and particularly on those growing by the river-side. He weaves
+together tough grass in the form of a bottle, and hangs it from a
+branch, so that it rocks to and fro, like a hammock. The Indian
+sparrow, which is easily tamed, does not like always to live with his
+family, so he divides his nest into two or three parts, and is careful
+to place its entrance underneath, so that it may not attract the
+notice of the birds of prey. In these nests glow-worms have frequently
+been found, carefully fastened into a piece of fresh clay, but whether
+the bird deliberately tries in this way to light up his dark nest, or
+whether he has some other use for the glow-worm, has never been found
+out. But it seems quite certain that he does not _eat_ it, as Sir
+William Jones once supposed.
+
+The Indian sparrow is a very clever little bird, and can be taught to
+do all sorts of tricks. He will catch a ring that is dropped into one
+of the deep Indian wells, before it reaches the water. He can pick the
+gold ornament neatly off the forehead of a young Hindu woman, or carry
+a note to a given place like a carrier pigeon. At least so it is said;
+but then very few people have even a bowing acquaintance with the
+Indian sparrow.
+
+
+
+
+_'MORE FAITHFUL THAN FAVOURED'_
+
+
+There never was a more faithful watch-dog than the great big-limbed,
+heavy-headed mastiff that guarded Sir Harry Lee's Manor-house,
+Ditchley, in Oxfordshire.[9] The sound of his deep growl was the
+terror of all the gipsies and vagrants in the county, and there was a
+superstition among the country people, that he was never known to
+sleep. Even if he was seen stretched out on the stone steps leading up
+to the front entrance of the house, with his massive head resting on
+his great fore-paws, at the sound of a footfall, however distant, his
+head would be raised, his ears fiercely cocked, and an ominous
+stiffening of the tail would warn a stranger that his movements were
+being closely watched, and that on the least suspicion of anything
+strange or abnormal in his behaviour, he would be called to account by
+Leo. Strangely enough, the mastiff had never been a favourite of his
+master's. The fact that dogs of his breed are useless for purposes of
+sport, owing to their unwieldy size and defective sense of smell, had
+prevented Sir Harry from taking much notice of him. He looked upon the
+mastiff merely as a watch-dog. The dog would look after him, longing
+to be allowed to join him in his walk, or to follow him when he rode
+out, through the lanes and fields round his house, but poor Leo's
+affection received little encouragement. So long as he guarded the
+house faithfully by day and night, that was all that was expected of
+him: and as in doing this he was only doing his duty, and fulfilling
+the purpose for which he was there, little notice was taken of him by
+any of the inmates of the house. His meals were supplied to him with
+unfailing regularity, for his services as insuring the safety of the
+house were fully recognised; but as Sir Harry had not shown him any
+signs of favour, the servants did not think fit to bestow unnecessary
+attention on him. So he lived his solitary neglected life, in summer
+and winter, by night and day, zealous in his master's interests, but
+earning little reward in the way of notice or affection.
+
+    [9] More about this gentleman and his dog may be read in
+    _Woodstock_, by Sir Walter Scott.
+
+One night, however, something occurred that suddenly altered the
+mastiff's position in the household, and from being a faithful slave,
+he all at once became the beloved friend and constant companion of Sir
+Harry Lee. It was in winter, and Sir Harry was going up to his bedroom
+as usual, about eleven o'clock. Great was his astonishment on opening
+the library door, to find the mastiff stretched in front of it. At
+sight of his master Leo rose, and, wagging his tail and rubbing his
+great head against Sir Harry's hand, he looked up at him as if anxious
+to attract his attention. With an impatient word Sir Harry turned
+away, and went up the oak-panelled staircase, Leo following closely
+behind him. When he reached his bedroom door, the dog tried to follow
+him into the room, and if Sir Harry had been a more observant man, he
+must have noticed a curious look of appeal in the dog's eyes, as he
+slammed the door in his face, ordering him in commanding tones to 'Go
+away!' an order which Leo did not obey. Curling himself up on the mat
+outside the door, he lay with his small deep-sunk eyes in eager
+watchfulness, fixed on the door, while his heavy tail from time to
+time beat an impatient tattoo upon the stone floor of the passage.
+
+Antonio, the Italian valet, whom Sir Harry had brought home with him
+from his travels, and whom he trusted absolutely, was waiting for his
+master, and was engaged in spreading out his things on the toilet
+table.
+
+'That dog is getting troublesome, Antonio,' said Sir Harry. 'I must
+speak to the keeper to-morrow, and tell him to chain him up at night
+outside the hall. I cannot have him disturbing me, prowling about the
+corridors and passages all night. See that you drive him away, when
+you go downstairs.'
+
+'Yes, signor,' replied Antonio, and began to help his master to
+undress. Then, having put fresh logs of wood on the fire, he wished
+Sir Harry good-night, and left the room. Finding Leo outside the door,
+the valet whistled and called gently to him to follow him; and, as the
+dog took no notice, he put out his hand to take hold of him by the
+collar. But a low growl and a sudden flash of the mastiff's teeth,
+warned the Italian of the danger of resorting to force. With a
+muttered curse he turned away, determined to try bribery where threats
+had failed. He thought that if he could secure a piece of raw meat
+from the kitchen, he would have no difficulty in inducing the dog to
+follow him to the lower regions of the house, where he could shut him
+up, and prevent him from further importuning his master.
+
+Scarcely had Antonio's figure disappeared down the passage, when the
+mastiff began to whine in an uneasy manner, and to scratch against his
+master's door. Disturbed by the noise, and astonished that his
+faithful valet had disregarded his injunctions, Sir Harry got up and
+opened the door, on which the mastiff pushed past him into the room,
+with so resolute a movement that his master could not prevent his
+entrance. The instant he got into the room, the dog's uneasiness
+seemed to disappear. Ceasing to whine, he made for the corner of the
+room where the bed stood in a deep alcove, and, crouching down, he
+slunk beneath it, with an evident determination to pass the night
+there. Much astonished, Sir Harry was too sleepy to contest the point
+with the dog, and allowed him to remain under the bed, without making
+any further attempt to dislodge him from the strange and unfamiliar
+resting-place he had chosen.
+
+When the valet returned shortly after with the piece of meat with
+which he hoped to tempt the mastiff downstairs, he found the mat
+deserted. He assumed that the dog had abandoned his caprice of being
+outside his master's door, and had betaken himself to his usual haunts
+in the basement rooms and passages of the house.
+
+Whether from the unaccustomed presence of the dog in his room, or from
+some other cause, Sir Harry Lee was a long time in going to sleep that
+night. He heard the different clocks in the house strike midnight, and
+then one o'clock; and as he lay awake watching the flickering light of
+the fire playing on the old furniture and on the dark panels of the
+wainscot, he felt an increasing sense of irritation against the dog,
+whose low, regular breathing showed that he, at any rate, was sleeping
+soundly. Towards two in the morning Sir Harry must have fallen into a
+deep sleep, for he was quite unconscious of the sound of stealthy
+steps creeping along the stone corridor and pausing a moment on the
+mat outside his room. Then the handle of the door was softly turned,
+and the door itself, moving on its well-oiled hinges, was gently
+pushed inward. In another moment there was a tremendous scuffle
+beneath the bed, and with a great bound the mastiff flung himself on
+the intruder, and pinned him to the floor. Startled by the unexpected
+sounds, and thoroughly aroused, Sir Harry jumped up, and hastily lit a
+candle. Before him on the floor lay Antonio, with the mastiff standing
+over him, uttering his fierce growls, and showing his teeth in a
+dangerous manner. Stealthily the Italian stole out his hand along the
+floor, to conceal something sharp and gleaming that had fallen from
+him, on the dog's unexpected onslaught, but a savage snarl from Leo
+warned him to keep perfectly still. Calling off the mastiff, who
+instantly obeyed the sound of his master's voice, though with
+bristling hair and stiffened tail he still kept his eyes fixed on the
+Italian, Sir Harry demanded from the valet the cause of his unexpected
+intrusion into his bedroom at that hour, and in that way. There was so
+much embarrassment and hesitation in Antonio's reply, that Sir Harry's
+suspicions were aroused. In the meantime the unusual sounds at that
+hour of the night had awakened the household. Servants came hurrying
+along the passage to their master's room. Confronted by so many
+witnesses, the Italian became terrified and abject, and stammered out
+such contradictory statements, that it was impossible to get at the
+truth of his story, and Sir Harry saw that the only course open to him
+was to have the man examined and tried by the magistrate.
+
+  [Illustration: 'AND PINNED HIM TO THE GROUND']
+
+At the examination the wretched valet confessed that he had entered
+his master's room with the intention of murdering and robbing him, and
+had only been prevented by the unexpected attack of the mastiff.
+
+Among the family pictures in the possession of the family of the Earls
+of Lichfield, the descendants of Sir Harry Lee, there is a full-length
+portrait of the knight with his hand on the head of the mastiff, and
+beneath this legend, 'More faithful than favoured.'
+
+
+
+
+_DOLPHINS, TURTLES, AND COD_
+
+Stories from Audubon
+
+From _Audubon's Life_, by Robert Buchanan. Sampson Low & Co.
+
+
+In the excellent life of Mr. Audubon, the American naturalist
+(published in 1868 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co.), some curious
+stories are to be found respecting the kinds of fish that he met with
+in his voyages both through the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.
+Audubon's remarks about the habits of dolphins are especially
+interesting, and will be read with pleasure by everybody who cares for
+'the sea and all that in them is.'
+
+Dolphins abound in the Gulf of Mexico and the neighbouring seas, and
+are constantly to be seen chasing flying fish, which are their food.
+Flying fish can swim more rapidly than the dolphins, which of course
+are far larger creatures; but if they find themselves much
+outnumbered, and in danger of being surrounded, they spread the fins
+that serve them for wings, and fly through the air for a short
+distance. At first this movement throws out the dolphins, who are
+unable to follow the example of their prey, but they soon contrive to
+keep up with the flying fish by giving great bounds into the air; and
+as the flying fish's powers are soon exhausted, it is not long before
+the hunt comes to an end and the dolphins seize the fish as they
+tumble into the sea.
+
+Sailors are fond of catching dolphins, and generally bait their hooks
+with a piece of shark's flesh. When the fish is taken, its friends
+stay round it till the last moment, only swimming away as the dolphin
+is hauled on board. For its size, which is generally about three feet
+long and has rarely been known to exceed four feet, the dolphin has a
+remarkably good appetite, and sometimes he eats so much that he is
+unable to escape from his enemy, the bottle-nosed porpoise. A dolphin
+that was caught in the Gulf of Mexico was opened by the sailors, and
+inside him were counted twenty-two flying fish, each one six or seven
+inches long, and all arranged quite neatly with their tails foremost.
+Before they have their dinner they are full of fun, and their
+beautiful blue and gold bodies may often be seen leaping and bounding
+and diving about the ship--a sight which the sailors always declare
+portends a gale. Indeed, the stories to which dolphins give rise are
+many and strange. The negroes believe that a silver coin, fried or
+boiled in the same water as the fish, will turn into copper if the
+dolphin is in a state unfit for food; but as no one can swear that he
+has ever seen the transmutation of the metal, it may be suspected that
+the tale was invented by the cook for the sake of getting an extra
+dollar.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+About eighty miles from the Peninsula of Florida are a set of low,
+sandy banks known as the _Tortuga_ or _Turtle Islands_, from the
+swarms of turtles which lay their eggs in the sand, and are eagerly
+sought for by traders.
+
+Turtles are of many sorts, but the green turtle is considered the
+best, and is boiled down into soup, which is both rich and
+strengthening. They are cautious creatures, and never approach the
+shore in the daylight, or without watching carefully for some time to
+see if the coast is indeed clear. They may be seen on quiet moonlight
+nights in the months of May and June, lying thirty or forty yards from
+the beach, listening intently, and every now and then making a loud
+hissing noise intended to frighten any enemies that may be lurking
+near. If their quick ears detect any sound, however faint, they
+instantly dive and swim to some other place; but if nothing is
+stirring, they land on the shore, and crawl slowly about with the aid
+of their flappers, until they find a spot that seems suitable for the
+hatching of their eggs, which often number two hundred, laid at one
+time. The operations are begun by the turtle scooping out a hole in
+the burning sand by means of her hind flappers, using them each by
+turns, and throwing up the sand into a kind of rampart behind her.
+This is done so quickly that in less than ten minutes she will often
+have dug a hole varying from eighteen inches to two feet. When the
+eggs are carefully placed in separate layers, the loose sand is laid
+over them, and the hole not only completely hidden but made to look
+exactly like the rest of the beach, so that no one could ever tell
+that the surface had been disturbed at all. Then the turtle goes away
+and leaves the hot sand to do the rest.
+
+In course of time the young turtles, hardly bigger than a
+five-shilling piece, leave their shells, and make their way to the
+water, unless, before they are hatched, their nest has been discovered
+by men, or by the cougars and other wild animals, who feed greedily on
+them. If they belong to the tribe of the green turtles, they will at
+once begin to seek for sea plants, and especially a kind of grass,
+which they bite off near the roots, so as to get the tenderest parts.
+If they are young hawk-bills, they will nibble the seaweed, and soon
+go on to crabs and shell-fish, and even little fishes. The loggerheads
+grow a sharp beak, which enables them to crack the great conch shells,
+and dig out the fish that lives inside, while the trunk turtle, which
+is often of an immense size but with a very soft body, loves
+sea-urchins and shell-fish. All of them can swim so fast that they
+often seem to be flying, and it needs much quickness of eye and hand
+to spear them in the water. Even to catch them on shore is a matter of
+great difficulty, and in general more than one man is required for the
+service. The turtle is raised up from behind by a man on his knee,
+pushing with all his might against her shoulder; but this has to be
+done with great caution, or else the hunter may get badly bitten. When
+the turtle is fully raised up, she is thrown over on her back, and,
+like a sheep in a similar position, can seldom recover herself without
+help. The turtles, when caught, are put into an enclosure of logs with
+a sandy or muddy bottom through which the tide flows, and here they
+are kept and fed by their captors till they are ready for the market.
+Unlike most creatures, their price is out of all proportion to their
+weight, and a loggerhead turtle weighing seven hundred pounds has been
+known to cost no more than a green turtle of thirty.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Early in May, and well into June, the seas extending northwards from
+Maine to Labrador are alive with ships just starting for the cod
+fishing. Their vessels are mostly small but well stocked, and a large
+part of the space below is filled with casks, some full of salt and
+others empty. These empty ones are reserved for the oil that is
+procured from the cod.
+
+Every morning, as soon as it is light, some of the crew of each ship
+enters a small boat, which can be sailed or rowed as is found
+necessary. When they reach the cod banks every man boards up part of
+his boat for the fish when caught, and then takes his stand at the end
+with two lines, baited at the opening of the season with salted
+mussels, and later with gannets or capelings. These lines are dropped
+into the sea on either side of the boat, and when the gunwale is
+almost touching the water and it is dangerous to put in any more fish,
+they give up work for the morning and return to the harbour. In
+general, fishing is a silent occupation, but cod fishers are rather a
+talkative race, and have bets with each other as to the amount of the
+'takes' of the respective crews. When they get back to their vessels,
+often anchored eight or ten miles away, they find that the men who
+have been left behind have set up long tables on deck, carried the
+salt barrels on shore, placed all ready the casks for the livers, and
+cleared the hold of everything but a huge wedge of salt for the
+salting. Then, after dinner, some of the men row back to the cod
+banks, while the others set about cleaning, salting, and packing the
+fish, so as to be quite finished when the men return from their second
+journey. It is almost always midnight before the work is done, and the
+men can turn in for their three hours' sleep.
+
+If, as often happens, the hauls have been very large, the supply soon
+threatens to become exhausted, so on Sunday the captain sails off for
+a fresh bank. Then, the men who are the laziest or most unskilful in
+the matter of fishing take out the cargo that has been already salted,
+and lay it out on scaffolds which have been set up on the rocks. When
+the sun has dried the fish for some time, they are turned over; and
+this process is repeated several times in the day. In the evening they
+are piled up into large stacks, and protected from the rain and wind.
+In July the men's work is in one way less hard than before, for this
+is the season when the capelings arrive to spawn upon the shores, and
+where capelings are, cod are sure to follow. Now great nets are used,
+with one end fastened to the land, and these nets will sometimes
+produce twenty or thirty thousand fish at a haul.
+
+With so many men engaged in the cod fishing, and considering the
+number of diseases to which cod are subject, it is perhaps quite as
+well that each fish should lay such a vast supply of eggs, though out
+of the eight million laid by one fish which have been counted, it is
+calculated that, from various causes, only about a hundred thousand
+come to maturity.
+
+
+
+
+_MORE ABOUT ELEPHANTS_
+
+From _The Wild Elephant_. Sir J. Emerson Tennent.
+
+
+Long, long ago, when the moon was still young, and some of the stars
+that we know best were only gradually coming into sight, the earth was
+covered all over with a tangle of huge trees and gigantic ferns, which
+formed the homes of all sorts of enormous beasts. There were no men,
+only great animals and immense lizards, whose skeletons may still be
+found embedded in rocks or frozen deep down among the Siberian
+marshes; for, after the period of fearful heat, when everything grew
+rampant, even in the very north, there came a time of equally intense
+cold, when every living creature perished in many parts of the world.
+
+When the ice which crushed down life on the earth began to melt, and
+the sun once more had power to pierce the thick cold mists that had
+shrouded the world, animals might have been seen slowly creeping about
+the young trees and fresh green pastures, but their forms were no
+longer the same as they once were. The enormous frames of all sorts of
+huge monsters, and the great lizard called the ichthyosaurus, had been
+replaced by smaller and more graceful creatures, who could move
+lightly and easily through this new world. But changed though it
+seemed to be, one beast still remained to tell the story of those
+strange old times, and that was the elephant.
+
+Now anybody who has ever stood behind a big, clumsy cart-horse going
+up a hill cannot fail to have been struck with its likeness to an
+elephant; and it is quite true that elephants and horses are nearly
+related. Of course in the East, where countries are so big and marches
+are so long, it is necessary to have an animal to ride of more
+strength and endurance than a horse, and so elephants, who are, when
+well treated, as gentle as they are strong, were very early trained as
+beasts of burden, or even as 'men-of-war.'
+
+In their wild condition they have a great many curious habits. They
+roam about the forests of India or Africa in herds, and each herd is a
+real family, who have had a common grandfather. The elephants are very
+particular as to the number of their herd; it is never less than ten,
+or more than twenty-one, but being very sociable they easily get on
+terms of civility with other herds, and several of these groups may be
+seen moving together towards some special pond or feeding ground. But
+friendly as they often are, each clan keeps itself as proudly distinct
+from the rest as if they were all Highlanders. Any unlucky elephant
+who has lost his own herd, and tries to attach himself to a new one,
+is scouted and beaten away by every member of the tribe, till, like a
+man who is punished and scorned for misfortunes he cannot help, the
+poor animal grows desperate, and takes to evil courses, and is hunted
+down under the name of 'a rogue.'
+
+Elephants have a great idea of law and order, and carefully choose a
+leader who is either strong enough or clever enough to protect the
+herd against its enemies. Even a female has sometimes been chosen, if
+her wisdom has been superior to that of the rest; but male or female,
+the leader once fixed upon, the herd never fails to give him absolute
+obedience, and will suffer themselves to be killed in their efforts to
+save his life.
+
+  [Illustration: 'LONG, LONG AGO.' THE ELEPHANT DREAMS OF HIS OLD
+    COMPANIONS]
+
+As everyone knows, during the dry season in India water becomes very
+scarce, and even the artificial tanks that have been built for
+reservoirs are very soon empty. About the middle of this century, an
+English officer, Major Skinner by name, had drawn up to rest on the
+embankment of a small Indian tank, which, low though it was,
+contained the only water to be found for a great distance. On three
+sides of the tank there was a clearing, but on the fourth lay a very
+thick wood, where the herd lay encamped all day, waiting for darkness
+to fall, so that they might all go to drink. Major Skinner knew the
+habits of elephants well, and what to expect of them, so he sent all
+his natives to sleep, and climbed himself into a large tree that
+sheltered the tank at one corner. However, it appeared that the
+elephants were unusually cautious that night, for he sat in his tree
+for two hours before a sound was heard, though they had been lively
+enough as long as the sun was shining.
+
+Suddenly a huge elephant forced his way through the thickest part of
+the forest, and advanced slowly to the tank, his ears at full cock,
+and his eyes glancing stealthily round. He gazed longingly at the
+water for some minutes, but did not attempt to drink--perhaps he felt
+it would be a mean advantage to take of his comrades--and then he
+quietly retraced his steps backwards till he had put about a hundred
+yards between himself and the water, when five elephants came out of
+the jungle and joined him. These he led forward, listening carefully
+as before, and placed them at certain spots where they could command a
+view both of the open country and the forest. This done, and the
+safety of the others provided for, he went to fetch the main body of
+the herd, which happened to be four or five times as large as usual.
+Silently, as if preparing for an assault, the whole of this immense
+body marched up to where the scouts were standing, when a halt was
+signalled, so that the leader might for the last time make sure that
+no hidden danger, in the shape of man, lion, or tiger, awaited them.
+Then permission was given, and with a joyful toss of their trunks in
+the air, in they dashed, drinking, wallowing, and rolling over with
+delight, till one would have thought it had been years since they had
+tasted a drop of water, or known the pleasures of a bath.
+
+From his perch in the tree Major Skinner had been watching with
+interest the movements of the herd, and when he saw that they had
+really had their fill, he gently broke a little twig and threw it on
+the ground. It seemed hardly possible that such a tiny sound could
+reach the ears of those great tumbling, sucking bodies, but in one
+instant they were all out of the tank, and tearing towards the forest,
+almost carrying the little ones between them.
+
+Of course it is not always that elephants can find tanks without
+travelling many hundreds of miles after them, and on these occasions
+their wonderful sagacity comes to their aid. They will pause on the
+banks of some dried-up river, now nothing but a sandy tract, and feel
+instinctively that underneath that sand is the water for which they
+thirst. But then, how to get at it? The elephants know as well as any
+engineer that if they tried to dig a hole straight down, the weight of
+their bodies would pull down the whole side of the pit with them, so
+that is of no use. In order to get round this difficulty, long
+experience has taught them that they must make one side to their well
+a gentle slope, and when this is done they can wait with perfect
+comfort for the water, whose appearance on the surface is only a
+question of time.
+
+  [Illustration: THE ELEPHANT FALLS ON HIS KNEES BEFORE THE LITTLE
+    SCOTCH TERRIER]
+
+Much might be written about the likes and dislikes of elephants, which
+seem as a rule to be as motiveless as the likes and dislikes of human
+beings. Till they are tamed and treated kindly by some particular
+person, elephants show a decided objection to human beings, and in
+Ceylon have a greater repugnance to a white skin than to a brown one.
+In fact, they are shy of anything new or strange, but will put up with
+any animal to which they are accustomed. Elks, pigs, deer, and
+buffaloes are their feeding companions, and the elephants take no more
+notice of their presence than if they were so many canaries. Indeed,
+as far as can be gathered, the elephant is much more afraid of the
+little domestic animals with which it is quite unacquainted than of
+the huge vegetable-eating beasts with which both it and its
+forefathers were on intimate terms. Goats and sheep it eyes with
+annoyance; they are new creatures, and were never seen in jungles or
+forests; but, bad as they might be, dogs, the shadows of men, were
+worse still. They were so quick, so lively, and had such hideous high
+voices, which they were always using, not keeping them for special
+occasions like any self-respecting quadruped. Really they might almost
+as well be parrots with their incessant chatter. But of all kinds of
+dogs, surely the one called a Scotch terrier was the most alarming and
+detestable. One day an animal of this species actually seized the
+trunk of an elephant in its teeth, and the elephant was so surprised
+and frightened that it fell on its knees at once. At this the dog was
+a little frightened too, and let go, but recovered itself again as the
+elephant rose slowly to its feet, and prepared to charge afresh. The
+elephant, not knowing what to make of it, backed in alarm, hitting out
+at the dog with its front paws, but taking care to keep his wounded
+trunk well beyond its reach. At last, between fright and annoyance he
+lost his head completely, and would have fairly run away if the keeper
+had not come in and put a stop to the dog's fun.
+
+If Æsop had known elephants--or Scotch terriers--he might have made a
+fable out of this; but they had not visited Greece in his day.
+
+
+
+
+_BUNGEY_
+
+From Jesse's _British Dogs_.
+
+
+During the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James, there lived a brave
+and accomplished knight called Sir John Harington, who had been
+knighted on the field of battle by the famous Earl of Essex, and had
+translated into English a long poem, by an Italian called Ariosto. But
+busy though he was in so many ways, Sir John still had time to spare
+for his 'raw dogge' Bungey, and in the year 1608 he writes a long
+letter to Prince Henry, elder brother of Charles I., full of the
+strange doings of his favourite. Bungey seems to have been used by Sir
+John as a sort of carrier pigeon, and he tells how he would go from
+Bath to Greenwich Palace, to 'deliver up to the cowrte there such
+matters as were entrusted to his care.' The nobles of the court made
+much of him, and sometimes gave him errands of their own, and it was
+never told to their 'Ladie Queen, that this messenger did ever blab
+ought concerning his highe truste, as others have done in more special
+matters.' More wonderful even than this was his behaviour concerning
+two sacks of wheat which Bungey had been commissioned by Sir John's
+servant Combe, to carry from Bath to his own house at Kelston, a few
+miles distant. The sacks were tied round the dog's body by cords, but
+on the way the cords got loose, and Bungey, clever though he was,
+could not tie them up again. However he was not to be beaten, and
+hiding one 'flasket' in some bushes that grew near by, he bore the
+other in his teeth to Kelston, and then returning, fetched the hidden
+one out of the rushes and arrived with it in good time for dinner.
+Sir John is plainly rather afraid that Prince Henry may not quite
+believe this instance of sagacity, for he adds, 'Hereat your Highnesse
+may perchance marvell and doubte; but we have living testimonie of
+those who wroughte in the fields, and espied his work, and now live to
+tell they did muche long to plaie the dogge, and give stowage to the
+wine themselves, but they did refraine, and watchede the passinge of
+this whole business.'
+
+As may be well guessed, the fame of Bungey's talents soon spread, and
+then, as now, there were many dog stealers in the country. On one
+occasion, as Sir John was riding from Bath to London, Bungey was
+tempted to leave his side by the sight of a pond swarming with wild
+duck or mallard. Unluckily other people besides Bungey thought it good
+sport to hunt wild fowl, and did not mind seizing valuable dogs, so
+poor Bungey was caught and bound, till it could be settled who would
+give the highest price for him.
+
+At last his captors decided that they would take him to London, which
+was not very far off, and trust to chance for finding a buyer. As it
+happened, the Spanish Ambassador was on the look out for a dog of that
+very kind, and he was so pleased with Bungey, that he readily agreed
+to give the large sum asked by the men who brought him. Now Bungey was
+a dog who always made the best of things, and as Sir John tells the
+Prince, 'suche was the courte he did pay to the Don, that he was no
+lesse in good likinge there than at home.' In fact, everybody grew so
+fond of him, that when after six weeks Sir John discovered where he
+was and laid claim to him, no one in the house could be prevailed on
+to give him up. Poor Sir John, who, as we know, was very much attached
+to Bungey, was at his wit's end what to do, when it suddenly occurred
+to him to let the dog himself prove who was his real master. So,
+having the Ambassador's leave to what he wished in the matter, he
+called all the company together at dinner-time and bade Bungey go
+into the hall where dinner was already served, and bring a pheasant
+from the dish. This, as Sir John says, 'created much mirthe; but much
+more, when he returned at my commandment to the table, and put it
+again in the same cover.' After such a proof there was no more to be
+said, and Sir John was allowed to be the dog's master. But Bungey's
+life was not destined to be a very long one, and his death was strange
+and sudden. As he and his master were once more on the road from
+London to Bath on their return journey, he began jumping up on the
+horse's neck, and 'was more earneste in fawninge and courtinge my
+notice, than what I had observed for time backe; and after my chidinge
+his disturbing my passinge forwardes, he gave me some glances of such
+affection as moved me to cajole him; but alas! he crept suddenly into
+a thorny brake, and died in a short time.'
+
+  [Illustration: BUNGEY AT THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR'S HOUSE]
+
+It is impossible to guess what kind of illness caused the death of
+poor Bungey, but it is pleasant to think that Sir John never forgot
+him, and also loved to talk of him to his friends. 'Now let Ulysses
+praise his dogge Argus,' he writes to Prince Henry, 'or Tobit be led
+by that dogge whose name doth not appear; yet could I say such things
+of my Bungey as might shame them both, either for good faith, clear
+wit, or wonderful deedes; to say no more than I have said of his
+bearing letters to London and Greenwich, more than a hundred miles. As
+I doubt not but your Highness would love my dogge, if not myselfe, I
+have been thus tedious in his storie; and again saie, that of all the
+dogges near your father's courte, not one hathe more love, more
+diligence to please, or less paye for pleasinge, than him I write of.'
+
+
+
+
+_LIONS AND THEIR WAYS_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+Although it would not be safe to put one's self into the power of a
+lion, trusting to its generosity to make friends, there are a great
+many stories of the kindness of lions to other creatures which are
+perfectly true. One day, more than a hundred years ago, a lion cub
+only three months old was caught in one of the great forests near the
+river Senegal, and brought to a Frenchman as a gift. The Frenchman,
+who was fond of animals, undertook to train it, and as the cub was
+very gentle and quiet this was easily done. He soon grew very fond of
+his master, and enjoyed being petted both by him and his friends, and
+what was more strange in a beast whose forefathers had passed all
+their lives in solitude, the lion hated being by himself. The more the
+merrier was clearly _his_ motto, and whether the company consisted of
+dogs, cats, ducks, sheep, geese, or monkeys (which were his
+bedfellows), or men and women, did not matter to him; and you may
+imagine his joy, when one night as he went to bed he found two little
+new-born pups in his straw. He was quite as pleased as if he had been
+their mother; indeed he would hardly let the mother go near them, and
+when one of them died, he showed his grief in every possible way, and
+became still more attached to its brother.
+
+After six months the lion, now more than a year old, was sent off to
+France, still with the little pup for company. At first his keepers
+thought that the strangeness of everything would make him frightened
+and savage, but he took it quite calmly and was soon allowed to roam
+about the ship as he pleased. Even when he landed at Havre, he only
+had a rope attached to his collar, and so he was brought to
+Versailles, the pup trotting happily by his side. Unfortunately,
+however, the climate of Europe did not agree with the dog as with the
+lion, for he gradually wasted away and died, to the terrible grief of
+his friend. Indeed he was so unhappy that another dog was put into the
+cage to make up for the lost one, but this dog was not used to lions,
+and only knew that they were said to be savage beasts, so he tried to
+hide himself. The lion, whose sorrow, as often happens, only made him
+irritable and cross, was provoked by the dog's want of confidence in
+his kindness, and just gave him one pat with his paw which killed him
+on the spot. But he still continued so sad, that the keepers made
+another effort, and this time the dog behaved with more sense, and
+coaxed the lion into making friends. The two lived happily together
+for many years, and the lion recovered some of his spirits, but he
+never forgot his first companion, or was quite the same lion again.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THE HOTTENTOT NOTICED A HUGE LION LYING IN THE
+    WATER']
+
+Many hundreds of miles south of Senegal a Hottentot who lived in
+Namaqualand was one evening driving down a herd of his master's
+cattle, to drink in a pool of water, which was fenced in by two steep
+walls of rock. It had been a particularly hot summer, and water was
+scarce, so the pool was lower than usual, and it was not until the
+whole herd got close to the brink, that the Hottentot noticed a huge
+lion, lying right in the water, preparing to spring. The Hottentot,
+thinking as well as his fright would let him think at all, that
+anything would serve as supper for the lion, dashed straight through
+the herd, and made as fast as he could for some trees at a little
+distance. But a low roar behind him told him that he had been wrong in
+his calculations, and that the lion was of opinion that man was nicer
+than bull. So he fled along as quickly as his trembling legs would let
+him, and just reached one of the tree aloes in which some steps had
+been cut by the natives, as the lion bounded into the air. However the
+man swung himself out of his enemy's range, and the lion fell flat
+upon the ground. Now the branches of the tree were covered with
+hundreds of nests of a kind of bird called the Sociable Grosbeak, and
+it was to get these nests that the natives had cut in the smooth trunk
+the steps which had proved the salvation of the Hottentot. Behind the
+shelter of the nests the Hottentot cowered, hoping that when he was no
+longer seen, the lion would forget him and go in search of other prey.
+But the lion seemed inclined to do nothing of the sort. For a long
+while he walked round and round the tree, and when he got tired of
+that he lay down, resolved to tire the man out. The Hottentot hearing
+no sound, peeped cautiously out, to see if his foe was still there,
+and almost tumbled down in terror to meet the eyes of the lion glaring
+into his. So the two remained all through the night and through the
+next day, but when sunset came again the lion could bear his dreadful
+thirst no longer, and trotted off to the nearest spring to drink. Then
+the Hottentot saw his chance, and leaving his hiding place he ran like
+lightning to his home, which was only a mile distant. But the lion did
+not yield without a struggle; and traces were afterwards found of his
+having returned to the tree, and then scented the man to within three
+hundred yards of his hut.
+
+
+
+
+_THE HISTORY OF JACKO I._
+
+
+The ship 'Roxalana' of Marseilles lay anchored in the Bay of Loando,
+which as we all know is situated in South Guinea. The 'Roxalana' was a
+merchant vessel, and a brisk traffic had been going on for some time
+with the exchange of the European goods with which the ship had been
+laden, for ivory and other native produce. All hands were very busy
+getting on board the various provisions and other stores needed for a
+long voyage, for it was in the days of sailing vessels only, and it
+would be some time before they could hope to return to Marseilles.
+
+Now the captain of the 'Roxalana' was a mighty hunter, and seeing that
+all was going on well under the first officer's direction, he took his
+gun and a holiday and went up country for one more day's sport.
+
+He was as successful as he was brave, and he had the great good luck
+to meet a tiger, a young hippopotamus, and a boa constrictor. All
+these terrible creatures fell before the unerring aim of the Provençal
+Nimrod, and after so adventurous a morning's work the captain
+naturally began to feel tired and hungry, so he sat down under the
+shade of some trees to rest and have some lunch.
+
+He drew a flask of rum out of one pocket, and having uncorked it
+placed it on his right side; from his other pocket he produced a huge
+guava, which he laid on his left side, and finally he drew a great
+wedge of ship biscuit from his game bag and put it between his knees.
+Then he took out his tobacco pouch and began to fill his pipe so as
+to have it ready at hand when he had finished his meal.
+
+  [Illustration: ANNOYANCE OF THE CAPTAIN ON FINDING HIS FLASK OF RUM
+    UPSET]
+
+Imagine his surprise when, having filled his pipe, he found the flask
+had been upset and the guava had disappeared!
+
+I am afraid the captain made use of some very strong language, but
+there was nothing for it but to make the best of the biscuit, the sole
+relic of his feast. As he munched it he warily turned his head from
+side to side, watching for the thief, when all of a sudden something
+fell upon his head. The captain put up his hand and found--the skin of
+his guava. Then he raised his eyes and saw a monkey dancing for joy at
+his own pranks in the tree just above him.
+
+As I have already shown the captain was an excellent shot. Without
+stirring from his seat, he took up his gun and with a shot snapped the
+end of the branch on which his persecutor was sitting.
+
+Down came branch and monkey, and the captain at once captured the
+latter before it had time to recover from the surprise of its rapid
+fall.
+
+He was small and quite young, only half grown, but of a rather rare
+kind, as the captain, who had an ever-ready eye to the main chance, at
+once perceived.
+
+'Ah ha!' said he, 'this little fellow will be worth fifty francs if
+he's worth a farthing by the time we get back to Marseilles.'
+
+So saying he popped the monkey into his game-bag and buttoned it
+carefully up. Then, feeling that a piece of biscuit was not quite a
+sufficient lunch after the fatigues of his morning's sports, he
+retraced his steps and returned to his ship in company with his
+monkey, whom he named 'Jacko.'
+
+Before leaving Loando the captain, who was fond of pets, bought a
+beautiful white cockatoo with a saffron crest and jet black beak.
+'Cataqua' (that was his harmonious name) was indeed a lovely creature
+and extremely accomplished into the bargain. He spoke French,
+English, and Spanish equally well, and sang 'God save the King,' the
+'Marseillaise,' and the Spanish National Anthem with great perfection.
+
+The aptitude for languages made him a ready pupil, and his vocabulary
+was largely increased by daily association with the crew of the
+'Roxalana,' so that before they had been very long at sea Cataqua
+swore freely in the purest Provençal, to the delight and admiration of
+his captain.
+
+The captain was very fond of his two pets, and every morning, after
+inspecting the crew and giving each man his orders for the day, he
+would go up to Cataqua's cage, followed by Jacko, and give the
+cockatoo a lesson. When this was well said he would reward his pupil
+by sticking a lump of sugar between the wires of the cage, a reward
+which delighted Cataqua whilst it filled Jacko with jealousy.
+
+He too loved sugar, and the moment the captain's back was turned he
+would draw near the cage and pull and pinch till the lump of sugar
+generally changed its destination, to the despair of Cataqua, who,
+crest erect and with brandished claw, rent the air with shrieks of
+rage mingled with angry oaths.
+
+Jacko meanwhile stood by affecting an innocent air and gently sucking
+the sugar which he had stowed away in one of his pouches. Unluckily
+none of Cataqua's owners had taught him to cry 'stop thief' and he
+soon realised that if Jacko were to be punished he must see to it
+himself.
+
+So one day, when the monkey after safely abstracting the sugar pushed
+a paw between the bars of the cage to gather up some remaining crumbs,
+Cataqua, who was gently swinging, head down, and apparently
+unconscious of what was going on, suddenly caught Jacko's thumb in his
+beak and bit it to the bone.
+
+Jacko uttered a piercing shriek, rushed to the rigging and climbed as
+far as he could, when he paused, clinging on by three paws and
+piteously brandishing the fourth in the air.
+
+Dinner-time came, and the captain whistled for Jacko, but contrary to
+all customs no Jacko came. The captain whistled again, and this time
+he thought he heard an answering sound which seemed to come from the
+sky. He raised his eyes and beheld Jacko still waving his injured paw.
+Then began an exchange of signals, with the result that Jacko firmly
+refused to come down. Now the captain had trained his crew to habits
+of implicit obedience and had no notion of having his orders resisted
+by a monkey, so he took his speaking trumpet and called for Double
+Mouth.
+
+Double Mouth was the cook's boy, and he had well earned his nickname
+by the manner in which he took advantage of his culinary position to
+make one meal before the usual dinner hour without its interfering in
+the least with his enjoyment of a second at the proper time. At the
+captain's call Double Mouth climbed on deck from the cook's galley and
+timidly approached his chief.
+
+The captain, who never wasted words on his subordinates, pointed to
+Jacko, and Double Mouth at once began to give chase with an activity
+which proved that the captain had chosen well. As a matter of fact
+Jacko and Double Mouth were dear friends, the bond of sympathy which
+united them being one of greediness, for many a nice morsel Jacko had
+to thank the cook's boy for. So when the monkey saw who was coming,
+instead of trying to escape him he ran to meet him, and in a few
+minutes the two friends, one in the other's arms, returned to the deck
+where the captain awaited them.
+
+The captain's one treatment for wounds of all kinds consisted of a
+_compress_ steeped in some spirit, so he at once dipped a piece of rag
+in rum and bandaged the patient's thumb with it. The sting of the
+alcohol on the wound made Jacko dance with pain, but noticing that
+the moment the captain's back was turned Double Mouth rapidly
+swallowed the remains of the liquid in which the rag had been dipped,
+he realised that however painful as a dressing it might possibly be
+agreeable to the palate. He stretched out his tongue and very
+delicately touched the bandage with its tip. It was certainly rather
+nice, and he licked more boldly. By degrees the taste grew on him, and
+he ended by putting his thumb, bandage and all, into his mouth and
+sucking it bodily.
+
+The result was that (the captain having ordered the bandage to be
+wetted every ten minutes) by the end of a couple of hours Jacko began
+to blink and to roll his head, and as the treatment continued he had
+at length to be carried off by Double Mouth, who laid him on his own
+bed.
+
+Jacko slept without stirring for some hours. When he woke the first
+thing which met his eyes was Double Mouth busy plucking a fowl. This
+was a new sight, but Jacko seemed to be particularly struck by it on
+this occasion. He got up from the bed and came near, his eyes steadily
+fixed on the fowl, and carefully watched how the whole operation
+proceeded. When it was ended, feeling his head a little heavy still,
+he went on deck to take the air.
+
+The weather was so settled and the wind so favourable that the captain
+thought it only a waste to keep the poultry on board alive too long,
+so he gave orders that a bird should be served daily for his dinner in
+addition to his usual rations. Soon after a great cackling was heard
+amongst the hencoops and Jacko climbed down from the yard where he was
+perched at such a rate that one might have thought he was hastening to
+the rescue. He tore into the kitchen, where he found Double Mouth
+already plucking a newly killed fowl, till not an atom of down was
+left on it.
+
+Jacko showed the deepest interest in the process, and on returning to
+deck he, for the first time since his accident, approached Cataqua's
+cage, carefully keeping beyond range of his beak however. After
+strolling several times round, he at last seized a favourable moment
+and clutching hold of one of Cataqua's tail feathers, pulled hard till
+it came out regardless of the cockatoo's screams and flappings. This
+trifling experiment caused Jacko the greatest delight, and he fell to
+dancing on all fours, jumping up and falling back on the same spot
+which all his life was the way in which he showed his supreme content
+about anything.
+
+Meantime the ship had long lost sight of land and was in full sail in
+mid ocean. It appeared unnecessary to the captain, therefore, to keep
+his cockatoo shut up in a cage, so he opened the door and released the
+prisoner, there being no means of escaping beyond the ship. Cataqua
+instantly took advantage of his freedom to climb to the top of one of
+the masts, where, with every appearance of rapture, he proceeded to
+regale the ship's company with his entire large and varied vocabulary,
+making quite as much noise by himself as all the five-and-twenty
+sailors who formed his audience.
+
+Whilst this exhibition was taking place on deck a different scene was
+being enacted below. Jacko had as usual approached Double Mouth at
+plucking time, but this time the lad, who had noticed the extreme
+attention with which the monkey watched him, thought that possibly
+there might be some latent talent in him which it was a pity not to
+develop.
+
+Double Mouth was one of those prompt and energetic persons who waste
+no time between an idea and its execution. Accordingly he quietly
+closed the door, put a whip into his pocket in case of need, and
+handed Jacko the duck he was about to pluck, adding a significant
+touch to the handle of the whip as a hint.
+
+But Jacko needed neither hint nor urging. Without more ado he took the
+duck, placed it between his knees as he had seen his tutor do, and
+fell to with a will. As he found the feathers giving place to down
+and the down to skin, he became quite enthusiastic, so much so that
+when his task was done he fell to dancing for joy exactly as he had
+done the day before by Cataqua's cage.
+
+Double Mouth was overjoyed for his part. He only regretted not having
+utilised Jacko's talents sooner, but he determined to do so regularly
+in the future. Next day the same operation took place, and on the
+third day, Double Mouth, recognising Jacko's genius, took off his own
+apron and tied it round his pupil, to whom from that moment he
+resigned the charge of preparing the poultry for the spit. Jacko
+showed himself worthy of the confidence placed in him, and by the end
+of a week he had quite distanced his teacher in skill and quickness.
+
+Meantime the ship was nearing the Equator. It was a peculiarly sultry
+day, when the very sky seemed to sink beneath its own weight; not a
+creature was on deck but the man at the helm and Cataqua in the
+shrouds. The captain had flung himself into his hammock and was
+smoking his pipe whilst Double Mouth fanned him with a peacock's tail.
+Even Jacko seemed overcome by the heat, and instead of plucking his
+fowl as usual, he had placed it on a chair, taken off his apron, and
+appeared lost in slumber or meditation.
+
+His reverie, however, did not last long. He opened his eyes, glanced
+round him, picked up a feather which he first stuck carelessly in his
+mouth and then dropped, and at length began to slowly climb the ladder
+leading on deck, pausing and loitering at each step. He found the deck
+deserted, which apparently pleased him, as he gave two or three little
+jumps whilst he glanced about to look for Cataqua, who with much
+gesticulation was singing 'God save the King' at the top of his voice.
+
+Then Jacko seemed to forget his rival's existence altogether, and
+began lazily to climb the rigging on the opposite side, where he
+indulged in various exercises, swinging by his tail head down, and
+generally appearing to have only come with a view to gymnastics. At
+length, seeing that Cataqua took no notice of him, he quietly sidled
+that way, and at the very moment that the performance of the English
+National Anthem was at its height, he seized the singer firmly with
+his left hand just where the wings join the body.
+
+Cataqua uttered a wild note of terror, but no one was sufficiently
+awake to hear it.
+
+'By all the winds of heaven!' exclaimed the captain suddenly. 'Here's
+a phenomenon--snow under the Equator!'
+
+'No,' said Double Mouth, 'that's not snow, that's--ah, you rascal!'
+and he rushed towards the companion.
+
+'Well, what is it then?' asked the captain, rising in his hammock.
+
+'What is it?' cried Double Mouth from the top of the ladder. 'It's
+Jacko plucking Cataqua!'
+
+The captain was on deck in two bounds, and with a shout of rage roused
+the whole crew from their slumbers.
+
+'Well!' he roared to Double Mouth, 'what are you about, standing
+there? Come, be quick!'
+
+Double Mouth did not wait to be told twice, but was up the rigging
+like a squirrel, only the faster he climbed the faster Jacko plucked,
+until when the rescuer reached the spot it was a sadly bare bird which
+he tore from Jacko's vindictive hands and carried back to his master.
+
+Needless to say that Jacko was in dire disgrace after this exploit.
+However, in time he was forgiven and often amused the captain and crew
+with his pranks.
+
+When the 'Roxalana' reached Marseilles after a quick and prosperous
+voyage, he was sold for seventy-five francs to Eugène Isabey the
+painter, who gave him to Flero for a Turkish hookah, who in his turn
+exchanged him for a Greek gun with Décamps.
+
+
+
+
+_SIGNORA AND LORI_
+
+Translated from _Deutsche Blätter_, 1867. No. 10.
+
+
+A gentleman living at Güstrow, in Mecklenburg, who was very fond of
+animals, possessed a fine parrot, which had beautiful plumage, and
+could talk better than most of his kind. Besides the parrot, he had a
+poodle, called Signora Patti, after the great singer, whom the
+gentleman had once heard when he was upon a visit to Rostock; after
+his return home he bestowed the name upon his dear poodle.
+
+Under the tuition of her master, the poodle began to be an artist in
+her way. There was no trick performed by dogs too difficult for her to
+learn. The parrot, whose name was Lori, paid the greatest attention
+whilst the Signora's lessons were going on, and he soon had all the
+vocabulary, which the Signora carried in her head, not only in his
+memory, but on his tongue.
+
+When the dog was told by her master to 'go to the baker,' then Lori
+could croak out the words also. Signora Patti would hasten to fetch
+the little basket, seat herself before her master, and, looking up at
+him with her wise eyes, scrape gently upon the floor with her paw,
+which signified: 'Please put in the money.' Her master dropped in a
+few coins, the Signora ran quickly to the baker with the basket, and
+brought it back filled with little cakes; placing it before her
+master, she awaited her reward, a good share of the dainties.
+
+Often, for a variety in the lessons, she had to go to the baker
+without money; then her master simply gave the order, 'on tick!' and
+the Signora, who knew that the cakes would be sent, obeyed the command
+at once.
+
+  [Illustration: LORI REFUSES TO SHARE WITH THE SIGNORA]
+
+The parrot made a droll use of these practisings, turning to account
+his knowledge of speech in the slyest way. If he found himself alone
+with the poodle, who was perhaps comfortably stretched on her cushion,
+Lori would cry--imitating his master's voice--as if he quite
+understood the joke: 'Go out!' Poor Patti would get up in obedience to
+the order and slink out of the door with her ears drooping. And
+immediately Lori would whistle, just in the tone used by his master,
+and the Signora then returned joyfully into the room.
+
+But it was not only for pastime that Lori exercised his gift; the
+cunning bird used it for the benefit of his greedy beak. It began to
+happen often to the master to find that his private account-book,
+carefully kept in the smallest details, did not agree well with that
+of his neighbour the baker. The Signora, declared the baker, had
+become most accomplished in the art of running up a long bill, and
+always, of course, at her master's orders. Only he, the master, when
+he looked over the reckoning, growled to himself: 'My neighbour is a
+rogue; he chalks up the amount double.'
+
+How very much was he astonished, then, and how quickly were his
+suspicions turned into laughter, when he beheld, through a half-open
+door, the following absurd scene.
+
+It was one fine morning, and Lori sat upon the top of his cage,
+calling out in his shrillest tones: 'Signora, Signora!' The poodle
+hastened to present herself before him, wagging her tail, and Lori
+continued, 'Go to the baker.' The Signora fetched the little basket
+from its place, and put it before her tyrant, scratching her paw on
+the floor to ask for money.
+
+'On tick!' was Lori's prompt and brief remark; the Signora seized the
+basket, and rushed out of the door. Before long she returned, laid the
+basket, full of the little cakes, before the parrot, and looked with a
+beseeching air for the reward of her toil.
+
+But the wicked Lori received her with a sharp 'get out,' putting her
+to flight, and proceeded to enjoy his ill-gotten gains in solitude.
+
+
+
+
+_OF THE LINNET, POPINJAY, OR PARROT, AND OTHER BIRDS THAT CAN SPEAK_
+
+
+The linnets be in manner the best birds of all others, howbeit, they
+be very docible. Do they will whatsoever they are taught and bidden,
+not only with their voice, but also with their feet and bills, as if
+they were hands. In the territory about Arelate (Arles) there is a
+bird called Taurus (because it loweth like a bull or cow, for
+otherwise a small bird it is). There is another also named Anthus,
+which likewise resembleth the neighing of horses; and if haply by the
+approach of horses they be driven from their grass whereof they feed,
+they will seem to neigh, and flying unto them, chase them away, and to
+be revenged of them again. But above all other birds of the air, the
+parrots pass for counterfeiting a man's voice, insomuch as they will
+seem to parle and prate our very speech. This fowl cometh out of the
+Indies; it is all the body over green, only it hath a collar about the
+neck of vermilion red, different from the rest of her feathers. The
+parrot can skill to salute emperors, and bid good-morrow: yea, and to
+pronounce what words she heareth. She loveth wine well, and when she
+hath drunk freely, is very pleasant and playful. She hath an head as
+hard as is her beak. When she learns to speak, she must be beaten
+about the head with a rod of iron; for otherwise she careth for no
+blows. When she taketh her flight down from any place, she lighteth
+upon her bill, and resteth thereupon, and by that means saveth her
+feet, which by nature are but weak and feeble, and so carrieth her
+own weight more lightly.
+
+There is a certain pie, of nothing so great reckoning and account as
+the parrot, because she is not far set, but here by near at hand:
+howbeit, she pronounces that which is taught her more plainly and
+distinctly than the other. These take a love to the words that they
+speak; for they not only learn them as a lesson, but they learn them
+with a delight and pleasure, insomuch that a man shall find them
+studying thereupon, and conning the said lesson; and by their careful
+thinking upon that which they learn they show plainly how mindful and
+intentive they be thereto. It is for certain known that they have died
+for very anger and grief that they could not learn to pronounce some
+hard words; as also unless they hear the same words repeated often
+unto them, their memory is so shittle, they will soon forget the same
+again. If they miss a word and have lost it, they will seek to call it
+again to remembrance; and if they fortune to hear the same word in the
+meantime, they will wonderfully joy thereat. As for their beauty, it
+is not ordinary, although it be not very lovely. But surely amiable
+enough are they in this, that they can so well resemble man's speech.
+It is said that none of their kind are good to be made scholars, but
+such only as feed upon mast; and among them, those that have five toes
+to their feet. But even these also are not fit for that purpose, after
+the first two years of their age. And their tongue is broader than
+ordinary; like as they be all that counterfeit man's voice, each one
+in their kind, although it be in manner general to birds whatsoever to
+be broad-tongued.
+
+Agrippina the Empress, wife to Claudius Cæsar, had a black-bird or a
+throstle at what time I compiled this book, which could counterfeit
+man's speech; a thing never seen or known before. The two Cæsars also,
+the young princes (to wit, Germanicus and Drusus,) had one stare, and
+sundry nightingales, taught to parle Greek and Latin. Moreover, they
+would study upon their lessons, and meditate all day long; and from
+day to day come out with new words still, yea, and are now able to
+continue a long speech and discourse. Now for to teach them the
+better, these birds must be in a secret place apart by themselves,
+when they can hear no other voice; and one is to sit over them, who
+must repeat often that which he would have them to learn; yea, and
+please them also with giving them such meat as they best love.
+
+
+
+
+_PATCH AND THE CHICKENS_
+
+
+On a farm up in Durham, there were six little chickens who were
+deserted by the mother hen as soon as they were hatched. So the
+farmer's wife put them in a basket and carried them into the cottage
+to keep them warm by the fire.
+
+There they were discovered by a smooth-coated terrier, named Patch,
+who was at that time very sad because her little puppy had just died,
+and she began to look after the chickens as if they were her own
+children. The little chicks also turned to her quite naturally for
+care and protection.
+
+She used to treat them very gently, and would sit and watch them feed
+with the greatest interest. She would curl herself up, and then let
+them climb about her, and go to sleep between her paws. Sometimes she
+did not seem to consider the floor comfortable enough for her adopted
+family, and would jump on to a wooden settle which stood in the
+kitchen, and then with her feet she would pat the cushions into a cosy
+bed, and very carefully would take one chicken after another in her
+mouth, and place them on the softest part.
+
+Soon the time came for the chickens to be sent out into the world.
+
+One day when Patch was out for a walk they were taken to the farmyard.
+
+When the poor little dog returned she was quite broken-hearted, and
+ran whining about the cottage. Then, as if seized with a sudden
+thought, she walked out of the door, and in a very short time she
+reappeared, followed by her feathered family, and again they took up
+their abode in the cottage. Every morning Patch used to take them out
+for a walk, and it was a most amusing sight to see the little terrier
+followed by a procession of six stately hens.
+
+At last their living in the house became such an inconvenience to the
+farmer's wife that poor Patch's children had to be killed.
+
+For some time Patch was very unhappy, and would still go into the
+farmyard to look for her six chickens.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FIERCE FALCON_
+
+From _Wild Sports of the Highlands_. By C. St. John.
+
+
+There are not nearly so many stories about birds as about dogs and
+cats, because birds can fly away, and it is more difficult to know
+what becomes of them. Perhaps, properly speaking, stories about birds
+have no business in a 'Beast Book,' but as long as the story is
+interesting, it does not do to be too particular.
+
+A good many years ago, a gentleman named St. John was exploring the
+high hills near the source of the Findhorn, in Inverness-shire, when
+he found a young falcon which was being reared as a pet by a shepherd
+boy, who gave her trout to eat. There was not much beauty about the
+falcon when Mr. St. John first saw her, for her plumage was
+dark-brown, with long-shaped spots on the breast, but in spite of that
+he took a fancy to her, and persuaded her master to sell her to him.
+When, however, she had passed her second birthday, and might be
+considered grown up, she put on all her finest feathers, and was very
+much admired by everyone. Her throat became a lovely soft cream
+colour, and the brown on her back changed into a lovely dark grey,
+while on her bosom, each little feather was crossed by a bar. But
+lovely though she was, Mr. St. John felt her to be a great care, for
+she was very strong as well as very brave, and would never think twice
+about attacking dogs or even people, if they offended her. As for the
+fowls, she soon made such short work of _them_, that her master was
+obliged to chain her up in the kitchen garden, which had hitherto
+formed the property of a tame owl. Luckily for the owl, the falcon at
+once made friends with him, and he was even allowed to finish up any
+of the falcon's dinner which she did not want herself.
+
+Matters went quite smoothly for some weeks, and Mr. St. John was
+beginning to flatter himself that his pet was quieting down, and
+becoming quite a home bird, when one day a duck, tempted by the sight
+of the garden, whose gate had been carelessly left open, advanced a
+few steps along the path. Seeing nothing and nobody (for being
+daylight, the owl was asleep and the falcon too cunning to move) the
+duck became bolder, and walked merrily on, pecking at anything that
+took her fancy, and making funny little noises of satisfaction,
+unconscious of a pair of bright eyes that were watching her from
+behind a bush. Indeed, so absorbed was the duck in her afternoon tea,
+that she never even saw the falcon steal softly out and soar a little
+way up into the air, and suddenly swoop down with great force, and
+before the victim had time to be frightened she was dead, and her body
+was carried away in the falcon's claws, to serve for her supper.
+
+Now the duck was the mother of a large family, all newly hatched, and
+it would have fared very badly with them in their babyhood, had it not
+been for the kindness of a guinea-fowl, who adopted them as her own,
+directly she heard that they were left orphans and helpless. The
+guinea-fowl, indeed, was quite glad of the chance, because she had a
+warm heart, and had mourned sadly for her husband, who had been lately
+condemned to death on account of a series of horrible murders he had
+committed among the young chickens. So the good creature thought the
+duck's sad accident quite providential, and at once set about filling
+her place. Like many other mothers, instead of making the little
+ducklings fall into _her_ ways, _she_ fell into theirs, and never left
+their sides, except on urgent business. And they had, even then, only
+to call to her if they saw great clumsy animals such as dogs or
+children coming their way, and down she would rush in a frightful
+hurry, half scrambling, half flying over bushes and palings, and
+making furious pecks at the children's legs, if they ventured too
+close to her little ones.
+
+Still, not all her love nor all her courage would have prevented the
+guinea-fowl falling a victim to the falcon, if once the bird had got
+loose, and as it was, the falcon continued to do a good deal of damage
+to the creatures about the farmyard. A cock, who had hitherto crowed
+very loudly and declared himself king of the birds, was foolish enough
+to give battle to our falcon. An hour after, a few feathers were all
+that remained of _him_, and as to the pigeons, if they ever happened
+to get within the length of her chain, their doom was certain. At last
+the gaps in the poultry yard became so serious that Mr. St. John made
+up his mind that the falcon must be fastened up in a still more
+out-of-the-way place, and while he was altering her chain away she
+flew. Of course he thought she was gone for ever, and he watched her
+circling about the house with a very sad heart, for he still was fond
+of her, though she was such a very bad bird, and gave him so much
+trouble; but as it was getting dark, he had to go in, and stealing a
+last look at her as he entered the house, he saw her settling down for
+the night, in the top of a tall tree.
+
+For five days no more was seen or heard of the wanderer, and it was
+not until the fifth morning that Mr. St. John observed her, high in
+the air, fighting fiercely with some hooded crows. He stood out on the
+grass, where there was nothing to hide him, and whistled loudly. In an
+instant the falcon heard him, busily engaged though she was, and
+wheeled down to her old master, perching on his arm, and rubbing her
+beak against him. She did not seem to have been softened or improved
+by her taste of liberty, for she showed herself quite as ready as of
+old to attack everything within reach of her chain, first killing
+them, and then pulling off their hair or plucking out their feathers,
+before she began her meal. The only animal which she could not
+swallow was a mole, and one day she swooped down on a Skye terrier,
+and it would certainly not have escaped alive, had not its master come
+to the rescue. But it is time we thought of something nicer than this
+dreadful bird.
+
+
+
+
+_MR. BOLT, THE SCOTCH TERRIER_
+
+Jesse's _British Dogs_.
+
+
+All children who know anything of dogs or cats will have found out
+very soon that the ugly ones are generally far cleverer and more
+sensible than the pretty ones, who are very apt to think too much of
+themselves, and will spend a long time admiring themselves in the
+glass, just as if they were vain men and women. Perhaps it is not
+altogether their fault if they are stupid, for when they are shaped
+well, and have fine glossy coats, their masters and mistresses spoil
+them, and give them too much to eat, so they grow lazy and greedy and
+disobedient, and like better to lie on the hearth-rug than to do
+tricks or jump over fences.
+
+Now, luckily for himself, Mr. Bolt, the hero of this story, was quite
+a plain dog. There could be no doubt about it; and those who loved him
+did so because he was useful and good company, and not because he was
+elegant or graceful. Bolt was a large Scotch terrier, rough and hairy,
+with a thick sort of grey fringe, and great dark eyes looking out from
+underneath the fringe. His tail and his legs were very short, and his
+back was very long, so long that he reminded one of a furniture van
+more than anything else.
+
+But, clever though he was, Bolt had his faults, and the worst of them
+was that he was very apt to take offence when none was intended, and
+was far too ready to pick a quarrel, and to hit out with all his
+might. He probably owed some of this love of fighting to the country
+in which he was born; for, although a Scotch dog by descent, he was
+Irish by birth, and his earliest home was near Dublin. As everybody
+knows, the happiest moment of an Irishman's life is when he is
+fighting something or somebody, and Bolt in his youth was as reckless
+as any Irishman of them all. He was hardly a year old when he turned
+upon his own mother, who had done something to displease him when they
+were chained together in a stable, and never let her throat go until
+she was stone dead. Cats, too, were his natural enemies, whom he
+fought and conquered when no dogs were at hand, and sometimes he would
+steal out at night from his master's bed, where he always slept, and
+go for a chase by the light of the moon. Early one morning a fearful
+noise was heard in the house, and when his master, unable to bear it
+any longer, got out of bed to see what had happened, he found a
+strange cat lying on the stairs quite dead, and the house-cat, with
+which Bolt was barely on speaking terms, sitting in a friendly manner
+by the side of the conqueror. It is supposed that the strange cat had
+been led either by motives of curiosity or robbery to enter by some
+open window, and that the house-cat, unable to drive him out, had
+welcomed Bolt's ready help for the purpose. Fighter though he was by
+nature, Bolt had inherited enough Scotch caution not to begin a
+quarrel unless he had a fair chance of victory; but he was generous,
+and seldom attacked dogs smaller than himself, unless he was forced
+into it, or really had nothing better to do. He always began by
+seizing his enemy's hind leg, which no other dog had been known to do
+before, and he had such a dislike to dogs whose skins were yellow,
+that not even the company of ladies, and the responsibility weighing
+upon him as their escort, would stop Bolt's wild rush at his yellow
+foe. He hated being shut up too, and showed amazing cleverness in
+escaping from prison. If that was _quite_ impossible, he did the next
+best thing, which was to gnaw and destroy every article he could in
+any way reach. One day when he had behaved so oddly that his family
+feared he must be going mad (children have been known to frighten
+their parents in a similar way), he was chained up in a little room,
+and, feeling too angry to sleep, he amused himself all night with
+tearing a Bible, several shoes, and a rug, while he gnawed a hole
+through the door, and bit through the leg of a table. In the morning,
+when his master came to look at him, he seemed quite recovered, and
+very well pleased with himself.
+
+As you will see, Bolt had plenty of faults, but he also had some very
+good qualities, and when he did not think himself insulted by
+somebody's behaviour, he could show a great deal of sense. One night
+the cook had been sitting up very late, baking bread for the next day,
+and being very tired, she fell asleep by the kitchen fire, and a spark
+fell out on her woollen dress. As there was no blaze, and the girl was
+a heavy sleeper, she would most likely never have waked at all till it
+was too late, only luckily for her, the smell reached Bolt's nose as
+he was lying curled up on his master's bed, near the door which always
+stood open. Before rousing the house, and giving them all a great
+fright, he thought he had better make sure exactly what was wrong, so
+he ran first down to the kitchen from which the smell seemed to come,
+and finding the cook half stupefied by the smoke, he rushed back to
+call his master. This he managed to do by tearing up and down the
+room, leaping on the bed, and pulling off all the clothes, so that the
+poor man was quite cold. His master was much astonished at the state
+of excitement Bolt was in, and feared at first that he had gone mad,
+but after a few minutes he decided that he would get up and see what
+was the matter. Bolt went carefully before him into the kitchen and
+sat down by the side of the sleeping girl, turning his face anxiously
+to the door, to make sure that his master should make no mistake. So
+in a few seconds the fire was put out, and the girl escaped with
+nothing worse than a slight scorching.
+
+I might tell you many stories of Bolt and his funny ways, but I have
+only room for one now. After some time his mistress and her daughter
+left the house in which Bolt had spent so many years, and took
+lodgings in Dublin. Bolt went with them, but when they all arrived,
+the landlady declared she did not like dogs, and Bolt must be placed
+elsewhere. Now this was very awkward; of course it was out of the
+question that Bolt could be left behind, yet it was too late to make
+other arrangements, so after some consideration he was sent back to
+some lodgings near by, where his master had formerly lived, and where
+they promised to take great care of him. His young mistress called
+every day to carry him off for a walk, and she often tried to get him
+to enter the house she herself was living in, but nothing would
+persuade the offended Bolt to go inside the door. He would sit on the
+step for some time, hoping she would be persuaded to return with
+_him_, but when he found _that_ was hopeless, he walked proudly back
+to his own rooms. His mistresses stayed in that house for nearly a
+year, and in all that time Bolt never forgot or forgave the slight put
+upon him, or could be induced to enter the house. Indeed, his feelings
+were so bitterly hurt, that even when they all set up house again, it
+was months before Bolt could be got to do anything more than pay his
+family a call now and then, and sometimes dine with them. So you see
+it is a serious thing to offend a dog, and he needs to be as
+delicately handled as a human being.
+
+
+
+
+_A RAVEN'S FUNERAL_
+
+
+In the days of Tiberius the Emperor, there was a young raven hatched
+in a nest upon the church of Castor and Pollux; which to make a trial
+how he could fly, took his first flight into a shoemaker's shop just
+over against the said church. The master of the shop was well enough
+content to receive this bird, as commended to him from so sacred a
+place, and in that regard set great store by it. This raven in short
+time being acquainted to man's speech, began to speak, and every
+morning would fly up to the top of the Rostra, or public pulpit for
+orations, when, turning to the open Forum or market place, he would
+salute and bid good-morrow to Tiberius Cæsar, and after him to
+Germanicus and Drusus, the young princes, every one by their names:
+and anon the people of Rome also that passed by. And when he had so
+done, afterwards would fly again to the shoemaker's shop aforesaid.
+This duty practised, yea and continued for many years together, to the
+great wonder and admiration of all men.
+
+Now it fell out so, that another shoemaker who had taken the next shop
+unto him, either upon a malicious envy or some sudden spleen and
+passion of anger, killed the raven. Whereat the people took such
+indignation, that they, rising in an uproar, first drove him out of
+that street, and made that quarter of the city too hot for him; and
+not long after murdered him for it. But contrariwise, the carcase of
+this raven was solemnly interred, and the funeral performed with all
+the ceremonial obsequies that could be devised. For the corpse of this
+bird was bestowed in a coffin, couch, or bed, and the same bedecked
+with chaplets of fresh flowers of all sorts, carried upon the
+shoulders of two blackamoors, with minstrels before, sounding the
+haut-boys, and playing on the fife, as far as the funeral fire, which
+was piled and made in the right hand of the causey Appia, in a certain
+plain or open field.
+
+  [Illustration: A RAVEN'S FUNERAL]
+
+So highly reputed the people of Rome that ready wit and apt
+disposition in a bird, as they thought it a sufficient cause to ordain
+a sumptuous burial therefore.
+
+
+
+
+_A STRANGE TIGER_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+In the year 1790, a baby tiger only six weeks old, whose skin was most
+beautifully marked in black and yellow, and whose figure was as
+perfectly modelled as the figure of any tiger could be, was put on
+board a large East India Company's ship called the 'Pitt,' to be
+brought to London as a present to George III. Of course, in those
+days, no one ever thought of coming through the Red Sea, but all
+vessels sailed all the way round by the Atlantic, so the voyage
+naturally took many months, especially if the winds were unfavourable.
+Under these circumstances it was as well to choose your
+fellow-passengers carefully, as you had to live such a long time with
+them.
+
+  [Illustration: THE TIGER AND HIS FRIEND]
+
+Unlike most of its tribe, the little tiger soon made itself at home on
+board ship, and as it was too small to do much harm, it was allowed to
+run about loose and played with anybody who had time for a game. It
+generally liked to sleep with the sailors in their hammocks, and they
+would often pretend to use it for a pillow, as it lay at full length
+on the deck. Partly out of fun, and partly because it was its nature
+so to do, the tiger would every now and then steal a piece of meat, if
+it found one handy. One day it was caught red-handed by the carpenter,
+who took the beef right out of its mouth, and gave it a good beating,
+but instead of the man getting bitten for his pains, as he might have
+expected, the tiger took his punishment quite meekly, and bore the
+carpenter no grudge after. One of its favourite tricks was to run out
+to the very end of the bowsprit, and stand there looking over the sea,
+and there was no place in the whole ship to which it would not climb
+when the fancy took it. But on the whole, the little tiger preferred
+to have company in its gambols, and was especially fond of dogs, of
+which there were several on board. They would chase each other and
+roll over together just like two puppies, and during the ten months or
+so that the voyage from China lasted, they had time enough to become
+fast friends. When the vessel reached London, the tiger was at once
+taken to the Tower, which was the Zoological Gardens of those days.
+The little fellow did not mind, for he was always ready to take what
+came and make the best of it, and all the keepers grew as fond of him
+as the sailors had been.
+
+No more is known about him for eleven months, when he was quite grown
+up, and then one day, just after he had had his dinner, a black
+rough-haired terrier pup was put into his cage. Most tigers would have
+eaten it at once, but not this one, who still remembered his early
+friends on board ship. He used to watch for the pup every day, and
+lick it all over, taking care never to hurt it with his rough tongue.
+In general, the terrier had its food outside the cage, but sometimes
+it was forgotten, and then it would try to snatch a bit of the tiger's
+meat; but this the tiger thought impertinent, and made the dog
+understand that it was the one thing he would not stand.
+
+After several months of close companionship, the terrier was for some
+reason taken away, and one day, when the tiger awakened from his
+after-dinner nap, he found the terrier gone, and a tiny Dutch mastiff
+in its place. He was surprised, but as usual made no fuss, and
+proceeded to give it a good lick, much to the alarm of the little
+mastiff. However, its fright soon wore off, and in a day or two it
+might be seen barking round him and even biting his feet, which the
+tiger never objected to, perhaps because he could hardly have felt it.
+
+Two years after the tiger had been settled in the Tower, the very same
+carpenter who had beaten him for stealing the beef came back to
+England and at once paid a visit to his old friend. The tiger was
+enchanted to see him, and rushing to the grating, began rubbing
+himself against it with delight. The carpenter begged to be let into
+the cage, and though the keepers did not like it, he declared there
+was no danger, and at last they opened the door. In a moment the tiger
+was by his side, nearly knocking him down with joy and affection,
+licking his hands and rubbing his head on his shoulders, and when,
+after two or three hours, the carpenter got up to go, the tiger would
+hardly let him leave the den, for he wanted to keep him there for
+ever.
+
+But all tigers cannot be judged by this tiger.
+
+
+
+
+_HALCYONS AND THEIR BIOGRAPHERS_
+
+
+Some of the old writers, such as Pliny, Plutarch, Ovid, and Aristotle,
+tell a pretty story about a bird called the halcyon, which flew
+sporting over the seas, and in midwinter, when the days were shortest,
+sat on its nest and brooded over its eggs. And Neptune, who loved
+these small, gay-plumaged creatures, took pity on them, and kept the
+waves still during the time of their sitting, so that by-and-bye the
+days in a man's life that were free from storm and tempest became
+known as his 'halcyon days,' by which name you will still hear them
+called.
+
+Now after a careful comparison of the descriptions of the ancient
+writers, modern naturalists have come to the conclusion that the
+'halcyon' of Pliny and the rest was no other than our beautiful
+kingfisher, which flashes its lovely green and blue along the rivers
+and cascades both of the Old World and the New. It is now known that
+the kingfisher is one of the burrowing birds, and that it scoops out
+in the sand or soft earth of the river banks a passage which is often
+as much as four feet long and grows wider as it recedes from the
+water. It feeds upon fish, and fish bones may be found in large
+numbers on the floor of the kingfisher's house, which, either from
+laziness or a dislike to change, he inhabits for years together. His
+eyes are wonderfully quick, and he can detect a fish even in turbulent
+waters from the bough of a tree. Then he makes a rapid dart, and
+rarely misses his prey. No bird has been the subject of so many
+superstitions and false stories as the kingfisher, which attracted
+much attention from its great beauty. Ovid changes the king of
+Magnesia and his wife Alcyone into kingfishers, Pliny talks of the
+bird's sweet voice (whereas its note is particularly harsh and ugly),
+and Plutarch mistakes the sea-urchin's shell for that of the halcyon.
+Even the Tartars have a story to tell of this bird, and assure us that
+a feather plucked from a kingfisher and then cast into the water will
+gain the love of every woman it afterwards touches, while the Ostiacs
+held that the possession of the skin, bill, and claws of the
+kingfisher will ensure the owner a life made up of 'halcyon days.'
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF A FROG_
+
+
+PART I
+
+Everyone knows what excitement the approach of the shooting season
+causes to a certain class of people in Paris. One is perpetually
+meeting some of them on their way back from the canal where they have
+been 'getting their hands in' by popping at larks and sparrows,
+dragging a dog after them, and stopping each acquaintance to ask: 'Do
+you like quails and partridges?' 'Certainly.' 'Ah, well, I'll send you
+some about the second or third of next month.' 'Many thanks.' 'By the
+way I hit five sparrows out of eight shots just now. Not bad, was it?'
+'First rate indeed!'
+
+Well, towards the end of August, 1830, one of these sportsmen called
+at No. 109, in the Faubourg St.-Denis, and on being told that Décamps
+was at home, climbed to the fifth floor, dragging his dog up step by
+step, and knocking his gun against every corner till he reached the
+studio of that eminent painter. However, he only found his brother
+Alexandre, one of those brilliant and original persons whose inherent
+laziness alone prevented his bringing his great natural gifts to
+perfection.
+
+He was universally voted a very good fellow, for his easy good nature
+made him ready to do or give whatever anyone asked. It was not
+surprising, therefore, that the new comer soon managed to persuade
+Alexandre that nothing could be more delightful than to attend the
+opening of the shooting season on the plains of St.-Denis, where,
+according to general report, there were swarms of quails, clouds of
+partridges, and troops of hares.
+
+As a result of this visit, Alexandre Décamps ordered a shooting coat
+from his tailor, a gun from the first gun-maker's in Paris, and a pair
+of gaiters from an equally celebrated firm; all of which cost him 660
+francs, not to mention the price of his licence.
+
+On August 31 Alexandre discovered that one important item was still
+wanting to his outfit--a dog. He went at once to a man who had
+supplied various models to his brother Eugène's well-known picture of
+'performing dogs,' and asked if he happened to have any sporting dogs.
+
+The man declared he had the very thing, and going to the kennel
+promptly whipped off the three-cornered hat and little coat worn by a
+black and white mongrel whom he hastened to present to his customer as
+a dog of the purest breed. Alexandre hinted that it was not usual for
+a pointer to have such sharp-pointed ears, but the dealer replied that
+'Love' was an English dog, and that it was considered the very best
+form for English dogs to have pointed ears. As this statement _might_
+be true, Alexandre made no further objections, but paid for the dog
+and took Love home with him.
+
+At five o'clock next morning Alexandre was roused up by his sporting
+friend, who, scolding him well for not being ready earlier, hurried
+him off as fast as possible, declaring the whole plain would be shot
+before they could get there.
+
+It was certainly a curious sight; not a swallow, not even the meanest
+little sparrow, could rise without a volley of shots after it, and
+everyone was anxiously on the look-out for any and every sort of bird
+that could possibly be called game.
+
+Alexandre's friend was soon bitten by the general fever and threw
+himself energetically amidst the excited crowd, whilst Alexandre
+strolled along more calmly, dutifully followed by Love. Now everyone
+knows that the first duty of any sporting dog is to scour the field
+and _not_ to count the nails in his master's boots. This thought
+naturally occurred to Alexandre, and he accordingly made a sign to
+Love and said: 'Seek!'
+
+  [Illustration: LOVE'S DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOUR OUT SHOOTING]
+
+Love promptly stood up on his hind legs and began to dance.
+
+'Dear me,' said Alexandre, as he lowered his gun and contemplated his
+dog: 'It appears that Love unites the lighter accomplishments to his
+more serious education. I seem to have made rather a good bargain.'
+However, having bought Love to point and not to dance, he waited till
+the dance was over and repeated in firm tones: 'Seek!'
+
+Love stretched himself out at full length and appeared to be dead.
+
+Alexandre put his glass into his eye and inspected Love. The
+intelligent creature was perfectly immovable; not a hair on his body
+stirred, he might have been dead for twenty-four hours.
+
+'This is all very pretty,' said Alexandre, 'but, my friend, this is
+not the time for these jokes. We are here to shoot--let us shoot.
+Come! get up.'
+
+Love did not stir an inch.
+
+'Wait a bit,' remarked Alexandre, as he picked up a stick from the
+ground and took a step towards Love, intending to stir him up with it:
+'Wait a bit.' But no sooner did Love see the stick in his master's
+hand than he sprang to his feet and eagerly watched his movements.
+Alexandre thinking the dog was at last going to obey, held the stick
+towards him, and for the third time ordered him to 'seek.'
+
+Love took a run and sprang gracefully over the stick.
+
+Love could do three things to perfection--dance on his hind legs, sham
+dead, and jump for the king!
+
+Alexandre, however, who did not appreciate the third accomplishment
+any more than he had done the two others, broke the stick over Love's
+back, which sent him off howling to his master's friend.
+
+As fate would have it the friend fired at that very moment, and an
+unfortunate lark fell right into Love's jaws. Love thankfully accepted
+this windfall, and made but one mouthful of the lark. The infuriated
+sportsman threw himself on the dog, and seizing him by the throat to
+force open his jaws, thrust in his hand and drew out--three tail
+feathers: the bird itself was not to be thought of.
+
+Bestowing a vicious kick on the unhappy Love, he turned on Alexandre,
+exclaiming: 'Never again do you catch me shooting with you. Your brute
+of a dog has just devoured a superb quail. Ah! come here if you dare,
+you rascal!'
+
+Poor Love had not the least wish to go near him. He ran as fast as he
+could to his master, a sure proof that he preferred blows to kicks.
+
+However, the lark seemed to have whetted Love's appetite: and
+perceiving creatures of apparently the same kind rise now and then
+from the ground, he took to scampering about in hopes of some second
+piece of good luck.
+
+Alexandre had some difficulty in keeping up with him, for Love hunted
+his game after a fashion of his own, that is to say with his head up
+and his tail down. This would seem to prove that his sight was better
+than his scent, but it was particularly objectionable to his master,
+for he put up the birds before they were within reach, and then ran
+barking after them. This went on nearly all day.
+
+Towards five o'clock Alexandre had walked about fifteen miles and Love
+at least fifty; the former was exhausted with calling and the latter
+with barking, when, all of a sudden Love began to point, so firmly and
+steadily that he seemed changed to stone.
+
+At this surprising sight Alexandre, forgetful of all his fatigues and
+disappointments, hurried up, trembling lest Love should break off
+before he could get within reach. No fear; Love might have been glued
+to the spot. Alexandre came up to him, noted the direction of his eyes
+and saw that they were fixed on a tuft of grass, and that under this
+grass there appeared to be some greyish object. Thinking it must be a
+young bird which had strayed from its covey, he laid down his gun,
+took his cap in his hand, and cautiously creeping near, like a child
+about to catch a butterfly, he flung the cap over the unknown object,
+put in his hand and drew out--a frog!
+
+Anyone else would have flung the frog away, but Alexandre
+philosophically reflected that there must certainly be some great
+future in store for this, the sole result of his day's sport; so he
+accordingly put the frog carefully into his game bag and brought it
+home, where he transferred it to an empty glass jam jar and poured the
+contents of his water-bottle on its head.
+
+  [Illustration: THE SOLE RESULT OF HIS DAY'S SPORT]
+
+So much care and trouble for a frog may appear excessive; but
+Alexandre knew what this particular frog had cost him, and he treated
+it accordingly.
+
+It had cost him 660 francs, without counting his licence.
+
+
+PART II
+
+'Ah, ah!' cried Dr. Thierry as he entered the studio next day, 'so
+you've got a new inmate.' And without paying any attention to Tom's
+friendly growls or to Jacko's engaging grimaces, he walked straight up
+to the jar which contained Mademoiselle Camargo--as she had already
+been named.[10]
+
+    [10] A fashionable dancer in Paris.
+
+Mademoiselle Camargo, unaware that Thierry was not only a learned
+doctor, but also a most intellectual and delightful person, fell to
+swimming round and round her jar as fast as she could go, which
+however did not prevent her being seized by one of her hind legs.
+
+  [Illustration: MADEMOISELLE CAMARGO BECOMES A BAROMETER]
+
+'Dear me,' said Thierry, as he turned the little creature about, 'a
+specimen of the _Rana temporaria_. See, there are the two black spots
+near the eyes which give it the name. Now if you only had a few dozens
+of this species, I should advise you to have a fricassée made of their
+hind legs, to send for a couple of bottles of good claret, and to ask
+me to dinner. But as you only happen to have one, we will, with your
+leave, content ourselves with making a barometer.
+
+'Now,' said Thierry, opening a drawer, 'let us attend to the
+prisoner's furniture.' Saying which he took out two cartridges, a
+gimlet, a penknife, two paint-brushes, and four matches. Décamps
+watched him without in the least understanding the object of all these
+preparations, which the doctor was making with as much care as though
+for some surgical operation.
+
+First he emptied the powder out of the cartridges into a tray and kept
+the bullets. Then he threw the brushes and ties to Jacko and kept the
+handles.
+
+'What the deuce are you about?' cried Décamps, snatching his two best
+paint-brushes from Jacko. 'Why you're ruining my establishment!'
+
+'I'm making a ladder,' gravely replied Thierry.
+
+And true enough, having bored holes in the bullets, he fixed the brush
+handles into them so as to form the sides of the ladder, using the
+matches to make the rungs. Five minutes later the ladder was completed
+and placed in the jar, where the weight of the bullets kept it firmly
+down.
+
+No sooner did Mademoiselle Camargo find herself the owner of this
+article of furniture than she prepared to test it by climbing up to
+the top rung.
+
+'We shall have rain,' said Thierry.
+
+'You don't say so,' replied Décamps, 'and there's my brother who
+wanted to go out shooting again to-day.'
+
+'Mademoiselle Camargo does not advise his doing so,' remarked the
+doctor.
+
+'How so?'
+
+'My dear friend, I have been providing you with an inexpensive but
+reliable barometer. Each time you see Mademoiselle Camargo climb to
+the top of her ladder it's a sure sign of rain; when she remains at
+the bottom you may count on fine weather, and if she goes up
+half-way, don't venture out without your umbrella; changeable,
+changeable.'
+
+'Dear me, dear me,' said Décamps.
+
+During the next six months Mademoiselle Camargo continued to foretell
+the weather with perfect and unerring regularity. But for painful
+reasons into which we need not inquire too closely, Mademoiselle's
+useful career soon closed, and she left a blank in the ménagerie.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOODPECKER TAPPING ON THE HOLLOW OAK TREE_
+
+
+Most children who were taught music forty or fifty years ago, learnt
+as one of their first tunes an air called 'The Woodpecker Tapping on
+the Hollow Oak Tree.' Oak trees are not the only ones that
+woodpeckers, and especially American woodpeckers, 'tap' on. There is
+hardly any old tree which they disdain to work upon, sometimes for
+food, sometimes for nesting purposes, sometimes it would seem merely
+for the sake of employment and of keeping their bills in order.
+
+For the woodpecker's bill is a very powerful instrument, and can get
+through a great deal of work. In the case of the 'ivory-billed
+woodpecker,' it is not only white, and hard, and strong, but it has a
+ribbed surface, which tends to prevent its breaking, and even if he
+does not form one of this class, the woodpecker is as clever in his
+own line as any carpenter, and more industrious than many. The moment
+that he notices symptoms of decay in any tree, he flies off to make a
+careful examination of it, and when he has decided on the best mode of
+attack, he loses no time, and has even been known to strip all the
+bark off a dead pine tree of thirty feet long in less than twenty
+minutes. And this not in little bits, but in sheets five or six feet
+long, and as whole as the fleece of a sheep when it is sheared.
+
+Of course different varieties of woodpeckers have little differences
+in their habits, in the same way that habits differ in different
+families; but certain customs and ways of digging are common to them
+all. Every woodpecker, for instance, when placed in a wooden cage,
+will instantly set to work to dig himself out of it, and to keep him
+safe, he needs to be surrounded by wire, against which his bill is
+utterly useless. In general the male and female work by turns at the
+hole, which is always begun by the male, and is as perfectly round as
+if it had been measured and drawn from one point to another. For a
+while the boring is quite straight, and then it takes a sloping
+direction, so as to provide a partial shelter against the rain.
+Sometimes the bird will begin by a slope, and end in a direct line,
+but the hole is never straight all through, and the depth varies from
+two to five feet, according to the kind of woodpecker that is digging.
+The inside of the nest and the passage to it are as smooth as if they
+had been polished with a plane, and the chips of wood are often thrown
+down in a careless manner, at some distance, in order that attention
+may not be attracted to the spot. Often the bird's labours have to
+begin, especially in orchards, which are favourite nesting places with
+them, with having to turn out swarms of insects, nestling comfortably
+between the bark and the tree. These he either kills or eats; anyhow
+he never rests until they are safely got rid of.
+
+The woodpecker is never still, and, in many respects, is like a
+mischievous boy; so, as can be imagined, he is not very easy to make a
+pet of. One adventurous person, however, captured a woodpecker in
+America, and has left us a history of its performances during the
+three days it lived in captivity. The poor bird was very miserable in
+its prison, and cried so like a child that many persons were
+completely taken in. Left alone for a short time in the room while his
+captor had gone to look after his horse, he examined the room
+carefully to see where lay his best chance of escape. His quick eye
+soon detected the plaster between the window and the ceiling, and he
+began at once to attack the weak place. He worked so hard that when
+his master returned he had laid bare the laths, and had bored a hole
+bigger than his own head, while the bed was strewn with big fragments
+of plaster. A very little while longer and he would have been free,
+and what a pity that he was disturbed in his work! But his master was
+most anxious to keep him a little longer, to observe his ways, so he
+tied him to the leg of the table, and went off to get him some food.
+By the time the man came back the mahogany table was lying in bits
+about the floor, and the woodpecker was looking eagerly round to see
+what other mischief he could do. He would not eat food of any kind,
+and died in three days, to the great regret of his captor.
+
+
+
+
+_DOGS OVER THE WATER_
+
+
+No animal, not even the horse, has made itself so many friends as the
+dog. A whole library might be filled with stories about what dogs have
+done, and men could learn a great deal from the sufferings dogs have
+gone through for masters that they love.
+
+Whatever differences there may be between foreigners and Englishmen,
+there is at any rate none in the behaviour of British and foreign
+dogs. 'Love me, love my dog,' the proverb runs, but in general it
+would be much more to the point to say 'love my dog, love me.' We do
+not know anything of the Austrian officer of whose death I am going to
+tell you, but after hearing what his dog did, we should all have been
+pleased to make the master's acquaintance.
+
+In the early years of this century, when nearly every country in
+Europe was turned into a battlefield by Napoleon, there was a
+tremendous fight between the French and the Austrians at Castiglione
+in Lombardy, which was then under the Austrian yoke. The battle was
+hard fought and lasted several hours, but at length the Austrian ranks
+were broken and they had to retreat, after frightful losses on both
+sides. After the field had been won, Napoleon, as his custom was,
+walked round among the dead and dying, to see for himself how the day
+had gone. Not often had he performed this duty amidst a greater scene
+of blood and horror, and as he came to a spot where the dead were
+lying thickest, he saw to his surprise a small long-eared spaniel
+standing with his feet on the breast of an Austrian officer, and his
+eyes fixed on his face, waiting to detect the slightest movement.
+Absorbed in his watch, the dog never heard the approach of the Emperor
+and his staff, but Napoleon called to one of his attendants and
+pointed out the spaniel. At the sound of his voice the spaniel turned
+round, and looked at the Emperor, as if he knew that to him only he
+must appeal for help. And the prayer was not in vain, for Napoleon was
+very seldom needlessly cruel. The officer was dead and beyond any aid
+from him, but the Emperor did what he could, and gave orders that the
+dog should be looked after by one of his own men, and the wounded
+Austrians carefully tended. _He_ knew what it was to be loved as
+blindly by men as that officer was loved by his dog.
+
+Nearly two years before this time, France was trembling in the power
+of a set of bloody ruffians, and in Paris especially no man felt his
+head to be safe from one hour to the other. Hundreds of harmless
+people were clapped into prison on the most paltry charges, and if
+they were not torn to pieces by infuriated crowds, they ended their
+lives on the guillotine.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE FAITHFUL SPANIEL}]
+
+Among the last of the victims before the fall of Robespierre, which
+finished the Reign of Terror, was a magistrate in one of the
+departments in the North of France whom everyone looked up to and
+respected. It may be thought that it would not have been easy to find
+a pretext for throwing into prison a man of such an open and
+honourable life, but when other things failed, a vague accusation of
+conspiracy against the Government was always possible, and accordingly
+the magistrate was arrested in his own house. No one was there to help
+him or to share his confinement. He had long sent away his children to
+places of safety; some of his relations were in gaol like himself, and
+his friends dared not come forward. They could have done him no good,
+and would only have shared his fate. In those dark days every man had
+to suffer alone, and nobly they did it. Only one friend the magistrate
+had who ventured openly to show his affection, and even _he_ might
+go no farther than the prison doors, namely, his spaniel, who for
+twelve years had scarcely left his side; but though dogs were not yet
+proscribed, the spaniel's whinings availed nothing, and the gates were
+shut against him. At first he refused to believe that his master would
+never come back, and returned again and again with the hopes of
+meeting the magistrate on his way home. At last the dog's spirits gave
+way, and he went to the house of a friend of the family who knew him
+well, and received him kindly. Even here, however, he had to be
+carefully hidden lest his protector should be charged with sheltering
+the dog of an accused person, and have to pay the penalty on the
+guillotine. The animal seemed to know what was expected of him, and
+never barked or growled as dogs love to do; and indeed he was too sad
+to take any interest in what was going on around him. The only bright
+spot in his day was towards evening when he was secretly let out, and
+he made straight for the gate of the prison. The gate was never
+opened, but he always hoped that _this_ time it would be, and sat on
+and on till he felt that his chance was gone for that day. All the
+prison officials knew him by sight, and were sorry for him, and one
+day the gaoler's heart was softened, and he opened the doors, and led
+him to his master's cell. It would be difficult to say which of the
+two was the happier, and when the time came for the prisoners to be
+locked up for the night, the man could scarcely tear away the dog, so
+closely did he cling to his master. However, there was no help for it,
+he had to be put outside, lest it should occur to some one in
+authority to make a visit of inspection to the prison. Next evening
+the dog returned at the same hour and was again admitted, and when his
+time was up, he went home with a light heart, sure that by sunset next
+day he would be with his beloved master.
+
+This went on for several weeks, and the dog, at any rate, would have
+been quite satisfied if it had gone on for ever. But one morning the
+magistrate was told that he was to be brought before his judges to
+make answer to his charge and receive his sentence. In the midst of a
+vast crowd, which dared not show sympathy even if it felt it, the
+magistrate pleaded for the last time, without a friend to give him
+courage except his dog, which had somehow forced himself through
+guards and crowd, and lay crouched between his legs, happy at this
+unexpected chance of seeing his master.
+
+Sentence of death was pronounced, as was inevitable, and the hour of
+execution was not long delayed. In the wonderful way that animals
+always _do_ know when something out of the common is passing, the
+spaniel was sitting outside the door when his master walked out for
+the last time, although it was long before the hour of his daily
+visit. Alone, of all the friends that he had known and loved, his dog
+went with him, and stood beside him on the steps of the guillotine,
+and sat at his feet when his head fell. Vaguely the spaniel was aware
+that something terrible had happened; his master, who had never failed
+him before, would not speak to him now. It was in vain to lick his
+hand: he got no pat in answer. But if his master was asleep, and his
+bed was underground, then he too must sleep by his side till the
+morning came and the world awoke again.
+
+So two nights passed, and three. Then his friend, who had sheltered
+him during these long weeks, came to look for him, and, after much
+coaxing and caressing, persuaded him to return to his old
+hiding-place. With great difficulty he was induced to swallow some
+food, but the moment his protector's back was turned, he rushed out
+and fought his way to his master's grave.
+
+This lasted for three months, and every day the dog looked sadder and
+thinner than the day before. At length his friend thought he would try
+a new plan with him, and tied him firmly up. But in the morning he
+found that the dog had, like Samson, broken through his bonds, and was
+lying on the grave, which he never left again. Food was brought to
+him--he never came to seek it himself, and in time he refused even
+what was lying there before him. One day his friends found him trying
+to scratch up the earth where his master lay; and all at once his
+strength gave way, and with one howl he died, showing the two men who
+stood around of love that was stronger than death, and fidelity that
+lasted beyond the grave.[11]
+
+    [11] From _Observations in Natural History_.
+
+One more story of a little dog--this time an English one--and I have
+done.
+
+It was on February 8, 1587, that Mary Queen of Scots ended her
+eighteen years of weary captivity upon a scaffold at Fotheringay.
+Carefully dressed in a robe of black velvet, with a long mantle of
+satin floating above it, and her head covered with a white crape veil,
+Mary ascended the platform, where the executioner was awaiting her.
+Some English nobles, sent by Queen Elizabeth to see that her orders
+were carried out, were standing by, and some of Queen Mary's faithful
+women. But besides these was one whose love for her was hardly
+less--the Queen's little dog, who had been her constant companion in
+the prison. 'He was sitting there the whole time,' says an
+eye-witness, 'keeping very quiet, and never stirring from her side;
+but as soon as the head was stricken off and placed upon the seat, he
+began to bestir himself and cry out; afterwards he took up a position
+between the body and the head, which he kept until some one came and
+removed him, and this had to be done by violence.' We are not told who
+took him away and tenderly washed off the blood of Mary which was
+staining his coat, but we may be sure that it was one of the Queen's
+ladies who cherished everything that belonged to her, and in memory of
+her mistress would care for her little dog to the end of its days.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CAPOCIER AND HIS MATE_
+
+
+When Vaillant the traveller was in Africa, he made the acquaintance of
+a bird to which he gave the name of capocier. It was a small creature,
+which was in the habit of coming with its mate several times a day
+into Vaillant's tent; a proceeding which he thought arose from pure
+friendship, but which he soon found sprang from interested motives.
+Vaillant was making a collection of birds, and his table was strewn
+about with moss, wool, and such things as he used for stuffing. The
+capocier, with more sense than might have been expected of him, found
+out very soon that it was much easier to steal Vaillant's soft
+material than to collect it laboriously for himself, and the
+naturalist used to shut his eyes with amusement while the birds flew
+off with a parcel of stuffing as big as themselves.
+
+He followed them, and tracked them to a bush which grew by a spring in
+the corner of a deserted garden. Here they had placed a thick layer of
+moss, in a fork of one of the branches, and were now engaged in
+weaving in grass, cotton, and flax. The whole of the second day the
+little pair worked hard, the male making in all forty-six journeys to
+Vaillant's room, for thieving purposes. The spoil was always laid
+either on the nest itself, or within the reach of the female, and when
+enough had been collected, they both trampled it in, and pressed it
+down with their bodies.
+
+At last the male got tired, and tried to prevail on his wife to play a
+game. She declined, and said she had no time for such things; so, to
+revenge himself, the male proceeded to pull to pieces her work. Seeing
+that he would have his own way, the female at length consented to play
+for a little, and fluttered from bush to bush, while her mate flew
+after her, but she always managed to keep just out of his reach. When
+he had had enough, he let her go back to her work, while he sang a
+song for a little, and then made ready to help build the nest. He
+found, or stole, the materials necessary, and carried them back to his
+wife, who packed them firmly in and made all tidy. But her husband was
+much more idle than she, and he soon tired of steady labour. He
+complained of the heat, and laughed at her for being in such a hurry,
+and said there was plenty of time before them, and he wanted a little
+fun. So eight times during that one morning the poor wife had to leave
+off her building, and hide her impatience, and pretend to play, when
+she would much rather have been doing something else, and it was three
+days before the bottom was finished and the sides begun.
+
+Certainly the making of the bottom _was_ rather a troublesome
+business; for the birds had to roll over every part of it, so as to
+get it firm and hard. Then, when all was right, they made a border,
+which they first trimmed round, and next overlaid with cotton,
+pressing it all together with their breasts and shoulders. The twigs
+of the bush in which the nest was built were interlaced into the sides
+to prevent the whole structure being blown down, and particular care
+was taken that none of them should stick out in the inside of the
+nest, which was absolutely smooth and solid. After seven days it was
+done, and very pretty it was. It was perfectly white in colour, and
+about nine inches high on the outside where it had been made very
+thick, and not more than five inches within. However that was quite
+big enough for two such little people.
+
+
+
+
+_OWLS AND MARMOTS_
+
+
+It is curious, when we come to think of it, how very few of the
+creatures that live upon the earth ever take the trouble to build any
+kind of house to live in. For the most part, they are contented to
+find out some cave or hole or convenient place where they can be
+hidden, and from which they can steal forth to get their food, but as
+for collecting materials from the outside to make their dwelling place
+stronger or more beautiful, as do the beavers, for instance, why, we
+might all look for many years before we should find a horse or a tiger
+employing himself like that!
+
+Yet we all know that all the birds that live (the cuckoo excepted)
+manage to build some kind of a nest, and so do some fishes and many
+insects. It would take too long to write about them all, but we will
+just see how some of the cleverest among them go to work.
+
+One of the first things that struck Europeans travelling sixty or
+seventy years ago in the wild country beyond the great Mississippi,
+was the fact that whole districts, sometimes several acres in extent
+and sometimes several miles, were covered with little mounds of the
+shape of a pyramid, about two feet wide at the bottom, and at the most
+eighteen inches high. These are the houses of the marmots or prairie
+dogs, and when deserted as they often are by their original
+inhabitants, they become the homes of burrowing owls.
+
+Now a neat, comfortable, well-built house is really quite necessary
+for the marmot, as he goes fast to sleep when the weather begins to
+get cold, and does not wake up till the sun is shining warmly again on
+the earth above him. Then he sets to work, either to repair the walls
+of his house which have been damaged by the heavy rains and hard
+frosts, or if that seems useless labour, to dig a fresh one somewhere
+else. But industrious as he is, the hard work does not make the marmot
+at all a 'dull boy,' and he can still spare time for a good game now
+and then.
+
+Of course, as we are talking about birds, perhaps we ought not to be
+describing marmots, which are naturally not birds at all; but as they
+build for the burrowing owls to inhabit, a description of the houses
+may not be out of place.
+
+The entrance to the marmot's house is either at the top or on the side
+of the little mound above ground. Then he hollows out a passage
+straight down for one, or sometimes two feet, and this passage is
+continued in a sloping direction for some distance further, when it
+leads, like a story in the 'Arabian Nights,' into a large warm room,
+built of soft dry grass, which has been packed into a tight, firm
+mass. In general the outside of the little mounds is covered with
+small plants and grasses, so that the marmot always has his food near
+at hand, but occasionally they prefer to make their villages in barren
+spots, as being safer from enemies. Still, wherever they are, the
+sociable little colony of marmots are said to be haunted by at least
+one burrowing owl, a bird about nine inches long, and from a distance
+not very unlike the marmot itself, when it is sitting up, listening
+for the approach of danger. If no burrow seems likely to be vacant at
+the time he wants one, the owl does not scruple to turn out the owner,
+who has to begin all his labour over again. Sometimes, when affairs
+above ground are more than usually disturbed, and foes of all kinds
+are prowling about, seeking whom they may devour, owls and marmots and
+rattlesnakes, and lizards rush helter-skelter into the underground
+city, taking refuge from the dangers of the upper world. It would be a
+strange sight if we could see it, and it would be stranger still if
+the fugitives manage to separate without some of the party having gone
+to make the dinners of the rest.
+
+
+
+
+_EAGLES' NESTS_
+
+
+Eagles, as a rule, build their nests on the shelves of rocks, high out
+of reach of any but the boldest climbers. There are, however, some
+species among them who prefer the tops of trees, at a height varying
+from fifteen to fifty feet. These nests are constructed of long
+sticks, grass, and even reeds, and are often as much as five or six
+feet high, and at least four broad. Soft pine tops form the lining,
+and a bed for the young. Many eagles are clever divers, and like the
+excitement of catching their own fish, instead of merely forcing the
+fish-hawks to give up their prey, and an American naturalist gives an
+interesting account of the sporting proceedings of two eagles on the
+Green River in Kentucky. The naturalist had been lying hidden among
+the rocks on the bank of the river for about two hours, when suddenly
+far above his head where the eagle had built his nest, he heard a loud
+hissing, and on looking up, saw that the little eaglets had crawled to
+the edge of the nest, and were dancing with hope and excitement at the
+idea of a good dinner. In a few moments the parent eagle reached the
+rock and balancing himself on the edge by the help of his wings and
+tail, handed over his spoil to the young ones. The little eagles
+seemed in luck that day, for soon their mother appeared in sight
+carrying in her claws a perch. But either the watcher below made some
+movement, or else her eyes were far sharper than her mate's, for with
+a loud cry she dropped her fish, and hovered over the nest to protect
+it in case of an attack. When all was quiet again, the naturalist went
+out cautiously to examine the perch, which he found to weigh as much
+as 5½ lbs. You do not catch such big perch in England.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Some stories have a source provided, which appeared as footnotes in
+the original book. The transcriber has instead presented them as
+subtitles below the main chapter title.
+
+Archaic and variant spelling is preserved as printed.
+
+Minor punctuation errors have been repaired.
+
+Hyphenation has been made consistent.
+
+The following typographic errors have been repaired:
+
+    Page 7--wrapt amended to rapt--"The waiters, remarking his
+    rapt attention, ..."
+
+    Page 77--be amended to he--"Then, having made a huge fire in
+    front of the entrance, which, moreover, he barricaded ..."
+
+    Page 144--by-and-by amended to by-and-bye, for
+    consistency--"And by-and-bye he came back, dragging Pritchard
+    by his stake."
+
+    Page 250--Then amended to The--"The Ababde chief's advice
+    was--and always had been--to send out ..."
+
+    Page 255--Northumbriam amended to Northumbrian--"A
+    Northumbrian pointer showed a still more wonderful instance
+    ..."
+
+    Page 287--idemnity amended to indemnity--"... and was quite
+    satisfied with five francs as an indemnity."
+
+    Page 290--quiet amended to quite--"His parents never quite
+    knew what occurred, ..."
+
+    Page 301--coupe amended to coup--"... before the latter gives
+    him the _coup de grâce_."
+
+Illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in
+the middle of a paragraph.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Animal Story Book, by Various
+
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Animal Story Book, edited by Andrew Lang.
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Animal Story Book, by Various
+
+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 Animal Story Book
+
+Author: Various
+
+Editor: Andrew Lang
+
+Illustrator: H. J. (Henry Justice) Ford
+
+Release Date: December 4, 2011 [EBook #38208]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Louise Davies, Sam W. and 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.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 406px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="406" height="600"
+alt="Front cover of the book" />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<h1><span class="tinyfont">THE</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Animal Story Book</span></h1>
+
+<p class="center padtop"><span class="smlfont">EDITED BY</span><br />
+<br />
+<span class="lrgfont">ANDREW LANG</span></p>
+
+
+<p class="center padtop"><i>WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY H.&nbsp;J. FORD</i></p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 416px;">
+<img src="images/asb01.jpg" width="416" height="360"
+alt="Two oran otans" />
+</div>
+
+
+<p class="center"><span class="lrgfont">LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.</span><br />
+FOURTH AVENUE &amp; 30TH STREET, NEW YORK<br />
+<span class="smlfont">LONDON, BOMBAY, CALCUTTA AND MADRAS</span><br />
+1914</p>
+
+
+<p class="center padtop smlfont">Copyright, 1896,<br />
+<span class="smcap">By Longmans, Green, &amp; Co.</span><br />
+&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+All rights reserved.</p>
+
+<p class="center padtop padbase"><span class="smcap">First Edition, September, 1896.<br />
+Reprinted, November, 1896, July, 1899,<br />
+June, 1904, February, 1909,<br />
+September, 1914.</span></p>
+
+
+
+<div class="bookbox">
+<p class="center"><span class="lrgfont">THE FAIRY BOOK SERIES</span><br />
+<span class="smcap">Edited by Andrew Lang</span><br />
+<span class="smlfont">New and Cheaper Issue</span><br />
+&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+EACH VOLUME, $1.00 NET<br />
+&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="hang">
+<p>THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK. With 138 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE RED FAIRY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. With 101 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE GREY FAIRY BOOK. With 65 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. With 104 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE PINK FAIRY BOOK. With 67 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE BLUE POETRY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE TRUE STORY BOOK. With 66 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE RED TRUE STORY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK. With 67 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE RED BOOK OF ANIMAL STORIES. With 65 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS. With 66 Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 54 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE CRIMSON FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE BROWN FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 42 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE OLIVE FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 50 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE BOOK OF ROMANCE. With 8 Coloured Plates and 44 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE RED ROMANCE BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 44 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE BOOK OF PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. By Mrs. Lang. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE RED BOOK OF HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. With 8 Coloured Plates and 40 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE LILAC FAIRY BOOK. With 6 Coloured Plates and 46 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE ALL SORTS OF STORIES BOOK. By Mrs. Lang. With 5 Coloured Plates and 43 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE BOOK OF SAINTS AND HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. With 12 Coloured Plates and 18 other Illustrations.</p>
+<p>THE STRANGE STORY BOOK. By Mrs. Lang. With Portrait of Andrew Lang, 12 Coloured Plates and 18 other Illustrations.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p class="center">&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO., NEW YORK</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 393px;">
+<img src="images/asb02.jpg" width="393" height="600"
+alt="Androcles with his arms around the lion" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">ANDROCLES IN THE ARENA</p>
+
+
+
+
+<p class="center padtop">To<br />
+<br />
+<span class="lrgfont">MASTER FREDERICK LONGMAN</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+<div class="cenpoem">
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">This year our Book for Christmas varies,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Deals not with History nor Fairies<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">(I can&rsquo;t help thinking, children, you<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">Prefer a book which is <em class="em2">not</em> true).<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We leave these intellectual feasts,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">To talk of Fishes, Birds, and Beasts.<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">These&mdash;though his aim is hardly steady&mdash;<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">These are, I think, a theme for Freddy!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Trout, though he is not up to fly,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">He soon will catch&mdash;as well as I!<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">So, Freddy, take this artless rhyme,<br /></span>
+<span class="i1">And be a Sportsman in your time!<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>vii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>PREFACE</h2>
+
+
+<p>Children who have read our Fairy Books may have
+noticed that there are not so very many fairies in
+the stories after all. The most common characters
+are birds, beasts, and fishes, who talk and act like
+Christians. The reason of this is that the first people
+who told the stories were not very clever, or, if
+they were clever, they had never been taught to read
+and write, or to distinguish between Vegetable, Animal,
+and Mineral. They took it that all things were
+&lsquo;much of a muchness:&rsquo; they were not proud, and
+held that beast and bird could talk like themselves,
+only, of course, in a different language.</p>
+
+<p>After offering, then, so many Fairy Books (though
+the stories are not all told yet), we now present you
+(in return for a coin or two) with a book about the
+friends of children and of fairies&mdash;the beasts. The
+stories are all true, more or less, but it is possible
+that Monsieur Dumas and Monsieur Th&eacute;ophile
+Gautier rather improved upon their tales. I own
+that I have my doubts about the bears and serpents
+in the tales by the Baron Wogan. This gentleman&rsquo;s
+ancestors were famous Irish people. One of them
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>viii]</a></span>
+held Cromwell&rsquo;s soldiers back when they were pursuing
+Charles II. after Worcester fight. He also
+led a troop of horse from Dover to the Highlands,
+where he died of a wound, after fighting for the King.
+The next Wogan was a friend of Pope and Swift;
+he escaped from prison after Preston fight, in 1715,
+and, later, rescued Prince Charlie&rsquo;s mother from confinement
+in Austria, and took her to marry King
+James. He next became Governor of Don Quixote&rsquo;s
+province, La Mancha, in Spain, and was still alive
+and merry in 1752. Baron Wogan, descended from
+these heroes, saw no longer any king to fight for, so
+he went to America and fought bears. No doubt he
+was as brave as his ancestors, but whether all his
+stories of serpents are absolutely correct I am not
+so certain. People have also been heard to express
+doubts about Mr. Waterton and the Cayman. The
+terrible tale of Mr. Gully and his deeds of war I know
+to be accurate, and the story of Oscar, the sentimental
+tyke, is believed in firmly by the lady who wrote it.
+As for the stories about Greek and Roman beasts,
+Pliny, who tells them, is a most respectable author.
+On the whole, then, this is more or less of a true
+story-book.</p>
+
+<p>There ought to be a moral; if so, it probably is
+that we should be kind to all sorts of animals, and,
+above all, knock trout on the head when they are
+caught, and don&rsquo;t let the poor things jump about till
+they die. A chapter of a very learned sort was written
+about the cleverness of beasts, proving that there must
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>ix]</a></span>
+have been great inventive geniuses among beasts long
+ago, and that now they have rather got into a habit
+(which I think a very good one) of being content
+with the discoveries of their ancestors. This led
+naturally to some observations on Instinct and
+Reason; but there may be children who are glad that
+there was no room for this chapter.</p>
+
+<p>The longer stories from Monsieur Dumas were
+translated from the French by Miss Cheape.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;A Rat Tale&rsquo; is by Miss Evelyn Grieve, who
+knew the rats.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Mr. Gully&rsquo; is by Miss Elspeth Campbell, to
+whom Mr. Gully belonged.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The Dog of Montargis,&rsquo; &lsquo;More Faithful than
+Favoured,&rsquo; and &lsquo;Androcles&rsquo; are by Miss Eleanor
+Sellar.</p>
+
+<p>Snakes, Bears, Ants, Wolves, Monkeys, and some
+Lions are by Miss Lang.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Two Highland Dogs&rsquo; is by Miss Goodrich Freer.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Fido&rsquo; and &lsquo;Oscar&rsquo; and &lsquo;Patch&rsquo; are by Miss A.&nbsp;M.
+Alleyne.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Djijam&rsquo; is by his master.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The Starling of Segringen&rsquo; and &lsquo;Grateful Dogs&rsquo;
+are by Mr. Bartells.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Tom the Bear,&rsquo; &lsquo;The Frog,&rsquo; &lsquo;Jacko the Monkey&rsquo;
+and &lsquo;Gazelle&rsquo; are from Dumas by Miss Blackley.</p>
+
+<p>All the rest are by Mrs. Lang.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>xi]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Table of contents">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Tom&rsquo;: an Adventure in the Life of a Bear in Paris</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Sa&iuml; the Panther</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_14">14</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Buzzard and the Priest</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Cowper and his Hares</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">A Rat Tale</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Snake Stories</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">What Elephants can Do</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Dog of Montargis</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">How a Beaver builds his House</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The War Horse of Alexander</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_68">68</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Stories about Bears</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Stories about Ants</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_82">82</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Taming of an Otter</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Story of Androcles and the Lion</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Monsieur Dumas and his Beasts</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Adventures of Pyramus</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_154">154</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Story of a Weasel</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_160">160</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Stories about Wolves</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_163">163</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Two Highland Dogs</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_174">174</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Monkey Tricks and Sally at the Zoo</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">How the Cayman was killed</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_194">194</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Story of Fido</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Beasts Besieged</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Mr. Gully</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_209">209</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Stories from Pliny</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_213">213</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Strange History of Cagnotte</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Still Waters Run Deep; or, the Dancing Dog</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_219">219</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Theo and his Horses: Jane, Betsy, and Blanche</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_225">225</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Madame Th&eacute;ophile and the Parrot</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_231">231</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Battle of the Mullets and the Dolphins</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_233">233</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Monkey Stories</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_237">237</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Eccentric Bird Builders</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Ship of the Desert</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_248">248</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Hame, hame, hame, where I fain wad be</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_253">253</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Nests for Dinner</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_257">257</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Fire-eating Djijam</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Story of the Dog Oscar</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Dolphins at Play</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_274">274</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Starling of Segringen</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_278">278</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Grateful Dogs</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_280">280</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Gazelle</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Cockatoo Stories</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_289">289</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Otter who was reared by a Cat</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_292">292</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Stories about Lions</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_295">295</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Builders and Weavers</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_307">307</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>xii]</a></span>More Faithful than Favoured</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_310">310</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Dolphins, Turtles, and Cod</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_316">316</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">More about Elephants</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_321">321</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Bungey</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_329">329</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Lions and their Ways</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_333">333</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The History of Jacko I.</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_338">338</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Signora and Lori</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_348">348</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Of the Linnet, Popinjay, or Parrot, and other Birds that can Speak</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_351">351</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Patch and the Chickens</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_354">354</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Fierce Falcon</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_356">356</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Mr. Bolt, the Scotch Terrier</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_360">360</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">A Raven&rsquo;s Funeral</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_364">364</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">A Strange Tiger</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_368">368</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Halcyons and their Biographers</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_373">373</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Story of a Frog</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_375">375</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Woodpecker Tapping on the Hollow Oak Tree</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_384">384</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Dogs Over the Water</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_387">387</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Capocier and his Mate</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_394">394</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Owls and Marmots</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_396">396</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Eagles&rsquo; Nests</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_399">399</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>xiii]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</i></h2>
+
+
+<div class="centered">
+<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="List of illustrations">
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&nbsp;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Tom is invited to the Ball</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo01">3</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;The Minuet was Tom&rsquo;s greatest Triumph&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo02">9</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Tom discovered in the Box</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo03">12</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;They at last all took hold of his Tail&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo04">16</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Terror of the Orang-outang at Sa&iuml;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo05">17</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Sa&iuml; has to take a Pill</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo06">21</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Cats no match for the Buzzard</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo07">27</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Buzzard carries off Hat and Wig</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo08">28</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Seeing such a number of Rats, he left his Horses and ran for his Life&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo09">37</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Rats in the Larder</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo10">41</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Baron kills the Snake</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo11">44</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Baron slays the Horned Snake</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo12">46</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">How the Indians make the Horned Snake disgorge his Dinner</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo13">48</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Elephant helps the Gardener</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo14">53</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">De Narsac recognises his Friend&rsquo;s Dog</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo15">57</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Dog flies at Macaire in the presence of the King</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo16">61</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Baron kills the Bear</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo17">75</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Grizzly</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo18">79</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Androcles in the Lion&rsquo;s Cave</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo19">93</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Androcles in the Arena</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo20">97</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Monsieur Dumas, may I accommodate you with my Monkey and my Parrot?&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo21">107</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Auvergnat and his Monkey</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo22">111</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Last of the Laidmanoirs and Mademoiselle Desgarcins</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo23">120</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Dumas arrives at Stora with his Vulture</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo24">127</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;It&rsquo;s a regular Kennel&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo25">131</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Jugurtha becomes Diogenes</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo26">135</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Pritchard and the Hens</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo27">142</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Pritchard reappeared next moment with a Hare in his Mouth&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo28">145</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Cartouche outwits Pyramus</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo29">156</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Mademoiselle de Laistre and her Weasel</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo30">161</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;When Day broke&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo31">166</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>xiv]</a></span>The Death of the Famous Wolf of G&eacute;vaudan</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo32">171</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;The Long Vigil&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo33">187</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Capture of the Cayman</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo34">197</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Wounding of Fido</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo35">201</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Dream of the Hungry Lion</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo36">207</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Cagnotte comes out of his Skin</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo37">217</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;And what do you Think she Saw&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo38">221</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Blanche telling Ghost Stories to Jane in the Stable</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo39">227</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">How the Dolphins helped the Fishermen to catch the Mullets</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo40">234</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Two Oran Otans</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo41">238</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Baboons who stole the Poor Man&rsquo;s Dinner</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo42">241</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Birds&rsquo; Nests for Dinner</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo43">258</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;In the full enjoyment of a large lighted Log on the Dining-room Carpet&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo44">261</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Oscar would charge and rout them&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo45">265</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Oscar felt rather Frightened&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo46">269</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Oh, Oscar, Oscar, lad what <em class="em2">have</em> you Done?&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo47">271</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Boy goes to School on the Dolphin&rsquo;s back</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo48">275</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Dumas finds Joseph standing on Gazelle&rsquo;s back</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo49">284</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Dumas brings Gazelle to No. 109 Faubourg St.-Denis</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo50">288</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Lion caught in the Pit</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo51">297</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Ambush</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo52">300</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;All Three stopped to gaze at the Man who dared to put himself in their Path&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo53">303</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;And pinned Him to the Ground&rsquo;</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo54">314</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">&lsquo;Long, Long Ago.&rsquo; The Elephant dreams of his Old Companions</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo55">323</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Elephant falls on his knees before the little Scotch Terrier</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo56">327</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Bungey at the Spanish Ambassador&rsquo;s House</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo57">331</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Hottentot noticed a huge Lion lying in the Water</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo58">335</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Annoyance of the Captain on finding his Flask of Rum upset</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo59">339</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Lori refuses to Share with the Signora</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo60">349</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">A Raven&rsquo;s Funeral</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo61">365</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Tiger and his Friend</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo62">369</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Love&rsquo;s disgraceful Behaviour out Shooting</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo63">377</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Sole Result of his Day&rsquo;s Sport</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo64">380</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">Mademoiselle Camargo becomes a Barometer</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo65">381</a></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="tdl">The Faithful Spaniel</td>
+    <td class="tdr"><a href="#illo66">389</a></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>1]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>&lsquo;TOM&rsquo;</i><br />
+<i>AN ADVENTURE IN THE LIFE OF
+A BEAR IN PARIS</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Alexandre Dumas.</p>
+
+
+<p>Some sixty years ago and more, a well-known artist named
+D&eacute;camps lived in Paris. He was the intimate friend of
+some of the first authors, artists, and scientific men of the
+day, and was devotedly fond of animals of all sorts. He
+loved to paint them, and he kept quite a small m&eacute;nagerie
+in his studio where a bear, a monkey, a tortoise, and a
+frog lived (more or less) in peace and harmony together.</p>
+
+<p>The bear&rsquo;s name was &lsquo;Tom,&rsquo; the monkey was called
+&lsquo;Jacko I.,&rsquo;<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> the frog was &lsquo;Mademoiselle Camargo,&rsquo; and
+the tortoise &lsquo;Gazelle.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a>
+To distinguish him from Jacko II., a monkey belonging to Tony
+Johannot, the painter.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Here follows the story of Tom, the bear.</p>
+
+<p>It was the night of Shrove Tuesday in the year 1832.
+Tom had as yet only spent six months in Paris, but he
+was really one of the most attractive bears you could wish
+to meet.</p>
+
+<p>He ran to open the door when the bell rang, he
+mounted guard for hours together, halberd in hand,
+standing on his hind legs, and he danced a minuet with
+infinite grace, holding a broomstick behind his head.</p>
+
+<p>He had spent the whole day in the exercise of these
+varied accomplishments, to the great delight of the frequenters
+of his master&rsquo;s studio, and had just retired to the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>2]</a></span>
+press which did duty as his hutch, to seek a little repose,
+when there was a knock at the street door. Jacko instantly
+showed such signs of joy that D&eacute;camps made a shrewd
+guess that the visitor could be no other than Fan, the
+self-elected tutor in chief to the two animals&mdash;nor was he
+mistaken. The door opened, Fan appeared, dressed as a
+clown, and Jacko flung himself in rapture into his arms.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Very good, very good,&rsquo; said Fan, placing the monkey
+on the table and handing him a cane. &lsquo;You&rsquo;re really
+a charming creature. Carry arms, present arms, make
+ready, fire! Capital!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I&rsquo;ll have a complete uniform made for you, and you
+shall mount guard instead of me. But I haven&rsquo;t come
+for you to-night; it&rsquo;s your friend Tom I want. Where may
+he be?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why, in his hutch, I suppose,&rsquo; said D&eacute;camps.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Tom! here, Tom!&rsquo; cried Fan.</p>
+
+<p>Tom gave a low growl, just to show that he knew very
+well who they were talking of, but that he was in no
+hurry to show himself.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well!&rsquo; exclaimed Fan, &lsquo;is this how my orders are
+obeyed? Tom, my friend, don&rsquo;t force me to resort to
+extreme measures.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Tom stretched one great paw beyond the cupboard
+without allowing any more of his person to be seen, and
+began to yawn plaintively like a child just wakened from
+its first sleep.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Where is the broomstick?&rsquo; inquired Fan in threatening
+tones, and rattling the collection of Indian bows,
+arrows, and spears which stood behind the door.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ready!&rsquo; cried D&eacute;camps, pointing to Tom, who, on
+hearing these well known sounds, had roused himself
+without more ado, and advanced towards his tutor with a
+perfectly innocent and unconscious air.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That&rsquo;s right,&rsquo; said Fan: &lsquo;now be a good fellow, particularly
+as one has come all this way on purpose to fetch
+you.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>3]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo01" id="illo01"></a>
+<img src="images/asb03.jpg" width="600" height="393"
+alt="Fan and Tom shake hands" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">TOM IS INVITED TO THE BALL</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>5]</a></span>
+Tom waved his head up and down.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;So, so&mdash;now shake hands with your friends:&mdash;first
+rate!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Do you mean to take him with you?&rsquo; asked
+D&eacute;camps.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Rather!&rsquo; replied Fan; &lsquo;and give him a good time into
+the bargain.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And where are you going?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;To the Carnival Masked Ball, nothing less! Now
+then Tom, my friend, come along. We&rsquo;ve got a cab outside
+waiting by the hour.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>As though fully appreciating the force of this argument,
+Tom trundled down stairs four steps at a time
+followed by his friend. The driver opened the cab door,
+and Tom, under Fan&rsquo;s guidance, stepped in as if he had
+done nothing else all his life.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;My eye! that&rsquo;s a queer sort of a fancy dress,&rsquo; said
+cabby; &lsquo;anyone might take him for a real bear. Where
+to, gentlemen?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Od&eacute;on Theatre,&rsquo; said Fan.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrrooonnn,&rsquo; observed Tom.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All right,&rsquo; said the cabman. &lsquo;Keep your temper.
+It&rsquo;s a good step from here, but we shall get there all in
+good time.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Half an hour later the cab drew up at the door of the
+theatre. Fan got down first, paid the driver, handed out
+Tom, took two tickets, and passed in without exciting any
+special attention.</p>
+
+<p>At the second turn they made round the crush-room
+people began to follow Fan. The perfection with which
+the newcomer imitated the walk and movements of the
+animal whose skin he wore attracted the notice of some
+lovers of natural history. They pressed closer and
+closer, and anxious to find out whether he was equally
+clever in imitating the bear&rsquo;s voice, they began to pull his
+hairs and prick his ears&mdash;&lsquo;Grrrooonnn,&rsquo; said Tom.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>6]</a></span>
+A murmur of admiration ran through the crowd&mdash;nothing
+could be more lifelike.</p>
+
+<p>Fan led Tom to the buffet and offered him some little
+cakes, to which he was very partial, and which he proceeded
+to swallow with so admirable a pretence of voracity
+that the bystanders burst out laughing. Then the mentor
+poured out a tumbler full of water, which Tom took gingerly
+between his paws, as he was accustomed to whenever
+D&eacute;camps did him the honour of permitting him to appear
+at table, and gulped down the contents at one draught.
+Enthusiasm knew no bounds! Indeed such was the
+delight and interest shown that when, at length, Fan
+wished to leave the buffet, he found they were hemmed
+in by so dense a crowd that he felt nervous lest Tom
+should think of clearing the road with claws and teeth.
+So he promptly led his bear to a corner, placed him with
+his back against the wall, and told him to stay there till
+further orders.</p>
+
+<p>As has been already mentioned, this kind of drill was
+quite familiar to Tom, and was well suited to his natural
+indolence, and when a harlequin offered his hat to complete
+the picture, he settled himself comfortably, gravely
+laying one great paw on his wooden gun.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Do you happen to know,&rsquo; said Fan to the obliging
+harlequin, &lsquo;<em>who</em> you have lent your hat to?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No,&rsquo; replied harlequin.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You mean to say you don&rsquo;t guess?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Not in the least.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Come, take a good look at him. From the grace of
+all his movements, from the manner in which he carries
+his head, slightly on one side, like Alexander the Great&mdash;from
+the admirable imitations of the bear&rsquo;s voice&mdash;you
+don&rsquo;t mean to say you don&rsquo;t recognise him?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Upon my word I don&rsquo;t.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Odry!&rsquo;<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> whispered Fan mysteriously; &lsquo;Odry, in his
+costume from &ldquo;The Bear and the Pacha&rdquo;!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a>
+A well-known actor of the time.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>7]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Oh, but he acts a <em>white</em> bear, you know.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Just so; that&rsquo;s why he has chosen a brown bear&rsquo;s skin
+as a disguise.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ho, ho! You&rsquo;re a good one,&rsquo; cried harlequin.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrooonnn,&rsquo; observed Tom.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, now you mention it, I <em>do</em> recognise his voice.
+Really, I wonder it had not struck me before. Do ask
+him to disguise it better.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, yes,&rsquo; said Fan, moving towards the ball-room,
+&lsquo;but it will never do to worry him. However, I&rsquo;ll try to
+persuade him to dance a minuet presently.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, could you really?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He promised to do so. Just give a hint to your
+friends and try to prevent their teasing him.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All right.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Tom made his way through the crowd, whilst the
+delighted harlequin moved from one mask to another,
+telling his news with warnings to be discreet, which were
+well received. Just then, too, the sounds of a lively galop
+were heard, and a general rush to the ball-room took place,
+harlequin only pausing to murmur in Tom&rsquo;s ear: &lsquo;I know
+you, my fine mask.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grroooonnn,&rsquo; replied Tom.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah, it&rsquo;s all very well to growl, but you&rsquo;ll dance a
+minuet, won&rsquo;t you, old fellow?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Tom waved his head up and down as his way was
+when anyone asked him a question, and harlequin, satisfied
+with this silent consent, ran off to find a columbine
+and to dance the galop.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, Tom remained alone with the waiters;
+motionless at his post, but with longing eyes turned
+towards the counter on which the most tempting piles
+of cake were heaped on numerous dishes. The waiters,
+remarking his rapt attention, and pleased to tempt a
+customer, stretched out a dish, Tom extended his paw
+and gingerly took a cake&mdash;then a second&mdash;then a third:
+the waiters seemed never tired of offering, or Tom of
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>8]</a></span>
+accepting these delicacies, and so, when the galop ended
+and the dancers returned to the crush-room, he had made
+short work of some dozens of little cakes.</p>
+
+<p>Harlequin had recruited a columbine and a shepherdess,
+and he introduced these ladies as partners for the promised
+minuet. With all the air of an old friend he whispered a
+few words to Tom, who, in the best of humours after so
+many cakes, replied with his most gracious growl. The
+harlequin, turning towards the gallery, announced that his
+lordship had much pleasure in complying with the universal
+request, and amidst loud applause, the shepherdess
+took one of Tom&rsquo;s paws and the columbine the other.
+Tom, for his part, like an accomplished cavalier, walked
+between his two partners, glancing at them by turns with
+looks of some surprise, and soon found himself with them
+in the middle of the pit of the theatre which was used as
+a ball-room. All took their places, some in the boxes,
+others in the galleries, the greater number forming a
+circle round the dancers. The band struck up.</p>
+
+<p>The minuet was Tom&rsquo;s greatest triumph and Fan&rsquo;s
+masterpiece, and with the very first steps success was
+assured and went on increasing with each movement,
+till at the last figure the applause became delirious. Tom
+was swept off in triumph to a stage box where the
+shepherdess, removing her wreath of roses, crowned him
+with it, whilst the whole theatre resounded with the
+applause of the spectators.</p>
+
+<p>Tom leant over the front of the box with a grace all
+his own; at the same time the strains of a fresh dance
+were heard, and everyone hurried to secure partners
+except a few courtiers of the new star who hovered round
+in hope of extracting an order for the play from him, but
+Tom only replied to their broadest hints with his perpetual
+&lsquo;Grroonnn.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>By degrees this became rather monotonous, and gradually
+Tom&rsquo;s court dwindled away, people murmuring that,
+though his dancing powers were certainly unrivalled, his
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>9]</a></span>
+conversation was a trifle insipid. An hour later Tom was
+alone! So fleeting is public favour.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<a name="illo02" id="illo02"></a>
+<img src="images/asb04.jpg" width="400" height="460"
+alt="Tom dancing with two women" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;THE MINUET WAS TOM&rsquo;S GREATEST TRIUMPH&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>And now the hour of departure drew near. The pit
+was thinning and the boxes empty, and pale rays of
+morning light were glinting into the hall when the box-opener,
+who was going her rounds, heard sounds of snoring
+proceeding from one of the stage boxes. She opened
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>10]</a></span>
+the door, and there was Tom, who, tired out after his eventful
+night, had fallen fast asleep on the floor. The box-opener
+stepped in and politely hinted that it was six
+o&rsquo;clock and time to go home.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrooonnn,&rsquo; said Tom.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I hear you,&rsquo; said the box-opener; &lsquo;you&rsquo;re asleep, my
+good man, but you&rsquo;ll sleep better still in your own bed.
+Come, come, your wife must be getting quite anxious!
+Upon my word I don&rsquo;t believe he hears a word I say.
+How heavily he sleeps!&rsquo; And she shook him by the
+shoulder.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrrooonnn!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All right, all right! This isn&rsquo;t a time to make believe.
+Besides, we all know you. There now, they&rsquo;re putting out
+the lights. Shall I send for a cab for you?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrroooonnn.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Come, come, the Od&eacute;on Theatre isn&rsquo;t an inn; come,
+be off! Oh, <em>that&rsquo;s</em> what you&rsquo;re after, is it? Fie, Monsieur
+Odry, fie! I shall call the guard; the inspector hasn&rsquo;t
+gone to bed yet. Ah, indeed! You won&rsquo;t obey rules!
+You are trying to beat me, are you? You would beat a
+woman&mdash;and a former artiste to M. Odry, would you? For
+shame! But we shall see. Here, help&mdash;police&mdash;inspector&mdash;help!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What&rsquo;s the matter?&rsquo; cried the fireman on duty.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Help!&rsquo; screamed the box-opener, &lsquo;help!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What&rsquo;s the matter?&rsquo; asked the sergeant commanding
+the patrol.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, it&rsquo;s old mother what&rsquo;s her name, shrieking for help
+in one of the stage boxes.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Coming!&rsquo; shouted the sergeant.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;This way, Mr. Sergeant, this way,&rsquo; cried the box-opener.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All right, my dear, here I am. But where are you?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Don&rsquo;t be afraid; there are no steps&mdash;straight on this
+way&mdash;he&rsquo;s in the corner. Oh, the rascal, he&rsquo;s as strong
+as a Turk!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>11]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Grrrooonnn,&rsquo; said Tom.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There, do you hear him? Is that to be called a Christian
+language?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Come, come, my friend,&rsquo; said the sergeant, who had
+at last managed to distinguish Tom in the faint twilight.
+&lsquo;We all know what it is to be young&mdash;no one likes a joke
+better than I do&mdash;but rules are rules, and the hour for
+going home has struck, so right about face, march! and
+quick step too.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrrooonnn&rsquo;&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Very pretty; a first-rate imitation. But suppose we try
+something else now for a change. Come, old fellow, step
+out with a good will. Ah! you won&rsquo;t. You&rsquo;re going to
+cut up rough, are you? Here, my man, lay hold and turn
+him out.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He won&rsquo;t walk, sergeant.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, what are the butt ends of your muskets for?
+Come, a tap or two will do no harm.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrrooonnn&mdash;Grrrooonnn&mdash;Grrrooonnn&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Go on, give it him well!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I say, sergeant,&rsquo; said one of the men, &lsquo;it strikes me
+he&rsquo;s a <em>real</em> bear. I caught hold of him by the collar just
+now, and the skin seems to grow on the flesh.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, if he&rsquo;s a real bear treat him with every consideration.
+His owner might claim damages. Go and fetch
+the fireman&rsquo;s lantern.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Grrrooonnn.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Here&rsquo;s the lantern,&rsquo; said a man; &lsquo;now then, throw
+some light on the prisoner.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The soldier obeyed.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is certainly a real snout,&rsquo; declared the sergeant.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Goodness gracious me!&rsquo; shrieked the box-opener as
+she took to her heels, &lsquo;a real live bear!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, yes, a real live bear. Let&rsquo;s see if he has any
+name or address on him and take him home. I expect he
+has strayed, and being of a sociable disposition, came in
+to the Masked Ball.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>12]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Grrrooonnn.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There, you see, he agrees.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Hallo!&rsquo; exclaimed one of the soldiers.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What&rsquo;s the matter?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 407px;">
+<a name="illo03" id="illo03"></a>
+<img src="images/asb05.jpg" width="407" height="430"
+alt="The box-opener and sergeant discover Tom asleep" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">TOM DISCOVERED IN THE BOX</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He has a little bag hung round his neck.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Open the bag.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;A card.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Read the card.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The soldier took it and read:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>13]</a></span>
+&lsquo;My name is Tom. I live at No. 109 Rue Faubourg
+St.-Denis. I have five francs in my purse. Two for a cab,
+and three for whoever takes me home.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;True enough; there are the five francs,&rsquo; cried the sergeant.
+&lsquo;Now then, two volunteers for escort duty.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Here!&rsquo; cried the guard in chorus.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Don&rsquo;t all speak at once! Let the two seniors have
+the benefit of the job; off with you, my lads.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Two of the municipal guards advanced towards Tom,
+slipped a rope round his neck and, for precaution&rsquo;s sake,
+gave it a twist or two round his snout. Tom offered no
+resistance&mdash;the butt ends of the muskets had made him
+as supple as a glove. When they were fifty yards from
+the theatre, &lsquo;Bah!&rsquo; said one of the soldiers, &lsquo;&rsquo;tis a fine
+morning. Suppose we don&rsquo;t take a cab. The walk will
+do him good.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Besides,&rsquo; remarked the other, &lsquo;we should each have
+two and a half francs instead of only one and a half.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Agreed.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Half an hour later they stood at the door of 109. After
+some knocking, a very sleepy portress looked out.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look here, Mother Wideawake,&rsquo; said one of the guard;
+&lsquo;here&rsquo;s one of your lodgers. Do you recognise him?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why, I should rather think so. It&rsquo;s Monsieur
+D&eacute;camps&rsquo; bear!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The same day, Odry the actor received a bill for little
+cakes, amounting to seven francs and a half.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>14]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>SA&Iuml; THE PANTHER</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Loudon&rsquo;s <i>Magazine of Natural History</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>About seventy or eighty years ago two little panthers
+were deserted by their mother in one of the forests of
+Ashantee. They were too young to get food for themselves,
+and would probably have died had they not been
+found by a passing traveller, and by him taken to the
+palace as a present to the king. Here they lived and
+played happily for several weeks, when one day the elder
+and larger, whose name was Sa&iuml;, gave his brother, in fun,
+such a dreadful squeeze that, without meaning it, he suffocated
+him. This frightened the king, who did not care to
+keep such a powerful pet about him, and he gave him away
+to Mr. Hutchison, an English gentleman, who was a sort
+of governor for the English traders settled in that part of
+Africa.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Hutchison and Sa&iuml; took a great fancy to each
+other, and spent a great deal of time together, and when,
+a few months later, Mr. Hutchison returned to Cape
+Coast he brought Sa&iuml; with him. The two friends always
+had dinner at the same time, Sa&iuml; sitting at his master&rsquo;s
+side and eating quietly whatever was given him. In
+general he was quite content with his portion, but once or
+twice, when he was hungrier than usual, he managed to
+steal a fowl out of the dish. For the sake of his manners
+the fowl was always taken from him, although he was
+invariably given some other food to satisfy his hunger.</p>
+
+<p>At first the inhabitants of the castle and the children
+were much afraid of him, but he soon became very tame,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>15]</a></span>
+and his teeth and claws were filed so that he should not hurt
+anyone, even in play. When he got a little accustomed
+to the place, he was allowed to go where he liked within
+the castle grounds, and a boy was told off to look after
+him. Sometimes the boy would go to sleep when he
+ought to have been watching his charge, and then Sa&iuml;,
+who knew perfectly well that this was not at all right,
+would steal quietly away and amuse himself till he thought
+his keeper would be awake again. One day, when he returned
+from his wanderings, he found the boy, as usual,
+comfortably curled up in a cool corner of the doorstep
+sound asleep. Sa&iuml; looked at him for a moment, and then,
+thinking that it was full time for him to be taught his
+duty, he gave him one pat on his head, which sent the
+boy over like a ninepin and gave him a good fright, though
+it did not do him any harm.</p>
+
+<p>Sa&iuml; was very popular with everybody, but he had his
+own favourites, and the chief of these was the governor,
+whom he could not bear to let out of his sight. When
+his master went out he would station himself at the
+drawing-room window, where he could watch all that was
+going on, and catch the first sight of his returning friend.
+Being by this time nearly grown up, Sa&iuml;&rsquo;s great body took
+up all the space, to the great disgust of the children, who
+could see nothing. They tried to make him move, first by
+coaxings and then by threats, but as Sa&iuml; did not pay the
+smallest attention to either one or the other, they at last
+all took hold of his tail and pulled so hard that he was
+forced to move.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 348px;">
+<a name="illo04" id="illo04"></a>
+<img src="images/asb06.jpg" width="348" height="510"
+alt="The three children try to get Sa&iuml; to move from the window seat" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;THEY AT LAST ALL TOOK HOLD OF HIS TAIL&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Strange to say, the black people were a great deal
+more afraid of Sa&iuml; than any of the white ones, and one of
+his pranks nearly caused the death of an old woman who
+was the object of it. It was her business to sweep out
+and keep clean the great hall of the castle, and one morning
+she was crouching down on all fours with a short
+broom in her hand, thinking of nothing but how to get
+the dust out of the floor, when Sa&iuml;, who had hidden
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>16]</a></span>
+himself under a sofa, and was biding his time, suddenly sprang
+on to her back, where he stood triumphantly. The old
+woman believed her last hour had come, and the other
+servants all ran away shrieking, lest it should be their
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17"><!-- original location of Terror illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>19]</a></span>
+turn next. Sa&iuml; would not budge from his position till the
+governor, who had been alarmed by the terrible noise, came
+to see what was the matter, and soon made Master Sa&iuml;
+behave himself.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 412px;">
+<a name="illo05" id="illo05"></a>
+<img src="images/asb07.jpg" width="412" height="600"
+alt="A sailor tries to stop the orang-outang hiding in the ship's rigging" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">TERROR OF THE ORANG-OUTANG AT SA&Iuml;</p>
+
+<p>At this time it was settled that Sa&iuml; was to travel to
+England under the care of one of his Cape Coast friends
+and be presented to the Duchess of York, who was very
+fond of animals. In those days, of course, journeys took
+much longer than they do now, and there were other
+dangers than any which might arise from storms and
+tempests. While the strong cage of wood and iron was
+being built which was to form Sa&iuml;&rsquo;s house on the way to
+England, his lady keeper thought it would be a good
+opportunity to make friends with him, and used to spend
+part of every day talking to him and playing with him;
+for this, as everyone knows, is the only way to gain
+the affection of bird or beast. It was very easy to love
+Sa&iuml;; he was so gentle and caressing, especially with
+children; and he was very handsome besides in his silky
+yellow coat with black spots, which, as the French say,
+does not spoil anything. Many creatures and many men
+might have made a great fuss at being shut into a cage
+instead of being allowed to walk about their own house
+and grounds, but everyone had always been kind to Sa&iuml;,
+so he took for granted it was all right, and made himself
+as comfortable as he could, and was quite prepared to
+submit to anything disagreeable that he thought reasonable.
+But it very nearly happened that poor Sa&iuml; had no
+voyage at all, for while he was being hauled from the
+canoe which had brought him from the shore into the ship,
+the men were so afraid to come near him that they let
+his cage fall into the sea, and if the sailors from the vessel
+had not been very quick in lowering a boat it would have
+been too late to save him. As it was, for many days he
+would not look up or eat or speak, and his friend was
+quite unhappy about him, although the same symptoms
+have sometimes been shown by human beings who have
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>20]</a></span>
+only been <em>on</em> the sea instead of <em>in</em> it. At last he was
+roused from his sad condition by hearing the lady&rsquo;s voice.
+He raised his head and cocked his ears, first a little, then
+more; and when she came up to the cage he rolled over
+and over with delight, and howled and cried and tried to
+reach her. When he got a little calmer she told him to
+put his paws through the bars and shake hands, and from
+that moment Sa&iuml; was himself again.</p>
+
+<p>Now it was a very strange taste on the part of a
+panther whose fathers and grandfathers had lived and
+died in the heart of African forests, but Sa&iuml; loved nothing
+so much as lavender water, which white people use a
+great deal in hot countries. If anyone took out a handkerchief
+which had been sprinkled with lavender water,
+Sa&iuml; would instantly snatch it away, and in his delight
+would handle it so roughly that it was soon torn to atoms.
+His friend in charge knew of this odd fancy, and on the
+voyage she amused herself regularly twice a week with
+making a little cup of paper, which she filled with the
+scent and passed through the bars, taking care never to
+give it him till he had drawn back his claws into their
+sheaths. Directly he got hold of the cup Sa&iuml; would roll
+over and over it, and would pay no attention to anyone as
+long as the smell lasted. It almost seemed as if he liked
+it better than his food!</p>
+
+<p>For some reason or other the vessel lay at anchor for
+nearly two months in the river Gaboon, and Sa&iuml; might
+have been allowed to leave his cage if he had not been an
+animal of such very strong prejudices. Black people he
+could not endure, and, of course, they came daily in swarms
+with food for the ship. Pigs, too, he hated, and they ran
+constantly past his cage, while as for an orang-outang
+monkey about three feet high, which a black trader once
+tried to sell to the sailors, Sa&iuml; showed such mad symptoms
+at the very sight of it that the poor beast rushed in terror
+to the other end of the vessel, knocking down everything
+that came in its way. If the monkey took some time to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21"><!-- original location of Pill illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>23]</a></span>
+recover from his fright, it was very long before Sa&iuml; could
+forget the shock he had received. Day and night he
+watched and listened, and sometimes, when he fancied his
+enemy was near, he would give a low growl and arch his
+back and set up his tail; yet, as far as we know, he had
+never from his babyhood killed anything.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo06" id="illo06"></a>
+<img src="images/asb08.jpg" width="600" height="370"
+alt="A sailor helps his keeper give Sa&iuml; his medicine" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">SA&Iuml; HAS TO TAKE A PILL</p>
+
+<p>But when at last the winds were favourable, and the
+ship set sail for the open sea, other adventures were in
+store for the passengers. Pirates infested the coast of
+Africa in those days, and they came on board and carried
+off everything of value, including the stores of provisions.
+The only things they did not think worth removing were
+the parrots, of which three hundred had been brought
+by the sailors, and as these birds could not stand the cold,
+and died off fast as the ship steered north, Sa&iuml; was allowed
+one a day, which just managed to keep him alive. Still,
+there is very little nourishment to be got out of a parrot,
+especially when you eat it with the feathers on, and Sa&iuml;
+soon became very ill and did not care even for parrots.
+His keeper felt his nose and found it dry and feverish, so
+she begged that she might take him out of his cage and
+doctor him herself. A little while before, Sa&iuml; would have
+been enchanted to be free, but now he was too ill to
+enjoy anything, and he just stretched himself out on deck,
+with his head on his mistress&rsquo;s feet. Luckily she had
+some fever medicine with her, good for panthers as well
+as men and women, and she made up three large pills
+which she hoped might cure Sa&iuml;. Of course it was not to
+be expected that he would take them of his own free will,
+so she got the boy who looked after him to hold open his
+mouth, while she pushed down the pills. Then he was
+put back into his cage, the boy insisting on going with
+him, and both slept comfortably together. In a few days,
+with the help of better food than he had been having, he
+got quite well, and on his arrival in England won the
+admiration of the Duchess of York, his new mistress, by
+his beauty and gentle ways. As his country house was
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>24]</a></span>
+not quite ready for him, he was left for a few weeks
+with a man who understood animals, and seemed contented
+and happy, and was allowed to walk about as he
+liked. Here the Duchess of York used constantly to visit
+him and play with him, even going to see him the very
+day before he&mdash;and she&mdash;were to move into the country.
+He was in excellent spirits, and appeared perfectly well,
+but he must somehow have taken a chill, for when, on the
+following day, the Duchess&rsquo;s coachman came to fetch him,
+he found poor Sa&iuml; had died after a few hours&rsquo; illness from
+inflammation of the lungs.</p>
+
+<p>After all he is not so much to be pitied. He had had
+a very happy life, with plenty of fun and plenty of kindness,
+and he had a very rapid and painless death.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>25]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE BUZZARD AND THE PRIEST</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Bingley&rsquo;s <i>Animal Biography</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>About one hundred and forty years ago a French priest
+received a present of a large brown and grey bird, which
+had been taken in a snare intended for some other
+creature, and was very wild and savage. The man who
+brought it was quite ignorant what kind of bird it was,
+but the priest knew it to be the common buzzard, and
+made up his mind to try to tame it. He began by
+keeping it shut up, and allowing it to take no food except
+out of his hand, and after about six weeks of this treatment
+it grew much quieter, and had learnt to know its
+master. The priest then thought it would be safe to give
+the buzzard a little more freedom, and after carefully
+tying its wings, so that it could not fly away, he turned it
+out into the garden. Of course it was highly delighted to
+find itself in the sun once more, and hopped about with
+joy, and the time passed quickly till it began to get
+hungry, when it was glad to hear its master calling it to
+come in to dinner. Indeed, the bird always seemed so fond
+of the priest, that in a few days he thought he might
+leave it quite free, so he unfastened its wings and left them
+loose, merely hanging a label with his own name round
+its neck, and putting a little bell round its leg. But what
+was the poor man&rsquo;s disgust, to see the buzzard instantly
+spread out its great wings and make for the neighbouring
+forest, deaf to all his calls! He naturally expected that,
+in spite of his trouble and precautions, the bird had
+flown away for ever, and sat sadly down to prepare his
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>26]</a></span>
+next day&rsquo;s sermon. Now sermons are things that take
+up a great deal of attention, and he had almost forgotten
+his lost favourite when he was startled by a tremendous
+noise in the hall outside his study, and on opening the
+door to see what was the matter, he saw his buzzard
+rushing about, followed by five others, who were so
+jealous of its copper plate and bell, that they had tried to
+peck them off, and the poor thing had flown as fast as it
+could to its master&rsquo;s house, where it knew it was safe.</p>
+
+<p>After this it took care not to wander too far from
+home, and came back every night to sleep on the priest&rsquo;s
+window sill. Soon it grew bolder still, and would sit on
+the corner of the table when he was at dinner, and now and
+then would rub his head against his shoulder, uttering
+a low cry of affection and pleasure. Sometimes it would
+even do more, and follow him for several miles when he
+happened to be riding.</p>
+
+<p>But the buzzard was not the only pet the priest had
+to look after. There were ducks, and chickens, and dogs,
+and four large cats. The ducks and chickens it did not
+mind, at least those that belonged to the house, and it
+would even take its bath at the same time with the
+ducklings, and never trod upon them when they got in
+its way, or got cross and pecked them. And if hawks or
+any such birds tried to snap up the little ones who had
+left their mother&rsquo;s wing to take a peep at the world,
+the buzzard would instantly fly to their help, and never
+once was beaten in the battle. Curiously enough, however,
+it seemed to think it might do as it liked with the
+fowls and ducks that belonged to other people, and so
+many were the complaints of cocks and hens lamed and
+killed, that the priest was obliged to let it be known that
+he would pay for all such damage, in order to save his
+favourite&rsquo;s life. As to dogs and cats, it always got the
+better of <em>them</em>; in any experiment which it amused the
+priest to make. One day he threw a piece of raw meat
+into the garden where the cats were collected, to be
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>27]</a></span>
+scrambled for. A young and active puss instantly seized
+it and ran away with her prize, with all the other cats
+after her. But quick as she was, the buzzard, who had
+been watching her movements from the bough of a tree,
+was quicker still. Down it pounced on her back, squeezed
+her sides with its claws, and bit her ears so sharply, that
+she was forced to let go. In one moment another cat
+had picked the morsel up in its teeth, but it did not hold
+it long. The process that had answered for one cat
+would answer for a second, as the buzzard very well
+knew. Down he swooped again, and even when the
+whole four cats, who saw in him a common enemy,
+attacked the bird at once, they proved no match for him,
+and in the end they were clever enough to find that out.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 404px;">
+<a name="illo07" id="illo07"></a>
+<img src="images/asb09.jpg" width="404" height="295"
+alt="The buzzard pecks at one of the cats" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE CATS NO MATCH FOR THE BUZZARD</p>
+
+<p>It is not easy to know what buzzards in general think
+about things, but this one hated scarlet as much as any
+bull. Whenever he saw a red cap on any of the peasants&rsquo;
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>28]</a></span>
+heads, he would hide himself among the thick boughs
+overhanging the road where the man had to pass, and
+would nip it off so softly that the peasant never felt his
+loss. He would even
+manage to take off
+the wigs which every
+one wore then, and
+that was cleverer
+still, and off he would
+carry both wigs and
+caps to a tall tree in a
+park near by, and hang
+them all over it, like a
+new kind of fruit.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 422px;">
+<a name="illo08" id="illo08"></a>
+<img src="images/asb10.jpg" width="422" height="530"
+alt="A man reacts with shock as his wig and hat are stolen" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE BUZZARD CARRIES OFF HAT AND WIG</p>
+
+<p>As may be imagined,
+a bird so bold made
+many enemies, and was
+often shot at by the
+keepers, but for a long
+time it appeared to bear
+a charmed life, and nothing
+did it any harm.
+However, one unlucky
+day a keeper who was
+going his rounds in the
+forest, and who did not
+know what a strange and
+clever bird this buzzard
+was, saw him on the back
+of a fox which he had attacked
+for want of something
+better to do, and
+fired two shots at them. One shot killed the fox; the
+other broke the wing of the buzzard, but he managed to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>29]</a></span>
+fly out of reach of the keeper, and hid himself. Meanwhile
+the tinkling of the bell made the keeper guess
+that this must be the priest&rsquo;s pet, of which he had so
+often heard; and being anxious to do what he could to
+repair the damage he had done, he at once told the
+priest what had happened. The priest went out directly
+to the forest, and gave his usual whistle, but neither
+on that evening nor on several others was there any
+reply. At last on the seventh night he heard a low
+answer, and on searching narrowly all through the wood,
+the priest found the poor buzzard, which had hopped
+nearly two miles towards its old home, dragging its broken
+wing after it. The bird was very thin, but was enchanted
+to see his old master, who carried him home and nursed
+him for six weeks, when he got quite well, and was able
+to fly about as boldly as ever.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>30]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>COWPER AND HIS HARES</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Bingley&rsquo;s <i>British Quadrupeds</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>No one was fonder of animals, or kinder to them, than
+Cowper the poet, who lived towards the end of the last
+century; but of all creatures he loved hares best, perhaps
+because he, like them, was timid and easily frightened.
+He has left a very interesting account of three hares that
+were given to him when he was living in the country in
+the year 1774, and as far as possible the poet shall tell
+his own story of the friendship between himself and his
+pets&mdash;Puss, Tiney, and Bess, as he called them.</p>
+
+<p>Cowper was not at all a strong man, and suffered
+terribly from fits of low spirits, and at these times he
+could not read, and disliked the company of people, who
+teased him by giving him advice or asking him questions.
+It was during one of these seasons of solitude and
+melancholy that he noticed a poor little hare belonging
+to the children of one of his neighbours, who, without
+meaning really to be unkind, had worried the little thing
+almost to death. Soon they got tired even of playing
+with it, and the poor hare was in danger of being starved
+to death, when their father, whose heart was more tender
+than theirs, proposed that it should be given to their
+neighbour Mr. Cowper.</p>
+
+<p>Now Cowper, besides feeling pity for the poor little
+creature, felt that he should like to teach and train it,
+and as just then he was too unhappy to care for his usual
+occupations, he gladly accepted the present. In a very
+short time Puss was given two companions, Tiney and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>31]</a></span>
+Bess, and could have had dozens more if Cowper had
+wanted them, for the villagers offered to catch him enough
+to have filled the whole countryside if he would only give
+the order.</p>
+
+<p>However, Cowper decided that three would be ample
+for his purposes, and as he wished them to learn nice
+clean habits, he began with his own hands to build them
+a house. The house contained a large hall and three
+bedrooms, each with a separate bed, and it was astonishing
+how soon every hare knew its own bedroom, and
+how careful he was (for in spite of their names they were
+all males) never to go into those of his friends.</p>
+
+<p>Very soon all three made themselves much at home
+in their comfortable quarters, and Puss, the first comer,
+would jump on his master&rsquo;s lap and, standing up on
+his hind legs, would bite the hair on his temples. He
+enjoyed being carried about like a baby, and would even
+go to sleep in Cowper&rsquo;s arms, which is a very strange
+thing for a hare to do. Once Puss got ill, and then the
+poet took care to keep him apart from the other two, for
+animals have a horror of their sick companions, and are
+generally very unkind to them. So he nursed Puss himself,
+and gave him all sorts of herbs and grasses as medicine,
+and at last Puss began to get better, and took notice
+of what was going on round him. When he was strong
+enough to take his first little walk, his pleasure knew no
+bounds; and in token of his gratitude he licked his
+master&rsquo;s hand, first back, then front, and then between
+every finger. As soon as he felt himself quite strong
+again, he went with the poet every day, after breakfast,
+into the garden, where he lay all the morning under a
+trailing cucumber, sometimes asleep, but every now and
+then eating a leaf or two by way of luncheon. If the
+poet was ever later than usual in leaving the house, Puss
+would down on his knees and look up into his eyes with
+a pleading expression, or, if these means failed, he would
+seize his master&rsquo;s coat between his teeth, and pull as
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>32]</a></span>
+hard as he could towards the window. Puss was, perhaps,
+the pleasantest of all the hares, but Bess, who died
+young, was the cleverest and most amusing. He had his
+little tempers, and when he was not feeling very well, he
+was glad to be petted and made much of; but no sooner
+had he recovered than he resented any little attentions,
+and would growl and run away or even bite if you attempted
+to touch him. It was impossible really to tame
+Tiney, but there was something so serious and solemn in
+all he did, that it made you laugh even to watch him.</p>
+
+<p>Bess, the third, was very different from the other two.
+He did not need taming, for he was tame from the beginning,
+as it never entered into his head that anyone
+could be unkind to him. In many things he had the
+same tastes as his friends. All three loved lettuces,
+dandelions, and oats; and every night little dishes were
+placed in their bedrooms, in case they might feel hungry.
+One day their master was clearing out a birdcage while
+his three hares were sitting by, and he placed on the floor
+a pot containing some white sand, such as birds use
+instead of a carpet. The moment they saw the sand,
+they made a rush for it and ate it up greedily. Cowper
+took the hint, and always saw, after that, that sand was
+placed where the hares could get at it.</p>
+
+<p>After supper they all spent the evenings in the parlour,
+and would tumble over together, and jump over each
+other&rsquo;s backs, and see which could spring the farthest,
+just like a set of kittens. But the cleverest of them all
+was Bess, and he was also the strongest.</p>
+
+<p>Poor Bess! he was the first to die, soon after he
+was grown up, and Tiney and Puss had to get on as best
+they could without him, which was not half as much fun.
+There was no one now to invent queer games, or to keep
+the cat in order when it tried to take liberties; and no
+one, too, to prevent Tiney from bullying Puss, as he was
+rather fond of doing. Tiney lived to be nine, quite a respectable
+age for a hare, and died at last from the effects
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>33]</a></span>
+of a fall. Puss went on for another three years, and
+showed no signs of decay, except that he was a little
+less playful, which was only to be expected. His last act
+was to make friends with a dog called Marquis, to whom
+he was introduced by his master; and though the spaniel
+could not take the place of Puss&rsquo;s early companions,
+he was better than nobody, and the two got on quite
+happily together, till the sad day (March 9, 1796) when
+Puss stretched himself at his master&rsquo;s feet and died
+peacefully and without pain, aged eleven years and
+eleven months.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>34]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>A RAT TALE</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Huggy was an old rat when he died&mdash;very old indeed.
+He was born in the middle of a corn-rick, and there he
+might have lived his little life had not the farmer who
+owned the rick caused it to be pulled down. That was
+Huggy&rsquo;s first experience of flitting, and it was done in
+such a hurry that he had hardly time to be sorry. It
+was pitch dark when his mother shook him up roughly
+and told him to &lsquo;come along, or he would be killed by
+the farmer,&rsquo; and poor Huggy, blinking his sleepy eyes,
+struggled out of his snug little bed into the cold black
+night.</p>
+
+<p>Several old rats met him at the entrance, and sternly
+bade him stay where he was and make no noise, for the
+leader was about to speak. Huggy was wide-awake by
+this time. The rat spirit of adventure was roused within
+him by the scent of coming danger, and eagerly he
+listened to the shrill, clear voice of the leader:</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Friends, old and young, this is not a time for many
+words, but I want you all to know the cause of this
+sudden disturbance. Last night I was scavenging round
+the farmer&rsquo;s kitchen, seeking what I might devour, when
+in came the stable-boy tapping an empty corn-sieve
+which he had in his hand. He said a few words to
+the farmer, who rose hastily, and together they left the
+kitchen, I following at a convenient distance. They went
+straight to the stable, and talked for some time with their
+backs to the corn-bin, which was standing open in the
+window. After a while I managed to scramble up and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>35]</a></span>
+peer into it, only to confirm what I dreaded most&mdash;the
+corn-bin was empty! To-morrow they will pull down
+this rick, thresh the corn, and replenish the empty bin.
+So, my friends, unless we mean to die by dog, stick, or
+fork, we had better be off as soon as it is daylight.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>There was a shuffle of feet all round, and a general
+rush of anxious mothers into the rick to fetch out their
+young. Huggy was waiting at the entrance; so, as soon
+as he caught sight of his mother, he raced off with her to
+join the fast-assembling crowd at the back of the rick.
+The leader ranged them in lines of ten abreast, and, after
+walking up and down to see that all were in their places,
+he gave a shrill squeak, and the column started. They
+marched steadily for about two miles&mdash;slowly, of course,
+because of the young ones. Nothing proved an obstacle
+to them. Sometimes a high wall crossed their path, but
+they merely ran up one side and down the other, as if it
+was level road. Sometimes it was a broad river which
+confronted them, but that they swam without hesitation&mdash;rats
+will not stop at such trifles.</p>
+
+<p>At length they came to a field where a man with a
+pair of horses was ploughing. His coat, in which his
+dinner was wrapt, lay on the wall some little distance from
+him. Seeing such a number of rats, he left his horses
+and ran for his life, and hid behind a knoll, whence he
+could view the proceedings without himself being seen.
+To his great disgust, he saw the creatures first crowd
+round his coat, then run over it, and finally eat out of his
+pocket the bread and cheese his wife had provided for his
+dinner!</p>
+
+<p>That was a stroke of luck for the rats. They had not
+counted on so early a breakfast; so it was with lightsome
+hearts they performed the rest of their journey.</p>
+
+<p>Huggy was very glad when it was over. He had never
+been so far in his life&mdash;he was only three weeks old.
+Their new home proved to be a cellar, which communicated
+on one side with sundry pipes running straight to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>36]</a></span>
+the kitchen, and on the other with a large ventilator
+opening to the outside air. A paradise for rats! and as
+to the inhabitants of the house&mdash;we shall see.</p>
+
+<p>It was early in the afternoon when they arrived, so
+they had plenty of time to settle down before night.
+Huggy, having selected his corner, left his mother to
+make it comfortable for him, and scampered off for &lsquo;a
+poke round,&rsquo; as he called it. First he went to the
+kitchen, peeped up through a hole in the floor, and,
+seeing no one about, cautiously crept out and sniffed into
+all the cupboards. As he was emerging from the last
+he beheld a sight which made his little heart turn sick.
+There, in a corner which Huggy had not noticed before, lay
+a huge dog half asleep! And so great was Huggy&rsquo;s fright
+that he squeaked, very faintly indeed, yet loud enough to
+set Master Dog upon his feet. Next minute they were
+both tearing across the kitchen. Huggy was a wee bit in
+front, but so little that he could feel the dog&rsquo;s hot breath
+behind him. There was the hole&mdash;bump&mdash;scrabble,
+scrabble&mdash;Huggy was safe! Safe! yes&mdash;but oh, so
+frightened!&mdash;and what made him smart so dreadfully?
+Why, his tail ... was gone&mdash;bitten off by the dog! Ah,
+Huggy, my poor little rat, if it had not been for that
+foolish little squeak of fright you might have been as
+other rats are&mdash;but now! Huggy almost squeaked again,
+it was so very sad&mdash;and painful. Slowly he crept back
+to the cellar, where he had to endure the jeers of his
+young companions and the good advice of his elders.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo09" id="illo09"></a>
+<img src="images/asb11.jpg" width="600" height="363"
+alt="The ploughman runs away from the horde of rats" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;SEEING SUCH A NUMBER OF RATS, HE LEFT HIS HORSES AND RAN FOR HIS LIFE&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>It was some weeks before Huggy fully recovered himself,
+and more weeks still before he could screw up his
+courage to appear among his companions as the &lsquo;tailless
+rat;&rsquo; but at long and at last he did crawl out, and,
+because he looked so shy and frightened, the other rats
+were merciful, and let him alone. The old rat, too&mdash;the
+leader&mdash;took a great fancy to him, and used to allow
+Huggy to accompany him on his various exploits, which
+was considered a great privilege among the older rats,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37"><!-- original location of Horses illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>39]</a></span>
+and Huggy was very proud of it. One night he and the
+leader were out together, when their walk happened to
+take them (as it generally did) round by the pantry. As
+a matter of course, they went in, and had a good meal off
+a loaf which the careless table-maid had left standing on
+the shelf. Beside the loaf was a box of matches, and
+Huggy could not be happy till he had found out what was
+inside. First he gnawed the box a little, then he dragged
+it up and down, then he gnawed a little more, and, finding
+it was not very good to eat, he began to play with it.
+Suddenly, without any warning, there was a splutter and
+a flare. Huggy and the leader were outside in a twinkling,
+leaving the pantry in a blaze. Luckily no great
+damage was done, for the flames were seen and put out
+in time.</p>
+
+<p>So, little by little, Huggy was led on. In vain did his
+mother plead with him to be careful. He was &lsquo;a big rat
+now, and could look after himself,&rsquo; he said. The following
+week the leader organised a party to invade the hen-house.
+Of course Huggy was among the number chosen. It required
+no little skill to creep noiselessly up the broken
+ladder, visiting the various nests ranged along each side
+of the walls; for laying hens are nervous ladies, and, if
+startled, make enough noise to waken a town. But the
+leader had selected his party well, and not a sound was
+made till the proper time came. Once up the ladder, each
+rat took it in turn to slip in behind the hen, and gently
+roll one egg at a time from under her. The poor birds
+rarely resisted; experience had taught them long since
+the futility of such conduct. It was the young and ignorant
+fowls who gave all the trouble; they fluttered about
+in a fright and disturbed the whole house. But the rats
+knew pretty well which to go to; so they worked on without
+interruption. When they had collected about a dozen
+eggs, the next move was to take them safely down the
+ladder into the cellar. This was very soon done. Huggy
+lay down on his back, nestled an egg cosily between himself
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>40]</a></span>
+and his two front paws; a feather was put through his
+mouth, by which means a rat on either side dragged him
+along. Huggy found it rather rough on his back going
+down the ladder, but, with a good supper in view, he could
+bear most things. The eggs having been brought thus to
+the level of the ground, the rats dragged them in the same
+way slowly and carefully down to the cellar.</p>
+
+<p>So time went on. Night after night parties of rats went
+out, and each morning they returned with tales of adventure
+and cunning&mdash;all more or less daring. But the leader
+was getting old. Huggy had noticed for some time how
+grey and feeble he was becoming; nor was he much surprised
+when, one day, the leader told him that he (Huggy)
+would have to take his place as leader of the rats. Two
+days after this the old rat died, leaving Huggy to succeed
+him; and a fine lot of scrapes did that rat and his
+followers get into.</p>
+
+<p>The larder was their favourite haunt, where joints of
+meat were hung on hooks &lsquo;quite out o&rsquo; reach o&rsquo; them rats,&rsquo;
+as the cook said. But Huggy thought differently, and in
+a trice ten large rats had run up the wall and down the
+hook, and were gobbling the meat as fast as they could.
+But there was one hook in the centre of the ceiling which
+Huggy could not reach; from this hook a nice fat duck
+was suspended by a string. &lsquo;If only I could get on to
+that hook I should gnaw the string, and the duck would
+fall, and&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Huggy got no further. An idea had come to him
+which he communicated quickly to the others. The plan
+seemed to be appreciated, for they all ran to an old chair,
+which was standing just under this difficult centre hook.
+The strongest rat went first, climbed up the back of the
+chair, and balanced himself on the top; Number 2 followed,
+and carefully balanced on Number 1; Number 1 then
+squeaked, which meant he could bear no more. It was
+a pity he could not stand <em>one</em> more; for, as they were, the
+topmost rat could just reach the prize, and though he
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>41]</a></span>
+nibbled all round as far as he
+could, it was not what might
+be called &lsquo;a square meal.&rsquo;
+The cook was indeed amazed
+when, next morning, she
+found only three-fourths of
+her precious duck remaining.
+&lsquo;Ah!&rsquo; she said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ll be even
+with you yet, you cunning
+beasts!&rsquo; And that night she
+sliced up part of a duck with
+some cheese, and put it in
+a plate on the larder floor.
+At his usual hour, when all
+was dark and quiet, Huggy
+and his followers arrived,
+and, seeing their much-coveted
+prize under their
+very noses, were cautious.
+But Huggy was up to the
+trick. &lsquo;To-night and to-morrow
+night you may eat
+it,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;but beware of
+the third.&rsquo; So they partook
+of the duck, and enjoyed it
+that night and the next, but
+the third the dish was left
+untouched.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 172px;">
+<a name="illo10" id="illo10"></a>
+<img src="images/asb12.jpg" width="172" height="600"
+alt="The rats in the larder" />
+</div>
+
+<p>The cook was up betimes
+that morning, so that she
+might bury the corpses before
+breakfast. Her dog (the
+same who had robbed Huggy
+of his tail), according to his
+custom, followed her into the
+larder. On seeing the plate
+just as she had left it the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>42]</a></span>
+night before, the cook, in her astonishment, forgot the
+dog, who, finding no one gainsay him, licked the dish
+with infinite relish. Poor dog! In spite of all efforts to
+save him he died ten minutes afterwards; and the cook
+learnt her lesson also, for she never tried poisoning rats
+again.</p>
+
+<p>Here end the chief events of Huggy&rsquo;s life&mdash;all, at least,
+that are worth recording.</p>
+
+<p>Some years after the death of the dog I was sitting in
+the gloaming close to a steep path which led from the
+cellar down to the river, when what should I see but
+three large rats coming slowly towards me. The middle
+one was the largest, and evidently blind, for he had in his
+mouth a long straw, by which the other two led him carefully
+down the path. As the trio passed I recognised the
+centre one to be Huggy the Tailless.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning my little Irish terrier, Jick, brought him
+to me in his mouth, dead; and I buried him under a Gloire
+de Dijon in a sunny corner of the garden.</p>
+
+
+<p class="break">Fantastic as some of the incidents may sound, they are,
+nevertheless, true, having been collected mainly from an
+old rat-catcher living in the town of Hawick.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>43]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>SNAKE STORIES</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In 1850 Baron de Wogan, a French gentleman, left his
+native land and set sail for North America, to seek his
+fortune and adventures. He was descended from two
+noble adventurers, the Wogan who led a cavalry troop
+from Dover to the Highlands, to fight for Charles II., and
+the Wogan who rescued Queen Clementina, wife of James
+III., from prison in Innspruck. In 1850 adventures, wild
+beasts, and Red Indians were more plentiful than now, and
+Wogan had some narrow escapes from snakes and bears.
+Soon after coming to North America he had his first
+adventure with a rattlesnake; he was then camping at the
+gold fields of California, seeking for gold in order to have
+money enough to start on his voyages of discovery. His
+house was a log hut, built by himself, and his bed a sack
+filled with dry oak leaves.</p>
+
+<p>One day, finding that his mattress required renewing,
+he went out with the sack and his gun. Having filled the
+sack with leaves, he went off with his gun in search of
+game for his larder, and only came home at nightfall.
+After having cooked and eaten his supper, he threw himself
+on his new mattress, and soon was asleep. He
+awoke about three, and would soon have fallen asleep
+again, but he felt something moving in the sack. His
+first thought was that it was a rat, but he soon felt by the
+way it moved that it was no quadruped, but a reptile, no
+rat, but a snake! He must have put it in the sack with
+the leaves, as might easily happen in winter when these
+creatures are torpid from the cold, and sleep all curled
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>44]</a></span>
+up. With one leap the Baron was out of its reach, but
+wishing to examine it more closely, he took his gun to
+protect him in case of danger, and came near the bed
+again; but the ungrateful beast, forgetting that they had
+been bedfellows, threw itself on the gun and began to bite
+the muzzle. Fearing that it might turn and bite him next
+the Baron pulled the trigger, and hitting the serpent,
+literally cut it in two. It measured two feet long, and
+when the Baron cut off its tail, he found a quantity of
+scales which made the
+rattling sound from
+which this serpent gets
+its name.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<a name="illo11" id="illo11"></a>
+<img src="images/asb13.jpg" width="411" height="450"
+alt="The Baron shoots at the snake" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE BARON KILLS THE SNAKE</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the Baron
+had found enough gold,
+he bought a mule whom
+he called Cadi, and
+whom he became very
+fond of, and set off into
+the backwoods in search
+of sport and adventure.
+(Poor Cadi eventually
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>45]</a></span>
+met a terrible end, but that is a Bear story.) He soon
+added another companion, a young Indian girl, Calooa by
+name. She was the daughter of a chief of the Utah
+tribe, and had been taken prisoner, with several other
+women, by a tribe of hostile Indians whom the Baron
+fell in with. She would have been tortured and then
+burnt with the other prisoners had the Baron not saved
+her life by buying her for a silk handkerchief, a knife
+and fork, and some coloured pictures. She wandered
+with him and shared all his adventures, till she was found
+again by her tribe and taken back to them. One hot day
+they had been marching together about thirty miles
+through a country infested with panthers and pumas. The
+Baron was heading the little procession, when suddenly a
+cry from Calooa that she only used in moments of danger
+made him turn round. Then he saw that what he had
+taken to be a huge rotten branch of a tree, and had even
+thought of taking with him for their camp fire, that evening,
+was in reality an enormous serpent. It lay across
+the path asleep, its head resting on the trunk of a tree.
+The Baron raised his gun to his shoulder, and came nearer
+the monster to get a good aim. He fired, but missed.
+The horrid creature reared itself nearly on end and looked
+at him with that fixed stare by which the serpent fascinates
+and paralyses its victim. The Baron felt all the
+fascination, but conquering it, he fired a second time,
+and this time wounded the creature without killing it
+outright. Though mortally wounded, the snake&rsquo;s dying
+struggles were so violent that the young trees all round
+were levelled as if they had been cut with a scythe. As
+soon as they were sure that life was extinct, Calooa and
+the Baron came nearer to examine the snake&rsquo;s dead body.
+Though part of his tail was missing, he measured nevertheless
+five yards long and eighteen inches round.
+Thinking that it seemed of unusual girth, the Baron cut
+it open with an axe, and found inside the body of a young
+prairie wolf, probably about a week old. The peculiarity
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>46]</a></span>
+of this snake was that
+it gave out a strong
+odour of musk, like
+the sea serpent in Mr.
+Kipling&rsquo;s book.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 375px;">
+<a name="illo12" id="illo12"></a>
+<img src="images/asb14.jpg" width="375" height="600"
+alt="The Baron slays the horned snake" />
+</div>
+
+<p>The most horrible
+serpent that the Baron
+encountered and slew
+was the horned snake;
+he learned afterwards
+from the Indians that
+it is the most deadly
+of all the snakes of
+North America, for
+not only is its bite
+venomous, but its tail
+has a sting which contains
+the same poison. It
+crawls like other snakes,
+but when it attacks it
+forms itself into a circle,
+and then suddenly unbending
+itself flings itself
+like a lion on its victim,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>47]</a></span>
+head forward and tail raised, thus attacking with both
+ends at once. If by chance it misses its aim and its
+tail strikes a young tree and penetrates the bark, that
+tree immediately begins to droop, and before long withers
+and dies. On the occasion when the Baron encountered
+it, Calooa and he had been fleeing all night fearing an
+attack of hostile Indians. About daylight they ventured
+to stop to take rest and food. While Calooa lit the fire
+the Baron took his gun and went in search of game. In
+about half an hour he returned with a wild turkey.
+When they had cooked and eaten it, he lay down and
+fell asleep, but had only slept two hours when he awoke,
+feeling his hand touched. It was Calooa, who woke him
+with a terror-stricken face. Looking in the direction she
+pointed, he saw about fifty yards away an enormous
+horned snake wound round a branch of sassafras. It
+was lying in wait for a poor little squirrel, that cowered
+in the hollow of an oak. As soon as the squirrel dared
+to show even the tip of its nose, the serpent flung itself
+at it, but in vain, as its great head could not get into the
+hole.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 344px;">
+<a name="illo13" id="illo13"></a>
+<img src="images/asb15.jpg" width="344" height="380"
+alt="A man attacks the snake with a club" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">HOW THE INDIANS MAKE THE HORNED SNAKE DISGORGE HIS DINNER</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Fortunately,&rsquo; the Baron says, &lsquo;my gun was by my
+side. I rose and went to the rescue of the defenceless
+little creature. When the serpent saw me he knew he had
+another sort of enemy to deal with, and hissing furiously
+hurled himself in my direction, though without quitting his
+branch. I stopped and took aim. The serpent evidently
+understood my attitude perfectly, for unwinding himself
+he began to crawl with all his speed towards me. Between
+us there was fortunately an obstacle, a fallen chestnut tree;
+to reach me he must either climb over it or go round, and
+he was too furious to put up with any delay. Ten paces
+from the tree I waited for him to appear, one knee on
+the ground, my gun at my shoulder, and the other elbow
+resting on my knee to steady my aim. At last I saw his
+horrid head appear above the fallen tree, at the same
+moment I fired, and the ball pierced his head through
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>48]</a></span>
+and through, though without instantly killing him.
+Quick as lightning he wound himself round a branch,
+lashing out with his tail in all directions. It was his dying
+struggle; slowly his fury subsided, and uncoiling himself
+he fell dead alongside the tree. I measured him and
+found he was eight feet long, and seven or eight inches
+round. He was dark brown, and his head had two horns,
+or rather hard knobs. Wishing to carry away some
+souvenir to remember him by when I should be at home
+again in France, I tried to cut off his horns, but found
+it impossible. Out of curiosity I then took an axe and
+cut him open, when I found inside a little bird, dazed
+but living. Presently it revived and began to flutter
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>49]</a></span>
+about, and soon flew away among the bushes and was
+lost to sight. I did not then know that this is a common
+occurrence, and that when the Indians find a serpent
+asleep, as is generally the case after the creature has
+gorged itself, they hit it on the head with a stick, which
+makes it throw up what it has swallowed whole, and
+its victims are often still living.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Calooa on one occasion had a narrow escape. She had
+put her hand into a hollow in a branch of a cherry-tree
+where was a blue jay&rsquo;s nest, to take eggs as she thought.
+Hardly had she put in her hand when she screamed with
+pain; a rattlesnake that had taken possession of the nest
+had stung her. The Baron, much alarmed, expected to
+see Calooa die before his eyes. He did not know of the
+remedy the Indians use for snake bites. Calooa herself
+was quite undisturbed, and hunted about among the
+bushes till she found the plant she knew of, then crushing
+some of the leaves between two stones, she applied them
+to the bite, and in a couple of hours was completely
+cured.</p>
+
+<p>Besides these snakes the Baron learned from the
+Indians that there is another even more dangerous, not
+from its sting, which is not poisonous, but because it
+winds itself round its victim, and strangles him to death.
+Fortunately the Baron never met one, or he would probably
+not have lived to tell his snake stories.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>50]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>WHAT ELEPHANTS CAN DO</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Long, long ago the earth was very different from what
+it is now, and was covered with huge forests made up
+of enormous trees, and in these forests there roamed
+immense beasts, whose skeletons may sometimes be seen
+in our museums.</p>
+
+<p>Of all these beasts there is only one remaining, and
+that is the elephant. Now the elephant is so big and
+shapeless that he makes one think he has been turned
+out by a child who did not know how to finish his work
+properly. He seems to need some feet badly and to want
+pinching about his body. He would also be the better
+for a more imposing tail; but such as he is, the elephant
+is more useful and interesting than many creatures of ten
+times his beauty. Large and clumsy though he may be,
+he alone of all animals has &lsquo;between his eyes a serpent
+for a hand,&rsquo; and he turns his trunk to better account than
+most men do their two hands.</p>
+
+<p>Ever since we first read about elephants in history
+they were just the same as they are now. They have not
+learnt, from associating with men, fresh habits which they
+hand down from father to son; each elephant, quick though
+he is to learn, has to be taught everything over again.</p>
+
+<p>Yet there is no beast who has lived in such unbroken
+contact with man for so many thousands of years. We
+do not know when he first began to be distinguished for
+his qualities from the other wild animals, but as far back
+as we can trace the sculptures which adorn the Indian
+temples the elephant has a place. Several hundred years
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>51]</a></span>
+before Christ, the Greek traveller Herodotus was passing
+through Babylon and found a large number of elephants
+employed in the daily life of the city, and from time to
+time we catch glimpses of them in Eastern warfare,
+though it was not till the third century <small>B.C.</small> that they
+were introduced into Europe by Alexander the Great.
+The Mediterranean nations were quick to see the immense
+profit to which the elephant could be put, both in respect
+to the great weights he could carry, and also for his
+extraordinary teachableness. In India at the present day
+he performs all kinds of varied duties, and many are the
+stories told about his cleverness, for he is the only animal
+that can be taught to push as well as pull.</p>
+
+<p>Most of us have seen elephants trained to perform in
+a circus, and there is something rather sad in watching
+their great clumsy bodies gambolling about in a way that
+is unnatural as well as ungraceful. But there is no
+question as to the amount that elephants can be taught,
+particularly by kindness, or how skilfully they will revenge
+themselves for any ill-treatment.</p>
+
+<p>In the early part of this century an elephant was sent
+by a lady in India as a present to the Duke of Devonshire,
+who had a large villa at Chiswick.</p>
+
+<p>This lucky captive had a roomy house of its own,
+built expressly for it in the park, a field to walk about in,
+and a keeper to look after it, and to do a little light
+gardening besides. This man treated the elephant (a
+female) with great kindness, and they soon became the
+best of friends. The moment he called out she stopped,
+and at his bidding would take a broom in her trunk and
+sweep the dead leaves off the grass; after which she
+would carefully carry after him a large pail of water for
+him to re-fill his watering pot&mdash;for in those days the
+garden-hose was not invented. When the tidying up was
+all done, the elephant was given a carrot and some of the
+water, but very often the keeper would amuse himself
+with handing her a soda-water bottle tightly corked, and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>52]</a></span>
+telling her to empty it. This she did by placing the
+bottle in an inclined position on the ground and holding
+it at the proper angle with her foot, while she twisted the
+cork out with her trunk. This accomplished, she would
+empty all the water into her trunk without spilling a drop,
+and then hand the bottle back to her keeper.</p>
+
+<p>In India small children are often given into the charge
+of an elephant, and it is wonderful to see what care
+the animals take of them. One elephant took such a
+fancy to a small baby, that it used to stand over its
+cradle, and drive away the flies that teased it while it
+slept. When it grew restless the elephant would rock the
+cradle, or gently lift it to the floor and let it crawl about
+between its legs, till the child at last declined to take any
+food unless her friend was by to see her eat it.</p>
+
+<p>Amazing tales have been told of what elephants can
+be trained to do, but none is stranger than a story related
+by a missionary named Caunter, about some wild
+elephants in Ceylon. Some native soldiers who had been
+set to guard a large storehouse containing rice, were
+suddenly ordered off to put down a rising in a village a
+little distance away. Hardly were their backs turned
+when a wild elephant was seen advancing to the storehouse,
+which was situated in a lonely place, and after
+walking carefully round it, he returned whence he came.
+In a short time he was noticed advancing for the second
+time, accompanied by a whole herd of elephants, all
+marching in an orderly and military manner.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo14" id="illo14"></a>
+<img src="images/asb16.jpg" width="600" height="376"
+alt="The elephant carries a heavy barrel" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE ELEPHANT HELPS THE GARDENER</p>
+
+<p>Now in order to secure the granary as much as possible,
+the only entrance had been made in the roof, and had
+to be reached by a ladder. This was soon found out by
+the elephants, who examined the whole building attentively,
+and being baffled in their designs, retired to consult
+as to what they should do next. Finally one of the
+largest among them began to attack one of the corners
+with his tusks, and some of the others followed his
+example. When the first relay was tired out, another set
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"><!-- original location of Gardener illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>55]</a></span>
+took its place, but all their efforts seemed useless; the
+building was too strong for them. At length a third
+elephant came forward and attacked the place at which
+the others had laboured with such ill-success, and, by a
+prodigious effort, he managed to loosen one brick. After
+this it did not take long to dig a hole big enough to let
+the whole herd pass through, and soon the two spectators,
+hidden in a banyan-tree, saw little companies of three or
+four enter the granary and take their fill of rice until
+they all were satisfied. The last batch were still eating
+busily, when a shrill noise from the sentinel they had
+set on guard caused them to rush out. From afar they
+could perceive the white dress of the soldiers who had
+subdued the unruly villagers and were returning to their
+post, and the elephants, trunks in air, took refuge in the
+jungle, and only wagged their tails mockingly at the bullets
+sent after them by the discomfited soldiers.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>56]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE DOG OF MONTARGIS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>For three days Aubrey de Montdidier had not been seen
+by his friends and comrades in arms. On Sunday morning
+he had attended mass in the Church of Our Lady,
+but it was noticed that in the afternoon he was absent from
+the great tournament which was held at Saint Katherine&rsquo;s.
+This astonished his friend the young Sieur de Narsac,
+who had appointed to meet him there, that they might
+watch together the encounter between a Burgundian
+knight and a gentleman from Provence, both renowned
+in tilting, who were to meet together for the first time
+that day in Paris. It was unlike Aubrey to fail to be
+present on such an occasion, and when for three successive
+days he did not appear at his accustomed haunts, his
+friends grew anxious, and began to question among themselves
+whether some accident might not have befallen
+him. Early on the morning of the fourth day De Narsac
+was awakened by a continuous sound, as of something
+scratching against his door. Starting up to listen, he
+heard, in the intervals of the scratching, a low whine, as
+of a dog in pain. Thoroughly aroused, he got up and
+opened the door. Stretched before it, apparently too
+weak to stand, was a great, gaunt greyhound, spent with
+exhaustion and hunger. His ribs stood out like the bars
+of a gridiron beneath his smooth coat; his tongue hung
+down between his jaws, parched and stiff; his eyes were
+bloodshot, and he trembled in every limb.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 378px;">
+<a name="illo15" id="illo15"></a>
+<img src="images/asb17.jpg" width="378" height="490"
+alt="De Narsac pets the emaciated dog" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">DE NARSAC RECOGNISES HIS FRIEND&rsquo;S DOG</p>
+
+<p>On seeing De Narsac the poor creature struggled to
+his feet, feebly wagged his tail, and thrust his nose into
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>57]</a></span>
+the young man&rsquo;s hands. Then only did De Narsac recognise
+in the half-starved skeleton before him the
+favourite dog and constant companion of his friend,
+Aubrey de Montdidier. It was clear from the poor
+animal&rsquo;s emaciated appearance that it was in the last
+stage of exhaustion. Summoning his servant, De Narsac
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>58]</a></span>
+ordered food and water to be brought at once, and the
+dog devoured the huge meal set before it. From his
+starved appearance, and from the voracity with which he
+devoured the food set before him, it was evident that
+he had had nothing to eat for some days. No sooner
+was his hunger appeased than he began to move uneasily
+about the room. Uttering low howls of distress from
+time to time, he approached the door; then, returning
+to De Narsac&rsquo;s side, he looked up in his face and gently
+tugged at his mantle, as if to attract attention. There
+was something at once so appealing and peculiar in the
+dog&rsquo;s behaviour that De Narsac&rsquo;s curiosity was aroused,
+and he became convinced that there was some connection
+between the dog&rsquo;s starved appearance and strange manner
+and the unaccountable disappearance of his master.
+Perhaps the dog might supply the clue to Aubrey&rsquo;s place
+of concealment. Watching the dog&rsquo;s behaviour closely,
+De Narsac became aware that the dumb beast was inviting
+him to accompany him. Accordingly he yielded to
+the dog&rsquo;s apparent wish, and, leaving the house, followed
+him out into the streets of Paris.</p>
+
+<p>Looking round from time to time to see that De
+Narsac was coming after him, the greyhound pursued
+its way through the narrow, tortuous streets of the
+ancient city, over the Bridge, and out by the Porte St.-Martin,
+into the open country outside the gates of the
+town. Then, continuing on its track, the dog headed for
+the Forest of Bondy, a place of evil fame in those far-off
+days, as its solitudes were known to be infested by bands
+of robbers. Stopping suddenly in a deep and densely
+wooded glade of the wood, the dog uttered a succession
+of low, angry growls; then, tugging at De Narsac&rsquo;s
+mantle, it led him to some freshly turned-up earth, beneath
+a wide-spreading oak-tree. With a piteous whine the
+dog stretched himself on the spot, and could not be induced
+by De Narsac to follow him back to Paris, where he
+straightway betook himself, as he at once suspected foul
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>59]</a></span>
+play. A few hours later a party of men, guided to the
+spot by the young Sieur de Narsac, removed the earth
+and dead leaves and ferns from the hole into which they
+had been hastily flung, and discovered the murdered body
+of Aubrey de Montdidier. Hurriedly a litter was constructed
+of boughs of trees, and, followed by the dog, the
+body was borne into Paris, where it was soon afterwards
+buried.</p>
+
+<p>From that hour the greyhound attached himself to the
+Sieur de Narsac. It slept in his room, ate from his table,
+and followed close at his heels when he went out of doors.
+One morning, as the two were threading their way through
+the crowded Rue St.-Martin, De Narsac was startled by
+hearing a low, fierce growl from the greyhound. Looking
+down he saw that the creature was shaking in every limb;
+his smooth coat was bristling, his tail was straight and
+stiff, and he was showing his teeth. In another moment
+he had made a dart from De Narsac&rsquo;s side, and had
+sprung on a young gentleman named Macaire, in the
+uniform of the king&rsquo;s bodyguard, who, with several
+comrades in arms, was sauntering along on the opposite
+side of the street. There was something so sudden in
+the attack that the Chevalier Macaire was almost thrown
+on the ground. With their walking-canes he and his
+friends beat off the dog, and on De Narsac coming up,
+it was called away, and, still trembling and growling,
+followed its master down the street.</p>
+
+<p>A few days later the same thing occurred. De Narsac
+and the Chevalier Macaire chanced to encounter each
+other walking in the royal park. In a moment the dog
+had rushed at Macaire, and, with a fierce spring at his
+throat, had tried to pull him to the ground. De Narsac
+and some officers of the king&rsquo;s bodyguard came to Macaire&rsquo;s
+assistance, and the dog was called off. The rumour of
+this attack reached the ears of the king, and mixed
+with the rumour were whisperings of a long-standing
+quarrel between Macaire and Aubrey de Montdidier.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>60]</a></span>
+Might not the dog&rsquo;s strange and unaccountable hatred for
+the young officer be a clue to the mysterious murder of
+his late master? Determined to sift the matter to the
+bottom, the king summoned De Narsac and the dog to
+his presence at the H&ocirc;tel St.-Pol. Following close on his
+master&rsquo;s heels, the greyhound entered the audience-room,
+where the king was seated, surrounded by his courtiers.
+As De Narsac bowed low before his sovereign, a short,
+fierce bark was heard from the dog, and, before he could
+be held back, he had darted in among the startled courtiers,
+and had sprung at the throat of the Chevalier Macaire,
+who, with several other knights, formed a little group
+behind the king&rsquo;s chair.</p>
+
+<p>It was impossible longer to doubt that there was some
+ground for the surmises that had rapidly grown to suspicion,
+and that had received sudden confirmation from
+the fresh evidence of the dog&rsquo;s hatred.</p>
+
+<p>The king decided that there should be a trial by the
+judgment of God, and that a combat should take place
+between man, the accused, and dog, the accuser. The
+place chosen for the combat was a waste, uninhabited
+plot of ground, frequently selected as a duelling-ground
+by the young gallants of Paris.</p>
+
+<p>In the presence of the king and his courtiers the
+strange unnatural combat took place that afternoon. The
+knight was armed with a short thick stick; the dog was
+provided with an empty barrel, as a retreating ground
+from the attacks of his adversary. At a given signal the
+combatants entered the lists. The dog seemed quite to
+understand the strange duel on which it was engaged.
+Barking savagely, and darting round his opponent, he
+made attempts to leap at his throat; now on this side,
+now on that he sprang, jumping into the air, and then
+bounding back out of reach of the stick. There was such
+swiftness and determination about his movements, and
+something so unnatural in the combat, that Macaire&rsquo;s
+nerve failed him. His blows beat the air, without hitting
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"><!-- original location of Macaire illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>63]</a></span>
+the dog; his breath came in quick short gasps; there
+was a look of terror on his face, and for a moment, overcome
+by the horror of the situation, his eye quailed and
+sought the ground. At that instant the dog sprang at his
+throat and pinned him to the earth. In his terror, he
+called out and acknowledged his crime, and implored the
+king&rsquo;s mercy. But the judgment of God had decided.
+The dog was called off before it had strangled its victim,
+but the man was hurried away to the place of execution,
+and atoned that evening for the murder of the faithful
+greyhound&rsquo;s master.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 390px;">
+<a name="illo16" id="illo16"></a>
+<img src="images/asb18.jpg" width="390" height="600"
+alt="The King watches as the dog attacks Macaire" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE DOG FLIES AT MACAIRE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING</p>
+
+<p>The dog has been known to posterity as the Dog of
+Montargis, as in the Castle of Montargis there stood for
+many centuries a sculptured stone mantelpiece, on which
+the combat was carved.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>64]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>HOW A BEAVER BUILDS HIS HOUSE</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Bingley&rsquo;s <i>Animal Biography</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>If we could look back and see England and Wales as they
+were about a thousand years ago, we should most likely
+think that the best houses and most prosperous villages
+were the work not of the Saxon or British natives, but of
+the little beavers, which were then to be found in some of
+the rivers, though they have long ceased to exist there.
+Those who want to see what beavers can do, must look
+to America, and there, either in Canada or even as far
+south as Louisiana, they will find the little creatures
+as busy as ever and as clever at house-building as when
+they taught our forefathers a lesson in the time of Athelstan
+or Canute.</p>
+
+<p>A beaver is a small animal measuring about three feet,
+and has fine glossy dark brown hair. Its tail, which is
+its trowel, and call bell, and many other things besides,
+is nearly a foot long, and has no hair at all, and is
+divided into little scales, something like a fish. Beavers
+cannot bear to live by themselves, and are never happy
+unless they have two or three hundred friends close at
+hand whom they can visit every day and all day, and
+they are the best and most kindly neighbours in the world,
+always ready to help each other either in building new
+villages or in repairing old ones.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the first thing to be done when you wish to
+erect a house or a village is to fix on a suitable site, and
+the spot which every beaver of sense thinks most desirable
+is either a large pond or, if no pond is to be had, a flat
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>65]</a></span>
+low plain with a stream running through, out of which a
+pond can be made.</p>
+
+<p>It must be a very, very long while since beavers first
+found out that the way to make a pond out of a stream
+was to build a dam across it so strong that the water
+could not break through. To begin with, they have
+to know which way the stream runs, and in this they
+never make a mistake. Then they gather together stakes
+about five feet long, and fix them in rows tight into the
+ground on each side of the stream; and while the older and
+more experienced beavers are doing this&mdash;for the safety of
+the village depends on the strength of the foundation&mdash;the
+younger and more active ones are fetching and heaping
+up green branches of trees. These branches are plaited
+in and out of the rows of stakes, which by this time stretch
+right across the river, and form a dam often as much as a
+hundred feet from end to end. When the best workmen
+among them declare the foundation solid, the rest form a
+large wall over the whole, of stones, clay, and sand, which
+gradually tapers up from ten or twelve feet at the bottom,
+where it has to resist the pressure of the stream, to two
+or three at the top, so that the beavers can, if necessary,
+pass each other in comfort. And when the dam is pronounced
+finished, the overseer or head beaver goes carefully
+over every part, to see that it is the proper shape and
+exactly smooth and even, for beavers cannot bear bad
+work, and would punish any of their tribe who were lazy
+or careless.</p>
+
+<p>The dam being ready and the pond made, they can
+now begin to think about their houses, and as all beavers
+have a great dislike to damp floors and wet beds, they
+have to raise their dwellings quite six or eight feet above
+the level of the stream, so that no sudden swelling of the
+river during the rainy season shall make them cold and
+uncomfortable. Beavers are always quite clear in their
+minds as to what they want, and how to get it, and they
+like to keep things distinct. When they are in the water
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>66]</a></span>
+they are perfectly happy, but when they are out of it they
+like to be dry, and in order to keep their houses warm
+and snug they wait till the water is low during the
+summer, and then they can drive piles into the bed of the
+stream with more safety and less trouble than if the
+river is running hard. It generally takes two or three
+months before the village is finished, and the bark and
+shoots of young trees, which is their favourite food,
+collected and stored up. But the little round huts, not
+unlike beehives, are only intended for winter homes, as
+no beaver would think of sleeping indoors during the
+summer, or, indeed, of staying two days in the same place.
+So every three or four years they spend the long days in
+making their village of earth, stones, and sticks, plastered
+together with some kind of mortar which they carry about
+on their tails, to spread neatly over the inside of their
+houses. All that a beaver does is beautifully finished as
+well as substantial. The walls of his house are usually
+about two feet thick, and sometimes he has as many as
+three stories to his house, when he has a large family or
+a number of friends to live with him. One thing is quite
+certain: no beaver will ever set up housekeeping alone;
+but sometimes he will be content with one companion,
+and sometimes he will have as many as thirty. But
+however full the hut may be, there is never any confusion;
+each beaver has his fixed place on the floor, which
+is covered with dried leaves and moss, and as they manage
+to keep open a door right below the surface of the
+stream, where their food is carefully stored up, there is
+no fear that they will ever be starved out. And there
+they lie all through the winter, and get very fat.</p>
+
+<p>Once a French gentleman who was travelling through
+Louisiana, was very anxious to see the little beaver
+colony at work, so he hid himself with some other men
+close to a dam, and in the night they cut a channel about a
+foot wide right through, and very hard labour they found it.</p>
+
+<p>The men had made no noise in breaking the dam, but
+the rush of the water aroused one beaver who slept more
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>67]</a></span>
+lightly than the rest, and he instantly left his hut and
+swam to the dam to examine what was wrong. He then
+struck four loud blows with his tail, and at the sound of
+his call every beaver left his bed and came rushing to see
+what was the matter. No sooner did they reach the dam
+and see the large hole made in it, than they took counsel,
+and then the one in whom they put the most trust gave
+orders to the rest, and they all went to the bank to make
+mortar. When they had collected as much as they could
+carry, they formed a procession, two and two, each pair
+loading each others&rsquo; tails, and so travelling they arrived
+at the dam, where a relay of fresh labourers were ready to
+load. The mortar was then placed in the hole and bound
+tight by repeated blows from the beavers&rsquo; tails. So hard
+did they work and so much sense did they show, that in
+a short time all was as firm as ever. Then one of the
+leading spirits clapped his tail twice, and in a moment
+all were in bed and asleep again.</p>
+
+<p>Beavers are very hard-working, but they know how to
+make themselves comfortable too, and if they are content
+with bark and twigs at home, they appreciate nicer food if
+they can get it. A gentleman once took a beaver with
+him to New York, and it used to wander about the house
+like a dog, feeding chiefly upon bread, with fish now and
+then for a treat. Not being able to find any moss or
+leaves for a bed, it used to seize upon all the soft bits of
+stuff that came in its way, and carry them off to its
+sleeping corner. One day a cat discovered its hiding
+place, and thought it would be a nice comfortable place
+for her kittens to sleep, and when the beaver came back
+from his walk he found, like the three bears, that someone
+was sleeping in his bed. He had never seen things
+of that kind before, but they were small and he was big,
+so he said nothing and lay down somewhere else. Only,
+if ever their mother was away, he would go and hold one
+of them to his breast to warm it, and keep it there till its
+mother came back.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>68]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE WAR HORSE OF ALEXANDER</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Part of the story of Bucephalus is taken from Plutarch.</p>
+
+
+<p>There are not so many stories about horses as there are
+about dogs and cats, yet almost every great general has
+had his favourite horse, who has gone with him through
+many campaigns and borne him safe in many battle-fields.
+At a town in Sicily called Agrigentum, they set such
+store by their horses, that pyramids were raised over
+their burial-place, and the Emperor Augustus built a
+splendid monument over the grave of an old favourite.</p>
+
+<p>The most famous horse, perhaps, who ever lived, was
+one belonging to Alexander the Great, and was called
+Bucephalus. When the king was a boy, Bucephalus was
+brought before Philip, King of Macedon, Alexander&rsquo;s
+father, by Philonicus the Thessalian, and offered for sale
+for the large sum of thirteen talents. Beautiful though he
+was, Philip wisely declined to buy him before knowing
+what manner of horse he was, and ordered him to be led
+into a neighbouring field, and a groom to mount him.
+But it was in vain that the best and most experienced
+riders approached the horse; he reared up on his hind
+legs, and would suffer none to come near him. So Philonicus
+the Thessalian was told to take his horse back
+whence he came, for the king would have none of him.</p>
+
+<p>Now the boy Alexander stood by, and his heart went
+out to the beautiful creature. And he cried out, &lsquo;What a
+good horse do we lose for lack of skill to mount him!&rsquo;
+Philip the king heard these words, and his soul was vexed
+to see the horse depart, but yet he knew not what else to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>69]</a></span>
+do. Then he turned to Alexander and said: &lsquo;Do you
+think that you, young and untried, can ride this horse
+better than those who have grown old in the stables?&rsquo;
+To which Alexander made answer, &lsquo;This horse I know I
+could ride better than they.&rsquo; &lsquo;And if you fail,&rsquo; asked
+Philip, &lsquo;what price will you pay for your good conceit of
+yourself?&rsquo; And Alexander laughed out and said gaily,
+&lsquo;I will pay the price of the horse.&rsquo; And thus it was
+settled.</p>
+
+<p>So Alexander drew near to the horse, and took him by
+the bridle, turning his face to the sun so that he might
+not be frightened at the movements of his own shadow,
+for the prince had noticed that it scared him greatly.
+Then Alexander stroked his head and led him forwards,
+feeling his temper all the while, and when the horse began
+to get uneasy, the prince suddenly leapt on his back, and
+gradually curbed him with the bridle. Suddenly, as
+Bucephalus gave up trying to throw his rider, and only
+pawed the ground impatient to be off, Alexander shook
+the reins, and bidding him go, they flew like lightning
+round the course. This was Alexander&rsquo;s first conquest,
+and as he jumped down from the horse, his father exclaimed,
+&lsquo;Go, my son, and seek for a kingdom that is
+worthy, for Macedon is too small for such as thee.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Henceforth Bucephalus made it clear that he served
+Alexander and no one else. He would submit quietly to
+having the gay trappings of a king&rsquo;s steed fastened on his
+head, and the royal saddle put on, but if any groom tried
+to mount him, back would go his ears and up would go
+his heels, and none dared come near him. For ten years
+after Alexander succeeded his father on the throne of
+Macedon (<small>B.C.</small> 336), Bucephalus bore him through all his
+battles, and was, says Pliny, &lsquo;of a passing good and
+memorable service in the wars,&rsquo; and even when wounded,
+as he once was at the taking of Thebes, would not suffer
+his master to mount another horse. Together these two
+swam rivers, crossed mountains, penetrated into the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>70]</a></span>
+dominions of the Great King, and farther still into the
+heart of Asia, beyond the Caspian and the river Oxus,
+where never European army had gone before. Then
+turning sharp south, he crossed the range of the Hindoo
+Koosh, and entering the country of the Five Rivers, he
+prepared to attack Porus, king of India. But age and the
+wanderings of ten years had worn Bucephalus out. One
+last victory near the Hydaspes or Jelum, and the old
+horse sank down and died, full of years and honours (<small>B.C.</small>
+326). Bitter were the lamentations of the king for the
+friend of his childhood, but his grief did not show itself
+only in weeping. The most splendid funeral Alexander
+could devise was given to Bucephalus, and a gorgeous
+tomb erected over his body. And more than that, Alexander
+resolved that the memory of his old horse should
+be kept green in these burning Indian deserts, thousands
+of miles from the Thessalian plains where he was born,
+so round his tomb the king built a city, and it was
+called</p>
+
+<p class="center smcap">&lsquo;Bucephalia.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>71]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>STORIES ABOUT BEARS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Baron de Wogan, a French gentleman, whose adventures
+with snakes are also curious, was the hero of some encounters
+with the grizzly bear of North America. First,
+I would have you understand what sort of a creature
+he had for an opponent. Imagine a monster measuring
+when standing upright eight or nine feet, weighing 900
+lbs., of a most terrifying appearance, in agility and
+strength surpassing all other animals, and cruel in proportion.
+Like his cousin the brown bear, whom he
+resembles in shape, he is a hermit and lives alone in the
+immense trackless forests which covered the Rocky Mountains,
+and indeed (at least in olden times) the greater part
+of North America. During the day he sleeps in the
+depths of some mountain cavern, and wakes up at dusk to
+go out in search of prey. All the beasts of the forest live
+in terror of him&mdash;even the white bear flies before him.
+He would go down to the valleys and attack the immense
+herds of buffaloes which grazed there, and which were
+powerless against him, in spite of their numbers and
+their great horns. They join themselves closely together
+and form one compact rank, but the grizzly bear hurls
+himself at them, breaks their ranks, scatters them, and
+then pursuing them till he catches them up, flings himself
+on the back of one, hugs it in his iron embrace, breaks
+its skull with his teeth, and so goes slaying right and left
+before he eats one. Before the Baron&rsquo;s first, so to say,
+hand-to-hand encounter with a grizzly, he had been long
+enough in the country to know something of their ways,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>72]</a></span>
+and how worse than useless a shot is unless in a fatal
+spot.</p>
+
+<p>After the return to her tribe of Calooa, a young Indian
+girl, who had been his one human companion in many
+days of wandering, the Baron was left with only his mule
+Cadi for friend and companion, and naturally felt very
+lonely. He set his heart on getting to the top of the
+Rocky Mountains, at the foot of which he then happened
+to be. Their glittering summits had so irresistible an
+attraction for him, that he did not stay to consider the
+difficulties which soon beset him at every step. No
+sooner did he conquer one than another arose, added to
+which the cold of these high regions was intense, and it
+constantly snowed. After three days he had to declare
+himself not only beaten, but so worn out that he must
+take a week&rsquo;s rest if he did not want to fall ill. First it
+was necessary to have some sort of a shelter, and by
+great good luck he found just at hand a cavern in the
+rock, which, without being exactly a palace, seemed as if
+it would answer his purpose.</p>
+
+<p>Upon closer examination he found that it had more
+drawbacks than he cared about. All round were scattered
+gnawed bones of animals, and the prints of bear&rsquo;s
+claws on the ground left no doubt as to who the last inmate
+had been. The Baron, however, preferred to risk an
+invasion rather than seek another abode, and prepared
+for probable inroads by making across the entrance to
+the cave a barricade of branches of oak tied together
+with flax, a quantity of which grew near. He then lit
+a good fire inside the cave, but as the last tenant had
+not considered a chimney necessary; the dense smoke soon
+obliged him to beat a hasty retreat. Besides he had to
+go out to get supplies for his larder, at present as bare as
+Mother Hubbard&rsquo;s. With his usual good luck the Baron
+found, first, a large salmon flapping wildly in its effort to
+get out of a pool, where the fallen river had left it. This
+he killed, and next he shot a young deer about a mile
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>73]</a></span>
+away and carried it to camp on his back. In order to
+preserve these eatables he salted some of them with salt
+that he had previously found in a lake near, and had
+carefully preserved for future use. He then dug a hole in
+a corner of the cave, putting a thick layer of dry hay at
+the bottom, and buried his provisions Indian fashion, in
+order to preserve them.</p>
+
+<p>As it was still only twelve o&rsquo;clock, the Baron thought
+he would spend the rest of the day in exploring the
+neighbourhood; first he examined the cave, which he
+found to be formed of big blocks of rock firmly joined
+together; above the cave rose the cliff, and in front
+of it grew a fir-tree, which served at the same time to
+defend the entrance, and as a ladder to enable him to
+mount the cliff. As he could not take Cadi with him, he
+fastened him to the fir-tree by his halter and girth joined
+together, so as to leave him plenty of room to graze.
+Then he put some eatables in his game bag, and set off
+on a tour of discovery. When he had walked about three
+hours, and had reached a rocky point from which he
+had a fine view of the surrounding country, he sat
+down to rest under an oak-tree. He knew nothing more
+till the cold awoke him&mdash;it was now six o&rsquo;clock, and
+he had slept three hours. He started with all the haste
+he could to get back to his cave and Cadi before dark,
+but so tired and footsore was he that he was obliged to
+give in and camp where he was, for night was coming on
+fast. It was bitterly cold and snow fell constantly, so he
+lit a large fire, which at the same time warmed him,
+and kept away the bears whom he heard wandering round
+the camp most of the night. As soon as the sun was up
+in the morning, he set off with all his speed to see what had
+become of Cadi; but though fifteen miles is not much to
+bears balked of their prey, it is much to a weary and footsore
+man, and when he had hobbled to within half a mile
+of the camp, he saw that it was too late: the bears, whom
+he had driven away from his camp in the night with
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>74]</a></span>
+fire-brands, had scented poor Cadi, and four of them were now
+devouring him&mdash;father, mother, and two cubs. Imagine
+his rage and grief at seeing his only friend and companion
+devoured piecemeal before his very eyes!</p>
+
+<p>His first impulse was to fire, but he reflected in time
+that they were four to one, and that, instead of avenging
+Cadi, he would only share his fate. He decided to wait on
+a high rock till the meal was ended. It lasted an hour,
+and then he saw the whole family set off to climb the mountain,
+from the top of which he had been watching them.
+They seemed to be making straight for him, and as it would
+be certain death to sit and wait for them, he slipped into a
+cranny in the rock, hoping that he might not be perceived;
+even if he was, he could only be attacked by one at a time.
+He had not long to wait: soon all four bears passed in
+single file, without smelling him or being aware of him;
+for this he had to thank poor Cadi: their horrid snouts
+and jaws being smeared with his blood prevented their
+scenting fresh prey.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 370px;">
+<a name="illo17" id="illo17"></a>
+<img src="images/asb19.jpg" width="370" height="600"
+alt="The Baron kills the bear" />
+</div>
+
+<p>When he had seen them at a safe distance, he ventured
+to go down to the cave he could no longer call his own.
+Of Cadi, nothing remained but his head, still fastened to
+the tree by his halter. The barricade was gone, too, and
+from the cave came low but unmistakable growls. With
+one bound the Baron was up the tree, and from the tree
+on to the cliff. From there he threw stones down before
+the entrance to the cave, to induce the present inmate to
+come out, in order that he might take possession again.
+The bear soon came out, and, perceiving him, made for the
+fir-tree. By its slow and languid movements the Baron
+saw that it was curiosity more than anger that prompted it,
+and, moreover, it was evidently a very old bear, probably
+a grandfather, whose children and grandchildren had been
+to pay it a visit. Curiosity or not, the Baron had no wish
+to make a closer acquaintance, and fired a shot at the brute
+by way of a hint to that effect. This immediately turned
+his curiosity into wrath. Seizing the fir-tree, which he was
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"><!-- original location of Bear illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>77]</a></span>
+going to use as a ladder, he began to climb up. A second
+shot hit him in the shoulder. He fell mortally wounded, but
+even after a third shot, which took him in the flank, his
+dying struggles lasted twenty minutes, during which he tore
+at the roots of the fir-trees with his terrific claws. The
+Baron did not care to waste any of his bullets, now getting
+scarce, in putting out of his pain one of Cadi&rsquo;s murderers.
+When finally the bear was dead, the Baron came down to
+take possession of his cave, and at the same time of the
+bear&rsquo;s skin. On penetrating into the cave, he found that
+the rascal had paid him out in his own coin, and, in revenge
+for the Baron taking his cave, had eaten his provisions.
+The Baron was quits in the end, however, as the bear&rsquo;s
+carcase furnished him meat enough for several days. The
+Baron cut off pounds of steak, which he salted and dried
+over the fire. The useless remains he threw over the
+nearest precipice, so that they should not attract wild
+beasts, to keep him awake all night with their cries.
+Then, having made a huge fire in front of the entrance,
+which, moreover, he barricaded with branches, he threw
+himself on his bed of dry leaves to sleep the sleep of
+exhaustion.</p>
+
+<p>Some time passed before the Baron&rsquo;s next encounter
+with a bear. He was camping one night in a dense forest,
+sleeping, as usual, with one eye and one ear open, and
+his weapon at hand, all ready loaded. His rest was broken
+by the usual nightly sounds of the forest, of leaves
+crunched and branches broken, showing that many of the
+inmates of the woods were astir; but he did not let these
+usual sounds disturb him, till he heard in the distance
+the hoarse and unmistakable cry of the bear; then he
+thought it time to change the shot in his gun for something
+more worthy of such a foe. This preparation made, he
+set off at dawn on his day&rsquo;s march, which up to midday
+led him along the bank of a large river. He thought no
+more of the blood-curdling howls of the night, till suddenly
+he heard from a distance terror-stricken cries. He put
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>78]</a></span>
+his ear to the ground, Indian fashion, to listen better, and
+as the danger, whatever it was, seemed to be coming
+nearer, he jumped into a thicket of wild cherry and willow
+trees, and waited there in ambush, gun in hand. In a few
+minutes, a band of Indians with their squaws appeared
+on the opposite bank of the river, and straightway leaped
+into the water, like so many frogs jumping into an undisturbed
+swamp. At first he thought he was being attacked,
+but soon saw it was the Indians who were being pursued,
+and that they all, men and women, were swimming for
+dear life; moreover, the women were laden with their
+children, one, and sometimes two, being strapped to their
+backs in a sort of cradle of birch bark. This additional
+weight made them swim slower than the men, who soon
+reached the opposite shore, and then took to their heels
+helter-skelter, except three, who remained behind to encourage
+the women.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 408px;">
+<a name="illo18" id="illo18"></a>
+<img src="images/asb20.jpg" width="408" height="400"
+alt="The Grizzly" />
+</div>
+
+<p>The Baron at first thought it was an attack of other
+Indians, and that it would be prudent to beat a retreat,
+when suddenly the same terrible cry that had kept him
+awake in the latter part of the night resounded through
+the forest, and at the same time there appeared on a
+high bank on the other shore a huge mass of a dirty
+grey colour, which hurled itself downhill, plunged into
+the river, and began to swim across at a terrific speed.
+It was a grizzly bear of tremendous size. So fast did it
+swim, that in no time it had nearly caught up with the
+last of the squaws, a young woman with twin babies at
+her back, whose cries, often interrupted by the water
+getting into their mouths, would have melted the heart of
+a stone. The three Indians who had remained on the
+bank did their utmost to stop the bear by shooting their
+poisoned arrows at it; but the distance was too great, and
+the huge animal came on so fast that in another minute
+mother and children would be lost. The Baron could not
+remain a spectator of so terrible a scene. He came out
+of the thicket where he was hidden, and frightened the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>79]</a></span>
+Indians almost as much as if he had been another bear.
+Resting his gun on the trunk of a tree, he fired at the
+distance of 125 yards, and hit the animal right on the
+head. It dived several times, and the water all round
+was dyed red with blood; but the wound was not mortal,
+and it continued on its way, only more slowly. After
+urging the Indian, who seemed to be the unhappy woman&rsquo;s
+husband, to go into the water to help her&mdash;for, through
+terror and fatigue, she could no longer swim&mdash;the Baron
+took deliberate aim again and fired. The second shot,
+like the first, hit the bear on the head, but again without
+killing it. It stopped the brute, however, long enough to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>80]</a></span>
+let the poor woman get to shore, where she fainted, and
+was carried away by the men to the forest, leaving the
+Baron and the bear to fight out their duel alone. The
+Baron had barely time to reload and climb to the top of
+one of the trees, when the bear was already at the foot
+of it. So near was he when he stood upright, that the
+Baron could feel his horrid breath. Up to then the
+Baron thought that all bears could climb like squirrels;
+fortunately for him he was mistaken. Expecting to be
+taken by storm, he fired straight in the creature&rsquo;s face.
+The two balls took a different course: one went through
+the jaw and came out by the neck, the other went into
+the chest. The bear uttered a terrific roar, stiffened
+itself in a last effort to reach him, and fell heavily on its
+back at the foot of the tree. The Baron might have thought
+him dead had he not already seen such wonderful resurrections
+on the part of bears; but the four shots, though at
+first they dazed and troubled the beast, seemed afterwards
+to act as spurs, and he rose furious and returned to the
+charge. The Baron tried to use his revolver, but, finding
+it impossible, he drew out his axe from his belt, and dealt
+a violent blow at the bear&rsquo;s head, which nearly split it in
+two, and sent the blood splashing in all directions. The
+bear again fell to the ground, this time to rise no more.
+The Baron being now convinced that the grizzly bear is
+no tree-climber, took his time to draw out his revolver, to
+take aim and fire. The shot put out one of the bear&rsquo;s
+eyes, the axe had already taken out the other. This
+finished him, but his death struggles lasted twenty minutes,
+during which the tree was nearly uprooted. When
+all was at an end the Baron came down; he cut off the
+formidable claws, and broke off the teeth with an axe to
+make a trophy in imitation of the Indians, and then proceeded
+to skin him and cut him up. The Indians, who
+had been watching the combat at a safe distance, now
+came back, enthusiastic. They surrounded them, the
+victor and the vanquished, and danced a war-dance, singing
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>81]</a></span>
+impromptu words. The Baron, seated on the bear&rsquo;s
+carcase, joined in the chorus; but the Indians, not content
+with that, insisted on his joining in the dance as well.
+The rejoicing over, the Baron divided among the twenty
+Indians the flesh of the bear&mdash;about 15 lb. or 20 lb. fell
+to each. The skin he kept to himself, and the claws, of
+which the Indians made him a warrior&rsquo;s necklace, hanging
+it round his neck like an order of knighthood.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a>
+The young reader must no longer expect such adventures as the
+Baron de Wogan achieved.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>82]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>STORIES ABOUT ANTS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>If any one will watch an ant-hill on a fine day in April,
+he will see the little inhabitants begin to rouse themselves
+from their winter&rsquo;s sleep, which lasts from the
+month of October, with the red ant at all events. Groups
+of them come out to the top of the ant-hill to warm and
+thaw themselves in the rays of the sun. Some, more
+active and robust, run in and out, waking up the lazy,
+hurrying the laggards, and rousing all the little community
+to begin their summer habits. But this activity does
+not last long; they are as yet only half awake, and still
+numb and torpid from the winter&rsquo;s cold, and the little
+throng increases or diminishes as the sun shines or disappears
+behind a cloud. As two, half-past two, and three
+o&rsquo;clock arrive, they have nearly all disappeared inside the
+ant-heap, leaving only a few warriors, of a larger make
+and tried courage, to watch over the well-being of the little
+republic and to close up all openings with tiny chips of
+wood, dry leaves, and shreds of moss, so as to hide the entrances
+from human eye. Two or three sentinels wander
+round to see that all is secure. And then they enter, and
+all is still.</p>
+
+<p>If we come back again in about a week, we shall
+find the ants in the middle of their regular migration
+to their summer quarters, not far from their winter
+ones. This takes place, with the red ant, at all events,
+with great regularity every April and October. The red
+ant is beyond doubt a slave-owner; the slaves may be
+easily recognised from their masters by being of a smaller
+make and light yellow colour. As soon as the masters
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>83]</a></span>
+have fixed the day of their &lsquo;flitting,&rsquo; they begin probably
+to ensure the consent of the slaves by violently seizing
+them, and rolling them into a ball, and then grasping them
+firmly they set off towards the summer quarters at full
+gallop, if an ant can be said to gallop. The master ant
+is in a great hurry to get rid of his living burden; he goes
+straight ahead in spite of all obstacles, avoiding all interruptions
+and delays, and as soon as he arrives at
+the summer ant-heap, plunges in, deposits the slave all
+breathless and terrified from his forced journey, and sets
+off back for another.</p>
+
+<p>Darwin, who closely studied the migrations of the
+ant, says that they differ in their means of transport:
+one sort is carried by the slaves; the other, our friend the
+red ant, scientifically called &lsquo;formica sanguinea,&rsquo; carries
+his property carefully in his mouth. It seems strange
+to us that the master should carry the slave, but no
+stranger than it would appear to the ants if they should
+begin to study our habits, that some of us should sit in
+a carriage and be driven by the coachman. The slave,
+once installed in his summer quarters, seldom appears
+again before the autumn exodus, unless in the event of
+some disturbance in the camp, or its invasion by some ants
+of a hostile tribe, when the slaves take part in the defence
+and especially watch over the young ones. The slaves
+seem to be carpenters and miners, and warriors when
+necessary. They build the dwelling, repair it, of which
+it has constant need, and defend it in case of attack with
+dauntless courage. But their principal duties seem to be
+to take charge of the development of the young, and to
+feed the masters&mdash;no small task, as there seem to be ten
+masters to one slave, and they seem incapable of eating
+unless fed. Experiments have been tried of removing
+the slaves from them, and though sugar and every sort of
+tempting food is put down beside them, they will starve
+rather than help themselves. In fact, one wonders what
+the masters can be left for but to drive the slaves, which
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>84]</a></span>
+they do with great ardour. A French gentleman who
+spent years studying the habits of the ants, tried one
+day, by way of experiment, to take a slave away from its
+master; he had great difficulty in removing it from its
+bearer, who struggled furiously and clung to its burden.
+When at last the slave was set free, instead of profiting by
+its liberty, it turned round and round in a circle as if dazed,
+then hid itself under a dead leaf. A master ant presently
+came along, an animated conversation took place, and the
+slave ant was seized upon and borne off again to bondage.
+The same gentleman another day observed a slave ant venture
+out to the entrance to the ant-hill to enjoy the warmth
+of the sun. A great master ant spied it and set to with
+blows of its horns (antenn&aelig; they are called) to persuade it
+that that was not its place. Finding the slave persisted
+in not understanding, the master resorted to force, and
+seizing it by its head, without taking the trouble to roll it
+up, as they are generally carried, he hurled it into the
+ant-hill, where no doubt it received the punishment it
+deserved.</p>
+
+<p>If we came back to the ant-heap a week after our last
+visit, we should find the migration finished if the weather
+has been fine; but ants, especially after their first awaking,
+are extremely sensitive to wind and rain, and only
+work well in fine weather. They are equally affected by
+weather before a storm: even though the sun may be
+shining, they will remain in the ant-heap with closed
+doors. If it is shut before midday, the storm will burst
+before evening; if it is shut before eight or nine in the
+morning, the rain will fall before noon.</p>
+
+<p>All this time we have been speaking only of the red
+ant; but there are any number of different kinds in Europe,
+not to mention the enormous ants of the tropics, who
+march in such armies that the people fly before them,
+deserting their villages. Different species differ totally
+in their habits and ways of building and living. The
+greater number of species live apart, and not in a
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>85]</a></span>
+community with an elaborately constructed house like the
+red ant. The little black ant is the commonest in this
+country, and the busiest and most active. She is the
+first to awake, in March, sometimes in February, and the
+last to sleep, sometimes not till November. Their instincts
+and habits of activity, however, are apt to deceive them,
+and they get up too soon. The French gentleman already
+mentioned observed an instance of the kind. On February
+24, after an unusually mild winter, the sun shone as
+if it were already summer, and it was difficult to persuade
+oneself that it was not, except that there were no leaves
+on the trees, no birds singing in the branches, and no
+insects humming in the air. First our friend went to
+examine the red-ant heap, which was closed as usual, all
+the inhabitants being still plunged in their winter sleep.
+The black ants, on the contrary, were all awake and
+lively, and seemed persuaded that the fine weather had
+come to stay. Their instincts deceived them, for that night
+it froze; rain, snow, and fog succeeded each other in turn,
+and when next he visited the ant-heap he found them
+lying in masses, stiff and dead, before the entrance to
+their dwelling.</p>
+
+<p>Between the red and black ants there is great enmity,
+and terrible combats take place. When they fight they
+grasp each other like men wrestling, and each tries to
+throw the other down, and break his back. The conquered
+remain on the battlefield, nearly broken in two,
+and feebly waving their paws, till they slowly expire in
+agonies. The conqueror, on the other hand, carries away
+his dead to burial and his wounded to the camp, and then,
+entering triumphantly himself, closes the doors after him.
+The gentleman already quoted witnessed the funeral of
+an ant. He had passed the ant-heap about a quarter
+of an hour, and left, as he thought, all the inhabitants
+behind him, when he saw what appeared to be an enormous
+red ant making for home. On stooping to look
+more closely, he saw that it was one ant carrying another.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>86]</a></span>
+He succeeded in separating them from each other, and
+then saw that the burden was neither a slave nor a
+prisoner, but a dead comrade being carried back to the
+ant-heap for a decent burial; for if ants fall into the hands
+of the enemy, they are subjected if alive to the most cruel
+tortures and if dead to mutilations. Usually, when an
+ant is relieved of anything it is carrying&mdash;whether it be a
+slave, a wounded ant, or some eatable&mdash;it will set off at
+full speed and let the burden be picked up by the next
+passing ant; but this one made no attempt to run away,
+and only turned round and round in a perplexed and irresolute
+way, till its dead friend was put down beside it,
+then it seized its precious burden and set off homewards
+with it. Travellers even tell that in Algeria there are ant
+cemeteries near the ant-heaps.</p>
+
+<p>No lover of animals doubts that they have a language
+of their own, which we are too stupid or deaf to understand.
+Anyone who studies the ways of the ants sees,
+beyond a doubt, that they too have a way of communicating
+with each other. For instance, an ant was one day
+seen at some distance from the ant-hill, and evidently in
+no hurry to go back to it. In the middle of the path she
+perceived a large dead snail. She began by going round
+and round it, then climbed on its back, and walked all
+over it. Having satisfied herself that it was a choice
+morsel, but too large for her to carry home alone, she
+set off at once to seek help. On the way she met one of
+her companions; she ran at once to her; they rubbed
+their antenn&aelig; together, and evidently an animated conversation
+took place, for the second ant set off immediately
+in the direction of the snail. The first one continued on
+her way home, communicating with every ant she met in
+the same way; by the time she disappeared inside the
+ant-heap, an endless file of busy little ants were on their
+way to take their share of the spoil. In ten minutes the
+snail was completely covered by the little throng, and by
+the evening every trace of it had vanished.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>87]</a></span>
+Recent observations have proved that the time-honoured
+idea of the ant storing up provision for the winter
+is a delusion, a delusion which La Fontaine&rsquo;s famous
+fable, &lsquo;Le Fourmis et la Cigale,&rsquo; has done much to
+spread and confirm. It is now known, as we have already
+seen, that ants sleep all winter, and that the food
+which we constantly see them laden with is for immediate
+consumption in the camp. They eat all kinds of insects&mdash;hornets
+and cockchafers are favourite dishes&mdash;but the
+choicest morsel is a fine fat green caterpillar, caught
+alive. They seize it, some by its head, some by its tail;
+it struggles, it writhes, and sometimes succeeds in freeing
+itself from its enemies; but they do not consider themselves
+beaten, and attack it again. Little by little it
+becomes stupefied from the discharges of formic acid
+the ants throw out from their bodies, and presently it
+succumbs to their renewed forces. Finally, though the
+struggle may last an hour or more, it is borne to the
+ant-heap and disappears, to be devoured by the inmates.
+Perhaps these short &lsquo;Stories about Ants&rsquo; may induce some
+of you to follow the advice of the Preacher, and &lsquo;go
+to the ant&rsquo; yourselves for more.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>88]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE TAMING OF AN OTTER</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Bingley&rsquo;s <i>British Quadrupeds</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>Otters used once to be very common in England in the
+neighbourhood of rivers, and even in some instances of
+the sea, but in many places where they once lived in great
+numbers they have now ceased to exist. They destroy
+large quantities of fish, though they are so dainty that
+they only care for the upper parts of the body. If the
+rivers are frozen and no fish are to be had, they will eat
+poultry, or even lambs; and if these are not to be found,
+they can get on quite well for a long time on the bark of
+trees or on young branches.</p>
+
+<p>Fierce though otters are when brought to bay, they
+can easily be tamed if they are caught young enough.
+More than a hundred years ago the monks of Autun, in
+France, found a baby otter only a few weeks old, and took
+it back to the convent, and fed it upon milk for nearly two
+months, when it was promoted to soup and fish and
+vegetables, the food of the good monks. It was not very
+sociable with strange animals, but it made great friends
+with a dog and cat who had known it from a baby, and
+they would play together half the day. At night it had a
+bed in one of the rooms, but in the day it always preferred
+a heap of straw when it was tired of running about.
+Curious to say, this otter was not at all fond of the water,
+and it was very seldom that it would go near a basin of
+water that was always carefully left near its bed. When
+it did, it was only to wash its face and front paws, after
+which it would go for a run in the court-yard, or curl
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>89]</a></span>
+itself to sleep in the sun. Indeed it seemed to have such
+an objection to water of all kinds, that the monks wondered
+whether it knew how to swim. So one day, when
+they were not so busy as usual, some of the brothers took
+it off to a good-sized pond, and waited to see what it would
+do. The otter smelt about cautiously for a little, and then,
+recognising that here was something it had seen before,
+ducked its head and wetted its feet as it did in the mornings.
+This did not satisfy the monks, who threw it right
+in, upon which it instantly swam to the other shore, and
+came round again to its friends.</p>
+
+<p>All tame otters are not, however, as forgetful of the
+habits and manners of their race as this one was, and in
+some parts they have even been taught to fish for their
+masters instead of themselves. Careful directions are
+given for their proper teaching, and a great deal of patience
+is needful, because if an animal is once frightened or
+made angry, there is not much hope of training it afterwards.
+To begin with, it must be fed while it is very young on
+milk or soup, and when it gets older, on bread and the
+heads of fishes, and it must get its food from one person
+only, to whom it will soon get accustomed and attached.
+The next step is to have a sort of leather bag made, stuffed
+with wool and shaped like a fish, large enough for the
+animal to take in its mouth. Finally, he must wear a collar
+formed on the principle of a slip noose, which can tighten
+when a long string that is fastened to it, is pulled. This
+is, of course, to teach the otter to drop the fish after he
+has caught it.</p>
+
+<p>The master then leads the otter slowly behind him,
+till by this means he has learned how to follow, and then
+he has to be made to understand the meanings of certain
+words and tones. So the man says to him, &lsquo;Come here,&rsquo;
+and pulls the cord; and after this has been repeated
+several times, the otter gradually begins to connect the
+words with the action. Then the string is dropped, and
+the otter trots up obediently without it. After that, the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>90]</a></span>
+sham fish is placed on the ground, and the collar, which
+seems rather like a horse&rsquo;s bit, is pulled so as to force the
+mouth open, while the master exclaims &lsquo;Take it!&rsquo; and
+when the otter is quite perfect in this (which most likely
+will not happen for a long time) the collar is loosened,
+and he is told to &lsquo;drop it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Last of all, he is led down to a river with clear shallow
+water, where a small dead fish is thrown in. This he
+catches at once, and then the cord which has been
+fastened to his neck is gently pulled, and he gives up his
+prize to his master. Then live fish are put in instead of
+the dead one, and when they are killed, the otter is given
+the heads as a reward.</p>
+
+<p>Of course some masters have a special talent for
+teaching these things, and some otters are specially apt
+pupils. This must have been the case with the otter
+belonging to a Mr. Campbell who lived near Inverness.
+It would sometimes catch eight or ten salmon in a day,
+and never attempted to eat them; while a man in Sweden,
+called Nilsson, and his family, lived entirely on the fish
+that was caught for them by their otter. When he is in
+his wild state, the otter lives in holes in the rocks, or among
+the roots of trees, though occasionally he has been known
+to burrow under ground, having his door in the water, and
+only a very tiny window opening landwards, so that he
+may not die of suffocation.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>91]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STORY OF ANDROCLES AND THE LION</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Many hundred years ago, there lived in the north of Africa
+a poor Roman slave called Androcles. His master held
+great power and authority in the country, but he was a
+hard, cruel man, and his slaves led a very unhappy life.
+They had little to eat, had to work hard, and were often
+punished and tortured if they failed to satisfy their master&rsquo;s
+caprices. For long Androcles had borne with the hardships
+of his life, but at last he could bear it no longer,
+and he made up his mind to run away. He knew that it
+was a great risk, for he had no friends in that foreign
+country with whom he could seek safety and protection;
+and he was aware that if he was overtaken and caught
+he would be put to a cruel death. But even death, he
+thought, would not be so hard as the life he now led, and
+it was possible that he might escape to the sea-coast, and
+somehow some day get back to Rome and find a kinder
+master.</p>
+
+<p>So he waited till the old moon had waned to a tiny
+gold thread in the skies, and then, one dark night, he
+slipped out of his master&rsquo;s house, and, creeping through
+the deserted forum and along the silent town, he passed
+out of the city into the vineyards and corn-fields lying
+outside the walls. In the cool night air he walked rapidly.
+From time to time he was startled by the sudden barking
+of a dog, or the sound of voices coming from some late
+revellers in the villas which stood beside the road along
+which he hurried. But as he got further into the country
+these sounds ceased, and there was silence and darkness
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>92]</a></span>
+all round him. When the sun rose he had already
+gone many miles away from the town in which he had
+been so miserable. But now a new terror oppressed him&mdash;the
+terror of great loneliness. He had got into a wild,
+barren country, where there was no sign of human habitation.
+A thick growth of low trees and thorny mimosa
+bushes spread out before him, and as he tried to thread
+his way through them he was severely scratched, and his
+scant garments torn by the long thorns. Besides the
+sun was very hot, and the trees were not high enough to
+afford him any shade. He was worn out with hunger
+and fatigue, and he longed to lie down and rest. But to
+lie down in that fierce sun would have meant death, and
+he struggled on, hoping to find some wild berries to eat,
+and some water to quench his thirst. But when he came
+out of the scrub-wood, he found he was as badly off as
+before. A long, low line of rocky cliffs rose before him,
+but there were no houses, and he saw no hope of finding
+food. He was so tired that he could not wander further,
+and seeing a cave which looked cool and dark in the side
+of the cliffs, he crept into it, and, stretching his tired
+limbs on the sandy floor, fell fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly he was awakened by a noise that made his
+blood run cold. The roar of a wild beast sounded in his
+ears, and as he started trembling and in terror to his feet,
+he beheld a huge, tawny lion, with great glistening white
+teeth, standing in the entrance of the cave. It was impossible
+to fly, for the lion barred the way. Immovable
+with fear, Androcles stood rooted to the spot, waiting for
+the lion to spring on him and tear him limb from limb.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;">
+<a name="illo19" id="illo19"></a>
+<img src="images/asb21.jpg" width="385" height="600"
+alt="Androcles cowers in fear as the lion enters the cave" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">ANDROCLES IN THE LION&rsquo;S CAVE</p>
+
+<p>But the lion did not move. Making a low moan as if
+in great pain, it stood licking its huge paw, from which
+Androcles now saw that blood was flowing freely. Seeing
+the poor animal in such pain, and noticing how gentle
+it seemed, Androcles forgot his own terror, and slowly
+approached the lion, who held up its paw as if asking
+the man to help it. Then Androcles saw that a monster
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93"><!-- original location of Cave illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>95]</a></span>
+thorn had entered the paw, making a deep cut, and causing
+great pain and swelling. Swiftly but firmly he drew the
+thorn out, and pressed the swelling to try to stop the
+flowing of the blood. Relieved of the pain, the lion
+quietly lay down at Androcles&rsquo; feet, slowly moving his
+great bushy tail from side to side as a dog does when it
+feels happy and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>From that moment Androcles and the lion became
+devoted friends. After lying for a little while at his feet,
+licking the poor wounded paw, the lion got up and limped
+out of the cave. A few minutes later it returned with a
+little dead rabbit in its mouth, which it put down on the
+floor of the cave beside Androcles. The poor man, who
+was starving with hunger, cooked the rabbit somehow,
+and ate it. In the evening, led by the lion, he found a
+place where there was a spring, at which he quenched his
+dreadful thirst.</p>
+
+<p>And so for three years Androcles and the lion lived
+together in the cave; wandering about the woods together
+by day, sleeping together at night. For in summer the
+cave was cooler than the woods, and in winter it was
+warmer.</p>
+
+<p>At last the longing in Androcles&rsquo; heart to live once
+more with his fellow-men became so great that he felt he
+could remain in the woods no longer, but that he must
+return to a town, and take his chance of being caught and
+killed as a runaway slave. And so one morning he left
+the cave, and wandered away in the direction where he
+thought the sea and the large towns lay. But in a few
+days he was captured by a band of soldiers who were
+patrolling the country in search of fugitive slaves, and he
+was put in chains and sent as a prisoner to Rome.</p>
+
+<p>Here he was cast into prison and tried for the crime
+of having run away from his master. He was condemned
+as a punishment to be torn to pieces by wild beasts on
+the first public holiday, in the great circus at Rome.</p>
+
+<p>When the day arrived Androcles was brought out of
+his prison, dressed in a simple, short tunic, and with a
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>96]</a></span>
+scarf round his right arm. He was given a lance with
+which to defend himself&mdash;a forlorn hope, as he knew that
+he had to fight with a powerful lion which had been kept
+without food for some days to make it more savage and
+bloodthirsty. As he stepped into the arena of the huge
+circus, above the sound of the voices of thousands on
+thousands of spectators he could hear the savage roar of
+the wild beasts from their cages below the floor on which
+he stood.</p>
+
+<p>Of a sudden the silence of expectation fell on the spectators,
+for a signal had been given, and the cage containing
+the lion with which Androcles had to fight had
+been shot up into the arena from the floor below. A
+moment later, with a fierce spring and a savage roar, the
+great animal had sprung out of its cage into the arena,
+and with a bound had rushed at the spot where Androcles
+stood trembling. But suddenly, as he saw Androcles, the
+lion stood still, wondering. Then quickly but quietly it
+approached him, and gently moved its tail and licked
+the man&rsquo;s hands, and fawned upon him like a great dog.
+And Androcles patted the lion&rsquo;s head, and gave a sob of
+recognition, for he knew that it was his own lion, with
+whom he had lived and lodged all those months and years.</p>
+
+<p>And, seeing this strange and wonderful meeting between
+the man and the wild beast, all the people marvelled, and
+the emperor, from his high seat above the arena, sent for
+Androcles, and bade him tell his story and explain this
+mystery. And the emperor was so delighted with the
+story that he said Androcles was to be released and to be
+made a free man from that hour. And he rewarded him
+with money, and ordered that the lion was to belong to
+him, and to accompany him wherever he went.</p>
+
+<p>And when the people in Rome met Androcles walking,
+followed by his faithful lion, they used to point at them
+and say, &lsquo;That is the lion, the guest of the man, and that
+is the man, the doctor of the lion.&rsquo;<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a>
+Apparently this nice lion did not bite anybody, when he took his
+walks abroad. Or, possibly, he was muzzled.&mdash;<span class="smcap">Ed.</span></p>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>97]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 393px;">
+<a name="illo20" id="illo20"></a>
+<img src="images/asb02.jpg" width="393" height="600"
+alt="Androcles with his arms around the lion" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">ANDROCLES IN THE ARENA</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>99]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MONSIEUR DUMAS AND HIS BEASTS</i></h2>
+
+
+<h3>I</h3>
+
+<p>Most people have heard of Alexandre Dumas, the great
+French novelist who wrote &lsquo;The Three Musketeers&rsquo;
+and many other delightful historical romances. Besides
+being a great novelist, M. Dumas was a most kind and
+generous man&mdash;kind both to human beings and to animals.
+He had a great many pets, of which he gives us the history
+in one of his books. Here are some of the stories
+about them in his own words.</p>
+
+<p>I was living, he says, at Monte Cristo (this was the
+name of his villa at St.-Germains); I lived there alone,
+except for the visitors I received. I love solitude, for
+solitude is necessary to anyone who works much. However,
+I do not like complete loneliness; what I love is
+that of the Garden of Eden, a solitude peopled with animals.
+Therefore, in my wilderness at Monte Cristo, without
+being quite like Adam in every way, I had a kind of small
+earthly paradise.</p>
+
+<p>This is the list of my animals. I had a number of
+dogs, of which the chief was Pritchard. I had a vulture
+named Diogenes; three monkeys, one of which bore the
+name of a celebrated translator, another that of a famous
+novelist, and the third, which was a female, that of a
+charming actress. We will call the writer Potich, the
+novelist the Last of the Laidmanoirs, and the lady Mademoiselle
+Desgarcins. I had a great blue and yellow macaw
+called Buvat, a green and yellow parroquet called Papa
+Everard, a cat called Mysouff, a golden pheasant called
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>100]</a></span>
+Lucullus, and finally, a cock called C&aelig;sar. Let us give
+honour where honour is due, and begin with the history
+of Pritchard.</p>
+
+<p>I had an acquaintance named M. Lerat, who having
+heard me say I had no dog to take out shooting, said,
+&lsquo;Ah! how glad I am to be able to give you something
+you will really like! A friend of mine who lives in Scotland
+has sent me a pointer of the very best breed. I will
+give him to you. Bring Pritchard,&rsquo; he added to his two
+little girls.</p>
+
+<p>How could I refuse a present offered so cordially?
+Pritchard was brought in.</p>
+
+<p>He was an odd-looking dog to be called a pointer!
+He was long-haired, grey and white, with ears nearly
+erect, mustard-coloured eyes, and a beautifully feathered
+tail. Except for the tail, he could scarcely be called a
+handsome dog.</p>
+
+<p>M. Lerat seemed even more delighted to give the
+present than I was to receive it, which showed what a
+good heart he had.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The children call the dog Pritchard,&rsquo; he said; &lsquo;but if
+you don&rsquo;t like the name, call him what you please.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I had no objection to the name; my opinion was that
+if anyone had cause to complain, it was the dog himself.
+Pritchard, therefore, continued to be called Pritchard.
+He was at this time about nine or ten months old, and
+ought to begin his education, so I sent him to a gamekeeper
+named Vatrin to learn his duties. But, two hours
+after I had sent Pritchard to Vatrin, he was back again at
+my house. He was not made welcome; on the contrary,
+he received a good beating from Michel, who was my
+gardener, porter, butler, and confidential servant all in
+one, and who took Pritchard back to Vatrin. Vatrin was
+astonished; Pritchard had been shut up with the other
+dogs in the kennel, and he must have jumped over the
+enclosure, which was a high one. Early the next morning,
+when the housemaid had opened my front door, there
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>101]</a></span>
+was Pritchard sitting outside. Michel again beat the dog,
+and again took him back to Vatrin, who this time put a
+collar round his neck and chained him up. Michel came
+back and informed me of this severe but necessary
+measure. Vatrin sent a message to say that I should not
+see Pritchard again until his education was finished.
+The next day, while I was writing in a little summer-house
+in my garden, I heard a furious barking. It was
+Pritchard fighting with a great Pyrenean sheepdog which
+another of my friends had just given me. This dog was
+named Mouton, because of his white woolly hair like a
+sheep&rsquo;s, not on account of his disposition, which was remarkably
+savage. Pritchard was rescued by Michel from
+Mouton&rsquo;s enormous jaws, once more beaten, and for the
+third time taken back to Vatrin. Pritchard, it appears,
+had eaten his collar, though how he managed it Vatrin
+never knew. He was now shut up in a shed, and unless
+he ate the walls or the door, he could not possibly get
+out. He tried both, and finding the door the more
+digestible, he ate the door; and the next day at dinner-time,
+Pritchard walked into the dining-room wagging his
+plumy tail, his yellow eyes shining with satisfaction.
+This time Pritchard was neither beaten nor taken back;
+we waited till Vatrin should come to hold a council of
+war as to what was to be done with him. The next day
+Vatrin appeared.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Did you <em>ever</em> see such a rascal?&rsquo; he began. Vatrin
+was so excited that he had forgotten to say &lsquo;Good morning&rsquo;
+or &lsquo;How do you do?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I tell you,&rsquo; said he, &lsquo;that rascal Pritchard puts me in
+such a rage that I have crunched the stem of my pipe
+three times between my teeth and broken it, and my wife
+has had to tie it up with string. He&rsquo;ll ruin me in pipes,
+that brute&mdash;that vagabond!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Pritchard, do you hear what is said about you?&rsquo;
+said I.</p>
+
+<p>Pritchard heard, but perhaps did not think it mattered
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>102]</a></span>
+much about Vatrin&rsquo;s pipes, for he only looked at me
+affectionately and beat upon the ground with his tail.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I don&rsquo;t know what to do with him,&rsquo; said Vatrin. &lsquo;If
+I keep him he&rsquo;ll eat holes in the house, I suppose; yet I
+don&rsquo;t like to give him up&mdash;he&rsquo;s only a dog. It&rsquo;s humiliating
+for a man, don&rsquo;t you know?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you what, Vatrin,&rsquo; said I. &lsquo;We will take him
+down to V&eacute;sinet, and go for a walk through your preserves,
+and then we shall see whether it is worth while
+to take any more trouble with this vagabond, as you call
+him.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I call him by his name. It oughtn&rsquo;t to be Pritchard;
+it should be Bluebeard, it should be Blunderbore, it
+should be Judas Iscariot!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Vatrin enumerated all the greatest villains he could
+think of at the moment.</p>
+
+<p>I called Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, give me my shooting shoes and gaiters; we
+will go to V&eacute;sinet to see what Pritchard can do.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You will see, sir,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;that you will be better
+pleased than you think.&rsquo; For Michel always had a liking
+for Pritchard.</p>
+
+<p>We went down a steep hill to V&eacute;sinet, Michel following
+with Pritchard on a leash. At the steepest place I turned
+round. &lsquo;Look there upon the bridge in front of us,
+Michel,&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;there is a dog very like Pritchard.&rsquo;
+Michel looked behind him. There was nothing but the
+leather straps in his hand; Pritchard had cut it through
+with his teeth, and was now standing on the bridge
+amusing himself by looking at the water through the
+railing.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He <em>is</em> a vagabond!&rsquo; said Vatrin. &lsquo;Look! where is
+he off to now?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He has gone,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;to see what my neighbour
+Corr&egrave;ge has got for luncheon.&rsquo; Sure enough, the next
+moment Pritchard was seen coming out of M. Corr&egrave;ge&rsquo;s
+back door, pursued by a maid servant with a broom. He
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>103]</a></span>
+had a veal cutlet in his mouth, which he had just taken
+out of the frying-pan.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Monsieur Dumas!&rsquo; cried the maid, &lsquo;Monsieur
+Dumas! stop your dog!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>We tried; but Pritchard passed between Michel and
+me like a flash of lightning.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It seems,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;that he likes his veal underdone.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;My good woman,&rsquo; I said to the cook, who was still
+pursuing Pritchard, &lsquo;I fear that you are losing time, and
+that you will never see your cutlet again.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, then, let me tell you, sir, that you have no right
+to keep and feed a thief like that.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is you, my good woman, who are feeding him to-day,
+not I.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Me!&rsquo; said the cook, &lsquo;it&rsquo;s&mdash;it&rsquo;s M. Corr&egrave;ge. And
+what will M. Corr&egrave;ge say, I should like to know?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He will say, like Michel, that it seems Pritchard likes
+his veal underdone.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, but he&rsquo;ll not be pleased&mdash;he will think it&rsquo;s my
+fault.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Never mind, I will invite your master to luncheon
+with me.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All the same, if your dog goes on like that, he will
+come to a bad end. That is all I have to say&mdash;he will
+come to a bad end.&rsquo; And she stretched out her broom
+in an attitude of malediction towards the spot where
+Pritchard had disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>We three stood looking at one another. &lsquo;Well,&rsquo; said I,
+&lsquo;we have lost Pritchard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;We&rsquo;ll soon find him,&rsquo; said Michel.</p>
+
+<p>We therefore set off to find Pritchard, whistling and
+calling to him, as we walked on towards Vatrin&rsquo;s shooting
+ground. This search lasted for a good half-hour, Pritchard
+not taking the slightest notice of our appeals. At last
+Michel stopped.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Sir,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;look there! Just come and look.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>104]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Well, what?&rsquo; said I, going to him.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look!&rsquo; said Michel, pointing. I followed the direction
+of Michel&rsquo;s finger, and saw Pritchard in a perfectly
+immovable attitude, as rigid as if carved in stone.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Vatrin,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;come here.&rsquo; Vatrin came. I showed
+him Pritchard.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I think he is making a point,&rsquo; said Vatrin. Michel
+thought so too.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But what is he pointing at?&rsquo; I asked. We cautiously
+came nearer to Pritchard, who never stirred.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He certainly is pointing,&rsquo; said Vatrin. Then making
+a sign to me&mdash;&lsquo;Look there!&rsquo; he said. &lsquo;Do you see anything?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Nothing.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What! you don&rsquo;t see a rabbit sitting? If I only had
+my stick, I&rsquo;d knock it on the head, and it would make a
+nice stew for your dinner.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh!&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;if that&rsquo;s all, I&rsquo;ll cut you a
+stick.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, but Pritchard might leave off pointing.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No fear of him&mdash;I&rsquo;ll answer for him&mdash;unless, indeed,
+the rabbit goes away.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Vatrin proceeded to cut a stick. Pritchard never
+moved, only from time to time he turned his yellow eyes
+upon us, which shone like a topaz.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Have patience,&rsquo; said Michel. &lsquo;Can&rsquo;t you see that
+M. Vatrin is cutting a stick?&rsquo; And Pritchard seemed to
+understand as he turned his eye on Vatrin.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You have still time to take off the branches,&rsquo; said
+Michel.</p>
+
+<p>When the branches were taken off and the stick was
+quite finished, Vatrin approached cautiously, took a good
+aim, and struck with all his might into the middle of
+the tuft of grass where the rabbit was sitting. He had
+killed it!</p>
+
+<p>Pritchard darted in upon the rabbit, but Vatrin took it
+from him, and Michel slipped it into the lining of his coat.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>105]</a></span>
+This pocket had already held a good many rabbits in its
+time!</p>
+
+<p>Vatrin turned to congratulate Pritchard, but he had
+disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He&rsquo;s off to find another rabbit,&rsquo; said Michel.</p>
+
+<p>And accordingly, after ten minutes or so, we came
+upon Pritchard making another point. This time Vatrin
+had a stick ready cut; and after a minute, plunging his
+hands into a brier bush, he pulled out by the ears a second
+rabbit.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There, Michel,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;put that into your other
+pocket.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;there&rsquo;s room for five more in this
+one.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Hallo, Michel! people don&rsquo;t say those things before
+a magistrate.&rsquo; And turning to Vatrin I added, &lsquo;Let us try
+once more, Vatrin&mdash;the number three is approved by the
+gods.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;May be,&rsquo; said Vatrin, &lsquo;but perhaps it won&rsquo;t be approved
+by M. Gu&eacute;rin.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>M. Gu&eacute;rin was the police inspector.</p>
+
+<p>Next time we came upon Pritchard pointing, Vatrin
+said, &lsquo;I wonder how long he would stay like that;&rsquo; and
+he pulled out his watch.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, Vatrin,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;you shall try the experiment,
+as it is in your own vocation; but I am afraid I have not
+the time to spare.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel and I then returned home. Vatrin followed
+with Pritchard an hour afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Five-and-twenty minutes!&rsquo; he called out as soon as
+he was within hearing. &lsquo;And if the rabbit had not gone
+away, the dog would have been there now.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, Vatrin, what do you think of him?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why, I say he is a good pointer; he has only to learn
+to retrieve, and that you can teach him yourself. I need
+not keep him any longer.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Do you hear, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>106]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Oh, sir,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;he can do that already. He
+retrieves like an angel!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>This failed to convey to me an exact idea of the way
+in which Pritchard retrieved. But Michel threw a handkerchief,
+and Pritchard brought it back. He then threw
+one of the rabbits that Vatrin carried, and Pritchard
+brought back the rabbit. Michel then fetched an egg and
+placed it on the ground. Pritchard retrieved the egg as
+he had done the rabbit and the handkerchief.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well,&rsquo; said Vatrin, &lsquo;the animal knows all that human
+skill can teach him. He wants nothing now but practice.
+And when one thinks,&rsquo; he added, &lsquo;that if the rascal would
+only come in to heel, he would be worth twenty pounds
+if he was worth a penny.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;True,&rsquo; said I with a sigh, &lsquo;but you may give up hope,
+Vatrin; that is a thing he will never consent to.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>II</h3>
+
+<p>I think that the time has now come to tell my readers
+a little about Mademoiselle Desgarcins, Potich, and the
+Last of the Laidmanoirs. Mademoiselle Desgarcins was a
+tiny monkey; I do not know the place of her birth, but
+I brought her from Havre, where I had gone&mdash;I don&rsquo;t
+know why&mdash;perhaps to look at the sea. But I thought
+I must bring something home with me from Havre. I
+was walking there on the quay, when at the door of a bird-fancier&rsquo;s
+shop I saw a green monkey and a blue and yellow
+macaw. The monkey put its paw through the bars of its
+cage and caught hold of my coat, while the blue parrot
+turned its head and looked at me in such an affectionate
+manner that I stopped, holding the monkey&rsquo;s paw with
+one hand, and scratching the parrot&rsquo;s head with the other.
+The little monkey gently drew my hand within reach of
+her mouth, the parrot half shut its eyes and made a little
+purring noise to express its pleasure.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>107]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 402px;">
+<a name="illo21" id="illo21"></a>
+<img src="images/asb22.jpg" width="402" height="525"
+alt="The shopman shows the animals to Dumas" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;MONSIEUR DUMAS, MAY I ACCOMMODATE YOU WITH MY MONKEY AND
+MY PARROT?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Monsieur Dumas,&rsquo; said the shopman, coming out
+with the air of a man who was more decided to sell than
+I was to buy; &lsquo;Monsieur Dumas, may I accommodate
+you with my monkey and my parrot?&rsquo; It would have
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>108]</a></span>
+been more to the purpose if he had said, &lsquo;Monsieur
+Dumas, may I <em>incommode</em> you with my monkey and my
+parrot?&rsquo; However, after a little bargaining, I bought
+both animals, as well as a cage for the monkey and a
+perch for the parrot; and as soon as I arrived at home,
+I introduced them to Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;This,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;is the green monkey of Senegal&mdash;<i>Cercopithecus
+sab&aelig;a</i>.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I looked at Michel in the greatest astonishment. &lsquo;Do
+you know Latin, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I don&rsquo;t know Latin, but I know my &ldquo;Dictionary of
+Natural History.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, indeed! And do you know what bird this is?&rsquo;
+I asked, showing him the parrot.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;To be sure I know it,&rsquo; said Michel. &lsquo;It is the blue
+and yellow macaw&mdash;<i>Macrocercus arararanna</i>. Oh, sir,
+why did you not bring a female as well as a male?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What is the use, Michel, since parrots will not breed
+in this country?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There you make a mistake, sir; the blue macaw will
+breed in France.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In the south, perhaps?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It need not be in the south, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Where then?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;At Caen.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;At Caen? I did not know Caen had a climate which
+permits parrots to rear their young. Go and fetch my
+gazetteer.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You will soon see,&rsquo; said Michel as he brought it. I
+read: &lsquo;Caen, capital of the department of Calvados, upon
+the Orne and the Odon: 223 kilom&egrave;tres west of Paris,
+41,806 inhabitants.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You will see,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;the parrots are coming.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Great trade in plaster, salt, wood&mdash;taken by English
+in 1346&mdash;retaken by the French &amp;c., &amp;c.&mdash;never mind
+the date&mdash;That is all, Michel.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What! Your dictionary never says that the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>109]</a></span>
+arararanna, otherwise called the blue macaw, produces young
+at Caen?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, Michel, it does not say that here.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What a dictionary! Just wait till I fetch you mine
+and you will see.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel returned in a few minutes with his book of
+Natural History.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You will soon see, sir,&rsquo; he said, opening his dictionary
+in his turn. &lsquo;Parrot&mdash;here it is&mdash;parrots are monogamous.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;As you know Latin, Michel, of course you know
+what monogamous means.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That means that they can sing scales&mdash;gamut, I
+suppose?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, no, Michel, not exactly. It means that they
+have only one &ldquo;wife.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Indeed, sir? That is because they talk like us most
+likely. Now, I have found the place: &ldquo;It was long
+believed that parrots were incapable of breeding in Europe,
+but the contrary has been proved on a pair of blue
+macaws which lived at Caen. M. Lamouroux furnishes
+the details of these results.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Let us hear the details which M. Lamouroux
+furnishes.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;These macaws, from March 1818 until August 1822,
+including a period of four years and a half, laid, in all,
+sixty-two eggs.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, I never said they did not lay eggs; what I said
+was&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Out of this number,&rdquo;&rsquo; continued Michel in a loud
+voice, &lsquo;&ldquo;twenty-five young macaws were hatched, of
+which only ten died. The others lived and continued
+perfectly healthy.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, I confess to having entertained false ideas
+on the subject of macaws.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;They laid at all seasons of the year,&rdquo;&rsquo; continued
+Michel, &lsquo;&ldquo;and more eggs were hatched in the latter than
+in the former years.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>110]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Michel, I have no more to say.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The number of eggs in the nest varied. There
+have been as many as six at a time.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, I yield, rescue or no rescue!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Only,&rsquo; said Michel, shutting the book, &lsquo;you must be
+careful not to give them bitter almonds or parsley.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Not bitter almonds,&rsquo; I answered, &lsquo;because they contain
+prussic acid; but why not parsley?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel, who had kept his thumb in the page, reopened
+the book. &lsquo;&ldquo;Parsley and bitter almonds,&rdquo;&rsquo; he read,
+&lsquo;&ldquo;are a violent poison to parrots.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All right, Michel, I shall remember.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I remembered so well, that some time after, hearing
+that M. Persil had died suddenly (persil being the French
+for parsley), I exclaimed, much shocked: &lsquo;Ah! poor man,
+how unfortunate! He must have been eating parrot!&rsquo;
+However, the news was afterwards contradicted.</p>
+
+<p>The next day I desired Michel to tell the carpenter
+to make a new cage for Mademoiselle Desgarcins, who
+would certainly die of cramp if left in her small travelling
+cage. But Michel, with a solemn face, said it was
+unnecessary. &lsquo;For,&rsquo; said he, &lsquo;I am sorry to tell you, sir,
+that a misfortune has happened. A weasel has killed
+the golden pheasant. You will, however, have it for your
+dinner to-day.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I did not refuse, though the prospect of this repast
+caused me no great pleasure. I am very fond of game,
+but somehow prefer pheasants which have been shot to
+those killed by weasels.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Then,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;if the cage is empty, let us put in the
+monkey.&rsquo; We brought the little cage close to the big
+cage, and opened both doors. The monkey sprang into
+her new abode, bounded from perch to perch, and then
+came and looked at me through the bars, making grimaces
+and uttering plaintive cries.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;She is unhappy without a companion,&rsquo; said Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Suppose we give her the parrot?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>111]</a></span>
+&lsquo;You know that little boy, an Auvergnat, who comes
+here with his monkey asking for pennies. If I were you,
+sir, I would buy that monkey.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And why that monkey rather than another?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He has been so well educated and is so gentle. He
+has a cap with a feather, and he takes it off when you give
+him a nut or a bit of sugar.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 246px;">
+<a name="illo22" id="illo22"></a>
+<img src="images/asb23.jpg" width="246" height="400"
+alt="The Auvergnat and his monkey" />
+</div>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Can he do anything else?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He can fight a duel.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Is that all?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, he can also catch fleas on his master.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But, Michel, do you think that that youth would part
+with so useful an animal?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>112]</a></span>
+&lsquo;We can but ask him, and there he is at this moment!&rsquo;
+And he called to the boy to come in. The monkey was
+sitting on a box which the little boy carried on his back,
+and when his master took off his cap, the monkey did the
+same. It had a nice gentle little face, and I remarked to
+Michel that it was very like a well-known translator of
+my acquaintance.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;If I have the happiness to become the owner of this
+charming animal,&rsquo; I continued, &lsquo;we will call it Potich.&rsquo;
+And giving Michel forty francs, I left him to make his
+bargain with the little Auvergnat.</p>
+
+
+<h3>III</h3>
+
+<p>I had not entered my study since my return from Havre,
+and there is always a pleasure in coming home again
+after an absence. I was glad to come back, and looked
+about me with a pleased smile, feeling sure that the furniture
+and ornaments of the room, if they could speak,
+would say they were glad to see me again. As I glanced
+from one familiar object to another, I saw, upon a seat
+by the fire, a thing like a black and white muff, which I
+had never seen before. When I came closer, I saw that
+the muff was a little cat, curled up, half asleep, and purring
+loudly. I called the cook, whose name was Madame
+Lamarque. She came in after a minute or two.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;So sorry to have kept you waiting, but you see, sir, I
+was making a white sauce, and you, who can cook yourself,
+know how quickly those sauces curdle if you are not
+looking after them.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, I know that, Madame Lamarque; but what I
+do not know is, where this new guest of mine comes
+from.&rsquo; And I pointed to the cat.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah, sir!&rsquo; said Madame Lamarque in a sentimental
+tone, &lsquo;that is an antony.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;An antony, Madame Lamarque! What is that?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>113]</a></span>
+&lsquo;In other words, an orphan&mdash;a foundling, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Poor little beast!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I felt sure that would interest you, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And where did you find it, Madame Lamarque?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In the cellar&mdash;I heard a little cry&mdash;miaow, miaow,
+miaow! and I said to myself, &ldquo;That <em>must</em> be a cat!&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No! did you actually say that?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, and I went down myself, sir, and found the poor
+little thing behind the sticks. Then I recollected how
+you had once said, &ldquo;We ought to have a cat in the
+house.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Did I say so? I think you are making a mistake,
+Madame Lamarque.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Indeed, sir, you did say so. Then I said to myself,
+&ldquo;Providence has sent us the cat which my master wishes
+for.&rdquo; And now there is one question I must ask you, sir.
+What shall we call the cat?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;We will call it Mysouff, if you have no objection.
+And please be careful, Madame Lamarque, that it does not
+eat my quails and turtle-doves, or any of my little foreign
+birds.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;If M. Dumas is afraid of that,&rsquo; said Michel, coming
+in, &lsquo;there is a method of preventing cats from eating
+birds.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And what is the method, my good friend?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You have a bird in a cage. Very well. You cover
+three sides of the cage, you make a gridiron red-hot, you
+put it against the uncovered side of the cage, you let out
+the cat, and you leave the room. The cat, when it makes
+its spring, jumps against the hot gridiron. The hotter
+the gridiron is the better the cat is afterwards.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Thank you, Michel. And what of the troubadour
+and his monkey?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;To be sure; I was coming to tell you about that.
+It is all right, sir; you are to have Potich for forty francs,
+only you must give the boy two white mice and a guinea-pig
+in return.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>114]</a></span>
+&lsquo;But where am I to find two white mice and a guinea-pig?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;If you will leave the commission to me, I will see that
+they are found.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I left the commission to Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;If you won&rsquo;t think me impertinent, sir,&rsquo; said Madame
+Lamarque, &lsquo;I should so like to know what <em>Mysouff</em>
+means.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Mysouff just means Mysouff, Madame Lamarque.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is a cat&rsquo;s name, then?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Certainly, since Mysouff the First was so-called. It
+is true, Madame Lamarque, you never knew Mysouff.&rsquo;
+And I became so thoughtful that Madame Lamarque was
+kind enough to withdraw quietly, without asking any
+questions about Mysouff the First.</p>
+
+<p>That name had taken me back to fifteen years ago,
+when my mother was still living. I had then the great
+happiness of having a mother to scold me sometimes. At
+the time I speak of, I had a situation in the service of the
+Duc d&rsquo;Orl&eacute;ans, with a salary of 1,500 francs. My work
+occupied me from ten in the morning until five in the
+afternoon. We had a cat in those days whose name was
+Mysouff. This cat had missed his vocation&mdash;he ought to
+have been a dog. Every morning I started for my office
+at half-past nine, and came back every evening at half-past
+five. Every morning Mysouff followed me to the
+corner of a particular street, and every evening I found
+him in the same street, at the same corner, waiting for
+me. Now the curious thing was that on the days when
+I had found some amusement elsewhere, and was not
+coming home to dinner, it was no use to open the door
+for Mysouff to go and meet me.<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> Mysouff, in the attitude
+of the serpent with its tail in its mouth, refused to stir
+from his cushion. On the other hand, the days I did
+come, Mysouff would scratch at the door until someone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>115]</a></span>
+opened it for him. My mother was very fond of Mysouff;
+she used to call him her barometer.</p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a>
+A remarkable instance of telepathy in the Cat.&mdash;A.&nbsp;L.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Mysouff marks my good and my bad weather,&rsquo; my
+dear mother would say; &lsquo;the days you come in are my
+days of sunshine; my rainy days are when you stay
+away.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>When I came home, I used to see Mysouff at the street
+corner, sitting quite still and gazing into the distance. As
+soon as he caught sight of me, he began to move his tail;
+then as I drew nearer, he rose and walked backwards and
+forwards across the pavement with his back arched and
+his tail in the air. When I reached him, he jumped up
+upon me as a dog would have done, and bounded and
+played round me as I walked towards the house; but
+when I was close to it he dashed in at full speed. Two
+seconds after, I used to see my mother at the door.</p>
+
+<p>Never again in this world, but in the next perhaps, I
+shall see her standing waiting for me at the door.</p>
+
+<p>That is what I was thinking of, dear readers, when
+the name of Mysouff brought back all these recollections;
+so you understand why I did not answer Madame Lamarque&rsquo;s
+questions.</p>
+
+<p>Henceforth Mysouff II. enjoyed the same privileges
+that Mysouff I. had done, although, as will be seen later,
+he was not distinguished by similar virtues, but was, in
+fact, a very different sort of cat.</p>
+
+
+<h3>IV</h3>
+
+<p>The following Sunday, when my son Alexandre and
+one or two intimate friends were assembled in my room, a
+second Auvergnat boy, with a second monkey, demanded
+admittance, and said that a friend having told him that
+M. Dumas had bought his monkey for forty francs, two
+white mice, and a guinea-pig, he was prepared to offer
+his for the same price. My friends urged me to buy the
+second monkey.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>116]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Do buy this charming creature,&rsquo; said my artist friend
+Giraud.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, do buy this ridiculous little beast,&rsquo; said Alexandre.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Buy him, indeed,&rsquo; said I; &lsquo;have I forty francs to give
+away every day, to say nothing of a guinea-pig and two
+white mice?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Gentlemen,&rsquo; said Alexandre, &lsquo;I am sorry to tell you
+that my father is, without exception, the most avaricious
+man living.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>My guests exclaimed, but Alexandre said that one day
+he would prove the truth of his assertion. I was now
+called upon to admire the monkey, and to remark how
+like he was to a friend of ours. Giraud, who was painting
+a portrait of this gentleman, said that if I would let the
+monkey sit to him, it would help him very much in his
+work, and Maquet, another of my guests, offered, amidst
+general applause, to make me a present of it.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> This decided
+me.</p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a>
+Maquet. The immortal Augustus MacKeat.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You see,&rsquo; said Alexandre, &lsquo;he accepts.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Come, young man,&rsquo; said I to the Auvergnat, &lsquo;embrace
+your monkey for the last time, and if you have any tears
+to shed, shed them without delay.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>When the full price was paid, the boy made an attempt
+to do as I told him, but the Last of the Laidmanoirs refused
+to be embraced by his former master, and as soon
+as the latter had gone away, he seemed delighted and
+began to dance, while Mademoiselle Desgarcins in her
+cage danced, too, with all her might.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look!&rsquo; said Maquet, &lsquo;they like each other. Let us
+complete the happiness of these interesting animals.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>We shut them up in the cage together, to the great
+delight of Mademoiselle Desgarcins, who did not care for
+Potich, and much preferred her new admirer. Potich,
+indeed, showed signs of jealousy, but, not being armed
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>117]</a></span>
+with the sword which he used to have when he fought
+duels, he could not wash out his affronts in the blood
+of his rival, but became a prey to silent melancholy and
+wounded affection.</p>
+
+<p>While we were still looking at the monkeys, a servant
+came in bringing a tray with wine and seltzer water.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I say,&rsquo; said Alexandre, &lsquo;let us make Mademoiselle
+Desgarcins open the seltzer-water bottle!&rsquo; and he put the
+bottle inside the cage on the floor. No sooner had he
+done so, than all three monkeys surrounded it and looked
+at it with the greatest curiosity. Mademoiselle Desgarcins
+was the first to understand that something would happen
+if she undid the four crossed wires which held down the
+cork. She accordingly set to work, first with her fingers,
+and then with her teeth, and it was not long before she
+undid the first three. She next attacked the fourth,
+while the whole company, both men and monkeys,
+watched her proceedings with breathless attention. Presently
+a frightful explosion was heard: Mademoiselle
+Desgarcins was knocked over by the cork and drenched
+with seltzer water, while Potich and the Last of the
+Laidmanoirs fled to the top of their cage, uttering piercing
+cries.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh!&rsquo; cried Alexandre, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ll give my share of seltzer
+water to see her open another bottle!&rsquo; Mademoiselle
+Desgarcins had got up, shaken herself, and gone to rejoin
+her companions, who were still howling lamentably.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You don&rsquo;t suppose she&rsquo;ll let herself be caught a second
+time,&rsquo; said Giraud.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Do you know,&rsquo; said Maquet, &lsquo;I should not wonder if
+she would. I believe her curiosity would still be stronger
+than her fear.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Monkeys,&rsquo; said Michel, who had come in on hearing
+their cries, &lsquo;are more obstinate than mules. The more
+seltzer-water bottles you give them, the more they will
+uncork.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Do you think so, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>118]</a></span>
+&lsquo;You know, of course, how they catch them in their
+own country.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, Michel.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What! you don&rsquo;t know <em>that</em>, gentlemen?&rsquo; said
+Michel, full of compassion for our ignorance. &lsquo;You know
+that monkeys are very fond of Indian corn. Well, you
+put some Indian corn into a bottle, the neck of which is
+just large enough to admit a monkey&rsquo;s paw. He sees the
+Indian corn through the glass&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He puts his hand inside, and takes a good handful
+of the Indian corn. At that moment the hunter shows
+himself. They are so obstinate&mdash;the monkeys, I mean&mdash;that
+they won&rsquo;t let go what they have in their hand, but
+as they can&rsquo;t draw their closed fist through the opening,
+there they are, you see, caught.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, then, Michel, if ever our monkeys get out, you
+will know how to catch them again.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh! no fear, sir, that is just what I shall do.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The seltzer-water experiment was successfully repeated,
+to the triumph of Michel and the delight of Alexandre,
+who wished to go on doing it; but I forbade him,
+seeing that poor Mademoiselle Desgarcins&rsquo; nose was
+bleeding from the blow of the cork.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is not that,&rsquo; said Alexandre; &lsquo;it is because you
+grudge your seltzer water. I have already remarked,
+gentlemen, that my father is, I regret to say, an exceedingly
+avaricious man.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>V</h3>
+
+<p>It is now my painful duty to give my readers some
+account of the infamous conduct of Mysouff II. One
+morning, on waking rather late, I saw my bedroom door
+gently opened, and the head of Michel thrust in, wearing
+such a concerned expression that I knew at once that
+something was wrong.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>119]</a></span>
+&lsquo;What has happened, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why, sir, those villains of monkeys have managed to
+twist a bar of their cage, I don&rsquo;t know how, until they
+have made a great hole, and now they have escaped.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well&mdash;but, Michel, we foresaw that that might occur,
+and now you have only to buy your Indian corn, and
+procure three bottles the right size.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah! you are laughing, sir,&rsquo; said Michel, reproachfully,
+&lsquo;but you won&rsquo;t laugh when you know all. They
+have opened the door of the aviary&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And so my birds have flown away?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Sir, your six pairs of turtle doves, your fourteen
+quails, and all your little foreign birds, are eaten up!&rsquo;<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a>
+Let the reader compare the conduct of Mr. Gully, later!</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But monkeys won&rsquo;t eat birds!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, but Master Mysouff will, and he has done it!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The deuce he has! I must see for myself.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, go yourself, sir; you will see a sight&mdash;a field of
+battle&mdash;a massacre of St. Bartholomew!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>As I was coming out, Michel stopped me to point to
+Potich, who had hung himself by the tail to the branch
+of a maple, and was swinging gracefully to and fro.
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins was bounding gaily about in
+the aviary, while the Last of the Laidmanoirs was practising
+gymnastics on the top of the greenhouse. &lsquo;Well,
+Michel, we must catch them. I will manage the Last of
+the Laidmanoirs if you will get hold of Mademoiselle
+Desgarcins. As to poor little Potich, he will come of his
+own accord.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t trust him, sir; he is a hypocrite. He has
+made it up with the other one&mdash;just think of that!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What! he has made friends with his rival in the
+affections of Mademoiselle Desgarcins?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Just so, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That is sad indeed, Michel; I thought only human
+beings could be guilty of so mean an action.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>120]</a></span>
+&lsquo;You see, sir, these monkeys have frequented the
+society of human beings.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 407px;">
+<a name="illo23" id="illo23"></a>
+<img src="images/asb24.jpg" width="407" height="580"
+alt="The Last of the Laidmanoirs and Mademoiselle Desgarcins" />
+</div>
+
+<p>I now advanced upon the Last of the Laidmanoirs
+with so much precaution that I
+contrived to shut him into the
+greenhouse, where he retreated
+into a corner and prepared to
+defend himself, while Potich, from
+the outside, encouraged his friend
+by making horrible faces at me
+through the glass. At this moment
+piercing shrieks were heard
+from Mademoiselle Desgarcins;
+Michel had just caught her.
+These cries so enraged the Last
+of the Laidmanoirs that he dashed
+out upon me; but I parried his
+attack with the palm of my hand;
+with which he came in contact
+so forcibly that he lost breath
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>121]</a></span>
+for a minute, and I then picked him up by the scruff
+of the neck.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Have you caught Mademoiselle Desgarcins?&rsquo; I shouted
+to Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Have you caught the Last of the Laidmanoirs?&rsquo;
+returned he.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes!&rsquo; we both replied in turn. And each bearing
+his prisoner, we returned to the cage, which had in the
+meantime been mended, and shut them up once more,
+whilst Potich, with loud lamentations, fled to the top of
+the highest tree in the garden. No sooner, however, did
+he find that his two companions were unable to get out
+of their cage, than he came down from his tree, approached
+Michel in a timid and sidelong manner, and with clasped
+hands and little plaintive cries, entreated to be shut up
+again with his friends.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Just see what a hypocrite he is!&rsquo; said Michel.</p>
+
+<p>But I was of opinion that the conduct of Potich was
+prompted by devotion rather than hypocrisy; I compared
+it to that of Regulus, who returned to Carthage to keep
+his promised word, or to King John of France, who
+voluntarily gave himself up to the English for the Countess
+of Salisbury&rsquo;s sake.</p>
+
+<p>Michel continued to think Potich a hypocrite, but on
+account of his repentance he was forgiven. He was put
+back into the cage, where Mademoiselle Desgarcins took
+very little notice of him.</p>
+
+<p>All this time Mysouff, having been forgotten, calmly
+remained in the aviary, and continued to crunch the
+bones of his victims with the most hardened indifference.
+It was easy enough to catch <em>him</em>. We shut him into the
+aviary, and held a council as to what should be his
+punishment. Michel was of opinion that he should be
+shot forthwith. I was, however, opposed to his immediate
+execution, and resolved to wait until the following Sunday,
+and then to cause Mysouff to be formally tried by my
+assembled friends. The condemnation was therefore
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>122]</a></span>
+postponed. In the meantime Mysouff remained a
+prisoner in the very spot where his crimes had been
+committed. He continued, however, to refresh himself
+with the remains of his victims without apparent remorse,
+but Michel removed all the bodies, and confined him to a
+diet of bread and water.</p>
+
+<p>Next Sunday, having convoked a council of all my
+friends, the trial was proceeded with. Michel was
+appointed Chief Justice and Nogent Saint-Laurent was
+counsel for the prisoner. I may remark that the jury
+were inclined to find a verdict of guilty, and after the
+first speech of the Judge, the capital sentence seemed
+almost certain. But the skilful advocate, in a long and
+eloquent speech, brought clearly before us the innocence
+of Mysouff, the malice of the monkeys, their quickness
+and incessant activity compared with the less inventive
+minds of cats. He showed us that Mysouff was incapable
+of contemplating such a crime; he described him wrapped
+in peaceful sleep, then, suddenly aroused from this
+innocent slumber by the abandoned creatures who, living
+as they did opposite the aviary, had doubtless long
+harboured their diabolical designs. We saw Mysouff but
+half awake, still purring innocently, stretching himself,
+opening his pink mouth, from which protruded a tongue
+like that of a heraldic lion. He shakes his ears, a proof
+that he rejects the infamous proposal that is being made
+to him; he listens; at first he refuses&mdash;the advocate
+insisted that the prisoner had begun by refusing&mdash;then,
+naturally yielding, hardly more than a kitten, corrupted
+as he had been by the cook, who instead of feeding him
+on milk or a little weak broth, as she had been told to do,
+had recklessly excited his carnivorous appetite by giving
+him pieces of liver and parings of raw chops; the
+unfortunate young cat yields little by little, prompted
+more by good nature and weakness of mind than by
+cruelty or greed, and, only half awake, he does the bidding
+of the villainous monkeys, the real instigators of the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>123]</a></span>
+crime. The counsel here took the prisoner in his arms,
+showed us his paws, and defied any anatomist to say that
+with paws so made, an animal could possibly open a door
+that was bolted. Finally, he borrowed Michel&rsquo;s Dictionary
+of Natural History, opened it at the article &lsquo;Cat,&rsquo;
+&lsquo;Domestic Cat,&rsquo; &lsquo;Wild Cat&rsquo;; he proved that Mysouff was
+no wild cat, seeing that nature had robed him in white,
+the colour of innocence; then smiting the book with
+vehemence, &lsquo;Cat!&rsquo; he exclaimed, &lsquo;Cat! You shall now
+hear, gentlemen, what the illustrious Buffon, the man
+with lace sleeves, has to say about the cat.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The cat,&rdquo; says M. de Buffon, &ldquo;is not to be trusted,
+but it is kept to rid the house of enemies which cannot
+otherwise be destroyed. Although the cat, especially
+when young, is pleasing, nature has given it perverse and
+untrustworthy qualities which increase with age, and
+which education may conceal, but will not eradicate.&rdquo;
+Well, then,&rsquo; exclaimed the orator, after having read this
+passage, &lsquo;what more remains to be said? Did poor
+Mysouff come here with a false character seeking a
+situation? Was it not the cook herself who found him&mdash;who
+took him by force from the heap of sticks behind
+which he had sought refuge? It was merely to interest
+and touch the heart of her master that she described him
+mewing in the cellar. We must reflect also, that those
+unhappy birds, his victims&mdash;I allude especially to the
+quails, which are eaten by man&mdash;though their death is
+doubtless much to be deplored, yet they must have felt
+themselves liable to death at any moment, and are now
+released from the terrors they experienced every time
+they saw the cook approaching their retreat. Finally,
+gentlemen, I appeal to your justice, and I think you will
+now admit that the interesting and unfortunate Mysouff
+has but yielded, not only to incontrollable natural instincts,
+but also to foreign influence. I claim for my client the
+plea of extenuating circumstances.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The counsel&rsquo;s pleading was received with cries of
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>124]</a></span>
+applause, and Mysouff, found guilty of complicity in the
+murder of the quails, turtle-doves, and other birds of
+different species, but with extenuating circumstances, was
+sentenced only to five years of monkeys.</p>
+
+
+<h3>VI</h3>
+
+<p>The next winter, certain circumstances, with which I
+need not trouble my readers, led to my making a journey
+to Algiers. I seldom make any long journey without
+bringing home some animal to add to my collection, and
+accordingly I returned from Africa accompanied by a
+vulture, which I bought from a little boy who called himself
+a Beni-Mouffetard. I paid ten francs for the vulture,
+and made the Beni-Mouffetard a present of two more,
+in return for which he warned me that my vulture was
+excessively savage, and had already bitten off the thumb
+of an Arab and the tail of a dog. I promised to be very
+careful, and the next day I became the possessor of a
+magnificent vulture, whose only fault consisted in a strong
+desire to tear in pieces everybody who came near him. I
+bestowed on him the name of his compatriot, Jugurtha.
+He had a chain fastened to his leg, and had for further
+security been placed in a large cage made of spars. In this
+cage he travelled quite safely as far as Philippeville, without
+any other accident than that he nearly bit off the finger
+of a passenger who had tried to make friends with him.
+At Philippeville a difficulty arose. It was three miles
+from Stora, the port where we were to embark, and the
+diligence did not go on so far. I and several other gentlemen
+thought that we would like to walk to Stora, the
+scenery being beautiful and the distance not very great;
+but what was I to do about Jugurtha? I could not ask
+a porter to carry the cage; Jugurtha would certainly
+have eaten him through the spars. I thought of a plan:
+it was to lengthen his chain eight or ten feet by means of
+a cord; and then to drive him in front of me with a long
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>125]</a></span>
+pole. But the first difficulty was to induce Jugurtha to
+come out of his cage; none of us dared put our hands
+within reach of his beak. However, I managed to fasten
+the cord to his chain, then I made two men armed with
+pickaxes break away the spars. Jugurtha finding himself
+free, spread out his wings to fly away, but he could of
+course only fly as far as his cord would permit.</p>
+
+<p>Now Jugurtha was a very intelligent creature; he saw
+that there was an obstacle in the way of his liberty, and
+that I was that obstacle; he therefore turned upon me
+with fury, in the hope of putting me to flight, or devouring
+me in case of resistance. I, however, was no less
+sagacious than Jugurtha; I had foreseen the attack, and
+provided myself with a good switch made of dogwood, as
+thick as one&rsquo;s forefinger, and eight feet long. With this
+switch I parried Jugurtha&rsquo;s attack, which astonished but
+did not stop him; however, a second blow, given with all
+my force, made him stop short, and a third caused him to
+fly in the opposite direction, that is, towards Stora. Once
+launched upon this road, I had only to use my switch
+adroitly to make Jugurtha proceed at about the same pace
+as we did ourselves, to the great admiration of my fellow-travellers,
+and of all the people whom we met on the road.
+On our arrival at Stora Jugurtha made no difficulty about
+getting on board the steamer, and when tied to the mast,
+waited calmly while a new cage was made for him. He
+went into it of his own accord, received with gratitude the
+pieces of meat which the ship&rsquo;s cook gave him, and three
+days after his embarkation he became so tame that he
+used to present me with his head to scratch, as a parrot
+does. I brought Jugurtha home without further adventure,
+and committed him to the charge of Michel.</p>
+
+<p>It was not until my return from Algiers on this occasion
+that I went to live at Monte Cristo, the building of
+which had been finished during my absence. Up to this
+time I had lived in a smaller house called the Villa
+Medicis, and while the other was building, Michel made
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>126]</a></span>
+arrangements for the proper lodging of all my animals,
+for he was much more occupied about their comfort than
+he was about mine or even his own. They had all plenty
+of room, particularly the dogs, who were not confined by
+any sort of enclosure, and Pritchard, who was naturally
+generous, kept open house with a truly Scottish hospitality.
+It was his custom to sit in the middle of the road
+and salute every dog that passed with a little not unfriendly
+growl; smelling him, and permitting himself to
+be smelt in a ceremonious manner. When a mutual
+sympathy had been produced by this means, a conversation
+something like this would begin:</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Have you a good master?&rsquo; asked the strange dog.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Not bad,&rsquo; Pritchard would reply.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Does your master feed you well?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, one has porridge twice a day, bones at breakfast
+and dinner, and anything one can pick up in the
+kitchen besides.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The stranger licked his lips.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You are not badly off,&rsquo; said he.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I do not complain,&rsquo; replied Pritchard. Then, seeing
+the strange dog look pensive, he added, &lsquo;Would you like
+to dine with us?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The invitation was accepted at once, for dogs do not
+wait to be pressed, like some foolish human beings.</p>
+
+<p>At dinner-time Pritchard came in, followed by an unknown
+dog, who, like Pritchard, placed himself beside
+my chair, and scratched my knee with his paw in such
+a confiding way that I felt sure that Pritchard must
+have been commending my benevolence. The dog, after
+spending a pleasant evening, found that it was rather too
+late to return home, so slept comfortably on the grass
+after his good supper. Next morning he took two or three
+steps as if to go away, then changing his mind, he inquired
+of Pritchard, &lsquo;Should I be much in the way if I stayed
+on here?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo24" id="illo24"></a>
+<img src="images/asb25.jpg" width="600" height="385"
+alt="Dumas walks along the dockside with the vulture on a leash" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">DUMAS ARRIVES AT STORA WITH HIS VULTURE</p>
+
+<p>Pritchard replied, &lsquo;You could quite well, with management,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"><!-- original location of Vulture illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>129]</a></span>
+make them believe you are the neighbour&rsquo;s dog,
+and after two or three days, nobody would know you did
+not belong to the house. You might live here just as well
+as those idle useless monkeys, who do nothing but amuse
+themselves, or that greedy vulture, who eats tripe all day
+long, or that idiot of a macaw, who is always screaming
+about nothing.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The dog stayed, keeping in the background at first,
+but in a day or two he jumped up upon me and followed
+me everywhere, and there was another guest to feed, that
+was all. Michel asked me one day if I knew how many
+dogs there were about the place. I answered that I did
+not.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Sir,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;there are thirteen.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That is an unlucky number, Michel; you must see
+that they do not all dine together, else one of them is sure
+to die first.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is not that, though,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;it is the expense
+I am thinking of. Why, they would eat an ox a day, all
+those dogs; and if you will allow me, sir, I will just take
+a whip and put the whole pack to the door, to-morrow
+morning.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But, Michel, let us do it handsomely. These dogs,
+after all, do honour to the house by staying here. So give
+them a grand dinner to-morrow; tell them that it is the
+farewell banquet, and then, at dessert, put them all to the
+door.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But after all, sir, I cannot put them to the door,
+because there isn&rsquo;t a door.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;there are certain things in this world
+that one must just put up with, to keep up one&rsquo;s character
+and position. Since all these dogs have come to me, let
+them stay with me. I don&rsquo;t think they will ruin me,
+Michel. Only, on their own account, you should be careful
+that there are not thirteen.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I will drive away one,&rsquo; suggested Michel, &lsquo;and then
+there will only be twelve.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>130]</a></span>
+&lsquo;On the contrary, let another come, and then there
+will be fourteen.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel sighed.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It&rsquo;s a regular kennel,&rsquo; he murmured.</p>
+
+<p>It was, in fact, a pack of hounds, though rather a
+mixed one. There was a Russian wolfhound, there was
+a poodle, a water spaniel, a spitz, a dachshund with
+crooked legs, a mongrel terrier, a mongrel King Charles,
+and a Turkish dog which had no hair on its body, only a
+tuft upon its head and a tassel at the end of its tail. Our
+next recruit was a little Maltese terrier, named Lisette,
+which raised the number to fourteen. After all, the expense
+of these fourteen amounted to rather over two
+pounds a month. A single dinner given to five or six of
+my own species would have cost me three times as much,
+and they would have gone away dissatisfied; for, even if
+they had liked my wine, they would certainly have found
+fault with my books. Out of this pack of hounds, one
+became Pritchard&rsquo;s particular friend and Michel&rsquo;s favourite.
+This was a dachshund with short crooked legs, a
+long body, and, as Michel said, the finest voice in the
+department of Seine-et-Oise. Portugo&mdash;that was his
+name&mdash;had in truth a most magnificent bass voice. I used
+to hear it sometimes in the night when I was writing, and
+think how that deep-toned majestic bark would please
+St. Hubert if he heard it in his grave. But what was
+Portugo doing at that hour, and why was he awake while
+the other dogs slumbered? This mystery was revealed
+one day, when a stewed rabbit was brought me for dinner.
+I inquired where the rabbit came from.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You thought it good, sir?&rsquo; Michel asked me with a
+pleased face.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Excellent.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, then, you can have one just the same every
+day, sir, if you like.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo25" id="illo25"></a>
+<img src="images/asb26.jpg" width="600" height="382"
+alt="Dumas, Michel and the fourteen dogs" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;IT&rsquo;S A REGULAR KENNEL&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Every day, Michel? Surely that is almost too much
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131"><!-- original location of Kennel illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>133]</a></span>
+to promise. Besides, I should like, before consuming so
+many rabbits, to know where they come from.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You shall know that this very night, if you don&rsquo;t mind
+coming out with me.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah! Michel, I have told you before that you are a
+poacher!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, sir, as to that, I am as innocent as a baby&mdash;and,
+as I was saying, if you will only come out with me to-night&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Must I go far, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Not a hundred yards, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;At what o&rsquo;clock?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Just at the moment when you hear Portugo&rsquo;s first
+bark.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Very well, Michel, I will be with you.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I had nearly forgotten this promise, and was writing
+as usual, when Michel came into my study. It was about
+eleven o&rsquo;clock, and a fine moonlight night.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Hallo!&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;Portugo hasn&rsquo;t barked yet, has he?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, but I was just thinking that if you waited for
+that, you would miss seeing something curious.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What should I miss, Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The council of war which is held between Pritchard
+and Portugo.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I followed Michel, and sure enough, among the fourteen
+dogs, which were mostly sleeping in different attitudes,
+Portugo and Pritchard were sitting up, and seemed
+to be gravely debating some important question. When
+the debate was ended, they separated; Portugo went out
+at the gate to the high road, turned the corner, and disappeared,
+while Pritchard began deliberately, as if he had
+plenty of time before him, to follow the little path which
+led up to a stone quarry. We followed Pritchard, who
+took no notice of us, though he evidently knew we were
+there. He went up to the top of the quarry, examined and
+smelt about over the ground with great care, and when he
+had found a scent and assured himself that it was fresh, he
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>134]</a></span>
+lay down flat and waited. Almost at the same moment,
+Portugo&rsquo;s first bark was heard some two hundred yards
+off. Now the plan the two dogs had laid was clear to us.
+The rabbits came out of their holes in the quarry every
+evening to go to their feeding ground; Pritchard found
+the scent of one; Portugo then made a wide circuit, found
+and chased the rabbit, and, as a rabbit or a hare always
+comes back upon its former track, Pritchard, lying in
+ambush, awaited its return. Accordingly, as the sound
+of Portugo&rsquo;s barking came closer, we saw Pritchard&rsquo;s
+yellow eyes light up and flame like a topaz; then all of
+a sudden he made a spring, and we heard a cry of fright
+and distress.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;They&rsquo;ve done it!&rsquo; said Michel, and he went to Pritchard,
+took out of his mouth a nice plump rabbit, gave it
+a blow behind the ears to finish it, and, opening it on the
+spot, gave the inside to the two dogs, who shared their
+portion contentedly, although they probably regretted
+Michel&rsquo;s interference. As Michel told me, I could have
+eaten a stewed rabbit every day for dinner, if such had
+been my desire.</p>
+
+<p>But after this, events of a different kind were taking
+place, which obliged me to leave my country pursuits,
+and I spent about two months in Paris. The day before I
+returned to St.-Germains I wrote and told Michel to
+expect me, and found him waiting for me on the road
+half way from the station.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I must tell you, sir,&rsquo; he said, as soon as I was within
+hearing, &lsquo;that two important events have happened at
+Monte Cristo since you went away.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, Michel, let me hear.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In the first place, Pritchard got his hind foot into a
+snare and instead of staying where he was as any other
+dog would have done, he bit off his foot with his teeth,
+and so he came home upon three legs.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But,&rsquo; said I, much shocked, &lsquo;is the poor beast dead
+after such an accident?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>135]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Dead, sir? Was not I there to doctor him?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And what did you do to him then?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I cut off the foot properly at the joint with a pruning
+knife. I then sewed the skin neatly over it, and now
+you would never know it was off! Look there, the rascal
+has smelt you and is coming to meet you.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 411px;">
+<a name="illo26" id="illo26"></a>
+<img src="images/asb27.jpg" width="411" height="420"
+alt="The vulture in his tub" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">JUGURTHA BECOMES DIOGENES</p>
+
+<p>And at that moment Pritchard appeared, coming at full
+gallop, so that, as Michel had said, one would hardly
+have noticed that he had only three feet. My meeting
+with Pritchard was, as may be supposed, full of deep
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>136]</a></span>
+emotion on both sides. I was sorry for the poor animal.
+When I had recovered a little, I asked Michel what his
+other piece of news was.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The latest news, sir, is that Jugurtha&rsquo;s name is no
+longer Jugurtha.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What is it then?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is Diogenes.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And why?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look, sir!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>We had now reached the little avenue of ash-trees
+which formed the entrance to the villa. To the left of
+the avenue the vulture was seen walking proudly to and
+fro in an immense tub, which Michel had made into a
+house for him.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah! now I understand,&rsquo; said I. &lsquo;Of course, directly
+he lives in a tub&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That&rsquo;s it!&rsquo; said Michel. &lsquo;Directly he lives in a tub,
+he cannot be Jugurtha any more; he <em>must</em> be Diogenes.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I admired Michel&rsquo;s historical learning no less than I
+did his surgical skill, just as the year before, I had bowed
+before his superior knowledge of natural history.</p>
+
+
+<h3>VII</h3>
+
+<p>In order to lead to more incidents in the life of Pritchard
+I must now tell my readers that I had a friend called
+Charpillon, who had a passion for poultry, and kept the
+finest hens in the whole department of Yonne. These
+hens were chiefly Cochins and Brahmapootras; they laid
+the most beautiful brown eggs, and Charpillon surrounded
+them with every luxury and never would allow them to be
+killed. He had the inside of his hen-house painted green,
+in order that the hens, even when shut up, might fancy
+themselves in a meadow. In fact, the illusion was so
+complete, that when the hen-house was first painted, the
+hens refused to go in at night, fearing to catch cold; but
+after a short time even the least intelligent among them
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>137]</a></span>
+understood that she had the good fortune to belong to a
+master who knew how to combine the useful with the
+beautiful. Whenever these hens ventured out upon the
+road, strangers would exclaim with delight, &lsquo;Oh! what
+beautiful hens!&rsquo; to which some one better acquainted
+with the wonders of this fortunate village would reply,
+&lsquo;I should think so! These are M. Charpillon&rsquo;s hens.&rsquo; Or,
+if the speaker were of an envious disposition, he might
+add, &lsquo;Yes indeed! hens that <em>nothing</em> is thought too good
+for!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>When my friend Charpillon heard that I had returned
+from Paris, he invited me to come and stay with him to
+shoot, adding as a further inducement that he would give
+me the best and freshest eggs I had ever eaten in my life.
+Though I did not share Charpillon&rsquo;s great love of poultry,
+I am very fond of fresh eggs, and the nankeen-coloured
+eggs laid by his Brahma hens had an especially delicate
+flavour. But all earthly pleasures are uncertain. The
+next morning Charpillon&rsquo;s hens were found to have only
+laid three eggs instead of eight. Such a thing had never
+happened before, and Charpillon did not know whom to
+suspect; however he suspected every one rather than his
+hens, and a sort of cloud began to obscure the confidence
+he had hitherto placed in the security of his enclosures.
+While these gloomy doubts were occupying us, I observed
+Michel hovering about as if he had something on his mind,
+and asked him if he wanted to speak to me.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I should be glad to have a few words with you, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In private?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It would be better so, for the honour of Pritchard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah, indeed? What has the rascal been doing
+now?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You remember, sir, what your solicitor said to you one
+day when I was in the room?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What did he say, Michel? My solicitor is a clever
+man, and says many sensible things; still it is difficult for
+me to remember them all.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>138]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Well, sir,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;find out whom the crime benefits,
+and you will find the criminal.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I remember that axiom perfectly, Michel. Well?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, sir, whom can this crime of stolen eggs benefit
+more than Pritchard?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Pritchard? You think it is he who steals the eggs?
+Pritchard, who brings home eggs without breaking them!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You mean who <em>used</em> to bring them. Pritchard is an
+animal who has vicious instincts, sir, and if he does not
+come to a bad end some day, I shall be surprised, that&rsquo;s
+all.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Does Pritchard eat eggs, then?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He does; and it is only right to say, sir, that that is
+<em>your</em> fault.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What! my fault? My fault that Pritchard eats
+eggs?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel shook his head sadly, but nothing could shake
+his opinion.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Now really, Michel, this is too much! Is it not enough
+that critics tell me that I pervert everybody&rsquo;s mind with
+my corrupt literature, but you must join my detractors
+and say that my bad example corrupts Pritchard?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I beg pardon, sir, but do you remember how one day,
+at the Villa Medicis, while you were eating an egg, M.
+Rusconi who was there said something so ridiculous that
+you let the egg fall upon the floor?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I remember that quite well.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And do you remember calling in Pritchard, who was
+scraping up a bed of fuchsias in the garden, and making
+him lick up the egg?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I do not remember him scraping up a bed of fuchsias,
+but I do recollect that he licked up my egg.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, sir, it is that and nothing else that has been
+his ruin. Oh! he is quick enough to learn what is wrong;
+there is no need to show it him twice.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, you are really extremely tedious. How have
+I shown Pritchard what is wrong?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>139]</a></span>
+&lsquo;By making him eat an egg. You see, sir, before that
+he was as innocent as a new-born babe; he didn&rsquo;t know
+what an egg was&mdash;he thought it was a badly made golf
+ball. But as soon as you make him eat an egg, he learns
+what it is. Three days afterwards, M. Alexandre came
+home, and was complaining to me of his dog&mdash;that he was
+rough and tore things with his teeth in carrying them.
+&ldquo;Ah! look at Pritchard,&rdquo; I said to him, &ldquo;how gentle
+<em>he</em> is! you shall see the way he carries an egg.&rdquo; So I
+fetched an egg from the kitchen, placed it on the ground,
+and said, &ldquo;Fetch, Pritchard!&rdquo; Pritchard didn&rsquo;t need
+to be told twice, but what do you think the cunning rascal
+did? You remember, some days before, Monsieur &mdash;&mdash; the
+gentleman who had such a bad toothache, you know.
+You recollect his coming to see you?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, of course I remember.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, Pritchard pretended not to notice, but those
+yellow eyes of his notice everything. Well, all of a
+sudden he pretended to have the same toothache that
+that gentleman had, and crack! goes the egg. Then he
+pretends to be ashamed of his awkwardness&mdash;he swallows
+it in a hurry, shell and all! I believed him&mdash;I thought
+it was an accident and fetched another egg. Scarcely
+did he make three steps with the egg in his mouth than
+the toothache comes on again, and crack! goes the second
+egg. I began then to suspect something&mdash;I went and got
+a third, but if I hadn&rsquo;t stopped then he&rsquo;d have eaten
+the whole basketful. So then M. Alexandre, who likes his
+joke, said, &ldquo;Michel, you may possibly make a good
+musician of Pritchard, or a good astronomer, but he&rsquo;ll
+never be a good incubator!&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;How is it that you never told me this before,
+Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Because I was ashamed, sir; for this is not the
+worst.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What! not the worst?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel shook his head.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>140]</a></span>
+&lsquo;He has developed an unnatural craving for eggs; he
+got into M. Acoyer&rsquo;s poultry-yard and stole all his. M.
+Acoyer came to complain to me. How do you suppose
+he lost his foot?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You told me yourself&mdash;in somebody&rsquo;s grounds where
+he had forgotten to read the notice about trespassing.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You are joking, sir&mdash;but I really believe he can
+read.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh! Michel, Pritchard is accused of enough sins
+without having <em>that</em> vice laid to his charge! But about
+his foot?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I think he caught it in some wire getting out of a
+poultry-yard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But you know it happened at night, and the hens
+are shut up at night. How could he get into the hen-house?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He doesn&rsquo;t need to get into the hen-house after eggs;
+he can charm the hens. Pritchard is what one may call
+a charmer.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, you astonish me more and more!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, indeed, sir. I knew that he used to charm
+the hens at the Villa Medicis; only M. Charpillon has
+such wonderful hens, I did not think they would have
+allowed it. But I see now all hens are alike.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Then you think it is Pritchard who&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I think he charms M. Charpillon&rsquo;s hens, and that is
+the reason they don&rsquo;t lay&mdash;at least, that they only lay for
+Pritchard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Indeed, Michel, I should much like to know how he
+does it!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;If you are awake very early to-morrow, sir, just look
+out of your window&mdash;you can see the poultry-yard from
+it, and you will see a sight that you have never seen
+before!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I have seen many things, Michel, including sixteen
+changes of governments, and to see something I have
+never seen before I would gladly sit up the whole night!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>141]</a></span>
+&lsquo;There is no need for that&mdash;I can wake you at the
+right time.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The next day at early dawn, Michel awoke me.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I am ready, Michel,&rsquo; said I, coming to the window.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Wait, wait! let me open it very gently. If Pritchard
+suspects that he is watched, he won&rsquo;t stir; you have no
+idea how deceitful he is.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel opened the window with every possible precaution.
+From where I stood, I could distinctly see the
+poultry-yard, and Pritchard lying in his couch, his head
+innocently resting upon his two fore-paws. At the slight
+noise which Michel made in opening the window, Pritchard
+pricked up his ears and half opened his yellow eye,
+but as the sound was not repeated he did not move. Ten
+minutes afterwards we heard the newly wakened hens
+begin to cluck. Pritchard immediately opened both eyes,
+stretched himself and stood upright upon his three feet.
+He then cast a glance all round him, and seeing that all
+was quiet, disappeared into a shed, and the next moment
+we saw him coming out of a sort of little window on the
+other side. From this window Pritchard easily got upon
+the sloping roof which overhung one side of the poultry-yard.
+He had now only to jump down about six feet,
+and having got into the inclosure he lay down flat in front
+of the hen-house, giving a little friendly bark. A hen
+looked out at Pritchard&rsquo;s call, and instead of seeming
+frightened she went to him at once and received his compliments
+with apparent complacency. Nor did she seem
+at all embarrassed, but proceeded to lay her egg, and that
+within such easy reach of Pritchard that we had not time
+to see the egg&mdash;it was swallowed the same instant. She
+then retired cackling triumphantly, and her place was
+taken by another hen.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, now, sir,&rsquo; said Michel, when Pritchard had
+swallowed his fourth egg, &lsquo;you see it is no wonder that
+Pritchard has such a clear voice. You know great singers
+always eat raw eggs the first thing in the morning.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>142]</a></span>
+&lsquo;I know that, Michel, but what I don&rsquo;t know is how
+Pritchard proposes to get out of the poultry-yard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Just wait and see what the scoundrel will do.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Pritchard having finished his breakfast, or being a
+little alarmed at some noise in the house, stood up on his
+hind leg, and slipping one of his fore-paws through the
+bars of the gate, he lifted the latch and went out.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And when one thinks,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;that if anybody
+asked him why the yard door was left open, he would say
+it was because Pierre had forgotten to shut it last night!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 397px;">
+<a name="illo27" id="illo27"></a>
+<img src="images/asb28.jpg" width="397" height="215"
+alt="Pritchard investigates an egg" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">PRITCHARD AND THE HENS</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You think he would have the wickedness to say <em>that</em>,
+Michel?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Perhaps not to-day, nor yet to-morrow, because he is
+not come to his full growth, but some day, mind you, I
+should not be surprised to hear him speak.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>VIII</h3>
+
+<p>Before going out to shoot that day, I thought it only
+right to give M. Charpillon an account of Pritchard&rsquo;s
+proceedings. He regarded him, therefore with mingled
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>143]</a></span>
+feelings, in which admiration was more prominent than
+sympathy, and it was agreed that on our return the dog
+should be shut up in the stable, and that the stable-door
+should be bolted and padlocked. Pritchard, unsuspicious
+of our designs, ran on in front with a proud step and with
+his tail in the air.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You know,&rsquo; said Charpillon, &lsquo;that neither men nor
+dogs are allowed to go into the vineyards. I ought as
+a magistrate to set an example, and Gaignez still more,
+as he is the mayor. So mind you keep in Pritchard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;All right,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;I will keep him in.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>But Michel, approaching, suggested that I should send
+Pritchard home with him. &lsquo;It would be safer,&rsquo; he said.
+&lsquo;We are quite near the house, and I have a notion that
+he might get us into some scrape by hunting in the vineyards.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Don&rsquo;t be afraid, Michel; I have thought of a plan to
+prevent him.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel touched his hat. &lsquo;I know you are clever,
+sir&mdash;very clever; but I don&rsquo;t think you are as clever as
+that!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Wait till you see.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Indeed, sir, you will have to be quick, for there is
+Pritchard hunting already.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>We were just in time to see Pritchard disappear into
+a vineyard, and a moment afterwards he raised a covey
+of partridges.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Call in your dog,&rsquo; cried Gaignez.</p>
+
+<p>I called Pritchard, who, however, turned a deaf ear.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Catch him,&rsquo; said I to Michel.</p>
+
+<p>Michel went, and returned in a few minutes with
+Pritchard in a leash. In the meantime I had found a
+long stake, which I hung crosswise round his neck, and
+let him go loose with this ornament. Pritchard understood
+that he could no longer go through the vineyards,
+but the stake did not prevent his hunting, and he only
+went a good deal further off on the open ground.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>144]</a></span>
+From this moment there was only one shout all along
+the line.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Hold in your dog, confound him!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Keep in your Pritchard, can&rsquo;t you! He&rsquo;s sending all
+the birds out of shot!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look here! Would you mind my putting a few pellets
+into your brute of a dog? How can anybody shoot if he
+won&rsquo;t keep in?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;catch Pritchard again.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I told you so, sir. Luckily we are not far from the
+house; I can still take him back.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Not at all. I have a second idea. Catch Pritchard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;After all,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;this is nearly as good fun as if
+we were shooting.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>And by-and-bye he came back, dragging Pritchard by
+his stake. Pritchard had a partridge in his mouth.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look at him, the thief!&rsquo; said Michel. &lsquo;He has
+carried off M. Gaignez&rsquo;s partridge&mdash;I see him looking
+for it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Put the partridge in your game-bag, Michel; we will
+give him a surprise.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel hesitated. &lsquo;But,&rsquo; said he, &lsquo;think of the opinion
+this rascal will have of you!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What, Michel? do you think Pritchard has a bad
+opinion of me?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, sir! a shocking opinion.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But what makes you think so?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why, sir, do you not think that Pritchard knows in
+his soul and conscience that when he brings you a bird
+that another gentleman has shot, he is committing a
+theft?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I think he has an idea of it, certainly, Michel.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, then, sir, if he knows he is a thief, he must take
+you for a receiver of stolen goods. Look at the articles
+of the Code; it is said there that receivers are equally
+guilty with thieves, and should be similarly punished.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo28" id="illo28"></a>
+<img src="images/asb29.jpg" width="600" height="375"
+alt="Pritchard brings the stolen hare to his master" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;PRITCHARD REAPPEARED NEXT MOMENT WITH A HARE IN HIS MOUTH&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, you open my eyes to a whole vista of terrors.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145"><!-- original location of Hare illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>147]</a></span>
+But we are going to try to cure Pritchard of hunting.
+When he is cured of hunting, he will be cured of
+stealing.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Never, sir! You will never cure Pritchard of his vices.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Still I pursued my plan, which was to put Pritchard&rsquo;s
+fore-leg through his collar. By this means, his right fore-foot
+being fastened to his neck, and his left hind-foot
+being cut off, he had only two to run with, the left fore-foot
+and the right hind-foot.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, indeed,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;if he can hunt now, the
+devil is in it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>He loosed Pritchard, who stood for a moment as if
+astonished, but once he had balanced himself he began to
+walk, then to trot; then, as he found his balance better,
+he succeeded in running quicker on his two legs than
+many dogs would have done on four.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Where are we now, sir?&rsquo; said Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It&rsquo;s that beast of a stake that balances him!&rsquo; I
+replied, a little disappointed. &lsquo;We ought to teach him to
+dance upon the tight-rope&mdash;he would make our fortunes
+as an acrobat.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You are joking again, sir. But listen! do you hear
+that?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The most terrible imprecations against Pritchard were
+resounding on all sides. The imprecations were followed
+by a shot, then by a howl of pain.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That is Pritchard&rsquo;s voice,&rsquo; said Michel. &lsquo;Well, it is
+no more than he deserves.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Pritchard reappeared the next moment with a hare in
+his mouth.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, you said that was Pritchard that howled.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I would swear to it, sir.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But how could he howl with a hare in his mouth?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel scratched his head. &lsquo;It was he all the same,&rsquo;
+he said, and he went to look at Pritchard.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, sir!&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;I was right. The gentleman he
+took the hare from has shot him. His hind-leg is all over
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>148]</a></span>
+blood. Look! there is M. Charpillon running after his
+hare.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You know that I have just put some pellets into your
+Pritchard?&rsquo; Charpillon called out as soon as he saw me.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You did quite right.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He carried off my hare.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There! You see,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;it is impossible to
+cure him.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But when he carried away your hare, he must have
+had it in his mouth?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Of course. Where else would he have it?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;But how could he howl with a hare in his mouth?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;He put it down to howl, then he took it up again and
+made off.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There&rsquo;s deceit for you, gentlemen!&rsquo; exclaimed
+Michel.</p>
+
+<p>Pritchard succeeded in bringing the hare to me, but
+when he reached me he had to lie down.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I say,&rsquo; said Charpillon, &lsquo;I hope I haven&rsquo;t hurt him
+more than I intended&mdash;it was a long shot.&rsquo; And forgetting
+his hare, Charpillon knelt down to examine Pritchard&rsquo;s
+wound. It was a serious one; Pritchard had received
+five or six pellets about the region of his tail, and was
+bleeding profusely.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, poor beast!&rsquo; cried Charpillon. &lsquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t
+have fired that shot for all the hares in creation if I had
+known.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Bah!&rsquo; said Michel; &lsquo;he won&rsquo;t die of it.&rsquo; And, in
+fact, Pritchard, after spending three weeks with the
+vet. at St.-Germains, returned to Monte Cristo perfectly
+cured, and with his tail in the air once more.</p>
+
+
+<h3>IX</h3>
+
+<p>Soon after the disastrous event which I have just
+related the revolution of 1848 occurred in France, in
+which King Louis Philippe was dethroned and a republic
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>149]</a></span>
+established. You will ask what the change of government
+had to do with my beasts? Well, although, happily,
+they do not trouble their heads about politics, the revolution
+did affect them a good deal; for the French public,
+being excited by these occurrences, would not buy my
+books, preferring to read the &lsquo;Guillotine,&rsquo; the &lsquo;Red
+Republic,&rsquo; and such like corrupt periodicals; so that I
+became for the time a very much poorer man. I was
+obliged greatly to reduce my establishment. I sold my
+three horses and two carriages for a quarter of their
+value, and I presented the Last of the Laidmanoirs, Potich,
+and Mademoiselle Desgarcins to the Jardin des Plantes
+in Paris. I had to move into a smaller house, but my
+monkeys were lodged in a palace; this is a sort of thing
+that sometimes happens after a revolution. Mysouff also
+profited by it, for he regained his liberty on the departure
+of the monkeys.</p>
+
+<p>As to Diogenes, the vulture, I gave him to my worthy
+neighbour Collinet, who keeps the restaurant Henri IV.,
+and makes such good cutlets &agrave; la B&eacute;arnaise. There was
+no fear of Diogenes dying of hunger under his new master&rsquo;s
+care; on the contrary, he improved greatly in health and
+beauty, and, doubtless as a token of gratitude to Collinet,
+he laid an egg for him every year, a thing he never
+dreamt of doing for me. Lastly, we requested Pritchard
+to cease to keep open house, and to discontinue his daily
+invitations to strange dogs to dine and sleep. I was
+obliged to give up all thoughts of shooting that year. It
+is true that Pritchard still remained to me, but then
+Pritchard, you must recollect, had only three feet; he had
+been badly hurt when he was shot by Charpillon, and the
+revolution of February had occasioned the loss of one
+eye.</p>
+
+<p>It happened one day during that exciting period, that
+Michel was so anxious to see what was going on that he
+forgot to give Pritchard his dinner. Pritchard therefore
+invited himself to dine with the vulture, but Diogenes,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>150]</a></span>
+being of a less sociable turn, and not in a humour to be
+trifled with, dealt poor Pritchard such a blow with his
+beak as to deprive him of one of his mustard-coloured
+eyes. Pritchard&rsquo;s courage was unabated; he might be
+compared to that brave field marshal of whom it was
+said that Mars had left nothing of him whole except
+his heart. But it was difficult, you see, to make much
+use of a dog with so many infirmities. If I had wished
+to sell him I could not have found a purchaser, nor
+would he have been considered a handsome present had
+I desired to give him away. I had no choice, then, but
+to make this old servant, badly as he had sometimes
+served me, a pensioner, a companion, in fact a friend.
+Some people told me that I might have tied a stone
+round his neck and flung him into the river; others, that
+it was easy enough to replace him by buying a good
+retriever from Vatrin; but although I was not yet poor
+enough to drown Pritchard, neither was I rich enough to
+buy another dog. However, later in that very year, I
+made an unexpected success in literature, and one of
+my plays brought me in a sufficient sum to take a shooting
+in the department of Yonne. I went to look at this
+shooting, taking Pritchard with me. In the meantime
+my daughter wrote to tell me that she had bought an
+excellent retriever for five pounds, named Catinat, and
+that she was keeping him in the stable until my return.
+As soon as I arrived, my first care was to make Catinat&rsquo;s
+acquaintance. He was a rough, vigorous dog of three or
+four years old, thoughtless, violent, and quarrelsome. He
+jumped upon me till he nearly knocked me down, upset
+my daughter&rsquo;s work-table, and dashed about the room to
+the great danger of my china vases and ornaments. I
+therefore called Michel and informed him that the superficial
+acquaintance which I had made with Catinat would
+suffice for the time, and that I would defer the pleasure
+of his further intimacy until the shooting season began
+at Auxerre.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>151]</a></span>
+Poor Michel, as soon as he saw Catinat, had been seized
+with a presentiment of evil.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Sir,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;that dog will bring some misfortune
+upon us. I do not know yet what, but something will
+happen, I know it will!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In the meantime, Michel,&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;you had better
+take Catinat back to the stable.&rsquo; But Catinat had already
+left the room of his own accord and rushed downstairs
+to the dining-room, where I had left Pritchard. Now
+Pritchard never could endure Catinat from the first moment
+he saw him; the two dogs instantly flew at one
+another with so much fury that Michel was obliged to
+call me to his assistance before we could separate them.
+Catinat was once more shut up in the stable, and Pritchard
+conducted to his kennel in the stable-yard, which,
+in the absence of carriages and horses, was now a poultry-yard,
+inhabited by my eleven hens and my cock C&aelig;sar.
+Pritchard&rsquo;s friendship with the hens continued to be as
+strong as ever, and the household suffered from a scarcity
+of eggs in consequence. That evening, while my daughter
+and I were walking in the garden, Michel came to meet
+us, twisting his straw hat between his fingers, a sure sign
+that he had something important to say.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, what is it, Michel?&rsquo; I asked.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It came into my mind, sir,&rsquo; he answered, &lsquo;while I was
+taking Pritchard to his kennel, that we never have any
+eggs because Pritchard eats them; and he eats them
+because he is in direct communication with the hens.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is evident, Michel, that if Pritchard never went into
+the poultry-yard, he would not eat the eggs.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Then, do you not think, sir,&rsquo; continued Michel, &lsquo;that if
+we shut up Pritchard in the stable and put Catinat into
+the poultry-yard, it would be better? Catinat is an animal
+without education, so far as I know; but he is not
+such a thief as Pritchard.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Do you know what will happen if you do that,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>152]</a></span>
+Michel?&rsquo; I said. &lsquo;Catinat will not eat the eggs, perhaps,
+but he will eat the hens.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;If a misfortune like that were to occur, I know a
+method of curing him of eating hens.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well&mdash;but in the meantime the hens would be eaten.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had I uttered these words, when a frightful
+noise was heard in the stable-yard, as loud as that of a
+pack of hounds in full cry, but mingled with howls of rage
+and pain which indicated a deadly combat.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel!&rsquo; I cried, &lsquo;do you hear that?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh yes, I hear it,&rsquo; he answered, &lsquo;but those must be
+the neighbours&rsquo; dogs fighting.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Michel, those are Catinat and Pritchard killing each
+other!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Impossible, sir&mdash;I have separated them.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, then, they have met again.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is true,&rsquo; said Michel, &lsquo;that scoundrel Pritchard can
+open the stable-door as well as any one.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Then, you see, Pritchard is a dog of courage; he&rsquo;ll
+have opened the stable-door for Catinat on purpose to
+fight him. Be quick, Michel, I am really afraid one of
+them will be killed.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Michel darted into the passage which led to the stable,
+and no sooner had he disappeared than I knew from the
+lamentations which I heard that some misfortune had
+happened. In a minute or two Michel reappeared sobbing
+bitterly and carrying Pritchard in his arms.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Look, sir! just look!&rsquo; he said; &lsquo;this is the last we
+shall see of Pritchard&mdash;look what your fine sporting dog
+has done to him. Catinat, indeed! it is Catilina he
+should be called!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I ran up to Pritchard, full of concern&mdash;I had a great
+love for him, though he had often made me angry. He
+was a dog of much originality, and the unexpected things
+he did were only a proof of genius.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What do you think is the matter?&rsquo; I asked Michel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The matter?&mdash;the matter is that he is dead!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>153]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Oh no, surely not!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Anyhow, he&rsquo;ll never be good for anything again.&rsquo;
+And he laid him on the ground at my feet.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Pritchard, my poor Pritchard!&rsquo; I cried.</p>
+
+<p>At the sound of my voice, Pritchard opened his yellow
+eye and looked sorrowfully at me, then stretched out his
+four legs, gave one sigh, and died. Catinat had bitten
+his throat quite through, so that his death was almost
+immediate.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, Michel,&rsquo; said I, &lsquo;it is not a good servant, it is
+a good friend that we have lost. You must wash him
+carefully&mdash;you shall have a towel to wrap him in&mdash;you
+shall dig his grave in the garden and we will have a
+tombstone made for him on which shall be engraved this
+epitaph:</p>
+
+<div class="cenpoem2">
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">&lsquo;Like conquering Rantzau, of courage undaunted,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Pritchard, to thee Mars honour has granted,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">On each field of fight of a limb he bereft thee,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Till nought but thy gallant heart scatheless was left thee.&rsquo;<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>As my habit was, I sought consolation for my grief in
+literary labours. Michel endeavoured to assuage his with
+the help of two bottles of red wine, with which, mingled
+with his tears, he watered the grave of the departed. I
+know this because when I came out early next morning
+to see if my wishes with regard to Pritchard&rsquo;s burial had
+been carried out, I found Michel stretched upon the
+ground, still in tears, and the two bottles empty by his
+side.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>154]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE ADVENTURES OF PYRAMUS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Pyramus was a large brown dog, born of a good family,
+who had been given, when a mere pup, to Alexandre
+Dumas, the great French novelist, then quite a young
+man. Now the keeper to whom Pyramus first belonged
+had also a tiny little fox-cub without any relations about
+the place, so both fox-cub and dog-pup were handed over
+to the same mother, who brought them up side by side,
+until they were able to do for themselves. So when the
+keeper made young Dumas a present of Pyramus, he
+thought he had better bestow Cartouche on him as well.</p>
+
+<p>Of course it is hardly necessary to say that these fine
+names were not invented by the keeper, who had never
+heard of either Pyramus or Cartouche, but were given to
+his pets by Dumas, after he had spent a little time in
+observing their characters.</p>
+
+<p>Certainly it was a very curious study. Here were two
+animals, who had never been apart since they were born,
+and were now living together in two kennels side by
+side in the court-yard of the house, and yet after the first
+three or four months, when they were mere babies, every
+day showed some difference, and soon they ceased to be
+friends at all and became open enemies.</p>
+
+<p>The earliest fight known to have taken place between
+them happened in this way. One day some bones were
+thrown by accident within the bounds of Cartouche&rsquo;s
+territory, and though if they belonged to anybody, it was
+clearly Cartouche, Pyramus resolved most unfairly to get
+hold of them. The first time Pyramus tried secretly to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>155]</a></span>
+commit this act of piracy, Cartouche growled; the second
+time he showed his teeth; the third time he bit.</p>
+
+<p>It must be owned that Cartouche had shown some
+excuse for his violent behaviour, because he always remained
+chained up, whereas Pyramus was allowed
+certain hours of liberty; and it was during one of these
+that he made up his mind to steal the bones from Cartouche,
+whose chain (he thought) would prevent any
+attempt at reprisals. Indeed, he even tried to make out
+to his conscience that probably the bones were not dainty
+enough for Cartouche, who loved delicate food, whereas
+anything was good enough for him, Pyramus. However,
+whether he wanted to eat the bones or not, Cartouche had
+no intention of letting them be stolen from him, and
+having managed to drive off Pyramus on the first occasion,
+he determined to get safely hold of the bones before
+his enemy was unchained again.</p>
+
+<p>Now the chains of each were the same length, four
+feet, and in addition to that, Pyramus had a bigger head
+and longer nose than Cartouche, who was much smaller
+altogether. So it follows that when they were both
+chained up, Pyramus could stretch farther towards any
+object that lay at an equal distance between their kennels.
+Pyramus knew this, and so he counted on always getting
+the better of Cartouche.</p>
+
+<p>But Cartouche had not been born a fox for nothing,
+and he watched with a scornful expression the great
+Pyramus straining at his chain with his eyes nearly jumping
+out of his head with greed and rage. &lsquo;Really,&rsquo; said
+Cartouche to himself, &lsquo;if he goes on like that much
+longer, I shall have a mad dog for a neighbour before the
+day is out. Let me see if <em>I</em> can&rsquo;t manage better.&rsquo; But as
+we know, being a much smaller animal than Pyramus, his
+nose did not come nearly so close to the bones; and after
+one or two efforts to reach the tempting morsel which
+was lying about six feet from each kennel, he gave it up,
+and retired to his warm bed, hoping that he might somehow
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>156]</a></span>
+hit upon some idea which would enable him to reach
+the &lsquo;bones of contention.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>All at once he jumped up, for after hard thought he
+had got what he wanted. He trotted merrily to the
+length of his chain, and now it was Pyramus&rsquo;s turn to look
+on and to think with satisfaction: &lsquo;Well, if <em>I</em> can&rsquo;t get
+them, <em>you</em> can&rsquo;t either, which is a comfort.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 405px;">
+<a name="illo29" id="illo29"></a>
+<img src="images/asb30.jpg" width="405" height="265"
+alt="Cartouche pulls the bone closer with his hind foot" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">CARTOUCHE OUTWITS PYRAMUS</p>
+
+<p>But gradually his grin of delight changed into a
+savage snarl, as Cartouche turned himself round when he
+had got to the end of his chain, and stretching out his
+paw, hooked the bone which he gradually drew within
+reach, and before Pyramus had recovered from his
+astonishment, Cartouche had got possession of all the
+bones and was cracking them with great enjoyment inside
+his kennel.</p>
+
+<p>It may seem very unjust that Cartouche was always
+kept chained up, while Pyramus was allowed to roam
+about freely, but the fact was that Pyramus only ate or
+stole when he was really hungry, while Cartouche was by
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>157]</a></span>
+nature the murderer of everything he came across. One
+day he broke his chain and ran off to the fowl-yard of
+Monsieur Mauprivez, who lived next door. In less than
+ten minutes he had strangled seventeen hens and two
+cocks: nineteen corpses in all! It was impossible to find
+any &lsquo;extenuating circumstances&rsquo; in his favour. He was
+condemned to death and promptly executed.</p>
+
+<p>Henceforth Pyramus reigned alone, and it is sad to
+think that he seemed to enjoy it, and even that his appetite
+grew bigger.</p>
+
+<p>It is bad enough for any dog to have an appetite like
+Pyramus when he was at home, but when he was out
+shooting, and should have been doing his duty as a
+retriever, this fault became a positive vice. Whatever
+might be the first bird shot by his master, whether it
+happened to be partridge or pheasant, quail or snipe,
+down it would go into Pyramus&rsquo;s wide throat. It was
+seldom, indeed, that his master arrived in time to see
+even the last feathers.</p>
+
+<p>A smart blow from a whip kept him in order all the
+rest of the day, and it was very rarely that he sinned
+twice in this way while on the same expedition, but unluckily
+before the next day&rsquo;s shooting came round, he
+had entirely forgotten all about his previous caning, and
+justice had to be done again.</p>
+
+<p>On two separate occasions, however, Pyramus&rsquo;s greediness
+brought its own punishment. One day his master
+was shooting with a friend in a place where a small
+wood had been cut down early in the year, and after the
+low shrubs had been sawn in pieces and bound in
+bundles, the grass was left to grow into hay, and this hay
+was now in process of cutting. The shooting party
+reached the spot just at the time that the reapers were
+having their dinner and taking their midday rest, and
+one of the reapers had laid his scythe against a little
+stack of wood about three feet high. At this moment
+a snipe got up, and M. Dumas fired and killed it. It
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>158]</a></span>
+fell on the other side of the stack of wood against which
+the scythe was leaning.</p>
+
+<p>As it was the first bird he had killed that day, he knew
+of course that it would become the prey of Pyramus, so
+he did not hurry himself to go after it, but watched with
+amusement, Pyramus tearing along, even jumping over
+the stack in his haste.</p>
+
+<p>But when after giving the dog the usual time to
+swallow his fat morsel, Monsieur did not see Pyramus
+coming back to him as usual in leaps and bounds, he
+began to wonder what could have happened, and made
+hastily for the stack of wood behind which he had disappeared.
+There he found the unlucky Pyramus lying on
+the ground, with the point of the scythe right through his
+neck. The blood was pouring from the wound, and he
+lay motionless, with the snipe dead on the ground about
+six inches from his nose.</p>
+
+<p>The two men raised him as gently as possible, and
+carried him to the river, and here they bathed the wound
+with water. They then folded a pocket-handkerchief into
+a band, and tied it tightly round his neck to staunch the
+blood, and when this was done, and they were wondering
+how to get him home, a peasant fortunately passed
+driving a donkey with two panniers, and he was laid
+in one of the panniers and taken to the nearest village,
+where he was put safely into a carriage.</p>
+
+<p>For eight days Pyramus lay between life and death.
+For a whole month his head hung on one side, and it was
+only after six weeks (which seems like six years to a dog)
+that he was able to run about as usual, and appeared to
+have forgotten his accident.</p>
+
+<p>Only, whenever he saw a scythe he made a long round
+to avoid coming in contact with it.</p>
+
+<p>Some time afterwards he returned to the house with
+his body as full of holes as a sieve. On this occasion
+he was taking a walk through the forest, and, seeing a
+goat feeding, jumped at its throat. The goat screamed
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>159]</a></span>
+loudly, and the keeper, who was smoking at a little distance
+off, ran to his help; but before he could come up
+the goat was half dead. On hearing the steps of the
+keeper, and on listening to his strong language, Pyramus
+understood very well that this stout man dressed in blue
+would have something very serious to say to him, so he
+stretched his legs to their fullest extent, and started off
+like an arrow from a bow. But, as Man Friday long ago
+remarked, &lsquo;My little ball of lead can run faster than thou,&rsquo;
+the keeper&rsquo;s little ball of lead ran faster than Pyramus,
+and that is how he came home with all the holes in
+his body.</p>
+
+<p>There is no denying that Pyramus was a very bad
+dog, and as his master was fond of him, it is impossible
+to believe that he can <em>always</em> have been hungry, as, for
+instance, when he jumped up in a butcher&rsquo;s shop to steal
+a piece of meat and got the hook on which it was hung
+through his own jaws, so that someone had to come and
+unhook him. But hungry or not, Monsieur Dumas had
+no time to be perpetually getting him out of scrapes, and
+when a few months later an Englishman who wanted a
+sporting dog took a fancy to Pyramus, his master was not
+altogether sorry to say good-bye.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>160]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STORY OF A WEASEL</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Bingley&rsquo;s <i>Animal Biography</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>Weasels are so sharp and clever and untiring, that their
+activity has been made into a proverb; and, like many
+other sharp and clever creatures, they are very mischievous,
+and fond of killing rabbits and chickens, and
+even of sucking their eggs, which they do so carefully that
+they hardly ever break one.</p>
+
+<p>A French lady, called Mademoiselle de Laistre, a friend
+of the great naturalist, Monsieur de Buffon, once found a
+weasel when he was very young indeed, and, as she was
+fond of pets, she thought she would bring him up. Now
+a weasel is a little creature, and very pretty. It has short
+legs and a long tail, and its skin is reddish brown above
+and white below. Its eyes are black and its ears are
+small, and its body is about seven inches in length. But
+this weasel was much smaller than that when it went to
+live with Mademoiselle de Laistre.</p>
+
+<p>Of course it had to be taught: all young things have,
+and this weasel knew nothing. The good lady first began
+with pouring some milk into the hollow of her hand and
+letting it drink from it. Very soon, being a weasel of
+polite instincts, it would not take milk in any other way.
+After its dinner, when a little fresh meat was added to the
+milk, it would run to a soft quilt that was spread in its
+mistress&rsquo;s bedroom, and, having soon discovered that it
+could get inside the quilt at a place where the stitches
+had given way, it proceeded to tuck itself up comfortably
+for an hour or two. This was all very well in the day,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>161]</a></span>
+but Mademoiselle de Laistre did not feel at all safe in
+leaving such a mischievous creature loose during the night,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>162]</a></span>
+so whenever she went to bed, she shut the weasel up in
+a little cage that stood close by. If she happened to wake
+up early, she would unfasten the cage, and then the weasel
+would come into her bed, and, nestling up to her, go to
+sleep again. If she was already dressed when he was let
+out, he would jump all about her, and would never once
+miss alighting on her hands, even when they were held
+out three feet from him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 282px;">
+<a name="illo30" id="illo30"></a>
+<img src="images/asb31.jpg" width="282" height="575"
+alt="The weasel perches on Mademoiselle's shoulder" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">MADEMOISELLE DE LAISTRE AND HER WEASEL</p>
+
+<p>All his ways were pretty and gentle. He would sit
+on his mistress&rsquo;s shoulder and give little soft pats to her
+chin, or would run over a whole room full of people at the
+mere sound of her voice. He was very fond of the sun,
+too, and would tumble about and murmur with delight
+whenever it shone on him. The little weasel was rather
+a thirsty animal, but he would not drink much at a time,
+and, when he had once tasted milk, could not be persuaded
+to touch rain-water. Baths were quite new to him, too,
+and he could not make up his mind to them, even in the
+heat, from which he suffered a good deal. His nearest
+approach to bathing was a wet cloth wrapped round him,
+and this evidently gave him great pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>Cats and dogs about the place condescended to make
+friends with him, and they never quarrelled nor hurt each
+other. Indeed, in many of their instincts and ways,
+weasels are not very unlike cats, and one quality they
+have in common is their curiosity. Nothing was dull or
+uninteresting to this little weasel. It was impossible to
+open a drawer or take out a paper without his little sharp
+nose being thrust round the corner, and he would even
+jump on his mistress&rsquo;s hands, the better to read her letters.
+He was also very fond of attracting attention, and in the
+midst of his play would always stop to see if anyone was
+watching. If he found that no one was troubling about
+him, he would at once leave off, and, curling himself up,
+go off into a sleep so sound that he might be taken up by
+the head and swung backwards and forwards quite a long
+time before he would wake up and be himself again.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>163]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>STORIES ABOUT WOLVES</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Wolves are found in the colder and more northern parts
+of Asia and North America, and over the whole of Europe,
+except the British Isles, where they were exterminated
+long ago. Some say Lochiel killed the last wolf in Scotland,
+some say a gamekeeper was the hero. The wolf
+very much resembles the dog in appearance, except
+that his eyes are set in obliquely, and nearer his nose.
+His coat is commonly of a tawny grey colour, but sometimes
+black or white, and he varies in size according
+to the climate. Some wolves only measure two and a
+half feet in length, not counting the tail, others are much
+larger. They have remarkably keen sight, hearing, and
+sense of smell, and such a stealthy gait, that their way
+of slinking along has passed into a proverb in countries
+where wolves are common. They live in rocky
+caverns in the forest, sleep by day like other beasts of
+prey, and go out at night to forage for food. They eat
+small birds, reptiles, the smaller animals, such as rats and
+mice, some fruits, grapes among others, and rotten apples;
+they do not disdain even dead bodies, nor garbage of any
+sort. But in times of famine or prolonged snow, when
+all these provisions fail them, and they feel the pinch of
+hunger, then woe betide the flocks of sheep or the human
+beings they may encounter. In 1450 wolves actually
+came into Paris and attacked the citizens. Even so lately
+as the long and severe winter of 1894-5, the wolves came
+down into the plains of Piedmont and the lower Alpes
+Maritimes in such numbers that the soldiery had to be
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>164]</a></span>
+called out to destroy them. In such times a wolf in
+broad daylight will steal up to a flock of sheep peacefully
+feeding, seize on a fine fat one, and make away with it,
+unseen and unsuspected even by the watchful sheep dog.
+Should a first attempt prove successful, he will return
+again and again, till, finding he can no longer rob that
+flock unmolested, he will look out for another one still unsuspicious.
+If he once gets inside a sheep-fold at night,
+he massacres and mangles right and left. When he has
+slain to his heart&rsquo;s content, he goes off with a victim
+and devours it, then comes back for a second, a third, and
+a fourth carcase, which he carries away to hide under a
+heap of branches or dead leaves. When dawn breaks,
+he returns gorged with food to his lair, leaving the
+ground strewn with the bodies of the slain. The wolf
+even contrives to get the better of his natural enemy,
+the dog, using stratagem and cleverness in the place of
+strength. If he spies a gawky long-legged puppy swaggering
+about his own farmyard, he will come closer and
+entice him out to play by means of every sort of caper and
+gambol. When the young simpleton has been induced
+to come out beyond the farmyard, the wolf, throwing off
+his disguise of amiable playfulness, falls upon the dog and
+carries him away to make a meal of. In the case of a
+dog stronger and more capable of making resistance the
+stratagem requires two wolves; one appears to the dog in
+its true character of wolf, and then disappears into an
+ambush, where the other lies hidden. The dog, following
+its natural instinct, pursues the wolf into the ambush,
+where the two conspirators soon make an end of it.</p>
+
+<p>So numerous have wolves always been in the rural
+districts of France, that from the earliest times there has
+been an institution called the <i>Louveterie</i>, for their extermination.
+Since the French Revolution this has been
+very much modified, but there is still a reward of so much
+per head for every wolf killed. Under ordinary circumstances
+the wolf will not only not attack man, but will
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>165]</a></span>
+flee from him, for he is as cowardly as he is crafty. But if
+driven by hunger he will pursue, or rather he will follow
+a solitary traveller for miles, dogging his footsteps, and
+always keeping near, sometimes on one side, sometimes
+on the other, till the man, harassed and worn out by
+fatigue and fright, is compelled to halt; then the wolf,
+who had been waiting for this opportunity, springs on him
+and devours him.</p>
+
+<p>Audubon, in his &lsquo;Quadrupeds of America,&rsquo; tells a story
+of two young negroes who lived on a plantation on the
+banks of the Ohio in the State of Kentucky, about the year
+1820. They each had a sweetheart, whom they used to go
+to visit every evening after their work was done. These
+negresses lived on another plantation about four miles
+away, but a short cut led across a large cane brake.
+When winter set in with its long dark nights no ray of
+light illuminated this dismal swamp. But the negroes
+continued their nightly expeditions notwithstanding, arming
+themselves by way of precaution with their axes.
+One dark night they set off over a thin crust of snow, the
+reflection from which afforded all the light they had to
+guide them on their way. Hardly a star appeared through
+the dense masses of cloud that nearly covered the sky,
+and menaced more snow. About half way to their destination
+the negroes&rsquo; blood froze at the sound of a long and
+fearful howl that rent the air; they knew it could only
+come from a pack of hungry and perhaps desperate
+wolves. They paused to listen, and only a dismal silence
+succeeded. In the impenetrable darkness nothing was
+visible a few feet beyond them; grasping their axes they
+went on their way though with quaking hearts. Suddenly,
+in single file, out of the darkness sprang several wolves,
+who seized on the first man, inflicting terrible wounds
+with their fangs on his legs and arms; others as ravenous
+leapt on his companion, and dragged him to the ground.
+Both negroes fought manfully, but soon one had ceased to
+move, and the other, despairing of aiding his companion,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>166]</a></span>
+threw down his axe and sprang on to the branch of a tree,
+where he found safety and shelter for the rest of that
+miserable night. When day broke, only the bones of his
+friend lay scattered on the blood-stained, trampled snow;
+three dead wolves lay near, but the rest of the pack had
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>167]</a></span>
+betaken themselves to their lair, to sleep away the effects
+of their night&rsquo;s gorge.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 375px;">
+<a name="illo31" id="illo31"></a>
+<img src="images/asb32.jpg" width="375" height="510"
+alt="The man finds the remains of his friend and three dead wolves" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;WHEN DAY BROKE&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>A sledge journey through the plains of Siberia in
+winter is a perilous undertaking. If a pack of hungry
+wolves get on the track of a sledge, the travellers know,
+as soon as they hear the horrid howls and see the grey
+forms stealing swiftly across the snow, that their chances
+of escape are small. If the sledge stops one instant men
+and horses are lost; the only safety is in flight at utmost
+speed. It is indeed a race for life! The horses, mad with
+terror, seem to have wings; the wolves, no less swift,
+pursue them, their cruel eyes gleaming with the lust for
+blood. From time to time a shot is fired, and a wolf falls
+dead in the snow; bolder than the others, he has tried to
+climb into the sledge and has met his reward. This incident
+gives a momentary respite to the pursued, for the
+murderous pack will pause to tear in pieces and devour
+their dead comrade; then, further inflamed with the taste
+of blood, they will continue the headlong pursuit with
+redoubled vigour.</p>
+
+<p>Should the travellers be able to reach a village or
+friendly farmhouse before the horses are completely exhausted,
+the wolves, frightened by the lights, will slink
+away into the forest, balked this time of their prey. On
+the other hand, should no refuge be near, the wolves will
+keep up with the horses till the poor beasts stumble and
+fall from fatigue, when the whole pack will instantly
+spring upon men and horses, and in a few moments the
+blood-stained snow alone tells the tale.</p>
+
+<p>There have been instances, but fortunately few, of
+wolves with a perfect craving for human flesh. Such
+was the notorious B&ecirc;te (or beast) du G&eacute;vaudan, that from
+the year 1764 and onwards ravaged the district of that
+name, in Auvergne, to the south of the centre of France.
+This wolf was of enormous size, measuring six feet from
+the point of its nose to the tip of its tail. It devoured
+eighty-three persons, principally women and children, and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>168]</a></span>
+seriously wounded twenty-five or thirty others. It was
+attacked from first to last by between <em>two and three
+hundred thousand</em> hunters, probably not all at once. With
+half a dozen wolves, each equal to 200,000 men, a country
+could afford to do without an army. But the wolf of
+G&eacute;vaudan was no common wolf. He never married,
+having no leisure, fortunately for the human race. The
+whole of France was in a state of alarm on its account;
+the peasants dared no longer go to their work in the fields
+alone and unarmed. Every day brought tidings of some
+fresh trouble; in the morning he would spread terror and
+confusion in some village in the plains, in the evening
+he would carry off some hapless victim from some mountain
+hamlet fifteen or twenty leagues away. Five little
+shepherd boys, feeding their flocks on the mountain-side,
+were attacked suddenly by the ferocious beast, who made
+off with the youngest of them; the others, armed only with
+sticks, pursued the wolf, and attacked it so valiantly that
+they compelled it to drop its prey and slink off into the
+wood. A poor woman was sitting at her cottage door
+with her three children, when the wolf came down on
+them and attempted to carry off each of the children in
+turn. The mother fought so courageously in defence of
+her little ones that she succeeded in putting the wolf to
+flight, but in so doing was terribly bitten herself, and the
+youngest child died of his wounds.</p>
+
+<p>Sometimes twenty or thirty parishes joined forces to
+attack the beast, led by the most experienced huntsmen
+and the chief <i>louvetier</i> of the kingdom. On one occasion
+twenty thousand hunters surrounded the forest of Preini&egrave;res,
+where it lay concealed; but on this, as well as every
+other occasion, the wolf escaped in the most surprising&mdash;one
+might almost say miraculous&mdash;manner, disappearing
+as if he had been turned into smoke. Some hunters declared
+that their bullets had rebounded off him, flattened
+and harmless. Others alleged that when he had been
+shot, like the great Dundee, with a silver bullet (a well-known
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>169]</a></span>
+charm against sorcery) at such close quarters that
+it appeared impossible he should not be mortally wounded,
+in a day or two some fresh horror would announce that
+the creature was still uninjured. The very dogs refused
+at length to go after him, and fled howling in the opposite
+direction. The belief became general that it was no
+ordinary wolf of flesh and blood, but the Fiend himself
+in beast shape. Prayers were put up in the churches,
+processions took place, and the Host remained exhibited
+as in the times of plague and public calamity.</p>
+
+<p>The State offered a reward of 2,000 francs to whosoever
+should slay the monster; the syndics of two neighbouring
+towns added 500 francs, making a total of 100<i>l.</i>
+English money, a large sum in those days. The
+young Countess de Mercoire, an orphan, and ch&acirc;telaine
+of one of the finest estates of the district, offered her
+hand and fortune in marriage to whoever should rid the
+country of the scourge. This inspired the young Count
+L&eacute;once de Varinas, who, though no sportsman by nature,
+was so deeply in love with the Countess that he
+determined to gain the reward or perish in the attempt.
+Assisted by a small band of well-trained hunters, and
+by two formidable dogs, a bloodhound and a mastiff,
+he began a systematic attack on the wolf. After many
+fruitless attempts they succeeded one day in driving the
+creature into an abandoned quarry of vast size, the sides
+of which were twenty or thirty feet high and quite precipitous,
+and the only entrance a narrow cart track blasted
+out of the rock. The young Count, determined to do or
+die alone, sternly refused to allow his men to accompany
+him into the quarry, and left them posted at the entrance
+with orders only to fire on the beast should it attempt to
+force its way out. Taking only the dogs with him, and
+having carefully seen to the state of his weapons, he went
+bravely to the encounter. The narrow defile was so completely
+hemmed in on every side that, to the vanquished,
+there was no escape nor alternative but death. Here and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>170]</a></span>
+there, on patches of half-melted snow, were footprints,
+evidently recent, of the huge beast; but the creature remained
+invisible, and for nearly ten minutes the Count
+had wandered among the rocks and bushes before the
+dogs began to give sign of the enemy&rsquo;s presence.</p>
+
+<p>About a hundred yards from where he stood was a
+frozen pool, on the edge of which grew a clump of bulrushes.
+Among their dry and yellow stalks L&eacute;once suddenly
+caught a glimpse of a pair of fiery eyes&mdash;nothing
+more; but it was enough to let him know that the longed-for
+moment had at length arrived. L&eacute;once advanced
+cautiously, his gun cocked and ready to fire, and the dogs
+close at his heels, growling with rage and fear. Still the
+wolf did not stir, and L&eacute;once, determining to try other
+tactics, stopped, raised his gun to his shoulder, and aimed
+between the gleaming eyes, nothing more being yet visible.
+Before he could fire the beast dashed from among
+the crackling reeds and sprang straight at him. L&eacute;once,
+nothing daunted, waited till it was within ten paces and
+then fired. With a howl of anguish the wolf fell as if
+dead. Before L&eacute;once had time to utter a shout of joy, it
+was on its feet again. Streaming with blood and terrible
+in its rage it fell on the young man. He attempted to
+defend himself with his bayonet, which, though of tempered
+steel, was broken as if it had been glass; his gun, too,
+was bent, and he himself was hurled to the ground. But
+for his faithful dogs it would soon have been all over with
+him. They flew at the wolf&rsquo;s throat, who quickly made
+an end of the bloodhound; one crunch broke his back,
+while one stroke of the ruthless paw disembowelled him.
+Castor, the mastiff, had, however, the wolf by the throat,
+and a fearful struggle ensued over the prostrate body of
+L&eacute;once. They bit, they tore, they worried, they rolled
+over and over each other, the wolf, in spite of its wounds,
+having always the advantage. Half stunned by the fall,
+suffocated by the weight of the combatants, and blinded
+by the dust and snow they scattered in the fray, L&eacute;once
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171"><!-- original location of Wolf illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>173]</a></span>
+had just sufficient strength to make one last effort in self-defence.
+Drawing his hunting-knife, he plunged it to the
+hilt in the shaggy mass above him. From a distance he
+seemed to hear shouts of &lsquo;Courage, Monsieur! Courage,
+Castor! We are coming!&rsquo; then conscious only of an
+overwhelming weight above him, and of iron claws tearing
+at his chest, he fainted away. When he came to
+himself he was lying on the ground, surrounded by his
+men. Starting up, he exclaimed, &lsquo;The beast! where is
+the beast?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 382px;">
+<a name="illo32" id="illo32"></a>
+<img src="images/asb33.jpg" width="382" height="600"
+alt="L&eacute;once and Castor struggle with the wolf" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE DEATH OF THE FAMOUS WOLF OF G&Eacute;VAUDAN</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Dead, Monsieur! stone dead!&rsquo; answered the head-keeper,
+showing him the horrid creature, all torn and
+bloody, stretched out on the snow beside the dead bloodhound.
+Castor, a little way off, lay panting and bruised,
+licking his wound. The Count&rsquo;s knife was firmly embedded
+in the beast&rsquo;s ribs; it had gone straight to the
+heart and death had been instantaneous. A procession
+was formed to carry the carcase of the wolf in triumph to
+the castle of the Countess. The news had flown in advance,
+and she was waiting on the steps to welcome the conquering
+hero. It was not long before the Countess and
+the gallant champion were married; and, as the wolf left
+no family, the country was at peace. Are you not rather
+sorry for the poor wolf?</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>174]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>TWO HIGHLAND DOGS</i></h2>
+
+
+<h3>I</h3>
+
+<p>Righ and Speireag were two Highland dogs who lived in
+a beautiful valley not far from the west coast of Scotland,
+where high hills slope down to the shores of a blue loch,
+and the people talk a strange language quite different
+from English, or even from French, or German, or Latin,
+which is called Gaelic.</p>
+
+<p>The name &lsquo;Righ,&rsquo; means a king, and &lsquo;Speireag&rsquo;
+means a sparrow-hawk, but they are words no one, except
+a Highlander, can pronounce properly. However, the
+dogs had a great many friends who could not talk Gaelic,
+and when English-speaking people called them &lsquo;Ree&rsquo; and
+&lsquo;Spearah,&rsquo; they would always answer.</p>
+
+<p>Righ was a great tawny deerhound, tall and slender,
+very stately, as a king should be, and as gentle as he was
+strong. He had a rough coat and soft brown eyes, set
+rather near together, and very bright and watchful. His
+chief business in life was to watch the faces of his friends,
+and to obey their wishes quickly, to take his long limbs
+away from the drawing-room hearth-rug when the butler
+came in to put on the coals, not to get in the way more
+than so big a dog could help, and not to get too much
+excited when anything in the conversation suggested the
+likelihood of a walk. But his father and all his ancestors
+had led very different lives; they had been trained to go
+out on the mountains with men who hunted the wild
+deer, and to help them in the chase, for the deerhounds
+run with long bounds and are as fleet as the stag himself.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>175]</a></span>
+Then, when the beautiful creature had been killed, it was
+their duty to guard the body, and to see that carrion
+crows, and eagles, and other wild birds should not molest
+it. But Righ&rsquo;s master was a Bishop, who, though he lived
+quite near to a great deer forest, and often took his dogs
+over the hills to where the deer lived, never killed anything,
+but loved to see all his fellow-creatures happy
+among the things they liked best.</p>
+
+<p>Speireag was a very little dog, of the kind that is called
+a Skye terrier, though the island of Skye is one of the
+few places in which a long-haired terrier is very rare.
+He was quite small, what his Highland friends called &lsquo;a
+wee bit doggie;&rsquo; he was very full of life and courage,
+wonderfully plucky for his size, like the fierce little bird
+whose name he bore. Like a good many little people he
+lacked the dignity and repose of his big companion, and,
+though very good-tempered among his friends, was quite
+ready to bite if beaten, and did not take a scolding with
+half the gentleness and humility with which Righ would
+submit to punishment, perhaps because he needed it
+oftener, for he was so busy and active that he sometimes
+got into scrapes. He was only three years old at the
+time of this story and Righ was seven, so it was perhaps
+natural that Righ should be the wiser of the two.</p>
+
+<p>They lived in a beautiful house quite near the loch,
+and they had a large garden to play in, and they could
+go in and out of the house and do just as they liked so
+long as they came when they were called and did as they
+were bid, and did not climb on the sofa cushions when
+their feet were muddy. There were very few houses on
+their side the water, and as their friends went about in
+boats as often as other people go out in carriages, the dogs
+were used to the water, and could swim as easily as
+walk, and what is more, knew how to sit still in a boat,
+so that they were allowed to go everywhere with their
+friends because they gave no trouble.</p>
+
+<p>They had a very happy life, for there was always
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>176]</a></span>
+something going on, which is what dogs like, and plenty
+of people to go walks with. Their young masters sometimes
+went out with guns, and a dog, a country dog, loves
+a gun better than anything in the world, because he
+knows it means business in which he can help. Sometimes
+their mistress took them for a walk, and then they
+knew that they must be on their best behaviour, and not
+wander too far away from the road and have to be
+whistled back, and not fight with the collies at the cottage
+doors, nor chase cats, nor be tiresome in any way; they
+generally kept close beside her, Righ walking very slowly
+so as to accommodate his big strides to the progress of a
+poor human thing with only two legs, and Speireag trotting
+along with tiny little footsteps that seemed to make
+a great fuss and to be in a great hurry about nothing at all.</p>
+
+<p>There was nothing, however, so delightful as going for
+walks with their own master, the Bishop. For one thing,
+they generally knew he really meant to do something
+worth while. Pottering about with a gun or escorting a
+lady is pleasant enough, but it generally means coming
+home to lunch or tea, and the real joy of a dog&rsquo;s walk is
+to feel that you are getting further and further away from
+home, and that there are miles of heather and pine-wood
+behind you, and yet you are still going on and on, with
+chances of more hares and more squirrels to run after.
+Sometimes the Bishop would stop at a shepherd&rsquo;s hut or
+a lonely cottage under the lee of a hill, and sometimes he
+would sit down to examine a flower he had gathered in
+the wood, but they forgave him very good-temperedly, and
+could always find something to interest them while they
+waited.</p>
+
+<p>Righ generally sat down beside his master and
+stretched out his great limbs on the heather, for he liked
+to think he was taking care of somebody or something.
+Speireag would lie down for a minute, panting, with his
+little red tongue hanging out and his hairy little paws all
+wet and muddy; but he never rested for long, but would
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>177]</a></span>
+dart off, pretending to have found a rat or a squirrel, even
+if none really existed.</p>
+
+<p>It was in December, 1887, the weather was raw and
+cold, there was ice floating about on the loch, and the sea
+gulls used to come up to the garden terrace to be fed.
+The young masters were away, and mistress could only
+take walks along the road, there was nothing to tempt her
+to a mountain scramble or a saunter in the woods. The
+Bishop was very busy, and day after day the dogs would
+start up from the rug at the sound of the opening of his
+study door upstairs, and after a minute&rsquo;s anxious listening,
+with ears cocked and heads erect, they would lie
+down again with a sigh of disappointment, for there was
+no sound of approach to the hat-stand nor of whistled
+invitation for a walk.</p>
+
+<p>Finally came a sad day when the Bishop went away,
+and dog-life threatened to become monotonous. Then,
+one Saturday, hope revived, for a visitor came to the house,
+an old friend whom they loved and trusted as a good dog
+always loves what is trustworthy. He was a frequent
+visitor, and had, in fact, left the house but three weeks
+before. He was there for a holiday rest, and had leisure
+to bestow on dogs and on long walks, which they always
+shared.</p>
+
+<p>He was very thoughtful for them, not the sort of man
+who would set off on a whole afternoon&rsquo;s ramble and say,
+when half a mile on his way, &lsquo;I wish I&rsquo;d remembered
+Righ and Speireag!&rsquo; He always remembered them, and
+thought for them; and when he fed them after dinner,
+would always give big bits of biscuit to the big dog, and
+little bits to the little dog, and it is not every one who has
+the sense for that!</p>
+
+<p>Every day, and often twice a day, he took them out,
+down to the church or the pier, or across the lake and up
+to the Pass of Glencoe, where stern grey hills and hovering
+eagles and a deep silent valley still seem to whisper
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>178]</a></span>
+together of a sad true story that happened there in just
+such weather as this two hundred years ago.</p>
+
+<p>These were very happy days for dogs, for they did not
+mind the cold, it was only an excuse for wild scampering
+and racing, and they were very grateful for their friend&rsquo;s
+return. He had been ill, but was able to enjoy his walks
+and though about sixty years of age he had all those
+qualities of youth which endear a man to a dog or a child.
+He was brave and unselfish, and strong to love and to
+endure, and they loved him without knowing why; without
+knowing that he had lost his health from overwork in
+the service of the poor and suffering, and among outcasts
+so low as to be beyond the sympathy of any heart less
+loving than that of a dog or of a very good man. &lsquo;Father&rsquo;
+Mackonochie he was always called, and though he had
+never had wife or children of his own, many a fatherless
+child, and many a lonely grown-up man or woman, felt
+that it was quite easy and natural to call him by a name
+so sacred.</p>
+
+<p>On the Wednesday after he came, he took Righ and
+Speireag for a glorious walk through the shrubberies and
+out through a gate on to the road at the foot of the hills
+behind, a road that winds on and on for many miles, the
+mountains rising steeply above, the lake being cold and
+grey below; the bank, that slopes away from the road to
+the water, in places covered with gorse and low bushes
+and heather, where an enterprising dog may hunt for rats
+and rabbits, or rush headlong after a pee-wit or moor-fowl
+as it rises with a scream at his approach and flutters off
+high into the air, and then descending to within a few
+feet of him, skims low before him, hopelessly far, yet
+tantalisingly near.</p>
+
+<p>The way was familiar to them by land or by water.
+Often had they sailed up the loch in the same direction,
+further and further into the heart of the mountains, the
+valley becoming more and more narrow, the shores of
+the lake nearer and nearer to each other, till, had they
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>179]</a></span>
+gone far enough, they would have reached the Dog&rsquo;s Ferry,
+a spot where the water is so narrow that a dog may easily
+swim across. Righ, strong swimmer that he was, had
+often crossed the loch near his master&rsquo;s house, where the
+ferry boats ply, and needed no Dog&rsquo;s Ferry, but few dogs
+made such powerful strokes in the water as he.</p>
+
+<p>This day, however, they did not reach the Dog&rsquo;s
+Ferry. The afternoon was closing in, there were streaks
+of gold in the dull grey sky, and it was, the good Father
+thought, time to return. &lsquo;Never mind, little man,&rsquo; he
+said as Speireag looked reproachfully at him with wistful
+brown eyes gleaming through overhanging silvery locks,
+&lsquo;we&rsquo;ll do it to-morrow, only we must set off earlier.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>This was good news, and the little dog started home
+gaily, running, as little dogs will, ten miles, at least, to
+every one of the road, and tired enough when home was
+reached at last. Dinner was a welcome feast, and Righ
+and Speireag slept sound till it was time for evening
+service. They always attended chapel night and morning,
+and took their places at the foot of the steps, half-way,
+when both were present, between mistress in her
+seat and master at the place of his sacred office. To-night,
+as usual, they remained perfectly quiet and apparently
+indifferent to what was going on till, at the words
+&lsquo;Lighten our darkness,&rsquo; bed-time came into immediate
+prospect, and they started into expectant attitudes, awaiting
+the final &lsquo;Amen.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+<h3>II</h3>
+
+<p>The next morning, though cold, was fine and fairly bright,
+and the dogs watched eagerly for signs of the promised
+walk. The service in chapel was rather long this morning,
+for, as it was Advent, the &lsquo;Benedicite&rsquo; was read, and
+though Righ and Speireag noticed only that they had
+time for a longer nap than usual, there were some present
+who will never forget, as the season comes round again
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>180]</a></span>
+each year, the special significance of part of that song of
+praise&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="cenpoem3">
+<div class="poem">
+<div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">O ye frost and cold&mdash;O ye ice and snow&mdash;O ye nights and days<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">O ye light and darkness, O ye mountains and hills,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">O ye beasts and cattle, O ye holy and humble men of heart,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever!<br /></span>
+</div>
+</div>
+</div>
+
+<p>But at last the service was over and the dogs trotted out
+into the hall, and followed mistress and their friend to the
+front door to see &lsquo;what the weather was like.&rsquo; It was not
+a specially pleasant morning, but it would do for a walk,
+and after waiting a few minutes to have some sandwiches
+cut, the only detention that could be endured with
+patience, the three set out. After about six miles they
+were on new ground, but on they went, the lake to the
+right of the road getting narrower&mdash;on past the Dog&rsquo;s
+Ferry and still on, till the loch had become a river, and
+could be crossed by a bridge.</p>
+
+<p>Righ and Speireag knew, by a more certain method
+than looking at clocks, that it was lunch time, half past
+one at least, and they never thought of doubting that they
+would cross the bridge and turn homewards along the
+other side the loch, and so get in about tea-time; or,
+for their friend was enterprising, by a longer way also on
+the further side, either of which would involve a delightful
+long walk, but with just that hint of a homeward turn
+which, even to dogs, is acceptable when breakfast has
+become a mere memory.</p>
+
+<p>They accordingly followed the road on to the bridge,
+but as Father Mackonochie did not overtake them, Righ,
+ever watchful of his friends, turned to look back and saw
+him speaking to a girl, after which, to their surprise, he
+whistled them back, and instead of continuing along the
+road as it turned off to the right, kept straight on, though
+there was now only a rough track leading through a gate
+into the wood beyond.</p>
+
+<p>When they had advanced a few paces into the wood, he
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>181]</a></span>
+sat down under a tree and took out his packet of sandwiches.
+Righ and Speireag, sitting close beside him, had
+their share, or perhaps more, for their wistful brown eyes
+hungrily reminded him that they had multiplied the
+distance many times over, and that an unexpected
+luncheon out of doors is a joy in a dog&rsquo;s day, of a kind
+for which a man may well sacrifice a part of his minor
+pleasure.</p>
+
+<p>Starting off again was a fresh delight. On they went,
+further and further, always climbing higher and getting
+deeper into the wood. To the left, the steep mountain-side
+rose abruptly above them; to the right, below the
+path, the river tore its way between steep banks down,
+down to its home in the lake. Now and then the trees
+parted and made way for a wild mountain torrent leaping
+from rock to rock down the hill side, and rushing across
+their path to join the river below. As they climbed
+further these became more frequent. Their friend could
+stride across, setting an occasional foot upon a stepping-stone,
+and Righ, too, could cross safely enough, long-limbed
+as he was, though now and then he had to swim,
+and the streams were so rapid that it needed all his
+strength to cross the current. Sometimes he helped
+Speireag, for the brave little dog would always try to
+follow his big companion, and sometimes, with an anxious
+bark, would give warning that help was needed, and then
+the kind Father would turn back to pick up the little dog
+and carry him till they were in safety.</p>
+
+<p>It was very hard work, they were always climbing,
+and in many places the road was polished with a thin
+coating of ice, but the dogs feared nothing and kept on
+bravely.</p>
+
+<p>The path dwindled to a mere track, and the climbing
+became steeper still. The streams crossed their road still
+oftener, and the stones were slippery with ice. The wood
+became thinner, and as they had less shelter from the
+trees, great flakes of half-frozen snow were driven against
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>182]</a></span>
+their faces. There was no thought now of hares or stags,
+Righ and Speireag had no energies left for anything but
+patient following. Poor little Speireag&rsquo;s long coat was
+very wet, and as it dried a little, it became hard and crisp
+with frost. The long hair falling over his eyes was
+matted together and tangled with briers, and his little feet
+were sore and heavy with the mud that had caked in the
+long tassels of silky hair. Even Righ was very weary,
+and he followed soberly now instead of bounding along in
+front, his ears and tail drooped, and each time he crossed
+the ice-cold water he seemed more and more dejected.</p>
+
+<p>As they left the wood behind them, the snow fell
+thick and blinding, but just at first, as they came out into
+the open, it seemed not quite so dark as under the trees.
+There was nothing to be seen but grey sky and grey moor,
+even the river had been left behind, and only blackened
+patches remained to show where, in summer, the ground
+was spread with a gay carpet of purple heather and sweet
+bog-myrtle. They got deeper at each step into half-frozen
+marsh; there was no sound or sign of life. The
+dogs felt hungry and weary, and they ached with the cold
+and wet. But they were following a friend, and they
+trusted him wholly. Well they knew that each step was
+taking them farther from home, and farther into the cold
+and darkness. But dog-wisdom never asserts itself, and
+in trustful humility they followed still, and the snow
+came down closer and closer around them, and even the
+grey sky and the grey moor were blotted out&mdash;and the
+darkness fell.</p>
+
+
+<h3>III</h3>
+
+<p>It was a disappointing home-coming for the Bishop that
+Thursday evening! There was no hearty handshake from
+waiting friend, no rejoicing bay of big dog or extravagant
+excitement of little dog to welcome him. The three had
+been out the whole day, he was told, and had not yet
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>183]</a></span>
+reappeared. A long walk had been projected, but they
+had been expected home long before this. When dinner-time
+came, and they did not appear, two servants had
+been sent out with lanterns to meet them, as the road,
+though not one to be missed, was dark, and some small
+accident might have happened. The men were not back
+yet, but doubtless the missing party would soon return.</p>
+
+<p>The night was dark and stormy, and Father Mackonochie
+had been for some time somewhat invalided, and
+as time passed the Bishop became increasingly anxious.
+At length he ordered a carriage, and with the gardener
+set off towards Kinloch, the head of the loch, thinking
+that accident or weariness might have detained his friend,
+and the carriage might be useful. On the way they met
+the first messengers returning with the news that nothing
+could be heard at Kinloch of the missing three, except
+that they had passed there between one and two o&rsquo;clock
+in the afternoon. The Bishop and his men sought along
+the road, and inquired for tidings at the very few houses
+within reach, but in vain. The night was dark and little
+could be done, and there was always the hope that on
+their return they might find that some tidings had been
+heard, that the lost friends might have come back by the
+other side of the lake.</p>
+
+<p>So at last they turned back, reaching home about four
+o&rsquo;clock in the morning. No news had been heard, and
+all felt anxious and perplexed, but most believed that
+some place of shelter had been reached, as the dogs had
+not come home. They could find their way home from
+anywhere, and there seemed little doubt that, overtaken
+by darkness, all three had found shelter in a shepherd&rsquo;s
+or gamekeeper&rsquo;s hut, perhaps on the other side of the lake,
+as they had almost certainly crossed the bridge, no one
+having met them on the road by which they had started.</p>
+
+<p>Nevertheless all that was possible must be done in
+case of the worst, and as soon as daylight returned four
+parties of men were despatched in different directions,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>184]</a></span>
+the Bishop himself choosing that which his friend and
+his dogs were known to have taken the day before.</p>
+
+<p>A whole day of search over miles and miles of the
+desolate wintry mountains revealed but one fact, that the
+party had eaten their luncheon under a tree in the wood,
+beyond the bridge. The squirrels had left the sandwich
+paper there to tell the tale, and for the first time it seemed
+likely that they had not turned homewards on reaching
+the head of the lake, either by the same road they had
+come, or by that on the other side of the water and
+through Glencoe.</p>
+
+<p>One by one, the search parties came home with no
+tidings. No trace of the wanderers had been seen, no
+bark of dogs had been heard, no help had been found
+towards the discovery of the sad secret. Weary and
+heartsick as all felt, no time was to be lost, every hour
+made the anxiety greater, and all were ready in a very
+short time to start afresh.</p>
+
+<p>Again, for the second time, all through the long night
+they wandered over the mountains, through the wood,
+and across the deer-forest beyond. It was an awful
+night. Again and again were their lights blown out; the
+snow lay deep in all the hollows; where the streams had
+overflowed their banks, the path was a sheet of solid ice;
+the rocks, polished and slippery, were climbed with
+utmost difficulty. At every opening in the hills an ice-cold
+wind whirled down glen and corrie, sleet and hail-stones
+beat against their faces, the frozen pools in the
+marshes gave way beneath their feet. The night was
+absolutely dark, not a star shone out to give them
+courage. The silence and the sounds were alike awful.
+Sometimes they could hear each other&rsquo;s laboured breathing
+as they tottered on the ice or waded through the
+snow, sometimes all other sounds were lost in the shrieking
+of the whirlwinds, the crackling of the ice, and the
+roaring of the swollen, angry streams.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>185]</a></span>
+What could have happened? Even if accident had
+occurred, either or both of the dogs would surely have
+returned, and how could even a Highland dog, hungry
+and shelterless, live through such a night as this?</p>
+
+<p>Morning came again, and returning to the point, near
+the bridge at which the carriage had been left, two of the
+parties met, and drove home for food and dry clothing,
+and to learn what others might have to tell.</p>
+
+<p>There was no news, and again the same earnest
+friends, with many more kind helpers, set out on their
+almost hopeless journey. The trackless wilds of the
+deer-forest seemed the most likely field for search, and
+all now, in various groups, set off in this direction.</p>
+
+<p>Hour after hour passed without any gleam of hope,
+and even the Bishop began to feel that everything possible
+had been done, and was turning sadly homewards.
+A second party, a few hundreds yards behind,
+had almost come to the same resolve, many of the men
+had been without rest since Thursday, and even the dog,
+who with one of the keepers of the deer-forest had
+joined the party, was limping wearily and was exhausted
+by the cold and the rough walking.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly he stopped, and, with ears pricked and head
+erect, listened. No one knows better than a Highlander
+the worth of a collie&rsquo;s opinion, and more than one stopped
+to listen too. Not far away, and yet faint, came the bark
+of a dog! Among the men was Sandy, one of the
+Bishop&rsquo;s stablemen, who knew and loved Righ and
+Speireag, and his heart leapt up as he recognised the
+deerhound&rsquo;s bay!</p>
+
+<p>Away, to their left, the mountains were cleft by a
+narrow glen, the sound came from the bank on the hither
+side. The Bishop and his party had climbed to the
+further side, but a shout reached them, alert and watchful
+as they were.</p>
+
+<p>They turned back wondering, scarcely daring to hope.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>186]</a></span>
+The men who had called to them were hastening to a
+given point, the dog, nose to ground, preceding them.
+There is no mistaking the air of a dog on business. The
+collie&rsquo;s intentness was as different from his late dejection
+as was the present haste of the men from the anxious
+watchful plodding of their long search.</p>
+
+<p>In another moment they came in sight of something
+which made them hold back the dog, and which arrested
+their own footsteps. The Bishop himself must be the
+first to tread on what all felt was holy ground.</p>
+
+<p>There, on the desolate hillside, lay the body of Father
+Mackonochie, wreathed about with the spotless snow, a
+peaceful expression on his face. One on either side sat
+the dogs, watching still, as they had watched through
+the two long nights of storm and darkness. Even the
+approach of friends did not tempt them to forsake their
+duty. With hungry, weary faces they looked towards the
+group which first came near them, but not till their own
+master knelt down beside all that remained of his old
+friend, did they yield up their trust, and rise, numbed
+and stiff, from the posts they had taken up, who knows
+how long before?</p>
+
+<p>To say a few words of prayer and thanksgiving was
+the Bishop&rsquo;s first thought, his second to take from his
+pocket the sandwiches he carried, and to give all to Righ
+and Speireag.</p>
+
+<p>A bier was contrived of sticks from a rough fence
+that marked the boundary of the deer-forest, and the
+body was lifted from the frozen ground on which it lay.
+The return to Kinloch, where the carriage waited, was
+very difficult, and the bearers had to change places very
+often.</p>
+
+<p>Slow as was their progress, it was as rapid as Righ
+could manage, numbed with cold, and exhausted with
+hunger. The little dog was easily carried, and for once
+little Speireag was content to rest.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo33" id="illo33"></a>
+<img src="images/asb34.jpg" width="600" height="326"
+alt="The two dogs watch over their master's body in the snowstorm" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;THE LONG VIGIL&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>No one will ever know what those faithful dogs felt
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187"><!-- original location of Vigil illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>189]</a></span>
+and endured during those two days and nights of storm
+and loneliness. Those who sought them in the darkness
+of that second awful night must have passed very near
+the spot where they lay, sleeping perhaps, or deafened
+by the storm, or even, possibly, listening anxiously with
+beating hearts to the footsteps which came so near, and
+yet turned away, leaving them, faithful to their post, in
+the night.</p>
+
+<p>They in their degree, like the man whose last sleep
+they guarded, were &lsquo;true and faithful servants.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+<p class="break">It is pleasant to know that Righ and Speireag did not
+suffer permanently for all they had undergone! They
+lived for five years and a half after, and had many and
+many a happy ramble when the sun was bright and the
+woods were green, and squirrels and hares were merry.
+They could not be better cared for than they had always
+been, but, if possible, they were more indulged. If they
+contrived to get a dinner in the kitchen as well as in the
+dining-room, their friends remembered the days when
+they had none, and nobody told tales. If they lay in the
+sun quite across the front door, or took up the whole of
+the rug before the winter fire, everyone felt that there
+were arrears of warmth to be made up to them. Their
+portraits were painted, and in the sculpture which in his
+own church commemorates Father Mackonochie&rsquo;s death,
+the dogs have not been forgotten.</p>
+
+<p>Righ was the elder of the two, and towards the end
+of his thirteen years showed signs of old age and became
+rheumatic and feeble, but Speireag, though three years
+younger, did not long survive him.</p>
+
+<p>They rest now under a cairn in the beautiful garden
+they loved so well; dark green fir trees shelter their grave,
+a gentle stream goes merrily by on its way to the lake
+below, and in the crannies of the stones of which the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>190]</a></span>
+cairn is built, fox-gloves and primroses and little ferns
+grow fresh and green.</p>
+
+<p>On the cairn is this inscription:</p>
+
+<p class="center"><span class="smcap">In Memory Of</span><br />
+<br />
+15th December, 1887.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Righ</span> died 19th January, 1893.<br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap">Speireag</span> died 28th August, 1893.<br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>191]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MONKEY TRICKS AND SALLY AT THE ZOO</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source"><i>Naturalist&rsquo;s Note-book.</i></p>
+
+
+<p>Some monkeys are cleverer and more civilised than
+others, and the chiefs have their followers well in hand;
+every monkey having his own especial duties, which
+he is very careful to fulfil. When the stores of food
+which have been collected are getting low, the elders of
+the tribe&mdash;grey beards with long manes&mdash;meet together
+and decide where they shall go to lay in fresh supplies.
+This important point being settled, the whole body of
+monkeys, even down to the very little ones, leave the
+woods or mountain ravine where they live, and form into
+regular order. First scouts are posted; some being sent
+on to places in advance, others being left to guard the
+rear, while the main body, made up of the young and
+helpless monkeys, follow the chiefs, who march solemnly
+in front and carefully survey every precipice or doubtful
+place before they suffer anyone to pass over it.</p>
+
+<p>It is not at all easy, even for an elderly and experienced
+monkey, to keep order among the host of lively chattering
+creatures for whose safety he is responsible, and indeed it
+would often be an impossible task if it were not for the
+help of the rear-guard. These much-tried animals have
+to make up quarrels which often break out by the way;
+to prevent the greedy ones from stopping to eat every
+scrap of fruit or berry that hangs from the trees as they
+pass, and to scold the mothers who try to linger behind
+in order to dress their children&rsquo;s hair and to make them
+smart for the day.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>192]</a></span>
+Under these conditions, it takes a long time even for
+monkeys to reach their destination, which is generally a
+corn-field, but, once there, scouts are sent out to every
+rock or rising ground, so as to guard against any surprise.
+Then the whole tribe fall to, and after filling their cheek
+pouches with ears of corn, they make up bundles to tuck
+under their arms. After the long march and the hasty
+picking, they begin to get thirsty as well as hungry, and
+the next thing is to find some water. This is very soon
+done, as they seem able to detect it under the sand, however
+deep down it may be, and by dint of taking regular
+turns at digging, it does not take long before they have
+laid bare a well that is large enough for everybody.</p>
+
+<p>Monkeys love by nature to imitate what they see, and
+have been known to smoke a pipe, and to pretend to read
+a book that they have seen other people reading. But
+sometimes they can do a great deal more than this, and
+show that they can calculate and reason better than many
+men. A large Abyssinian monkey was one day being
+taken round Khartoum by its master, and made to perform
+all sorts of tricks for the amusement of the bystanders.
+Among these was a date-seller, who was squatting on the
+ground beside his fruit. Now the monkey was passionately
+fond of dates, but being very cunning was careful not to
+let this appear, and went on performing his tricks as usual,
+drawing little by little nearer to the date basket as he did
+so. When he thought he was near enough for his purpose,
+he first pretended to die, slowly and naturally, and then,
+after lying for a moment on the sand as stiff as a corpse,
+suddenly bounded up with a scream straight in front of
+the date-seller&rsquo;s face, and stared at him with his wild eyes.
+The man looked back at him spell-bound, quite unaware
+that one of the monkey&rsquo;s hind feet was in the date basket,
+clawing up as much fruit as its long toes could hold.
+By some such trick as this the monkey managed to steal
+enough food daily to keep him fat and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>No cleverer monkey ever lived than the ugly old Sally,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>193]</a></span>
+who died at the Zoological Gardens of London only a few
+years ago. Her keeper had spent an immense deal of
+time and patience in training her up, and it was astonishing
+what she was able to do. &lsquo;Sally,&rsquo; he would say,
+putting a tin cup full of milk into her hands, with a spoon
+hanging from it, &lsquo;show us how you used to drink when
+you were in the woods,&rsquo; upon which Sally stuck all her
+fingers into the milk and sucked them greedily. &lsquo;Now,&rsquo;
+he continued, &lsquo;show us how you drink since you became
+a lady,&rsquo; and then Sally took the spoon and drank her milk
+in dainty little sips. Next he picked up a handful of
+straw from the bottom of the cage, and remarked carelessly,
+&lsquo;Here, just tear those into six, will you, all the
+same length.&rsquo; Sally took the straws, and in half a minute
+the thing was done. But she had not come to the end of
+her surprises yet. &lsquo;You&rsquo;re very fond of pear, I know,&rsquo;
+said the keeper, producing one out of his pocket and
+cutting it with his knife; &lsquo;well, I&rsquo;m going to put some on
+my hand, but you&rsquo;re not to touch it until I&rsquo;ve cut two
+short pieces and three long ones, and then you may take
+the second long one, but you aren&rsquo;t to touch any of the
+rest.&rsquo; The man went on cutting his slices without stopping,
+and was quite ready to begin upon a sixth, when
+Sally stretched out her hand, and took the fourth lying
+along the row, which she had been told she might have.
+Very likely she might have accomplished even more
+wonderful things than this, but one cold day she caught a
+chill, and died in a few hours of bronchitis.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>194]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>HOW THE CAYMAN WAS KILLED</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Waterton&rsquo;s <i>Wanderings in S. America</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>In the year 1782 there was born in the old house of
+Walton, near Pontefract, in Yorkshire, a boy named
+Charles Waterton, who afterwards became very famous
+as a traveller and a naturalist. As soon as he could walk,
+he was always to be found poking about among trees, or
+playing with animals, and both at home and at school he got
+into many a scrape through his love of adventure. He
+was only about ten when some other boys dared him to
+ride on a cow, and of course he was not going to be
+beaten. So up he got while the cow was only thinking
+how good the grass tasted, but the moment she felt a
+strange weight on her back, she flung her heels straight
+into the air, and off flew Master Waterton over her head.</p>
+
+<p>Many years after this, Waterton was travelling in
+South America, seeing and doing many curious things.
+For a long time he had set his heart on catching a cayman,
+a kind of alligator that is found in the rivers
+of Guiana. For this purpose he took some Indians with
+him to the Essequibo, which falls into the sea not far
+from Demerara, and was known to be a famous place for
+caymans. It was no good attempting to go after them
+during the long, bright day. They were safely in hiding,
+and never thought of coming out till the sun was below
+the horizon.</p>
+
+<p>So Waterton and his Indians waited in patience till
+the moon rose, and everything was still, except that
+now and then a huge fish would leap into the air and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>195]</a></span>
+plunge again under water. Suddenly there broke forth
+a fearful noise, unlike the cry of any other creature. As
+one cayman called another answered; and although
+caymans are not very common anywhere, that night you
+would have thought that the world was full of them.</p>
+
+<p>The three men stopped eating their supper of turtle
+and turned and looked over the river. Waterton could
+see nothing, but the Indian silently pointed to a black log
+that lay in the stream, just over the place where they
+had baited a hook with a large fish, and bound it on a
+board. At the end of the board a rope was fastened, and
+this was also made fast to a tree on the bank. By-and-bye
+the black log began to move, and in the bright
+moonlight he was clearly seen to open his long jaws and
+to take the bait inside them. But the watchers on shore
+pulled the rope too soon, and the cayman dropped the
+bait at once. Then for an hour he lay quite still, thinking
+what he should do next, but feeling cross at having lost
+his supper, he made up his mind to try once more, and
+cautiously took the bait in his mouth. Again the rope
+was pulled, and again the bait was dropped into the river;
+but in the end the cayman proved more cunning than the
+Indians, for after he had played this trick for three or
+four times he managed to get the fish without the hook,
+and when the sun rose again, Waterton knew that cayman
+hunting was over for that day.</p>
+
+<p>For two or three nights they watched and waited, but
+did not ever get so near success as before. Let them
+conceal a hook in the bait ever so cleverly, the cayman
+was sure to be cleverer than they, and when morning
+came, the bait was always gone and the hook always left.
+The Indians, however, had no intention of allowing the
+cayman to beat them in the long run, and one of them
+invented a new hook, which this time was destined to
+better luck. He took four or five pieces of wood about a
+foot long, barbed them at each end, and tied them firmly
+to the end of a rope, thirty yards long. Above the barb
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>196]</a></span>
+was baited the flesh of an acouri, a creature the size of
+a rabbit. The whole was then fastened to a post driven
+into the sand, and the attention of the cayman aroused
+to what was going on by some sharp blows on an empty
+tortoiseshell, which served as a drum.</p>
+
+<p>About half-past five the Indian got up and stole out
+to look, and then he called triumphantly to the rest to
+come up at once, for on the hook was a cayman, ten feet
+and a half long.</p>
+
+<p>But hard as it had been to secure him, it was nothing
+to the difficulty of getting him out alive, and with his scales
+uninjured, especially as the four Indians absolutely refused
+to help, and that left only two white men and a negro, to
+grapple with the huge monster. Of these, too, the negro
+showed himself very timid, and it was not easy to persuade
+him to be of any use.</p>
+
+<p>The position was certainly puzzling. If the Indians
+refused their help, the cayman could not be taken alive
+at all, and if they gave it, it was only at the price of
+injuring the animal and spoiling its skin. At length a
+compromise occurred to Waterton. He would take the
+mast of the canoe, which was about eight feet long, and
+would thrust it down the cayman&rsquo;s throat, if it showed
+any signs of attacking him. On this condition, the
+Indians agreed to give their aid.</p>
+
+<p>Matters being thus arranged, Waterton then placed
+his men&mdash;about seven in all&mdash;at the end of the rope and
+told them to pull till the cayman rose to the surface,
+while he himself knelt down with the pole about four
+yards from the bank, ready for the cayman, should he
+appear, roaring. Then he gave the signal, and slowly
+the men began to pull. But the cayman was not to be
+caught without a struggle. He snorted and plunged
+violently, till the rope was slackened, when he instantly
+dived below. Then the men braced all their strength for
+another effort, and this time out he came and made
+straight for Waterton.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>197]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo34" id="illo34"></a>
+<img src="images/asb35.jpg" width="600" height="372"
+alt="The men force the cayman out of the water" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE CAPTURE OF THE CAYMAN</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>199]</a></span>
+The naturalist was so excited by his capture, that he
+lost all sense of the danger of his position. He waited
+till the cayman was within a few feet of him, when he
+flung away his pole, and with a flying leap landed on the
+cayman&rsquo;s back, twisting up the creature&rsquo;s feet and holding
+tightly on to them. The cayman, very naturally, could
+not in the least understand what had happened, but he
+began to plunge and struggle, and to lash out behind
+with his thick scaly tail, while the Indians looked on from
+afar, and shouted in triumph.</p>
+
+<p>To Waterton the only fear was, lest the rope should
+prove too weak for the strain, in which case he and the
+cayman would promptly disappear into the depths of the
+Essequibo. But happily the rope was strong, and after
+being dragged by the Indians for forty yards along the
+sand, the cayman gave in, and Waterton contrived to tie
+his jaws together, and to lash his feet on to his back.
+Then he was put to death, and so ended the chase of the
+cayman.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>200]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STORY OF FIDO</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Fido&rsquo;s master had to go a long journey across the country
+to a certain town, and he was carrying with him a large
+bag of gold to deposit at the bank there. This bag he
+carried on his saddle, for he was riding, as in those days
+there were no trains, and he had to travel as quickly as he
+could.</p>
+
+<p>Fido scampered cheerfully along at the horse&rsquo;s heels,
+and every now and then the man would call out to her,
+and Fido would wag her tail and bark back an answer.</p>
+
+<p>The sun was hot and the road dusty, and poor Fido&rsquo;s
+little legs grew more and more tired. At last they came
+to a cool, shady wood, and the master stopped, dismounted,
+and tied his horse to a tree, and took his heavy
+saddle-bags from the saddle.</p>
+
+<p>He laid them down very carefully, and pointing to
+them, said to Fido, &lsquo;Watch them.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Then he drew his cloak about him, lay down with his
+head on the bags, and soon was fast asleep.</p>
+
+<p>Little Fido curled herself up close to her master&rsquo;s
+head, with her nose over one end of the bags, and
+went to sleep too. But she did not sleep very soundly,
+for her master had told her to watch, and every few
+moments she would open her eyes and prick up her ears,
+in case anyone were coming.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 376px;">
+<a name="illo35" id="illo35"></a>
+<img src="images/asb36.jpg" width="376" height="600"
+alt="The master looks down from his horse at Fido" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE WOUNDING OF FIDO</p>
+
+<p>Her master was tired and slept soundly and long&mdash;much
+longer than he had intended. At last he was
+awakened by Fido&rsquo;s licking his face. The dog saw that
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201"><!-- original location of Fido illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>203]</a></span>
+the sun was nearly setting, and knew that it was time for
+her master to go on his journey.</p>
+
+<p>The man patted Fido and then jumped up, much
+troubled to find he had slept so long. He snatched up
+his cloak, threw it over his horse, untied the bridle, sprang
+into the saddle, and calling Fido, started off in great
+haste. But Fido did not seem ready to follow him. She
+ran after the horse and bit at his heels, and then ran back
+again to the woods, all the time barking furiously. This
+she did several times, but her master had no time to heed
+her and galloped away, thinking she would follow him.</p>
+
+<p>At last the little dog sat down by the roadside, and
+looked sorrowfully after her master, until he had turned
+a bend in the road. When he was no longer in sight she
+sprang up with a wild bark, and ran after him again.
+She overtook him just as he had stopped to water his
+horse at a brook that flowed across the road. She stood
+beside the brook and barked so savagely that her master
+rode back and called her to him; but instead of coming
+she darted off down the road still barking.</p>
+
+<p>Her master did not know what to think, and began to
+fear that his dog was going mad. Mad dogs are afraid of
+water, and act in a strange way when they see it. While
+the man was thinking of this, Fido came running back
+again, and dashed at him furiously. She leapt at the legs
+of his horse, and even jumped up and bit the toe of her
+master&rsquo;s boot. Then she ran down the road again, barking
+with all her might.</p>
+
+<p>Her master was now sure that she was mad, and,
+taking out his pistol he shot her. He rode away quickly,
+for he loved her dearly and could not bear to see her
+die.</p>
+
+<p>He had not ridden very far when he stopped suddenly.
+He felt under his coat for his saddle-bags. They were
+not there!</p>
+
+<p>Could he have dropped them, or had he left them
+behind in the wood where he had rested? He felt sure
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>204]</a></span>
+they must be in the wood, for he could not remember
+having picked them up or fastening them to his saddle.</p>
+
+<p>He turned his horse and rode back again as hard as
+he could.</p>
+
+<p>When he came to the brook he sighed and said, &lsquo;Poor
+Fido!&rsquo; but though he looked about he could see nothing
+of her. When he crossed the brook he saw some drops
+of blood on the ground, and all along the road he still saw
+drops of blood. Tears came into his eyes, and he felt
+very sad and guilty, for now he understood why little
+Fido had acted so strangely. She knew that her master
+had left behind his precious bags of gold, and so she
+had tried to tell him in the only way she could.</p>
+
+<p>All the way to the wood lay the drops of blood. At
+last he reached the wood, and there, all safe, lay the bags
+of gold, and beside them, with her little nose lying over
+one end of them, lay faithful Fido, who, you will be pleased
+to hear, recovered from her wound, and lived to a great age.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>205]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>BEASTS BESIEGED</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Adapted from Th&eacute;ophile Gautier.</p>
+
+
+<p>Twenty-five years ago (in the winter of 1870-1871)
+Paris was closely besieged by the Germans, who had
+beaten one French army after another on the frontier,
+and had now advanced into the very heart of the country.
+The cold was frightful, and no wood could be got, and as
+if this was not enough, food began to give out, and the
+people inside the city soon learned to know the tortures
+of hunger. There was no hay or corn for the horses;
+after sheep and oxen they were the first animals to be
+eaten, and then whispers were heard about elephants and
+camels and other beasts in the Jardin des Plantes, which
+is the French name for their Zoological Gardens.</p>
+
+<p>Now it is quite bad enough to be taken from the
+forests and deserts where you never did anything but just
+what you chose, and to be shut up in a small cage behind
+bars; but it is still worse not to have enough food to eat,
+and worst of all to be made into food for other people.
+Luckily the animals did not know what was being talked
+about in the world outside, or they would have been more
+uncomfortable than they were already.</p>
+
+<p>Any visitor to the Jardin des Plantes about Christmas
+time in 1870, and for many weeks later, would have seen
+a strange sight. Some parts of the Gardens were set
+aside for hospitals, and rows of beds occupied every
+sheltered building. Passing through these, the visitor
+found himself in the kingdom of the beasts, who were
+often much more gentle than their gaolers.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>206]</a></span>
+After coming from the streets where nothing was the
+same as it had been six months before, and everything
+was topsy-turvy, it was almost soothing to watch the
+animals going on in their usual way, quite regardless of
+what men might be doing outside. There was the white
+bear swinging himself from side to side and rubbing his
+nose against the bars, just as he had done on the day
+that he had first taken up his abode there. There was
+a camel still asking for cakes, and an elephant trumpeting
+with fury because he didn&rsquo;t get any. Nobody had cakes
+for themselves, and it would have been far easier to place
+a gold piece in the twirling proboscis. An elephant who
+is badly fed is not a pretty spectacle. Its skin is so large
+that it seems as if it would take in at least three or four
+extra bodies, and having only one shrunken skeleton to
+cover, it shrivels up into huge wrinkles and looks like
+the earth after a dry summer. On the whole, certain
+kinds of bears come off best, for they can sleep all the
+winter through, and when they wake up, the world will
+seem the same as when they last shut their eyes, and
+unless their friend the white bear tells them in bear
+language all that has happened they will never be any
+the wiser.</p>
+
+<p>Still it is not all the bears who are lucky enough to
+have the gift of sleep. Some remained broad awake, and
+stood idly about in the corners of their dens, not knowing
+how to get rid of the time that hung so heavily on their
+paws. What was the use for the big brown marten to go
+up to the top of his tree, when there was no one to tickle
+his nose with a piece of bread at the end of a string?
+Why should his brother take the trouble to stand up on
+his hind legs when there was nobody to laugh and clap
+him? Only one very young bear indeed, with bright
+eyes and a yellow skin, went on his own way, regardless
+of spectators, and he was busily engaged in looking at himself
+in a pail of water and putting on all sorts of little airs
+and graces, from sheer admiration of his own beauty.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>207]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 408px;">
+<a name="illo36" id="illo36"></a>
+<img src="images/asb37.jpg" width="408" height="400"
+alt="The lion dreams of antelope at the waterhole" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE DREAM OF THE HUNGRY LION</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps the most to be pitied of all were the lions,
+for they do not know how to play, and could only lie about
+and remember the days when towards sunset they crept
+towards the cool hill, and waited till the antelopes came
+down for their evening drink. And then, ah <em>then</em>! but
+that is only a memory, while stretched out close by is
+the poor lioness in the last stage of consumption, and
+looking more like those half-starved fighting lions you
+see on royal coats of arms than a real beast. At such
+times most children would give anything to catch up the
+Zoological Gardens and carry them right away into the
+centre of Africa, and let out the beasts and make them
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>208]</a></span>
+happy and comfortable once more. But that was not
+the feeling of the little boy who had been taken by his
+mother to see the beasts as a treat for his birthday. At
+each cage they passed he came to a standstill, and
+gazing at the animal with greedy eyes, he said, &lsquo;Mother,
+wouldn&rsquo;t you like to eat that?&rsquo; Every time his mother
+answered him, &lsquo;No one eats these beasts, my boy; they
+are brought from countries a long way off, and cost a
+great deal of money.&rsquo; The child was silent for a moment,
+but at the sight of the zebra, the elk, or the little hy&aelig;na,
+his face brightened again, and his voice might be heard
+piping forth its old question, &lsquo;Mother, wouldn&rsquo;t you like
+to eat that?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>It is a comfort to think that the horrid greedy boy
+was disappointed in his hopes. Whatever else he may
+have eaten, the taste of lions and of bears is still strange
+to him, for the siege of Paris came to an end at last, and
+the animals were made happy as of old with their daily
+portions.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>209]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MR. GULLY</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>He was a herring gull, and one of the largest I have ever
+seen. He was beautiful to look at with his soft grey
+plumage, never a feather of which was out of place. Of
+his character I will say nothing; that can be best judged
+by reading the following truthful biography of my &lsquo;dove
+of the waters.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>I cannot begin at the beginning. Of his youth, which
+doubtless, in every sense of the word, was a stormy
+one, I know nothing. He had already acquired the
+wisdom, or perhaps in his case slyness is a better word, of
+years by the time that he came to us.</p>
+
+<p>Gully was found one day in a field near our house
+in a very much exhausted condition. He had probably
+come a long distance, which he must have accomplished
+on foot, as he was unable to fly owing to his wing having
+been pinioned.</p>
+
+<p>He was very hungry and greedily bolted a small fish
+that we offered him, and screamed for more. We then
+turned him into the garden, where he soon found a
+sheltered corner by our dining-room window and went to
+sleep standing on one leg. The other one he always kept
+tucked away so that was quite invisible.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning I came out to look for Gully and feed
+him. He had vanished! I thought of the pond where I
+kept my goldfish, forty beautiful goldfish. There sure
+enough was Mr. Gully swimming about contentedly, but
+where were the goldfish? Instead of the crystal clear
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>210]</a></span>
+pond, was a pool of muddy water; instead of forty goldfish,
+all that I could make out, when Mr. Gully had been
+chased away and the water given time to settle, was one
+miserable little half-dead fish, the only survivor of the
+forty.</p>
+
+<p>This was the first of Gully&rsquo;s misdeeds. To look at
+Gully, no one could believe him to be capable of hurting
+a fly. He had the most lovely gentle brown eyes you
+ever saw, and seemed more like a benevolent old professor
+than anything else. He generally appeared to be half
+asleep or else sunning himself with a contented smile on
+his thoughtful countenance.</p>
+
+<p>Gully next took to killing the sparrows; he was very
+clever at this. When he had finished eating, the sparrows
+were in the habit of appropriating the remnants of the
+feast. This Gully strongly disapproved of, so when he
+had eaten as much as he wanted, he retired behind a
+chair and waited till the sparrows were busy feasting,
+then he would make a rush and seize the nearest offender.
+He sometimes used to kill as many as from two to four
+sparrows a day in this manner. The pigeons then took
+to coming too near his reach. At first he was afraid of
+them and left them alone; but the day came when a
+young fan-tail was foolish enough to take his airing on
+the terrace, close to Mr. Gully&rsquo;s nose. This was too
+much for Mr. Gully, who pounced upon the unfortunate
+&lsquo;squeaker&rsquo; and slew him. <i>L&rsquo;app&eacute;tit vient en mangeant</i>,
+and after this Mr. Gully took the greatest delight in
+hunting these unfortunate birds and murdering them.
+No pigeon was too large for him to attack. I only just
+succeeded in saving the cock-pouter, a giant among
+pigeons, from an untimely death, by coming up in time to
+drive Mr. Gully away from his victim.</p>
+
+<p>After this we decided to shut Mr. Gully up. We
+thought he would make a charming companion for the
+guinea-pigs. At that time I used to keep about fifty
+of various species in a hen-run. So to the guinea-pigs
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>211]</a></span>
+Gully was banished. At first the arrangement answered
+admirably, Gully behaved as nicely as possible for about
+a month, and we were all congratulating ourselves on
+having found such a good way out of our difficulty, when
+all at once his thirst for blood was roused afresh. One
+day he murdered four guinea-pigs and the next day three
+more of these unfortunate little beasts.</p>
+
+<p>We then let him join the hens and ducks. He at
+once constituted himself the leader of the latter; every
+morning he would lead them down to a pond at the
+bottom of the fields, a distance of about a quarter of a
+mile; and every evening he would summon them round
+him and lead them home. At his cry the ducks and
+drakes would come waddling up to him with loud quacks;
+he used always to march in the most stately manner
+about two yards ahead of them. Of the cocks and hens
+Gully deigned to take no notice. On two occasions he
+made an exception to this rule of conduct. On the first,
+he and a hen had a dispute over the possession of a worm.
+This dispute led to a fight of which Gully was getting
+the best when the combatants were separated. On the
+second occasion Gully was accused of decapitating a hen.
+No one saw him do it, but it looked only too like his
+work. He had a neat clean style.</p>
+
+<p>One day he led his ducks to the pond as usual, but in
+the evening they returned by themselves. We came to
+the conclusion that the poor old bird must be dead. We
+quite gave him up for lost, and had mourned him for two
+or three weeks, when what should we see one day but
+Mr. Gully leading his ducks as usual to his favourite
+pond, as if he had never been away.</p>
+
+<p>Where he had spent all the time he was absent remains
+a mystery to this day. After this he remained with us
+some time, during which he performed no new feat of
+valour with the exception of one fight which he had with
+a cat. In this fight he had some feathers pulled out, but
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>212]</a></span>
+ultimately succeeded in driving her off after giving her
+leg such a bite that she was lame for many a long
+day.</p>
+
+<p>Since then he has again disappeared. Will he ever
+return? Mysterious was his coming and mysterious his
+going.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>213]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>STORIES FROM PLINY</i><br />
+<br />
+<span class="vsmlfont">HOW DOGS LOVE</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>Now there was living at Rome, under the Emperors Vespasian
+and Titus (<small>A.D.</small> 69-81) a man called Pliny, who gave
+up his life to the study of animals and plants. He not only
+watched their habits for himself, but he listened eagerly
+to all that travellers would tell him, and sometimes
+happened to believe too much, and wrote in his book
+things that were not true. Still there were a great many
+facts which he had found out for himself, and the stories
+he tells about animals are of interest to every one, partly
+because it seems strange to think that dogs and horses
+and other creatures were just the same then as they are
+now.</p>
+
+<p>The dogs that Pliny writes about lived in all parts of
+the Roman Empire, and were as faithful and devoted to
+their masters as our dogs are to us. One dog called
+Hyrcanus, belonging to King Lysimachus, one of the
+successors of Alexander the Great, jumped on to the
+funeral pyre on which lay burning the dead body of his
+master. And so did another dog at the burial of Hiero of
+Syracuse. But during the lifetime of Pliny himself, a
+dog&rsquo;s devotion in the heart of Rome had touched even the
+Roman citizens, ashamed though they generally were
+of showing their feelings. It had happened that a plot
+against the life of Nero had been discovered, and the chief
+conspirator, Titus Sabinus by name, was put to death,
+together with some of his servants. One of these men
+had a dog of which he was very fond, and from the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>214]</a></span>
+moment the man was thrown into prison, the dog could
+not be persuaded to move away from the door. At last
+there came a day when the man suffered the cruel death
+common in Rome for such offences, and was thrown down
+a steep flight of stairs, where he broke his neck. A crowd
+of Romans had gathered round the place of execution, in
+order to see the sight, and in the midst of them all the dog
+managed to reach his master&rsquo;s side, and lay there, howling
+piteously. Then one of the crowd, moved with pity,
+threw the dog a piece of meat, but he only took it, and
+laid it across his master&rsquo;s mouth. By-and-bye, the men
+came for the body in order to throw it into the river
+Tiber, and even then the dog followed and swam after it,
+and held it up and tried to bring it to land, till the people
+came out in multitudes from the houses round about, to
+see what it was to be faithful unto death&mdash;and beyond it.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>215]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STRANGE HISTORY OF CAGNOTTE</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source"><i>M&eacute;nagerie Intime.</i></p>
+
+
+<p>In the early part of this century, a little boy of three years
+old, named Th&eacute;ophile Gautier, travelled with his parents
+from Tarbes, in the south of France, to Paris. He was so
+small that he could not speak any proper French, but
+talked like the country people; and he divided the world
+into those who spoke like him and were his friends, and
+those who did not, and were strangers.</p>
+
+<p>But though he was only three, and a great baby in
+many ways, he loved his home dearly, and everything
+about it, and it nearly broke his heart to come away. His
+parents tried to comfort him by giving him the most
+beautiful chocolates and little cakes, and when that failed
+they tried what drums and trumpets would do. But
+drums and trumpets succeeded no better than cakes and
+chocolates, for the greater part of poor Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s tears
+were shed for the &lsquo;dog he had left behind him,&rsquo; called
+Cagnotte, which his father had given away to a friend, as
+he did not think that any dog who had been accustomed
+to run along the hills and valleys above Tarbes, could
+ever make himself happy in Paris.</p>
+
+<p>Th&eacute;ophile, however, did not understand this, but cried
+for Cagnotte all day long; and one morning he could
+bear it no longer. His nurse had put out all his tin
+soldiers neatly on the table, with a little German village
+surrounded by stiff green trees just in front of them,
+hoping Th&eacute;ophile might play at a battle or a siege, and
+she had also placed his fiddle (which was painted bright
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>216]</a></span>
+scarlet) quite handy, so that he might play the triumphal
+march of the victor. Nothing was of any use. As soon
+as Josephine&rsquo;s back was turned Th&eacute;ophile threw soldiers
+and village and fiddle out of the window, and then prepared
+to jump after them, so that he might take the
+shortest way back to Tarbes and Cagnotte. Luckily, just
+as his foot was on the sill, Josephine came back from
+the next room, and saw what he was about. She rushed
+after him and caught him by the jacket, and then took
+him on her knee, and asked him why he was going to do
+anything so naughty and dangerous. When Th&eacute;ophile
+explained that it was Cagnotte whom he wanted and must
+have, and that nobody else mattered at all, Josephine was
+so afraid he would try to run away again, that she told
+him that if he would only have patience and wait a little
+Cagnotte would come to him.</p>
+
+<p>All day long Th&eacute;ophile gave Josephine no peace.
+Every few minutes he came running to his nurse to know
+if Cagnotte had arrived, and he was only quieted when
+Josephine went out and returned carrying a little dog,
+which in some ways was very like his beloved Cagnotte.
+Th&eacute;ophile was not quite satisfied at first, till he remembered
+that Cagnotte had travelled a long, long way, and it was
+not to be expected that he should look the same dog as
+when he started; so he put aside his doubts, and knelt
+down to give Cagnotte a great hug of welcome. The new
+Cagnotte, like the old, was a lovely black poodle, and had
+excellent manners, besides being full of fun. He licked
+Th&eacute;ophile on both cheeks, and was altogether so friendly
+that he was ready to eat bread and butter off the same
+plate as his little master.</p>
+
+<p>The two got on beautifully, and were perfectly happy
+for some time, and then gradually Cagnotte began to lose
+his spirits, and instead of jumping and running about the
+world, he moved slowly, as if he was in pain. He breathed
+shortly and heavily, and refused to eat anything, and even
+Th&eacute;ophile could see he was feeling ill. One day Cagnotte
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>217]</a></span>
+was lying stretched out on his master&rsquo;s lap, and Th&eacute;ophile
+was softly stroking his skin, when suddenly his hand
+caught in what seemed to be string, or strong thread.
+In great surprise, Josephine was at once called, to explain
+the strange matter. She stooped down, and peered closely
+at the dog&rsquo;s skin, then took her scissors and cut the thread.
+Cagnotte stretched himself, gave a shake, and jumped
+down from Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s lap, leaving a sort of black sheep-skin
+behind him.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 346px;">
+<a name="illo37" id="illo37"></a>
+<img src="images/asb38.jpg" width="346" height="325"
+alt="Josephine cuts off the dog's sheep-skin" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">CAGNOTTE COMES OUT OF HIS SKIN</p>
+
+<p>Some wicked men had sewn him up in this coat, so
+that they might get more money for him; and without it
+he was not a poodle at all, but just an ugly little street
+dog, without beauty of any kind.</p>
+
+<p>After helping to eat Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s bread and butter and
+soup for some weeks, Cagnotte began to grow fatter, and
+his outside skin became too tight for him, and he was
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>218]</a></span>
+nearly suffocated. Once delivered from it, he shook his
+ears for joy, and danced a waltz of his own round the
+room, not caring a straw how ugly he might be as long as
+he was comfortable. A very few weeks spent in the
+society of Cagnotte made the memory of Tarbes and its
+mountains grow dim in the mind of Th&eacute;ophile. He learnt
+French, and forgot the way the country people talked, and
+soon he had become, thanks to Cagnotte, such a thorough
+little Parisian, that he would not have understood what
+his old friends said, if one of them had spoken to him.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>219]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>STILL WATERS RUN DEEP; OR THE
+DANCING DOG</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source"><i>M&eacute;nagerie Intime.</i></p>
+
+
+<p>When Little Th&eacute;ophile became Big Th&eacute;ophile, he was as
+fond as ever of dogs and cats, and he knew more about
+them than anybody else. After the death of a large white
+spaniel called Luther, he filled the vacant place on his
+rug by another of the same breed, to whom he gave the
+name of Zamore. Zamore was a little dog, as black as
+ink, except for two yellow patches over his eyes, and a
+stray patch on his chest. He was not in the least handsome,
+and no stranger would ever have given him a second
+thought. But when you came to know him, you found
+Zamore was not a common dog at all. He despised all
+women, and absolutely refused to obey them or to follow
+them, and neither Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s mother nor his sisters could
+get the smallest sign of friendship from him. If they
+offered him cakes or sugar, he would accept them in a
+dignified manner, but never dreamed of saying &lsquo;thank you,&rsquo;
+still less of wagging his tail on the floor, or giving little
+yaps of delight and gratitude, as well-brought-up dogs
+should do. Even to Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s father, whom he liked
+better than anyone else, he was cold and respectful, though
+he followed him everywhere, and never left his master&rsquo;s
+heels when they took a walk. And when they were fishing
+together, Zamore would sit silent on the bank for hours
+together, and only allowed himself one bark when the fish
+was safely hooked.</p>
+
+<p>Now no one could possibly have guessed that a dog of
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>220]</a></span>
+such very quiet and reserved manners was at heart as
+gay and cheerful as the silliest kitten that ever was born,
+but so he was, and this was how his family found it out.</p>
+
+<p>One day he was walking as seriously as usual through
+a broad square in the outskirts of Paris, when he was
+surprised at meeting a large grey donkey, with two panniers
+on its back, and in the panniers a troop of dogs,
+some dressed as Swiss shepherdesses, some as Turks,
+some in full court costume. The owner of the animals
+stopped the donkey close to where Zamore was standing,
+and bade the dogs jump down. Then he cracked his
+whip; the fife and drum struck up a merry tune, the
+dogs steadied themselves on their hind legs, and the dance
+began.</p>
+
+<p>Zamore looked on as if he had been turned into stone.
+The sight of these dogs, dressed in bright colours, this one
+with his head covered by a feathered hat, and that one by
+a turban, but all moving about in time to the music, and
+making pirouettes and little bows; were they really <em>dogs</em>
+he was watching or some new kind of men? Anyway he
+had never seen anything so enchanting or so beautiful,
+and if it was true that they were only dogs&mdash;well, <em>he</em> was
+a dog too!</p>
+
+<p>With that thought, all that had lain hidden in Zamore&rsquo;s
+soul burst forth, and when the dancers filed gracefully
+before him, he raised himself on his hind legs, and in spite
+of staggering a little, prepared to join the ring, to the
+great amusement of the spectators.</p>
+
+<p>The dog-owner, however, whose name was Monsieur
+Corri, did not see matters in the same light. He raised
+his whip a second time, and brought it down with a crack
+on the sides of Zamore, who ran out of the ring, and with
+his tail between his legs and an air of deep thought, he
+returned home.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 405px;">
+<a name="illo38" id="illo38"></a>
+<img src="images/asb39.jpg" width="405" height="600"
+alt="The girl finds Zamore practising his dancing" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE SAW?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>All that day Zamore was more serious and more gloomy
+than ever. Nothing would tempt him out, hardly even
+his favourite dinner, and it was quite plain that he was
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221"><!-- original location of She Saw illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>223]</a></span>
+turning over something in his mind. But during the
+night his two young mistresses were awakened by a
+strange noise that seemed to come from an empty room
+next theirs, where Zamore usually slept. They both lay
+awake and listened, and thought it was like a measured
+stamping, and that the mice might be giving a ball. But
+could little mice feet tread so heavily as that? Supposing
+a thief had got in? So the bravest of the two girls got
+up, and stealing to the door softly opened it and looked
+into the room. And what do you think she saw? Why,
+Zamore, on his hind legs, his paws in the air, practising
+carefully the steps that he had been watching that
+morning!</p>
+
+<p>This was not, as one might have expected, a mere fancy
+of the moment, which would be quite forgotten the next
+day. Zamore was too serious a dog for that, and by dint
+of hard study he became in time a beautiful dancer. As
+often as the fife and drum were heard in the streets,
+Zamore rushed out of the house, glided softly between the
+spectators, and watched with absorbed attention the
+dancing dogs who were doing their steps: but remembering
+the blow he had had from the whip, he took care not
+to join them. He noted their positions, the figures, and
+the way they held their bodies, and in the night he copied
+them, though by day he was just as solemn as ever. Soon
+he was not contented with merely copying what he saw,
+he invented for himself, and it is only just to say that, in
+stateliness of step, few dogs could come up to him. Often
+his dances were witnessed (unknown to himself) by
+Th&eacute;ophile and his sisters, who watched him through the
+crack of the door; and so earnest was he, that at length,
+worn out by dancing, he would drink up the whole of a
+large basin of water, which stood in the corner of the
+room.</p>
+
+<p>When Zamore felt himself the equal of the best of
+the dancing dogs, he began to wish that like them he
+might have an audience.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>224]</a></span>
+Now in France the houses are not always built in a
+row as they are in England, but sometimes have a square
+court-yard in front, and in the house where Zamore lived,
+this court was shut in on one side by an iron railing, which
+was wide enough to let dogs of a slim figure squeeze
+through.</p>
+
+<p>One fine morning there met in this court-yard fifteen
+or twenty dogs, friends of Zamore, to whom the night
+before he had sent letters of invitation. The object of the
+party was to see Zamore make his <i>d&eacute;but</i> in dancing, and
+the ball-room was to be the court-yard, which Zamore had
+carefully swept with his tail. The dance began, and the
+spectators were so delighted, that they could not wait for
+the end to applaud, as people ought always to do, but
+uttered loud cries of &lsquo;Ouah, ouah,&rsquo; that reminded you of
+the noises you hear at a theatre. Except one old water
+spaniel who was filled with envy at Zamore&rsquo;s talents, and
+declared that no decent dog would ever make an exhibition
+of himself like that, they all vowed that Zamore was the
+king of dancers, and that nothing had ever been seen to
+equal his minuet, jig, and waltz for grace and beauty.</p>
+
+<p>It was only during his dancing moments that Zamore
+unbent. At all other times he was as gloomy as ever, and
+never cared to stir from the rug unless he saw his old
+master take up his hat and stick for a walk. Of course,
+if he had chosen, he might have joined Monsieur Corri&rsquo;s
+<i>troupe</i>, of which he would have made the brightest ornament;
+but the love of his master proved greater than his
+love of his art, and he remained unknown, except of his
+family. In the end he fell a victim to his passion for
+dancing, and he died of brain fever, which is supposed to
+have been caused by the fatigue of learning the schottische,
+the fashionable dance of the day.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>225]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THEO AND HIS HORSES; JANE, BETSY,
+AND BLANCHE</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From <i>M&eacute;nagerie Intime</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>After Th&eacute;ophile grew to be a man, he wrote a great
+many books, which are all delightful to read, and everybody
+bought them, and Th&eacute;ophile got rich and thought
+he might give himself a little carriage with two horses to
+draw it.</p>
+
+<p>And first he fell in love with two dear little Shetland
+ponies who were so shaggy and hairy that they seemed
+all mane and tail, and whose eyes looked so affectionately
+at him, that he felt as if he should like to bring them into
+the drawing-room instead of sending them to the stable.
+They were charming little creatures, not a bit shy, and
+they would come and poke their noses into Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s
+pockets in search for sugar, which was always there.
+Indeed their only fault was, that they were so very, very
+small, and that, after all, was <em>not</em> their fault. Still, they
+looked more suited to an English child of eight years old,
+or to Tom Thumb, than to a French gentleman of forty,
+not so thin as he once was, and as they all passed
+through the streets, everybody laughed, and drew pictures
+of them, and declared that Th&eacute;ophile could easily
+have carried a pony on each arm, and the carriage on his
+back.</p>
+
+<p>Now Th&eacute;ophile did not mind being laughed at, but
+still he did not always want to be stared at all through
+the streets, whenever he went out. So he sold his ponies
+and began to look out for something nearer his own
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>226]</a></span>
+size. After a short search he found two of a dapple grey
+colour, stout and strong, and as like each other as two
+peas, and he called them Jane and Betsy. But although,
+to look at, no one could ever tell one from the other,
+their characters were totally different, as Jane was very
+bold and spirited, and Betsy was terribly lazy. While
+Jane did all the pulling, Betsy was quite contented just
+to run by her side, without troubling herself in the least,
+and, as was only natural, Jane did not think this at all
+fair, and took a great dislike to Betsy, which Betsy
+heartily returned. At last matters became so bad that,
+in their efforts to get at each other, they half kicked the
+stable to pieces, and would even rear themselves upon
+their hind legs in order to bite each other&rsquo;s faces.
+Th&eacute;ophile did all he could to make them friends, but
+nothing was of any use, and at last he was forced to sell
+Betsy. The horse he found to replace her was a shade
+lighter in colour, and therefore not quite so good a match,
+but luckily Jane took to her at once, and lost no time in
+doing the honours of the stable. Every day the affection
+between the two became greater: Jane would lay her
+head on Blanche&rsquo;s shoulder&mdash;she had been called Blanche
+because of her fair skin&mdash;and when they were turned out
+into the stable-yard, after being rubbed down, they played
+together like two kittens. If one was taken out alone,
+the other became sad and gloomy, till the well-known
+tread of its friend&rsquo;s hoofs was heard from afar, when it
+would give a joyful neigh, which was instantly answered.</p>
+
+<p>Never once was it necessary for the coachman to
+complain of any difficulty in harnessing them. They
+walked themselves into their proper places, and behaved
+in all ways as if they were well brought up, and ready to
+be friendly with everybody. They had all kinds of pretty
+little ways, and if they thought there was a chance of
+getting bread or sugar or melon rind, which they both
+loved, they would make themselves as caressing as a
+dog.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>227]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 434px;">
+<a name="illo39" id="illo39"></a>
+<img src="images/asb40.jpg" width="434" height="600"
+alt="Jane is surrounded by imaginary ghosts and monsters" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">BLANCHE TELLING GHOST STORIES TO JANE IN THE STABLE</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228"><!-- blank page --></a></span></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>229]</a></span>
+Nobody who has lived much with animals can doubt
+that they talk together in a language that man is too
+stupid to understand; or, if anyone <em>had</em> doubted it, they
+would soon have been convinced of the fact by the
+conduct of Jane and Blanche when in harness. When
+Jane first made Blanche&rsquo;s acquaintance, she was afraid
+of nothing, but after they had been together a few months,
+her character gradually changed, and she had sudden
+panics and nervous fits, which puzzled her master greatly.
+The reason of this was that Blanche, who was very timid
+and easily frightened, passed most of the night in telling
+Jane ghost stories, till poor Jane learnt to tremble at
+every sound. Often, when they were driving in the
+lonely alleys of the Bois de Boulogne after dark,
+Blanche would come to a dead stop or shy to one side as
+if a ghost, which no one else could see, stood before her.
+She breathed loudly, trembled all over with fear, and
+broke out into a cold perspiration. No efforts of Jane,
+strong though she was, could drag her along. The only
+way to move her was for the coachman to dismount, and
+to lead her, with his hand over her eyes for a few steps,
+till the vision seemed to have melted into air. In the
+end, these terrors affected Jane just as if Blanche, on
+reaching the stable, had told her some terrible story of
+what she had seen, and even her master had been known
+to confess that when, driving by moonlight down some
+dark road, where the trees cast strange shadows, Blanche
+would suddenly come to a dead halt and begin to tremble,
+he did not half like it himself.</p>
+
+<p>With this one drawback, never were animals so charming
+to drive. If Th&eacute;ophile held the reins, it was really
+only for the look of the thing, and not in the least
+because it was necessary. The smallest click of the
+tongue was enough to direct them, to quicken them, to
+make them go to the right or to the left, or even to stop
+them. They were so clever that in a very short time
+they had learned all their master&rsquo;s habits, and knew his
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>230]</a></span>
+daily haunts as well as he did himself. They would
+go of their own accord to the newspaper office, to the
+printing office, to the publisher&rsquo;s, to the Bois de Boulogne,
+to certain houses where he dined on certain days in
+the week, so very punctually that it was quite provoking;
+and if it ever happened that Th&eacute;ophile spent longer than
+usual at any particular place, they never failed to call
+his attention by loud neighs, or by pawing the ground,
+sounds of which he quite well knew the meaning.</p>
+
+<p>But alas, the time came when a Revolution broke out
+in Paris. People had no time to buy books or to read
+them; they were far too busy in building barricades
+across the streets, or in tearing up the paving stones to
+throw at each other. The newspaper in which Th&eacute;ophile
+wrote, and which paid him enough money to keep his
+horses, did not appear any more, and sad though he was
+at parting, the poor man thought he was lucky to find
+some one to buy horses, carriage, and harness, for a fourth
+part of their worth. Tears stood in his eyes as they
+were led away to their new stable; but he never forgot
+them, and they never forgot him. Sometimes, as he sat
+writing at his table, he would hear from afar a light
+quick step, and then a sudden stop under the windows.</p>
+
+<p>And their old master would look up and sigh and say
+to himself, &lsquo;Poor Jane, poor Blanche, I hope they are
+happy.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>231]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MADAME TH&Eacute;OPHILE AND THE PARROT</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source"><i>M&eacute;nagerie Intime.</i></p>
+
+
+<p>After the death of Cagnotte, whose story you may have
+read, Th&eacute;ophile was so unhappy that he would not have
+another dog, but instead, determined to fill the empty place
+in his heart with cats. One of those that he loved the best
+was a big yellowy-red puss, with a white chest, a pink
+nose, and blue eyes, that went by the name of Madame
+Th&eacute;ophile, because, when he was in the house, it never left
+his side for a single instant. It slept on his bed, dreamed
+while sitting on the arm of Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s chair while he was
+writing (for Th&eacute;ophile was by this time almost a grown-up
+man), walked after him when he went into the garden,
+sat by his side while he had his dinner, and sometimes
+took, gently and politely, the food he was conveying to
+his own mouth.</p>
+
+<p>One day, a friend of Th&eacute;ophile&rsquo;s, who was leaving
+Paris for a few days, brought a parrot, which he begged
+Th&eacute;ophile to take care of while he was away. The bird
+not feeling at home in this strange place, climbed up to
+the top of his cage and looked round him with his funny
+eyes, that reminded you of the nails in a sofa. Now
+Madame Th&eacute;ophile had never seen a parrot, and it was
+plain that this curious creature gave her a shock. She
+sat quite still, staring quietly at the parrot, and trying to
+think if she had ever seen anything like it among the
+gardens and roofs of the houses, where she got all her
+ideas of the world. At last she seemed to make up her
+mind:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>232]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Of course, it must be a kind of green chicken.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Having set the question at rest, Madame Th&eacute;ophile
+jumped down from the table where she had been seated
+while she made her observations, and walked quickly to
+the corner of the room, where she laid herself flat down,
+with her head bent and her paws stretched out, like a
+panther watching his prey.</p>
+
+<p>The parrot followed all her movements with his round
+eyes, and felt that they meant no good to him. He ruffled
+his feathers, pulled at his chain, lifted one of his paws in
+a nervous way, and rubbed his beak up and down his
+food tin. All the while the cat&rsquo;s blue eyes were talking
+in a language the parrot clearly understood, and they
+said: &lsquo;Although it is green, that fowl would make a nice
+dinner.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>But Madame Th&eacute;ophile had not lain still all this
+while. Slowly, without even appearing to move, she had
+drawn closer and closer. Her pink nostrils trembled, her
+eyes were half shut, her claws were pushed out and pulled
+into their sheaths, and little shivers ran down her back.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly her back rounded itself like a bent bow, and
+with one bound she leapt on the cage. The parrot knew
+his danger, and was too frightened to move; then, calling
+up all his courage, he looked his enemy full in the face,
+and, in a low and deep voice he put the question: &lsquo;Jacky,
+did you have a good breakfast?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>This simple phrase struck terror into the heart of the
+cat, who made a spring backwards. If a cannon had been
+fired close to her ear, or a shopful of glass had been broken,
+she could not have been more alarmed. Never had she
+dreamed of anything like this.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And what did you have&mdash;some of the king&rsquo;s roast
+beef?&rsquo; continued the parrot.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;It is not a chicken, it is a man that is speaking,&rsquo; thought
+the cat with amazement, and looking at her master,
+who was standing by, she retired under the bed. Madame
+Th&eacute;ophile knew when she was beaten.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>233]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE BATTLE OF THE MULLETS AND
+THE DOLPHINS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Many singular stories may be found in Pliny, but
+the most interesting is how men and dolphins combine
+together on the coast of France, near Narbonne, to catch
+the swarms of mullet that come into those waters at
+certain seasons of the year.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 398px;">
+<a name="illo40" id="illo40"></a>
+<img src="images/asb41.jpg" width="398" height="530"
+alt="The dolphins drive the fish into the nets" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">HOW THE DOLPHINS HELPED THE FISHERMEN TO CATCH THE MULLETS</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In Languedoc, within the province of Narbonne, there
+is a standing pool or dead water called Laterra, wherein
+men and dolphins together used to fish; for at one certain
+time of the year an infinite number of fishes called mullets,
+taking the vantage of the tide when the water doth ebb,
+at certain narrow weirs and passages with great force
+break forth of the said pool into the sea; and by reason
+of that violence no nets can be set and pitched against
+them strong enough to abide and bear their huge weight
+and the stream of the water together, if so be men were
+not cunning and crafty to wait and espie their time and
+lay for them and to entrap them. In like manner the
+mullets for their part immediately make speed to recover
+the deep, which they do very soon by reason that the
+Channel is near at hand; and their only haste is for this,
+to escape and pass that narrow place which affordeth
+opportunities to the fishers to stretch out and spread their
+nets. The fishermen being ware thereof and all the people
+besides (for the multitude knowing when fishing time is
+come, run thither, and the rather for to see the pleasant
+sport), cry as loud as ever they can to the dolphins for
+aid, and call &ldquo;Simo, Simo,&rdquo; to help to make an end of this
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>234]</a></span>
+their game and pastime of fishing. The dolphins soon
+get the ear of their cry and know what they would have,
+and the better if the north winds blow and carry the
+sound unto them; for if it be a southern wind it is later
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>235]</a></span>
+ere the voice be heard, because it is against them. Howbeit,
+be the wind in what quarter soever, the dolphins
+resort thither flock-meal, sooner than a man would think,
+for to assist them in their fishing. And a wondrous
+pleasant sight it is to behold the squadrons as it were of
+those dolphins, how quickly they take their places and be
+arranged in battle array, even against the very mouth of
+the said pool, where the mullets are to shoot into the sea,
+to see (I say) how from the sea they oppose themselves
+and fight against them and drive the mullets (once
+affrighted and scared) from the deep on the shelves.
+Then come the fishers and beset them with net and toile,
+which they bear up and fortify with strong forks; howbeit,
+for all that, the mullets are so quick and nimble that
+a number of them whip over, get away, and escape the
+nets. But the dolphins are ready to receive them; who,
+contenting themselves for the present to kill only, make
+foul work and havoc among them, and put off the time of
+preying and feeding upon, until they have ended the battle
+and achieved the victory. And now the skirmish is hot,
+for the dolphins, perceiving also the men at work, are the
+more eager and courageous in fight, taking pleasure to
+be enclosed within the nets, and so most valiantly charging
+upon the mullets; but for fear lest the same should give
+an occasion unto the enemies and provoke them to retire
+and fly back between the boats, the nets, and the men
+there swimming, they glide by so gently and easily that
+it cannot be seen where they get out. And albeit they
+take great delight in leaping, and have the cast of it, yet
+none essayeth to get forth but where the nets lie under
+them, but no sooner are they out, but presently a man
+shall see brave pastime between them as they scuffle and
+skirmish as it were under the ramparts. And so the
+conflict being ended and all the fishing sport done, the
+dolphins fall to spoil and eat those which they killed in
+the first shock and encounter. But after this service
+performed, the dolphins retire not presently into the deep
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>236]</a></span>
+again, from whence they were called, but stay until
+to-morrow, as if they knew very well they had so carried
+themselves as that they deserved a better reward than
+one day&rsquo;s refection and victuals; and therefore contented
+they are not and satisfied unless to their fish they have
+some sops and crumbs of bread given them soaked in
+wine, and had their bellies full.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>237]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MONKEY STORIES</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Before telling you more stories about monkeys, we must
+tell you some dry facts about them, in order that you may
+understand the stories. There are three different kinds
+of monkeys&mdash;apes, baboons, and monkeys proper. The
+difference is principally in their tails, so that when you
+see them at the Zoo (for there are none wild in Europe,
+except at Gibraltar), you will know them by the apes
+having no tails and walking upright; baboons have short
+tails and go on all fours; and monkeys have tails sometimes
+longer than their whole bodies, by which they can
+swing themselves from tree to tree. Apes and monkeys
+are so ready to imitate everything which men do, that the
+negroes believe that they are a lazy race of men, who will
+not be at the trouble to work. Baboons, on the contrary,
+can be taught almost nothing.</p>
+
+<p>There are two kinds of apes, called oran otans and
+chimpanzees. They are both very wild and fierce, and
+difficult to catch, but, when caught, become not only tame,
+but very affectionate, and can be taught anything. Nearly
+two hundred years ago, in 1698, one was brought to
+London that had been caught in Angola. On board ship
+he became very fond of the people who took care of him,
+and was very gentle and affectionate, but would have nothing
+to do with some monkeys who were on the same
+ship. He had had a suit of clothes made for him, probably
+to keep him warm. As the ship got into colder
+regions he took great pleasure in dressing himself in them,
+and anything he could not put on for himself he used to
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>238]</a></span>
+bring in his paw to one of the sailors, and seem to ask him
+to dress him. He had a bed to sleep in, and at night used
+to put his head on the pillow and tuck himself in like a
+human being. His story is unfortunately a short one, for
+he died soon after coming to London. He could not long
+survive the change from his native forests to the cage of
+a menagerie.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 416px;">
+<a name="illo41" id="illo41"></a>
+<img src="images/asb01.jpg" width="416" height="360"
+alt="Two oran otans sitting on the deck of a ship" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">TWO ORAN OTANS</p>
+
+<p>Another, a female, was brought to Holland nearly a
+hundred years later, in 1776, but she, too, pined and died
+after seven months&rsquo; captivity. She was very gentle and
+affectionate, and became so fond of her keeper that when
+they left her alone, she used to throw herself on the ground
+screaming, and tearing in pieces anything in her reach,
+just like a naughty child. She could behave as well as
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>239]</a></span>
+any lady in the land when she liked. When asked out to
+tea, she used to bring a cup and saucer, put sugar in the
+cup, pour out the tea, and leave it to cool; and at dinner
+her manners were just as good. She used her knife and
+fork, table napkin, and even toothpick, as if she had been
+accustomed to them all her life, which, of course, in her
+native forest was far from being the case. She learnt all
+her nice habits either from watching people at table, or
+from her keeper&rsquo;s orders. She was fond of strawberries,
+which she ate very daintily, on a fork, holding the plate in
+the other hand. She was particularly fond of wine, and
+drank it like a human being, holding the glass in her hand.
+She was better behaved than two other oran otans, who,
+though they could behave as well at table as any lady, and
+could use their knives and forks and glasses, and could
+make the cabin boy (for it was on board ship) understand
+what they wanted, yet, if he did not attend to them at
+once, they used to throw him down, seize him by the arm,
+and bite him.</p>
+
+<p>A French priest had an oran otan that he had brought
+up from a baby, and who was so fond of his master that
+he used to follow him about like a dog. When the priest
+went to church he used to lock the oran otan up in a room;
+but one day he got out, and, as sometimes happens with
+dogs, who cannot get reconciled to Sunday, he followed
+his master to church. He managed, without the priest&rsquo;s
+seeing him, to climb on the sounding board above the
+pulpit, where he lay quite still till the sermon began.
+He then crept forward till he could see his master in the
+pulpit below, and imitated every one of his movements,
+till the congregation could not keep from laughing. The
+priest thought they were making fun of him, and was
+naturally very angry. The more angry he became the
+more gestures he used, every one of which the ape overhead
+repeated. At last a friend of the priest stood up in
+the congregation, and pointed out the real culprit. When
+the priest looked up and saw the imitation of himself, he
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>240]</a></span>
+could not keep from laughing either, and the service could
+not go on till the disturber had been taken down and
+locked up again at home.</p>
+
+<p>Another kind is called the Barbary ape, because they
+are found in such numbers in Barbary that the trees in
+places seem nearly covered with them, though there are
+quantities as well in India and Arabia. They are very
+mischievous and great fighters. In India the natives sometimes
+amuse themselves by getting up a fight among them.
+They put down at a little distance from each other baskets
+of rice, with stout sticks by each basket, and then they go
+off and hide themselves among the trees to watch the fun.
+The apes come down from the trees in great numbers,
+and make as though they were going to attack the baskets,
+but lose courage and draw back grinning at each other.
+The females are generally the boldest, and the first to
+seize on the food; but as soon as they put their heads
+down to eat, some of the males set-to to drive them off.
+Others attack them in their turn. They all seize on the
+sticks, and soon a free fight begins, which ends in the
+weakest being driven off into the woods, and the conquerors
+enjoying the spoil. They are not only fierce but
+revengeful, and will punish severely any person who kills
+one of them. Some English people who were driving
+through a country full of these apes in the East Indies,
+wished, out of sheer wantonness, to have one shot. The
+native servants, knowing what the consequences would
+be, were afraid; but, as their masters insisted, they had
+to obey, and shot a female whose little ones were clinging
+to her neck. She fell dead from the branches, and the
+little ones, falling with her, were killed too. Immediately
+all the other apes, to the number of about sixty, came
+down and attacked the carriage. They would certainly
+have killed the travellers if the servants, of whom there
+was fortunately a number, had not driven the apes off;
+and though the carriage set off as fast as the horses could
+lay legs to the ground, the apes followed for three miles.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>241]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 404px;">
+<a name="illo42" id="illo42"></a>
+<img src="images/asb42.jpg" width="404" height="540"
+alt="The baboons eat as the man looks on" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE BABOONS WHO STOLE THE POOR MAN&rsquo;S DINNER</p>
+
+<p><em>Baboons</em> are as ugly, revolting creatures as you could
+wish to see, and very fierce, so they can seldom be tamed
+nor even caught. There are, of course, few stories about
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>242]</a></span>
+them. When people try to catch them, they let their
+pursuers come so near that they think they have them,
+and then they bound away ten paces at once, and look
+down defiantly from the tree-top as much as to say, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t
+you wish you may get me?&rsquo; One baboon had so wearied
+his pursuers by his antics that they pointed a gun at him,
+though with no intention of firing. He had evidently
+seen a gun before, and knew its consequences, and was
+so frightened at the bare idea, that he fell down senseless
+and was easily captured. When he came to himself again
+he struggled so fiercely that they had to tie his paws
+together, and then he bit so that they had to tie his
+jaws up.</p>
+
+<p>Baboons are great thieves, and come down from the
+mountains in great bodies to plunder gardens. They cram
+as much fruit as they possibly can into their cheek pouches
+to take away and eat afterwards at their leisure. They
+always set a sentinel to give the alarm. When he sees
+anyone coming, he gives a yell that lasts a minute, and
+then the whole troop sets off helter-skelter.</p>
+
+<p>They will rob anyone they come upon alone in the
+most impudent way. They come softly up behind, snatch
+away anything they can lay their hands on, and then run
+off a little way and sit down. Very often it is the poor
+man&rsquo;s dinner that they devour before his eyes. Sometimes
+they will hold it out in their hands and pretend
+they are going to give it back, in such a comic way that I
+would defy you not to laugh, though it were your own
+dinner that had been snatched away and then offered to
+you.</p>
+
+<p><em>Monkeys</em> live in the tree-tops of the forests of India
+and South Africa, where they keep up a constant chattering
+and gambolling, all night as well as all day, playing games
+and swinging by their tails from tree to tree. One kind,
+the four-fingered monkey, can pass from one high tree-top
+to another, too far even for a monkey to jump, by making
+themselves into a chain, joined to each other by their tails.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>243]</a></span>
+They can even cross rivers in this way. There are any
+number of different kinds of monkeys, as you can see any
+day in the monkey house at the Zoo. One kind is well
+named the howling monkey, because they howl in chorus
+every morning two hours before daylight, and again at
+nightfall. The noise they make is so fearful that, if you
+did not know, you would think it was a forest full of ferocious
+beasts quite near, thirsting for their prey, instead of
+harmless monkeys a mile or two away. There is always
+a leader of the chorus, who sits on a high branch above
+the others. He first howls a solo, and then gives a signal
+for the others to join in; then they all howl together, till
+he gives another signal to stop.</p>
+
+<p>The egret monkeys are great thieves. When they set
+to work to rob a field of millet, they put as many stalks
+as they can carry in their mouths, in each paw, and under
+each arm, and then go off home on their hind legs. If
+pursued, and obliged for greater speed to go on all their
+four legs, they drop what they carry in their paws, but
+never let go what they have in their mouths. The Chinese
+monkey is also a great thief, and even cleverer about
+carrying away his booty. They always set a sentinel on
+a high tree; when he sees anyone coming, he screams
+&lsquo;Houp, houp, houp!&rsquo; The others then seize as much as
+they can carry in their right arm, and set off on three legs.
+They are called Chinese, not because they come from
+China, but because the way the hair grows on their heads
+is like a Chinese cap. It is long and parts in the middle,
+spreading out all round.</p>
+
+<p>In many parts of India monkeys are worshipped by
+the natives, and temples are erected for them. But monkeys
+of one tribe are never allowed to come into any of
+these sanctuaries when another tribe is already in possession.
+A large strong monkey was once seen by some
+travellers to steal into one of these temples; as soon as
+the inhabitants saw that he did not belong to their tribe,
+they set on him to drive him out. As he was only one
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>244]</a></span>
+against many, though bigger and stronger than the others,
+he saw that he had no chance, and bounded up to the top,
+eleven stories high. As the temple ended in a little round
+dome just big enough for himself, he was master of the
+situation, and every monkey that ventured to climb up he
+flung down to the bottom. When this had happened three
+or four times, his enemies thought it best to let him alone,
+and he stayed there in peace till it was dark and he could
+slip away unseen.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>245]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>ECCENTRIC BIRD BUILDERS</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Jones&rsquo; <i>Glimpses of Animal Life</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>Everybody knows how fond birds are of building their
+nests in church, and if we come to think of it, it is a very
+reasonable and sensible proceeding. Churches are so
+quiet, and have so many dark out-of-the-way corners,
+where no one would dream of poking, certainly not the
+woman whose business it is to keep the church clean.
+So the birds have the satisfaction of feeling that their
+young are kept safe and warm while they are collecting
+food for them, and there is always some open door or
+window to enable the parents to fly in or out.</p>
+
+<p>But all birds have not the wisdom of the robins, and
+swallows, and sparrows that have selected the church for
+a home, and some of them have chosen very odd places
+indeed wherein to build their nests and lay their eggs.
+Hinges of doors, turning lathes, even the body of a dead
+owl hung to a ring, have all been used as nurseries; but
+perhaps the oddest spot of all to fix upon for a nest is the
+outside of a railway carriage, especially when we remember
+how often railway stations are the abode of cats, who
+move safely about the big wheels, and even travel by
+train when they think it necessary.</p>
+
+<p>Yet, in spite of all the drawbacks, railway carriages
+remain a favourite place for nesting birds, and there is a
+curious story of a pair of water-wagtails which built a
+snug home underneath a third-class carriage attached to
+a train which ran four times daily between Cosham and
+Havant. The father does not seem to have cared about
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>246]</a></span>
+railway travelling, which, to be sure, must appear a
+wretched way of getting about to anything that has wings;
+for he never went with the family himself, but spent the
+time of their absence fluttering restlessly about the platform
+to which the train would return. He was so plainly
+anxious and unhappy about them, that one would have
+expected that he would have insisted on some quieter
+and safer place the following year when nesting time
+came round again; but the mother apparently felt that
+the situation had some very distinct advantages, for she
+deliberately passed over every other spot that her mate
+pointed out, and went back to her third-class carriage.</p>
+
+<p>Yet a railway carriage seems safety itself in comparison
+with a London street lamp, where a fly-catcher&rsquo;s
+nest was found a few years ago. Composed as it was of
+moss, hair, and dried grass, it is astonishing that it never
+caught fire, but no doubt the great heat of the gas was
+an immense help in hatching the five eggs which the
+birds had laid.</p>
+
+<p>Those fly-catchers had built in a hollow iron ornament
+on the top of the lamp, but some tomtits are actually
+known to have chosen such a dangerous place as the spot
+close to the burner of a paraffin street lamp. And even
+when the paraffin was exchanged for gas, the birds did
+not seem to mind, and would sit quite calmly on the nest,
+while the lamplighter thrust his long stick past them to
+put out the light.</p>
+
+<p>Birds reason in a different way from human beings,
+for a letter-box would not commend itself to us as being
+a very good place to bring up a family, with letters and
+packages tumbling on to their heads every instant. A
+pair of Scotch tomtits, however, thought otherwise, and
+they made a comfortable little nest at the back of a
+private letter-box, nailed on to the trunk of a tree in
+Dumfriesshire. The postman soon found out what was
+going on, but he took great pains not to disturb them, for
+he was fond of birds, and was very curious to see what
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>247]</a></span>
+the tomtits would do. What the tomtits did was to go
+peacefully on with their nest, minding their own business,
+and by-and-bye eight little eggs lay in the nest. By this
+time the mother had got so used to the postman, that she
+never even moved when he unlocked the door, only
+giving his hand a friendly peck when he put it in to take
+out the letters, and occasionally accepting some crumbs
+which he held out to it. But no sooner did the little
+birds break through their shells than the parents became
+more difficult to deal with. They did not mind knocks
+from letters for themselves, but they grew furiously angry
+if the young ones ever were touched by so much as a
+corner, and one day, when a letter happened to fall plump
+on top of the nest, they tore it right to pieces. In fact, it
+was in such a condition, that when the postman came as
+usual to make his collection, he was obliged to take the
+letter back to the people who had written it, for no Post
+Office would have sent it off in such a state.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>248]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE SHIP OF THE DESERT</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Burckhardt&rsquo;s <i>Travels in Nubia</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>Of all animals under the sun, perhaps the very ugliest is
+the camel; but life in the deserts of Africa and Arabia
+could not go on at all without the constant presence of this
+clumsy-looking creature. Some African tribes keep camels
+entirely for the use of their milk and flesh; and it is
+noticeable that these animals are much shyer and more
+timid than their brothers in Syria and Arabia, who will
+instantly come trotting up to any fresh camel that appears
+on the scene, or obey the call of any Bedouin, even if he
+is a stranger.</p>
+
+<p>In general, the camel is merely employed as a beast
+of burden, and from this he gets his name of the &lsquo;ship of
+the desert.&rsquo; Like other ships, he sways from side to side,
+and his awkward motion is apt to make his rider feel very
+sick, till he gets accustomed to this way of travelling.
+Camels are wonderfully strong and enduring animals,
+and can stow up water within them for several days,
+besides having an extraordinary power of smelling any
+water or spring that is far beyond the reach of man&rsquo;s eyes.
+These qualities are naturally very valuable in the burning
+deserts which stretch unbroken for hundreds of miles,
+where everything looks alike, and the sun as he passes
+across the heavens is the traveller&rsquo;s only guide.</p>
+
+<p>Partly from fear of warlike tribes, which wander
+through the deserts of Arabia and Nubia, and partly from
+the help and protection which a large body can give, the
+one to the other, it is the custom for merchants and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>249]</a></span>
+travellers to band together and travel in great caravans
+of men and camels. They try, if possible, to find some
+well by which they can encamp, and every man fills his
+own skins with water before starting afresh on his journey.
+More quarrels arise about water than people who live in
+countries with plenty of streams and rivers can have any
+idea of. One man will sell his skinful to another at a
+very high price, while if a traveller thinks he will be very
+prudent and lay in a large store, the rest are certain to
+take it from him directly their own supply runs short.
+Foods they can do without on those burning plains, but
+not water.</p>
+
+<p>Some of these misfortunes befel a traveller of the name
+of Burckhardt, who left Switzerland in the opening years
+of this century, to pass several years in Africa and the
+East. After going through Syria, he began to make his
+way up the Nile, and even penetrated as far as Nubia,
+joining for that purpose a caravan of traders under the
+leadership of a Ababde&mdash;an Arab race who from the
+earliest days have been acknowledged to be the best
+guides across the desert.</p>
+
+<p>Owing to the intense heat which prevails in those
+countries, the marches always take place in the small
+hours of the morning, and midnight seems to have been
+the usual hour for the start. Very commonly the march
+would continue for eleven hours, during which time the
+men were only allowed to drink twice, while the asses,
+who with the camels formed part of the caravan, were
+put on half their allowance. Sometimes a detachment
+was sent on to wells that were known to lie along the
+route, to get everything ready for the rest when they
+came up; but it often happened that the springs were so
+choked up by drifting sand that no amount of digging
+would free them. Then there was nothing for it but to
+go on again.</p>
+
+<p>It was in the month of March that Burckhardt and
+his companions had their hardest experience of the dreadful
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>250]</a></span>
+desert thirst. The year had been drier than was
+common even in Nubia, and even in the little oases or
+fertile spots, most of the trees and acacias were withered
+and dead. Hour after hour the travellers toiled on, and
+soon the asses gave out, and their riders were forced to
+walk over the scorching sand. Burckhardt had been a
+little more careful of his stock of water than the other
+members of the caravan, and for some days had cooked
+no food or eaten anything but biscuits, so that he had been
+able to spare a draught every now and then for his own
+ass, and still had enough to last both of them for another
+day. However, it was quite clear that unless water was
+quickly found they must all die together, and a council
+was held as to what was best to be done. The Ababde
+chief&rsquo;s advice was&mdash;and always had been&mdash;to send out a
+company of ten or twelve of the strongest camels, to try
+to make their way secretly to the Nile, through the
+ranks of unfriendly Arab tribes encamped all along its
+eastern shore.</p>
+
+<p>This was agreed upon; and about four in the afternoon
+the little band set out, loaded with all the skins in the
+caravan. The river was a ride of five or six hours distant;
+so that many hours of dreadful suspense must pass before
+the watchers left behind could know what was to be their
+fate. Soon after sunset a few stragglers came in, who had
+strayed from the principal band; but they had not reached
+the river, and could give no news of the rest. As the night
+wore on, several of the traders came to Burckhardt to beg
+for a taste of the water he was believed to have stored up;
+but he had carefully hidden what remained, and only
+showed them his skins which were empty. Then the
+camp gradually grew silent, and all sat and waited under
+the stars for the verdict of life or death. It was three in
+the morning when shouts were heard, and the camels,
+refreshed by deep draughts of the Nile water, came along
+at their utmost speed, bearing skins full enough for
+many days&rsquo; journey. Only one man was missing; but
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>251]</a></span>
+traders are a cruel race, and these cared nothing about his
+fate, giving themselves up to feasting and song, and joy
+at their deliverance.</p>
+
+<p>Yet only a year later, the fate that had almost overtaken
+them befel a small body of merchants who set out
+with their camels from Berber to Daraou. The direct
+road, which led past the wells of Nedjeym, was known to
+be haunted at that date by the celebrated robber Naym,
+who waylaid every caravan from Berber; so the merchants
+hired an Ababde guide to take them by a longer and more
+easterly road, where there was another well at which they
+could water. Unluckily the guide knew nothing of the
+country that lay beyond, and the whole party soon lost
+themselves in the mountains. For five days they wandered
+about, not seeing a creature who could give them help, or
+even direct them to the right path. Then, their water
+being quite exhausted, they turned steadily westwards,
+hoping by this means soon to reach the Nile. But the
+river at this point takes a wide bend, and was, if they had
+known it, further from them than before; and after two
+days of dreadful agony, fifteen slaves and one merchant
+died. In desperation, another merchant, who was an
+Ababde, and owner of ten camels, had himself lashed firmly
+on to the back of the strongest beast, lest in his weakness
+he should fall off, and then ordered the whole herd to be
+turned loose, thinking that perhaps the instinct of the
+animals would succeed where the knowledge of man had
+failed. But neither the Ababde nor his camels were ever
+seen again.</p>
+
+<p>The merchants struggled forwards, and eight days after
+leaving the well of Owareyk they arrived in sight of some
+mountains which they knew; but it was too late, and
+camels and merchants sank down helpless where they lay.
+They had just strength to gasp out orders for two of their
+servants to make their way on camels to the mountains
+where water would be found, but long before the mountains
+were reached, one of the men dropped off his camel and,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>252]</a></span>
+unable to speak, waved his hands in farewell to his comrade.
+The other mechanically rode on, but his eyes grew
+dim and his head dizzy, and well though he knew the
+road, he suffered his camel to wander from it. After
+straying aimlessly about for some time, he dismounted
+and lay down in the shade of a tree to rest, first tying
+his camel to one of the branches. But a sudden puff
+of wind brought the smell of the water to the camel&rsquo;s
+nostrils, and with a furious bound, he broke the noose
+and galloped violently forward, and in half an hour was
+sucking in deep draughts from a clear spring. The man,
+understanding the meaning of the camel&rsquo;s rush, rose up
+and staggered a few steps after him, but fell to the ground
+from sheer weakness. Just at that moment a wandering
+Bedouin from a neighbouring camp happened to pass
+that way, and seeing that the man still breathed, dashed
+water in his face, and soon revived him. Then, laden
+with skins of water, the two men set out for those left
+behind, and hopeless though their search seemed to be,
+they found they had arrived in time, and were able to
+save them from a frightful death.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>253]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>&lsquo;HAME, HAME, HAME, WHERE I FAIN
+WAD BE&rsquo;</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Nothing in nature is more curious or more difficult of
+explanation than the stories recorded of animals conveyed
+to one place, finding their way back to their old home,
+often many hundreds of miles away. Not very long ago,
+a lady at St. Andrews promised to make a present to a
+friend who lived somewhere north of Perth, of a fine cat
+which she wished to part with. When the day arrived,
+the cat was tied safely up in a hamper, put in charge of
+the guard, and sent on its way. It was met at the station
+by its new mistress, who drove it home, and gave it an
+excellent supper and a comfortable bed. This was on
+Friday. All Saturday it poked about, examining everything
+as cats will, but apparently quite happy and content
+with its quarters. About seven on Sunday morning, as
+the lady drew up her blind to let in the sunshine, she saw
+the new puss trotting down the avenue. She did not pay
+much attention to the fact till the day went on, and the
+cat, who generally had a good appetite, did not come in
+to its meals. When Monday came, but the puss did not,
+the lady wrote to her friend at St. Andrews saying she
+feared that the cat had wandered away, but she would
+make inquiries at all the houses round, and still hoped to
+find it. On Tuesday evening loud mews were heard outside
+the kitchen door of the St. Andrews house, and when
+it was opened, in walked the cat, rather dirty and very
+hungry, but otherwise not at all the worse for wear. Now
+as anybody can see if he looks at the map, it is a long way
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>254]</a></span>
+from St. Andrews to Perth, even as the crow flies. There
+are also two big rivers which <em>must</em> be crossed, the Tay
+and the Eden, or if the cat preferred coming by train, at
+least two changes have to be made. So you have to
+consider whether, granting it an instinct of <em>direction</em>,
+which is remarkable enough in itself, the animal was
+sufficiently strong to swim such large streams; or whether
+it was so clever that it managed to find out the proper
+trains for it to take, and the places where it must get out.
+Any way, home it came, and was only two days on the
+journey, and there it is still in St. Andrews, for its
+mistress had not the heart to give it away a second time.</p>
+
+<p>Trains seem to have a special fascination for cats,
+and they are often to be seen about stations. For a long
+while one was regularly to be seen travelling on the
+Metropolitan line, between St. James&rsquo;s Park and Charing
+Cross, and a whole family of half-wild kittens are at this
+moment making a play-ground of the lines and platforms
+at Paddington. One will curl up quite comfortably on the
+line right under the wheel of a carriage that is just going
+to start, and on being disturbed bolts away and hides
+itself in some recess underneath the platform. Occasionally
+you see one with part of its tail cut off, but as a rule
+they take wonderfully good care of themselves. The
+porters are very kind to them, and they somehow contrive
+to get along, for they all look fat and well-looking,
+and quite happy in their strange quarters.</p>
+
+<p>Of course cats are not the only animals who have what
+is called the &lsquo;homing instinct.&rsquo; Sheep have been known
+to find their way back from Yorkshire to the moors north
+of the Cheviots where they were born and bred, although
+sheep are not clever beasts and they had come a roundabout
+journey by train. But there are many such stories
+of dogs, and one of the most curious is told by an English
+officer who was in Paris in the year 1815. One day, as
+the officer was walking hastily over the bridge, he was
+annoyed by a muddy poodle dog rubbing up against him,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>255]</a></span>
+and dirtying his beautifully polished boots. Now dirty
+boots were his abhorrence, so he hastily looked round
+for a shoe-black, and seeing one at a little distance off, at
+once went up to him to have his boots re-blacked. A few
+days later the officer was again crossing the bridge, when
+a second time the poodle brushed against him and spoilt
+his boots. Without thinking he made for the nearest
+shoe-black, just as he had done before, and went on his
+way; but when the same thing happened a third time, his
+suspicions were aroused, and he resolved to watch. In a
+few minutes he saw the dog run down to the river-side
+and roll himself in the mud, and then come back to the
+bridge and keep a sharp look-out for the first well-dressed
+man who would be likely to repay his trouble. The officer
+was so delighted with the poodle&rsquo;s cleverness, that he
+went at once to the shoe-black, who confessed that the
+dog was his and that he had taught him this trick for the
+good of trade. The officer then proposed to buy the dog,
+and offered the shoe-black such a large sum that he agreed
+to part with his &lsquo;bread-winner.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>So the officer, who was returning at once to England,
+carried the dog, by coach and steamer to London, where
+he tied him up for some time, in order that he should
+forget all about his old life, and be ready to make himself
+happy in the new one. When he was set free, however,
+the poodle seemed restless and ill at ease, and after two
+or three days he disappeared entirely. What he did then,
+nobody knows, but a fortnight after he had left the
+London house, he was found, steadily plying his old trade,
+on the Pont Henri Quatre.</p>
+
+<p>A Northumbrian pointer showed a still more wonderful
+instance of the same sagacity. He was the property of
+one Mr. Edward Cook, who after paying a visit to his
+brother, the owner of a large property in Northumberland,
+set sail for America, taking the dog with him. They
+travelled south together as far as Baltimore, where excellent
+shooting was to be got; but after one or two days&rsquo;
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>256]</a></span>
+sport the dog disappeared, and was supposed to have
+lost itself in the woods. Months went by without
+anything being known of the dog, when one night a dog
+was heard howling violently outside the quiet Northumberland
+house. It was admitted by the owner, Mr.
+Cook, who to his astonishment recognised it as the pointer
+which his brother had taken to America. They took care
+of him till his master came back, and then they tried
+to trace out his journey. But it was of no use. How the
+pointer made its way through the forest, from what port
+it started, and where it landed, remain a mystery to
+this day.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>257]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>NESTS FOR DINNER</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>However wonderful and beautiful nests may be, very
+few English people would like to eat them; yet in China
+the nest of a particular variety of swallow is prized as a
+great delicacy.</p>
+
+<p>These nests are chiefly gathered from Java, Sumatra,
+and other islands of the Malay Archipelago, and are
+carried thence to China, where they fetch a large price.
+Although, within certain limits, they are very plentiful,
+they are very difficult and dangerous to get, for the
+swallows build in the depths of large and deep caverns,
+mostly on the seashore, and the men have to be let
+down from above by ropes, or descend on ladders of
+bamboo. In Java, so many men have lost their lives in
+nest gathering, that in some parts a regular religious
+ceremony is held, twice or three times a year, before the
+expedition is undertaken; prayers are said, and a bull
+is sacrificed.</p>
+
+<p>It is not easy to know what the nests are really made
+of, because from the time that Europeans first noticed the
+trade&mdash;about two hundred years ago&mdash;they have differed
+among themselves in their accounts of the jelly-like
+substance used by the swallows. Some naturalists have
+thought it is the spawn of the fish, which floats thickly
+on the surface of these seas; others, that it is a kind of
+deposit of dried sea foam gathered by the birds from the
+beach, while others again think that the substance is
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>258]</a></span>
+formed of sea plants chewed by the birds into a jelly;
+but, whatever it may be, the Chinese infinitely prefer nests
+to oysters
+or anything
+else, and are
+willing to
+pay highly
+for them.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 293px;">
+<a name="illo43" id="illo43"></a>
+<img src="images/asb43.jpg" width="293" height="575"
+alt="Bird's nests for dinner" />
+</div>
+
+<p>The nests,
+which take
+about two
+months to
+build, are always
+found
+to be of two
+sorts: an oblong one just
+fitted to the body of the
+male bird, and a rounder
+one for the mother and
+her eggs. The most
+valuable nests are those
+which are whitest, and
+these generally belong to
+the male; they are very
+thin, and finely worked.
+The birds are small and
+feed chiefly on insects, which are
+abundant on these islands; their
+colour is grey, and they are wonderfully
+quick in their movements, like
+the humming birds, which are about
+their own size. They are sociable,
+and build in swarms, but they seldom
+lay more than two eggs, which take
+about a fortnight to hatch.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>259]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>FIRE-EATING DJIJAM</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Some curious notes about walking unharmed through
+fire, in the November (1894) number of &lsquo;Longman&rsquo;s
+Magazine,&rsquo; under the heading &lsquo;At the Sign of the Ship,&rsquo;
+suggested that a record might be kept of Djijam&rsquo;s
+eccentricities, especially as they differed somewhat from
+those of most other dogs. Anyone accustomed to animals
+knows, and anyone who is not can imagine, that dogs differ
+as much in their behaviour and ways as human beings.
+Djijam was as unlike any dog I have ever had, seen, or
+heard of, as could be. My wife, who is a patient and successful
+instructor of animals, never managed to teach him
+anything, any attempt to impart usual or unusual accomplishments
+being met with the most absolute, impenetrable
+idiocy, which no perseverance could conquer or diminish
+in the least degree. That this extreme stupidity was
+really assumed is now pretty clear, though at the time it
+was attributed to natural density.</p>
+
+<p>It was at Christmas-tide, about two years ago, that
+my wife and I drove over to a village some few miles
+away, to choose one of a litter of four fox-terrier pups,
+which we heard were on sale at a livery stable. We found
+the mother of the lively litter almost overpowered by her
+boisterous progeny, who though nearly three months old
+had not yet found other homes. Without any particular
+objection on the part of the parent we examined the pups,
+and selected and brought away one which seemed to have
+better points than the rest, whom we left to continue their
+gambols in the straw, unconscious probably that any other
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>260]</a></span>
+means of warming themselves were possible. The journey
+home was accomplished with the customary puppish endeavors
+to escape restraint. The same evening, after the
+servants had retired to bed, Master Djijam was placed in
+the kitchen, out of harm&rsquo;s way as it was thought. The
+last thing at night we went to inspect the little animal,
+and could not at first discover his whereabouts. When a
+thing is lost it is customary to hunt about in unlikely
+places, so we looked into the high cinder-box under the
+kitchener, and found the object of our search comfortably
+curled up directly under the red-hot fire. It was fairly
+warm work fishing him out.</p>
+
+<p>For another reason, not connected with heat, he was
+subsequently christened Djijam, a truly oriental name,
+which some of our friends think may have helped to develop
+his original taste for fire.</p>
+
+<p>When Djijam was about six months old we observed
+that he frequently jumped up to people who were seated
+smoking. This induced a humorous friend one day to
+offer him the lighted end of a cigarette, which Djijam
+promptly seized in his mouth and extinguished. After
+that triumph Djijam usually watched for, and plainly
+demanded the lighted fag ends of cigarettes and cigars, so
+that his might be the satisfaction of finishing them off.
+This led to lighted matches being offered to him, which
+he eagerly took in his mouth, and if wax vestas, swallowed
+as a welcome addition to his ordinary diet. From matches
+to lighted candles was an easy step, and these he rapidly
+extinguished with great gusto as often as they were presented
+to him. He would also attack lighted oil lamps if
+placed on the floor, but they puzzled him, and defied his
+efforts to bite or breathe them out. A garden bonfire
+used to drive him wild with delight, and snatching brands
+from the fire, indoors or out, was a delirious joy. My wife
+discovered him once in the full enjoyment of a large
+lighted log on the dining-room carpet. Red-hot cinders
+he highly relished, though in obtaining them he frequently
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261"><!-- original location of Dining-room illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>263]</a></span>
+singed off his moustaches. Perhaps the oddest of his
+fiery tricks was performed one day when he wished the
+cook to hand him some dainty morsel on which she
+chanced to be operating. This was against the rules, as
+he well knew, so she declined to accept the hint. Djijam
+was at once provoked to anger and cast round for some
+way of obtaining compensation, at the same time hoping,
+perhaps, to retaliate. He naturally went for the kitchen
+fire, out of which he drew a red-hot cinder and carried it
+in his mouth across the kitchen, through a small lobby
+into the scullery, to his box-bed, into the straw of which
+he must have speedily dropped the live coal, and jumped
+in after it. Soon after, the cook smelt wood burning and
+searched the lower part of the house lest anything were
+afire. Finding nothing wrong, she last of all visited the
+scullery, and found Djijam enjoying the warmth of his
+smouldering straw bed and wooden box.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo44" id="illo44"></a>
+<img src="images/asb44.jpg" width="600" height="414"
+alt="Djijam pulls a log out of the fire" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;IN THE FULL ENJOYMENT OF A LARGE LIGHTED LOG ON THE DINING-ROOM CARPET&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Alas, Djijam grew snappish even to his best friends,
+and although it was suggested that he might be found
+an engagement on the Variety stage of the Westminster
+Aquarium, as a fire-eating hound, it was reluctantly decided
+that he should go the way of all flesh. I am sure
+if he had been asked, he would in some way have indicated
+that he preferred cremation to any other mode of disposal.
+But it was not to be, yet it was a melancholy satisfaction
+to learn that his end was peaceful though commonplace.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>264]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STORY OF THE DOG OSCAR</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In the north-west of Scotland there is a very pretty loch
+which runs far up into the land. On one side great hills&mdash;almost
+mountains&mdash;slope down into the water, while on the
+opposite side there is a little village, with the road along
+which the houses straggle, almost part of the loch shore.
+At low tide, banks of beautiful golden seaweed are left at
+the edges of the water, and on this seaweed huge flocks
+of sea-gulls come and feed.</p>
+
+<p>A few years ago there lived in this village a minister
+who had a collie-dog named Oscar. He lived all alone in
+his little cottage, and as Jean, the woman who looked
+after him, was a very talkative person, by no means congenial
+to him. Oscar was his constant companion and
+friend.</p>
+
+<p>He seemed to understand all that was said to him, and
+in his long, lonely walks across the hills, it cheered him
+to have Oscar trotting quietly and contentedly beside him.
+And when he came home from visiting sick people, and
+going to places where he could not take Oscar, he would
+look forward to seeing the soft brown head thrust out of
+the door, peering into the darkness, ready to welcome
+him as soon as he should come in sight.</p>
+
+<p>One of Oscar&rsquo;s favourite games was to go down to the
+shore when the tide was low, and with his head thrown up
+and his tail straight out, he would run at the flocks of
+gulls feeding on the seaweed, and scatter them in the air,
+making them look like a cloud of large white snow-flakes.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265"><!-- original location of Rout illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>267]</a></span>
+In a minute or two the gulls would settle down again to
+their meal, and again Oscar would charge and rout them.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo45" id="illo45"></a>
+<img src="images/asb45.jpg" width="600" height="360"
+alt="Oscar chases after the gulls" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;OSCAR WOULD CHARGE AND ROUT THEM&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>This little man&oelig;uvre of his would be repeated many
+times, till a long clear whistle was heard from the road
+by the loch. Then the gulls might finish their supper in
+peace, for Oscar&rsquo;s master had called him, and now he was
+walking quietly along by his side, looking as if there were
+no such things in the world as gulls.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, Oscar, lad! Not to-day! not to-day!&rsquo; said the
+minister one afternoon, as he put on his hat and coat and
+took his stick from the dog who always fetched it when
+he saw preparations being made for a walk.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I can&rsquo;t take you with me; you must stay in the
+paddock. No run by the loch this afternoon, lad. &rsquo;Tis
+too long, and you are not so strong as you were. We
+are growing old together, Oscar.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The dog watched his master till he disappeared over
+the little bridge and up the glen, and then he went and
+lay down by the paling which surrounded the bit of field.
+Jean soon went out to a friend&rsquo;s house to have a little
+gossip, and Oscar was left alone.</p>
+
+<p>He felt rather forlorn. Across the road he heard the
+distant splashing of the waves as they ran angrily up the
+beach of the loch, and the whistling of the wind down the
+glen.</p>
+
+<p>He watched the grey clouds scudding away overhead,
+and he envied the children he heard playing in the street,
+or racing after the tourist coach on its way up the Pass.</p>
+
+<p>He began to feel drowsy.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;The gulls will be feeding on the banks now! How I
+wish ...&rsquo; and his eyes closed, and he dreamt a nice
+dream, that he was dashing along through shallow pools
+of water towards the white chattering flock, when&mdash;what
+was this in front of him? White feathers! Two gulls!
+Was he dreaming still? No the gulls were real! What
+luck! He could not go to the gulls, so the gulls had come
+to him.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>268]</a></span>
+In a moment he was wide awake, and made a rush at
+the two birds who were gazing at him inquiringly with
+their heads on one side. But after two or three rushes,
+&lsquo;What stupid gulls these are!&rsquo; thought Oscar. &lsquo;They
+can scarcely fly.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>And, indeed, the birds seemed to have great difficulty
+in lifting themselves off the ground, and appeared to grow
+more and more feeble after each of Oscar&rsquo;s onslaughts.
+At last one of them fell.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Lazy creature! you have had too much dinner! Up
+you get!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>But the gull lay down gasping.</p>
+
+<p>Oscar made for the other. Why, that was lying down
+too! He went to the first one. It was quite still and
+motionless, and after one or two more gasps its companion
+was the same.</p>
+
+<p>Oscar felt rather frightened. Was it possible that he
+had killed them? What would his master say? How
+was he to tell him it was quite a mistake? That he had
+only been in fun? He must put the gulls out of sight.</p>
+
+<p>He dragged them to one side of the cottage where the
+minister used to try every year to grow a few cherished
+plants, and there in the loose earth he dug a grave for the
+birds.</p>
+
+<p>Then he went back to his old place, and waited for
+his master&rsquo;s return.</p>
+
+<p>When the minister came back, for the first time in his
+life, Oscar longed to be able to speak and tell him all
+that had happened. How could he without speech explain
+that the death of the birds was an accident&mdash;an
+unfortunate accident?</p>
+
+<p>He felt that without an explanation it was no use
+unearthing the white forms in the border.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Sir, sir!&rsquo; cried Jean, putting her head in at the door.
+&lsquo;Here&rsquo;s Widow McInnes come to see you. She&rsquo;s in sore
+trouble.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The minister rose and went to the door.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>269]</a></span>
+&lsquo;Stay here, Oscar,&rsquo; he said, for Widow McInnes was
+not fond of Oscar.</p>
+
+<p>In a few minutes the minister came back.</p>
+
+<p>He patted Oscar&rsquo;s soft head.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 424px;">
+<a name="illo46" id="illo46"></a>
+<img src="images/asb46.jpg" width="424" height="440"
+alt="Oscar looks at the two dead white pigeons" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;OSCAR FELT RATHER FRIGHTENED&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;She wanted to accuse thee, Oscar lad, of killing the
+two white pigeons which her son sent her yesterday from
+the south, and which escaped this afternoon from their
+cage. As if you would touch the bairnies, as the poor
+woman calls them! Eh, lad?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>270]</a></span>
+Oscar wagged his tail gratefully. Then in a sudden
+flash it came upon him that he <em>had</em> killed the pigeons.
+Now he saw the birds were pigeons, not gulls, and, worse
+than killing them, he had, all unknowingly, told his master
+a lie; and he could not undo it. He whined a little as if
+in pain, and moved slowly out of the room. The minister
+sat on, deep in thought, and then went outside the house
+to see the sunset. Great bands of thick grey cloud
+wrapped the hill-tops in their folds, and lay in long bands
+across the slopes, while here and there in the rifts were
+patches of pale lemon-coloured sky. The loch waters
+heaved sullenly against the shore. The minister looked
+away from the sunset, and his eye fell on a little mound
+in the bed by the cottage.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What did I plant there?&rsquo; he thought, and began
+poking it with his stick.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oscar, Oscar!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Oscar was bounding down the path. He had just
+determined to unbury the pigeons and bring them to his
+master, and, even if he received a beating, his master
+would know he had not meant to deceive.</p>
+
+<p>But now, hearing the call, and the tone of the minister&rsquo;s
+voice, he knew it was too late. He stopped, and then
+crept slowly towards that tall black figure standing in the
+twilight, with the two white pigeons lying at his feet.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, Oscar, Oscar lad, what <em>have</em> you done?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>At that moment a boy came running to the gate.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ye&rsquo;ll be the minister that Sandy Johnston is speiring
+after. He says, &ldquo;Fetch the minister, and bid him come
+quick.&rdquo;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 402px;">
+<a name="illo47" id="illo47"></a>
+<img src="images/asb47.jpg" width="402" height="600"
+alt="Oscar's master finds the buried pigeons" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;OH, OSCAR, OSCAR LAD, WHAT <em>HAVE</em> YOU DONE?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The minister gave a few directions to Jean, and in a
+moment or two was ready to go with the boy. It was
+a long row to the head of the loch, and a long walk to
+reach the cottage where Sandy Johnston lay dying. The
+minister stayed with him for two nights, till he seemed
+to need his help no more, and then started off to come
+home. But while he was being rowed along the loch, a
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271"><!-- original location of Oscar illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>273]</a></span>
+fierce snowstorm came on. The boat made but little way,
+and they were delayed two or three hours. Cold and
+tired, the minister thought with satisfaction of his warm
+fireside, with Oscar lying down beside his cosy chair.
+Then, for the first time since it had happened, he thought
+of the pigeons, and he half smiled as he recalled Oscar&rsquo;s
+downcast face as he came up the path.</p>
+
+<p>With quick steps he hurried along the street from the
+landing-place. The snow was being blown about round
+him, and the night was fast closing in. He was quite
+near his own gate now, and he looked up, expecting to
+see the familiar brown head peering out of the door for
+him; but there was no sign of it.</p>
+
+<p>He opened the gate and strode in. Still no Oscar to
+welcome him.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Jean, Jean!&rsquo; he called. Jean appeared from the
+kitchen, and even in the firelight he could see traces of
+tears on her rough face.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Where is Oscar?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah, sir, after ye were gone wi&rsquo; the lad, he wouldna&rsquo;
+come into the house, and wouldna&rsquo; touch a morsel o&rsquo; food.
+He lay quite still in the garden, and last night he died.
+An&rsquo; it&rsquo;s my belief, sir, he died of a broken heart, because
+ye did na&rsquo; beat him after killing the pigeons, and he
+couldna&rsquo; make it up wi&rsquo; ye.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>And the minister thought so, too; and when Jean was
+gone, he sat down by his lonely fireside and buried his
+face in his hands.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>274]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>DOLPHINS AT PLAY</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>For some reason or other, dolphins, those queer great
+fish that always seem to be at play, have been subjects for
+many stories. Pliny himself has told several, and his old
+translator&rsquo;s words are so strange, that, as far as possible,
+we will tell the tale as he tells it.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;In the days of Augustus C&aelig;sar, the Emperor,&rsquo; says
+Pliny, &lsquo;there was a dolphin entered the gulf or pool
+Lucrinus, which loved wondrous well a certain boy, a
+poor man&rsquo;s son; who using to go every day to school
+from Baianum to Puteoli, was wont also about noon-tide
+to stay at the water side and call unto the dolphin,
+&ldquo;Simo, Simo,&rdquo; and many times would give him fragments
+of bread, which of purpose he ever brought with him, and
+by this means allured the dolphin to come ordinarily unto
+him at his call. Well, in process of time, at what hour
+soever of the day this boy lured for him and called
+&ldquo;Simo,&rdquo; were the dolphin never so close hidden in any
+secret and blind corner, out he would and come abroad,
+yea, and scud amain to this lad, and taking bread and
+other victuals at his hand, would gently offer him his
+back to mount upon, and then down went the sharp-pointed
+prickles of his fins, which he would put up as it
+were within a sheath for fear of hurting the boy. Thus,
+when he once had him on his back, he would carry him
+over the broad arm of the sea as far as Puteoli to school,
+and in like manner convey him back again home; and
+thus he continued for many years together, so long as the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275"><!-- original location of Dolphin illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>277]</a></span>
+child lived. But when the boy was fallen sick and dead
+yet the dolphin gave not over his haunt, but usually came
+to the wonted place, and missing the lad seemed to be
+heavy and mourn again, until for very grief and sorrow
+he also was found dead upon the shore.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo48" id="illo48"></a>
+<img src="images/asb48.jpg" width="600" height="334"
+alt="The dolphin carries the boy across the water" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE BOY GOES TO SCHOOL ON THE DOLPHIN&rsquo;S BACK</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>278]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STARLING OF SEGRINGEN</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Translated from the German of Johann Peter Hebel.</p>
+
+
+<p>In a little German village in Suabia, there lived a barber,
+who combined the business of hair-cutting and shaving
+with that of an apothecary; he also sold good brandy, so
+that he had no lack of customers, not to speak of those
+who merely wished to pass an hour in gossiping.</p>
+
+<p>Not the least of the attractions, however, was a tame
+starling, named Hansel, who had been taught to speak,
+and had learnt many sayings which he overheard, either
+from his master, the barber, or from the idlers who
+gathered about the shop. His master especially had some
+favourite sayings, or catchwords, such as, &lsquo;Truly, I am
+the barber of Segringen&rsquo;&mdash;for this is the name of the
+village&mdash;&lsquo;As heaven will,&rsquo; &lsquo;By keeping bad company,&rsquo;
+and the like; and these were most familiar to the
+starling.</p>
+
+<p>Everybody for miles round had at least heard of
+Hansel, and many came on purpose to see him and hear
+him talk, for Hansel would often interpose a word into
+the conversation, which came in very aptly.</p>
+
+<p>But it happened one day, Hansel&rsquo;s wings&mdash;which had
+been cut&mdash;having grown again, that he thought to himself:
+&lsquo;I have now learnt so much, I may go out and see the
+world.&rsquo; And when nobody was looking, whirr!&mdash;away he
+went out of the window.</p>
+
+<p>Seeing a flock of birds, he joined them, thinking:
+&lsquo;They know the country better than I.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>But alas! this knowledge availed them little, for all
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>279]</a></span>
+of them, with Hansel, fell into a snare which had been
+laid by a fowler, who soon came to see what was in his
+net. Putting in his hand, he drew out one prisoner after
+another, callously wringing their necks one by one.</p>
+
+<p>But suddenly, when he was stretching out his murderous
+fingers to seize another victim, this one cried out:
+&lsquo;I am the barber of Segringen!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The man almost fell backwards with astonishment
+and fright, believing he had to do with a sorcerer at least;
+but presently recovering himself a little, he remembered
+the starling, and said: &lsquo;Eh, Hansel, is it you! How did
+you come into the net?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;By keeping bad company,&rsquo; replied Hansel.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And shall I carry you home again?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;As heaven will,&rsquo; replied the starling.</p>
+
+<p>Then the fowler took him back to the barber, and
+related the manner of his capture, receiving a good reward.</p>
+
+<p>The barber also reaped a fine harvest, for more people
+came to his shop on purpose to see the clever bird, who
+had saved his life by his ready tongue.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>280]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>GRATEFUL DOGS</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From &lsquo;Das Echo,&rsquo; June 8, 1895. Letter to the editor, signed
+G.&nbsp;M., Mexico, purporting to be an extract from a letter of his brother
+in Nebraska. I have translated and recast it.</p>
+
+
+<p>A farmer in Nebraska&mdash;one of the Western States of
+North America&mdash;possessed two dogs, a big one called
+Fanny, and a small one who was named Jolly. One
+winter day the farmer went for a walk and took with him
+his two pets; they came to a brook that ran through the
+farm, and was now frozen up.</p>
+
+<p>Fanny crossed it without much ado, but Jolly, who
+was always afraid of water, distrusted the ice, and refused
+to follow. Fanny paused at the other side, and barked
+loudly to induce her companion to come, but Jolly pretended
+not to understand.</p>
+
+<p>Then Fanny ran back to him, and tried to explain that
+it was quite safe, but in vain, Jolly only looked after his
+master, and whimpered; upon which, Fanny, losing
+patience, seized him by the collar, and dragged him over.</p>
+
+<p>For this kindness Jolly showed himself grateful some
+time afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>Fanny, greedy creature, was fond of fresh eggs. When
+she heard a hen cackle she always ran to look for the
+nest, and one day she discovered one under the fruit-shed.
+But, alas! she could not get the beloved dainty
+because she was too large to go under the shed. Looking
+very pensive and thoughtful, she went away, and soon
+returned with Jolly, bringing him just before the hole.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>281]</a></span>
+Jolly, however, was stupid and did not understand;
+Fanny put her head in, and then her paws, without being
+able, with all her efforts, to reach the egg; the smaller
+dog, seeing that there was something in the hole, went
+in to look, but not caring for eggs, came out empty-handed.</p>
+
+<p>Thereupon Fanny looked at him in such a sad and
+imploring way, that her master, who was watching them,
+could scarcely suppress his laughter.</p>
+
+<p>At last Jolly seemed to understand what was wanted;
+he went under the shed again, brought out the egg, and
+put it before Fanny, who ate it with great satisfaction,
+and then both dogs trotted off together.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>282]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>GAZELLE</i><br />
+<br />
+<span class="vsmlfont">PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A TORTOISE</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>Alexandre Dumas, in whose book, as I told you, I read
+the story of Tom the Bear, as well as those of other
+animals, was one day walking past the shop of a large
+fishmonger in Paris. As he glanced through the window
+he saw an Englishman in the shop holding a tortoise,
+which he was turning about in his hands. Dumas felt an
+instant conviction that the Englishman proposed to make
+the tortoise into turtle soup, and he was so touched by
+the air of patient resignation of the supposed victim that
+he entered the shop, and with a sign to the shopwoman
+asked whether she had kept the tortoise for him which he
+had bespoken.</p>
+
+<p>The shopwoman (who had known Dumas for many
+years) understood with half a word, and gently slipping
+the tortoise out of the Englishman&rsquo;s grasp, she handed it
+to Dumas, saying, &lsquo;Pardon, milord, the tortoise was sold
+to this gentleman this morning.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The Englishman seemed surprised, but left the shop
+without remonstrating, and Dumas had nothing left for it
+but to pay for his tortoise and take it home.</p>
+
+<p>As he carried his purchase up to his rooms on the
+third floor he wondered what could have possessed him
+to buy it, and what on earth he was to do with it now he
+had got it. It was certainly a remarkable tortoise, for
+the moment he put it down on the floor of his bedroom it
+started off for the fireplace at such a pace as to earn for
+itself the name of &lsquo;Gazelle.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>283]</a></span>
+Once near the fire, Gazelle settled herself in the
+warmest corner she could find, and went to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Dumas, who wished to go out again and was afraid of
+his new possession coming to any harm, called his servant
+and said: &lsquo;Joseph, whilst I am out you must look after
+this creature.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Joseph approached with some curiosity. &lsquo;Ah!&rsquo; he
+remarked, &lsquo;why, it&rsquo;s a tortoise; that creature could bear
+a carriage on its back.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, yes, no doubt it might, but I beg you won&rsquo;t try
+any experiments with it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, it wouldn&rsquo;t hurt it,&rsquo; assured Joseph, who enjoyed
+showing off his information. &lsquo;The Lyons diligence might
+drive over it without hurting it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well,&rsquo; replied his master, &lsquo;I believe the great sea
+turtle <em>might</em> bear such a weight, but I doubt whether this
+small variety&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, <em>that&rsquo;s</em> of no consequence,&rsquo; interrupted Joseph;
+&lsquo;it&rsquo;s as strong as a horse, and small though it is, a cartload
+of stones might pass&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Very good, very good; never mind that now. Just
+buy the creature a lettuce and some snails.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Snails! why, is its chest delicate?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No, why on earth do you ask such a thing?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, my last master used to take an infusion of
+snails for his chest&mdash;not that it prevented&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Dumas left the room without waiting for the end.
+Before he was half-way downstairs he found that he had
+forgotten his handkerchief, and on returning surprised
+Joseph standing on Gazelle&rsquo;s back, gracefully poised on
+one leg, with the other out-stretched behind him in such
+a way that not an ounce of his eleven-stone weight was
+lost on the poor creature.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Idiot! what are you about?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There, sir, didn&rsquo;t I say so?&rsquo; rejoined Joseph, proudly.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There, there, give me a handkerchief and mind you
+don&rsquo;t touch that creature again.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>284]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 389px;">
+<a name="illo49" id="illo49"></a>
+<img src="images/asb49.jpg" width="389" height="575"
+alt="Joseph balances precariously on one leg" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">DUMAS FINDS JOSEPH STANDING ON GAZELLE&rsquo;S BACK</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;There, sir,&rsquo; said the irrepressible Joseph, bringing the
+handkerchief. &lsquo;But indeed you need not be at all afraid;
+a waggon could drive over&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>285]</a></span>
+Dumas fled.</p>
+
+<p>He returned rather late at night, and no sooner took
+a step into his room than he felt something crack under
+his boot. He hastily raised his foot and took a further
+step with the same result: he thought he must be treading
+on eggs. He lowered his candlestick&mdash;the carpet was
+covered with snails.</p>
+
+<p>Joseph had obeyed orders literally. He had bought
+the lettuces and the snails, had placed them all in a basket
+and Gazelle on the top, and then put the basket in the
+middle of his master&rsquo;s bedroom. Ten minutes later the
+warmth of the fire thawed the snails into animation, and
+the entire caravan set forth on a voyage of discovery round
+the room, leaving silvery tracks behind them on carpet and
+furniture.</p>
+
+<p>As for Gazelle, she was quietly reposing at the bottom
+of the basket, where a few empty shells proved that all
+the fugitives had not been brisk enough to make their
+escape.</p>
+
+<p>Dumas, feeling no fancy for a possible procession of
+snails over his bed, carefully picked up the stragglers one
+by one, popped them back into the basket, and shut down
+the lid. But in five minutes&rsquo; time he realised that sleep
+would be out of the question with the noise going on,
+which sounded like a dozen mice in a bag of nuts. He
+decided to move the basket to the kitchen.</p>
+
+<p>On the way there it occurred to him that if Gazelle
+went on at this rate she would certainly die of indigestion
+before morning. He remembered that the owner of the
+restaurant on the ground floor had a tank in the back
+yard where he often put fish to keep till wanted, and it
+struck him that the tank would be the very place for his
+tortoise. He at once put his idea into execution, got back
+to his room and to bed, and slept soundly till morning.</p>
+
+<p>Joseph woke him early.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, sir, such a joke!&rsquo; he exclaimed, standing at the
+foot of the bed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>286]</a></span>
+&lsquo;What joke?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why, what your tortoise has been up to!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What on earth do you mean?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, sir, could you believe that it got out of your
+room&mdash;goodness knows how&mdash;and walked downstairs and
+right into the tank?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You owl! you might have guessed I put it there
+myself.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Did you indeed, sir? Well, you certainly <em>have</em> made
+a mess of it then.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;How so?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Why the tortoise has eaten up a tench&mdash;a superb
+tench weighing three pounds&mdash;which the master of the
+restaurant put into the tank only last night. The waiter
+has just been telling me about it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Go at once and fetch me Gazelle and the scales.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>During Joseph&rsquo;s absence his master took down a volume
+of Buffon, and consulted that eminent authority on the
+subject of tortoises and turtles. There seemed to be no
+doubt, according to the celebrated naturalist, that these
+creatures did eat fish voraciously when they got the
+chance.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Dear, dear,&rsquo; thought Dumas, &lsquo;I fear the owner of
+the tank has Buffon on his side.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Just then Joseph returned with the accused in one
+hand and the kitchen scales in the other.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You see,&rsquo; began the irrepressible valet, &lsquo;these sort of
+creatures eat a lot. They need it to keep up their strength,
+and fish is particularly nourishing. Only see how strong
+sailors are, and they live so much on fish&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>His master cut him short.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;How much did you say that tench weighed?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Three pounds. The waiter asks nine francs for it.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And Gazelle ate it all?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Every bit except the head, the back-bone, and the
+inside.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Quite correct, Monsieur Buffon had said as much.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>287]</a></span>
+Very well&mdash;but still&mdash;three pounds seems a good
+deal.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>He put Gazelle in the scale. She weighed exactly
+two pounds and a half! The deduction was simple.
+Either Gazelle had been falsely accused or the theft had
+been much smaller than was represented. Indeed the
+waiter readily took this view of the matter, and was quite
+satisfied with five francs as an indemnity.</p>
+
+<p>The varied adventures of Gazelle had become rather
+a bore, and her owner felt that he must try to find some
+other home for her. She spent the following night in his
+room, but thanks to the absence of snails all went well.
+When Joseph came in next morning, his first act as usual
+was to roll up the hearth-rug, and, opening the window,
+to shake it well out in the air. Suddenly he uttered an
+exclamation and flung himself half out of the window.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What&rsquo;s the matter, Joseph?&rsquo; asked his master, only
+half awake.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Oh, sir&mdash;it&rsquo;s your tortoise. It was on the rug, and I
+never saw it&mdash;and&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well! and&mdash;&mdash;?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;And I declare, before I knew what I was about, I
+shook it out of the window.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Imbecile!&rsquo; shouted Dumas, springing out of bed.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah!&rsquo; cried Joseph with a sigh of relief. &lsquo;See, she&rsquo;s
+eating a cabbage!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>And so she was. Her fall had been broken by a
+rubbish heap, and after a few seconds in which to recover
+her equanimity, she had ventured to thrust her head out,
+when finding a piece of cabbage near, she at once began
+her breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Didn&rsquo;t I say so, sir?&rsquo; cried Joseph, delighted.
+&lsquo;Nothing hurts those creatures. There now, whilst she&rsquo;s
+eating that cabbage a coach-and-four might drive over
+her&mdash;&mdash;&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Never mind, never mind; just run down and fetch
+her up quick.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>288]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 398px;">
+<a name="illo50" id="illo50"></a>
+<img src="images/asb50.jpg" width="398" height="305"
+alt="Dumas introduces the tortoise to the other inhabitants" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">DUMAS BRINGS GAZELLE TO NO. 109 FAUBOURG ST.-DENIS</p>
+
+<p>Joseph obeyed, and as soon as his master was dressed
+he called a cab, and taking Gazelle with him, drove off to
+No. 109 in the Faubourg St.-Denis. Here he climbed to
+the fifth floor and walked straight into the studio of
+his friend, who was busy painting a delightful little
+picture of performing dogs. He was surrounded by a
+bear, who was playing with a log as he lay on his back,
+a monkey, busy pulling a paint brush to pieces, and a frog,
+who was half-way up a little ladder in a glass jar. You
+will, I dare say, have guessed already that the painter&rsquo;s
+name was D&eacute;camps, the bear&rsquo;s Tom, the monkey&rsquo;s
+Jacko I., and the frog&rsquo;s Mademoiselle Camargo, and you
+will not wonder that Dumas felt that he could not better
+provide for Gazelle than by leaving her as an addition to
+the menagerie in his friend&rsquo;s studio.<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a>
+See p. <a href="#Page_375">375</a>.</p></div>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>289]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>COCKATOO STORIES</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source"><i>Naturalist&rsquo;s Note-Book.</i> Reeves &amp; Turner: 1868.</p>
+
+
+<p>About thirty years ago a gentleman, who was fond of
+birds and beasts, took into his head to try if parrots could
+not be persuaded to make themselves at home among the
+trees in his garden. For a little while everything seemed
+going beautifully, and the experimenter was full of hope.
+The parrots built their nests in the woods, and in course
+of time some young ones appeared, and gradually grew
+up to their full size. Then, unluckily, they became tired
+of the grounds which they knew by heart, and set off to
+see the world. The young parrots were strong upon the
+wing, and their beautiful bright bodies would be seen
+flashing in the sun, as much as fifteen miles away, and,
+then, of course, some boy or gamekeeper with a gun in
+his hand was certain to see them, and covet them for the
+kitchen mantel-shelf or a private collection.</p>
+
+<p>The cockatoos however did not always care to choose
+trees for their building places. One little pair, whose
+grandparents had whisked about in the heat of a midsummer
+day in Australia, found the climate of England
+cold and foggy, and looked about for a warm cover for their
+new nest. They had many conversations on the subject,
+and perhaps one of these may have been overheard by a
+jackdaw, who put into their minds a brilliant idea, for the
+very next morning the cockatoos were seen carrying their
+materials to one of the chimneys, and trying to fasten
+them together half-way up. But cockatoos are not as
+clever as jackdaws about this kind of thing, and before
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>290]</a></span>
+the nest had grown to be more than a shapeless mass,
+down it came, and such a quantity of soot with it, that the
+poor cockatoos were quite buried, and lay for a day and
+night nearly smothered in soot, till they happened to be
+found by a housemaid who had entered the room. But
+in spite of this mishap they were not disheartened, and
+as soon as their eyes and noses had recovered from their
+soot bath, they began again to search for a more suitable
+spot. To the great delight of their master, they fixed
+upon a box which he had nailed for this very purpose
+under one of the gables, and this time they managed to
+build a nest that was as good as any nest in the garden.
+Still, they had no luck, for though the female laid two
+eggs, and sat upon them perseveringly, never allowing
+them to get cold for a single instant, it was all of no use,
+for the eggs turned out to be both bad!</p>
+
+<p>Some cousins of theirs, a beautiful white cockatoo and
+his lovely rose-coloured wife, were more prosperous in
+their arrangements. They scooped out a most comfortable
+nest with their claws and bills in the rotten branch of an
+acacia tree, and there they brought up two young families,
+all of them white as snow, with flame-coloured crests.
+The eldest son, unhappily for himself, got weary of his
+brothers and sisters, and the little wood on the outskirts
+of the garden, where he was born, and one winter day
+took a flight towards the town. His parents never
+quite knew what occurred, but the poor young cockatoo
+came back severely wounded, to the great fury of all
+his family, who behaved very unkindly to him. It is
+a curious fact that no animals and very few birds can
+bear the sight of illness, and these cockatoos were no
+better than the rest. They did not absolutely ill-treat
+him, but they refused to let him enter their nest, and insisted
+that he should live by himself in a distant bush.
+At last his master took pity on him, and brought him into
+the garden, but this so enraged the cockatoos who were
+already in possession, that they secretly murdered him.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>291]</a></span>
+However it is only just to the race of cockatoos to observe
+that they are not always so bad as this, for during the
+very same season an unlucky young bird, whose wing
+and leg were broken by an accident, was adopted by an
+elderly cockatoo who did not care for what her neighbours
+said, and treated him as her own son. The following year,
+when nesting time came round, the white cockatoos went
+back to their acacia branch, but were very much disgusted
+to find a pair of grey parrots there before them, and a
+little pair of bald round heads peeping over the edge.
+These little parrots grew up with such very bad tempers
+that no one would have anything to do with them, and as
+for their own relations, they looked upon them with the
+contempt that a cat often shows to a man. To be sure
+these relations were considered to be rather odd themselves,
+for they did not care to be troubled with a family
+of their own, so had taken under their protection two little
+kittens, who had been born in one of the boxes originally
+set apart for the parrots. The two birds could not endure
+to see the old cat looking after her little ones, and whenever
+she went out for a walk or to get her food, one of the
+parrots always took her place in the box. It would have
+been nice to know how long this went on, and if the
+kittens adopted any parrot-like ways. Luckily, there was
+one peculiarity of the parrots which it was beyond their
+power to imitate, and that was the horrible voice which
+renders the society of a parrot, and still more of a cockatoo,
+unendurable to most people.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>292]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE OTTER WHO WAS REARED BY A CAT</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source"><i>Naturalist&rsquo;s Note-Book.</i></p>
+
+
+<p>There is still living in the kingdom of Galloway a wonderful
+cat who is so completely above all the instincts
+and prejudices of her race, that she can remain on friendly
+terms with young rabbits, and wile away a spare hour
+by having a game with a mouse. A <em>real</em> game, where
+the fun is not all on one side, but which is enjoyed by
+the mouse as much as by the cat.</p>
+
+<p>Hardly less strange, from the opposite point of view,
+is the friendship that existed between two cats and an
+otter, which had been taken from its mother when only a
+few hours old, to be brought up by hand by a gentleman.
+This was not a very easy thing to manage. It was too
+young to suck milk out of a spoon, which was the first
+thing thought of, but a quill passed through a cork and
+stuck into a baby&rsquo;s bottle proved a success, and through
+this the little otter had its milk five times every day, until
+he was more than five weeks old. Then he was introduced
+to a cat who had lately lost a kitten, and though
+not naturally very good-tempered, the puss took to him
+directly, evidently thinking it was her own kitten grown
+a little bigger. In general this cat, which was partly
+Persian, and, as I have said, very cross, did not trouble
+herself much about her young ones, which had to take
+care of themselves as well as they could; but she could
+not make enough of the little otter, and when he was as
+big as herself she would walk with him every day to the
+pond in the yard, where he had his bath, watching his
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>293]</a></span>
+splashings and divings with great anxiety, and never
+happy till he got out safe.</p>
+
+<p>But, like human children, the baby otter would have
+been very dull without someone to play with, and as
+there were no little otters handy, he made friends with a
+young cat called Tom.</p>
+
+<p>All through the long winter, when the pond was
+frozen, and diving and swimming were no longer possible,
+he and Tom used to spend happy mornings playing hide
+and seek among the furniture in the dining-room, till
+Tom began to feel that the otter was getting rather rough,
+and that his teeth were very sharp, and that it would be
+a good thing to get out of his reach, on the top of a high
+cupboard or chimney piece.</p>
+
+<p>But at last the snow melted, and the ice became water
+again, and the first day the sun shone, the otter and the
+old cat went out for a walk in the yard. After the little
+fellow had had his dive, which felt delicious after all the
+weeks that he had done without it, he wandered carelessly
+into a shed where he had never been before, and to
+his astonishment he suddenly heard a flutter of wings,
+and became conscious of a sharp pain in his neck. This
+was produced by the beak of a falcon, who always lived
+in the shed, and seeing the strange creature enter his
+door, at once made up his mind that it was its duty to
+kill it. The cat and the gentleman who happened to
+come in at the same moment rushed forward and beat
+off the bird, and then, blinded by excitement, like a great
+many other people, and not knowing friends from foes,
+the cat rushed at her master. In one moment she had
+severely bitten the calf of his leg, given his thigh a fearful
+scratch, and picked up the otter and carried him outside.
+Then, not daring to trust him out of her sight, she
+marched him sternly up the hill, keeping him all the
+while between her legs, so that no danger should come
+near him.</p>
+
+<p>As the otter grew bigger the cats became rather afraid
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>294]</a></span>
+of his claws and teeth, which grew bigger too, and inflicted
+bites and scratches without his knowing it. But if the
+cats tired of him, he never tired of the cats, and was
+always dull and unhappy when they were out of his way.
+Sometimes, when his spirits were unusually good (and
+his teeth unusually sharp), the poor playfellows were
+obliged to seek refuge in the bedrooms of the house, or
+even upon the roof, but the little otter had not lived so
+long with cats for nothing, and could climb nearly as well
+as they. When he had had enough of teasing, he told
+them so (for, of course, he knew the cat language), and
+they would come down, and he would stretch himself
+out lazily in front of the fire, with his arms round Tom&rsquo;s
+neck.</p>
+
+<p>It would be nice to know what happened to him
+when he really grew up, whether the joys of living in
+a stream made him forget his old friends at the farm, or
+whether he would leave the chase of the finest trout at
+the sound of a mew or a whistle. But we are not told
+anything about it, so everybody can settle it as they like.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>295]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>STORIES ABOUT LIONS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>The lion in its wild state is a very different animal from
+the lion of menageries and wild-beast shows. The latter
+has probably been born in captivity, reared by hand, and
+kept a prisoner in a narrow cage all its life, deprived not
+only of liberty and exercise, but of its proper food. The
+result is a weak, thin, miserable creature, with an unhappy
+furtive expression, and a meagre mane, more like a poodle
+than the king of beasts in a savage state.</p>
+
+<p>The lion of South Africa differs in many points from
+that of Algeria, of whom we are going to speak. In
+Algeria there are three kinds of lions&mdash;the black, the
+tawny, and the grey. The black lion, more rarely met
+with than the two others, is rather smaller, but stronger
+in build. He is so called from the colour of his mane,
+which falls to his shoulder in a heavy black mass. The
+rest of his coat is the colour of a bay horse. Instead of
+wandering like the other two kinds, he makes himself a
+comfortable dwelling, and remains there probably all his
+life, which may last thirty or forty years, unless he falls a
+victim to the hunter. He rarely goes down to the plains
+in search of prey, but lies in ambush in the evening and
+attacks the cattle on their way down from the mountain,
+killing four or five to drink their blood. In the long
+summer twilights he waits on the edge of a forest-path for
+some belated traveller, who seldom escapes to tell the tale.</p>
+
+<p>The tawny and grey lion differ from each other only
+in the colour of their mane; all three have the same habits
+and characteristics, except those peculiar to the black lion
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>296]</a></span>
+just described. They all turn night into day, and go out
+at dusk to forage for prey, returning to their lair at dawn
+to sleep and digest in peace and quiet. Should a lion, for
+any reason, shift his camp during the day, it is most
+unlikely that he will attack, unprovoked, any creature,
+whether human or otherwise, whom he may chance to
+meet; for during the day he is &lsquo;full inside,&rsquo; and the lion
+kills not for the sake of killing, but to satisfy his hunger.
+The lion is a devoted husband; when a couple go out on
+their nightly prowl, it is always the lioness who leads the
+way; when she stops he stops too, and when they arrive at
+the fold where they hope to procure their supper, she lies
+down, while he leaps into the midst of the enclosure, and
+brings back to her the pick of the flock. He watches her
+eat with great anxiety lest anything should disturb her,
+and never begins his own meal till she has finished hers.
+As a father he is less devoted; the old lion being of a
+serious disposition, the cubs weary him with their games,
+and while the family is young the father lives by himself,
+but at a short distance, so as to be at hand in case of
+danger. When the cubs are about three months old, and
+have finished teething (a process which often proves fatal
+to little lionesses), their mother begins to accustom them
+to eat meat by bringing them mutton to eat, which she
+carefully skins, and chews up small before giving to them.
+Between three and four months old they begin to follow
+their mother at night to the edge of the forest, where their
+father brings them their supper. At six months the whole
+family change their abode, choosing for the purpose a very
+dark night. Between eight months and a year old they
+begin to attack the flocks of sheep and goats that feed by
+day in the neighbourhood of their lair, and sometimes
+venture to attack oxen, but being still young and awkward,
+they often wound ten for one killed, and the father lion is
+obliged to interfere. At the age of two years they can slay
+with one blow an ox, horse, or camel, and can leap the
+hedges two yards high that surround the folds for protection.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>297]</a></span>
+This period in the history of the lion is the most
+disastrous to the shepherds and their flocks, for then the
+lion goes about killing for the sake of learning to kill. At
+three years they leave their parents and set up families of
+their own, but it is only at the age of eight that they attain
+their full size and strength, and, in the case of the male,
+his full mane.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 410px;">
+<a name="illo51" id="illo51"></a>
+<img src="images/asb51.jpg" width="410" height="520"
+alt="The lion roars at the villagers looking down at him" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE LION CAUGHT IN THE PIT</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>298]</a></span>
+The question is sometimes asked, why does the lion
+roar? The answer is, for the same reason that the bird
+sings. When a lion and lioness go out together at night,
+the lioness begins the duet by roaring when she leaves her
+den, then the lion roars in answer, and they roar in turn
+every quarter of an hour, till they have found their supper;
+while they are eating they are silent, and begin roaring
+as soon as satisfied, and roar till morning. In summer
+they roar less and sometimes not at all. The Arabs, who
+have good reason to know and dread this fearsome sound,
+have the same word for it as for the thunder. The herds
+being constantly exposed to the ravages of the lion, the
+natives are obliged to take measures to protect them, but,
+the gun in their unskilled hands proving often as fatal to
+themselves as to their enemy, they are forced to resort to
+other means. Some tribes dig a pit, about ten yards deep,
+four or five wide, and narrower at the mouth than the
+base. The tents of the little camp surround it, and round
+them again is a hedge two or three yards high, made of
+branches of trees interlaced; a second smaller hedge
+divides the tents from the pit in order to prevent the flocks
+from falling into it. The lion prowling in search of food
+scents his prey, leaps both hedges at one bound, and falls
+roaring with anger into the pit digged for him. The whole
+camp is aroused, and so great is the rejoicing that no one
+sleeps all night. Guns are let off and fires lit to inform
+the whole district, and in the morning all the neighbours
+arrive, not only men, but women, children, and even dogs.
+When it is light enough to see, the hedge surrounding
+the pit is removed in order to look at the lion, and to
+judge by its age and sex what treatment it is to receive,
+according to what harm it may have done. If it is a
+young lion or a lioness the first spectators retire from the
+sight disgusted, to make room for others whose raptures
+are equally soon calmed. But if it is a full-grown lion
+with abundant mane, then it is a very different scene;
+frenzied gestures and appropriate cries spread the joyful
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>299]</a></span>
+news from one to another, and the spectators crowd in
+such numbers that they nearly edge each other into the
+pit. When everyone has thrown his stone and hurled his
+imprecation, men armed with guns come to put an end
+to the noble animal&rsquo;s torture; but often ten shots have
+been fired before, raising his majestic head to look contemptuously
+on his tormentors, he falls dead. Not till long
+after this last sign of life do the bravest venture to let themselves
+down into the pit, by means of ropes, to pass a net
+under the body of the lion, and to hoist it up to the surface
+by means of a stake planted there for the purpose. When
+the lion is cut up, the mothers of the tribe receive each a
+small piece of his heart, which they give to their sons to
+eat to make them strong and courageous; with the same
+object they make themselves amulets of hairs dragged out
+from his mane.</p>
+
+<p>Other tribes make use of the ambush, which may be
+either constructed underground or on a tree. If underground
+a hole is dug, about one yard deep, and three or
+four wide, near a path frequented by the lion; it is
+covered with branches weighted down by heavy stones,
+and loose earth is thrown over all. Four or five little
+openings are left to shoot through, and a larger one to
+serve as a doorway, which may be closed from within by
+a block of stone. In order to ensure a good aim the Arabs
+kill a boar and lay it on the path opposite the ambush;
+the lion inevitably stops to sniff this bait, and then they
+all fire at once. Nevertheless he is rarely killed on the
+spot, but frantically seeking his unseen enemies, who are
+beneath his feet, he makes with frenzied bounds for the
+nearest forest, there sometimes to recover from his
+wounds, sometimes to die in solitude. The ambush in a
+tree is conducted on the same lines as the other, except
+that the hunters are above instead of below their quarry,
+from whom they are screened by the branches.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 349px;">
+<a name="illo52" id="illo52"></a>
+<img src="images/asb52.jpg" width="349" height="370"
+alt="The hunters, in their underground hole, fire at the lion" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE AMBUSH</p>
+
+<p>There are, however, in the province of Constantine
+some tribes of Arabs who hunt the lion in a more
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>300]</a></span>
+sportsmanlike manner. When a lion has made his presence
+known, either by frequent depredations or by roarings,
+a hunting party is formed. Some men are sent in advance
+to reconnoitre the woods, and when they return with
+such information as they have been able to gather as to
+the age, sex, and whereabouts of the animal, a council
+of war is held, and a plan of campaign formed. Each
+hunter is armed with a gun, a pistol, and a yataghan, and
+then five or six of the younger men are chosen to ascend
+the mountain, there to take their stand on different commanding
+points, in order to watch every movement of
+the lion, and to communicate them to their companions
+below by a pre-arranged code of signals. When they are
+posted the general advance begins; the lion, whose hearing
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>301]</a></span>
+is extremely acute, is soon aware of the approach of
+enemies, who in their turn are warned by the young men
+on the look-out. Finally, when the lion turns to meet the
+hunters the watchers shout with all their might &lsquo;Aoulikoum!&rsquo;
+&lsquo;Look out!&rsquo; At this signal the Arabs draw
+themselves up in battle array, if possible with their backs
+to a rock, and remain motionless till the lion has
+approached to within twenty or thirty paces; then the
+word of command is given, and each man, taking the best
+aim he can, fires, and then throws down his rifle to seize
+his pistol or yataghan. The lion is generally brought to
+the ground by this hail of bullets, but unless the heart
+or the brain have been pierced he will not be mortally
+wounded; the hunters therefore throw themselves upon
+him before he can rise, firing, stabbing right and left,
+blindly, madly, without aim, in the rage to kill. Sometimes
+in his mortal agony the lion will seize one of the
+hunters, and, drawing him under his own body, will
+torture him, almost as a cat does a mouse before killing
+it. Should this happen, the nearest relation present
+of the unhappy man will risk his own life in the
+attempt to rescue him, and at the same time to put an
+end to the lion. This is a perilous moment; when the
+lion sees the muzzle of the avenger&rsquo;s rifle pointed at his
+ear he will certainly crush in the head of his victim,
+even if he has not the strength left to spring on his assailant
+before the latter gives him the <i>coup de gr&acirc;ce</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The Arabs in the neighbourhood of Constantine used,
+about fifty years ago, to send there for a famous French
+lion-hunter, Jules G&eacute;rard by name, to rid them of some
+unusually formidable foe. They never could understand
+his way of going to work&mdash;alone and by night&mdash;which
+certainly presented a great contrast to their methods.
+On one occasion a family of five&mdash;father, mother, and three
+young lions&mdash;were the aggressors. The Arab sheik, leading
+Monsieur G&eacute;rard to the river, showed him by their
+footprints on the banks where this fearful family were in
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>302]</a></span>
+the habit of coming to drink at night, but begged him not
+to sacrifice himself to such fearful odds, and either to
+return to the camp, or to take some of the tribe with him.
+G&eacute;rard declining both suggestions, the sheik was obliged
+to leave, as night was at hand, and the lions might appear
+at any moment. First he came near the hunter, and
+spoke these words low: &lsquo;Listen, I have a counsel to give
+thee. Be on thy guard against the Lord of the Mighty
+Head; he will lead the way. If thy hour has come, he
+will kill thee, and the others will eat thee.&rsquo; Coming still
+nearer the sheik whispered: &lsquo;<em>He</em> has stolen my best mare
+and ten oxen.&rsquo; &lsquo;Who? who has stolen them?&rsquo; asked
+Monsieur G&eacute;rard. &lsquo;<em>He</em>,&rsquo; and the sheik pointed for
+further answer to the mountain. &lsquo;But name him, name
+the thief.&rsquo; The answer was so low as to be barely audible:
+&lsquo;The Lord of the Mighty Head,&rsquo; and with this ominous
+counsel the sheik departed, leaving G&eacute;rard to his vigil.</p>
+
+<p>As the night advanced the moon appeared, and lit up
+the narrow ravine. Judging by its position in the
+heavens it might be eleven o&rsquo;clock, when the tramp of
+many feet was heard approaching, and several luminous
+points of reddish light were seen glittering through the
+thicket. The lions were advancing in single file, and the
+lights were their gleaming eyes. Instead of five there
+were only three, and the leader, though of formidable
+dimensions, did not come up to the description of the
+Lord of the Mighty Head. All three stopped to gaze in
+wonder at the man who dared to put himself in their path.
+G&eacute;rard took aim at the shoulder of the leader and fired.
+A fearful roar announced that the shot had told, and the
+wounded lion began painfully dragging himself towards
+his assailant, while the other two slunk away into the
+wood. He had got to within three paces when a second
+shot sent him rolling down into the bed of the stream.
+Again he returned to the charge, but a third ball right in
+the eye laid him dead. It was a fine, large, young lion of
+three years, with formidable teeth and claws. As agreed
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303"><!-- original location of Gaze illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>305]</a></span>
+upon with the sheik, Monsieur G&eacute;rard immediately lit a
+bonfire in token of his victory, in answer to which shots were
+fired to communicate the good news to all the surrounding
+district. At break of day two hundred Arabs arrived
+to insult their fallen enemy, the sheik being the first to
+appear, with his congratulations, but also with the information
+that at the same hour that the young lion had been
+shot, the Lord of the Mighty Head had come down and
+taken away an ox. These devastations went on unchecked
+for more than a year, one man alone, Lakdar by name,
+being robbed of forty-five sheep, a mare, and twenty-nine
+oxen. Finally he lost heart, and sent to beg Monsieur
+G&eacute;rard to come back and deliver him if possible of his
+tormentor. For some nights the lion made no sign, but
+on the thirteenth evening Lakdar arrived at the lion-hunter&rsquo;s
+camp, saying: &lsquo;The black bull is missing from
+the herd; to-morrow morning I shall find his remains and
+thou wilt slay the lion for me.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo53" id="illo53"></a>
+<img src="images/asb53.jpg" width="600" height="292"
+alt="The hunter faces the three lions" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;ALL THREE STOPPED TO GAZE AT THE MAN WHO DARED TO PUT HIMSELF IN THEIR PATH&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Accordingly next morning at dawn Lakdar returned
+to announce that he had found the dead bull. G&eacute;rard
+rose and, taking his gun, followed the Arab. Through
+the densest of the forest they went, till at the foot of a
+narrow rocky ravine, close to some large olive trees, they
+found the partially devoured carcase. Monsieur G&eacute;rard
+cut some branches the better to conceal himself, and took
+up his position under one of the olive trees, there to await
+the approach of night, and with it the return of the lion
+to the spoil. Towards eight o&rsquo;clock, when the feeble light
+of the new moon barely penetrated into the little glade, a
+branch was heard to crack at some distance. The lion-hunter
+rose and, shouldering his weapon, prepared to do
+battle. From about thirty paces distant came a low growl,
+and then a guttural sound, a sign of hunger with the lion,
+then silence, and presently an enormous lion stalked from
+the thicket straight towards the bull, and began licking
+it. At this moment Monsieur G&eacute;rard fired, and struck
+the lion within about an inch of his left eye. Roaring
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>306]</a></span>
+with pain, he reared himself up on end, when a second
+bullet right in the chest laid him on his back, frantically
+waving his huge paws in the air. Quickly reloading,
+Monsieur G&eacute;rard came close to the helpless monster, and
+while he was raising his great head from the ground fired
+two more shots, which laid the lion stone dead, and thus
+brought to an end the career of the &lsquo;Lord of the Mighty
+Head.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>307]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>BUILDERS AND WEAVERS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>No one can examine birds and their ways for long together
+without being struck by the wonderful neatness and
+cleverness of their proceedings. They make use of a
+great many different kinds of materials for their nests,
+and manage somehow to turn out a nest which not only
+will hold eggs, but is strong and of a pretty shape. Rotten
+twigs are, curiously enough, what they love best for the
+outside, and upon the twigs various substances are laid,
+according to the species and taste of the builder. The
+jay, for instance, collects roots and twists them into a firm
+mass, which he lays upon the twigs; the American starling
+uses tough wet rushes and coarse grass, and after
+they are matted together, somehow ties the nest on to
+reeds or a bush; while the missel thrush lines the casing
+of twigs with tree moss, or even hay. To these they often
+add tufts of wool, and lichen, and the whole is fastened
+together by a kind of clay. The favourite spot chosen by
+the missel thrush is the fork of a tree in an orchard, where
+lichens are large and plentiful enough to serve as a covering
+for the nests.</p>
+
+<p>Still, if the account given by Vaillant and Paterson is
+true, the sociable grosbeaks surpass all the other birds in
+skill and invention. They have been known to cover the
+trunks of trees with a huge kind of fluted umbrella, made
+of dry, fine grass, with the boughs of the trees poking
+through in various places. No doubt in the beginning
+the nest was not so large, but it is the custom of these
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>308]</a></span>
+birds to live together in clans, and each year fresh &lsquo;rooms&rsquo;
+have to be added. When examined, the bird city was
+found to have many gates and regular streets of nests,
+each about two inches distant from the other. The
+structure was made of &lsquo;Boshman&rsquo;s&rsquo; grass alone, but so
+tightly woven together that no rain could get through.
+The nests were all tucked in under the roof, which, by
+projecting, formed eaves, thus keeping the birds warm and
+dry. Sometimes the umbrella has been known to contain
+as many as three hundred separate nests, so it is no
+wonder that the tree at last breaks down with the weight,
+and the city has to be founded again elsewhere.</p>
+
+<p>Now in the nests of all these birds there has been a
+good deal of what we called &lsquo;building&rsquo; and &lsquo;carpentry&rsquo;
+when we are talking of our own houses and our own
+trades. But there are a whole quantity of birds spread
+over the world, who are almost exclusively weavers, and
+can form nests which hang down from the branch of a
+tree without any support. To this class belongs the
+Indian sparrow, which prefers to build in the tops of the
+very highest trees (especially on the Indian fig) and particularly
+on those growing by the river-side. He weaves
+together tough grass in the form of a bottle, and hangs it
+from a branch, so that it rocks to and fro, like a hammock.
+The Indian sparrow, which is easily tamed, does not
+like always to live with his family, so he divides his nest
+into two or three parts, and is careful to place its entrance
+underneath, so that it may not attract the notice of the
+birds of prey. In these nests glow-worms have frequently
+been found, carefully fastened into a piece of fresh clay,
+but whether the bird deliberately tries in this way to light
+up his dark nest, or whether he has some other use for
+the glow-worm, has never been found out. But it seems
+quite certain that he does not <em>eat</em> it, as Sir William Jones
+once supposed.</p>
+
+<p>The Indian sparrow is a very clever little bird, and
+can be taught to do all sorts of tricks. He will catch a
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>309]</a></span>
+ring that is dropped into one of the deep Indian wells,
+before it reaches the water. He can pick the gold ornament
+neatly off the forehead of a young Hindu woman, or carry
+a note to a given place like a carrier pigeon. At least so
+it is said; but then very few people have even a bowing
+acquaintance with the Indian sparrow.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>310]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>&lsquo;MORE FAITHFUL THAN FAVOURED&rsquo;</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>There never was a more faithful watch-dog than the
+great big-limbed, heavy-headed mastiff that guarded Sir
+Harry Lee&rsquo;s Manor-house, Ditchley, in Oxfordshire.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> The
+sound of his deep growl was the terror of all the gipsies
+and vagrants in the county, and there was a superstition
+among the country people, that he was never known to
+sleep. Even if he was seen stretched out on the stone
+steps leading up to the front entrance of the house, with
+his massive head resting on his great fore-paws, at the
+sound of a footfall, however distant, his head would be
+raised, his ears fiercely cocked, and an ominous stiffening
+of the tail would warn a stranger that his movements
+were being closely watched, and that on the least suspicion
+of anything strange or abnormal in his behaviour, he
+would be called to account by Leo. Strangely enough,
+the mastiff had never been a favourite of his master&rsquo;s.
+The fact that dogs of his breed are useless for purposes of
+sport, owing to their unwieldy size and defective sense
+of smell, had prevented Sir Harry from taking much notice
+of him. He looked upon the mastiff merely as a
+watch-dog. The dog would look after him, longing to be
+allowed to join him in his walk, or to follow him when
+he rode out, through the lanes and fields round his house,
+but poor Leo&rsquo;s affection received little encouragement.
+So long as he guarded the house faithfully by day and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>311]</a></span>
+night, that was all that was expected of him: and as in
+doing this he was only doing his duty, and fulfilling the
+purpose for which he was there, little notice was taken
+of him by any of the inmates of the house. His meals
+were supplied to him with unfailing regularity, for his
+services as insuring the safety of the house were fully
+recognised; but as Sir Harry had not shown him any
+signs of favour, the servants did not think fit to bestow
+unnecessary attention on him. So he lived his solitary
+neglected life, in summer and winter, by night and day,
+zealous in his master&rsquo;s interests, but earning little
+reward in the way of notice or affection.</p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a>
+More about this gentleman and his dog may be read in <i>Woodstock</i>,
+by Sir Walter Scott.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>One night, however, something occurred that suddenly
+altered the mastiff&rsquo;s position in the household, and from
+being a faithful slave, he all at once became the beloved
+friend and constant companion of Sir Harry Lee. It was
+in winter, and Sir Harry was going up to his bedroom as
+usual, about eleven o&rsquo;clock. Great was his astonishment
+on opening the library door, to find the mastiff stretched
+in front of it. At sight of his master Leo rose, and, wagging
+his tail and rubbing his great head against Sir Harry&rsquo;s
+hand, he looked up at him as if anxious to attract his
+attention. With an impatient word Sir Harry turned
+away, and went up the oak-panelled staircase, Leo
+following closely behind him. When he reached his bedroom
+door, the dog tried to follow him into the room, and
+if Sir Harry had been a more observant man, he must
+have noticed a curious look of appeal in the dog&rsquo;s eyes,
+as he slammed the door in his face, ordering him in commanding
+tones to &lsquo;Go away!&rsquo; an order which Leo did
+not obey. Curling himself up on the mat outside the
+door, he lay with his small deep-sunk eyes in eager watchfulness,
+fixed on the door, while his heavy tail from time
+to time beat an impatient tattoo upon the stone floor of
+the passage.</p>
+
+<p>Antonio, the Italian valet, whom Sir Harry had brought
+home with him from his travels, and whom he trusted
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>312]</a></span>
+absolutely, was waiting for his master, and was engaged
+in spreading out his things on the toilet table.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;That dog is getting troublesome, Antonio,&rsquo; said Sir
+Harry. &lsquo;I must speak to the keeper to-morrow, and tell
+him to chain him up at night outside the hall. I cannot
+have him disturbing me, prowling about the corridors and
+passages all night. See that you drive him away, when
+you go downstairs.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Yes, signor,&rsquo; replied Antonio, and began to help
+his master to undress. Then, having put fresh logs of
+wood on the fire, he wished Sir Harry good-night, and
+left the room. Finding Leo outside the door, the valet
+whistled and called gently to him to follow him; and, as
+the dog took no notice, he put out his hand to take hold
+of him by the collar. But a low growl and a sudden flash
+of the mastiff&rsquo;s teeth, warned the Italian of the danger of
+resorting to force. With a muttered curse he turned away,
+determined to try bribery where threats had failed. He
+thought that if he could secure a piece of raw meat from
+the kitchen, he would have no difficulty in inducing the
+dog to follow him to the lower regions of the house, where
+he could shut him up, and prevent him from further importuning
+his master.</p>
+
+<p>Scarcely had Antonio&rsquo;s figure disappeared down the
+passage, when the mastiff began to whine in an uneasy
+manner, and to scratch against his master&rsquo;s door. Disturbed
+by the noise, and astonished that his faithful valet
+had disregarded his injunctions, Sir Harry got up and
+opened the door, on which the mastiff pushed past him
+into the room, with so resolute a movement that his master
+could not prevent his entrance. The instant he got into
+the room, the dog&rsquo;s uneasiness seemed to disappear.
+Ceasing to whine, he made for the corner of the room
+where the bed stood in a deep alcove, and, crouching
+down, he slunk beneath it, with an evident determination
+to pass the night there. Much astonished, Sir Harry was
+too sleepy to contest the point with the dog, and allowed
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>313]</a></span>
+him to remain under the bed, without making any further
+attempt to dislodge him from the strange and unfamiliar
+resting-place he had chosen.</p>
+
+<p>When the valet returned shortly after with the piece
+of meat with which he hoped to tempt the mastiff downstairs,
+he found the mat deserted. He assumed that the
+dog had abandoned his caprice of being outside his master&rsquo;s
+door, and had betaken himself to his usual haunts in the
+basement rooms and passages of the house.</p>
+
+<p>Whether from the unaccustomed presence of the dog
+in his room, or from some other cause, Sir Harry Lee was
+a long time in going to sleep that night. He heard the
+different clocks in the house strike midnight, and then
+one o&rsquo;clock; and as he lay awake watching the flickering
+light of the fire playing on the old furniture and on the
+dark panels of the wainscot, he felt an increasing sense of
+irritation against the dog, whose low, regular breathing
+showed that he, at any rate, was sleeping soundly. Towards
+two in the morning Sir Harry must have fallen
+into a deep sleep, for he was quite unconscious of the
+sound of stealthy steps creeping along the stone corridor
+and pausing a moment on the mat outside his room.
+Then the handle of the door was softly turned, and the
+door itself, moving on its well-oiled hinges, was gently
+pushed inward. In another moment there was a tremendous
+scuffle beneath the bed, and with a great bound the
+mastiff flung himself on the intruder, and pinned him
+to the floor. Startled by the unexpected sounds, and
+thoroughly aroused, Sir Harry jumped up, and hastily lit
+a candle. Before him on the floor lay Antonio, with the
+mastiff standing over him, uttering his fierce growls, and
+showing his teeth in a dangerous manner. Stealthily the
+Italian stole out his hand along the floor, to conceal something
+sharp and gleaming that had fallen from him, on
+the dog&rsquo;s unexpected onslaught, but a savage snarl from
+Leo warned him to keep perfectly still. Calling off the
+mastiff, who instantly obeyed the sound of his master&rsquo;s
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>314]</a></span>
+voice, though with bristling hair and stiffened tail he still
+kept his eyes fixed on the Italian, Sir Harry demanded
+from the valet the cause of his unexpected intrusion into
+his bedroom at that hour, and in that way. There was so
+much embarrassment and hesitation in Antonio&rsquo;s reply,
+that Sir Harry&rsquo;s suspicions were aroused. In the meantime
+the unusual sounds at that hour of the night had
+awakened the household. Servants came hurrying along
+the passage to their master&rsquo;s room. Confronted by so
+many witnesses, the Italian became terrified and abject,
+and stammered out such contradictory statements, that it
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>315]</a></span>
+was impossible to get at the truth of his story, and Sir
+Harry saw that the only course open to him was to have
+the man examined and tried by the magistrate.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 395px;">
+<a name="illo54" id="illo54"></a>
+<img src="images/asb54.jpg" width="395" height="410"
+alt="The mastiff stands over Antonio" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;AND PINNED HIM TO THE GROUND&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>At the examination the wretched valet confessed that
+he had entered his master&rsquo;s room with the intention of
+murdering and robbing him, and had only been prevented
+by the unexpected attack of the mastiff.</p>
+
+<p>Among the family pictures in the possession of the
+family of the Earls of Lichfield, the descendants of Sir
+Harry Lee, there is a full-length portrait of the knight
+with his hand on the head of the mastiff, and beneath this
+legend, &lsquo;More faithful than favoured.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>316]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>DOLPHINS, TURTLES, AND COD</i><br />
+<br />
+<span class="smcap vsmlfont">Stories from Audubon</span></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From <i>Audubon&rsquo;s Life</i>, by Robert Buchanan. Sampson Low &amp; Co.</p>
+
+
+<p>In the excellent life of Mr. Audubon, the American naturalist
+(published in 1868 by Sampson Low, Marston &amp;
+Co.), some curious stories are to be found respecting the
+kinds of fish that he met with in his voyages both through
+the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. Audubon&rsquo;s remarks
+about the habits of dolphins are especially interesting, and
+will be read with pleasure by everybody who cares for
+&lsquo;the sea and all that in them is.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Dolphins abound in the Gulf of Mexico and the neighbouring
+seas, and are constantly to be seen chasing flying
+fish, which are their food. Flying fish can swim more
+rapidly than the dolphins, which of course are far larger
+creatures; but if they find themselves much outnumbered,
+and in danger of being surrounded, they spread the fins
+that serve them for wings, and fly through the air for a
+short distance. At first this movement throws out the
+dolphins, who are unable to follow the example of their
+prey, but they soon contrive to keep up with the flying
+fish by giving great bounds into the air; and as the flying
+fish&rsquo;s powers are soon exhausted, it is not long before the
+hunt comes to an end and the dolphins seize the fish as
+they tumble into the sea.</p>
+
+<p>Sailors are fond of catching dolphins, and generally
+bait their hooks with a piece of shark&rsquo;s flesh. When the
+fish is taken, its friends stay round it till the last moment,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>317]</a></span>
+only swimming away as the dolphin is hauled on board.
+For its size, which is generally about three feet long and
+has rarely been known to exceed four feet, the dolphin
+has a remarkably good appetite, and sometimes he eats so
+much that he is unable to escape from his enemy, the
+bottle-nosed porpoise. A dolphin that was caught in the
+Gulf of Mexico was opened by the sailors, and inside him
+were counted twenty-two flying fish, each one six or seven
+inches long, and all arranged quite neatly with their tails
+foremost. Before they have their dinner they are full of
+fun, and their beautiful blue and gold bodies may often be
+seen leaping and bounding and diving about the ship&mdash;a
+sight which the sailors always declare portends a gale.
+Indeed, the stories to which dolphins give rise are many
+and strange. The negroes believe that a silver coin, fried
+or boiled in the same water as the fish, will turn into
+copper if the dolphin is in a state unfit for food; but as
+no one can swear that he has ever seen the transmutation
+of the metal, it may be suspected that the tale was
+invented by the cook for the sake of getting an extra
+dollar.</p>
+
+
+<p class="break">About eighty miles from the Peninsula of Florida are
+a set of low, sandy banks known as the <em>Tortuga</em> or <em>Turtle
+Islands</em>, from the swarms of turtles which lay their
+eggs in the sand, and are eagerly sought for by traders.</p>
+
+<p>Turtles are of many sorts, but the green turtle is
+considered the best, and is boiled down into soup, which
+is both rich and strengthening. They are cautious
+creatures, and never approach the shore in the daylight,
+or without watching carefully for some time to see if
+the coast is indeed clear. They may be seen on
+quiet moonlight nights in the months of May and June,
+lying thirty or forty yards from the beach, listening
+intently, and every now and then making a loud hissing
+noise intended to frighten any enemies that may be
+lurking near. If their quick ears detect any sound,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>318]</a></span>
+however faint, they instantly dive and swim to some
+other place; but if nothing is stirring, they land on the
+shore, and crawl slowly about with the aid of their flappers,
+until they find a spot that seems suitable for the hatching
+of their eggs, which often number two hundred, laid at
+one time. The operations are begun by the turtle scooping
+out a hole in the burning sand by means of her hind
+flappers, using them each by turns, and throwing up the
+sand into a kind of rampart behind her. This is done so
+quickly that in less than ten minutes she will often have
+dug a hole varying from eighteen inches to two feet.
+When the eggs are carefully placed in separate layers,
+the loose sand is laid over them, and the hole not only
+completely hidden but made to look exactly like the rest
+of the beach, so that no one could ever tell that the surface
+had been disturbed at all. Then the turtle goes away and
+leaves the hot sand to do the rest.</p>
+
+<p>In course of time the young turtles, hardly bigger
+than a five-shilling piece, leave their shells, and make
+their way to the water, unless, before they are hatched,
+their nest has been discovered by men, or by the
+cougars and other wild animals, who feed greedily on
+them. If they belong to the tribe of the green turtles,
+they will at once begin to seek for sea plants, and
+especially a kind of grass, which they bite off near the
+roots, so as to get the tenderest parts. If they are young
+hawk-bills, they will nibble the seaweed, and soon go on to
+crabs and shell-fish, and even little fishes. The loggerheads
+grow a sharp beak, which enables them to crack the
+great conch shells, and dig out the fish that lives inside,
+while the trunk turtle, which is often of an immense size
+but with a very soft body, loves sea-urchins and shell-fish.
+All of them can swim so fast that they often seem to be
+flying, and it needs much quickness of eye and hand to
+spear them in the water. Even to catch them on shore
+is a matter of great difficulty, and in general more than
+one man is required for the service. The turtle is raised
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>319]</a></span>
+up from behind by a man on his knee, pushing with all
+his might against her shoulder; but this has to be done
+with great caution, or else the hunter may get badly bitten.
+When the turtle is fully raised up, she is thrown over on
+her back, and, like a sheep in a similar position, can seldom
+recover herself without help. The turtles, when caught,
+are put into an enclosure of logs with a sandy or muddy
+bottom through which the tide flows, and here they are
+kept and fed by their captors till they are ready for the
+market. Unlike most creatures, their price is out of all
+proportion to their weight, and a loggerhead turtle weighing
+seven hundred pounds has been known to cost no
+more than a green turtle of thirty.</p>
+
+
+<p class="break">Early in May, and well into June, the seas extending
+northwards from Maine to Labrador are alive with ships
+just starting for the cod fishing. Their vessels are mostly
+small but well stocked, and a large part of the space below
+is filled with casks, some full of salt and others empty.
+These empty ones are reserved for the oil that is procured
+from the cod.</p>
+
+<p>Every morning, as soon as it is light, some of the crew
+of each ship enters a small boat, which can be sailed or
+rowed as is found necessary. When they reach the cod
+banks every man boards up part of his boat for the fish
+when caught, and then takes his stand at the end with
+two lines, baited at the opening of the season with salted
+mussels, and later with gannets or capelings. These lines
+are dropped into the sea on either side of the boat, and when
+the gunwale is almost touching the water and it is dangerous
+to put in any more fish, they give up work for the
+morning and return to the harbour. In general, fishing is
+a silent occupation, but cod fishers are rather a talkative
+race, and have bets with each other as to the amount of
+the &lsquo;takes&rsquo; of the respective crews. When they get back
+to their vessels, often anchored eight or ten miles away,
+they find that the men who have been left behind have set
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>320]</a></span>
+up long tables on deck, carried the salt barrels on shore,
+placed all ready the casks for the livers, and cleared the
+hold of everything but a huge wedge of salt for the salting.
+Then, after dinner, some of the men row back to the cod
+banks, while the others set about cleaning, salting, and
+packing the fish, so as to be quite finished when the men
+return from their second journey. It is almost always
+midnight before the work is done, and the men can turn in
+for their three hours&rsquo; sleep.</p>
+
+<p>If, as often happens, the hauls have been very large, the
+supply soon threatens to become exhausted, so on Sunday
+the captain sails off for a fresh bank. Then, the men who
+are the laziest or most unskilful in the matter of fishing
+take out the cargo that has been already salted, and lay it
+out on scaffolds which have been set up on the rocks.
+When the sun has dried the fish for some time, they are
+turned over; and this process is repeated several times in
+the day. In the evening they are piled up into large stacks,
+and protected from the rain and wind. In July the men&rsquo;s
+work is in one way less hard than before, for this is the
+season when the capelings arrive to spawn upon the shores,
+and where capelings are, cod are sure to follow. Now
+great nets are used, with one end fastened to the land,
+and these nets will sometimes produce twenty or thirty
+thousand fish at a haul.</p>
+
+<p>With so many men engaged in the cod fishing, and
+considering the number of diseases to which cod are subject,
+it is perhaps quite as well that each fish should
+lay such a vast supply of eggs, though out of the eight
+million laid by one fish which have been counted, it is
+calculated that, from various causes, only about a hundred
+thousand come to maturity.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>321]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MORE ABOUT ELEPHANTS</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From <i>The Wild Elephant</i>. Sir J. Emerson Tennent.</p>
+
+
+<p>Long, long ago, when the moon was still young, and
+some of the stars that we know best were only gradually
+coming into sight, the earth was covered all over with a
+tangle of huge trees and gigantic ferns, which formed the
+homes of all sorts of enormous beasts. There were no
+men, only great animals and immense lizards, whose
+skeletons may still be found embedded in rocks or frozen
+deep down among the Siberian marshes; for, after the
+period of fearful heat, when everything grew rampant,
+even in the very north, there came a time of equally intense
+cold, when every living creature perished in many
+parts of the world.</p>
+
+<p>When the ice which crushed down life on the earth
+began to melt, and the sun once more had power to pierce
+the thick cold mists that had shrouded the world, animals
+might have been seen slowly creeping about the young
+trees and fresh green pastures, but their forms were
+no longer the same as they once were. The enormous
+frames of all sorts of huge monsters, and the great
+lizard called the ichthyosaurus, had been replaced by
+smaller and more graceful creatures, who could move
+lightly and easily through this new world. But changed
+though it seemed to be, one beast still remained to tell the
+story of those strange old times, and that was the elephant.</p>
+
+<p>Now anybody who has ever stood behind a big, clumsy
+cart-horse going up a hill cannot fail to have been struck
+with its likeness to an elephant; and it is quite true that
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>322]</a></span>
+elephants and horses are nearly related. Of course in the
+East, where countries are so big and marches are so long,
+it is necessary to have an animal to ride of more strength
+and endurance than a horse, and so elephants, who are,
+when well treated, as gentle as they are strong, were very
+early trained as beasts of burden, or even as &lsquo;men-of-war.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>In their wild condition they have a great many curious
+habits. They roam about the forests of India or
+Africa in herds, and each herd is a real family, who have
+had a common grandfather. The elephants are very
+particular as to the number of their herd; it is never less
+than ten, or more than twenty-one, but being very sociable
+they easily get on terms of civility with other herds, and
+several of these groups may be seen moving together towards
+some special pond or feeding ground. But friendly
+as they often are, each clan keeps itself as proudly distinct
+from the rest as if they were all Highlanders. Any
+unlucky elephant who has lost his own herd, and tries to
+attach himself to a new one, is scouted and beaten away
+by every member of the tribe, till, like a man who is
+punished and scorned for misfortunes he cannot help, the
+poor animal grows desperate, and takes to evil courses,
+and is hunted down under the name of &lsquo;a rogue.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Elephants have a great idea of law and order, and
+carefully choose a leader who is either strong enough or
+clever enough to protect the herd against its enemies.
+Even a female has sometimes been chosen, if her wisdom
+has been superior to that of the rest; but male or female,
+the leader once fixed upon, the herd never fails to give
+him absolute obedience, and will suffer themselves to be
+killed in their efforts to save his life.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 377px;">
+<a name="illo55" id="illo55"></a>
+<img src="images/asb55.jpg" width="377" height="600"
+alt="An elephant dreams of mammoths, dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;LONG, LONG AGO.&rsquo; THE ELEPHANT DREAMS OF HIS OLD COMPANIONS</p>
+
+<p>As everyone knows, during the dry season in India
+water becomes very scarce, and even the artificial tanks
+that have been built for reservoirs are very soon empty.
+About the middle of this century, an English officer,
+Major Skinner by name, had drawn up to rest on the embankment
+of a small Indian tank, which, low though it
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323"><!-- original location of Dreams illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>325]</a></span>
+was, contained the only water to be found for a great distance.
+On three sides of the tank there was a clearing,
+but on the fourth lay a very thick wood, where the herd
+lay encamped all day, waiting for darkness to fall, so that
+they might all go to drink. Major Skinner knew the
+habits of elephants well, and what to expect of them, so he
+sent all his natives to sleep, and climbed himself into a
+large tree that sheltered the tank at one corner. However,
+it appeared that the elephants were unusually cautious
+that night, for he sat in his tree for two hours before a
+sound was heard, though they had been lively enough as
+long as the sun was shining.</p>
+
+<p>Suddenly a huge elephant forced his way through the
+thickest part of the forest, and advanced slowly to the
+tank, his ears at full cock, and his eyes glancing stealthily
+round. He gazed longingly at the water for some minutes,
+but did not attempt to drink&mdash;perhaps he felt it would be
+a mean advantage to take of his comrades&mdash;and then he
+quietly retraced his steps backwards till he had put about
+a hundred yards between himself and the water, when
+five elephants came out of the jungle and joined him.
+These he led forward, listening carefully as before, and
+placed them at certain spots where they could command
+a view both of the open country and the forest. This
+done, and the safety of the others provided for, he went to
+fetch the main body of the herd, which happened to be four
+or five times as large as usual. Silently, as if preparing
+for an assault, the whole of this immense body marched
+up to where the scouts were standing, when a halt was
+signalled, so that the leader might for the last time make
+sure that no hidden danger, in the shape of man, lion, or
+tiger, awaited them. Then permission was given, and
+with a joyful toss of their trunks in the air, in they dashed,
+drinking, wallowing, and rolling over with delight, till
+one would have thought it had been years since they had
+tasted a drop of water, or known the pleasures of a bath.</p>
+
+<p>From his perch in the tree Major Skinner had been
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>326]</a></span>
+watching with interest the movements of the herd, and
+when he saw that they had really had their fill, he gently
+broke a little twig and threw it on the ground. It seemed
+hardly possible that such a tiny sound could reach the
+ears of those great tumbling, sucking bodies, but in one
+instant they were all out of the tank, and tearing towards
+the forest, almost carrying the little ones between them.</p>
+
+<p>Of course it is not always that elephants can find tanks
+without travelling many hundreds of miles after them,
+and on these occasions their wonderful sagacity comes to
+their aid. They will pause on the banks of some dried-up
+river, now nothing but a sandy tract, and feel instinctively
+that underneath that sand is the water for which they
+thirst. But then, how to get at it? The elephants know
+as well as any engineer that if they tried to dig a hole
+straight down, the weight of their bodies would pull down
+the whole side of the pit with them, so that is of no use.
+In order to get round this difficulty, long experience has
+taught them that they must make one side to their well a
+gentle slope, and when this is done they can wait with
+perfect comfort for the water, whose appearance on the
+surface is only a question of time.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 575px;">
+<a name="illo56" id="illo56"></a>
+<img src="images/asb56.jpg" width="575" height="332"
+alt="The elephant kneels after the dog bites its trunk" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE ELEPHANT FALLS ON HIS KNEES BEFORE THE LITTLE SCOTCH TERRIER</p>
+
+<p>Much might be written about the likes and dislikes of
+elephants, which seem as a rule to be as motiveless as
+the likes and dislikes of human beings. Till they are
+tamed and treated kindly by some particular person,
+elephants show a decided objection to human beings, and
+in Ceylon have a greater repugnance to a white skin than
+to a brown one. In fact, they are shy of anything new
+or strange, but will put up with any animal to which they
+are accustomed. Elks, pigs, deer, and buffaloes are their
+feeding companions, and the elephants take no more notice
+of their presence than if they were so many canaries.
+Indeed, as far as can be gathered, the elephant is much
+more afraid of the little domestic animals with which it
+is quite unacquainted than of the huge vegetable-eating
+beasts with which both it and its forefathers were on
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>327]</a></span>
+intimate terms. Goats and sheep it eyes with annoyance;
+they are new creatures, and were never seen in jungles or
+forests; but, bad as they might be, dogs, the shadows of
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>328]</a></span>
+men, were worse still. They were so quick, so lively, and
+had such hideous high voices, which they were always
+using, not keeping them for special occasions like any
+self-respecting quadruped. Really they might almost as
+well be parrots with their incessant chatter. But of all
+kinds of dogs, surely the one called a Scotch terrier was
+the most alarming and detestable. One day an animal
+of this species actually seized the trunk of an elephant in
+its teeth, and the elephant was so surprised and frightened
+that it fell on its knees at once. At this the dog was a
+little frightened too, and let go, but recovered itself again
+as the elephant rose slowly to its feet, and prepared to
+charge afresh. The elephant, not knowing what to make
+of it, backed in alarm, hitting out at the dog with its front
+paws, but taking care to keep his wounded trunk well
+beyond its reach. At last, between fright and annoyance
+he lost his head completely, and would have fairly run
+away if the keeper had not come in and put a stop to the
+dog&rsquo;s fun.</p>
+
+<p>If &AElig;sop had known elephants&mdash;or Scotch terriers&mdash;he
+might have made a fable out of this; but they had not
+visited Greece in his day.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>329]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>BUNGEY</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From Jesse&rsquo;s <i>British Dogs</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>During the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James, there
+lived a brave and accomplished knight called Sir John
+Harington, who had been knighted on the field of battle by
+the famous Earl of Essex, and had translated into English
+a long poem, by an Italian called Ariosto. But busy
+though he was in so many ways, Sir John still had time
+to spare for his &lsquo;raw dogge&rsquo; Bungey, and in the year 1608
+he writes a long letter to Prince Henry, elder brother of
+Charles I., full of the strange doings of his favourite.
+Bungey seems to have been used by Sir John as a sort of
+carrier pigeon, and he tells how he would go from Bath
+to Greenwich Palace, to &lsquo;deliver up to the cowrte there
+such matters as were entrusted to his care.&rsquo; The nobles
+of the court made much of him, and sometimes gave him
+errands of their own, and it was never told to their &lsquo;Ladie
+Queen, that this messenger did ever blab ought concerning
+his highe truste, as others have done in more special matters.&rsquo;
+More wonderful even than this was his behaviour concerning
+two sacks of wheat which Bungey had been commissioned
+by Sir John&rsquo;s servant Combe, to carry from Bath
+to his own house at Kelston, a few miles distant. The
+sacks were tied round the dog&rsquo;s body by cords, but on the
+way the cords got loose, and Bungey, clever though he was,
+could not tie them up again. However he was not to be
+beaten, and hiding one &lsquo;flasket&rsquo; in some bushes that grew
+near by, he bore the other in his teeth to Kelston, and then
+returning, fetched the hidden one out of the rushes and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>330]</a></span>
+arrived with it in good time for dinner. Sir John is plainly
+rather afraid that Prince Henry may not quite believe this
+instance of sagacity, for he adds, &lsquo;Hereat your Highnesse
+may perchance marvell and doubte; but we have living
+testimonie of those who wroughte in the fields, and espied
+his work, and now live to tell they did muche long to
+plaie the dogge, and give stowage to the wine themselves,
+but they did refraine, and watchede the passinge of this
+whole business.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>As may be well guessed, the fame of Bungey&rsquo;s talents
+soon spread, and then, as now, there were many dog
+stealers in the country. On one occasion, as Sir John was
+riding from Bath to London, Bungey was tempted to leave
+his side by the sight of a pond swarming with wild duck
+or mallard. Unluckily other people besides Bungey thought
+it good sport to hunt wild fowl, and did not mind seizing
+valuable dogs, so poor Bungey was caught and bound, till
+it could be settled who would give the highest price for
+him.</p>
+
+<p>At last his captors decided that they would take him to
+London, which was not very far off, and trust to chance
+for finding a buyer. As it happened, the Spanish Ambassador
+was on the look out for a dog of that very kind,
+and he was so pleased with Bungey, that he readily agreed
+to give the large sum asked by the men who brought him.
+Now Bungey was a dog who always made the best of
+things, and as Sir John tells the Prince, &lsquo;suche was the
+courte he did pay to the Don, that he was no lesse in good
+likinge there than at home.&rsquo; In fact, everybody grew so
+fond of him, that when after six weeks Sir John discovered
+where he was and laid claim to him, no one in the house
+could be prevailed on to give him up. Poor Sir John, who,
+as we know, was very much attached to Bungey, was at his
+wit&rsquo;s end what to do, when it suddenly occurred to him to
+let the dog himself prove who was his real master. So,
+having the Ambassador&rsquo;s leave to what he wished in the
+matter, he called all the company together at dinner-time
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>331]</a></span>
+and bade Bungey go into the hall where dinner was already
+served, and bring a pheasant from the dish. This, as Sir
+John says, &lsquo;created much mirthe; but much more, when
+he returned at my commandment to the table, and put it
+again in the same cover.&rsquo; After such a proof there was
+no more to be said, and Sir John was allowed to be the
+dog&rsquo;s master. But Bungey&rsquo;s life was not destined to be
+a very long one, and his death was strange and sudden.
+As he and his master were once more on the road from
+London to Bath on their return journey, he began jumping
+up on the horse&rsquo;s neck, and &lsquo;was more earneste in fawninge
+and courtinge my notice, than what I had observed
+for time backe; and after my chidinge his disturbing my
+passinge forwardes, he gave me some glances of such
+affection as moved me to cajole him; but alas! he crept
+suddenly into a thorny brake, and died in a short time.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 408px;">
+<a name="illo57" id="illo57"></a>
+<img src="images/asb57.jpg" width="408" height="275"
+alt="Bungey carries a pheasant to his master" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">BUNGEY AT THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR&rsquo;S HOUSE</p>
+
+<p>It is impossible to guess what kind of illness caused
+the death of poor Bungey, but it is pleasant to think that
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>332]</a></span>
+Sir John never forgot him, and also loved to talk of him
+to his friends. &lsquo;Now let Ulysses praise his dogge Argus,&rsquo;
+he writes to Prince Henry, &lsquo;or Tobit be led by that dogge
+whose name doth not appear; yet could I say such things
+of my Bungey as might shame them both, either for good
+faith, clear wit, or wonderful deedes; to say no more than
+I have said of his bearing letters to London and Greenwich,
+more than a hundred miles. As I doubt not but
+your Highness would love my dogge, if not myselfe, I
+have been thus tedious in his storie; and again saie, that
+of all the dogges near your father&rsquo;s courte, not one hathe
+more love, more diligence to please, or less paye for
+pleasinge, than him I write of.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>333]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>LIONS AND THEIR WAYS</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Bingley&rsquo;s <i>Animal Biography</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>Although it would not be safe to put one&rsquo;s self into the
+power of a lion, trusting to its generosity to make friends,
+there are a great many stories of the kindness of lions to
+other creatures which are perfectly true. One day, more
+than a hundred years ago, a lion cub only three months
+old was caught in one of the great forests near the river
+Senegal, and brought to a Frenchman as a gift. The
+Frenchman, who was fond of animals, undertook to train
+it, and as the cub was very gentle and quiet this was easily
+done. He soon grew very fond of his master, and enjoyed
+being petted both by him and his friends, and what was
+more strange in a beast whose forefathers had passed all
+their lives in solitude, the lion hated being by himself. The
+more the merrier was clearly <em>his</em> motto, and whether the
+company consisted of dogs, cats, ducks, sheep, geese, or
+monkeys (which were his bedfellows), or men and women,
+did not matter to him; and you may imagine his joy,
+when one night as he went to bed he found two little new-born
+pups in his straw. He was quite as pleased as if he
+had been their mother; indeed he would hardly let the
+mother go near them, and when one of them died, he
+showed his grief in every possible way, and became still
+more attached to its brother.</p>
+
+<p>After six months the lion, now more than a year old,
+was sent off to France, still with the little pup for company.
+At first his keepers thought that the strangeness
+of everything would make him frightened and savage,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>334]</a></span>
+but he took it quite calmly and was soon allowed to
+roam about the ship as he pleased. Even when he
+landed at Havre, he only had a rope attached to his
+collar, and so he was brought to Versailles, the pup trotting
+happily by his side. Unfortunately, however, the
+climate of Europe did not agree with the dog as with the
+lion, for he gradually wasted away and died, to the terrible
+grief of his friend. Indeed he was so unhappy that
+another dog was put into the cage to make up for the
+lost one, but this dog was not used to lions, and only knew
+that they were said to be savage beasts, so he tried to hide
+himself. The lion, whose sorrow, as often happens, only
+made him irritable and cross, was provoked by the dog&rsquo;s
+want of confidence in his kindness, and just gave him one
+pat with his paw which killed him on the spot. But he
+still continued so sad, that the keepers made another
+effort, and this time the dog behaved with more sense,
+and coaxed the lion into making friends. The two lived
+happily together for many years, and the lion recovered
+some of his spirits, but he never forgot his first companion,
+or was quite the same lion again.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo58" id="illo58"></a>
+<img src="images/asb58.jpg" width="600" height="321"
+alt="The lion roars at the man" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">&lsquo;THE HOTTENTOT NOTICED A HUGE LION LYING IN THE WATER&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Many hundreds of miles south of Senegal a Hottentot
+who lived in Namaqualand was one evening driving down
+a herd of his master&rsquo;s cattle, to drink in a pool of water,
+which was fenced in by two steep walls of rock. It had
+been a particularly hot summer, and water was scarce,
+so the pool was lower than usual, and it was not until the
+whole herd got close to the brink, that the Hottentot
+noticed a huge lion, lying right in the water, preparing to
+spring. The Hottentot, thinking as well as his fright
+would let him think at all, that anything would serve as
+supper for the lion, dashed straight through the herd, and
+made as fast as he could for some trees at a little distance.
+But a low roar behind him told him that he had been wrong
+in his calculations, and that the lion was of opinion that
+man was nicer than bull. So he fled along as quickly as
+his trembling legs would let him, and just reached one of
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335"><!-- original location of Hottentot illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>337]</a></span>
+the tree aloes in which some steps had been cut by the
+natives, as the lion bounded into the air. However the
+man swung himself out of his enemy&rsquo;s range, and the lion
+fell flat upon the ground. Now the branches of the tree
+were covered with hundreds of nests of a kind of bird
+called the Sociable Grosbeak, and it was to get these nests
+that the natives had cut in the smooth trunk the steps
+which had proved the salvation of the Hottentot. Behind
+the shelter of the nests the Hottentot cowered, hoping
+that when he was no longer seen, the lion would forget
+him and go in search of other prey. But the lion seemed
+inclined to do nothing of the sort. For a long while he
+walked round and round the tree, and when he got tired
+of that he lay down, resolved to tire the man out. The
+Hottentot hearing no sound, peeped cautiously out, to see
+if his foe was still there, and almost tumbled down in
+terror to meet the eyes of the lion glaring into his. So
+the two remained all through the night and through the
+next day, but when sunset came again the lion could bear
+his dreadful thirst no longer, and trotted off to the nearest
+spring to drink. Then the Hottentot saw his chance,
+and leaving his hiding place he ran like lightning to his
+home, which was only a mile distant. But the lion did
+not yield without a struggle; and traces were afterwards
+found of his having returned to the tree, and then scented
+the man to within three hundred yards of his hut.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>338]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE HISTORY OF JACKO I.</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>The ship &lsquo;Roxalana&rsquo; of Marseilles lay anchored in the
+Bay of Loando, which as we all know is situated in South
+Guinea. The &lsquo;Roxalana&rsquo; was a merchant vessel, and a
+brisk traffic had been going on for some time with the
+exchange of the European goods with which the ship had
+been laden, for ivory and other native produce. All hands
+were very busy getting on board the various provisions
+and other stores needed for a long voyage, for it was in
+the days of sailing vessels only, and it would be some
+time before they could hope to return to Marseilles.</p>
+
+<p>Now the captain of the &lsquo;Roxalana&rsquo; was a mighty
+hunter, and seeing that all was going on well under the
+first officer&rsquo;s direction, he took his gun and a holiday and
+went up country for one more day&rsquo;s sport.</p>
+
+<p>He was as successful as he was brave, and he had the
+great good luck to meet a tiger, a young hippopotamus,
+and a boa constrictor. All these terrible creatures fell
+before the unerring aim of the Proven&ccedil;al Nimrod, and
+after so adventurous a morning&rsquo;s work the captain
+naturally began to feel tired and hungry, so he sat down
+under the shade of some trees to rest and have some
+lunch.</p>
+
+<p>He drew a flask of rum out of one pocket, and having
+uncorked it placed it on his right side; from his other
+pocket he produced a huge guava, which he laid on his
+left side, and finally he drew a great wedge of ship biscuit
+from his game bag and put it between his knees. Then
+he took out his tobacco pouch and began to fill his pipe
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339"><!-- original location of Rum illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>341]</a></span>
+so as to have it ready at hand when he had finished his
+meal.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 390px;">
+<a name="illo59" id="illo59"></a>
+<img src="images/asb59.jpg" width="390" height="600"
+alt="The Captain stares in outrage at the spilled rum" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">ANNOYANCE OF THE CAPTAIN ON FINDING HIS FLASK OF RUM UPSET</p>
+
+<p>Imagine his surprise when, having filled his pipe, he
+found the flask had been upset and the guava had disappeared!</p>
+
+<p>I am afraid the captain made use of some very strong
+language, but there was nothing for it but to make the
+best of the biscuit, the sole relic of his feast. As he
+munched it he warily turned his head from side to side,
+watching for the thief, when all of a sudden something
+fell upon his head. The captain put up his hand and
+found&mdash;the skin of his guava. Then he raised his eyes
+and saw a monkey dancing for joy at his own pranks in
+the tree just above him.</p>
+
+<p>As I have already shown the captain was an excellent
+shot. Without stirring from his seat, he took up his gun
+and with a shot snapped the end of the branch on which
+his persecutor was sitting.</p>
+
+<p>Down came branch and monkey, and the captain at
+once captured the latter before it had time to recover from
+the surprise of its rapid fall.</p>
+
+<p>He was small and quite young, only half grown, but
+of a rather rare kind, as the captain, who had an ever-ready
+eye to the main chance, at once perceived.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah ha!&rsquo; said he, &lsquo;this little fellow will be worth fifty
+francs if he&rsquo;s worth a farthing by the time we get back to
+Marseilles.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>So saying he popped the monkey into his game-bag
+and buttoned it carefully up. Then, feeling that a piece of
+biscuit was not quite a sufficient lunch after the fatigues of
+his morning&rsquo;s sports, he retraced his steps and returned to
+his ship in company with his monkey, whom he named
+&lsquo;Jacko.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Before leaving Loando the captain, who was fond of
+pets, bought a beautiful white cockatoo with a saffron
+crest and jet black beak. &lsquo;Cataqua&rsquo; (that was his harmonious
+name) was indeed a lovely creature and extremely
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>342]</a></span>
+accomplished into the bargain. He spoke French,
+English, and Spanish equally well, and sang &lsquo;God save
+the King,&rsquo; the &lsquo;Marseillaise,&rsquo; and the Spanish National
+Anthem with great perfection.</p>
+
+<p>The aptitude for languages made him a ready pupil,
+and his vocabulary was largely increased by daily association
+with the crew of the &lsquo;Roxalana,&rsquo; so that before they
+had been very long at sea Cataqua swore freely in the
+purest Proven&ccedil;al, to the delight and admiration of his
+captain.</p>
+
+<p>The captain was very fond of his two pets, and every
+morning, after inspecting the crew and giving each man
+his orders for the day, he would go up to Cataqua&rsquo;s cage,
+followed by Jacko, and give the cockatoo a lesson. When
+this was well said he would reward his pupil by sticking
+a lump of sugar between the wires of the cage, a reward
+which delighted Cataqua whilst it filled Jacko with
+jealousy.</p>
+
+<p>He too loved sugar, and the moment the captain&rsquo;s
+back was turned he would draw near the cage and pull
+and pinch till the lump of sugar generally changed its
+destination, to the despair of Cataqua, who, crest erect
+and with brandished claw, rent the air with shrieks of rage
+mingled with angry oaths.</p>
+
+<p>Jacko meanwhile stood by affecting an innocent air
+and gently sucking the sugar which he had stowed away
+in one of his pouches. Unluckily none of Cataqua&rsquo;s
+owners had taught him to cry &lsquo;stop thief&rsquo; and he soon
+realised that if Jacko were to be punished he must see to
+it himself.</p>
+
+<p>So one day, when the monkey after safely abstracting
+the sugar pushed a paw between the bars of the cage
+to gather up some remaining crumbs, Cataqua, who was
+gently swinging, head down, and apparently unconscious
+of what was going on, suddenly caught Jacko&rsquo;s thumb in
+his beak and bit it to the bone.</p>
+
+<p>Jacko uttered a piercing shriek, rushed to the rigging
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>343]</a></span>
+and climbed as far as he could, when he paused, clinging
+on by three paws and piteously brandishing the fourth in
+the air.</p>
+
+<p>Dinner-time came, and the captain whistled for Jacko,
+but contrary to all customs no Jacko came. The captain
+whistled again, and this time he thought he heard an
+answering sound which seemed to come from the sky.
+He raised his eyes and beheld Jacko still waving his
+injured paw. Then began an exchange of signals, with
+the result that Jacko firmly refused to come down. Now
+the captain had trained his crew to habits of implicit
+obedience and had no notion of having his orders resisted
+by a monkey, so he took his speaking trumpet and called
+for Double Mouth.</p>
+
+<p>Double Mouth was the cook&rsquo;s boy, and he had well
+earned his nickname by the manner in which he took
+advantage of his culinary position to make one meal
+before the usual dinner hour without its interfering in
+the least with his enjoyment of a second at the proper
+time. At the captain&rsquo;s call Double Mouth climbed on
+deck from the cook&rsquo;s galley and timidly approached his
+chief.</p>
+
+<p>The captain, who never wasted words on his subordinates,
+pointed to Jacko, and Double Mouth at once
+began to give chase with an activity which proved that
+the captain had chosen well. As a matter of fact Jacko
+and Double Mouth were dear friends, the bond of sympathy
+which united them being one of greediness, for
+many a nice morsel Jacko had to thank the cook&rsquo;s boy
+for. So when the monkey saw who was coming, instead
+of trying to escape him he ran to meet him, and in a few
+minutes the two friends, one in the other&rsquo;s arms, returned
+to the deck where the captain awaited them.</p>
+
+<p>The captain&rsquo;s one treatment for wounds of all kinds
+consisted of a <em>compress</em> steeped in some spirit, so he at
+once dipped a piece of rag in rum and bandaged the
+patient&rsquo;s thumb with it. The sting of the alcohol on the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>344]</a></span>
+wound made Jacko dance with pain, but noticing that the
+moment the captain&rsquo;s back was turned Double Mouth
+rapidly swallowed the remains of the liquid in which the
+rag had been dipped, he realised that however painful as
+a dressing it might possibly be agreeable to the palate.
+He stretched out his tongue and very delicately touched
+the bandage with its tip. It was certainly rather nice,
+and he licked more boldly. By degrees the taste grew on
+him, and he ended by putting his thumb, bandage and all,
+into his mouth and sucking it bodily.</p>
+
+<p>The result was that (the captain having ordered the
+bandage to be wetted every ten minutes) by the end of a
+couple of hours Jacko began to blink and to roll his head,
+and as the treatment continued he had at length to be
+carried off by Double Mouth, who laid him on his own
+bed.</p>
+
+<p>Jacko slept without stirring for some hours. When he
+woke the first thing which met his eyes was Double Mouth
+busy plucking a fowl. This was a new sight, but Jacko
+seemed to be particularly struck by it on this occasion.
+He got up from the bed and came near, his eyes steadily
+fixed on the fowl, and carefully watched how the whole
+operation proceeded. When it was ended, feeling his head
+a little heavy still, he went on deck to take the air.</p>
+
+<p>The weather was so settled and the wind so favourable
+that the captain thought it only a waste to keep the
+poultry on board alive too long, so he gave orders that a
+bird should be served daily for his dinner in addition to
+his usual rations. Soon after a great cackling was heard
+amongst the hencoops and Jacko climbed down from the
+yard where he was perched at such a rate that one might
+have thought he was hastening to the rescue. He tore into
+the kitchen, where he found Double Mouth already plucking
+a newly killed fowl, till not an atom of down was left
+on it.</p>
+
+<p>Jacko showed the deepest interest in the process,
+and on returning to deck he, for the first time since his
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>345]</a></span>
+accident, approached Cataqua&rsquo;s cage, carefully keeping
+beyond range of his beak however. After strolling
+several times round, he at last seized a favourable moment
+and clutching hold of one of Cataqua&rsquo;s tail feathers,
+pulled hard till it came out regardless of the cockatoo&rsquo;s
+screams and flappings. This trifling experiment caused
+Jacko the greatest delight, and he fell to dancing on all
+fours, jumping up and falling back on the same spot
+which all his life was the way in which he showed his
+supreme content about anything.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the ship had long lost sight of land and
+was in full sail in mid ocean. It appeared unnecessary
+to the captain, therefore, to keep his cockatoo shut up in
+a cage, so he opened the door and released the prisoner,
+there being no means of escaping beyond the ship.
+Cataqua instantly took advantage of his freedom to climb
+to the top of one of the masts, where, with every appearance
+of rapture, he proceeded to regale the ship&rsquo;s company
+with his entire large and varied vocabulary, making quite
+as much noise by himself as all the five-and-twenty
+sailors who formed his audience.</p>
+
+<p>Whilst this exhibition was taking place on deck a
+different scene was being enacted below. Jacko had as
+usual approached Double Mouth at plucking time, but
+this time the lad, who had noticed the extreme attention
+with which the monkey watched him, thought that
+possibly there might be some latent talent in him which
+it was a pity not to develop.</p>
+
+<p>Double Mouth was one of those prompt and energetic
+persons who waste no time between an idea and its
+execution. Accordingly he quietly closed the door, put
+a whip into his pocket in case of need, and handed Jacko
+the duck he was about to pluck, adding a significant
+touch to the handle of the whip as a hint.</p>
+
+<p>But Jacko needed neither hint nor urging. Without
+more ado he took the duck, placed it between his knees
+as he had seen his tutor do, and fell to with a will. As
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>346]</a></span>
+he found the feathers giving place to down and the down
+to skin, he became quite enthusiastic, so much so that
+when his task was done he fell to dancing for joy exactly
+as he had done the day before by Cataqua&rsquo;s cage.</p>
+
+<p>Double Mouth was overjoyed for his part. He only
+regretted not having utilised Jacko&rsquo;s talents sooner, but
+he determined to do so regularly in the future. Next day
+the same operation took place, and on the third day,
+Double Mouth, recognising Jacko&rsquo;s genius, took off his
+own apron and tied it round his pupil, to whom from that
+moment he resigned the charge of preparing the poultry
+for the spit. Jacko showed himself worthy of the confidence
+placed in him, and by the end of a week he had
+quite distanced his teacher in skill and quickness.</p>
+
+<p>Meantime the ship was nearing the Equator. It was
+a peculiarly sultry day, when the very sky seemed to sink
+beneath its own weight; not a creature was on deck but
+the man at the helm and Cataqua in the shrouds. The
+captain had flung himself into his hammock and was
+smoking his pipe whilst Double Mouth fanned him with
+a peacock&rsquo;s tail. Even Jacko seemed overcome by the
+heat, and instead of plucking his fowl as usual, he had
+placed it on a chair, taken off his apron, and appeared lost
+in slumber or meditation.</p>
+
+<p>His reverie, however, did not last long. He opened
+his eyes, glanced round him, picked up a feather which
+he first stuck carelessly in his mouth and then dropped,
+and at length began to slowly climb the ladder leading on
+deck, pausing and loitering at each step. He found the
+deck deserted, which apparently pleased him, as he gave
+two or three little jumps whilst he glanced about to look
+for Cataqua, who with much gesticulation was singing
+&lsquo;God save the King&rsquo; at the top of his voice.</p>
+
+<p>Then Jacko seemed to forget his rival&rsquo;s existence
+altogether, and began lazily to climb the rigging on the
+opposite side, where he indulged in various exercises,
+swinging by his tail head down, and generally appearing
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>347]</a></span>
+to have only come with a view to gymnastics. At
+length, seeing that Cataqua took no notice of him, he
+quietly sidled that way, and at the very moment that the
+performance of the English National Anthem was at its
+height, he seized the singer firmly with his left hand just
+where the wings join the body.</p>
+
+<p>Cataqua uttered a wild note of terror, but no one was
+sufficiently awake to hear it.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;By all the winds of heaven!&rsquo; exclaimed the captain
+suddenly. &lsquo;Here&rsquo;s a phenomenon&mdash;snow under the
+Equator!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;No,&rsquo; said Double Mouth, &lsquo;that&rsquo;s not snow, that&rsquo;s&mdash;ah,
+you rascal!&rsquo; and he rushed towards the companion.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well, what is it then?&rsquo; asked the captain, rising in
+his hammock.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What is it?&rsquo; cried Double Mouth from the top of the
+ladder. &lsquo;It&rsquo;s Jacko plucking Cataqua!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>The captain was on deck in two bounds, and with a
+shout of rage roused the whole crew from their slumbers.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Well!&rsquo; he roared to Double Mouth, &lsquo;what are you
+about, standing there? Come, be quick!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Double Mouth did not wait to be told twice, but was
+up the rigging like a squirrel, only the faster he climbed
+the faster Jacko plucked, until when the rescuer reached
+the spot it was a sadly bare bird which he tore from
+Jacko&rsquo;s vindictive hands and carried back to his master.</p>
+
+<p>Needless to say that Jacko was in dire disgrace after
+this exploit. However, in time he was forgiven and often
+amused the captain and crew with his pranks.</p>
+
+<p>When the &lsquo;Roxalana&rsquo; reached Marseilles after a quick
+and prosperous voyage, he was sold for seventy-five francs
+to Eug&egrave;ne Isabey the painter, who gave him to Flero for
+a Turkish hookah, who in his turn exchanged him for a
+Greek gun with D&eacute;camps.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>348]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>SIGNORA AND LORI</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Translated from <i>Deutsche Bl&auml;tter</i>, 1867. No. 10.</p>
+
+
+<p>A gentleman living at G&uuml;strow, in Mecklenburg, who
+was very fond of animals, possessed a fine parrot, which
+had beautiful plumage, and could talk better than most
+of his kind. Besides the parrot, he had a poodle, called
+Signora Patti, after the great singer, whom the gentleman
+had once heard when he was upon a visit to Rostock;
+after his return home he bestowed the name upon his
+dear poodle.</p>
+
+<p>Under the tuition of her master, the poodle began to
+be an artist in her way. There was no trick performed
+by dogs too difficult for her to learn. The parrot, whose
+name was Lori, paid the greatest attention whilst the
+Signora&rsquo;s lessons were going on, and he soon had all the
+vocabulary, which the Signora carried in her head, not
+only in his memory, but on his tongue.</p>
+
+<p>When the dog was told by her master to &lsquo;go to the
+baker,&rsquo; then Lori could croak out the words also. Signora
+Patti would hasten to fetch the little basket, seat herself
+before her master, and, looking up at him with her wise
+eyes, scrape gently upon the floor with her paw, which
+signified: &lsquo;Please put in the money.&rsquo; Her master
+dropped in a few coins, the Signora ran quickly to the
+baker with the basket, and brought it back filled with
+little cakes; placing it before her master, she awaited her
+reward, a good share of the dainties.</p>
+
+<p>Often, for a variety in the lessons, she had to go to
+the baker without money; then her master simply gave
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>349]</a></span>
+the order, &lsquo;on tick!&rsquo; and the Signora, who knew that the
+cakes would be sent, obeyed the command at once.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 404px;">
+<a name="illo60" id="illo60"></a>
+<img src="images/asb60.jpg" width="404" height="305"
+alt="Lori sits on the handle of the basket to stop Patti reaching the cakes" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">LORI REFUSES TO SHARE WITH THE SIGNORA</p>
+
+<p>The parrot made a droll use of these practisings,
+turning to account his knowledge of speech in the slyest
+way. If he found himself alone with the poodle, who
+was perhaps comfortably stretched on her cushion, Lori
+would cry&mdash;imitating his master&rsquo;s voice&mdash;as if he quite
+understood the joke: &lsquo;Go out!&rsquo; Poor Patti would get
+up in obedience to the order and slink out of the door
+with her ears drooping. And immediately Lori would
+whistle, just in the tone used by his master, and the
+Signora then returned joyfully into the room.</p>
+
+<p>But it was not only for pastime that Lori exercised
+his gift; the cunning bird used it for the benefit of his
+greedy beak. It began to happen often to the master to
+find that his private account-book, carefully kept in the
+smallest details, did not agree well with that of his
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>350]</a></span>
+neighbour the baker. The Signora, declared the baker,
+had become most accomplished in the art of running up
+a long bill, and always, of course, at her master&rsquo;s orders.
+Only he, the master, when he looked over the reckoning,
+growled to himself: &lsquo;My neighbour is a rogue; he chalks
+up the amount double.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>How very much was he astonished, then, and how
+quickly were his suspicions turned into laughter, when
+he beheld, through a half-open door, the following absurd
+scene.</p>
+
+<p>It was one fine morning, and Lori sat upon the top
+of his cage, calling out in his shrillest tones: &lsquo;Signora,
+Signora!&rsquo; The poodle hastened to present herself before
+him, wagging her tail, and Lori continued, &lsquo;Go to the
+baker.&rsquo; The Signora fetched the little basket from its
+place, and put it before her tyrant, scratching her paw on
+the floor to ask for money.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;On tick!&rsquo; was Lori&rsquo;s prompt and brief remark; the
+Signora seized the basket, and rushed out of the door.
+Before long she returned, laid the basket, full of the little
+cakes, before the parrot, and looked with a beseeching
+air for the reward of her toil.</p>
+
+<p>But the wicked Lori received her with a sharp &lsquo;get
+out,&rsquo; putting her to flight, and proceeded to enjoy his ill-gotten
+gains in solitude.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>351]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>OF THE LINNET, POPINJAY, OR PARROT,
+AND OTHER BIRDS THAT CAN SPEAK</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>The linnets be in manner the best birds of all others,
+howbeit, they be very docible. Do they will whatsoever
+they are taught and bidden, not only with their voice, but
+also with their feet and bills, as if they were hands. In
+the territory about Arelate (Arles) there is a bird called
+Taurus (because it loweth like a bull or cow, for otherwise
+a small bird it is). There is another also named Anthus,
+which likewise resembleth the neighing of horses; and if
+haply by the approach of horses they be driven from their
+grass whereof they feed, they will seem to neigh, and flying
+unto them, chase them away, and to be revenged of
+them again. But above all other birds of the air, the
+parrots pass for counterfeiting a man&rsquo;s voice, insomuch as
+they will seem to parle and prate our very speech. This
+fowl cometh out of the Indies; it is all the body over
+green, only it hath a collar about the neck of vermilion
+red, different from the rest of her feathers. The parrot
+can skill to salute emperors, and bid good-morrow: yea,
+and to pronounce what words she heareth. She loveth
+wine well, and when she hath drunk freely, is very pleasant
+and playful. She hath an head as hard as is her beak.
+When she learns to speak, she must be beaten about the
+head with a rod of iron; for otherwise she careth for no
+blows. When she taketh her flight down from any place,
+she lighteth upon her bill, and resteth thereupon, and
+by that means saveth her feet, which by nature are but
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>352]</a></span>
+weak and feeble, and so carrieth her own weight more
+lightly.</p>
+
+<p>There is a certain pie, of nothing so great reckoning
+and account as the parrot, because she is not far set, but
+here by near at hand: howbeit, she pronounces that which
+is taught her more plainly and distinctly than the other.
+These take a love to the words that they speak; for they
+not only learn them as a lesson, but they learn them with
+a delight and pleasure, insomuch that a man shall find
+them studying thereupon, and conning the said lesson;
+and by their careful thinking upon that which they learn
+they show plainly how mindful and intentive they be
+thereto. It is for certain known that they have died for
+very anger and grief that they could not learn to pronounce
+some hard words; as also unless they hear the same
+words repeated often unto them, their memory is so shittle,
+they will soon forget the same again. If they miss a word
+and have lost it, they will seek to call it again to remembrance;
+and if they fortune to hear the same word in the
+meantime, they will wonderfully joy thereat. As for their
+beauty, it is not ordinary, although it be not very lovely.
+But surely amiable enough are they in this, that they can
+so well resemble man&rsquo;s speech. It is said that none of
+their kind are good to be made scholars, but such only as
+feed upon mast; and among them, those that have five
+toes to their feet. But even these also are not fit for that
+purpose, after the first two years of their age. And their
+tongue is broader than ordinary; like as they be all that
+counterfeit man&rsquo;s voice, each one in their kind, although
+it be in manner general to birds whatsoever to be broad-tongued.</p>
+
+<p>Agrippina the Empress, wife to Claudius C&aelig;sar, had
+a black-bird or a throstle at what time I compiled this
+book, which could counterfeit man&rsquo;s speech; a thing never
+seen or known before. The two C&aelig;sars also, the young
+princes (to wit, Germanicus and Drusus,) had one stare,
+and sundry nightingales, taught to parle Greek and Latin.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>353]</a></span>
+Moreover, they would study upon their lessons, and meditate
+all day long; and from day to day come out with new
+words still, yea, and are now able to continue a long speech
+and discourse. Now for to teach them the better, these
+birds must be in a secret place apart by themselves, when
+they can hear no other voice; and one is to sit over them,
+who must repeat often that which he would have them to
+learn; yea, and please them also with giving them such
+meat as they best love.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>354]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>PATCH AND THE CHICKENS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>On a farm up in Durham, there were six little chickens
+who were deserted by the mother hen as soon as they
+were hatched. So the farmer&rsquo;s wife put them in a basket
+and carried them into the cottage to keep them warm by
+the fire.</p>
+
+<p>There they were discovered by a smooth-coated terrier,
+named Patch, who was at that time very sad because her
+little puppy had just died, and she began to look after
+the chickens as if they were her own children. The little
+chicks also turned to her quite naturally for care and
+protection.</p>
+
+<p>She used to treat them very gently, and would sit and
+watch them feed with the greatest interest. She would
+curl herself up, and then let them climb about her, and
+go to sleep between her paws. Sometimes she did not
+seem to consider the floor comfortable enough for her
+adopted family, and would jump on to a wooden settle
+which stood in the kitchen, and then with her feet she
+would pat the cushions into a cosy bed, and very carefully
+would take one chicken after another in her mouth, and
+place them on the softest part.</p>
+
+<p>Soon the time came for the chickens to be sent out into
+the world.</p>
+
+<p>One day when Patch was out for a walk they were
+taken to the farmyard.</p>
+
+<p>When the poor little dog returned she was quite broken-hearted,
+and ran whining about the cottage. Then, as if
+seized with a sudden thought, she walked out of the door,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>355]</a></span>
+and in a very short time she reappeared, followed by her
+feathered family, and again they took up their abode in
+the cottage. Every morning Patch used to take them
+out for a walk, and it was a most amusing sight to see
+the little terrier followed by a procession of six stately
+hens.</p>
+
+<p>At last their living in the house became such an inconvenience
+to the farmer&rsquo;s wife that poor Patch&rsquo;s children
+had to be killed.</p>
+
+<p>For some time Patch was very unhappy, and would
+still go into the farmyard to look for her six chickens.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>356]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE FIERCE FALCON</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">From <i>Wild Sports of the Highlands</i>. By C. St. John.</p>
+
+
+<p>There are not nearly so many stories about birds as
+about dogs and cats, because birds can fly away, and it is
+more difficult to know what becomes of them. Perhaps,
+properly speaking, stories about birds have no business in
+a &lsquo;Beast Book,&rsquo; but as long as the story is interesting, it
+does not do to be too particular.</p>
+
+<p>A good many years ago, a gentleman named St. John
+was exploring the high hills near the source of the Findhorn,
+in Inverness-shire, when he found a young falcon
+which was being reared as a pet by a shepherd boy, who
+gave her trout to eat. There was not much beauty about
+the falcon when Mr. St. John first saw her, for her
+plumage was dark-brown, with long-shaped spots on the
+breast, but in spite of that he took a fancy to her, and
+persuaded her master to sell her to him. When, however,
+she had passed her second birthday, and might be considered
+grown up, she put on all her finest feathers, and
+was very much admired by everyone. Her throat became
+a lovely soft cream colour, and the brown on her back
+changed into a lovely dark grey, while on her bosom, each
+little feather was crossed by a bar. But lovely though
+she was, Mr. St. John felt her to be a great care, for she
+was very strong as well as very brave, and would never
+think twice about attacking dogs or even people, if they
+offended her. As for the fowls, she soon made such short
+work of <em>them</em>, that her master was obliged to chain her
+up in the kitchen garden, which had hitherto formed the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>357]</a></span>
+property of a tame owl. Luckily for the owl, the falcon
+at once made friends with him, and he was even allowed
+to finish up any of the falcon&rsquo;s dinner which she did not
+want herself.</p>
+
+<p>Matters went quite smoothly for some weeks, and Mr.
+St. John was beginning to flatter himself that his pet was
+quieting down, and becoming quite a home bird, when one
+day a duck, tempted by the sight of the garden, whose
+gate had been carelessly left open, advanced a few steps
+along the path. Seeing nothing and nobody (for being
+daylight, the owl was asleep and the falcon too cunning
+to move) the duck became bolder, and walked merrily on,
+pecking at anything that took her fancy, and making funny
+little noises of satisfaction, unconscious of a pair of bright
+eyes that were watching her from behind a bush. Indeed,
+so absorbed was the duck in her afternoon tea, that she
+never even saw the falcon steal softly out and soar a little
+way up into the air, and suddenly swoop down with great
+force, and before the victim had time to be frightened she
+was dead, and her body was carried away in the falcon&rsquo;s
+claws, to serve for her supper.</p>
+
+<p>Now the duck was the mother of a large family, all
+newly hatched, and it would have fared very badly with
+them in their babyhood, had it not been for the kindness
+of a guinea-fowl, who adopted them as her own, directly
+she heard that they were left orphans and helpless. The
+guinea-fowl, indeed, was quite glad of the chance, because
+she had a warm heart, and had mourned sadly for her husband,
+who had been lately condemned to death on account
+of a series of horrible murders he had committed among the
+young chickens. So the good creature thought the duck&rsquo;s
+sad accident quite providential, and at once set about filling
+her place. Like many other mothers, instead of making
+the little ducklings fall into <em>her</em> ways, <em>she</em> fell into theirs,
+and never left their sides, except on urgent business. And
+they had, even then, only to call to her if they saw great
+clumsy animals such as dogs or children coming their way,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>358]</a></span>
+and down she would rush in a frightful hurry, half scrambling,
+half flying over bushes and palings, and making
+furious pecks at the children&rsquo;s legs, if they ventured too
+close to her little ones.</p>
+
+<p>Still, not all her love nor all her courage would have
+prevented the guinea-fowl falling a victim to the falcon, if
+once the bird had got loose, and as it was, the falcon continued
+to do a good deal of damage to the creatures about
+the farmyard. A cock, who had hitherto crowed very
+loudly and declared himself king of the birds, was foolish
+enough to give battle to our falcon. An hour after, a few
+feathers were all that remained of <em>him</em>, and as to the
+pigeons, if they ever happened to get within the length of
+her chain, their doom was certain. At last the gaps in the
+poultry yard became so serious that Mr. St. John made up
+his mind that the falcon must be fastened up in a still more
+out-of-the-way place, and while he was altering her chain
+away she flew. Of course he thought she was gone for
+ever, and he watched her circling about the house with a
+very sad heart, for he still was fond of her, though she was
+such a very bad bird, and gave him so much trouble; but
+as it was getting dark, he had to go in, and stealing a
+last look at her as he entered the house, he saw her
+settling down for the night, in the top of a tall tree.</p>
+
+<p>For five days no more was seen or heard of the wanderer,
+and it was not until the fifth morning that Mr. St.
+John observed her, high in the air, fighting fiercely with
+some hooded crows. He stood out on the grass, where
+there was nothing to hide him, and whistled loudly. In
+an instant the falcon heard him, busily engaged though
+she was, and wheeled down to her old master, perching on
+his arm, and rubbing her beak against him. She did not
+seem to have been softened or improved by her taste of
+liberty, for she showed herself quite as ready as of old to
+attack everything within reach of her chain, first killing
+them, and then pulling off their hair or plucking out their
+feathers, before she began her meal. The only animal
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>359]</a></span>
+which she could not swallow was a mole, and one day
+she swooped down on a Skye terrier, and it would certainly
+not have escaped alive, had not its master come to the
+rescue. But it is time we thought of something nicer
+than this dreadful bird.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>360]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>MR. BOLT, THE SCOTCH TERRIER</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Jesse&rsquo;s <i>British Dogs</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>All children who know anything of dogs or cats will have
+found out very soon that the ugly ones are generally far
+cleverer and more sensible than the pretty ones, who are
+very apt to think too much of themselves, and will spend
+a long time admiring themselves in the glass, just as if
+they were vain men and women. Perhaps it is not altogether
+their fault if they are stupid, for when they are
+shaped well, and have fine glossy coats, their masters and
+mistresses spoil them, and give them too much to eat, so
+they grow lazy and greedy and disobedient, and like
+better to lie on the hearth-rug than to do tricks or jump
+over fences.</p>
+
+<p>Now, luckily for himself, Mr. Bolt, the hero of this
+story, was quite a plain dog. There could be no doubt
+about it; and those who loved him did so because he
+was useful and good company, and not because he was
+elegant or graceful. Bolt was a large Scotch terrier,
+rough and hairy, with a thick sort of grey fringe, and
+great dark eyes looking out from underneath the fringe.
+His tail and his legs were very short, and his back was
+very long, so long that he reminded one of a furniture
+van more than anything else.</p>
+
+<p>But, clever though he was, Bolt had his faults, and
+the worst of them was that he was very apt to take offence
+when none was intended, and was far too ready to pick a
+quarrel, and to hit out with all his might. He probably
+owed some of this love of fighting to the country in which
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>361]</a></span>
+he was born; for, although a Scotch dog by descent, he
+was Irish by birth, and his earliest home was near Dublin.
+As everybody knows, the happiest moment of an Irishman&rsquo;s
+life is when he is fighting something or somebody,
+and Bolt in his youth was as reckless as any Irishman of
+them all. He was hardly a year old when he turned upon
+his own mother, who had done something to displease
+him when they were chained together in a stable, and
+never let her throat go until she was stone dead. Cats,
+too, were his natural enemies, whom he fought and
+conquered when no dogs were at hand, and sometimes he
+would steal out at night from his master&rsquo;s bed, where he
+always slept, and go for a chase by the light of the moon.
+Early one morning a fearful noise was heard in the house,
+and when his master, unable to bear it any longer, got
+out of bed to see what had happened, he found a strange
+cat lying on the stairs quite dead, and the house-cat, with
+which Bolt was barely on speaking terms, sitting in a
+friendly manner by the side of the conqueror. It is
+supposed that the strange cat had been led either by
+motives of curiosity or robbery to enter by some open
+window, and that the house-cat, unable to drive him out,
+had welcomed Bolt&rsquo;s ready help for the purpose. Fighter
+though he was by nature, Bolt had inherited enough
+Scotch caution not to begin a quarrel unless he had a
+fair chance of victory; but he was generous, and seldom
+attacked dogs smaller than himself, unless he was forced
+into it, or really had nothing better to do. He always
+began by seizing his enemy&rsquo;s hind leg, which no other
+dog had been known to do before, and he had such a
+dislike to dogs whose skins were yellow, that not even
+the company of ladies, and the responsibility weighing
+upon him as their escort, would stop Bolt&rsquo;s wild rush at
+his yellow foe. He hated being shut up too, and showed
+amazing cleverness in escaping from prison. If that was
+<em>quite</em> impossible, he did the next best thing, which was to
+gnaw and destroy every article he could in any way reach.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>362]</a></span>
+One day when he had behaved so oddly that his family
+feared he must be going mad (children have been known
+to frighten their parents in a similar way), he was chained
+up in a little room, and, feeling too angry to sleep, he
+amused himself all night with tearing a Bible, several
+shoes, and a rug, while he gnawed a hole through the
+door, and bit through the leg of a table. In the morning,
+when his master came to look at him, he seemed quite
+recovered, and very well pleased with himself.</p>
+
+<p>As you will see, Bolt had plenty of faults, but he also
+had some very good qualities, and when he did not think
+himself insulted by somebody&rsquo;s behaviour, he could show
+a great deal of sense. One night the cook had been
+sitting up very late, baking bread for the next day, and
+being very tired, she fell asleep by the kitchen fire, and a
+spark fell out on her woollen dress. As there was no
+blaze, and the girl was a heavy sleeper, she would most
+likely never have waked at all till it was too late, only
+luckily for her, the smell reached Bolt&rsquo;s nose as he was
+lying curled up on his master&rsquo;s bed, near the door which
+always stood open. Before rousing the house, and giving
+them all a great fright, he thought he had better make
+sure exactly what was wrong, so he ran first down to the
+kitchen from which the smell seemed to come, and finding
+the cook half stupefied by the smoke, he rushed back to
+call his master. This he managed to do by tearing up
+and down the room, leaping on the bed, and pulling off
+all the clothes, so that the poor man was quite cold. His
+master was much astonished at the state of excitement
+Bolt was in, and feared at first that he had gone mad, but
+after a few minutes he decided that he would get up and
+see what was the matter. Bolt went carefully before him
+into the kitchen and sat down by the side of the sleeping
+girl, turning his face anxiously to the door, to make sure
+that his master should make no mistake. So in a few
+seconds the fire was put out, and the girl escaped with
+nothing worse than a slight scorching.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>363]</a></span>
+I might tell you many stories of Bolt and his funny
+ways, but I have only room for one now. After some
+time his mistress and her daughter left the house in which
+Bolt had spent so many years, and took lodgings in
+Dublin. Bolt went with them, but when they all arrived,
+the landlady declared she did not like dogs, and Bolt
+must be placed elsewhere. Now this was very awkward;
+of course it was out of the question that Bolt could be
+left behind, yet it was too late to make other arrangements,
+so after some consideration he was sent back to
+some lodgings near by, where his master had formerly
+lived, and where they promised to take great care of him.
+His young mistress called every day to carry him off for
+a walk, and she often tried to get him to enter the house
+she herself was living in, but nothing would persuade the
+offended Bolt to go inside the door. He would sit on the
+step for some time, hoping she would be persuaded to
+return with <em>him</em>, but when he found <em>that</em> was hopeless, he
+walked proudly back to his own rooms. His mistresses
+stayed in that house for nearly a year, and in all that
+time Bolt never forgot or forgave the slight put upon
+him, or could be induced to enter the house. Indeed, his
+feelings were so bitterly hurt, that even when they all set
+up house again, it was months before Bolt could be got to
+do anything more than pay his family a call now and
+then, and sometimes dine with them. So you see it is a
+serious thing to offend a dog, and he needs to be as
+delicately handled as a human being.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>364]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>A RAVEN&rsquo;S FUNERAL</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>In the days of Tiberius the Emperor, there was a young
+raven hatched in a nest upon the church of Castor and
+Pollux; which to make a trial how he could fly, took his
+first flight into a shoemaker&rsquo;s shop just over against the
+said church. The master of the shop was well enough
+content to receive this bird, as commended to him from so
+sacred a place, and in that regard set great store by it.
+This raven in short time being acquainted to man&rsquo;s speech,
+began to speak, and every morning would fly up to the
+top of the Rostra, or public pulpit for orations, when,
+turning to the open Forum or market place, he would
+salute and bid good-morrow to Tiberius C&aelig;sar, and after
+him to Germanicus and Drusus, the young princes, every
+one by their names: and anon the people of Rome also
+that passed by. And when he had so done, afterwards
+would fly again to the shoemaker&rsquo;s shop aforesaid. This
+duty practised, yea and continued for many years together,
+to the great wonder and admiration of all men.</p>
+
+<p>Now it fell out so, that another shoemaker who had
+taken the next shop unto him, either upon a malicious
+envy or some sudden spleen and passion of anger, killed
+the raven. Whereat the people took such indignation,
+that they, rising in an uproar, first drove him out of that
+street, and made that quarter of the city too hot for him;
+and not long after murdered him for it. But contrariwise,
+the carcase of this raven was solemnly interred, and the
+funeral performed with all the ceremonial obsequies that
+could be devised. For the corpse of this bird was bestowed
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365"><!-- original location of Funeral illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>367]</a></span>
+in a coffin, couch, or bed, and the same bedecked with
+chaplets of fresh flowers of all sorts, carried upon the
+shoulders of two blackamoors, with minstrels before,
+sounding the haut-boys, and playing on the fife, as far as
+the funeral fire, which was piled and made in the right
+hand of the causey Appia, in a certain plain or open
+field.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo61" id="illo61"></a>
+<img src="images/asb61.jpg" width="600" height="360"
+alt="The people accompany the body of the raven through the streets" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">A RAVEN&rsquo;S FUNERAL</p>
+
+<p>So highly reputed the people of Rome that ready wit
+and apt disposition in a bird, as they thought it a sufficient
+cause to ordain a sumptuous burial therefore.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>368]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>A STRANGE TIGER</i></h2>
+
+<p class="source">Bingley&rsquo;s <i>Animal Biography</i>.</p>
+
+
+<p>In the year 1790, a baby tiger only six weeks old,
+whose skin was most beautifully marked in black and
+yellow, and whose figure was as perfectly modelled as the
+figure of any tiger could be, was put on board a large
+East India Company&rsquo;s ship called the &lsquo;Pitt,&rsquo; to be brought
+to London as a present to George III. Of course, in
+those days, no one ever thought of coming through the
+Red Sea, but all vessels sailed all the way round by the
+Atlantic, so the voyage naturally took many months,
+especially if the winds were unfavourable. Under these
+circumstances it was as well to choose your fellow-passengers
+carefully, as you had to live such a long time with
+them.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a name="illo62" id="illo62"></a>
+<img src="images/asb62.jpg" width="600" height="331"
+alt="The tiger stretches out in his cage with his friend the dog" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE TIGER AND HIS FRIEND</p>
+
+<p>Unlike most of its tribe, the little tiger soon made
+itself at home on board ship, and as it was too small to
+do much harm, it was allowed to run about loose and
+played with anybody who had time for a game. It generally
+liked to sleep with the sailors in their hammocks,
+and they would often pretend to use it for a pillow, as
+it lay at full length on the deck. Partly out of fun,
+and partly because it was its nature so to do, the tiger
+would every now and then steal a piece of meat, if it found
+one handy. One day it was caught red-handed by the
+carpenter, who took the beef right out of its mouth, and
+gave it a good beating, but instead of the man getting
+bitten for his pains, as he might have expected, the tiger
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_369" id="Page_369"><!-- original location of Tiger illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_370" id="Page_370"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_371" id="Page_371">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>371]</a></span>
+took his punishment quite meekly, and bore the carpenter
+no grudge after. One of its favourite tricks was to run
+out to the very end of the bowsprit, and stand there looking
+over the sea, and there was no place in the whole
+ship to which it would not climb when the fancy took it.
+But on the whole, the little tiger preferred to have company
+in its gambols, and was especially fond of dogs, of
+which there were several on board. They would chase each
+other and roll over together just like two puppies, and
+during the ten months or so that the voyage from China
+lasted, they had time enough to become fast friends.
+When the vessel reached London, the tiger was at once
+taken to the Tower, which was the Zoological Gardens of
+those days. The little fellow did not mind, for he was
+always ready to take what came and make the best of it,
+and all the keepers grew as fond of him as the sailors had
+been.</p>
+
+<p>No more is known about him for eleven months, when
+he was quite grown up, and then one day, just after he
+had had his dinner, a black rough-haired terrier pup was
+put into his cage. Most tigers would have eaten it at
+once, but not this one, who still remembered his early
+friends on board ship. He used to watch for the pup
+every day, and lick it all over, taking care never to hurt it
+with his rough tongue. In general, the terrier had its
+food outside the cage, but sometimes it was forgotten, and
+then it would try to snatch a bit of the tiger&rsquo;s meat; but
+this the tiger thought impertinent, and made the dog
+understand that it was the one thing he would not stand.</p>
+
+<p>After several months of close companionship, the
+terrier was for some reason taken away, and one day,
+when the tiger awakened from his after-dinner nap, he
+found the terrier gone, and a tiny Dutch mastiff in its
+place. He was surprised, but as usual made no fuss,
+and proceeded to give it a good lick, much to the alarm of
+the little mastiff. However, its fright soon wore off, and
+in a day or two it might be seen barking round him and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_372" id="Page_372">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>372]</a></span>
+even biting his feet, which the tiger never objected to,
+perhaps because he could hardly have felt it.</p>
+
+<p>Two years after the tiger had been settled in the Tower,
+the very same carpenter who had beaten him for stealing
+the beef came back to England and at once paid a visit
+to his old friend. The tiger was enchanted to see him,
+and rushing to the grating, began rubbing himself against
+it with delight. The carpenter begged to be let into the
+cage, and though the keepers did not like it, he declared
+there was no danger, and at last they opened the door.
+In a moment the tiger was by his side, nearly knocking
+him down with joy and affection, licking his hands and
+rubbing his head on his shoulders, and when, after two
+or three hours, the carpenter got up to go, the tiger would
+hardly let him leave the den, for he wanted to keep him
+there for ever.</p>
+
+<p>But all tigers cannot be judged by this tiger.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_373" id="Page_373">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>373]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>HALCYONS AND THEIR BIOGRAPHERS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Some of the old writers, such as Pliny, Plutarch, Ovid,
+and Aristotle, tell a pretty story about a bird called the
+halcyon, which flew sporting over the seas, and in midwinter,
+when the days were shortest, sat on its nest and
+brooded over its eggs. And Neptune, who loved these
+small, gay-plumaged creatures, took pity on them, and
+kept the waves still during the time of their sitting, so
+that by-and-bye the days in a man&rsquo;s life that were free
+from storm and tempest became known as his &lsquo;halcyon
+days,&rsquo; by which name you will still hear them called.</p>
+
+<p>Now after a careful comparison of the descriptions of
+the ancient writers, modern naturalists have come to the
+conclusion that the &lsquo;halcyon&rsquo; of Pliny and the rest was
+no other than our beautiful kingfisher, which flashes its
+lovely green and blue along the rivers and cascades both
+of the Old World and the New. It is now known that the
+kingfisher is one of the burrowing birds, and that it scoops
+out in the sand or soft earth of the river banks a passage
+which is often as much as four feet long and grows
+wider as it recedes from the water. It feeds upon fish, and
+fish bones may be found in large numbers on the floor of the
+kingfisher&rsquo;s house, which, either from laziness or a dislike
+to change, he inhabits for years together. His eyes are
+wonderfully quick, and he can detect a fish even in turbulent
+waters from the bough of a tree. Then he makes a
+rapid dart, and rarely misses his prey. No bird has been
+the subject of so many superstitions and false stories as
+the kingfisher, which attracted much attention from its
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_374" id="Page_374">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>374]</a></span>
+great beauty. Ovid changes the king of Magnesia and his
+wife Alcyone into kingfishers, Pliny talks of the bird&rsquo;s
+sweet voice (whereas its note is particularly harsh and
+ugly), and Plutarch mistakes the sea-urchin&rsquo;s shell for
+that of the halcyon. Even the Tartars have a story to tell
+of this bird, and assure us that a feather plucked from a
+kingfisher and then cast into the water will gain the love
+of every woman it afterwards touches, while the Ostiacs
+held that the possession of the skin, bill, and claws of
+the kingfisher will ensure the owner a life made up of
+&lsquo;halcyon days.&rsquo;</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_375" id="Page_375">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>375]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE STORY OF A FROG</i></h2>
+
+
+<h3>PART I</h3>
+
+<p>Everyone knows what excitement the approach of the
+shooting season causes to a certain class of people in
+Paris. One is perpetually meeting some of them on their
+way back from the canal where they have been &lsquo;getting
+their hands in&rsquo; by popping at larks and sparrows, dragging
+a dog after them, and stopping each acquaintance to
+ask: &lsquo;Do you like quails and partridges?&rsquo; &lsquo;Certainly.&rsquo;
+&lsquo;Ah, well, I&rsquo;ll send you some about the second or third of
+next month.&rsquo; &lsquo;Many thanks.&rsquo; &lsquo;By the way I hit five
+sparrows out of eight shots just now. Not bad, was it?&rsquo;
+&lsquo;First rate indeed!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Well, towards the end of August, 1830, one of these
+sportsmen called at No. 109, in the Faubourg St.-Denis,
+and on being told that D&eacute;camps was at home, climbed to
+the fifth floor, dragging his dog up step by step, and
+knocking his gun against every corner till he reached
+the studio of that eminent painter. However, he only
+found his brother Alexandre, one of those brilliant
+and original persons whose inherent laziness alone
+prevented his bringing his great natural gifts to
+perfection.</p>
+
+<p>He was universally voted a very good fellow, for his
+easy good nature made him ready to do or give whatever
+anyone asked. It was not surprising, therefore, that the
+new comer soon managed to persuade Alexandre that
+nothing could be more delightful than to attend the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_376" id="Page_376">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>376]</a></span>
+opening of the shooting season on the plains of St.-Denis,
+where, according to general report, there were swarms of
+quails, clouds of partridges, and troops of hares.</p>
+
+<p>As a result of this visit, Alexandre D&eacute;camps ordered a
+shooting coat from his tailor, a gun from the first gun-maker&rsquo;s
+in Paris, and a pair of gaiters from an equally
+celebrated firm; all of which cost him 660 francs, not to
+mention the price of his licence.</p>
+
+<p>On August 31 Alexandre discovered that one important
+item was still wanting to his outfit&mdash;a dog. He went at
+once to a man who had supplied various models to his
+brother Eug&egrave;ne&rsquo;s well-known picture of &lsquo;performing
+dogs,&rsquo; and asked if he happened to have any sporting
+dogs.</p>
+
+<p>The man declared he had the very thing, and going to
+the kennel promptly whipped off the three-cornered hat
+and little coat worn by a black and white mongrel whom
+he hastened to present to his customer as a dog of the
+purest breed. Alexandre hinted that it was not usual for
+a pointer to have such sharp-pointed ears, but the dealer
+replied that &lsquo;Love&rsquo; was an English dog, and that it was
+considered the very best form for English dogs to have
+pointed ears. As this statement <em>might</em> be true, Alexandre
+made no further objections, but paid for the dog and took
+Love home with him.</p>
+
+<p>At five o&rsquo;clock next morning Alexandre was roused up
+by his sporting friend, who, scolding him well for not
+being ready earlier, hurried him off as fast as possible,
+declaring the whole plain would be shot before they could
+get there.</p>
+
+<p>It was certainly a curious sight; not a swallow, not
+even the meanest little sparrow, could rise without a
+volley of shots after it, and everyone was anxiously on the
+look-out for any and every sort of bird that could possibly
+be called game.</p>
+
+<p>Alexandre&rsquo;s friend was soon bitten by the general
+fever and threw himself energetically amidst the excited
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_377" id="Page_377">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>377]</a></span>
+crowd, whilst Alexandre strolled along more calmly,
+dutifully followed by Love. Now everyone knows that
+the first duty of any sporting dog is to scour the field and
+<em>not</em> to count the nails in his master&rsquo;s boots. This thought
+naturally occurred to Alexandre, and he accordingly made
+a sign to Love and said: &lsquo;Seek!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 350px;">
+<a name="illo63" id="illo63"></a>
+<img src="images/asb63.jpg" width="350" height="490"
+alt="Love dances around on his hind legs" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">LOVE&rsquo;S DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOUR OUT SHOOTING</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_378" id="Page_378">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>378]</a></span>
+Love promptly stood up on his hind legs and began
+to dance.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Dear me,&rsquo; said Alexandre, as he lowered his gun and
+contemplated his dog: &lsquo;It appears that Love unites the
+lighter accomplishments to his more serious education.
+I seem to have made rather a good bargain.&rsquo; However,
+having bought Love to point and not to dance, he waited
+till the dance was over and repeated in firm tones:
+&lsquo;Seek!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Love stretched himself out at full length and appeared
+to be dead.</p>
+
+<p>Alexandre put his glass into his eye and inspected
+Love. The intelligent creature was perfectly immovable;
+not a hair on his body stirred, he might have been dead
+for twenty-four hours.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;This is all very pretty,&rsquo; said Alexandre, &lsquo;but, my
+friend, this is not the time for these jokes. We are here
+to shoot&mdash;let us shoot. Come! get up.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Love did not stir an inch.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Wait a bit,&rsquo; remarked Alexandre, as he picked up a
+stick from the ground and took a step towards Love,
+intending to stir him up with it: &lsquo;Wait a bit.&rsquo; But no
+sooner did Love see the stick in his master&rsquo;s hand than
+he sprang to his feet and eagerly watched his movements.
+Alexandre thinking the dog was at last going to obey, held
+the stick towards him, and for the third time ordered him
+to &lsquo;seek.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Love took a run and sprang gracefully over the stick.</p>
+
+<p>Love could do three things to perfection&mdash;dance on
+his hind legs, sham dead, and jump for the king!</p>
+
+<p>Alexandre, however, who did not appreciate the third
+accomplishment any more than he had done the two
+others, broke the stick over Love&rsquo;s back, which sent him
+off howling to his master&rsquo;s friend.</p>
+
+<p>As fate would have it the friend fired at that very
+moment, and an unfortunate lark fell right into Love&rsquo;s
+jaws. Love thankfully accepted this windfall, and made
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_379" id="Page_379">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>379]</a></span>
+but one mouthful of the lark. The infuriated sportsman
+threw himself on the dog, and seizing him by the throat
+to force open his jaws, thrust in his hand and drew out&mdash;three
+tail feathers: the bird itself was not to be thought
+of.</p>
+
+<p>Bestowing a vicious kick on the unhappy Love, he
+turned on Alexandre, exclaiming: &lsquo;Never again do you
+catch me shooting with you. Your brute of a dog has
+just devoured a superb quail. Ah! come here if you
+dare, you rascal!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>Poor Love had not the least wish to go near him. He
+ran as fast as he could to his master, a sure proof that he
+preferred blows to kicks.</p>
+
+<p>However, the lark seemed to have whetted Love&rsquo;s
+appetite: and perceiving creatures of apparently the same
+kind rise now and then from the ground, he took to
+scampering about in hopes of some second piece of good
+luck.</p>
+
+<p>Alexandre had some difficulty in keeping up with him,
+for Love hunted his game after a fashion of his own, that
+is to say with his head up and his tail down. This would
+seem to prove that his sight was better than his scent,
+but it was particularly objectionable to his master, for he
+put up the birds before they were within reach, and then
+ran barking after them. This went on nearly all day.</p>
+
+<p>Towards five o&rsquo;clock Alexandre had walked about
+fifteen miles and Love at least fifty; the former was
+exhausted with calling and the latter with barking, when,
+all of a sudden Love began to point, so firmly and steadily
+that he seemed changed to stone.</p>
+
+<p>At this surprising sight Alexandre, forgetful of all his
+fatigues and disappointments, hurried up, trembling lest
+Love should break off before he could get within reach.
+No fear; Love might have been glued to the spot. Alexandre
+came up to him, noted the direction of his eyes
+and saw that they were fixed on a tuft of grass, and that
+under this grass there appeared to be some greyish object.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_380" id="Page_380">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>380]</a></span>
+Thinking it must be a young bird which had strayed from
+its covey, he laid down his gun, took his cap in his hand,
+and cautiously creeping near, like a child about to catch
+a butterfly, he flung the cap over the unknown object, put
+in his hand and drew out&mdash;a frog!</p>
+
+<p>Anyone else would have flung the frog away, but
+Alexandre philosophically reflected that there must certainly
+be some great future in store for this, the sole result
+of his day&rsquo;s sport; so he accordingly put the frog carefully
+into his game bag and brought it home, where he
+transferred it to an empty glass jam jar and poured the
+contents of his water-bottle on its head.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 224px;">
+<a name="illo64" id="illo64"></a>
+<img src="images/asb64.jpg" width="224" height="195"
+alt="A frog" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">THE SOLE RESULT OF HIS DAY&rsquo;S SPORT</p>
+
+<p>So much care and trouble for a frog may appear
+excessive; but Alexandre knew what this particular frog
+had cost him, and he treated it accordingly.</p>
+
+<p>It had cost him 660 francs, without counting his
+licence.</p>
+
+
+<h3>PART II</h3>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Ah, ah!&rsquo; cried Dr. Thierry as he entered the studio
+next day, &lsquo;so you&rsquo;ve got a new inmate.&rsquo; And without
+paying any attention to Tom&rsquo;s friendly growls or to
+Jacko&rsquo;s engaging grimaces, he walked straight up to the
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_381" id="Page_381">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>381]</a></span>
+jar which contained Mademoiselle Camargo&mdash;as she had
+already been named.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a>
+A fashionable dancer in Paris.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Mademoiselle Camargo, unaware that Thierry was not
+only a learned doctor, but also a most intellectual and
+delightful person, fell to swimming round and round her
+jar as fast as she could go, which however did not prevent
+her being seized by one of her hind legs.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 228px;">
+<a name="illo65" id="illo65"></a>
+<img src="images/asb65.jpg" width="228" height="350"
+alt="The frog in a tall jar with water and a ladder" />
+</div>
+
+<p class="caption">MADEMOISELLE CAMARGO BECOMES A BAROMETER</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Dear me,&rsquo; said Thierry, as he turned the little creature
+about, &lsquo;a specimen of the <i>Rana temporaria</i>. See,
+there are the two black spots near the eyes which give it
+the name. Now if you only had a few dozens of this
+species, I should advise you to have a fricass&eacute;e made of
+their hind legs, to send for a couple of bottles of good
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_382" id="Page_382">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>382]</a></span>
+claret, and to ask me to dinner. But as you only happen
+to have one, we will, with your leave, content ourselves
+with making a barometer.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Now,&rsquo; said Thierry, opening a drawer, &lsquo;let us attend
+to the prisoner&rsquo;s furniture.&rsquo; Saying which he took out
+two cartridges, a gimlet, a penknife, two paint-brushes,
+and four matches. D&eacute;camps watched him without in the
+least understanding the object of all these preparations,
+which the doctor was making with as much care as though
+for some surgical operation.</p>
+
+<p>First he emptied the powder out of the cartridges into
+a tray and kept the bullets. Then he threw the brushes
+and ties to Jacko and kept the handles.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;What the deuce are you about?&rsquo; cried D&eacute;camps,
+snatching his two best paint-brushes from Jacko. &lsquo;Why
+you&rsquo;re ruining my establishment!&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;I&rsquo;m making a ladder,&rsquo; gravely replied Thierry.</p>
+
+<p>And true enough, having bored holes in the bullets,
+he fixed the brush handles into them so as to form the
+sides of the ladder, using the matches to make the rungs.
+Five minutes later the ladder was completed and placed
+in the jar, where the weight of the bullets kept it firmly
+down.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner did Mademoiselle Camargo find herself the
+owner of this article of furniture than she prepared to test
+it by climbing up to the top rung.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;We shall have rain,&rsquo; said Thierry.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;You don&rsquo;t say so,&rsquo; replied D&eacute;camps, &lsquo;and there&rsquo;s my
+brother who wanted to go out shooting again to-day.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Mademoiselle Camargo does not advise his doing so,&rsquo;
+remarked the doctor.</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;How so?&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;My dear friend, I have been providing you with an
+inexpensive but reliable barometer. Each time you see
+Mademoiselle Camargo climb to the top of her ladder it&rsquo;s
+a sure sign of rain; when she remains at the bottom you
+may count on fine weather, and if she goes up half-way,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_383" id="Page_383">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>383]</a></span>
+don&rsquo;t venture out without your umbrella; changeable,
+changeable.&rsquo;</p>
+
+<p>&lsquo;Dear me, dear me,&rsquo; said D&eacute;camps.</p>
+
+<p>During the next six months Mademoiselle Camargo
+continued to foretell the weather with perfect and unerring
+regularity. But for painful reasons into which we
+need not inquire too closely, Mademoiselle&rsquo;s useful career
+soon closed, and she left a blank in the m&eacute;nagerie.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_384" id="Page_384">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>384]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE WOODPECKER TAPPING ON THE
+HOLLOW OAK TREE</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Most children who were taught music forty or fifty years
+ago, learnt as one of their first tunes an air called &lsquo;The
+Woodpecker Tapping on the Hollow Oak Tree.&rsquo; Oak trees
+are not the only ones that woodpeckers, and especially
+American woodpeckers, &lsquo;tap&rsquo; on. There is hardly any
+old tree which they disdain to work upon, sometimes for
+food, sometimes for nesting purposes, sometimes it would
+seem merely for the sake of employment and of keeping
+their bills in order.</p>
+
+<p>For the woodpecker&rsquo;s bill is a very powerful instrument,
+and can get through a great deal of work. In the
+case of the &lsquo;ivory-billed woodpecker,&rsquo; it is not only white,
+and hard, and strong, but it has a ribbed surface, which
+tends to prevent its breaking, and even if he does not form
+one of this class, the woodpecker is as clever in his own
+line as any carpenter, and more industrious than many.
+The moment that he notices symptoms of decay in any
+tree, he flies off to make a careful examination of it, and
+when he has decided on the best mode of attack, he loses
+no time, and has even been known to strip all the bark
+off a dead pine tree of thirty feet long in less than twenty
+minutes. And this not in little bits, but in sheets five or
+six feet long, and as whole as the fleece of a sheep when
+it is sheared.</p>
+
+<p>Of course different varieties of woodpeckers have little
+differences in their habits, in the same way that habits
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_385" id="Page_385">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>385]</a></span>
+differ in different families; but certain customs and ways
+of digging are common to them all. Every woodpecker,
+for instance, when placed in a wooden cage, will instantly
+set to work to dig himself out of it, and to keep him safe,
+he needs to be surrounded by wire, against which his bill
+is utterly useless. In general the male and female work
+by turns at the hole, which is always begun by the male,
+and is as perfectly round as if it had been measured and
+drawn from one point to another. For a while the boring
+is quite straight, and then it takes a sloping direction, so
+as to provide a partial shelter against the rain. Sometimes
+the bird will begin by a slope, and end in a direct
+line, but the hole is never straight all through, and the
+depth varies from two to five feet, according to the kind
+of woodpecker that is digging. The inside of the nest and
+the passage to it are as smooth as if they had been
+polished with a plane, and the chips of wood are often
+thrown down in a careless manner, at some distance, in
+order that attention may not be attracted to the spot.
+Often the bird&rsquo;s labours have to begin, especially in
+orchards, which are favourite nesting places with them,
+with having to turn out swarms of insects, nestling comfortably
+between the bark and the tree. These he either
+kills or eats; anyhow he never rests until they are safely
+got rid of.</p>
+
+<p>The woodpecker is never still, and, in many respects,
+is like a mischievous boy; so, as can be imagined, he is
+not very easy to make a pet of. One adventurous person,
+however, captured a woodpecker in America, and has
+left us a history of its performances during the three
+days it lived in captivity. The poor bird was very
+miserable in its prison, and cried so like a child that many
+persons were completely taken in. Left alone for a short
+time in the room while his captor had gone to look after
+his horse, he examined the room carefully to see where
+lay his best chance of escape. His quick eye soon
+detected the plaster between the window and the ceiling,
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_386" id="Page_386">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>386]</a></span>
+and he began at once to attack the weak place. He
+worked so hard that when his master returned he had laid
+bare the laths, and had bored a hole bigger than his own
+head, while the bed was strewn with big fragments of
+plaster. A very little while longer and he would have
+been free, and what a pity that he was disturbed in his
+work! But his master was most anxious to keep him a
+little longer, to observe his ways, so he tied him to the
+leg of the table, and went off to get him some food. By
+the time the man came back the mahogany table was
+lying in bits about the floor, and the woodpecker was
+looking eagerly round to see what other mischief he could
+do. He would not eat food of any kind, and died in three
+days, to the great regret of his captor.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_387" id="Page_387">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>387]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>DOGS OVER THE WATER</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>No animal, not even the horse, has made itself so many
+friends as the dog. A whole library might be filled with
+stories about what dogs have done, and men could learn
+a great deal from the sufferings dogs have gone through
+for masters that they love.</p>
+
+<p>Whatever differences there may be between foreigners
+and Englishmen, there is at any rate none in the behaviour
+of British and foreign dogs. &lsquo;Love me, love my dog,&rsquo; the
+proverb runs, but in general it would be much more to the
+point to say &lsquo;love my dog, love me.&rsquo; We do not know
+anything of the Austrian officer of whose death I am going
+to tell you, but after hearing what his dog did, we should
+all have been pleased to make the master&rsquo;s acquaintance.</p>
+
+<p>In the early years of this century, when nearly every
+country in Europe was turned into a battlefield by
+Napoleon, there was a tremendous fight between the
+French and the Austrians at Castiglione in Lombardy,
+which was then under the Austrian yoke. The battle was
+hard fought and lasted several hours, but at length the
+Austrian ranks were broken and they had to retreat, after
+frightful losses on both sides. After the field had been
+won, Napoleon, as his custom was, walked round among
+the dead and dying, to see for himself how the day had
+gone. Not often had he performed this duty amidst a
+greater scene of blood and horror, and as he came to a
+spot where the dead were lying thickest, he saw to his
+surprise a small long-eared spaniel standing with his feet
+on the breast of an Austrian officer, and his eyes fixed on
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>388]</a></span>
+his face, waiting to detect the slightest movement. Absorbed
+in his watch, the dog never heard the approach of
+the Emperor and his staff, but Napoleon called to one of
+his attendants and pointed out the spaniel. At the sound
+of his voice the spaniel turned round, and looked at the
+Emperor, as if he knew that to him only he must appeal
+for help. And the prayer was not in vain, for Napoleon
+was very seldom needlessly cruel. The officer was dead
+and beyond any aid from him, but the Emperor did what
+he could, and gave orders that the dog should be looked
+after by one of his own men, and the wounded Austrians
+carefully tended. <em>He</em> knew what it was to be loved as
+blindly by men as that officer was loved by his dog.</p>
+
+<p>Nearly two years before this time, France was trembling
+in the power of a set of bloody ruffians, and in Paris
+especially no man felt his head to be safe from one hour
+to the other. Hundreds of harmless people were clapped
+into prison on the most paltry charges, and if they were
+not torn to pieces by infuriated crowds, they ended their
+lives on the guillotine.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter ipadbase" style="width: 412px;">
+<a name="illo66" id="illo66"></a>
+<img src="images/asb66.jpg" width="412" height="565"
+alt="The faithful spaniel" />
+</div>
+
+<p>Among the last of the victims before the fall of Robespierre,
+which finished the Reign of Terror, was a magistrate
+in one of the departments in the North of France
+whom everyone looked up to and respected. It may be
+thought that it would not have been easy to find a pretext
+for throwing into prison a man of such an open and
+honourable life, but when other things failed, a vague
+accusation of conspiracy against the Government was
+always possible, and accordingly the magistrate was arrested
+in his own house. No one was there to help him
+or to share his confinement. He had long sent away his
+children to places of safety; some of his relations were in
+gaol like himself, and his friends dared not come forward.
+They could have done him no good, and would only have
+shared his fate. In those dark days every man had to suffer
+alone, and nobly they did it. Only one friend the magistrate
+had who ventured openly to show his affection, and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_389" id="Page_389"><!-- original location of Spaniel illustration --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_390" id="Page_390"><!-- blank page --></a></span>
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_391" id="Page_391">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>391]</a></span>
+even <em>he</em> might go no farther than the prison doors, namely,
+his spaniel, who for twelve years had scarcely left his side;
+but though dogs were not yet proscribed, the spaniel&rsquo;s
+whinings availed nothing, and the gates were shut against
+him. At first he refused to believe that his master would
+never come back, and returned again and again with the
+hopes of meeting the magistrate on his way home. At last
+the dog&rsquo;s spirits gave way, and he went to the house of a
+friend of the family who knew him well, and received him
+kindly. Even here, however, he had to be carefully hidden
+lest his protector should be charged with sheltering the dog
+of an accused person, and have to pay the penalty on the
+guillotine. The animal seemed to know what was expected
+of him, and never barked or growled as dogs love to
+do; and indeed he was too sad to take any interest in
+what was going on around him. The only bright spot in
+his day was towards evening when he was secretly let out,
+and he made straight for the gate of the prison. The gate
+was never opened, but he always hoped that <em>this</em> time it
+would be, and sat on and on till he felt that his chance
+was gone for that day. All the prison officials knew him
+by sight, and were sorry for him, and one day the gaoler&rsquo;s
+heart was softened, and he opened the doors, and led him
+to his master&rsquo;s cell. It would be difficult to say which of
+the two was the happier, and when the time came for the
+prisoners to be locked up for the night, the man could
+scarcely tear away the dog, so closely did he cling to his
+master. However, there was no help for it, he had to be
+put outside, lest it should occur to some one in authority
+to make a visit of inspection to the prison. Next evening
+the dog returned at the same hour and was again admitted,
+and when his time was up, he went home with a light
+heart, sure that by sunset next day he would be with his
+beloved master.</p>
+
+<p>This went on for several weeks, and the dog, at any
+rate, would have been quite satisfied if it had gone on for
+ever. But one morning the magistrate was told that he
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_392" id="Page_392">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>392]</a></span>
+was to be brought before his judges to make answer to
+his charge and receive his sentence. In the midst of a
+vast crowd, which dared not show sympathy even if it
+felt it, the magistrate pleaded for the last time, without a
+friend to give him courage except his dog, which had
+somehow forced himself through guards and crowd, and
+lay crouched between his legs, happy at this unexpected
+chance of seeing his master.</p>
+
+<p>Sentence of death was pronounced, as was inevitable,
+and the hour of execution was not long delayed. In the
+wonderful way that animals always <em>do</em> know when something
+out of the common is passing, the spaniel was
+sitting outside the door when his master walked out for
+the last time, although it was long before the hour of his
+daily visit. Alone, of all the friends that he had known
+and loved, his dog went with him, and stood beside him
+on the steps of the guillotine, and sat at his feet when his
+head fell. Vaguely the spaniel was aware that something
+terrible had happened; his master, who had never failed
+him before, would not speak to him now. It was in vain
+to lick his hand: he got no pat in answer. But if his
+master was asleep, and his bed was underground, then
+he too must sleep by his side till the morning came and
+the world awoke again.</p>
+
+<p>So two nights passed, and three. Then his friend,
+who had sheltered him during these long weeks, came to
+look for him, and, after much coaxing and caressing, persuaded
+him to return to his old hiding-place. With great
+difficulty he was induced to swallow some food, but the
+moment his protector&rsquo;s back was turned, he rushed out
+and fought his way to his master&rsquo;s grave.</p>
+
+<p>This lasted for three months, and every day the dog
+looked sadder and thinner than the day before. At length
+his friend thought he would try a new plan with him,
+and tied him firmly up. But in the morning he found
+that the dog had, like Samson, broken through his bonds,
+and was lying on the grave, which he never left again.
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_393" id="Page_393">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>393]</a></span>
+Food was brought to him&mdash;he never came to seek it himself,
+and in time he refused even what was lying there
+before him. One day his friends found him trying to
+scratch up the earth where his master lay; and all at
+once his strength gave way, and with one howl he died,
+showing the two men who stood around of love that was
+stronger than death, and fidelity that lasted beyond the
+grave.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a></p>
+
+<div class="footnote">
+<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a>
+From <i>Observations in Natural History</i>.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>One more story of a little dog&mdash;this time an English
+one&mdash;and I have done.</p>
+
+<p>It was on February 8, 1587, that Mary Queen of Scots
+ended her eighteen years of weary captivity upon a scaffold
+at Fotheringay. Carefully dressed in a robe of black velvet,
+with a long mantle of satin floating above it, and her head
+covered with a white crape veil, Mary ascended the platform,
+where the executioner was awaiting her. Some
+English nobles, sent by Queen Elizabeth to see that her
+orders were carried out, were standing by, and some of
+Queen Mary&rsquo;s faithful women. But besides these was one
+whose love for her was hardly less&mdash;the Queen&rsquo;s little
+dog, who had been her constant companion in the prison.
+&lsquo;He was sitting there the whole time,&rsquo; says an eye-witness,
+&lsquo;keeping very quiet, and never stirring from her side;
+but as soon as the head was stricken off and placed upon
+the seat, he began to bestir himself and cry out; afterwards
+he took up a position between the body and the
+head, which he kept until some one came and removed
+him, and this had to be done by violence.&rsquo; We are not
+told who took him away and tenderly washed off the
+blood of Mary which was staining his coat, but we may
+be sure that it was one of the Queen&rsquo;s ladies who cherished
+everything that belonged to her, and in memory of her
+mistress would care for her little dog to the end of its
+days.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_394" id="Page_394">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>394]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>THE CAPOCIER AND HIS MATE</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>When Vaillant the traveller was in Africa, he made the
+acquaintance of a bird to which he gave the name of
+capocier. It was a small creature, which was in the
+habit of coming with its mate several times a day into
+Vaillant&rsquo;s tent; a proceeding which he thought arose
+from pure friendship, but which he soon found sprang
+from interested motives. Vaillant was making a collection
+of birds, and his table was strewn about with moss, wool,
+and such things as he used for stuffing. The capocier,
+with more sense than might have been expected of him,
+found out very soon that it was much easier to steal
+Vaillant&rsquo;s soft material than to collect it laboriously for
+himself, and the naturalist used to shut his eyes with
+amusement while the birds flew off with a parcel of stuffing
+as big as themselves.</p>
+
+<p>He followed them, and tracked them to a bush which
+grew by a spring in the corner of a deserted garden. Here
+they had placed a thick layer of moss, in a fork of one of
+the branches, and were now engaged in weaving in grass,
+cotton, and flax. The whole of the second day the little
+pair worked hard, the male making in all forty-six journeys
+to Vaillant&rsquo;s room, for thieving purposes. The spoil was
+always laid either on the nest itself, or within the reach
+of the female, and when enough had been collected, they
+both trampled it in, and pressed it down with their
+bodies.</p>
+
+<p>At last the male got tired, and tried to prevail on his
+wife to play a game. She declined, and said she had no
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_395" id="Page_395">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>395]</a></span>
+time for such things; so, to revenge himself, the male
+proceeded to pull to pieces her work. Seeing that he
+would have his own way, the female at length consented
+to play for a little, and fluttered from bush to bush, while
+her mate flew after her, but she always managed to keep
+just out of his reach. When he had had enough, he let
+her go back to her work, while he sang a song for a little,
+and then made ready to help build the nest. He found,
+or stole, the materials necessary, and carried them back
+to his wife, who packed them firmly in and made all tidy.
+But her husband was much more idle than she, and he
+soon tired of steady labour. He complained of the heat,
+and laughed at her for being in such a hurry, and said
+there was plenty of time before them, and he wanted a
+little fun. So eight times during that one morning the
+poor wife had to leave off her building, and hide her impatience,
+and pretend to play, when she would much
+rather have been doing something else, and it was three
+days before the bottom was finished and the sides begun.</p>
+
+<p>Certainly the making of the bottom <em>was</em> rather a
+troublesome business; for the birds had to roll over every
+part of it, so as to get it firm and hard. Then, when all
+was right, they made a border, which they first trimmed
+round, and next overlaid with cotton, pressing it all together
+with their breasts and shoulders. The twigs of
+the bush in which the nest was built were interlaced into
+the sides to prevent the whole structure being blown
+down, and particular care was taken that none of them
+should stick out in the inside of the nest, which was
+absolutely smooth and solid. After seven days it was
+done, and very pretty it was. It was perfectly white in
+colour, and about nine inches high on the outside where
+it had been made very thick, and not more than five
+inches within. However that was quite big enough for
+two such little people.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_396" id="Page_396">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>396]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>OWLS AND MARMOTS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>It is curious, when we come to think of it, how very few
+of the creatures that live upon the earth ever take the
+trouble to build any kind of house to live in. For the most
+part, they are contented to find out some cave or hole or
+convenient place where they can be hidden, and from
+which they can steal forth to get their food, but as for
+collecting materials from the outside to make their
+dwelling place stronger or more beautiful, as do the
+beavers, for instance, why, we might all look for many
+years before we should find a horse or a tiger employing
+himself like that!</p>
+
+<p>Yet we all know that all the birds that live (the
+cuckoo excepted) manage to build some kind of a nest,
+and so do some fishes and many insects. It would take
+too long to write about them all, but we will just see
+how some of the cleverest among them go to work.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first things that struck Europeans travelling
+sixty or seventy years ago in the wild country beyond
+the great Mississippi, was the fact that whole districts,
+sometimes several acres in extent and sometimes several
+miles, were covered with little mounds of the shape of a
+pyramid, about two feet wide at the bottom, and at
+the most eighteen inches high. These are the houses of
+the marmots or prairie dogs, and when deserted as they
+often are by their original inhabitants, they become the
+homes of burrowing owls.</p>
+
+<p>Now a neat, comfortable, well-built house is really quite
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_397" id="Page_397">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>397]</a></span>
+necessary for the marmot, as he goes fast to sleep when
+the weather begins to get cold, and does not wake up till
+the sun is shining warmly again on the earth above him.
+Then he sets to work, either to repair the walls of his
+house which have been damaged by the heavy rains and
+hard frosts, or if that seems useless labour, to dig a fresh
+one somewhere else. But industrious as he is, the hard
+work does not make the marmot at all a &lsquo;dull boy,&rsquo; and
+he can still spare time for a good game now and then.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, as we are talking about birds, perhaps we
+ought not to be describing marmots, which are naturally
+not birds at all; but as they build for the burrowing owls
+to inhabit, a description of the houses may not be out of
+place.</p>
+
+<p>The entrance to the marmot&rsquo;s house is either at the
+top or on the side of the little mound above ground.
+Then he hollows out a passage straight down for one, or
+sometimes two feet, and this passage is continued in a
+sloping direction for some distance further, when it
+leads, like a story in the &lsquo;Arabian Nights,&rsquo; into a large
+warm room, built of soft dry grass, which has been
+packed into a tight, firm mass. In general the outside of
+the little mounds is covered with small plants and
+grasses, so that the marmot always has his food near at
+hand, but occasionally they prefer to make their villages
+in barren spots, as being safer from enemies. Still,
+wherever they are, the sociable little colony of marmots
+are said to be haunted by at least one burrowing owl, a
+bird about nine inches long, and from a distance not very
+unlike the marmot itself, when it is sitting up, listening
+for the approach of danger. If no burrow seems likely to
+be vacant at the time he wants one, the owl does not
+scruple to turn out the owner, who has to begin all his
+labour over again. Sometimes, when affairs above ground
+are more than usually disturbed, and foes of all kinds are
+prowling about, seeking whom they may devour, owls and
+marmots and rattlesnakes, and lizards rush helter-skelter
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_398" id="Page_398">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>398]</a></span>
+into the underground city, taking refuge from the dangers
+of the upper world. It would be a strange sight if we
+could see it, and it would be stranger still if the fugitives
+manage to separate without some of the party having
+gone to make the dinners of the rest.</p>
+
+
+
+<p class="padtop"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_399" id="Page_399">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>399]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2><i>EAGLES&rsquo; NESTS</i></h2>
+
+
+<p>Eagles, as a rule, build their nests on the shelves of
+rocks, high out of reach of any but the boldest climbers.
+There are, however, some species among them who prefer
+the tops of trees, at a height varying from fifteen to fifty
+feet. These nests are constructed of long sticks, grass,
+and even reeds, and are often as much as five or six feet
+high, and at least four broad. Soft pine tops form the
+lining, and a bed for the young. Many eagles are clever
+divers, and like the excitement of catching their own fish,
+instead of merely forcing the fish-hawks to give up their
+prey, and an American naturalist gives an interesting
+account of the sporting proceedings of two eagles on the
+Green River in Kentucky. The naturalist had been lying
+hidden among the rocks on the bank of the river for about
+two hours, when suddenly far above his head where the
+eagle had built his nest, he heard a loud hissing, and on
+looking up, saw that the little eaglets had crawled to
+the edge of the nest, and were dancing with hope
+and excitement at the idea of a good dinner. In a few
+moments the parent eagle reached the rock and balancing
+himself on the edge by the help of his wings and tail,
+handed over his spoil to the young ones. The little eagles
+seemed in luck that day, for soon their mother appeared
+in sight carrying in her claws a perch. But either the
+watcher below made some movement, or else her eyes
+were far sharper than her mate&rsquo;s, for with a loud cry she
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_400" id="Page_400">[<span class="hidden">Pg </span>400]</a></span>
+dropped her fish, and hovered over the nest to protect it
+in case of an attack. When all was quiet again, the
+naturalist went out cautiously to examine the perch, which
+he found to weigh as much as 5&frac12; lbs. You do not catch
+such big perch in England.</p>
+
+
+<p class="center padtop padbase">THE END.</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="bbox">
+<p><b>Transcriber's Note</b></p>
+
+<p>Some stories have a source provided, which appeared as footnotes in the original book.
+The transcriber has instead presented them as subtitles below the main chapter title.</p>
+
+<p>Archaic and variant spelling is preserved as printed.</p>
+
+<p>Minor punctuation errors have been repaired.</p>
+
+<p>Hyphenation has been made consistent.</p>
+
+<p>The following typographic errors have been repaired:</p>
+
+<div class="amends">
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_7">7</a>&mdash;wrapt amended to rapt&mdash;"The waiters, remarking his rapt attention, ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_77">77</a>&mdash;be amended to he&mdash;"Then, having made a huge fire in front of the entrance, which, moreover, he barricaded ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_144">144</a>&mdash;by-and-by amended to by-and-bye, for consistency&mdash;"And by-and-bye he came back, dragging Pritchard by his stake."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_250">250</a>&mdash;Then amended to The&mdash;"The Ababde chief&rsquo;s advice was&mdash;and always had been&mdash;to send out ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_255">255</a>&mdash;Northumbriam amended to Northumbrian&mdash;"A Northumbrian pointer showed a still more wonderful instance ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_287">287</a>&mdash;idemnity amended to indemnity&mdash;"... and was quite satisfied with five francs as an indemnity."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_290">290</a>&mdash;quiet amended to quite&mdash;"His parents never quite knew what occurred, ..."</p>
+
+<p>Page <a href="#Page_301">301</a>&mdash;coupe amended to coup&mdash;"... before the latter gives him the <i>coup de gr&acirc;ce</i>."</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>Illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in the middle of
+a paragraph. Omitted page numbers were the original locations of these illustrations
+or blank pages.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Animal Story Book, by Various
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+</body>
+</html>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Animal Story Book, by Various
+
+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 Animal Story Book
+
+Author: Various
+
+Editor: Andrew Lang
+
+Illustrator: H. J. (Henry Justice) Ford
+
+Release Date: December 4, 2011 [EBook #38208]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Louise Davies, Sam W. and 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.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Illustration captions in {brackets} have been added by the
+transcriber, with reference to the list of illustrations, for the
+convenience of the reader.
+
+
+
+
+                      THE
+               ANIMAL STORY BOOK
+
+                   EDITED BY
+                  ANDREW LANG
+
+
+  _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS BY H. J. FORD_
+
+
+       [Illustration: {TWO ORAN OTANS}]
+
+
+           LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.
+     FOURTH AVENUE & 30TH STREET, NEW YORK
+      LONDON, BOMBAY, CALCUTTA AND MADRAS
+                     1914
+
+
+              _Copyright, 1896,_
+           By Longmans, Green, & Co.
+
+            _All rights reserved._
+
+        First Edition, September, 1896.
+    Reprinted, November, 1896, July, 1899,
+          June, 1904, February, 1909,
+               September, 1914.
+
+
+
+
+    THE FAIRY BOOK SERIES
+
+    Edited by Andrew Lang
+
+    _New and Cheaper Issue_
+
+
+    EACH VOLUME, $1.00 NET
+
+
+    THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK. With 138 Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED FAIRY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.
+
+    THE GREEN FAIRY BOOK. With 101 Illustrations.
+
+    THE GREY FAIRY BOOK. With 65 Illustrations.
+
+    THE YELLOW FAIRY BOOK. With 104 Illustrations.
+
+    THE PINK FAIRY BOOK. With 67 Illustrations.
+
+    THE BLUE POETRY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.
+
+    THE TRUE STORY BOOK. With 66 Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED TRUE STORY BOOK. With 100 Illustrations.
+
+    THE ANIMAL STORY BOOK. With 67 Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED BOOK OF ANIMAL STORIES. With 65 Illustrations.
+
+    THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS. With 66 Illustrations.
+
+    THE VIOLET FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 54 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE CRIMSON FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE BROWN FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 42 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE OLIVE FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 43 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE ORANGE FAIRY BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 50 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE BOOK OF ROMANCE. With 8 Coloured Plates and 44 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED ROMANCE BOOK. With 8 Coloured Plates and 44 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE BOOK OF PRINCES AND PRINCESSES. By Mrs. Lang. With 8
+      Coloured Plates and 43 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE RED BOOK OF HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. With 8 Coloured Plates
+      and 40 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE LILAC FAIRY BOOK. With 6 Coloured Plates and 46 other
+      Illustrations.
+
+    THE ALL SORTS OF STORIES BOOK. By Mrs. Lang. With 5 Coloured
+      Plates and 43 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE BOOK OF SAINTS AND HEROES. By Mrs. Lang. With 12 Coloured
+      Plates and 18 other Illustrations.
+
+    THE STRANGE STORY BOOK. By Mrs. Lang. With Portrait of Andrew
+      Lang, 12 Coloured Plates and 18 other Illustrations.
+
+
+    LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO., NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+  [Illustration: ANDROCLES IN THE ARENA]
+
+
+
+
+    _To_
+
+    _MASTER FREDERICK LONGMAN_
+
+
+    This year our Book for Christmas varies,
+    Deals not with History nor Fairies
+      (I can't help thinking, children, you
+      Prefer a book which is _not_ true).
+    We leave these intellectual feasts,
+    To talk of Fishes, Birds, and Beasts.
+      These--though his aim is hardly steady--
+      These are, I think, a theme for Freddy!
+    Trout, though he is not up to fly,
+    He soon will catch--as well as I!
+      So, Freddy, take this artless rhyme,
+      And be a Sportsman in your time!
+
+
+
+
+_PREFACE_
+
+
+Children who have read our Fairy Books may have noticed that there are
+not so very many fairies in the stories after all. The most common
+characters are birds, beasts, and fishes, who talk and act like
+Christians. The reason of this is that the first people who told the
+stories were not very clever, or, if they were clever, they had never
+been taught to read and write, or to distinguish between Vegetable,
+Animal, and Mineral. They took it that all things were 'much of a
+muchness:' they were not proud, and held that beast and bird could
+talk like themselves, only, of course, in a different language.
+
+After offering, then, so many Fairy Books (though the stories are not
+all told yet), we now present you (in return for a coin or two) with a
+book about the friends of children and of fairies--the beasts. The
+stories are all true, more or less, but it is possible that Monsieur
+Dumas and Monsieur Theophile Gautier rather improved upon their tales.
+I own that I have my doubts about the bears and serpents in the tales
+by the Baron Wogan. This gentleman's ancestors were famous Irish
+people. One of them held Cromwell's soldiers back when they were
+pursuing Charles II. after Worcester fight. He also led a troop of
+horse from Dover to the Highlands, where he died of a wound, after
+fighting for the King. The next Wogan was a friend of Pope and Swift;
+he escaped from prison after Preston fight, in 1715, and, later,
+rescued Prince Charlie's mother from confinement in Austria, and took
+her to marry King James. He next became Governor of Don Quixote's
+province, La Mancha, in Spain, and was still alive and merry in 1752.
+Baron Wogan, descended from these heroes, saw no longer any king to
+fight for, so he went to America and fought bears. No doubt he was as
+brave as his ancestors, but whether all his stories of serpents are
+absolutely correct I am not so certain. People have also been heard to
+express doubts about Mr. Waterton and the Cayman. The terrible tale of
+Mr. Gully and his deeds of war I _know_ to be accurate, and the story
+of Oscar, the sentimental tyke, is believed in firmly by the lady who
+wrote it. As for the stories about Greek and Roman beasts, Pliny, who
+tells them, is a most respectable author. On the whole, then, this is
+more or less of a true story-book.
+
+There ought to be a moral; if so, it probably is that we should be
+kind to all sorts of animals, and, above all, knock trout on the head
+when they are caught, and don't let the poor things jump about till
+they die. A chapter of a very learned sort was written about the
+cleverness of beasts, proving that there must have been great
+inventive geniuses among beasts long ago, and that now they have
+rather got into a habit (which I think a very good one) of being
+content with the discoveries of their ancestors. This led naturally to
+some observations on Instinct and Reason; but there may be children
+who are glad that there was no room for this chapter.
+
+The longer stories from Monsieur Dumas were translated from the French
+by Miss Cheape.
+
+'A Rat Tale' is by Miss Evelyn Grieve, who knew the rats.
+
+'Mr. Gully' is by Miss Elspeth Campbell, to whom Mr. Gully belonged.
+
+'The Dog of Montargis,' 'More Faithful than Favoured,' and 'Androcles'
+are by Miss Eleanor Sellar.
+
+Snakes, Bears, Ants, Wolves, Monkeys, and some Lions are by Miss Lang.
+
+'Two Highland Dogs' is by Miss Goodrich Freer.
+
+'Fido' and 'Oscar' and 'Patch' are by Miss A. M. Alleyne.
+
+'Djijam' is by his master.
+
+'The Starling of Segringen' and 'Grateful Dogs' are by Mr. Bartells.
+
+'Tom the Bear,' 'The Frog,' 'Jacko the Monkey' and 'Gazelle' are from
+Dumas by Miss Blackley.
+
+All the rest are by Mrs. Lang.
+
+
+
+
+_CONTENTS_
+
+
+                                                            PAGE
+    'Tom': an Adventure in the Life of a Bear in Paris         1
+
+    Sai the Panther                                           14
+
+    The Buzzard and the Priest                                25
+
+    Cowper and his Hares                                      30
+
+    A Rat Tale                                                34
+
+    Snake Stories                                             43
+
+    What Elephants can Do                                     50
+
+    The Dog of Montargis                                      56
+
+    How a Beaver builds his House                             64
+
+    The War Horse of Alexander                                68
+
+    Stories about Bears                                       71
+
+    Stories about Ants                                        82
+
+    The Taming of an Otter                                    88
+
+    The Story of Androcles and the Lion                       91
+
+    Monsieur Dumas and his Beasts                             99
+
+    The Adventures of Pyramus                                154
+
+    The Story of a Weasel                                    160
+
+    Stories about Wolves                                     163
+
+    Two Highland Dogs                                        174
+
+    Monkey Tricks and Sally at the Zoo                       191
+
+    How the Cayman was killed                                194
+
+    The Story of Fido                                        200
+
+    Beasts Besieged                                          205
+
+    Mr. Gully                                                209
+
+    Stories from Pliny                                       213
+
+    The Strange History of Cagnotte                          215
+
+    Still Waters Run Deep; or, the Dancing Dog               219
+
+    Theo and his Horses: Jane, Betsy, and Blanche            225
+
+    Madame Theophile and the Parrot                          231
+
+    The Battle of the Mullets and the Dolphins               233
+
+    Monkey Stories                                           237
+
+    Eccentric Bird Builders                                  245
+
+    The Ship of the Desert                                   248
+
+    Hame, hame, hame, where I fain wad be                    253
+
+    Nests for Dinner                                         257
+
+    Fire-eating Djijam                                       259
+
+    The Story of the Dog Oscar                               264
+
+    Dolphins at Play                                         274
+
+    The Starling of Segringen                                278
+
+    Grateful Dogs                                            280
+
+    Gazelle                                                  282
+
+    Cockatoo Stories                                         289
+
+    The Otter who was reared by a Cat                        292
+
+    Stories about Lions                                      295
+
+    Builders and Weavers                                     307
+
+    More Faithful than Favoured                              310
+
+    Dolphins, Turtles, and Cod                               316
+
+    More about Elephants                                     321
+
+    Bungey                                                   329
+
+    Lions and their Ways                                     333
+
+    The History of Jacko I.                                  338
+
+    Signora and Lori                                         348
+
+    Of the Linnet, Popinjay, or Parrot, and other Birds
+      that can Speak                                         351
+
+    Patch and the Chickens                                   354
+
+    The Fierce Falcon                                        356
+
+    Mr. Bolt, the Scotch Terrier                             360
+
+    A Raven's Funeral                                        364
+
+    A Strange Tiger                                          368
+
+    Halcyons and their Biographers                           373
+
+    The Story of a Frog                                      375
+
+    The Woodpecker Tapping on the Hollow Oak Tree            384
+
+    Dogs Over the Water                                      387
+
+    The Capocier and his Mate                                394
+
+    Owls and Marmots                                         396
+
+    Eagles' Nests                                            399
+
+
+
+
+_LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS_
+
+
+                                                            PAGE
+    Tom is invited to the Ball                                 3
+
+    'The Minuet was Tom's greatest Triumph'                    9
+
+    Tom discovered in the Box                                 12
+
+    'They at last all took hold of his Tail'                  16
+
+    Terror of the Orang-outang at Sai                         17
+
+    Sai has to take a Pill                                    21
+
+    The Cats no match for the Buzzard                         27
+
+    The Buzzard carries off Hat and Wig                       28
+
+    'Seeing such a number of Rats, he left his Horses
+      and ran for his Life'                                   37
+
+    The Rats in the Larder                                    41
+
+    The Baron kills the Snake                                 44
+
+    The Baron slays the Horned Snake                          46
+
+    How the Indians make the Horned Snake disgorge his
+      Dinner                                                  48
+
+    The Elephant helps the Gardener                           53
+
+    De Narsac recognises his Friend's Dog                     57
+
+    The Dog flies at Macaire in the presence of the King      61
+
+    The Baron kills the Bear                                  75
+
+    The Grizzly                                               79
+
+    Androcles in the Lion's Cave                              93
+
+    Androcles in the Arena                                    97
+
+    'Monsieur Dumas, may I accommodate you with my
+      Monkey and my Parrot?'                                 107
+
+    The Auvergnat and his Monkey                             111
+
+    The Last of the Laidmanoirs and Mademoiselle
+      Desgarcins                                             120
+
+    Dumas arrives at Stora with his Vulture                  127
+
+    'It's a regular Kennel'                                  131
+
+    Jugurtha becomes Diogenes                                135
+
+    Pritchard and the Hens                                   142
+
+    'Pritchard reappeared next moment with a Hare
+      in his Mouth'                                          145
+
+    Cartouche outwits Pyramus                                156
+
+    Mademoiselle de Laistre and her Weasel                   161
+
+    'When Day broke'                                         166
+
+    The Death of the Famous Wolf of Gevaudan                 171
+
+    'The Long Vigil'                                         187
+
+    The Capture of the Cayman                                197
+
+    The Wounding of Fido                                     201
+
+    The Dream of the Hungry Lion                             207
+
+    Cagnotte comes out of his Skin                           217
+
+    'And what do you Think she Saw'                          221
+
+    Blanche telling Ghost Stories to Jane in the Stable      227
+
+    How the Dolphins helped the Fishermen to catch
+      the Mullets                                            234
+
+    Two Oran Otans                                           238
+
+    The Baboons who stole the Poor Man's Dinner              241
+
+    Birds' Nests for Dinner                                  258
+
+    'In the full enjoyment of a large lighted Log
+      on the Dining-room Carpet'                             261
+
+    'Oscar would charge and rout them'                       265
+
+    'Oscar felt rather Frightened'                           269
+
+    'Oh, Oscar, Oscar, lad what _have_ you Done?'            271
+
+    The Boy goes to School on the Dolphin's back             275
+
+    Dumas finds Joseph standing on Gazelle's back            284
+
+    Dumas brings Gazelle to No. 109 Faubourg St.-Denis       288
+
+    The Lion caught in the Pit                               297
+
+    The Ambush                                               300
+
+    'All Three stopped to gaze at the Man who dared to
+      put himself in their Path'                             303
+
+    'And pinned Him to the Ground'                           314
+
+    'Long, Long Ago.' The Elephant dreams of his Old
+      Companions                                             323
+
+    The Elephant falls on his knees before the little
+      Scotch Terrier                                         327
+
+    Bungey at the Spanish Ambassador's House                 331
+
+    The Hottentot noticed a huge Lion lying in the Water     335
+
+    Annoyance of the Captain on finding his Flask of
+      Rum upset                                              339
+
+    Lori refuses to Share with the Signora                   349
+
+    A Raven's Funeral                                        365
+
+    The Tiger and his Friend                                 369
+
+    Love's disgraceful Behaviour out Shooting                377
+
+    The Sole Result of his Day's Sport                       380
+
+    Mademoiselle Camargo becomes a Barometer                 381
+
+    The Faithful Spaniel                                     389
+
+
+
+
+_'TOM'_
+
+_AN ADVENTURE IN THE LIFE OF A BEAR IN PARIS_
+
+From Alexandre Dumas.
+
+
+Some sixty years ago and more, a well-known artist named Decamps lived
+in Paris. He was the intimate friend of some of the first authors,
+artists, and scientific men of the day, and was devotedly fond of
+animals of all sorts. He loved to paint them, and he kept quite a
+small menagerie in his studio where a bear, a monkey, a tortoise, and
+a frog lived (more or less) in peace and harmony together.
+
+The bear's name was 'Tom,' the monkey was called 'Jacko I.,'[1] the
+frog was 'Mademoiselle Camargo,' and the tortoise 'Gazelle.'
+
+    [1] To distinguish him from Jacko II., a monkey belonging to Tony
+    Johannot, the painter.
+
+Here follows the story of Tom, the bear.
+
+It was the night of Shrove Tuesday in the year 1832. Tom had as yet
+only spent six months in Paris, but he was really one of the most
+attractive bears you could wish to meet.
+
+He ran to open the door when the bell rang, he mounted guard for hours
+together, halberd in hand, standing on his hind legs, and he danced a
+minuet with infinite grace, holding a broomstick behind his head.
+
+He had spent the whole day in the exercise of these varied
+accomplishments, to the great delight of the frequenters of his
+master's studio, and had just retired to the press which did duty as
+his hutch, to seek a little repose, when there was a knock at the
+street door. Jacko instantly showed such signs of joy that Decamps
+made a shrewd guess that the visitor could be no other than Fan, the
+self-elected tutor in chief to the two animals--nor was he mistaken.
+The door opened, Fan appeared, dressed as a clown, and Jacko flung
+himself in rapture into his arms.
+
+'Very good, very good,' said Fan, placing the monkey on the table and
+handing him a cane. 'You're really a charming creature. Carry arms,
+present arms, make ready, fire! Capital!'
+
+'I'll have a complete uniform made for you, and you shall mount guard
+instead of me. But I haven't come for you to-night; it's your friend
+Tom I want. Where may he be?'
+
+'Why, in his hutch, I suppose,' said Decamps.
+
+'Tom! here, Tom!' cried Fan.
+
+Tom gave a low growl, just to show that he knew very well who they
+were talking of, but that he was in no hurry to show himself.
+
+'Well!' exclaimed Fan, 'is this how my orders are obeyed? Tom, my
+friend, don't force me to resort to extreme measures.'
+
+Tom stretched one great paw beyond the cupboard without allowing any
+more of his person to be seen, and began to yawn plaintively like a
+child just wakened from its first sleep.
+
+'Where is the broomstick?' inquired Fan in threatening tones, and
+rattling the collection of Indian bows, arrows, and spears which stood
+behind the door.
+
+'Ready!' cried Decamps, pointing to Tom, who, on hearing these well
+known sounds, had roused himself without more ado, and advanced
+towards his tutor with a perfectly innocent and unconscious air.
+
+'That's right,' said Fan: 'now be a good fellow, particularly as one
+has come all this way on purpose to fetch you.'
+
+  [Illustration: TOM IS INVITED TO THE BALL]
+
+Tom waved his head up and down.
+
+'So, so--now shake hands with your friends:--first rate!'
+
+'Do you mean to take him with you?' asked Decamps.
+
+'Rather!' replied Fan; 'and give him a good time into the bargain.'
+
+'And where are you going?'
+
+'To the Carnival Masked Ball, nothing less! Now then Tom, my friend,
+come along. We've got a cab outside waiting by the hour.'
+
+As though fully appreciating the force of this argument, Tom trundled
+down stairs four steps at a time followed by his friend. The driver
+opened the cab door, and Tom, under Fan's guidance, stepped in as if
+he had done nothing else all his life.
+
+'My eye! that's a queer sort of a fancy dress,' said cabby; 'anyone
+might take him for a real bear. Where to, gentlemen?'
+
+'Odeon Theatre,' said Fan.
+
+'Grrrooonnn,' observed Tom.
+
+'All right,' said the cabman. 'Keep your temper. It's a good step from
+here, but we shall get there all in good time.'
+
+Half an hour later the cab drew up at the door of the theatre. Fan got
+down first, paid the driver, handed out Tom, took two tickets, and
+passed in without exciting any special attention.
+
+At the second turn they made round the crush-room people began to
+follow Fan. The perfection with which the newcomer imitated the walk
+and movements of the animal whose skin he wore attracted the notice of
+some lovers of natural history. They pressed closer and closer, and
+anxious to find out whether he was equally clever in imitating the
+bear's voice, they began to pull his hairs and prick his
+ears--'Grrrooonnn,' said Tom.
+
+A murmur of admiration ran through the crowd--nothing could be more
+lifelike.
+
+Fan led Tom to the buffet and offered him some little cakes, to which
+he was very partial, and which he proceeded to swallow with so
+admirable a pretence of voracity that the bystanders burst out
+laughing. Then the mentor poured out a tumbler full of water, which
+Tom took gingerly between his paws, as he was accustomed to whenever
+Decamps did him the honour of permitting him to appear at table, and
+gulped down the contents at one draught. Enthusiasm knew no bounds!
+Indeed such was the delight and interest shown that when, at length,
+Fan wished to leave the buffet, he found they were hemmed in by so
+dense a crowd that he felt nervous lest Tom should think of clearing
+the road with claws and teeth. So he promptly led his bear to a
+corner, placed him with his back against the wall, and told him to
+stay there till further orders.
+
+As has been already mentioned, this kind of drill was quite familiar
+to Tom, and was well suited to his natural indolence, and when a
+harlequin offered his hat to complete the picture, he settled himself
+comfortably, gravely laying one great paw on his wooden gun.
+
+'Do you happen to know,' said Fan to the obliging harlequin, '_who_
+you have lent your hat to?'
+
+'No,' replied harlequin.
+
+'You mean to say you don't guess?'
+
+'Not in the least.'
+
+'Come, take a good look at him. From the grace of all his movements,
+from the manner in which he carries his head, slightly on one side,
+like Alexander the Great--from the admirable imitations of the bear's
+voice--you don't mean to say you don't recognise him?'
+
+'Upon my word I don't.'
+
+'Odry!'[2] whispered Fan mysteriously; 'Odry, in his costume from "The
+Bear and the Pacha"!'
+
+    [2] A well-known actor of the time.
+
+'Oh, but he acts a _white_ bear, you know.'
+
+'Just so; that's why he has chosen a brown bear's skin as a disguise.'
+
+'Ho, ho! You're a good one,' cried harlequin.
+
+'Grrooonnn,' observed Tom.
+
+'Well, now you mention it, I _do_ recognise his voice. Really, I
+wonder it had not struck me before. Do ask him to disguise it better.'
+
+'Yes, yes,' said Fan, moving towards the ball-room, 'but it will never
+do to worry him. However, I'll try to persuade him to dance a minuet
+presently.'
+
+'Oh, could you really?'
+
+'He promised to do so. Just give a hint to your friends and try to
+prevent their teasing him.'
+
+'All right.'
+
+Tom made his way through the crowd, whilst the delighted harlequin
+moved from one mask to another, telling his news with warnings to be
+discreet, which were well received. Just then, too, the sounds of a
+lively galop were heard, and a general rush to the ball-room took
+place, harlequin only pausing to murmur in Tom's ear: 'I know you, my
+fine mask.'
+
+'Grroooonnn,' replied Tom.
+
+'Ah, it's all very well to growl, but you'll dance a minuet, won't
+you, old fellow?'
+
+Tom waved his head up and down as his way was when anyone asked him a
+question, and harlequin, satisfied with this silent consent, ran off
+to find a columbine and to dance the galop.
+
+Meanwhile, Tom remained alone with the waiters; motionless at his
+post, but with longing eyes turned towards the counter on which the
+most tempting piles of cake were heaped on numerous dishes. The
+waiters, remarking his rapt attention, and pleased to tempt a
+customer, stretched out a dish, Tom extended his paw and gingerly took
+a cake--then a second--then a third: the waiters seemed never tired of
+offering, or Tom of accepting these delicacies, and so, when the
+galop ended and the dancers returned to the crush-room, he had made
+short work of some dozens of little cakes.
+
+Harlequin had recruited a columbine and a shepherdess, and he
+introduced these ladies as partners for the promised minuet. With all
+the air of an old friend he whispered a few words to Tom, who, in the
+best of humours after so many cakes, replied with his most gracious
+growl. The harlequin, turning towards the gallery, announced that his
+lordship had much pleasure in complying with the universal request,
+and amidst loud applause, the shepherdess took one of Tom's paws and
+the columbine the other. Tom, for his part, like an accomplished
+cavalier, walked between his two partners, glancing at them by turns
+with looks of some surprise, and soon found himself with them in the
+middle of the pit of the theatre which was used as a ball-room. All
+took their places, some in the boxes, others in the galleries, the
+greater number forming a circle round the dancers. The band struck up.
+
+The minuet was Tom's greatest triumph and Fan's masterpiece, and with
+the very first steps success was assured and went on increasing with
+each movement, till at the last figure the applause became delirious.
+Tom was swept off in triumph to a stage box where the shepherdess,
+removing her wreath of roses, crowned him with it, whilst the whole
+theatre resounded with the applause of the spectators.
+
+Tom leant over the front of the box with a grace all his own; at the
+same time the strains of a fresh dance were heard, and everyone
+hurried to secure partners except a few courtiers of the new star who
+hovered round in hope of extracting an order for the play from him,
+but Tom only replied to their broadest hints with his perpetual
+'Grroonnn.'
+
+By degrees this became rather monotonous, and gradually Tom's court
+dwindled away, people murmuring that, though his dancing powers were
+certainly unrivalled, his conversation was a trifle insipid. An hour
+later Tom was alone! So fleeting is public favour.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THE MINUET WAS TOM'S GREATEST TRIUMPH']
+
+And now the hour of departure drew near. The pit was thinning and the
+boxes empty, and pale rays of morning light were glinting into the
+hall when the box-opener, who was going her rounds, heard sounds of
+snoring proceeding from one of the stage boxes. She opened the door,
+and there was Tom, who, tired out after his eventful night, had fallen
+fast asleep on the floor. The box-opener stepped in and politely
+hinted that it was six o'clock and time to go home.
+
+'Grrooonnn,' said Tom.
+
+'I hear you,' said the box-opener; 'you're asleep, my good man, but
+you'll sleep better still in your own bed. Come, come, your wife must
+be getting quite anxious! Upon my word I don't believe he hears a word
+I say. How heavily he sleeps!' And she shook him by the shoulder.
+
+'Grrrooonnn!'
+
+'All right, all right! This isn't a time to make believe. Besides, we
+all know you. There now, they're putting out the lights. Shall I send
+for a cab for you?'
+
+'Grrroooonnn.'
+
+'Come, come, the Odeon Theatre isn't an inn; come, be off! Oh,
+_that's_ what you're after, is it? Fie, Monsieur Odry, fie! I shall
+call the guard; the inspector hasn't gone to bed yet. Ah, indeed! You
+won't obey rules! You are trying to beat me, are you? You would beat a
+woman--and a former artiste to M. Odry, would you? For shame! But we
+shall see. Here, help--police--inspector--help!'
+
+'What's the matter?' cried the fireman on duty.
+
+'Help!' screamed the box-opener, 'help!'
+
+'What's the matter?' asked the sergeant commanding the patrol.
+
+'Oh, it's old mother what's her name, shrieking for help in one of the
+stage boxes.'
+
+'Coming!' shouted the sergeant.
+
+'This way, Mr. Sergeant, this way,' cried the box-opener.
+
+'All right, my dear, here I am. But where are you?'
+
+'Don't be afraid; there are no steps--straight on this way--he's in
+the corner. Oh, the rascal, he's as strong as a Turk!'
+
+'Grrrooonnn,' said Tom.
+
+'There, do you hear him? Is that to be called a Christian language?'
+
+'Come, come, my friend,' said the sergeant, who had at last managed to
+distinguish Tom in the faint twilight. 'We all know what it is to be
+young--no one likes a joke better than I do--but rules are rules, and
+the hour for going home has struck, so right about face, march! and
+quick step too.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn'--
+
+'Very pretty; a first-rate imitation. But suppose we try something
+else now for a change. Come, old fellow, step out with a good will.
+Ah! you won't. You're going to cut up rough, are you? Here, my man,
+lay hold and turn him out.'
+
+'He won't walk, sergeant.'
+
+'Well, what are the butt ends of your muskets for? Come, a tap or two
+will do no harm.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn--Grrrooonnn--Grrrooonnn--'
+
+'Go on, give it him well!'
+
+'I say, sergeant,' said one of the men, 'it strikes me he's a _real_
+bear. I caught hold of him by the collar just now, and the skin seems
+to grow on the flesh.'
+
+'Oh, if he's a real bear treat him with every consideration. His owner
+might claim damages. Go and fetch the fireman's lantern.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn.'
+
+'Here's the lantern,' said a man; 'now then, throw some light on the
+prisoner.'
+
+The soldier obeyed.
+
+'It is certainly a real snout,' declared the sergeant.
+
+'Goodness gracious me!' shrieked the box-opener as she took to her
+heels, 'a real live bear!'
+
+'Well, yes, a real live bear. Let's see if he has any name or address
+on him and take him home. I expect he has strayed, and being of a
+sociable disposition, came in to the Masked Ball.'
+
+'Grrrooonnn.'
+
+'There, you see, he agrees.'
+
+'Hallo!' exclaimed one of the soldiers.
+
+'What's the matter?'
+
+  [Illustration: TOM DISCOVERED IN THE BOX]
+
+'He has a little bag hung round his neck.'
+
+'Open the bag.'
+
+'A card.'
+
+'Read the card.'
+
+The soldier took it and read:
+
+'My name is Tom. I live at No. 109 Rue Faubourg St.-Denis. I have
+five francs in my purse. Two for a cab, and three for whoever takes me
+home.'
+
+'True enough; there are the five francs,' cried the sergeant. 'Now
+then, two volunteers for escort duty.'
+
+'Here!' cried the guard in chorus.
+
+'Don't all speak at once! Let the two seniors have the benefit of the
+job; off with you, my lads.'
+
+Two of the municipal guards advanced towards Tom, slipped a rope round
+his neck and, for precaution's sake, gave it a twist or two round his
+snout. Tom offered no resistance--the butt ends of the muskets had
+made him as supple as a glove. When they were fifty yards from the
+theatre, 'Bah!' said one of the soldiers, ''tis a fine morning.
+Suppose we don't take a cab. The walk will do him good.'
+
+'Besides,' remarked the other, 'we should each have two and a half
+francs instead of only one and a half.'
+
+'Agreed.'
+
+Half an hour later they stood at the door of 109. After some knocking,
+a very sleepy portress looked out.
+
+'Look here, Mother Wideawake,' said one of the guard; 'here's one of
+your lodgers. Do you recognise him?'
+
+'Why, I should rather think so. It's Monsieur Decamps' bear!'
+
+The same day, Odry the actor received a bill for little cakes,
+amounting to seven francs and a half.
+
+
+
+
+_SAI THE PANTHER_
+
+From Loudon's _Magazine of Natural History_.
+
+
+About seventy or eighty years ago two little panthers were deserted by
+their mother in one of the forests of Ashantee. They were too young to
+get food for themselves, and would probably have died had they not
+been found by a passing traveller, and by him taken to the palace as a
+present to the king. Here they lived and played happily for several
+weeks, when one day the elder and larger, whose name was Sai, gave his
+brother, in fun, such a dreadful squeeze that, without meaning it, he
+suffocated him. This frightened the king, who did not care to keep
+such a powerful pet about him, and he gave him away to Mr. Hutchison,
+an English gentleman, who was a sort of governor for the English
+traders settled in that part of Africa.
+
+Mr. Hutchison and Sai took a great fancy to each other, and spent a
+great deal of time together, and when, a few months later, Mr.
+Hutchison returned to Cape Coast he brought Sai with him. The two
+friends always had dinner at the same time, Sai sitting at his
+master's side and eating quietly whatever was given him. In general he
+was quite content with his portion, but once or twice, when he was
+hungrier than usual, he managed to steal a fowl out of the dish. For
+the sake of his manners the fowl was always taken from him, although
+he was invariably given some other food to satisfy his hunger.
+
+At first the inhabitants of the castle and the children were much
+afraid of him, but he soon became very tame, and his teeth and claws
+were filed so that he should not hurt anyone, even in play. When he
+got a little accustomed to the place, he was allowed to go where he
+liked within the castle grounds, and a boy was told off to look after
+him. Sometimes the boy would go to sleep when he ought to have been
+watching his charge, and then Sai, who knew perfectly well that this
+was not at all right, would steal quietly away and amuse himself till
+he thought his keeper would be awake again. One day, when he returned
+from his wanderings, he found the boy, as usual, comfortably curled up
+in a cool corner of the doorstep sound asleep. Sai looked at him for a
+moment, and then, thinking that it was full time for him to be taught
+his duty, he gave him one pat on his head, which sent the boy over
+like a ninepin and gave him a good fright, though it did not do him
+any harm.
+
+Sai was very popular with everybody, but he had his own favourites,
+and the chief of these was the governor, whom he could not bear to let
+out of his sight. When his master went out he would station himself at
+the drawing-room window, where he could watch all that was going on,
+and catch the first sight of his returning friend. Being by this time
+nearly grown up, Sai's great body took up all the space, to the great
+disgust of the children, who could see nothing. They tried to make him
+move, first by coaxings and then by threats, but as Sai did not pay
+the smallest attention to either one or the other, they at last all
+took hold of his tail and pulled so hard that he was forced to move.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THEY AT LAST ALL TOOK HOLD OF HIS TAIL']
+
+Strange to say, the black people were a great deal more afraid of Sai
+than any of the white ones, and one of his pranks nearly caused the
+death of an old woman who was the object of it. It was her business to
+sweep out and keep clean the great hall of the castle, and one morning
+she was crouching down on all fours with a short broom in her hand,
+thinking of nothing but how to get the dust out of the floor, when
+Sai, who had hidden himself under a sofa, and was biding his time,
+suddenly sprang on to her back, where he stood triumphantly. The old
+woman believed her last hour had come, and the other servants all ran
+away shrieking, lest it should be their turn next. Sai would not
+budge from his position till the governor, who had been alarmed by the
+terrible noise, came to see what was the matter, and soon made Master
+Sai behave himself.
+
+  [Illustration: TERROR OF THE ORANG-OUTANG AT SAI]
+
+At this time it was settled that Sai was to travel to England under
+the care of one of his Cape Coast friends and be presented to the
+Duchess of York, who was very fond of animals. In those days, of
+course, journeys took much longer than they do now, and there were
+other dangers than any which might arise from storms and tempests.
+While the strong cage of wood and iron was being built which was to
+form Sai's house on the way to England, his lady keeper thought it
+would be a good opportunity to make friends with him, and used to
+spend part of every day talking to him and playing with him; for this,
+as everyone knows, is the only way to gain the affection of bird or
+beast. It was very easy to love Sai; he was so gentle and caressing,
+especially with children; and he was very handsome besides in his
+silky yellow coat with black spots, which, as the French say, does not
+spoil anything. Many creatures and many men might have made a great
+fuss at being shut into a cage instead of being allowed to walk about
+their own house and grounds, but everyone had always been kind to Sai,
+so he took for granted it was all right, and made himself as
+comfortable as he could, and was quite prepared to submit to anything
+disagreeable that he thought reasonable. But it very nearly happened
+that poor Sai had no voyage at all, for while he was being hauled from
+the canoe which had brought him from the shore into the ship, the men
+were so afraid to come near him that they let his cage fall into the
+sea, and if the sailors from the vessel had not been very quick in
+lowering a boat it would have been too late to save him. As it was,
+for many days he would not look up or eat or speak, and his friend was
+quite unhappy about him, although the same symptoms have sometimes
+been shown by human beings who have only been _on_ the sea instead of
+_in_ it. At last he was roused from his sad condition by hearing the
+lady's voice. He raised his head and cocked his ears, first a little,
+then more; and when she came up to the cage he rolled over and over
+with delight, and howled and cried and tried to reach her. When he got
+a little calmer she told him to put his paws through the bars and
+shake hands, and from that moment Sai was himself again.
+
+Now it was a very strange taste on the part of a panther whose fathers
+and grandfathers had lived and died in the heart of African forests,
+but Sai loved nothing so much as lavender water, which white people
+use a great deal in hot countries. If anyone took out a handkerchief
+which had been sprinkled with lavender water, Sai would instantly
+snatch it away, and in his delight would handle it so roughly that it
+was soon torn to atoms. His friend in charge knew of this odd fancy,
+and on the voyage she amused herself regularly twice a week with
+making a little cup of paper, which she filled with the scent and
+passed through the bars, taking care never to give it him till he had
+drawn back his claws into their sheaths. Directly he got hold of the
+cup Sai would roll over and over it, and would pay no attention to
+anyone as long as the smell lasted. It almost seemed as if he liked it
+better than his food!
+
+For some reason or other the vessel lay at anchor for nearly two
+months in the river Gaboon, and Sai might have been allowed to leave
+his cage if he had not been an animal of such very strong prejudices.
+Black people he could not endure, and, of course, they came daily in
+swarms with food for the ship. Pigs, too, he hated, and they ran
+constantly past his cage, while as for an orang-outang monkey about
+three feet high, which a black trader once tried to sell to the
+sailors, Sai showed such mad symptoms at the very sight of it that the
+poor beast rushed in terror to the other end of the vessel, knocking
+down everything that came in its way. If the monkey took some time
+to recover from his fright, it was very long before Sai could
+forget the shock he had received. Day and night he watched and
+listened, and sometimes, when he fancied his enemy was near, he would
+give a low growl and arch his back and set up his tail; yet, as far as
+we know, he had never from his babyhood killed anything.
+
+  [Illustration: SAI HAS TO TAKE A PILL]
+
+But when at last the winds were favourable, and the ship set sail for
+the open sea, other adventures were in store for the passengers.
+Pirates infested the coast of Africa in those days, and they came on
+board and carried off everything of value, including the stores of
+provisions. The only things they did not think worth removing were the
+parrots, of which three hundred had been brought by the sailors, and
+as these birds could not stand the cold, and died off fast as the ship
+steered north, Sai was allowed one a day, which just managed to keep
+him alive. Still, there is very little nourishment to be got out of a
+parrot, especially when you eat it with the feathers on, and Sai soon
+became very ill and did not care even for parrots. His keeper felt his
+nose and found it dry and feverish, so she begged that she might take
+him out of his cage and doctor him herself. A little while before, Sai
+would have been enchanted to be free, but now he was too ill to enjoy
+anything, and he just stretched himself out on deck, with his head on
+his mistress's feet. Luckily she had some fever medicine with her,
+good for panthers as well as men and women, and she made up three
+large pills which she hoped might cure Sai. Of course it was not to be
+expected that he would take them of his own free will, so she got the
+boy who looked after him to hold open his mouth, while she pushed down
+the pills. Then he was put back into his cage, the boy insisting on
+going with him, and both slept comfortably together. In a few days,
+with the help of better food than he had been having, he got quite
+well, and on his arrival in England won the admiration of the Duchess
+of York, his new mistress, by his beauty and gentle ways. As his
+country house was not quite ready for him, he was left for a few
+weeks with a man who understood animals, and seemed contented and
+happy, and was allowed to walk about as he liked. Here the Duchess of
+York used constantly to visit him and play with him, even going to see
+him the very day before he--and she--were to move into the country. He
+was in excellent spirits, and appeared perfectly well, but he must
+somehow have taken a chill, for when, on the following day, the
+Duchess's coachman came to fetch him, he found poor Sai had died after
+a few hours' illness from inflammation of the lungs.
+
+After all he is not so much to be pitied. He had had a very happy
+life, with plenty of fun and plenty of kindness, and he had a very
+rapid and painless death.
+
+
+
+
+_THE BUZZARD AND THE PRIEST_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+About one hundred and forty years ago a French priest received a
+present of a large brown and grey bird, which had been taken in a
+snare intended for some other creature, and was very wild and savage.
+The man who brought it was quite ignorant what kind of bird it was,
+but the priest knew it to be the common buzzard, and made up his mind
+to try to tame it. He began by keeping it shut up, and allowing it to
+take no food except out of his hand, and after about six weeks of this
+treatment it grew much quieter, and had learnt to know its master. The
+priest then thought it would be safe to give the buzzard a little more
+freedom, and after carefully tying its wings, so that it could not fly
+away, he turned it out into the garden. Of course it was highly
+delighted to find itself in the sun once more, and hopped about with
+joy, and the time passed quickly till it began to get hungry, when it
+was glad to hear its master calling it to come in to dinner. Indeed,
+the bird always seemed so fond of the priest, that in a few days he
+thought he might leave it quite free, so he unfastened its wings and
+left them loose, merely hanging a label with his own name round its
+neck, and putting a little bell round its leg. But what was the poor
+man's disgust, to see the buzzard instantly spread out its great wings
+and make for the neighbouring forest, deaf to all his calls! He
+naturally expected that, in spite of his trouble and precautions, the
+bird had flown away for ever, and sat sadly down to prepare his next
+day's sermon. Now sermons are things that take up a great deal of
+attention, and he had almost forgotten his lost favourite when he was
+startled by a tremendous noise in the hall outside his study, and on
+opening the door to see what was the matter, he saw his buzzard
+rushing about, followed by five others, who were so jealous of its
+copper plate and bell, that they had tried to peck them off, and the
+poor thing had flown as fast as it could to its master's house, where
+it knew it was safe.
+
+After this it took care not to wander too far from home, and came back
+every night to sleep on the priest's window sill. Soon it grew bolder
+still, and would sit on the corner of the table when he was at dinner,
+and now and then would rub his head against his shoulder, uttering a
+low cry of affection and pleasure. Sometimes it would even do more,
+and follow him for several miles when he happened to be riding.
+
+But the buzzard was not the only pet the priest had to look after.
+There were ducks, and chickens, and dogs, and four large cats. The
+ducks and chickens it did not mind, at least those that belonged to
+the house, and it would even take its bath at the same time with the
+ducklings, and never trod upon them when they got in its way, or got
+cross and pecked them. And if hawks or any such birds tried to snap up
+the little ones who had left their mother's wing to take a peep at the
+world, the buzzard would instantly fly to their help, and never once
+was beaten in the battle. Curiously enough, however, it seemed to
+think it might do as it liked with the fowls and ducks that belonged
+to other people, and so many were the complaints of cocks and hens
+lamed and killed, that the priest was obliged to let it be known that
+he would pay for all such damage, in order to save his favourite's
+life. As to dogs and cats, it always got the better of _them_; in any
+experiment which it amused the priest to make. One day he threw a
+piece of raw meat into the garden where the cats were collected, to
+be scrambled for. A young and active puss instantly seized it and ran
+away with her prize, with all the other cats after her. But quick as
+she was, the buzzard, who had been watching her movements from the
+bough of a tree, was quicker still. Down it pounced on her back,
+squeezed her sides with its claws, and bit her ears so sharply, that
+she was forced to let go. In one moment another cat had picked the
+morsel up in its teeth, but it did not hold it long. The process that
+had answered for one cat would answer for a second, as the buzzard
+very well knew. Down he swooped again, and even when the whole four
+cats, who saw in him a common enemy, attacked the bird at once, they
+proved no match for him, and in the end they were clever enough to
+find that out.
+
+  [Illustration: THE CATS NO MATCH FOR THE BUZZARD]
+
+It is not easy to know what buzzards in general think about things,
+but this one hated scarlet as much as any bull. Whenever he saw a red
+cap on any of the peasants' heads, he would hide himself among the
+thick boughs overhanging the road where the man had to pass, and would
+nip it off so softly that the peasant never felt his loss. He would
+even manage to take off the wigs which every one wore then, and that
+was cleverer still, and off he would carry both wigs and caps to a
+tall tree in a park near by, and hang them all over it, like a new
+kind of fruit.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BUZZARD CARRIES OFF HAT AND WIG]
+
+As may be imagined, a bird so bold made many enemies, and was often
+shot at by the keepers, but for a long time it appeared to bear a
+charmed life, and nothing did it any harm. However, one unlucky day a
+keeper who was going his rounds in the forest, and who did not know
+what a strange and clever bird this buzzard was, saw him on the back
+of a fox which he had attacked for want of something better to do, and
+fired two shots at them. One shot killed the fox; the other broke the
+wing of the buzzard, but he managed to fly out of reach of the
+keeper, and hid himself. Meanwhile the tinkling of the bell made the
+keeper guess that this must be the priest's pet, of which he had so
+often heard; and being anxious to do what he could to repair the
+damage he had done, he at once told the priest what had happened. The
+priest went out directly to the forest, and gave his usual whistle,
+but neither on that evening nor on several others was there any reply.
+At last on the seventh night he heard a low answer, and on searching
+narrowly all through the wood, the priest found the poor buzzard,
+which had hopped nearly two miles towards its old home, dragging its
+broken wing after it. The bird was very thin, but was enchanted to see
+his old master, who carried him home and nursed him for six weeks,
+when he got quite well, and was able to fly about as boldly as ever.
+
+
+
+
+_COWPER AND HIS HARES_
+
+From Bingley's _British Quadrupeds_.
+
+
+No one was fonder of animals, or kinder to them, than Cowper the poet,
+who lived towards the end of the last century; but of all creatures he
+loved hares best, perhaps because he, like them, was timid and easily
+frightened. He has left a very interesting account of three hares that
+were given to him when he was living in the country in the year 1774,
+and as far as possible the poet shall tell his own story of the
+friendship between himself and his pets--Puss, Tiney, and Bess, as he
+called them.
+
+Cowper was not at all a strong man, and suffered terribly from fits of
+low spirits, and at these times he could not read, and disliked the
+company of people, who teased him by giving him advice or asking him
+questions. It was during one of these seasons of solitude and
+melancholy that he noticed a poor little hare belonging to the
+children of one of his neighbours, who, without meaning really to be
+unkind, had worried the little thing almost to death. Soon they got
+tired even of playing with it, and the poor hare was in danger of
+being starved to death, when their father, whose heart was more tender
+than theirs, proposed that it should be given to their neighbour Mr.
+Cowper.
+
+Now Cowper, besides feeling pity for the poor little creature, felt
+that he should like to teach and train it, and as just then he was too
+unhappy to care for his usual occupations, he gladly accepted the
+present. In a very short time Puss was given two companions, Tiney
+and Bess, and could have had dozens more if Cowper had wanted them,
+for the villagers offered to catch him enough to have filled the whole
+countryside if he would only give the order.
+
+However, Cowper decided that three would be ample for his purposes,
+and as he wished them to learn nice clean habits, he began with his
+own hands to build them a house. The house contained a large hall and
+three bedrooms, each with a separate bed, and it was astonishing how
+soon every hare knew its own bedroom, and how careful he was (for in
+spite of their names they were all males) never to go into those of
+his friends.
+
+Very soon all three made themselves much at home in their comfortable
+quarters, and Puss, the first comer, would jump on his master's lap
+and, standing up on his hind legs, would bite the hair on his temples.
+He enjoyed being carried about like a baby, and would even go to sleep
+in Cowper's arms, which is a very strange thing for a hare to do. Once
+Puss got ill, and then the poet took care to keep him apart from the
+other two, for animals have a horror of their sick companions, and are
+generally very unkind to them. So he nursed Puss himself, and gave him
+all sorts of herbs and grasses as medicine, and at last Puss began to
+get better, and took notice of what was going on round him. When he
+was strong enough to take his first little walk, his pleasure knew no
+bounds; and in token of his gratitude he licked his master's hand,
+first back, then front, and then between every finger. As soon as he
+felt himself quite strong again, he went with the poet every day,
+after breakfast, into the garden, where he lay all the morning under a
+trailing cucumber, sometimes asleep, but every now and then eating a
+leaf or two by way of luncheon. If the poet was ever later than usual
+in leaving the house, Puss would down on his knees and look up into
+his eyes with a pleading expression, or, if these means failed, he
+would seize his master's coat between his teeth, and pull as hard as
+he could towards the window. Puss was, perhaps, the pleasantest of all
+the hares, but Bess, who died young, was the cleverest and most
+amusing. He had his little tempers, and when he was not feeling very
+well, he was glad to be petted and made much of; but no sooner had he
+recovered than he resented any little attentions, and would growl and
+run away or even bite if you attempted to touch him. It was impossible
+really to tame Tiney, but there was something so serious and solemn in
+all he did, that it made you laugh even to watch him.
+
+Bess, the third, was very different from the other two. He did not
+need taming, for he was tame from the beginning, as it never entered
+into his head that anyone could be unkind to him. In many things he
+had the same tastes as his friends. All three loved lettuces,
+dandelions, and oats; and every night little dishes were placed in
+their bedrooms, in case they might feel hungry. One day their master
+was clearing out a birdcage while his three hares were sitting by, and
+he placed on the floor a pot containing some white sand, such as birds
+use instead of a carpet. The moment they saw the sand, they made a
+rush for it and ate it up greedily. Cowper took the hint, and always
+saw, after that, that sand was placed where the hares could get at it.
+
+After supper they all spent the evenings in the parlour, and would
+tumble over together, and jump over each other's backs, and see which
+could spring the farthest, just like a set of kittens. But the
+cleverest of them all was Bess, and he was also the strongest.
+
+Poor Bess! he was the first to die, soon after he was grown up, and
+Tiney and Puss had to get on as best they could without him, which was
+not half as much fun. There was no one now to invent queer games, or
+to keep the cat in order when it tried to take liberties; and no one,
+too, to prevent Tiney from bullying Puss, as he was rather fond of
+doing. Tiney lived to be nine, quite a respectable age for a hare, and
+died at last from the effects of a fall. Puss went on for another
+three years, and showed no signs of decay, except that he was a little
+less playful, which was only to be expected. His last act was to make
+friends with a dog called Marquis, to whom he was introduced by his
+master; and though the spaniel could not take the place of Puss's
+early companions, he was better than nobody, and the two got on quite
+happily together, till the sad day (March 9, 1796) when Puss stretched
+himself at his master's feet and died peacefully and without pain,
+aged eleven years and eleven months.
+
+
+
+
+_A RAT TALE_
+
+
+Huggy was an old rat when he died--very old indeed. He was born in the
+middle of a corn-rick, and there he might have lived his little life
+had not the farmer who owned the rick caused it to be pulled down.
+That was Huggy's first experience of flitting, and it was done in such
+a hurry that he had hardly time to be sorry. It was pitch dark when
+his mother shook him up roughly and told him to 'come along, or he
+would be killed by the farmer,' and poor Huggy, blinking his sleepy
+eyes, struggled out of his snug little bed into the cold black night.
+
+Several old rats met him at the entrance, and sternly bade him stay
+where he was and make no noise, for the leader was about to speak.
+Huggy was wide-awake by this time. The rat spirit of adventure was
+roused within him by the scent of coming danger, and eagerly he
+listened to the shrill, clear voice of the leader:
+
+'Friends, old and young, this is not a time for many words, but I want
+you all to know the cause of this sudden disturbance. Last night I was
+scavenging round the farmer's kitchen, seeking what I might devour,
+when in came the stable-boy tapping an empty corn-sieve which he had
+in his hand. He said a few words to the farmer, who rose hastily, and
+together they left the kitchen, I following at a convenient distance.
+They went straight to the stable, and talked for some time with their
+backs to the corn-bin, which was standing open in the window. After a
+while I managed to scramble up and peer into it, only to confirm what
+I dreaded most--the corn-bin was empty! To-morrow they will pull down
+this rick, thresh the corn, and replenish the empty bin. So, my
+friends, unless we mean to die by dog, stick, or fork, we had better
+be off as soon as it is daylight.'
+
+There was a shuffle of feet all round, and a general rush of anxious
+mothers into the rick to fetch out their young. Huggy was waiting at
+the entrance; so, as soon as he caught sight of his mother, he raced
+off with her to join the fast-assembling crowd at the back of the
+rick. The leader ranged them in lines of ten abreast, and, after
+walking up and down to see that all were in their places, he gave a
+shrill squeak, and the column started. They marched steadily for about
+two miles--slowly, of course, because of the young ones. Nothing
+proved an obstacle to them. Sometimes a high wall crossed their path,
+but they merely ran up one side and down the other, as if it was level
+road. Sometimes it was a broad river which confronted them, but that
+they swam without hesitation--rats will not stop at such trifles.
+
+At length they came to a field where a man with a pair of horses was
+ploughing. His coat, in which his dinner was wrapt, lay on the wall
+some little distance from him. Seeing such a number of rats, he left
+his horses and ran for his life, and hid behind a knoll, whence he
+could view the proceedings without himself being seen. To his great
+disgust, he saw the creatures first crowd round his coat, then run
+over it, and finally eat out of his pocket the bread and cheese his
+wife had provided for his dinner!
+
+That was a stroke of luck for the rats. They had not counted on so
+early a breakfast; so it was with lightsome hearts they performed the
+rest of their journey.
+
+Huggy was very glad when it was over. He had never been so far in his
+life--he was only three weeks old. Their new home proved to be a
+cellar, which communicated on one side with sundry pipes running
+straight to the kitchen, and on the other with a large ventilator
+opening to the outside air. A paradise for rats! and as to the
+inhabitants of the house--we shall see.
+
+It was early in the afternoon when they arrived, so they had plenty of
+time to settle down before night. Huggy, having selected his corner,
+left his mother to make it comfortable for him, and scampered off for
+'a poke round,' as he called it. First he went to the kitchen, peeped
+up through a hole in the floor, and, seeing no one about, cautiously
+crept out and sniffed into all the cupboards. As he was emerging from
+the last he beheld a sight which made his little heart turn sick.
+There, in a corner which Huggy had not noticed before, lay a huge dog
+half asleep! And so great was Huggy's fright that he squeaked, very
+faintly indeed, yet loud enough to set Master Dog upon his feet. Next
+minute they were both tearing across the kitchen. Huggy was a wee bit
+in front, but so little that he could feel the dog's hot breath behind
+him. There was the hole--bump--scrabble, scrabble--Huggy was safe!
+Safe! yes--but oh, so frightened!--and what made him smart so
+dreadfully? Why, his tail ... was gone--bitten off by the dog! Ah,
+Huggy, my poor little rat, if it had not been for that foolish little
+squeak of fright you might have been as other rats are--but now! Huggy
+almost squeaked again, it was so very sad--and painful. Slowly he
+crept back to the cellar, where he had to endure the jeers of his
+young companions and the good advice of his elders.
+
+  [Illustration: 'SEEING SUCH A NUMBER OF RATS, HE LEFT HIS HORSES AND
+    RAN FOR HIS LIFE']
+
+It was some weeks before Huggy fully recovered himself, and more weeks
+still before he could screw up his courage to appear among his
+companions as the 'tailless rat;' but at long and at last he did crawl
+out, and, because he looked so shy and frightened, the other rats were
+merciful, and let him alone. The old rat, too--the leader--took a
+great fancy to him, and used to allow Huggy to accompany him on his
+various exploits, which was considered a great privilege among the
+older rats, and Huggy was very proud of it. One night he and the
+leader were out together, when their walk happened to take them (as it
+generally did) round by the pantry. As a matter of course, they went
+in, and had a good meal off a loaf which the careless table-maid had
+left standing on the shelf. Beside the loaf was a box of matches, and
+Huggy could not be happy till he had found out what was inside. First
+he gnawed the box a little, then he dragged it up and down, then he
+gnawed a little more, and, finding it was not very good to eat, he
+began to play with it. Suddenly, without any warning, there was a
+splutter and a flare. Huggy and the leader were outside in a
+twinkling, leaving the pantry in a blaze. Luckily no great damage was
+done, for the flames were seen and put out in time.
+
+So, little by little, Huggy was led on. In vain did his mother plead
+with him to be careful. He was 'a big rat now, and could look after
+himself,' he said. The following week the leader organised a party to
+invade the hen-house. Of course Huggy was among the number chosen. It
+required no little skill to creep noiselessly up the broken ladder,
+visiting the various nests ranged along each side of the walls; for
+laying hens are nervous ladies, and, if startled, make enough noise to
+waken a town. But the leader had selected his party well, and not a
+sound was made till the proper time came. Once up the ladder, each rat
+took it in turn to slip in behind the hen, and gently roll one egg at
+a time from under her. The poor birds rarely resisted; experience had
+taught them long since the futility of such conduct. It was the young
+and ignorant fowls who gave all the trouble; they fluttered about in a
+fright and disturbed the whole house. But the rats knew pretty well
+which to go to; so they worked on without interruption. When they had
+collected about a dozen eggs, the next move was to take them safely
+down the ladder into the cellar. This was very soon done. Huggy lay
+down on his back, nestled an egg cosily between himself and his two
+front paws; a feather was put through his mouth, by which means a rat
+on either side dragged him along. Huggy found it rather rough on his
+back going down the ladder, but, with a good supper in view, he could
+bear most things. The eggs having been brought thus to the level of
+the ground, the rats dragged them in the same way slowly and carefully
+down to the cellar.
+
+So time went on. Night after night parties of rats went out, and each
+morning they returned with tales of adventure and cunning--all more or
+less daring. But the leader was getting old. Huggy had noticed for
+some time how grey and feeble he was becoming; nor was he much
+surprised when, one day, the leader told him that he (Huggy) would
+have to take his place as leader of the rats. Two days after this the
+old rat died, leaving Huggy to succeed him; and a fine lot of scrapes
+did that rat and his followers get into.
+
+The larder was their favourite haunt, where joints of meat were hung
+on hooks 'quite out o' reach o' them rats,' as the cook said. But
+Huggy thought differently, and in a trice ten large rats had run up
+the wall and down the hook, and were gobbling the meat as fast as they
+could. But there was one hook in the centre of the ceiling which Huggy
+could not reach; from this hook a nice fat duck was suspended by a
+string. 'If only I could get on to that hook I should gnaw the string,
+and the duck would fall, and----'
+
+Huggy got no further. An idea had come to him which he communicated
+quickly to the others. The plan seemed to be appreciated, for they all
+ran to an old chair, which was standing just under this difficult
+centre hook. The strongest rat went first, climbed up the back of the
+chair, and balanced himself on the top; Number 2 followed, and
+carefully balanced on Number 1; Number 1 then squeaked, which meant he
+could bear no more. It was a pity he could not stand _one_ more; for,
+as they were, the topmost rat could just reach the prize, and though
+he nibbled all round as far as he could, it was not what might be
+called 'a square meal.' The cook was indeed amazed when, next morning,
+she found only three-fourths of her precious duck remaining. 'Ah!' she
+said, 'I'll be even with you yet, you cunning beasts!' And that night
+she sliced up part of a duck with some cheese, and put it in a plate
+on the larder floor. At his usual hour, when all was dark and quiet,
+Huggy and his followers arrived, and, seeing their much-coveted prize
+under their very noses, were cautious. But Huggy was up to the trick.
+'To-night and to-morrow night you may eat it,' he said, 'but beware of
+the third.' So they partook of the duck, and enjoyed it that night and
+the next, but the third the dish was left untouched.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE RATS IN THE LARDER}]
+
+The cook was up betimes that morning, so that she might bury the
+corpses before breakfast. Her dog (the same who had robbed Huggy of
+his tail), according to his custom, followed her into the larder. On
+seeing the plate just as she had left it the night before, the cook,
+in her astonishment, forgot the dog, who, finding no one gainsay him,
+licked the dish with infinite relish. Poor dog! In spite of all
+efforts to save him he died ten minutes afterwards; and the cook
+learnt her lesson also, for she never tried poisoning rats again.
+
+Here end the chief events of Huggy's life--all, at least, that are
+worth recording.
+
+Some years after the death of the dog I was sitting in the gloaming
+close to a steep path which led from the cellar down to the river,
+when what should I see but three large rats coming slowly towards me.
+The middle one was the largest, and evidently blind, for he had in his
+mouth a long straw, by which the other two led him carefully down the
+path. As the trio passed I recognised the centre one to be Huggy the
+Tailless.
+
+Next morning my little Irish terrier, Jick, brought him to me in his
+mouth, dead; and I buried him under a Gloire de Dijon in a sunny
+corner of the garden.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Fantastic as some of the incidents may sound, they are, nevertheless,
+true, having been collected mainly from an old rat-catcher living in
+the town of Hawick.
+
+
+
+
+_SNAKE STORIES_
+
+
+In 1850 Baron de Wogan, a French gentleman, left his native land and
+set sail for North America, to seek his fortune and adventures. He was
+descended from two noble adventurers, the Wogan who led a cavalry
+troop from Dover to the Highlands, to fight for Charles II., and the
+Wogan who rescued Queen Clementina, wife of James III., from prison in
+Innspruck. In 1850 adventures, wild beasts, and Red Indians were more
+plentiful than now, and Wogan had some narrow escapes from snakes and
+bears. Soon after coming to North America he had his first adventure
+with a rattlesnake; he was then camping at the gold fields of
+California, seeking for gold in order to have money enough to start on
+his voyages of discovery. His house was a log hut, built by himself,
+and his bed a sack filled with dry oak leaves.
+
+One day, finding that his mattress required renewing, he went out with
+the sack and his gun. Having filled the sack with leaves, he went off
+with his gun in search of game for his larder, and only came home at
+nightfall. After having cooked and eaten his supper, he threw himself
+on his new mattress, and soon was asleep. He awoke about three, and
+would soon have fallen asleep again, but he felt something moving in
+the sack. His first thought was that it was a rat, but he soon felt by
+the way it moved that it was no quadruped, but a reptile, no rat, but
+a snake! He must have put it in the sack with the leaves, as might
+easily happen in winter when these creatures are torpid from the cold,
+and sleep all curled up. With one leap the Baron was out of its
+reach, but wishing to examine it more closely, he took his gun to
+protect him in case of danger, and came near the bed again; but the
+ungrateful beast, forgetting that they had been bedfellows, threw
+itself on the gun and began to bite the muzzle. Fearing that it might
+turn and bite him next the Baron pulled the trigger, and hitting the
+serpent, literally cut it in two. It measured two feet long, and when
+the Baron cut off its tail, he found a quantity of scales which made
+the rattling sound from which this serpent gets its name.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BARON KILLS THE SNAKE]
+
+As soon as the Baron had found enough gold, he bought a mule whom he
+called Cadi, and whom he became very fond of, and set off into the
+backwoods in search of sport and adventure. (Poor Cadi eventually met
+a terrible end, but that is a Bear story.) He soon added another
+companion, a young Indian girl, Calooa by name. She was the daughter
+of a chief of the Utah tribe, and had been taken prisoner, with
+several other women, by a tribe of hostile Indians whom the Baron fell
+in with. She would have been tortured and then burnt with the other
+prisoners had the Baron not saved her life by buying her for a silk
+handkerchief, a knife and fork, and some coloured pictures. She
+wandered with him and shared all his adventures, till she was found
+again by her tribe and taken back to them. One hot day they had been
+marching together about thirty miles through a country infested with
+panthers and pumas. The Baron was heading the little procession, when
+suddenly a cry from Calooa that she only used in moments of danger
+made him turn round. Then he saw that what he had taken to be a huge
+rotten branch of a tree, and had even thought of taking with him for
+their camp fire, that evening, was in reality an enormous serpent. It
+lay across the path asleep, its head resting on the trunk of a tree.
+The Baron raised his gun to his shoulder, and came nearer the monster
+to get a good aim. He fired, but missed. The horrid creature reared
+itself nearly on end and looked at him with that fixed stare by which
+the serpent fascinates and paralyses its victim. The Baron felt all
+the fascination, but conquering it, he fired a second time, and this
+time wounded the creature without killing it outright. Though mortally
+wounded, the snake's dying struggles were so violent that the young
+trees all round were levelled as if they had been cut with a scythe.
+As soon as they were sure that life was extinct, Calooa and the Baron
+came nearer to examine the snake's dead body. Though part of his tail
+was missing, he measured nevertheless five yards long and eighteen
+inches round. Thinking that it seemed of unusual girth, the Baron cut
+it open with an axe, and found inside the body of a young prairie
+wolf, probably about a week old. The peculiarity of this snake was
+that it gave out a strong odour of musk, like the sea serpent in Mr.
+Kipling's book.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE BARON SLAYS THE HORNED SNAKE}]
+
+The most horrible serpent that the Baron encountered and slew was the
+horned snake; he learned afterwards from the Indians that it is the
+most deadly of all the snakes of North America, for not only is its
+bite venomous, but its tail has a sting which contains the same
+poison. It crawls like other snakes, but when it attacks it forms
+itself into a circle, and then suddenly unbending itself flings itself
+like a lion on its victim, head forward and tail raised, thus
+attacking with both ends at once. If by chance it misses its aim and
+its tail strikes a young tree and penetrates the bark, that tree
+immediately begins to droop, and before long withers and dies. On the
+occasion when the Baron encountered it, Calooa and he had been fleeing
+all night fearing an attack of hostile Indians. About daylight they
+ventured to stop to take rest and food. While Calooa lit the fire the
+Baron took his gun and went in search of game. In about half an hour
+he returned with a wild turkey. When they had cooked and eaten it, he
+lay down and fell asleep, but had only slept two hours when he awoke,
+feeling his hand touched. It was Calooa, who woke him with a
+terror-stricken face. Looking in the direction she pointed, he saw
+about fifty yards away an enormous horned snake wound round a branch
+of sassafras. It was lying in wait for a poor little squirrel, that
+cowered in the hollow of an oak. As soon as the squirrel dared to show
+even the tip of its nose, the serpent flung itself at it, but in vain,
+as its great head could not get into the hole.
+
+  [Illustration: HOW THE INDIANS MAKE THE HORNED SNAKE DISGORGE HIS
+    DINNER]
+
+'Fortunately,' the Baron says, 'my gun was by my side. I rose and went
+to the rescue of the defenceless little creature. When the serpent saw
+me he knew he had another sort of enemy to deal with, and hissing
+furiously hurled himself in my direction, though without quitting his
+branch. I stopped and took aim. The serpent evidently understood my
+attitude perfectly, for unwinding himself he began to crawl with all
+his speed towards me. Between us there was fortunately an obstacle, a
+fallen chestnut tree; to reach me he must either climb over it or go
+round, and he was too furious to put up with any delay. Ten paces from
+the tree I waited for him to appear, one knee on the ground, my gun at
+my shoulder, and the other elbow resting on my knee to steady my aim.
+At last I saw his horrid head appear above the fallen tree, at the
+same moment I fired, and the ball pierced his head through and
+through, though without instantly killing him. Quick as lightning he
+wound himself round a branch, lashing out with his tail in all
+directions. It was his dying struggle; slowly his fury subsided, and
+uncoiling himself he fell dead alongside the tree. I measured him and
+found he was eight feet long, and seven or eight inches round. He was
+dark brown, and his head had two horns, or rather hard knobs. Wishing
+to carry away some souvenir to remember him by when I should be at
+home again in France, I tried to cut off his horns, but found it
+impossible. Out of curiosity I then took an axe and cut him open, when
+I found inside a little bird, dazed but living. Presently it revived
+and began to flutter about, and soon flew away among the bushes and
+was lost to sight. I did not then know that this is a common
+occurrence, and that when the Indians find a serpent asleep, as is
+generally the case after the creature has gorged itself, they hit it
+on the head with a stick, which makes it throw up what it has
+swallowed whole, and its victims are often still living.'
+
+Calooa on one occasion had a narrow escape. She had put her hand into
+a hollow in a branch of a cherry-tree where was a blue jay's nest, to
+take eggs as she thought. Hardly had she put in her hand when she
+screamed with pain; a rattlesnake that had taken possession of the
+nest had stung her. The Baron, much alarmed, expected to see Calooa
+die before his eyes. He did not know of the remedy the Indians use for
+snake bites. Calooa herself was quite undisturbed, and hunted about
+among the bushes till she found the plant she knew of, then crushing
+some of the leaves between two stones, she applied them to the bite,
+and in a couple of hours was completely cured.
+
+Besides these snakes the Baron learned from the Indians that there is
+another even more dangerous, not from its sting, which is not
+poisonous, but because it winds itself round its victim, and strangles
+him to death. Fortunately the Baron never met one, or he would
+probably not have lived to tell his snake stories.
+
+
+
+
+_WHAT ELEPHANTS CAN DO_
+
+
+Long, long ago the earth was very different from what it is now, and
+was covered with huge forests made up of enormous trees, and in these
+forests there roamed immense beasts, whose skeletons may sometimes be
+seen in our museums.
+
+Of all these beasts there is only one remaining, and that is the
+elephant. Now the elephant is so big and shapeless that he makes one
+think he has been turned out by a child who did not know how to finish
+his work properly. He seems to need some feet badly and to want
+pinching about his body. He would also be the better for a more
+imposing tail; but such as he is, the elephant is more useful and
+interesting than many creatures of ten times his beauty. Large and
+clumsy though he may be, he alone of all animals has 'between his eyes
+a serpent for a hand,' and he turns his trunk to better account than
+most men do their two hands.
+
+Ever since we first read about elephants in history they were just the
+same as they are now. They have not learnt, from associating with men,
+fresh habits which they hand down from father to son; each elephant,
+quick though he is to learn, has to be taught everything over again.
+
+Yet there is no beast who has lived in such unbroken contact with man
+for so many thousands of years. We do not know when he first began to
+be distinguished for his qualities from the other wild animals, but as
+far back as we can trace the sculptures which adorn the Indian temples
+the elephant has a place. Several hundred years before Christ, the
+Greek traveller Herodotus was passing through Babylon and found a
+large number of elephants employed in the daily life of the city, and
+from time to time we catch glimpses of them in Eastern warfare, though
+it was not till the third century B.C. that they were introduced into
+Europe by Alexander the Great. The Mediterranean nations were quick to
+see the immense profit to which the elephant could be put, both in
+respect to the great weights he could carry, and also for his
+extraordinary teachableness. In India at the present day he performs
+all kinds of varied duties, and many are the stories told about his
+cleverness, for he is the only animal that can be taught to push as
+well as pull.
+
+Most of us have seen elephants trained to perform in a circus, and
+there is something rather sad in watching their great clumsy bodies
+gambolling about in a way that is unnatural as well as ungraceful. But
+there is no question as to the amount that elephants can be taught,
+particularly by kindness, or how skilfully they will revenge
+themselves for any ill-treatment.
+
+In the early part of this century an elephant was sent by a lady in
+India as a present to the Duke of Devonshire, who had a large villa at
+Chiswick.
+
+This lucky captive had a roomy house of its own, built expressly for
+it in the park, a field to walk about in, and a keeper to look after
+it, and to do a little light gardening besides. This man treated the
+elephant (a female) with great kindness, and they soon became the best
+of friends. The moment he called out she stopped, and at his bidding
+would take a broom in her trunk and sweep the dead leaves off the
+grass; after which she would carefully carry after him a large pail of
+water for him to re-fill his watering pot--for in those days the
+garden-hose was not invented. When the tidying up was all done, the
+elephant was given a carrot and some of the water, but very often the
+keeper would amuse himself with handing her a soda-water bottle
+tightly corked, and telling her to empty it. This she did by placing
+the bottle in an inclined position on the ground and holding it at the
+proper angle with her foot, while she twisted the cork out with her
+trunk. This accomplished, she would empty all the water into her trunk
+without spilling a drop, and then hand the bottle back to her keeper.
+
+In India small children are often given into the charge of an
+elephant, and it is wonderful to see what care the animals take of
+them. One elephant took such a fancy to a small baby, that it used to
+stand over its cradle, and drive away the flies that teased it while
+it slept. When it grew restless the elephant would rock the cradle, or
+gently lift it to the floor and let it crawl about between its legs,
+till the child at last declined to take any food unless her friend was
+by to see her eat it.
+
+Amazing tales have been told of what elephants can be trained to do,
+but none is stranger than a story related by a missionary named
+Caunter, about some wild elephants in Ceylon. Some native soldiers who
+had been set to guard a large storehouse containing rice, were
+suddenly ordered off to put down a rising in a village a little
+distance away. Hardly were their backs turned when a wild elephant was
+seen advancing to the storehouse, which was situated in a lonely
+place, and after walking carefully round it, he returned whence he
+came. In a short time he was noticed advancing for the second time,
+accompanied by a whole herd of elephants, all marching in an orderly
+and military manner.
+
+  [Illustration: THE ELEPHANT HELPS THE GARDENER]
+
+Now in order to secure the granary as much as possible, the only
+entrance had been made in the roof, and had to be reached by a ladder.
+This was soon found out by the elephants, who examined the whole
+building attentively, and being baffled in their designs, retired to
+consult as to what they should do next. Finally one of the largest
+among them began to attack one of the corners with his tusks, and some
+of the others followed his example. When the first relay was tired
+out, another set took its place, but all their efforts seemed
+useless; the building was too strong for them. At length a third
+elephant came forward and attacked the place at which the others had
+laboured with such ill-success, and, by a prodigious effort, he
+managed to loosen one brick. After this it did not take long to dig a
+hole big enough to let the whole herd pass through, and soon the two
+spectators, hidden in a banyan-tree, saw little companies of three or
+four enter the granary and take their fill of rice until they all were
+satisfied. The last batch were still eating busily, when a shrill
+noise from the sentinel they had set on guard caused them to rush out.
+From afar they could perceive the white dress of the soldiers who had
+subdued the unruly villagers and were returning to their post, and the
+elephants, trunks in air, took refuge in the jungle, and only wagged
+their tails mockingly at the bullets sent after them by the
+discomfited soldiers.
+
+
+
+
+_THE DOG OF MONTARGIS_
+
+
+For three days Aubrey de Montdidier had not been seen by his friends
+and comrades in arms. On Sunday morning he had attended mass in the
+Church of Our Lady, but it was noticed that in the afternoon he was
+absent from the great tournament which was held at Saint Katherine's.
+This astonished his friend the young Sieur de Narsac, who had
+appointed to meet him there, that they might watch together the
+encounter between a Burgundian knight and a gentleman from Provence,
+both renowned in tilting, who were to meet together for the first time
+that day in Paris. It was unlike Aubrey to fail to be present on such
+an occasion, and when for three successive days he did not appear at
+his accustomed haunts, his friends grew anxious, and began to question
+among themselves whether some accident might not have befallen him.
+Early on the morning of the fourth day De Narsac was awakened by a
+continuous sound, as of something scratching against his door.
+Starting up to listen, he heard, in the intervals of the scratching, a
+low whine, as of a dog in pain. Thoroughly aroused, he got up and
+opened the door. Stretched before it, apparently too weak to stand,
+was a great, gaunt greyhound, spent with exhaustion and hunger. His
+ribs stood out like the bars of a gridiron beneath his smooth coat;
+his tongue hung down between his jaws, parched and stiff; his eyes
+were bloodshot, and he trembled in every limb.
+
+  [Illustration: DE NARSAC RECOGNISES HIS FRIEND'S DOG]
+
+On seeing De Narsac the poor creature struggled to his feet, feebly
+wagged his tail, and thrust his nose into the young man's hands. Then
+only did De Narsac recognise in the half-starved skeleton before him
+the favourite dog and constant companion of his friend, Aubrey de
+Montdidier. It was clear from the poor animal's emaciated appearance
+that it was in the last stage of exhaustion. Summoning his servant, De
+Narsac ordered food and water to be brought at once, and the dog
+devoured the huge meal set before it. From his starved appearance, and
+from the voracity with which he devoured the food set before him, it
+was evident that he had had nothing to eat for some days. No sooner
+was his hunger appeased than he began to move uneasily about the room.
+Uttering low howls of distress from time to time, he approached the
+door; then, returning to De Narsac's side, he looked up in his face
+and gently tugged at his mantle, as if to attract attention. There was
+something at once so appealing and peculiar in the dog's behaviour
+that De Narsac's curiosity was aroused, and he became convinced that
+there was some connection between the dog's starved appearance and
+strange manner and the unaccountable disappearance of his master.
+Perhaps the dog might supply the clue to Aubrey's place of
+concealment. Watching the dog's behaviour closely, De Narsac became
+aware that the dumb beast was inviting him to accompany him.
+Accordingly he yielded to the dog's apparent wish, and, leaving the
+house, followed him out into the streets of Paris.
+
+Looking round from time to time to see that De Narsac was coming after
+him, the greyhound pursued its way through the narrow, tortuous
+streets of the ancient city, over the Bridge, and out by the Porte
+St.-Martin, into the open country outside the gates of the town. Then,
+continuing on its track, the dog headed for the Forest of Bondy, a
+place of evil fame in those far-off days, as its solitudes were known
+to be infested by bands of robbers. Stopping suddenly in a deep and
+densely wooded glade of the wood, the dog uttered a succession of low,
+angry growls; then, tugging at De Narsac's mantle, it led him to some
+freshly turned-up earth, beneath a wide-spreading oak-tree. With a
+piteous whine the dog stretched himself on the spot, and could not be
+induced by De Narsac to follow him back to Paris, where he straightway
+betook himself, as he at once suspected foul play. A few hours later
+a party of men, guided to the spot by the young Sieur de Narsac,
+removed the earth and dead leaves and ferns from the hole into which
+they had been hastily flung, and discovered the murdered body of
+Aubrey de Montdidier. Hurriedly a litter was constructed of boughs of
+trees, and, followed by the dog, the body was borne into Paris, where
+it was soon afterwards buried.
+
+From that hour the greyhound attached himself to the Sieur de Narsac.
+It slept in his room, ate from his table, and followed close at his
+heels when he went out of doors. One morning, as the two were
+threading their way through the crowded Rue St.-Martin, De Narsac was
+startled by hearing a low, fierce growl from the greyhound. Looking
+down he saw that the creature was shaking in every limb; his smooth
+coat was bristling, his tail was straight and stiff, and he was
+showing his teeth. In another moment he had made a dart from De
+Narsac's side, and had sprung on a young gentleman named Macaire, in
+the uniform of the king's bodyguard, who, with several comrades in
+arms, was sauntering along on the opposite side of the street. There
+was something so sudden in the attack that the Chevalier Macaire was
+almost thrown on the ground. With their walking-canes he and his
+friends beat off the dog, and on De Narsac coming up, it was called
+away, and, still trembling and growling, followed its master down the
+street.
+
+A few days later the same thing occurred. De Narsac and the Chevalier
+Macaire chanced to encounter each other walking in the royal park. In
+a moment the dog had rushed at Macaire, and, with a fierce spring at
+his throat, had tried to pull him to the ground. De Narsac and some
+officers of the king's bodyguard came to Macaire's assistance, and the
+dog was called off. The rumour of this attack reached the ears of the
+king, and mixed with the rumour were whisperings of a long-standing
+quarrel between Macaire and Aubrey de Montdidier. Might not the dog's
+strange and unaccountable hatred for the young officer be a clue to
+the mysterious murder of his late master? Determined to sift the
+matter to the bottom, the king summoned De Narsac and the dog to his
+presence at the Hotel St.-Pol. Following close on his master's heels,
+the greyhound entered the audience-room, where the king was seated,
+surrounded by his courtiers. As De Narsac bowed low before his
+sovereign, a short, fierce bark was heard from the dog, and, before he
+could be held back, he had darted in among the startled courtiers, and
+had sprung at the throat of the Chevalier Macaire, who, with several
+other knights, formed a little group behind the king's chair.
+
+It was impossible longer to doubt that there was some ground for the
+surmises that had rapidly grown to suspicion, and that had received
+sudden confirmation from the fresh evidence of the dog's hatred.
+
+The king decided that there should be a trial by the judgment of God,
+and that a combat should take place between man, the accused, and dog,
+the accuser. The place chosen for the combat was a waste, uninhabited
+plot of ground, frequently selected as a duelling-ground by the young
+gallants of Paris.
+
+In the presence of the king and his courtiers the strange unnatural
+combat took place that afternoon. The knight was armed with a short
+thick stick; the dog was provided with an empty barrel, as a
+retreating ground from the attacks of his adversary. At a given signal
+the combatants entered the lists. The dog seemed quite to understand
+the strange duel on which it was engaged. Barking savagely, and
+darting round his opponent, he made attempts to leap at his throat;
+now on this side, now on that he sprang, jumping into the air, and
+then bounding back out of reach of the stick. There was such swiftness
+and determination about his movements, and something so unnatural in
+the combat, that Macaire's nerve failed him. His blows beat the air,
+without hitting the dog; his breath came in quick short gasps;
+there was a look of terror on his face, and for a moment, overcome by
+the horror of the situation, his eye quailed and sought the ground. At
+that instant the dog sprang at his throat and pinned him to the earth.
+In his terror, he called out and acknowledged his crime, and implored
+the king's mercy. But the judgment of God had decided. The dog was
+called off before it had strangled its victim, but the man was hurried
+away to the place of execution, and atoned that evening for the murder
+of the faithful greyhound's master.
+
+  [Illustration: THE DOG FLIES AT MACAIRE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING]
+
+The dog has been known to posterity as the Dog of Montargis, as in the
+Castle of Montargis there stood for many centuries a sculptured stone
+mantelpiece, on which the combat was carved.
+
+
+
+
+_HOW A BEAVER BUILDS HIS HOUSE_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+If we could look back and see England and Wales as they were about a
+thousand years ago, we should most likely think that the best houses
+and most prosperous villages were the work not of the Saxon or British
+natives, but of the little beavers, which were then to be found in
+some of the rivers, though they have long ceased to exist there. Those
+who want to see what beavers can do, must look to America, and there,
+either in Canada or even as far south as Louisiana, they will find the
+little creatures as busy as ever and as clever at house-building as
+when they taught our forefathers a lesson in the time of Athelstan or
+Canute.
+
+A beaver is a small animal measuring about three feet, and has fine
+glossy dark brown hair. Its tail, which is its trowel, and call bell,
+and many other things besides, is nearly a foot long, and has no hair
+at all, and is divided into little scales, something like a fish.
+Beavers cannot bear to live by themselves, and are never happy unless
+they have two or three hundred friends close at hand whom they can
+visit every day and all day, and they are the best and most kindly
+neighbours in the world, always ready to help each other either in
+building new villages or in repairing old ones.
+
+Of course the first thing to be done when you wish to erect a house or
+a village is to fix on a suitable site, and the spot which every
+beaver of sense thinks most desirable is either a large pond or, if no
+pond is to be had, a flat low plain with a stream running through,
+out of which a pond can be made.
+
+It must be a very, very long while since beavers first found out that
+the way to make a pond out of a stream was to build a dam across it so
+strong that the water could not break through. To begin with, they
+have to know which way the stream runs, and in this they never make a
+mistake. Then they gather together stakes about five feet long, and
+fix them in rows tight into the ground on each side of the stream; and
+while the older and more experienced beavers are doing this--for the
+safety of the village depends on the strength of the foundation--the
+younger and more active ones are fetching and heaping up green
+branches of trees. These branches are plaited in and out of the rows
+of stakes, which by this time stretch right across the river, and form
+a dam often as much as a hundred feet from end to end. When the best
+workmen among them declare the foundation solid, the rest form a large
+wall over the whole, of stones, clay, and sand, which gradually tapers
+up from ten or twelve feet at the bottom, where it has to resist the
+pressure of the stream, to two or three at the top, so that the
+beavers can, if necessary, pass each other in comfort. And when the
+dam is pronounced finished, the overseer or head beaver goes carefully
+over every part, to see that it is the proper shape and exactly smooth
+and even, for beavers cannot bear bad work, and would punish any of
+their tribe who were lazy or careless.
+
+The dam being ready and the pond made, they can now begin to think
+about their houses, and as all beavers have a great dislike to damp
+floors and wet beds, they have to raise their dwellings quite six or
+eight feet above the level of the stream, so that no sudden swelling
+of the river during the rainy season shall make them cold and
+uncomfortable. Beavers are always quite clear in their minds as to
+what they want, and how to get it, and they like to keep things
+distinct. When they are in the water they are perfectly happy, but
+when they are out of it they like to be dry, and in order to keep
+their houses warm and snug they wait till the water is low during the
+summer, and then they can drive piles into the bed of the stream with
+more safety and less trouble than if the river is running hard. It
+generally takes two or three months before the village is finished,
+and the bark and shoots of young trees, which is their favourite food,
+collected and stored up. But the little round huts, not unlike
+beehives, are only intended for winter homes, as no beaver would think
+of sleeping indoors during the summer, or, indeed, of staying two days
+in the same place. So every three or four years they spend the long
+days in making their village of earth, stones, and sticks, plastered
+together with some kind of mortar which they carry about on their
+tails, to spread neatly over the inside of their houses. All that a
+beaver does is beautifully finished as well as substantial. The walls
+of his house are usually about two feet thick, and sometimes he has as
+many as three stories to his house, when he has a large family or a
+number of friends to live with him. One thing is quite certain: no
+beaver will ever set up housekeeping alone; but sometimes he will be
+content with one companion, and sometimes he will have as many as
+thirty. But however full the hut may be, there is never any confusion;
+each beaver has his fixed place on the floor, which is covered with
+dried leaves and moss, and as they manage to keep open a door right
+below the surface of the stream, where their food is carefully stored
+up, there is no fear that they will ever be starved out. And there
+they lie all through the winter, and get very fat.
+
+Once a French gentleman who was travelling through Louisiana, was very
+anxious to see the little beaver colony at work, so he hid himself
+with some other men close to a dam, and in the night they cut a
+channel about a foot wide right through, and very hard labour they
+found it.
+
+The men had made no noise in breaking the dam, but the rush of the
+water aroused one beaver who slept more lightly than the rest, and he
+instantly left his hut and swam to the dam to examine what was wrong.
+He then struck four loud blows with his tail, and at the sound of his
+call every beaver left his bed and came rushing to see what was the
+matter. No sooner did they reach the dam and see the large hole made
+in it, than they took counsel, and then the one in whom they put the
+most trust gave orders to the rest, and they all went to the bank to
+make mortar. When they had collected as much as they could carry, they
+formed a procession, two and two, each pair loading each others'
+tails, and so travelling they arrived at the dam, where a relay of
+fresh labourers were ready to load. The mortar was then placed in the
+hole and bound tight by repeated blows from the beavers' tails. So
+hard did they work and so much sense did they show, that in a short
+time all was as firm as ever. Then one of the leading spirits clapped
+his tail twice, and in a moment all were in bed and asleep again.
+
+Beavers are very hard-working, but they know how to make themselves
+comfortable too, and if they are content with bark and twigs at home,
+they appreciate nicer food if they can get it. A gentleman once took a
+beaver with him to New York, and it used to wander about the house
+like a dog, feeding chiefly upon bread, with fish now and then for a
+treat. Not being able to find any moss or leaves for a bed, it used to
+seize upon all the soft bits of stuff that came in its way, and carry
+them off to its sleeping corner. One day a cat discovered its hiding
+place, and thought it would be a nice comfortable place for her
+kittens to sleep, and when the beaver came back from his walk he
+found, like the three bears, that someone was sleeping in his bed. He
+had never seen things of that kind before, but they were small and he
+was big, so he said nothing and lay down somewhere else. Only, if ever
+their mother was away, he would go and hold one of them to his breast
+to warm it, and keep it there till its mother came back.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WAR HORSE OF ALEXANDER_
+
+Part of the story of Bucephalus is taken from Plutarch.
+
+
+There are not so many stories about horses as there are about dogs and
+cats, yet almost every great general has had his favourite horse, who
+has gone with him through many campaigns and borne him safe in many
+battle-fields. At a town in Sicily called Agrigentum, they set such
+store by their horses, that pyramids were raised over their
+burial-place, and the Emperor Augustus built a splendid monument over
+the grave of an old favourite.
+
+The most famous horse, perhaps, who ever lived, was one belonging to
+Alexander the Great, and was called Bucephalus. When the king was a
+boy, Bucephalus was brought before Philip, King of Macedon,
+Alexander's father, by Philonicus the Thessalian, and offered for sale
+for the large sum of thirteen talents. Beautiful though he was, Philip
+wisely declined to buy him before knowing what manner of horse he was,
+and ordered him to be led into a neighbouring field, and a groom to
+mount him. But it was in vain that the best and most experienced
+riders approached the horse; he reared up on his hind legs, and would
+suffer none to come near him. So Philonicus the Thessalian was told to
+take his horse back whence he came, for the king would have none of
+him.
+
+Now the boy Alexander stood by, and his heart went out to the
+beautiful creature. And he cried out, 'What a good horse do we lose
+for lack of skill to mount him!' Philip the king heard these words,
+and his soul was vexed to see the horse depart, but yet he knew not
+what else to do. Then he turned to Alexander and said: 'Do you think
+that you, young and untried, can ride this horse better than those who
+have grown old in the stables?' To which Alexander made answer, 'This
+horse I know I could ride better than they.' 'And if you fail,' asked
+Philip, 'what price will you pay for your good conceit of yourself?'
+And Alexander laughed out and said gaily, 'I will pay the price of the
+horse.' And thus it was settled.
+
+So Alexander drew near to the horse, and took him by the bridle,
+turning his face to the sun so that he might not be frightened at the
+movements of his own shadow, for the prince had noticed that it scared
+him greatly. Then Alexander stroked his head and led him forwards,
+feeling his temper all the while, and when the horse began to get
+uneasy, the prince suddenly leapt on his back, and gradually curbed
+him with the bridle. Suddenly, as Bucephalus gave up trying to throw
+his rider, and only pawed the ground impatient to be off, Alexander
+shook the reins, and bidding him go, they flew like lightning round
+the course. This was Alexander's first conquest, and as he jumped down
+from the horse, his father exclaimed, 'Go, my son, and seek for a
+kingdom that is worthy, for Macedon is too small for such as thee.'
+
+Henceforth Bucephalus made it clear that he served Alexander and no
+one else. He would submit quietly to having the gay trappings of a
+king's steed fastened on his head, and the royal saddle put on, but if
+any groom tried to mount him, back would go his ears and up would go
+his heels, and none dared come near him. For ten years after Alexander
+succeeded his father on the throne of Macedon (B.C. 336), Bucephalus
+bore him through all his battles, and was, says Pliny, 'of a passing
+good and memorable service in the wars,' and even when wounded, as he
+once was at the taking of Thebes, would not suffer his master to mount
+another horse. Together these two swam rivers, crossed mountains,
+penetrated into the dominions of the Great King, and farther still
+into the heart of Asia, beyond the Caspian and the river Oxus, where
+never European army had gone before. Then turning sharp south, he
+crossed the range of the Hindoo Koosh, and entering the country of the
+Five Rivers, he prepared to attack Porus, king of India. But age and
+the wanderings of ten years had worn Bucephalus out. One last victory
+near the Hydaspes or Jelum, and the old horse sank down and died, full
+of years and honours (B.C. 326). Bitter were the lamentations of the
+king for the friend of his childhood, but his grief did not show
+itself only in weeping. The most splendid funeral Alexander could
+devise was given to Bucephalus, and a gorgeous tomb erected over his
+body. And more than that, Alexander resolved that the memory of his
+old horse should be kept green in these burning Indian deserts,
+thousands of miles from the Thessalian plains where he was born, so
+round his tomb the king built a city, and it was called
+
+    'BUCEPHALIA.'
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT BEARS_
+
+
+Baron de Wogan, a French gentleman, whose adventures with snakes are
+also curious, was the hero of some encounters with the grizzly bear of
+North America. First, I would have you understand what sort of a
+creature he had for an opponent. Imagine a monster measuring when
+standing upright eight or nine feet, weighing 900 lbs., of a most
+terrifying appearance, in agility and strength surpassing all other
+animals, and cruel in proportion. Like his cousin the brown bear, whom
+he resembles in shape, he is a hermit and lives alone in the immense
+trackless forests which covered the Rocky Mountains, and indeed (at
+least in olden times) the greater part of North America. During the
+day he sleeps in the depths of some mountain cavern, and wakes up at
+dusk to go out in search of prey. All the beasts of the forest live in
+terror of him--even the white bear flies before him. He would go down
+to the valleys and attack the immense herds of buffaloes which grazed
+there, and which were powerless against him, in spite of their numbers
+and their great horns. They join themselves closely together and form
+one compact rank, but the grizzly bear hurls himself at them, breaks
+their ranks, scatters them, and then pursuing them till he catches
+them up, flings himself on the back of one, hugs it in his iron
+embrace, breaks its skull with his teeth, and so goes slaying right
+and left before he eats one. Before the Baron's first, so to say,
+hand-to-hand encounter with a grizzly, he had been long enough in the
+country to know something of their ways, and how worse than useless a
+shot is unless in a fatal spot.
+
+After the return to her tribe of Calooa, a young Indian girl, who had
+been his one human companion in many days of wandering, the Baron was
+left with only his mule Cadi for friend and companion, and naturally
+felt very lonely. He set his heart on getting to the top of the Rocky
+Mountains, at the foot of which he then happened to be. Their
+glittering summits had so irresistible an attraction for him, that he
+did not stay to consider the difficulties which soon beset him at
+every step. No sooner did he conquer one than another arose, added to
+which the cold of these high regions was intense, and it constantly
+snowed. After three days he had to declare himself not only beaten,
+but so worn out that he must take a week's rest if he did not want to
+fall ill. First it was necessary to have some sort of a shelter, and
+by great good luck he found just at hand a cavern in the rock, which,
+without being exactly a palace, seemed as if it would answer his
+purpose.
+
+Upon closer examination he found that it had more drawbacks than he
+cared about. All round were scattered gnawed bones of animals, and the
+prints of bear's claws on the ground left no doubt as to who the last
+inmate had been. The Baron, however, preferred to risk an invasion
+rather than seek another abode, and prepared for probable inroads by
+making across the entrance to the cave a barricade of branches of oak
+tied together with flax, a quantity of which grew near. He then lit a
+good fire inside the cave, but as the last tenant had not considered a
+chimney necessary; the dense smoke soon obliged him to beat a hasty
+retreat. Besides he had to go out to get supplies for his larder, at
+present as bare as Mother Hubbard's. With his usual good luck the
+Baron found, first, a large salmon flapping wildly in its effort to
+get out of a pool, where the fallen river had left it. This he killed,
+and next he shot a young deer about a mile away and carried it to
+camp on his back. In order to preserve these eatables he salted some
+of them with salt that he had previously found in a lake near, and had
+carefully preserved for future use. He then dug a hole in a corner of
+the cave, putting a thick layer of dry hay at the bottom, and buried
+his provisions Indian fashion, in order to preserve them.
+
+As it was still only twelve o'clock, the Baron thought he would spend
+the rest of the day in exploring the neighbourhood; first he examined
+the cave, which he found to be formed of big blocks of rock firmly
+joined together; above the cave rose the cliff, and in front of it
+grew a fir-tree, which served at the same time to defend the entrance,
+and as a ladder to enable him to mount the cliff. As he could not take
+Cadi with him, he fastened him to the fir-tree by his halter and girth
+joined together, so as to leave him plenty of room to graze. Then he
+put some eatables in his game bag, and set off on a tour of discovery.
+When he had walked about three hours, and had reached a rocky point
+from which he had a fine view of the surrounding country, he sat down
+to rest under an oak-tree. He knew nothing more till the cold awoke
+him--it was now six o'clock, and he had slept three hours. He started
+with all the haste he could to get back to his cave and Cadi before
+dark, but so tired and footsore was he that he was obliged to give in
+and camp where he was, for night was coming on fast. It was bitterly
+cold and snow fell constantly, so he lit a large fire, which at the
+same time warmed him, and kept away the bears whom he heard wandering
+round the camp most of the night. As soon as the sun was up in the
+morning, he set off with all his speed to see what had become of Cadi;
+but though fifteen miles is not much to bears balked of their prey, it
+is much to a weary and footsore man, and when he had hobbled to within
+half a mile of the camp, he saw that it was too late: the bears, whom
+he had driven away from his camp in the night with fire-brands, had
+scented poor Cadi, and four of them were now devouring him--father,
+mother, and two cubs. Imagine his rage and grief at seeing his only
+friend and companion devoured piecemeal before his very eyes!
+
+His first impulse was to fire, but he reflected in time that they were
+four to one, and that, instead of avenging Cadi, he would only share
+his fate. He decided to wait on a high rock till the meal was ended.
+It lasted an hour, and then he saw the whole family set off to climb
+the mountain, from the top of which he had been watching them. They
+seemed to be making straight for him, and as it would be certain death
+to sit and wait for them, he slipped into a cranny in the rock, hoping
+that he might not be perceived; even if he was, he could only be
+attacked by one at a time. He had not long to wait: soon all four
+bears passed in single file, without smelling him or being aware of
+him; for this he had to thank poor Cadi: their horrid snouts and jaws
+being smeared with his blood prevented their scenting fresh prey.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE BARON KILLS THE BEAR}]
+
+When he had seen them at a safe distance, he ventured to go down to
+the cave he could no longer call his own. Of Cadi, nothing remained
+but his head, still fastened to the tree by his halter. The barricade
+was gone, too, and from the cave came low but unmistakable growls.
+With one bound the Baron was up the tree, and from the tree on to the
+cliff. From there he threw stones down before the entrance to the
+cave, to induce the present inmate to come out, in order that he might
+take possession again. The bear soon came out, and, perceiving him,
+made for the fir-tree. By its slow and languid movements the Baron saw
+that it was curiosity more than anger that prompted it, and, moreover,
+it was evidently a very old bear, probably a grandfather, whose
+children and grandchildren had been to pay it a visit. Curiosity or
+not, the Baron had no wish to make a closer acquaintance, and fired a
+shot at the brute by way of a hint to that effect. This immediately
+turned his curiosity into wrath. Seizing the fir-tree, which he was
+going to use as a ladder, he began to climb up. A second shot hit him
+in the shoulder. He fell mortally wounded, but even after a third
+shot, which took him in the flank, his dying struggles lasted twenty
+minutes, during which he tore at the roots of the fir-trees with his
+terrific claws. The Baron did not care to waste any of his bullets,
+now getting scarce, in putting out of his pain one of Cadi's
+murderers. When finally the bear was dead, the Baron came down to take
+possession of his cave, and at the same time of the bear's skin. On
+penetrating into the cave, he found that the rascal had paid him out
+in his own coin, and, in revenge for the Baron taking his cave, had
+eaten his provisions. The Baron was quits in the end, however, as the
+bear's carcase furnished him meat enough for several days. The Baron
+cut off pounds of steak, which he salted and dried over the fire. The
+useless remains he threw over the nearest precipice, so that they
+should not attract wild beasts, to keep him awake all night with their
+cries. Then, having made a huge fire in front of the entrance, which,
+moreover, he barricaded with branches, he threw himself on his bed of
+dry leaves to sleep the sleep of exhaustion.
+
+Some time passed before the Baron's next encounter with a bear. He was
+camping one night in a dense forest, sleeping, as usual, with one eye
+and one ear open, and his weapon at hand, all ready loaded. His rest
+was broken by the usual nightly sounds of the forest, of leaves
+crunched and branches broken, showing that many of the inmates of the
+woods were astir; but he did not let these usual sounds disturb him,
+till he heard in the distance the hoarse and unmistakable cry of the
+bear; then he thought it time to change the shot in his gun for
+something more worthy of such a foe. This preparation made, he set off
+at dawn on his day's march, which up to midday led him along the bank
+of a large river. He thought no more of the blood-curdling howls of
+the night, till suddenly he heard from a distance terror-stricken
+cries. He put his ear to the ground, Indian fashion, to listen
+better, and as the danger, whatever it was, seemed to be coming
+nearer, he jumped into a thicket of wild cherry and willow trees, and
+waited there in ambush, gun in hand. In a few minutes, a band of
+Indians with their squaws appeared on the opposite bank of the river,
+and straightway leaped into the water, like so many frogs jumping into
+an undisturbed swamp. At first he thought he was being attacked, but
+soon saw it was the Indians who were being pursued, and that they all,
+men and women, were swimming for dear life; moreover, the women were
+laden with their children, one, and sometimes two, being strapped to
+their backs in a sort of cradle of birch bark. This additional weight
+made them swim slower than the men, who soon reached the opposite
+shore, and then took to their heels helter-skelter, except three, who
+remained behind to encourage the women.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE GRIZZLY}]
+
+The Baron at first thought it was an attack of other Indians, and that
+it would be prudent to beat a retreat, when suddenly the same terrible
+cry that had kept him awake in the latter part of the night resounded
+through the forest, and at the same time there appeared on a high bank
+on the other shore a huge mass of a dirty grey colour, which hurled
+itself downhill, plunged into the river, and began to swim across at a
+terrific speed. It was a grizzly bear of tremendous size. So fast did
+it swim, that in no time it had nearly caught up with the last of the
+squaws, a young woman with twin babies at her back, whose cries, often
+interrupted by the water getting into their mouths, would have melted
+the heart of a stone. The three Indians who had remained on the bank
+did their utmost to stop the bear by shooting their poisoned arrows at
+it; but the distance was too great, and the huge animal came on so
+fast that in another minute mother and children would be lost. The
+Baron could not remain a spectator of so terrible a scene. He came out
+of the thicket where he was hidden, and frightened the Indians almost
+as much as if he had been another bear. Resting his gun on the trunk
+of a tree, he fired at the distance of 125 yards, and hit the animal
+right on the head. It dived several times, and the water all round was
+dyed red with blood; but the wound was not mortal, and it continued on
+its way, only more slowly. After urging the Indian, who seemed to be
+the unhappy woman's husband, to go into the water to help her--for,
+through terror and fatigue, she could no longer swim--the Baron took
+deliberate aim again and fired. The second shot, like the first, hit
+the bear on the head, but again without killing it. It stopped the
+brute, however, long enough to let the poor woman get to shore, where
+she fainted, and was carried away by the men to the forest, leaving
+the Baron and the bear to fight out their duel alone. The Baron had
+barely time to reload and climb to the top of one of the trees, when
+the bear was already at the foot of it. So near was he when he stood
+upright, that the Baron could feel his horrid breath. Up to then the
+Baron thought that all bears could climb like squirrels; fortunately
+for him he was mistaken. Expecting to be taken by storm, he fired
+straight in the creature's face. The two balls took a different
+course: one went through the jaw and came out by the neck, the other
+went into the chest. The bear uttered a terrific roar, stiffened
+itself in a last effort to reach him, and fell heavily on its back at
+the foot of the tree. The Baron might have thought him dead had he not
+already seen such wonderful resurrections on the part of bears; but
+the four shots, though at first they dazed and troubled the beast,
+seemed afterwards to act as spurs, and he rose furious and returned to
+the charge. The Baron tried to use his revolver, but, finding it
+impossible, he drew out his axe from his belt, and dealt a violent
+blow at the bear's head, which nearly split it in two, and sent the
+blood splashing in all directions. The bear again fell to the ground,
+this time to rise no more. The Baron being now convinced that the
+grizzly bear is no tree-climber, took his time to draw out his
+revolver, to take aim and fire. The shot put out one of the bear's
+eyes, the axe had already taken out the other. This finished him, but
+his death struggles lasted twenty minutes, during which the tree was
+nearly uprooted. When all was at an end the Baron came down; he cut
+off the formidable claws, and broke off the teeth with an axe to make
+a trophy in imitation of the Indians, and then proceeded to skin him
+and cut him up. The Indians, who had been watching the combat at a
+safe distance, now came back, enthusiastic. They surrounded them, the
+victor and the vanquished, and danced a war-dance, singing impromptu
+words. The Baron, seated on the bear's carcase, joined in the chorus;
+but the Indians, not content with that, insisted on his joining in the
+dance as well. The rejoicing over, the Baron divided among the twenty
+Indians the flesh of the bear--about 15 lb. or 20 lb. fell to each.
+The skin he kept to himself, and the claws, of which the Indians made
+him a warrior's necklace, hanging it round his neck like an order of
+knighthood.[3]
+
+    [3] The young reader must no longer expect such adventures as the
+    Baron de Wogan achieved.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT ANTS_
+
+
+If any one will watch an ant-hill on a fine day in April, he will see
+the little inhabitants begin to rouse themselves from their winter's
+sleep, which lasts from the month of October, with the red ant at all
+events. Groups of them come out to the top of the ant-hill to warm and
+thaw themselves in the rays of the sun. Some, more active and robust,
+run in and out, waking up the lazy, hurrying the laggards, and rousing
+all the little community to begin their summer habits. But this
+activity does not last long; they are as yet only half awake, and
+still numb and torpid from the winter's cold, and the little throng
+increases or diminishes as the sun shines or disappears behind a
+cloud. As two, half-past two, and three o'clock arrive, they have
+nearly all disappeared inside the ant-heap, leaving only a few
+warriors, of a larger make and tried courage, to watch over the
+well-being of the little republic and to close up all openings with
+tiny chips of wood, dry leaves, and shreds of moss, so as to hide the
+entrances from human eye. Two or three sentinels wander round to see
+that all is secure. And then they enter, and all is still.
+
+If we come back again in about a week, we shall find the ants in the
+middle of their regular migration to their summer quarters, not far
+from their winter ones. This takes place, with the red ant, at all
+events, with great regularity every April and October. The red ant is
+beyond doubt a slave-owner; the slaves may be easily recognised from
+their masters by being of a smaller make and light yellow colour. As
+soon as the masters have fixed the day of their 'flitting,' they
+begin probably to ensure the consent of the slaves by violently
+seizing them, and rolling them into a ball, and then grasping them
+firmly they set off towards the summer quarters at full gallop, if an
+ant can be said to gallop. The master ant is in a great hurry to get
+rid of his living burden; he goes straight ahead in spite of all
+obstacles, avoiding all interruptions and delays, and as soon as he
+arrives at the summer ant-heap, plunges in, deposits the slave all
+breathless and terrified from his forced journey, and sets off back
+for another.
+
+Darwin, who closely studied the migrations of the ant, says that they
+differ in their means of transport: one sort is carried by the slaves;
+the other, our friend the red ant, scientifically called 'formica
+sanguinea,' carries his property carefully in his mouth. It seems
+strange to us that the master should carry the slave, but no stranger
+than it would appear to the ants if they should begin to study our
+habits, that some of us should sit in a carriage and be driven by the
+coachman. The slave, once installed in his summer quarters, seldom
+appears again before the autumn exodus, unless in the event of some
+disturbance in the camp, or its invasion by some ants of a hostile
+tribe, when the slaves take part in the defence and especially watch
+over the young ones. The slaves seem to be carpenters and miners, and
+warriors when necessary. They build the dwelling, repair it, of which
+it has constant need, and defend it in case of attack with dauntless
+courage. But their principal duties seem to be to take charge of the
+development of the young, and to feed the masters--no small task, as
+there seem to be ten masters to one slave, and they seem incapable of
+eating unless fed. Experiments have been tried of removing the slaves
+from them, and though sugar and every sort of tempting food is put
+down beside them, they will starve rather than help themselves. In
+fact, one wonders what the masters can be left for but to drive the
+slaves, which they do with great ardour. A French gentleman who spent
+years studying the habits of the ants, tried one day, by way of
+experiment, to take a slave away from its master; he had great
+difficulty in removing it from its bearer, who struggled furiously and
+clung to its burden. When at last the slave was set free, instead of
+profiting by its liberty, it turned round and round in a circle as if
+dazed, then hid itself under a dead leaf. A master ant presently came
+along, an animated conversation took place, and the slave ant was
+seized upon and borne off again to bondage. The same gentleman another
+day observed a slave ant venture out to the entrance to the ant-hill
+to enjoy the warmth of the sun. A great master ant spied it and set to
+with blows of its horns (antennae they are called) to persuade it that
+that was not its place. Finding the slave persisted in not
+understanding, the master resorted to force, and seizing it by its
+head, without taking the trouble to roll it up, as they are generally
+carried, he hurled it into the ant-hill, where no doubt it received
+the punishment it deserved.
+
+If we came back to the ant-heap a week after our last visit, we should
+find the migration finished if the weather has been fine; but ants,
+especially after their first awaking, are extremely sensitive to wind
+and rain, and only work well in fine weather. They are equally
+affected by weather before a storm: even though the sun may be
+shining, they will remain in the ant-heap with closed doors. If it is
+shut before midday, the storm will burst before evening; if it is shut
+before eight or nine in the morning, the rain will fall before noon.
+
+All this time we have been speaking only of the red ant; but there are
+any number of different kinds in Europe, not to mention the enormous
+ants of the tropics, who march in such armies that the people fly
+before them, deserting their villages. Different species differ
+totally in their habits and ways of building and living. The greater
+number of species live apart, and not in a community with an
+elaborately constructed house like the red ant. The little black ant
+is the commonest in this country, and the busiest and most active. She
+is the first to awake, in March, sometimes in February, and the last
+to sleep, sometimes not till November. Their instincts and habits of
+activity, however, are apt to deceive them, and they get up too soon.
+The French gentleman already mentioned observed an instance of the
+kind. On February 24, after an unusually mild winter, the sun shone as
+if it were already summer, and it was difficult to persuade oneself
+that it was not, except that there were no leaves on the trees, no
+birds singing in the branches, and no insects humming in the air.
+First our friend went to examine the red-ant heap, which was closed as
+usual, all the inhabitants being still plunged in their winter sleep.
+The black ants, on the contrary, were all awake and lively, and seemed
+persuaded that the fine weather had come to stay. Their instincts
+deceived them, for that night it froze; rain, snow, and fog succeeded
+each other in turn, and when next he visited the ant-heap he found
+them lying in masses, stiff and dead, before the entrance to their
+dwelling.
+
+Between the red and black ants there is great enmity, and terrible
+combats take place. When they fight they grasp each other like men
+wrestling, and each tries to throw the other down, and break his back.
+The conquered remain on the battlefield, nearly broken in two, and
+feebly waving their paws, till they slowly expire in agonies. The
+conqueror, on the other hand, carries away his dead to burial and his
+wounded to the camp, and then, entering triumphantly himself, closes
+the doors after him. The gentleman already quoted witnessed the
+funeral of an ant. He had passed the ant-heap about a quarter of an
+hour, and left, as he thought, all the inhabitants behind him, when he
+saw what appeared to be an enormous red ant making for home. On
+stooping to look more closely, he saw that it was one ant carrying
+another. He succeeded in separating them from each other, and then
+saw that the burden was neither a slave nor a prisoner, but a dead
+comrade being carried back to the ant-heap for a decent burial; for if
+ants fall into the hands of the enemy, they are subjected if alive to
+the most cruel tortures and if dead to mutilations. Usually, when an
+ant is relieved of anything it is carrying--whether it be a slave, a
+wounded ant, or some eatable--it will set off at full speed and let
+the burden be picked up by the next passing ant; but this one made no
+attempt to run away, and only turned round and round in a perplexed
+and irresolute way, till its dead friend was put down beside it, then
+it seized its precious burden and set off homewards with it.
+Travellers even tell that in Algeria there are ant cemeteries near the
+ant-heaps.
+
+No lover of animals doubts that they have a language of their own,
+which we are too stupid or deaf to understand. Anyone who studies the
+ways of the ants sees, beyond a doubt, that they too have a way of
+communicating with each other. For instance, an ant was one day seen
+at some distance from the ant-hill, and evidently in no hurry to go
+back to it. In the middle of the path she perceived a large dead
+snail. She began by going round and round it, then climbed on its
+back, and walked all over it. Having satisfied herself that it was a
+choice morsel, but too large for her to carry home alone, she set off
+at once to seek help. On the way she met one of her companions; she
+ran at once to her; they rubbed their antennae together, and evidently
+an animated conversation took place, for the second ant set off
+immediately in the direction of the snail. The first one continued on
+her way home, communicating with every ant she met in the same way; by
+the time she disappeared inside the ant-heap, an endless file of busy
+little ants were on their way to take their share of the spoil. In ten
+minutes the snail was completely covered by the little throng, and by
+the evening every trace of it had vanished.
+
+Recent observations have proved that the time-honoured idea of the
+ant storing up provision for the winter is a delusion, a delusion
+which La Fontaine's famous fable, 'Le Fourmis et la Cigale,' has done
+much to spread and confirm. It is now known, as we have already seen,
+that ants sleep all winter, and that the food which we constantly see
+them laden with is for immediate consumption in the camp. They eat all
+kinds of insects--hornets and cockchafers are favourite dishes--but
+the choicest morsel is a fine fat green caterpillar, caught alive.
+They seize it, some by its head, some by its tail; it struggles, it
+writhes, and sometimes succeeds in freeing itself from its enemies;
+but they do not consider themselves beaten, and attack it again.
+Little by little it becomes stupefied from the discharges of formic
+acid the ants throw out from their bodies, and presently it succumbs
+to their renewed forces. Finally, though the struggle may last an hour
+or more, it is borne to the ant-heap and disappears, to be devoured by
+the inmates. Perhaps these short 'Stories about Ants' may induce some
+of you to follow the advice of the Preacher, and 'go to the ant'
+yourselves for more.
+
+
+
+
+_THE TAMING OF AN OTTER_
+
+From Bingley's _British Quadrupeds_.
+
+
+Otters used once to be very common in England in the neighbourhood of
+rivers, and even in some instances of the sea, but in many places
+where they once lived in great numbers they have now ceased to exist.
+They destroy large quantities of fish, though they are so dainty that
+they only care for the upper parts of the body. If the rivers are
+frozen and no fish are to be had, they will eat poultry, or even
+lambs; and if these are not to be found, they can get on quite well
+for a long time on the bark of trees or on young branches.
+
+Fierce though otters are when brought to bay, they can easily be tamed
+if they are caught young enough. More than a hundred years ago the
+monks of Autun, in France, found a baby otter only a few weeks old,
+and took it back to the convent, and fed it upon milk for nearly two
+months, when it was promoted to soup and fish and vegetables, the food
+of the good monks. It was not very sociable with strange animals, but
+it made great friends with a dog and cat who had known it from a baby,
+and they would play together half the day. At night it had a bed in
+one of the rooms, but in the day it always preferred a heap of straw
+when it was tired of running about. Curious to say, this otter was not
+at all fond of the water, and it was very seldom that it would go near
+a basin of water that was always carefully left near its bed. When it
+did, it was only to wash its face and front paws, after which it would
+go for a run in the court-yard, or curl itself to sleep in the sun.
+Indeed it seemed to have such an objection to water of all kinds, that
+the monks wondered whether it knew how to swim. So one day, when they
+were not so busy as usual, some of the brothers took it off to a
+good-sized pond, and waited to see what it would do. The otter smelt
+about cautiously for a little, and then, recognising that here was
+something it had seen before, ducked its head and wetted its feet as
+it did in the mornings. This did not satisfy the monks, who threw it
+right in, upon which it instantly swam to the other shore, and came
+round again to its friends.
+
+All tame otters are not, however, as forgetful of the habits and
+manners of their race as this one was, and in some parts they have
+even been taught to fish for their masters instead of themselves.
+Careful directions are given for their proper teaching, and a great
+deal of patience is needful, because if an animal is once frightened
+or made angry, there is not much hope of training it afterwards. To
+begin with, it must be fed while it is very young on milk or soup, and
+when it gets older, on bread and the heads of fishes, and it must get
+its food from one person only, to whom it will soon get accustomed and
+attached. The next step is to have a sort of leather bag made, stuffed
+with wool and shaped like a fish, large enough for the animal to take
+in its mouth. Finally, he must wear a collar formed on the principle
+of a slip noose, which can tighten when a long string that is fastened
+to it, is pulled. This is, of course, to teach the otter to drop the
+fish after he has caught it.
+
+The master then leads the otter slowly behind him, till by this means
+he has learned how to follow, and then he has to be made to understand
+the meanings of certain words and tones. So the man says to him, 'Come
+here,' and pulls the cord; and after this has been repeated several
+times, the otter gradually begins to connect the words with the
+action. Then the string is dropped, and the otter trots up obediently
+without it. After that, the sham fish is placed on the ground, and
+the collar, which seems rather like a horse's bit, is pulled so as to
+force the mouth open, while the master exclaims 'Take it!' and when
+the otter is quite perfect in this (which most likely will not happen
+for a long time) the collar is loosened, and he is told to 'drop it.'
+
+Last of all, he is led down to a river with clear shallow water, where
+a small dead fish is thrown in. This he catches at once, and then the
+cord which has been fastened to his neck is gently pulled, and he
+gives up his prize to his master. Then live fish are put in instead of
+the dead one, and when they are killed, the otter is given the heads
+as a reward.
+
+Of course some masters have a special talent for teaching these
+things, and some otters are specially apt pupils. This must have been
+the case with the otter belonging to a Mr. Campbell who lived near
+Inverness. It would sometimes catch eight or ten salmon in a day, and
+never attempted to eat them; while a man in Sweden, called Nilsson,
+and his family, lived entirely on the fish that was caught for them by
+their otter. When he is in his wild state, the otter lives in holes in
+the rocks, or among the roots of trees, though occasionally he has
+been known to burrow under ground, having his door in the water, and
+only a very tiny window opening landwards, so that he may not die of
+suffocation.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF ANDROCLES AND THE LION_
+
+
+Many hundred years ago, there lived in the north of Africa a poor
+Roman slave called Androcles. His master held great power and
+authority in the country, but he was a hard, cruel man, and his slaves
+led a very unhappy life. They had little to eat, had to work hard, and
+were often punished and tortured if they failed to satisfy their
+master's caprices. For long Androcles had borne with the hardships of
+his life, but at last he could bear it no longer, and he made up his
+mind to run away. He knew that it was a great risk, for he had no
+friends in that foreign country with whom he could seek safety and
+protection; and he was aware that if he was overtaken and caught he
+would be put to a cruel death. But even death, he thought, would not
+be so hard as the life he now led, and it was possible that he might
+escape to the sea-coast, and somehow some day get back to Rome and
+find a kinder master.
+
+So he waited till the old moon had waned to a tiny gold thread in the
+skies, and then, one dark night, he slipped out of his master's house,
+and, creeping through the deserted forum and along the silent town, he
+passed out of the city into the vineyards and corn-fields lying
+outside the walls. In the cool night air he walked rapidly. From time
+to time he was startled by the sudden barking of a dog, or the sound
+of voices coming from some late revellers in the villas which stood
+beside the road along which he hurried. But as he got further into the
+country these sounds ceased, and there was silence and darkness all
+round him. When the sun rose he had already gone many miles away from
+the town in which he had been so miserable. But now a new terror
+oppressed him--the terror of great loneliness. He had got into a wild,
+barren country, where there was no sign of human habitation. A thick
+growth of low trees and thorny mimosa bushes spread out before him,
+and as he tried to thread his way through them he was severely
+scratched, and his scant garments torn by the long thorns. Besides the
+sun was very hot, and the trees were not high enough to afford him any
+shade. He was worn out with hunger and fatigue, and he longed to lie
+down and rest. But to lie down in that fierce sun would have meant
+death, and he struggled on, hoping to find some wild berries to eat,
+and some water to quench his thirst. But when he came out of the
+scrub-wood, he found he was as badly off as before. A long, low line
+of rocky cliffs rose before him, but there were no houses, and he saw
+no hope of finding food. He was so tired that he could not wander
+further, and seeing a cave which looked cool and dark in the side of
+the cliffs, he crept into it, and, stretching his tired limbs on the
+sandy floor, fell fast asleep.
+
+Suddenly he was awakened by a noise that made his blood run cold. The
+roar of a wild beast sounded in his ears, and as he started trembling
+and in terror to his feet, he beheld a huge, tawny lion, with great
+glistening white teeth, standing in the entrance of the cave. It was
+impossible to fly, for the lion barred the way. Immovable with fear,
+Androcles stood rooted to the spot, waiting for the lion to spring on
+him and tear him limb from limb.
+
+  [Illustration: ANDROCLES IN THE LION'S CAVE]
+
+But the lion did not move. Making a low moan as if in great pain, it
+stood licking its huge paw, from which Androcles now saw that blood
+was flowing freely. Seeing the poor animal in such pain, and noticing
+how gentle it seemed, Androcles forgot his own terror, and slowly
+approached the lion, who held up its paw as if asking the man to help
+it. Then Androcles saw that a monster thorn had entered the paw,
+making a deep cut, and causing great pain and swelling. Swiftly but
+firmly he drew the thorn out, and pressed the swelling to try to stop
+the flowing of the blood. Relieved of the pain, the lion quietly lay
+down at Androcles' feet, slowly moving his great bushy tail from side
+to side as a dog does when it feels happy and comfortable.
+
+From that moment Androcles and the lion became devoted friends. After
+lying for a little while at his feet, licking the poor wounded paw,
+the lion got up and limped out of the cave. A few minutes later it
+returned with a little dead rabbit in its mouth, which it put down on
+the floor of the cave beside Androcles. The poor man, who was starving
+with hunger, cooked the rabbit somehow, and ate it. In the evening,
+led by the lion, he found a place where there was a spring, at which
+he quenched his dreadful thirst.
+
+And so for three years Androcles and the lion lived together in the
+cave; wandering about the woods together by day, sleeping together at
+night. For in summer the cave was cooler than the woods, and in winter
+it was warmer.
+
+At last the longing in Androcles' heart to live once more with his
+fellow-men became so great that he felt he could remain in the woods
+no longer, but that he must return to a town, and take his chance of
+being caught and killed as a runaway slave. And so one morning he left
+the cave, and wandered away in the direction where he thought the sea
+and the large towns lay. But in a few days he was captured by a band
+of soldiers who were patrolling the country in search of fugitive
+slaves, and he was put in chains and sent as a prisoner to Rome.
+
+Here he was cast into prison and tried for the crime of having run
+away from his master. He was condemned as a punishment to be torn to
+pieces by wild beasts on the first public holiday, in the great circus
+at Rome.
+
+When the day arrived Androcles was brought out of his prison, dressed
+in a simple, short tunic, and with a scarf round his right arm. He
+was given a lance with which to defend himself--a forlorn hope, as he
+knew that he had to fight with a powerful lion which had been kept
+without food for some days to make it more savage and bloodthirsty. As
+he stepped into the arena of the huge circus, above the sound of the
+voices of thousands on thousands of spectators he could hear the
+savage roar of the wild beasts from their cages below the floor on
+which he stood.
+
+Of a sudden the silence of expectation fell on the spectators, for a
+signal had been given, and the cage containing the lion with which
+Androcles had to fight had been shot up into the arena from the floor
+below. A moment later, with a fierce spring and a savage roar, the
+great animal had sprung out of its cage into the arena, and with a
+bound had rushed at the spot where Androcles stood trembling. But
+suddenly, as he saw Androcles, the lion stood still, wondering. Then
+quickly but quietly it approached him, and gently moved its tail and
+licked the man's hands, and fawned upon him like a great dog. And
+Androcles patted the lion's head, and gave a sob of recognition, for
+he knew that it was his own lion, with whom he had lived and lodged
+all those months and years.
+
+And, seeing this strange and wonderful meeting between the man and the
+wild beast, all the people marvelled, and the emperor, from his high
+seat above the arena, sent for Androcles, and bade him tell his story
+and explain this mystery. And the emperor was so delighted with the
+story that he said Androcles was to be released and to be made a free
+man from that hour. And he rewarded him with money, and ordered that
+the lion was to belong to him, and to accompany him wherever he went.
+
+And when the people in Rome met Androcles walking, followed by his
+faithful lion, they used to point at them and say, 'That is the lion,
+the guest of the man, and that is the man, the doctor of the lion.'[4]
+
+    [4] Apparently this nice lion did not bite anybody, when he took
+    his walks abroad. Or, possibly, he was muzzled.--Ed.
+
+  [Illustration: ANDROCLES IN THE ARENA]
+
+
+
+
+_MONSIEUR DUMAS AND HIS BEASTS_
+
+
+I
+
+Most people have heard of Alexandre Dumas, the great French novelist
+who wrote 'The Three Musketeers' and many other delightful historical
+romances. Besides being a great novelist, M. Dumas was a most kind and
+generous man--kind both to human beings and to animals. He had a great
+many pets, of which he gives us the history in one of his books. Here
+are some of the stories about them in his own words.
+
+I was living, he says, at Monte Cristo (this was the name of his villa
+at St.-Germains); I lived there alone, except for the visitors I
+received. I love solitude, for solitude is necessary to anyone who
+works much. However, I do not like complete loneliness; what I love is
+that of the Garden of Eden, a solitude peopled with animals.
+Therefore, in my wilderness at Monte Cristo, without being quite like
+Adam in every way, I had a kind of small earthly paradise.
+
+This is the list of my animals. I had a number of dogs, of which the
+chief was Pritchard. I had a vulture named Diogenes; three monkeys,
+one of which bore the name of a celebrated translator, another that of
+a famous novelist, and the third, which was a female, that of a
+charming actress. We will call the writer Potich, the novelist the
+Last of the Laidmanoirs, and the lady Mademoiselle Desgarcins. I had a
+great blue and yellow macaw called Buvat, a green and yellow parroquet
+called Papa Everard, a cat called Mysouff, a golden pheasant called
+Lucullus, and finally, a cock called Caesar. Let us give honour where
+honour is due, and begin with the history of Pritchard.
+
+I had an acquaintance named M. Lerat, who having heard me say I had no
+dog to take out shooting, said, 'Ah! how glad I am to be able to give
+you something you will really like! A friend of mine who lives in
+Scotland has sent me a pointer of the very best breed. I will give him
+to you. Bring Pritchard,' he added to his two little girls.
+
+How could I refuse a present offered so cordially? Pritchard was
+brought in.
+
+He was an odd-looking dog to be called a pointer! He was long-haired,
+grey and white, with ears nearly erect, mustard-coloured eyes, and a
+beautifully feathered tail. Except for the tail, he could scarcely be
+called a handsome dog.
+
+M. Lerat seemed even more delighted to give the present than I was to
+receive it, which showed what a good heart he had.
+
+'The children call the dog Pritchard,' he said; 'but if you don't like
+the name, call him what you please.'
+
+I had no objection to the name; my opinion was that if anyone had
+cause to complain, it was the dog himself. Pritchard, therefore,
+continued to be called Pritchard. He was at this time about nine or
+ten months old, and ought to begin his education, so I sent him to a
+gamekeeper named Vatrin to learn his duties. But, two hours after I
+had sent Pritchard to Vatrin, he was back again at my house. He was
+not made welcome; on the contrary, he received a good beating from
+Michel, who was my gardener, porter, butler, and confidential servant
+all in one, and who took Pritchard back to Vatrin. Vatrin was
+astonished; Pritchard had been shut up with the other dogs in the
+kennel, and he must have jumped over the enclosure, which was a high
+one. Early the next morning, when the housemaid had opened my front
+door, there was Pritchard sitting outside. Michel again beat the dog,
+and again took him back to Vatrin, who this time put a collar round
+his neck and chained him up. Michel came back and informed me of this
+severe but necessary measure. Vatrin sent a message to say that I
+should not see Pritchard again until his education was finished. The
+next day, while I was writing in a little summer-house in my garden, I
+heard a furious barking. It was Pritchard fighting with a great
+Pyrenean sheepdog which another of my friends had just given me. This
+dog was named Mouton, because of his white woolly hair like a sheep's,
+not on account of his disposition, which was remarkably savage.
+Pritchard was rescued by Michel from Mouton's enormous jaws, once more
+beaten, and for the third time taken back to Vatrin. Pritchard, it
+appears, had eaten his collar, though how he managed it Vatrin never
+knew. He was now shut up in a shed, and unless he ate the walls or the
+door, he could not possibly get out. He tried both, and finding the
+door the more digestible, he ate the door; and the next day at
+dinner-time, Pritchard walked into the dining-room wagging his plumy
+tail, his yellow eyes shining with satisfaction. This time Pritchard
+was neither beaten nor taken back; we waited till Vatrin should come
+to hold a council of war as to what was to be done with him. The next
+day Vatrin appeared.
+
+'Did you _ever_ see such a rascal?' he began. Vatrin was so excited
+that he had forgotten to say 'Good morning' or 'How do you do?'
+
+'I tell you,' said he, 'that rascal Pritchard puts me in such a rage
+that I have crunched the stem of my pipe three times between my teeth
+and broken it, and my wife has had to tie it up with string. He'll
+ruin me in pipes, that brute--that vagabond!'
+
+'Pritchard, do you hear what is said about you?' said I.
+
+Pritchard heard, but perhaps did not think it mattered much about
+Vatrin's pipes, for he only looked at me affectionately and beat upon
+the ground with his tail.
+
+'I don't know what to do with him,' said Vatrin. 'If I keep him he'll
+eat holes in the house, I suppose; yet I don't like to give him
+up--he's only a dog. It's humiliating for a man, don't you know?'
+
+'I'll tell you what, Vatrin,' said I. 'We will take him down to
+Vesinet, and go for a walk through your preserves, and then we shall
+see whether it is worth while to take any more trouble with this
+vagabond, as you call him.'
+
+'I call him by his name. It oughtn't to be Pritchard; it should be
+Bluebeard, it should be Blunderbore, it should be Judas Iscariot!'
+
+Vatrin enumerated all the greatest villains he could think of at the
+moment.
+
+I called Michel.
+
+'Michel, give me my shooting shoes and gaiters; we will go to Vesinet
+to see what Pritchard can do.'
+
+'You will see, sir,' said Michel, 'that you will be better pleased
+than you think.' For Michel always had a liking for Pritchard.
+
+We went down a steep hill to Vesinet, Michel following with Pritchard
+on a leash. At the steepest place I turned round. 'Look there upon the
+bridge in front of us, Michel,' I said, 'there is a dog very like
+Pritchard.' Michel looked behind him. There was nothing but the
+leather straps in his hand; Pritchard had cut it through with his
+teeth, and was now standing on the bridge amusing himself by looking
+at the water through the railing.
+
+'He _is_ a vagabond!' said Vatrin. 'Look! where is he off to now?'
+
+'He has gone,' said I, 'to see what my neighbour Correge has got for
+luncheon.' Sure enough, the next moment Pritchard was seen coming out
+of M. Correge's back door, pursued by a maid servant with a broom. He
+had a veal cutlet in his mouth, which he had just taken out of the
+frying-pan.
+
+'Monsieur Dumas!' cried the maid, 'Monsieur Dumas! stop your dog!'
+
+We tried; but Pritchard passed between Michel and me like a flash of
+lightning.
+
+'It seems,' said Michel, 'that he likes his veal underdone.'
+
+'My good woman,' I said to the cook, who was still pursuing Pritchard,
+'I fear that you are losing time, and that you will never see your
+cutlet again.'
+
+'Well, then, let me tell you, sir, that you have no right to keep and
+feed a thief like that.'
+
+'It is you, my good woman, who are feeding him to-day, not I.'
+
+'Me!' said the cook, 'it's--it's M. Correge. And what will M. Correge
+say, I should like to know?'
+
+'He will say, like Michel, that it seems Pritchard likes his veal
+underdone.'
+
+'Well, but he'll not be pleased--he will think it's my fault.'
+
+'Never mind, I will invite your master to luncheon with me.'
+
+'All the same, if your dog goes on like that, he will come to a bad
+end. That is all I have to say--he will come to a bad end.' And she
+stretched out her broom in an attitude of malediction towards the spot
+where Pritchard had disappeared.
+
+We three stood looking at one another. 'Well,' said I, 'we have lost
+Pritchard.'
+
+'We'll soon find him,' said Michel.
+
+We therefore set off to find Pritchard, whistling and calling to him,
+as we walked on towards Vatrin's shooting ground. This search lasted
+for a good half-hour, Pritchard not taking the slightest notice of our
+appeals. At last Michel stopped.
+
+'Sir,' he said, 'look there! Just come and look.'
+
+'Well, what?' said I, going to him.
+
+'Look!' said Michel, pointing. I followed the direction of Michel's
+finger, and saw Pritchard in a perfectly immovable attitude, as rigid
+as if carved in stone.
+
+'Vatrin,' said I, 'come here.' Vatrin came. I showed him Pritchard.
+
+'I think he is making a point,' said Vatrin. Michel thought so too.
+
+'But what is he pointing at?' I asked. We cautiously came nearer to
+Pritchard, who never stirred.
+
+'He certainly is pointing,' said Vatrin. Then making a sign to
+me--'Look there!' he said. 'Do you see anything?'
+
+'Nothing.'
+
+'What! you don't see a rabbit sitting? If I only had my stick, I'd
+knock it on the head, and it would make a nice stew for your dinner.'
+
+'Oh!' said Michel, 'if that's all, I'll cut you a stick.'
+
+'Well, but Pritchard might leave off pointing.'
+
+'No fear of him--I'll answer for him--unless, indeed, the rabbit goes
+away.'
+
+Vatrin proceeded to cut a stick. Pritchard never moved, only from time
+to time he turned his yellow eyes upon us, which shone like a topaz.
+
+'Have patience,' said Michel. 'Can't you see that M. Vatrin is cutting
+a stick?' And Pritchard seemed to understand as he turned his eye on
+Vatrin.
+
+'You have still time to take off the branches,' said Michel.
+
+When the branches were taken off and the stick was quite finished,
+Vatrin approached cautiously, took a good aim, and struck with all his
+might into the middle of the tuft of grass where the rabbit was
+sitting. He had killed it!
+
+Pritchard darted in upon the rabbit, but Vatrin took it from him, and
+Michel slipped it into the lining of his coat. This pocket had
+already held a good many rabbits in its time!
+
+Vatrin turned to congratulate Pritchard, but he had disappeared.
+
+'He's off to find another rabbit,' said Michel.
+
+And accordingly, after ten minutes or so, we came upon Pritchard
+making another point. This time Vatrin had a stick ready cut; and
+after a minute, plunging his hands into a brier bush, he pulled out by
+the ears a second rabbit.
+
+'There, Michel,' he said, 'put that into your other pocket.'
+
+'Oh,' said Michel, 'there's room for five more in this one.'
+
+'Hallo, Michel! people don't say those things before a magistrate.'
+And turning to Vatrin I added, 'Let us try once more, Vatrin--the
+number three is approved by the gods.'
+
+'May be,' said Vatrin, 'but perhaps it won't be approved by M.
+Guerin.'
+
+M. Guerin was the police inspector.
+
+Next time we came upon Pritchard pointing, Vatrin said, 'I wonder how
+long he would stay like that;' and he pulled out his watch.
+
+'Well, Vatrin,' said I, 'you shall try the experiment, as it is in
+your own vocation; but I am afraid I have not the time to spare.'
+
+Michel and I then returned home. Vatrin followed with Pritchard an
+hour afterwards.
+
+'Five-and-twenty minutes!' he called out as soon as he was within
+hearing. 'And if the rabbit had not gone away, the dog would have been
+there now.'
+
+'Well, Vatrin, what do you think of him?'
+
+'Why, I say he is a good pointer; he has only to learn to retrieve,
+and that you can teach him yourself. I need not keep him any longer.'
+
+'Do you hear, Michel?'
+
+'Oh, sir,' said Michel, 'he can do that already. He retrieves like an
+angel!'
+
+This failed to convey to me an exact idea of the way in which
+Pritchard retrieved. But Michel threw a handkerchief, and Pritchard
+brought it back. He then threw one of the rabbits that Vatrin carried,
+and Pritchard brought back the rabbit. Michel then fetched an egg and
+placed it on the ground. Pritchard retrieved the egg as he had done
+the rabbit and the handkerchief.
+
+'Well,' said Vatrin, 'the animal knows all that human skill can teach
+him. He wants nothing now but practice. And when one thinks,' he
+added, 'that if the rascal would only come in to heel, he would be
+worth twenty pounds if he was worth a penny.'
+
+'True,' said I with a sigh, 'but you may give up hope, Vatrin; that is
+a thing he will never consent to.'
+
+
+II
+
+I think that the time has now come to tell my readers a little about
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins, Potich, and the Last of the Laidmanoirs.
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins was a tiny monkey; I do not know the place of
+her birth, but I brought her from Havre, where I had gone--I don't
+know why--perhaps to look at the sea. But I thought I must bring
+something home with me from Havre. I was walking there on the quay,
+when at the door of a bird-fancier's shop I saw a green monkey and a
+blue and yellow macaw. The monkey put its paw through the bars of its
+cage and caught hold of my coat, while the blue parrot turned its head
+and looked at me in such an affectionate manner that I stopped,
+holding the monkey's paw with one hand, and scratching the parrot's
+head with the other. The little monkey gently drew my hand within
+reach of her mouth, the parrot half shut its eyes and made a little
+purring noise to express its pleasure.
+
+  [Illustration: 'MONSIEUR DUMAS, MAY I ACCOMMODATE YOU WITH MY MONKEY
+    AND MY PARROT?']
+
+'Monsieur Dumas,' said the shopman, coming out with the air of a man
+who was more decided to sell than I was to buy; 'Monsieur Dumas, may I
+accommodate you with my monkey and my parrot?' It would have been
+more to the purpose if he had said, 'Monsieur Dumas, may I _incommode_
+you with my monkey and my parrot?' However, after a little bargaining,
+I bought both animals, as well as a cage for the monkey and a perch
+for the parrot; and as soon as I arrived at home, I introduced them to
+Michel.
+
+'This,' said Michel, 'is the green monkey of Senegal--_Cercopithecus
+sabaea_.'
+
+I looked at Michel in the greatest astonishment. 'Do you know Latin,
+Michel?'
+
+'I don't know Latin, but I know my "Dictionary of Natural History."'
+
+'Oh, indeed! And do you know what bird this is?' I asked, showing him
+the parrot.
+
+'To be sure I know it,' said Michel. 'It is the blue and yellow
+macaw--_Macrocercus arararanna_. Oh, sir, why did you not bring a
+female as well as a male?'
+
+'What is the use, Michel, since parrots will not breed in this
+country?'
+
+'There you make a mistake, sir; the blue macaw will breed in France.'
+
+'In the south, perhaps?'
+
+'It need not be in the south, sir.'
+
+'Where then?'
+
+'At Caen.'
+
+'At Caen? I did not know Caen had a climate which permits parrots to
+rear their young. Go and fetch my gazetteer.'
+
+'You will soon see,' said Michel as he brought it. I read: 'Caen,
+capital of the department of Calvados, upon the Orne and the Odon: 223
+kilometres west of Paris, 41,806 inhabitants.'
+
+'You will see,' said Michel, 'the parrots are coming.'
+
+'Great trade in plaster, salt, wood--taken by English in 1346--retaken
+by the French &c., &c.--never mind the date--That is all, Michel.'
+
+'What! Your dictionary never says that the arararanna, otherwise
+called the blue macaw, produces young at Caen?'
+
+'No, Michel, it does not say that here.'
+
+'What a dictionary! Just wait till I fetch you mine and you will see.'
+
+Michel returned in a few minutes with his book of Natural History.
+
+'You will soon see, sir,' he said, opening his dictionary in his turn.
+'Parrot--here it is--parrots are monogamous.'
+
+'As you know Latin, Michel, of course you know what monogamous means.'
+
+'That means that they can sing scales--gamut, I suppose?'
+
+'Well, no, Michel, not exactly. It means that they have only one
+"wife."'
+
+'Indeed, sir? That is because they talk like us most likely. Now, I
+have found the place: "It was long believed that parrots were
+incapable of breeding in Europe, but the contrary has been proved on a
+pair of blue macaws which lived at Caen. M. Lamouroux furnishes the
+details of these results."'
+
+'Let us hear the details which M. Lamouroux furnishes.'
+
+'"These macaws, from March 1818 until August 1822, including a period
+of four years and a half, laid, in all, sixty-two eggs."'
+
+'Michel, I never said they did not lay eggs; what I said was--'
+
+'"Out of this number,"' continued Michel in a loud voice,
+'"twenty-five young macaws were hatched, of which only ten died. The
+others lived and continued perfectly healthy."'
+
+'Michel, I confess to having entertained false ideas on the subject of
+macaws.'
+
+'"They laid at all seasons of the year,"' continued Michel, '"and more
+eggs were hatched in the latter than in the former years."'
+
+'Michel, I have no more to say.'
+
+'"The number of eggs in the nest varied. There have been as many as
+six at a time."'
+
+'Michel, I yield, rescue or no rescue!'
+
+'Only,' said Michel, shutting the book, 'you must be careful not to
+give them bitter almonds or parsley.'
+
+'Not bitter almonds,' I answered, 'because they contain prussic acid;
+but why not parsley?'
+
+Michel, who had kept his thumb in the page, reopened the book.
+'"Parsley and bitter almonds,"' he read, '"are a violent poison to
+parrots."'
+
+'All right, Michel, I shall remember.'
+
+I remembered so well, that some time after, hearing that M. Persil had
+died suddenly (persil being the French for parsley), I exclaimed, much
+shocked: 'Ah! poor man, how unfortunate! He must have been eating
+parrot!' However, the news was afterwards contradicted.
+
+The next day I desired Michel to tell the carpenter to make a new cage
+for Mademoiselle Desgarcins, who would certainly die of cramp if left
+in her small travelling cage. But Michel, with a solemn face, said it
+was unnecessary. 'For,' said he, 'I am sorry to tell you, sir, that a
+misfortune has happened. A weasel has killed the golden pheasant. You
+will, however, have it for your dinner to-day.'
+
+I did not refuse, though the prospect of this repast caused me no
+great pleasure. I am very fond of game, but somehow prefer pheasants
+which have been shot to those killed by weasels.
+
+'Then,' said I, 'if the cage is empty, let us put in the monkey.' We
+brought the little cage close to the big cage, and opened both doors.
+The monkey sprang into her new abode, bounded from perch to perch, and
+then came and looked at me through the bars, making grimaces and
+uttering plaintive cries.
+
+'She is unhappy without a companion,' said Michel.
+
+'Suppose we give her the parrot?'
+
+'You know that little boy, an Auvergnat, who comes here with his
+monkey asking for pennies. If I were you, sir, I would buy that
+monkey.'
+
+'And why that monkey rather than another?'
+
+'He has been so well educated and is so gentle. He has a cap with a
+feather, and he takes it off when you give him a nut or a bit of
+sugar.'
+
+  [Illustration: {THE AUVERGNAT AND HIS MONKEY}]
+
+'Can he do anything else?'
+
+'He can fight a duel.'
+
+'Is that all?'
+
+'No, he can also catch fleas on his master.'
+
+'But, Michel, do you think that that youth would part with so useful
+an animal?'
+
+'We can but ask him, and there he is at this moment!' And he called
+to the boy to come in. The monkey was sitting on a box which the
+little boy carried on his back, and when his master took off his cap,
+the monkey did the same. It had a nice gentle little face, and I
+remarked to Michel that it was very like a well-known translator of my
+acquaintance.
+
+'If I have the happiness to become the owner of this charming animal,'
+I continued, 'we will call it Potich.' And giving Michel forty francs,
+I left him to make his bargain with the little Auvergnat.
+
+
+III
+
+I had not entered my study since my return from Havre, and there is
+always a pleasure in coming home again after an absence. I was glad to
+come back, and looked about me with a pleased smile, feeling sure that
+the furniture and ornaments of the room, if they could speak, would
+say they were glad to see me again. As I glanced from one familiar
+object to another, I saw, upon a seat by the fire, a thing like a
+black and white muff, which I had never seen before. When I came
+closer, I saw that the muff was a little cat, curled up, half asleep,
+and purring loudly. I called the cook, whose name was Madame Lamarque.
+She came in after a minute or two.
+
+'So sorry to have kept you waiting, but you see, sir, I was making a
+white sauce, and you, who can cook yourself, know how quickly those
+sauces curdle if you are not looking after them.'
+
+'Yes, I know that, Madame Lamarque; but what I do not know is, where
+this new guest of mine comes from.' And I pointed to the cat.
+
+'Ah, sir!' said Madame Lamarque in a sentimental tone, 'that is an
+antony.'
+
+'An antony, Madame Lamarque! What is that?'
+
+'In other words, an orphan--a foundling, sir.'
+
+'Poor little beast!'
+
+'I felt sure that would interest you, sir.'
+
+'And where did you find it, Madame Lamarque?'
+
+'In the cellar--I heard a little cry--miaow, miaow, miaow! and I said
+to myself, "That _must_ be a cat!"'
+
+'No! did you actually say that?'
+
+'Yes, and I went down myself, sir, and found the poor little thing
+behind the sticks. Then I recollected how you had once said, "We ought
+to have a cat in the house."'
+
+'Did I say so? I think you are making a mistake, Madame Lamarque.'
+
+'Indeed, sir, you did say so. Then I said to myself, "Providence has
+sent us the cat which my master wishes for." And now there is one
+question I must ask you, sir. What shall we call the cat?'
+
+'We will call it Mysouff, if you have no objection. And please be
+careful, Madame Lamarque, that it does not eat my quails and
+turtle-doves, or any of my little foreign birds.'
+
+'If M. Dumas is afraid of that,' said Michel, coming in, 'there is a
+method of preventing cats from eating birds.'
+
+'And what is the method, my good friend?'
+
+'You have a bird in a cage. Very well. You cover three sides of the
+cage, you make a gridiron red-hot, you put it against the uncovered
+side of the cage, you let out the cat, and you leave the room. The
+cat, when it makes its spring, jumps against the hot gridiron. The
+hotter the gridiron is the better the cat is afterwards.'
+
+'Thank you, Michel. And what of the troubadour and his monkey?'
+
+'To be sure; I was coming to tell you about that. It is all right,
+sir; you are to have Potich for forty francs, only you must give the
+boy two white mice and a guinea-pig in return.'
+
+'But where am I to find two white mice and a guinea-pig?'
+
+'If you will leave the commission to me, I will see that they are
+found.'
+
+I left the commission to Michel.
+
+'If you won't think me impertinent, sir,' said Madame Lamarque, 'I
+should so like to know what _Mysouff_ means.'
+
+'Mysouff just means Mysouff, Madame Lamarque.'
+
+'It is a cat's name, then?'
+
+'Certainly, since Mysouff the First was so-called. It is true, Madame
+Lamarque, you never knew Mysouff.' And I became so thoughtful that
+Madame Lamarque was kind enough to withdraw quietly, without asking
+any questions about Mysouff the First.
+
+That name had taken me back to fifteen years ago, when my mother was
+still living. I had then the great happiness of having a mother to
+scold me sometimes. At the time I speak of, I had a situation in the
+service of the Duc d'Orleans, with a salary of 1,500 francs. My work
+occupied me from ten in the morning until five in the afternoon. We
+had a cat in those days whose name was Mysouff. This cat had missed
+his vocation--he ought to have been a dog. Every morning I started for
+my office at half-past nine, and came back every evening at half-past
+five. Every morning Mysouff followed me to the corner of a particular
+street, and every evening I found him in the same street, at the same
+corner, waiting for me. Now the curious thing was that on the days
+when I had found some amusement elsewhere, and was not coming home to
+dinner, it was no use to open the door for Mysouff to go and meet
+me.[5] Mysouff, in the attitude of the serpent with its tail in its
+mouth, refused to stir from his cushion. On the other hand, the days I
+did come, Mysouff would scratch at the door until someone opened it
+for him. My mother was very fond of Mysouff; she used to call him her
+barometer.
+
+    [5] A remarkable instance of telepathy in the Cat.--A. L.
+
+'Mysouff marks my good and my bad weather,' my dear mother would say;
+'the days you come in are my days of sunshine; my rainy days are when
+you stay away.'
+
+When I came home, I used to see Mysouff at the street corner, sitting
+quite still and gazing into the distance. As soon as he caught sight
+of me, he began to move his tail; then as I drew nearer, he rose and
+walked backwards and forwards across the pavement with his back arched
+and his tail in the air. When I reached him, he jumped up upon me as a
+dog would have done, and bounded and played round me as I walked
+towards the house; but when I was close to it he dashed in at full
+speed. Two seconds after, I used to see my mother at the door.
+
+Never again in this world, but in the next perhaps, I shall see her
+standing waiting for me at the door.
+
+That is what I was thinking of, dear readers, when the name of Mysouff
+brought back all these recollections; so you understand why I did not
+answer Madame Lamarque's questions.
+
+Henceforth Mysouff II. enjoyed the same privileges that Mysouff I. had
+done, although, as will be seen later, he was not distinguished by
+similar virtues, but was, in fact, a very different sort of cat.
+
+
+IV
+
+The following Sunday, when my son Alexandre and one or two intimate
+friends were assembled in my room, a second Auvergnat boy, with a
+second monkey, demanded admittance, and said that a friend having told
+him that M. Dumas had bought his monkey for forty francs, two white
+mice, and a guinea-pig, he was prepared to offer his for the same
+price. My friends urged me to buy the second monkey.
+
+'Do buy this charming creature,' said my artist friend Giraud.
+
+'Yes, do buy this ridiculous little beast,' said Alexandre.
+
+'Buy him, indeed,' said I; 'have I forty francs to give away every
+day, to say nothing of a guinea-pig and two white mice?'
+
+'Gentlemen,' said Alexandre, 'I am sorry to tell you that my father
+is, without exception, the most avaricious man living.'
+
+My guests exclaimed, but Alexandre said that one day he would prove
+the truth of his assertion. I was now called upon to admire the
+monkey, and to remark how like he was to a friend of ours. Giraud, who
+was painting a portrait of this gentleman, said that if I would let
+the monkey sit to him, it would help him very much in his work, and
+Maquet, another of my guests, offered, amidst general applause, to
+make me a present of it.[6] This decided me.
+
+    [6] Maquet. The immortal Augustus MacKeat.
+
+'You see,' said Alexandre, 'he accepts.'
+
+'Come, young man,' said I to the Auvergnat, 'embrace your monkey for
+the last time, and if you have any tears to shed, shed them without
+delay.'
+
+When the full price was paid, the boy made an attempt to do as I told
+him, but the Last of the Laidmanoirs refused to be embraced by his
+former master, and as soon as the latter had gone away, he seemed
+delighted and began to dance, while Mademoiselle Desgarcins in her
+cage danced, too, with all her might.
+
+'Look!' said Maquet, 'they like each other. Let us complete the
+happiness of these interesting animals.'
+
+We shut them up in the cage together, to the great delight of
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins, who did not care for Potich, and much
+preferred her new admirer. Potich, indeed, showed signs of jealousy,
+but, not being armed with the sword which he used to have when he
+fought duels, he could not wash out his affronts in the blood of his
+rival, but became a prey to silent melancholy and wounded affection.
+
+While we were still looking at the monkeys, a servant came in bringing
+a tray with wine and seltzer water.
+
+'I say,' said Alexandre, 'let us make Mademoiselle Desgarcins open the
+seltzer-water bottle!' and he put the bottle inside the cage on the
+floor. No sooner had he done so, than all three monkeys surrounded it
+and looked at it with the greatest curiosity. Mademoiselle Desgarcins
+was the first to understand that something would happen if she undid
+the four crossed wires which held down the cork. She accordingly set
+to work, first with her fingers, and then with her teeth, and it was
+not long before she undid the first three. She next attacked the
+fourth, while the whole company, both men and monkeys, watched her
+proceedings with breathless attention. Presently a frightful explosion
+was heard: Mademoiselle Desgarcins was knocked over by the cork and
+drenched with seltzer water, while Potich and the Last of the
+Laidmanoirs fled to the top of their cage, uttering piercing cries.
+
+'Oh!' cried Alexandre, 'I'll give my share of seltzer water to see her
+open another bottle!' Mademoiselle Desgarcins had got up, shaken
+herself, and gone to rejoin her companions, who were still howling
+lamentably.
+
+'You don't suppose she'll let herself be caught a second time,' said
+Giraud.
+
+'Do you know,' said Maquet, 'I should not wonder if she would. I
+believe her curiosity would still be stronger than her fear.'
+
+'Monkeys,' said Michel, who had come in on hearing their cries, 'are
+more obstinate than mules. The more seltzer-water bottles you give
+them, the more they will uncork.'
+
+'Do you think so, Michel?'
+
+'You know, of course, how they catch them in their own country.'
+
+'No, Michel.'
+
+'What! you don't know _that_, gentlemen?' said Michel, full of
+compassion for our ignorance. 'You know that monkeys are very fond of
+Indian corn. Well, you put some Indian corn into a bottle, the neck of
+which is just large enough to admit a monkey's paw. He sees the Indian
+corn through the glass----'
+
+'Well, Michel?'
+
+'He puts his hand inside, and takes a good handful of the Indian corn.
+At that moment the hunter shows himself. They are so obstinate--the
+monkeys, I mean--that they won't let go what they have in their hand,
+but as they can't draw their closed fist through the opening, there
+they are, you see, caught.'
+
+'Well, then, Michel, if ever our monkeys get out, you will know how to
+catch them again.'
+
+'Oh! no fear, sir, that is just what I shall do.'
+
+The seltzer-water experiment was successfully repeated, to the triumph
+of Michel and the delight of Alexandre, who wished to go on doing it;
+but I forbade him, seeing that poor Mademoiselle Desgarcins' nose was
+bleeding from the blow of the cork.
+
+'It is not that,' said Alexandre; 'it is because you grudge your
+seltzer water. I have already remarked, gentlemen, that my father is,
+I regret to say, an exceedingly avaricious man.'
+
+
+V
+
+It is now my painful duty to give my readers some account of the
+infamous conduct of Mysouff II. One morning, on waking rather late, I
+saw my bedroom door gently opened, and the head of Michel thrust in,
+wearing such a concerned expression that I knew at once that something
+was wrong.
+
+'What has happened, Michel?'
+
+'Why, sir, those villains of monkeys have managed to twist a bar of
+their cage, I don't know how, until they have made a great hole, and
+now they have escaped.'
+
+'Well--but, Michel, we foresaw that that might occur, and now you have
+only to buy your Indian corn, and procure three bottles the right
+size.'
+
+'Ah! you are laughing, sir,' said Michel, reproachfully, 'but you
+won't laugh when you know all. They have opened the door of the
+aviary----'
+
+'And so my birds have flown away?'
+
+'Sir, your six pairs of turtle doves, your fourteen quails, and all
+your little foreign birds, are eaten up!'[7]
+
+    [7] Let the reader compare the conduct of Mr. Gully, later!
+
+'But monkeys won't eat birds!'
+
+'No, but Master Mysouff will, and he has done it!'
+
+'The deuce he has! I must see for myself.'
+
+'Yes, go yourself, sir; you will see a sight--a field of battle--a
+massacre of St. Bartholomew!'
+
+As I was coming out, Michel stopped me to point to Potich, who had
+hung himself by the tail to the branch of a maple, and was swinging
+gracefully to and fro. Mademoiselle Desgarcins was bounding gaily
+about in the aviary, while the Last of the Laidmanoirs was practising
+gymnastics on the top of the greenhouse. 'Well, Michel, we must catch
+them. I will manage the Last of the Laidmanoirs if you will get hold
+of Mademoiselle Desgarcins. As to poor little Potich, he will come of
+his own accord.'
+
+'I wouldn't trust him, sir; he is a hypocrite. He has made it up with
+the other one--just think of that!'
+
+'What! he has made friends with his rival in the affections of
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins?'
+
+'Just so, sir.'
+
+'That is sad indeed, Michel; I thought only human beings could be
+guilty of so mean an action.'
+
+'You see, sir, these monkeys have frequented the society of human
+beings.'
+
+  [Illustration: {THE LAST OF THE LAIDMANOIRS AND MADEMOISELLE
+    DESGARCINS}]
+
+I now advanced upon the Last of the Laidmanoirs with so much
+precaution that I contrived to shut him into the greenhouse, where he
+retreated into a corner and prepared to defend himself, while Potich,
+from the outside, encouraged his friend by making horrible faces at me
+through the glass. At this moment piercing shrieks were heard from
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins; Michel had just caught her. These cries so
+enraged the Last of the Laidmanoirs that he dashed out upon me; but I
+parried his attack with the palm of my hand; with which he came in
+contact so forcibly that he lost breath for a minute, and I then
+picked him up by the scruff of the neck.
+
+'Have you caught Mademoiselle Desgarcins?' I shouted to Michel.
+
+'Have you caught the Last of the Laidmanoirs?' returned he.
+
+'Yes!' we both replied in turn. And each bearing his prisoner, we
+returned to the cage, which had in the meantime been mended, and shut
+them up once more, whilst Potich, with loud lamentations, fled to the
+top of the highest tree in the garden. No sooner, however, did he find
+that his two companions were unable to get out of their cage, than he
+came down from his tree, approached Michel in a timid and sidelong
+manner, and with clasped hands and little plaintive cries, entreated
+to be shut up again with his friends.
+
+'Just see what a hypocrite he is!' said Michel.
+
+But I was of opinion that the conduct of Potich was prompted by
+devotion rather than hypocrisy; I compared it to that of Regulus, who
+returned to Carthage to keep his promised word, or to King John of
+France, who voluntarily gave himself up to the English for the
+Countess of Salisbury's sake.
+
+Michel continued to think Potich a hypocrite, but on account of his
+repentance he was forgiven. He was put back into the cage, where
+Mademoiselle Desgarcins took very little notice of him.
+
+All this time Mysouff, having been forgotten, calmly remained in the
+aviary, and continued to crunch the bones of his victims with the most
+hardened indifference. It was easy enough to catch _him_. We shut him
+into the aviary, and held a council as to what should be his
+punishment. Michel was of opinion that he should be shot forthwith. I
+was, however, opposed to his immediate execution, and resolved to wait
+until the following Sunday, and then to cause Mysouff to be formally
+tried by my assembled friends. The condemnation was therefore
+postponed. In the meantime Mysouff remained a prisoner in the very
+spot where his crimes had been committed. He continued, however, to
+refresh himself with the remains of his victims without apparent
+remorse, but Michel removed all the bodies, and confined him to a diet
+of bread and water.
+
+Next Sunday, having convoked a council of all my friends, the trial
+was proceeded with. Michel was appointed Chief Justice and Nogent
+Saint-Laurent was counsel for the prisoner. I may remark that the jury
+were inclined to find a verdict of guilty, and after the first speech
+of the Judge, the capital sentence seemed almost certain. But the
+skilful advocate, in a long and eloquent speech, brought clearly
+before us the innocence of Mysouff, the malice of the monkeys, their
+quickness and incessant activity compared with the less inventive
+minds of cats. He showed us that Mysouff was incapable of
+contemplating such a crime; he described him wrapped in peaceful
+sleep, then, suddenly aroused from this innocent slumber by the
+abandoned creatures who, living as they did opposite the aviary, had
+doubtless long harboured their diabolical designs. We saw Mysouff but
+half awake, still purring innocently, stretching himself, opening his
+pink mouth, from which protruded a tongue like that of a heraldic
+lion. He shakes his ears, a proof that he rejects the infamous
+proposal that is being made to him; he listens; at first he
+refuses--the advocate insisted that the prisoner had begun by
+refusing--then, naturally yielding, hardly more than a kitten,
+corrupted as he had been by the cook, who instead of feeding him on
+milk or a little weak broth, as she had been told to do, had
+recklessly excited his carnivorous appetite by giving him pieces of
+liver and parings of raw chops; the unfortunate young cat yields
+little by little, prompted more by good nature and weakness of mind
+than by cruelty or greed, and, only half awake, he does the bidding of
+the villainous monkeys, the real instigators of the crime. The
+counsel here took the prisoner in his arms, showed us his paws, and
+defied any anatomist to say that with paws so made, an animal could
+possibly open a door that was bolted. Finally, he borrowed Michel's
+Dictionary of Natural History, opened it at the article 'Cat,'
+'Domestic Cat,' 'Wild Cat'; he proved that Mysouff was no wild cat,
+seeing that nature had robed him in white, the colour of innocence;
+then smiting the book with vehemence, 'Cat!' he exclaimed, 'Cat! You
+shall now hear, gentlemen, what the illustrious Buffon, the man with
+lace sleeves, has to say about the cat.
+
+'"The cat," says M. de Buffon, "is not to be trusted, but it is kept
+to rid the house of enemies which cannot otherwise be destroyed.
+Although the cat, especially when young, is pleasing, nature has given
+it perverse and untrustworthy qualities which increase with age, and
+which education may conceal, but will not eradicate." Well, then,'
+exclaimed the orator, after having read this passage, 'what more
+remains to be said? Did poor Mysouff come here with a false character
+seeking a situation? Was it not the cook herself who found him--who
+took him by force from the heap of sticks behind which he had sought
+refuge? It was merely to interest and touch the heart of her master
+that she described him mewing in the cellar. We must reflect also,
+that those unhappy birds, his victims--I allude especially to the
+quails, which are eaten by man--though their death is doubtless much
+to be deplored, yet they must have felt themselves liable to death at
+any moment, and are now released from the terrors they experienced
+every time they saw the cook approaching their retreat. Finally,
+gentlemen, I appeal to your justice, and I think you will now admit
+that the interesting and unfortunate Mysouff has but yielded, not only
+to incontrollable natural instincts, but also to foreign influence. I
+claim for my client the plea of extenuating circumstances.'
+
+The counsel's pleading was received with cries of applause, and
+Mysouff, found guilty of complicity in the murder of the quails,
+turtle-doves, and other birds of different species, but with
+extenuating circumstances, was sentenced only to five years of
+monkeys.
+
+
+VI
+
+The next winter, certain circumstances, with which I need not trouble
+my readers, led to my making a journey to Algiers. I seldom make any
+long journey without bringing home some animal to add to my
+collection, and accordingly I returned from Africa accompanied by a
+vulture, which I bought from a little boy who called himself a
+Beni-Mouffetard. I paid ten francs for the vulture, and made the
+Beni-Mouffetard a present of two more, in return for which he warned
+me that my vulture was excessively savage, and had already bitten off
+the thumb of an Arab and the tail of a dog. I promised to be very
+careful, and the next day I became the possessor of a magnificent
+vulture, whose only fault consisted in a strong desire to tear in
+pieces everybody who came near him. I bestowed on him the name of his
+compatriot, Jugurtha. He had a chain fastened to his leg, and had for
+further security been placed in a large cage made of spars. In this
+cage he travelled quite safely as far as Philippeville, without any
+other accident than that he nearly bit off the finger of a passenger
+who had tried to make friends with him. At Philippeville a difficulty
+arose. It was three miles from Stora, the port where we were to
+embark, and the diligence did not go on so far. I and several other
+gentlemen thought that we would like to walk to Stora, the scenery
+being beautiful and the distance not very great; but what was I to do
+about Jugurtha? I could not ask a porter to carry the cage; Jugurtha
+would certainly have eaten him through the spars. I thought of a plan:
+it was to lengthen his chain eight or ten feet by means of a cord; and
+then to drive him in front of me with a long pole. But the first
+difficulty was to induce Jugurtha to come out of his cage; none of us
+dared put our hands within reach of his beak. However, I managed to
+fasten the cord to his chain, then I made two men armed with pickaxes
+break away the spars. Jugurtha finding himself free, spread out his
+wings to fly away, but he could of course only fly as far as his cord
+would permit.
+
+Now Jugurtha was a very intelligent creature; he saw that there was an
+obstacle in the way of his liberty, and that I was that obstacle; he
+therefore turned upon me with fury, in the hope of putting me to
+flight, or devouring me in case of resistance. I, however, was no less
+sagacious than Jugurtha; I had foreseen the attack, and provided
+myself with a good switch made of dogwood, as thick as one's
+forefinger, and eight feet long. With this switch I parried Jugurtha's
+attack, which astonished but did not stop him; however, a second blow,
+given with all my force, made him stop short, and a third caused him
+to fly in the opposite direction, that is, towards Stora. Once
+launched upon this road, I had only to use my switch adroitly to make
+Jugurtha proceed at about the same pace as we did ourselves, to the
+great admiration of my fellow-travellers, and of all the people whom
+we met on the road. On our arrival at Stora Jugurtha made no
+difficulty about getting on board the steamer, and when tied to the
+mast, waited calmly while a new cage was made for him. He went into it
+of his own accord, received with gratitude the pieces of meat which
+the ship's cook gave him, and three days after his embarkation he
+became so tame that he used to present me with his head to scratch, as
+a parrot does. I brought Jugurtha home without further adventure, and
+committed him to the charge of Michel.
+
+It was not until my return from Algiers on this occasion that I went
+to live at Monte Cristo, the building of which had been finished
+during my absence. Up to this time I had lived in a smaller house
+called the Villa Medicis, and while the other was building, Michel
+made arrangements for the proper lodging of all my animals, for he
+was much more occupied about their comfort than he was about mine or
+even his own. They had all plenty of room, particularly the dogs, who
+were not confined by any sort of enclosure, and Pritchard, who was
+naturally generous, kept open house with a truly Scottish hospitality.
+It was his custom to sit in the middle of the road and salute every
+dog that passed with a little not unfriendly growl; smelling him, and
+permitting himself to be smelt in a ceremonious manner. When a mutual
+sympathy had been produced by this means, a conversation something
+like this would begin:
+
+'Have you a good master?' asked the strange dog.
+
+'Not bad,' Pritchard would reply.
+
+'Does your master feed you well?'
+
+'Well, one has porridge twice a day, bones at breakfast and dinner,
+and anything one can pick up in the kitchen besides.'
+
+The stranger licked his lips.
+
+'You are not badly off,' said he.
+
+'I do not complain,' replied Pritchard. Then, seeing the strange dog
+look pensive, he added, 'Would you like to dine with us?'
+
+The invitation was accepted at once, for dogs do not wait to be
+pressed, like some foolish human beings.
+
+At dinner-time Pritchard came in, followed by an unknown dog, who,
+like Pritchard, placed himself beside my chair, and scratched my knee
+with his paw in such a confiding way that I felt sure that Pritchard
+must have been commending my benevolence. The dog, after spending a
+pleasant evening, found that it was rather too late to return home, so
+slept comfortably on the grass after his good supper. Next morning he
+took two or three steps as if to go away, then changing his mind, he
+inquired of Pritchard, 'Should I be much in the way if I stayed on
+here?'
+
+  [Illustration: DUMAS ARRIVES AT STORA WITH HIS VULTURE]
+
+Pritchard replied, 'You could quite well, with management, make
+them believe you are the neighbour's dog, and after two or three days,
+nobody would know you did not belong to the house. You might live here
+just as well as those idle useless monkeys, who do nothing but amuse
+themselves, or that greedy vulture, who eats tripe all day long, or
+that idiot of a macaw, who is always screaming about nothing.'
+
+The dog stayed, keeping in the background at first, but in a day or
+two he jumped up upon me and followed me everywhere, and there was
+another guest to feed, that was all. Michel asked me one day if I knew
+how many dogs there were about the place. I answered that I did not.
+
+'Sir,' said Michel, 'there are thirteen.'
+
+'That is an unlucky number, Michel; you must see that they do not all
+dine together, else one of them is sure to die first.'
+
+'It is not that, though,' said Michel, 'it is the expense I am
+thinking of. Why, they would eat an ox a day, all those dogs; and if
+you will allow me, sir, I will just take a whip and put the whole pack
+to the door, to-morrow morning.'
+
+'But, Michel, let us do it handsomely. These dogs, after all, do
+honour to the house by staying here. So give them a grand dinner
+to-morrow; tell them that it is the farewell banquet, and then, at
+dessert, put them all to the door.'
+
+'But after all, sir, I cannot put them to the door, because there
+isn't a door.'
+
+'Michel,' said I, 'there are certain things in this world that one
+must just put up with, to keep up one's character and position. Since
+all these dogs have come to me, let them stay with me. I don't think
+they will ruin me, Michel. Only, on their own account, you should be
+careful that there are not thirteen.'
+
+'I will drive away one,' suggested Michel, 'and then there will only
+be twelve.'
+
+'On the contrary, let another come, and then there will be fourteen.'
+
+Michel sighed.
+
+'It's a regular kennel,' he murmured.
+
+It was, in fact, a pack of hounds, though rather a mixed one. There
+was a Russian wolfhound, there was a poodle, a water spaniel, a spitz,
+a dachshund with crooked legs, a mongrel terrier, a mongrel King
+Charles, and a Turkish dog which had no hair on its body, only a tuft
+upon its head and a tassel at the end of its tail. Our next recruit
+was a little Maltese terrier, named Lisette, which raised the number
+to fourteen. After all, the expense of these fourteen amounted to
+rather over two pounds a month. A single dinner given to five or six
+of my own species would have cost me three times as much, and they
+would have gone away dissatisfied; for, even if they had liked my
+wine, they would certainly have found fault with my books. Out of this
+pack of hounds, one became Pritchard's particular friend and Michel's
+favourite. This was a dachshund with short crooked legs, a long body,
+and, as Michel said, the finest voice in the department of
+Seine-et-Oise. Portugo--that was his name--had in truth a most
+magnificent bass voice. I used to hear it sometimes in the night when
+I was writing, and think how that deep-toned majestic bark would
+please St. Hubert if he heard it in his grave. But what was Portugo
+doing at that hour, and why was he awake while the other dogs
+slumbered? This mystery was revealed one day, when a stewed rabbit was
+brought me for dinner. I inquired where the rabbit came from.
+
+'You thought it good, sir?' Michel asked me with a pleased face.
+
+'Excellent.'
+
+'Well, then, you can have one just the same every day, sir, if you
+like.'
+
+  [Illustration: 'IT'S A REGULAR KENNEL']
+
+'Every day, Michel? Surely that is almost too much to promise.
+Besides, I should like, before consuming so many rabbits, to know
+where they come from.'
+
+'You shall know that this very night, if you don't mind coming out
+with me.'
+
+'Ah! Michel, I have told you before that you are a poacher!'
+
+'Oh, sir, as to that, I am as innocent as a baby--and, as I was
+saying, if you will only come out with me to-night--'
+
+'Must I go far, Michel?'
+
+'Not a hundred yards, sir.'
+
+'At what o'clock?'
+
+'Just at the moment when you hear Portugo's first bark.'
+
+'Very well, Michel, I will be with you.'
+
+I had nearly forgotten this promise, and was writing as usual, when
+Michel came into my study. It was about eleven o'clock, and a fine
+moonlight night.
+
+'Hallo!' said I, 'Portugo hasn't barked yet, has he?'
+
+'No, but I was just thinking that if you waited for that, you would
+miss seeing something curious.'
+
+'What should I miss, Michel?'
+
+'The council of war which is held between Pritchard and Portugo.'
+
+I followed Michel, and sure enough, among the fourteen dogs, which
+were mostly sleeping in different attitudes, Portugo and Pritchard
+were sitting up, and seemed to be gravely debating some important
+question. When the debate was ended, they separated; Portugo went out
+at the gate to the high road, turned the corner, and disappeared,
+while Pritchard began deliberately, as if he had plenty of time before
+him, to follow the little path which led up to a stone quarry. We
+followed Pritchard, who took no notice of us, though he evidently knew
+we were there. He went up to the top of the quarry, examined and smelt
+about over the ground with great care, and when he had found a scent
+and assured himself that it was fresh, he lay down flat and waited.
+Almost at the same moment, Portugo's first bark was heard some two
+hundred yards off. Now the plan the two dogs had laid was clear to us.
+The rabbits came out of their holes in the quarry every evening to go
+to their feeding ground; Pritchard found the scent of one; Portugo
+then made a wide circuit, found and chased the rabbit, and, as a
+rabbit or a hare always comes back upon its former track, Pritchard,
+lying in ambush, awaited its return. Accordingly, as the sound of
+Portugo's barking came closer, we saw Pritchard's yellow eyes light up
+and flame like a topaz; then all of a sudden he made a spring, and we
+heard a cry of fright and distress.
+
+'They've done it!' said Michel, and he went to Pritchard, took out of
+his mouth a nice plump rabbit, gave it a blow behind the ears to
+finish it, and, opening it on the spot, gave the inside to the two
+dogs, who shared their portion contentedly, although they probably
+regretted Michel's interference. As Michel told me, I could have eaten
+a stewed rabbit every day for dinner, if such had been my desire.
+
+But after this, events of a different kind were taking place, which
+obliged me to leave my country pursuits, and I spent about two months
+in Paris. The day before I returned to St.-Germains I wrote and told
+Michel to expect me, and found him waiting for me on the road half way
+from the station.
+
+'I must tell you, sir,' he said, as soon as I was within hearing,
+'that two important events have happened at Monte Cristo since you
+went away.'
+
+'Well, Michel, let me hear.'
+
+'In the first place, Pritchard got his hind foot into a snare and
+instead of staying where he was as any other dog would have done, he
+bit off his foot with his teeth, and so he came home upon three legs.'
+
+'But,' said I, much shocked, 'is the poor beast dead after such an
+accident?'
+
+'Dead, sir? Was not I there to doctor him?'
+
+'And what did you do to him then?'
+
+'I cut off the foot properly at the joint with a pruning knife. I then
+sewed the skin neatly over it, and now you would never know it was
+off! Look there, the rascal has smelt you and is coming to meet you.'
+
+  [Illustration: JUGURTHA BECOMES DIOGENES]
+
+And at that moment Pritchard appeared, coming at full gallop, so that,
+as Michel had said, one would hardly have noticed that he had only
+three feet. My meeting with Pritchard was, as may be supposed, full of
+deep emotion on both sides. I was sorry for the poor animal. When I
+had recovered a little, I asked Michel what his other piece of news
+was.
+
+'The latest news, sir, is that Jugurtha's name is no longer Jugurtha.'
+
+'What is it then?'
+
+'It is Diogenes.'
+
+'And why?'
+
+'Look, sir!'
+
+We had now reached the little avenue of ash-trees which formed the
+entrance to the villa. To the left of the avenue the vulture was seen
+walking proudly to and fro in an immense tub, which Michel had made
+into a house for him.
+
+'Ah! now I understand,' said I. 'Of course, directly he lives in a
+tub----'
+
+'That's it!' said Michel. 'Directly he lives in a tub, he cannot be
+Jugurtha any more; he _must_ be Diogenes.'
+
+I admired Michel's historical learning no less than I did his surgical
+skill, just as the year before, I had bowed before his superior
+knowledge of natural history.
+
+
+VII
+
+In order to lead to more incidents in the life of Pritchard I must now
+tell my readers that I had a friend called Charpillon, who had a
+passion for poultry, and kept the finest hens in the whole department
+of Yonne. These hens were chiefly Cochins and Brahmapootras; they laid
+the most beautiful brown eggs, and Charpillon surrounded them with
+every luxury and never would allow them to be killed. He had the
+inside of his hen-house painted green, in order that the hens, even
+when shut up, might fancy themselves in a meadow. In fact, the
+illusion was so complete, that when the hen-house was first painted,
+the hens refused to go in at night, fearing to catch cold; but after a
+short time even the least intelligent among them understood that she
+had the good fortune to belong to a master who knew how to combine the
+useful with the beautiful. Whenever these hens ventured out upon the
+road, strangers would exclaim with delight, 'Oh! what beautiful hens!'
+to which some one better acquainted with the wonders of this fortunate
+village would reply, 'I should think so! These are M. Charpillon's
+hens.' Or, if the speaker were of an envious disposition, he might
+add, 'Yes indeed! hens that _nothing_ is thought too good for!'
+
+When my friend Charpillon heard that I had returned from Paris, he
+invited me to come and stay with him to shoot, adding as a further
+inducement that he would give me the best and freshest eggs I had ever
+eaten in my life. Though I did not share Charpillon's great love of
+poultry, I am very fond of fresh eggs, and the nankeen-coloured eggs
+laid by his Brahma hens had an especially delicate flavour. But all
+earthly pleasures are uncertain. The next morning Charpillon's hens
+were found to have only laid three eggs instead of eight. Such a thing
+had never happened before, and Charpillon did not know whom to
+suspect; however he suspected every one rather than his hens, and a
+sort of cloud began to obscure the confidence he had hitherto placed
+in the security of his enclosures. While these gloomy doubts were
+occupying us, I observed Michel hovering about as if he had something
+on his mind, and asked him if he wanted to speak to me.
+
+'I should be glad to have a few words with you, sir.'
+
+'In private?'
+
+'It would be better so, for the honour of Pritchard.'
+
+'Ah, indeed? What has the rascal been doing now?'
+
+'You remember, sir, what your solicitor said to you one day when I was
+in the room?'
+
+'What did he say, Michel? My solicitor is a clever man, and says many
+sensible things; still it is difficult for me to remember them all.'
+
+'Well, sir,' he said, 'find out whom the crime benefits, and you will
+find the criminal.'
+
+'I remember that axiom perfectly, Michel. Well?'
+
+'Well, sir, whom can this crime of stolen eggs benefit more than
+Pritchard?'
+
+'Pritchard? You think it is he who steals the eggs? Pritchard, who
+brings home eggs without breaking them!'
+
+'You mean who _used_ to bring them. Pritchard is an animal who has
+vicious instincts, sir, and if he does not come to a bad end some day,
+I shall be surprised, that's all.'
+
+'Does Pritchard eat eggs, then?'
+
+'He does; and it is only right to say, sir, that that is _your_
+fault.'
+
+'What! my fault? My fault that Pritchard eats eggs?'
+
+Michel shook his head sadly, but nothing could shake his opinion.
+
+'Now really, Michel, this is too much! Is it not enough that critics
+tell me that I pervert everybody's mind with my corrupt literature,
+but you must join my detractors and say that my bad example corrupts
+Pritchard?'
+
+'I beg pardon, sir, but do you remember how one day, at the Villa
+Medicis, while you were eating an egg, M. Rusconi who was there said
+something so ridiculous that you let the egg fall upon the floor?'
+
+'I remember that quite well.'
+
+'And do you remember calling in Pritchard, who was scraping up a bed
+of fuchsias in the garden, and making him lick up the egg?'
+
+'I do not remember him scraping up a bed of fuchsias, but I do
+recollect that he licked up my egg.'
+
+'Well, sir, it is that and nothing else that has been his ruin. Oh! he
+is quick enough to learn what is wrong; there is no need to show it
+him twice.'
+
+'Michel, you are really extremely tedious. How have I shown Pritchard
+what is wrong?'
+
+'By making him eat an egg. You see, sir, before that he was as
+innocent as a new-born babe; he didn't know what an egg was--he
+thought it was a badly made golf ball. But as soon as you make him eat
+an egg, he learns what it is. Three days afterwards, M. Alexandre came
+home, and was complaining to me of his dog--that he was rough and tore
+things with his teeth in carrying them. "Ah! look at Pritchard," I
+said to him, "how gentle _he_ is! you shall see the way he carries an
+egg." So I fetched an egg from the kitchen, placed it on the ground,
+and said, "Fetch, Pritchard!" Pritchard didn't need to be told twice,
+but what do you think the cunning rascal did? You remember, some days
+before, Monsieur ---- the gentleman who had such a bad toothache, you
+know. You recollect his coming to see you?'
+
+'Yes, of course I remember.'
+
+'Well, Pritchard pretended not to notice, but those yellow eyes of his
+notice everything. Well, all of a sudden he pretended to have the same
+toothache that that gentleman had, and crack! goes the egg. Then he
+pretends to be ashamed of his awkwardness--he swallows it in a hurry,
+shell and all! I believed him--I thought it was an accident and
+fetched another egg. Scarcely did he make three steps with the egg in
+his mouth than the toothache comes on again, and crack! goes the
+second egg. I began then to suspect something--I went and got a third,
+but if I hadn't stopped then he'd have eaten the whole basketful. So
+then M. Alexandre, who likes his joke, said, "Michel, you may possibly
+make a good musician of Pritchard, or a good astronomer, but he'll
+never be a good incubator!"'
+
+'How is it that you never told me this before, Michel?'
+
+'Because I was ashamed, sir; for this is not the worst.'
+
+'What! not the worst?'
+
+Michel shook his head.
+
+'He has developed an unnatural craving for eggs; he got into M.
+Acoyer's poultry-yard and stole all his. M. Acoyer came to complain to
+me. How do you suppose he lost his foot?'
+
+'You told me yourself--in somebody's grounds where he had forgotten to
+read the notice about trespassing.'
+
+'You are joking, sir--but I really believe he can read.'
+
+'Oh! Michel, Pritchard is accused of enough sins without having _that_
+vice laid to his charge! But about his foot?'
+
+'I think he caught it in some wire getting out of a poultry-yard.'
+
+'But you know it happened at night, and the hens are shut up at night.
+How could he get into the hen-house?'
+
+'He doesn't need to get into the hen-house after eggs; he can charm
+the hens. Pritchard is what one may call a charmer.'
+
+'Michel, you astonish me more and more!'
+
+'Yes, indeed, sir. I knew that he used to charm the hens at the Villa
+Medicis; only M. Charpillon has such wonderful hens, I did not think
+they would have allowed it. But I see now all hens are alike.'
+
+'Then you think it is Pritchard who----'
+
+'I think he charms M. Charpillon's hens, and that is the reason they
+don't lay--at least, that they only lay for Pritchard.'
+
+'Indeed, Michel, I should much like to know how he does it!'
+
+'If you are awake very early to-morrow, sir, just look out of your
+window--you can see the poultry-yard from it, and you will see a sight
+that you have never seen before!'
+
+'I have seen many things, Michel, including sixteen changes of
+governments, and to see something I have never seen before I would
+gladly sit up the whole night!'
+
+'There is no need for that--I can wake you at the right time.'
+
+The next day at early dawn, Michel awoke me.
+
+'I am ready, Michel,' said I, coming to the window.
+
+'Wait, wait! let me open it very gently. If Pritchard suspects that he
+is watched, he won't stir; you have no idea how deceitful he is.'
+
+Michel opened the window with every possible precaution. From where I
+stood, I could distinctly see the poultry-yard, and Pritchard lying in
+his couch, his head innocently resting upon his two fore-paws. At the
+slight noise which Michel made in opening the window, Pritchard
+pricked up his ears and half opened his yellow eye, but as the sound
+was not repeated he did not move. Ten minutes afterwards we heard the
+newly wakened hens begin to cluck. Pritchard immediately opened both
+eyes, stretched himself and stood upright upon his three feet. He then
+cast a glance all round him, and seeing that all was quiet,
+disappeared into a shed, and the next moment we saw him coming out of
+a sort of little window on the other side. From this window Pritchard
+easily got upon the sloping roof which overhung one side of the
+poultry-yard. He had now only to jump down about six feet, and having
+got into the inclosure he lay down flat in front of the hen-house,
+giving a little friendly bark. A hen looked out at Pritchard's call,
+and instead of seeming frightened she went to him at once and received
+his compliments with apparent complacency. Nor did she seem at all
+embarrassed, but proceeded to lay her egg, and that within such easy
+reach of Pritchard that we had not time to see the egg--it was
+swallowed the same instant. She then retired cackling triumphantly,
+and her place was taken by another hen.
+
+'Well, now, sir,' said Michel, when Pritchard had swallowed his fourth
+egg, 'you see it is no wonder that Pritchard has such a clear voice.
+You know great singers always eat raw eggs the first thing in the
+morning.'
+
+'I know that, Michel, but what I don't know is how Pritchard proposes
+to get out of the poultry-yard.'
+
+'Just wait and see what the scoundrel will do.'
+
+Pritchard having finished his breakfast, or being a little alarmed at
+some noise in the house, stood up on his hind leg, and slipping one of
+his fore-paws through the bars of the gate, he lifted the latch and
+went out.
+
+'And when one thinks,' said Michel, 'that if anybody asked him why the
+yard door was left open, he would say it was because Pierre had
+forgotten to shut it last night!'
+
+  [Illustration: PRITCHARD AND THE HENS]
+
+'You think he would have the wickedness to say _that_, Michel?'
+
+'Perhaps not to-day, nor yet to-morrow, because he is not come to his
+full growth, but some day, mind you, I should not be surprised to hear
+him speak.'
+
+
+VIII
+
+Before going out to shoot that day, I thought it only right to give M.
+Charpillon an account of Pritchard's proceedings. He regarded him,
+therefore with mingled feelings, in which admiration was more
+prominent than sympathy, and it was agreed that on our return the dog
+should be shut up in the stable, and that the stable-door should be
+bolted and padlocked. Pritchard, unsuspicious of our designs, ran on
+in front with a proud step and with his tail in the air.
+
+'You know,' said Charpillon, 'that neither men nor dogs are allowed to
+go into the vineyards. I ought as a magistrate to set an example, and
+Gaignez still more, as he is the mayor. So mind you keep in
+Pritchard.'
+
+'All right,' said I, 'I will keep him in.'
+
+But Michel, approaching, suggested that I should send Pritchard home
+with him. 'It would be safer,' he said. 'We are quite near the house,
+and I have a notion that he might get us into some scrape by hunting
+in the vineyards.'
+
+'Don't be afraid, Michel; I have thought of a plan to prevent him.'
+
+Michel touched his hat. 'I know you are clever, sir--very clever; but
+I don't think you are as clever as that!'
+
+'Wait till you see.'
+
+'Indeed, sir, you will have to be quick, for there is Pritchard
+hunting already.'
+
+We were just in time to see Pritchard disappear into a vineyard, and a
+moment afterwards he raised a covey of partridges.
+
+'Call in your dog,' cried Gaignez.
+
+I called Pritchard, who, however, turned a deaf ear.
+
+'Catch him,' said I to Michel.
+
+Michel went, and returned in a few minutes with Pritchard in a leash.
+In the meantime I had found a long stake, which I hung crosswise round
+his neck, and let him go loose with this ornament. Pritchard
+understood that he could no longer go through the vineyards, but the
+stake did not prevent his hunting, and he only went a good deal
+further off on the open ground.
+
+From this moment there was only one shout all along the line.
+
+'Hold in your dog, confound him!'
+
+'Keep in your Pritchard, can't you! He's sending all the birds out of
+shot!'
+
+'Look here! Would you mind my putting a few pellets into your brute of
+a dog? How can anybody shoot if he won't keep in?'
+
+'Michel,' said I, 'catch Pritchard again.'
+
+'I told you so, sir. Luckily we are not far from the house; I can
+still take him back.'
+
+'Not at all. I have a second idea. Catch Pritchard.'
+
+'After all,' said Michel, 'this is nearly as good fun as if we were
+shooting.'
+
+And by-and-bye he came back, dragging Pritchard by his stake.
+Pritchard had a partridge in his mouth.
+
+'Look at him, the thief!' said Michel. 'He has carried off M.
+Gaignez's partridge--I see him looking for it.'
+
+'Put the partridge in your game-bag, Michel; we will give him a
+surprise.'
+
+Michel hesitated. 'But,' said he, 'think of the opinion this rascal
+will have of you!'
+
+'What, Michel? do you think Pritchard has a bad opinion of me?'
+
+'Oh, sir! a shocking opinion.'
+
+'But what makes you think so?'
+
+'Why, sir, do you not think that Pritchard knows in his soul and
+conscience that when he brings you a bird that another gentleman has
+shot, he is committing a theft?'
+
+'I think he has an idea of it, certainly, Michel.'
+
+'Well, then, sir, if he knows he is a thief, he must take you for a
+receiver of stolen goods. Look at the articles of the Code; it is said
+there that receivers are equally guilty with thieves, and should be
+similarly punished.'
+
+  [Illustration: 'PRITCHARD REAPPEARED NEXT MOMENT WITH A HARE IN HIS
+    MOUTH']
+
+'Michel, you open my eyes to a whole vista of terrors. But we are
+going to try to cure Pritchard of hunting. When he is cured of
+hunting, he will be cured of stealing.'
+
+'Never, sir! You will never cure Pritchard of his vices.'
+
+Still I pursued my plan, which was to put Pritchard's fore-leg through
+his collar. By this means, his right fore-foot being fastened to his
+neck, and his left hind-foot being cut off, he had only two to run
+with, the left fore-foot and the right hind-foot.
+
+'Well, indeed,' said Michel, 'if he can hunt now, the devil is in it.'
+
+He loosed Pritchard, who stood for a moment as if astonished, but once
+he had balanced himself he began to walk, then to trot; then, as he
+found his balance better, he succeeded in running quicker on his two
+legs than many dogs would have done on four.
+
+'Where are we now, sir?' said Michel.
+
+'It's that beast of a stake that balances him!' I replied, a little
+disappointed. 'We ought to teach him to dance upon the tight-rope--he
+would make our fortunes as an acrobat.'
+
+'You are joking again, sir. But listen! do you hear that?'
+
+The most terrible imprecations against Pritchard were resounding on
+all sides. The imprecations were followed by a shot, then by a howl of
+pain.
+
+'That is Pritchard's voice,' said Michel. 'Well, it is no more than he
+deserves.'
+
+Pritchard reappeared the next moment with a hare in his mouth.
+
+'Michel, you said that was Pritchard that howled.'
+
+'I would swear to it, sir.'
+
+'But how could he howl with a hare in his mouth?'
+
+Michel scratched his head. 'It was he all the same,' he said, and he
+went to look at Pritchard.
+
+'Oh, sir!' he said, 'I was right. The gentleman he took the hare from
+has shot him. His hind-leg is all over blood. Look! there is M.
+Charpillon running after his hare.'
+
+'You know that I have just put some pellets into your Pritchard?'
+Charpillon called out as soon as he saw me.
+
+'You did quite right.'
+
+'He carried off my hare.'
+
+'There! You see,' said Michel, 'it is impossible to cure him.'
+
+'But when he carried away your hare, he must have had it in his
+mouth?'
+
+'Of course. Where else would he have it?'
+
+'But how could he howl with a hare in his mouth?'
+
+'He put it down to howl, then he took it up again and made off.'
+
+'There's deceit for you, gentlemen!' exclaimed Michel.
+
+Pritchard succeeded in bringing the hare to me, but when he reached me
+he had to lie down.
+
+'I say,' said Charpillon, 'I hope I haven't hurt him more than I
+intended--it was a long shot.' And forgetting his hare, Charpillon
+knelt down to examine Pritchard's wound. It was a serious one;
+Pritchard had received five or six pellets about the region of his
+tail, and was bleeding profusely.
+
+'Oh, poor beast!' cried Charpillon. 'I wouldn't have fired that shot
+for all the hares in creation if I had known.'
+
+'Bah!' said Michel; 'he won't die of it.' And, in fact, Pritchard,
+after spending three weeks with the vet. at St.-Germains, returned to
+Monte Cristo perfectly cured, and with his tail in the air once more.
+
+
+IX
+
+Soon after the disastrous event which I have just related the
+revolution of 1848 occurred in France, in which King Louis Philippe
+was dethroned and a republic established. You will ask what the
+change of government had to do with my beasts? Well, although,
+happily, they do not trouble their heads about politics, the
+revolution did affect them a good deal; for the French public, being
+excited by these occurrences, would not buy my books, preferring to
+read the 'Guillotine,' the 'Red Republic,' and such like corrupt
+periodicals; so that I became for the time a very much poorer man. I
+was obliged greatly to reduce my establishment. I sold my three horses
+and two carriages for a quarter of their value, and I presented the
+Last of the Laidmanoirs, Potich, and Mademoiselle Desgarcins to the
+Jardin des Plantes in Paris. I had to move into a smaller house, but
+my monkeys were lodged in a palace; this is a sort of thing that
+sometimes happens after a revolution. Mysouff also profited by it, for
+he regained his liberty on the departure of the monkeys.
+
+As to Diogenes, the vulture, I gave him to my worthy neighbour
+Collinet, who keeps the restaurant Henri IV., and makes such good
+cutlets a la Bearnaise. There was no fear of Diogenes dying of hunger
+under his new master's care; on the contrary, he improved greatly in
+health and beauty, and, doubtless as a token of gratitude to Collinet,
+he laid an egg for him every year, a thing he never dreamt of doing
+for me. Lastly, we requested Pritchard to cease to keep open house,
+and to discontinue his daily invitations to strange dogs to dine and
+sleep. I was obliged to give up all thoughts of shooting that year. It
+is true that Pritchard still remained to me, but then Pritchard, you
+must recollect, had only three feet; he had been badly hurt when he
+was shot by Charpillon, and the revolution of February had occasioned
+the loss of one eye.
+
+It happened one day during that exciting period, that Michel was so
+anxious to see what was going on that he forgot to give Pritchard his
+dinner. Pritchard therefore invited himself to dine with the vulture,
+but Diogenes, being of a less sociable turn, and not in a humour to
+be trifled with, dealt poor Pritchard such a blow with his beak as to
+deprive him of one of his mustard-coloured eyes. Pritchard's courage
+was unabated; he might be compared to that brave field marshal of whom
+it was said that Mars had left nothing of him whole except his heart.
+But it was difficult, you see, to make much use of a dog with so many
+infirmities. If I had wished to sell him I could not have found a
+purchaser, nor would he have been considered a handsome present had I
+desired to give him away. I had no choice, then, but to make this old
+servant, badly as he had sometimes served me, a pensioner, a
+companion, in fact a friend. Some people told me that I might have
+tied a stone round his neck and flung him into the river; others, that
+it was easy enough to replace him by buying a good retriever from
+Vatrin; but although I was not yet poor enough to drown Pritchard,
+neither was I rich enough to buy another dog. However, later in that
+very year, I made an unexpected success in literature, and one of my
+plays brought me in a sufficient sum to take a shooting in the
+department of Yonne. I went to look at this shooting, taking Pritchard
+with me. In the meantime my daughter wrote to tell me that she had
+bought an excellent retriever for five pounds, named Catinat, and that
+she was keeping him in the stable until my return. As soon as I
+arrived, my first care was to make Catinat's acquaintance. He was a
+rough, vigorous dog of three or four years old, thoughtless, violent,
+and quarrelsome. He jumped upon me till he nearly knocked me down,
+upset my daughter's work-table, and dashed about the room to the great
+danger of my china vases and ornaments. I therefore called Michel and
+informed him that the superficial acquaintance which I had made with
+Catinat would suffice for the time, and that I would defer the
+pleasure of his further intimacy until the shooting season began at
+Auxerre.
+
+Poor Michel, as soon as he saw Catinat, had been seized with a
+presentiment of evil.
+
+'Sir,' he said, 'that dog will bring some misfortune upon us. I do not
+know yet what, but something will happen, I know it will!'
+
+'In the meantime, Michel,' I said, 'you had better take Catinat back
+to the stable.' But Catinat had already left the room of his own
+accord and rushed downstairs to the dining-room, where I had left
+Pritchard. Now Pritchard never could endure Catinat from the first
+moment he saw him; the two dogs instantly flew at one another with so
+much fury that Michel was obliged to call me to his assistance before
+we could separate them. Catinat was once more shut up in the stable,
+and Pritchard conducted to his kennel in the stable-yard, which, in
+the absence of carriages and horses, was now a poultry-yard, inhabited
+by my eleven hens and my cock Caesar. Pritchard's friendship with the
+hens continued to be as strong as ever, and the household suffered
+from a scarcity of eggs in consequence. That evening, while my
+daughter and I were walking in the garden, Michel came to meet us,
+twisting his straw hat between his fingers, a sure sign that he had
+something important to say.
+
+'Well, what is it, Michel?' I asked.
+
+'It came into my mind, sir,' he answered, 'while I was taking
+Pritchard to his kennel, that we never have any eggs because Pritchard
+eats them; and he eats them because he is in direct communication with
+the hens.'
+
+'It is evident, Michel, that if Pritchard never went into the
+poultry-yard, he would not eat the eggs.'
+
+'Then, do you not think, sir,' continued Michel, 'that if we shut up
+Pritchard in the stable and put Catinat into the poultry-yard, it
+would be better? Catinat is an animal without education, so far as I
+know; but he is not such a thief as Pritchard.'
+
+'Do you know what will happen if you do that, Michel?' I said.
+'Catinat will not eat the eggs, perhaps, but he will eat the hens.'
+
+'If a misfortune like that were to occur, I know a method of curing
+him of eating hens.'
+
+'Well--but in the meantime the hens would be eaten.'
+
+Scarcely had I uttered these words, when a frightful noise was heard
+in the stable-yard, as loud as that of a pack of hounds in full cry,
+but mingled with howls of rage and pain which indicated a deadly
+combat.
+
+'Michel!' I cried, 'do you hear that?'
+
+'Oh yes, I hear it,' he answered, 'but those must be the neighbours'
+dogs fighting.'
+
+'Michel, those are Catinat and Pritchard killing each other!'
+
+'Impossible, sir--I have separated them.'
+
+'Well, then, they have met again.'
+
+'It is true,' said Michel, 'that scoundrel Pritchard can open the
+stable-door as well as any one.'
+
+'Then, you see, Pritchard is a dog of courage; he'll have opened the
+stable-door for Catinat on purpose to fight him. Be quick, Michel, I
+am really afraid one of them will be killed.'
+
+Michel darted into the passage which led to the stable, and no sooner
+had he disappeared than I knew from the lamentations which I heard
+that some misfortune had happened. In a minute or two Michel
+reappeared sobbing bitterly and carrying Pritchard in his arms.
+
+'Look, sir! just look!' he said; 'this is the last we shall see of
+Pritchard--look what your fine sporting dog has done to him. Catinat,
+indeed! it is Catilina he should be called!'
+
+I ran up to Pritchard, full of concern--I had a great love for him,
+though he had often made me angry. He was a dog of much originality,
+and the unexpected things he did were only a proof of genius.
+
+'What do you think is the matter?' I asked Michel.
+
+'The matter?--the matter is that he is dead!'
+
+'Oh no, surely not!'
+
+'Anyhow, he'll never be good for anything again.' And he laid him on
+the ground at my feet.
+
+'Pritchard, my poor Pritchard!' I cried.
+
+At the sound of my voice, Pritchard opened his yellow eye and looked
+sorrowfully at me, then stretched out his four legs, gave one sigh,
+and died. Catinat had bitten his throat quite through, so that his
+death was almost immediate.
+
+'Well, Michel,' said I, 'it is not a good servant, it is a good friend
+that we have lost. You must wash him carefully--you shall have a towel
+to wrap him in--you shall dig his grave in the garden and we will have
+a tombstone made for him on which shall be engraved this epitaph:
+
+    'Like conquering Rantzau, of courage undaunted,
+    Pritchard, to thee Mars honour has granted,
+    On each field of fight of a limb he bereft thee,
+    Till nought but thy gallant heart scatheless was left thee.'
+
+As my habit was, I sought consolation for my grief in literary
+labours. Michel endeavoured to assuage his with the help of two
+bottles of red wine, with which, mingled with his tears, he watered
+the grave of the departed. I know this because when I came out early
+next morning to see if my wishes with regard to Pritchard's burial had
+been carried out, I found Michel stretched upon the ground, still in
+tears, and the two bottles empty by his side.
+
+
+
+
+_THE ADVENTURES OF PYRAMUS_
+
+
+Pyramus was a large brown dog, born of a good family, who had been
+given, when a mere pup, to Alexandre Dumas, the great French novelist,
+then quite a young man. Now the keeper to whom Pyramus first belonged
+had also a tiny little fox-cub without any relations about the place,
+so both fox-cub and dog-pup were handed over to the same mother, who
+brought them up side by side, until they were able to do for
+themselves. So when the keeper made young Dumas a present of Pyramus,
+he thought he had better bestow Cartouche on him as well.
+
+Of course it is hardly necessary to say that these fine names were not
+invented by the keeper, who had never heard of either Pyramus or
+Cartouche, but were given to his pets by Dumas, after he had spent a
+little time in observing their characters.
+
+Certainly it was a very curious study. Here were two animals, who had
+never been apart since they were born, and were now living together in
+two kennels side by side in the court-yard of the house, and yet after
+the first three or four months, when they were mere babies, every day
+showed some difference, and soon they ceased to be friends at all and
+became open enemies.
+
+The earliest fight known to have taken place between them happened in
+this way. One day some bones were thrown by accident within the bounds
+of Cartouche's territory, and though if they belonged to anybody, it
+was clearly Cartouche, Pyramus resolved most unfairly to get hold of
+them. The first time Pyramus tried secretly to commit this act of
+piracy, Cartouche growled; the second time he showed his teeth; the
+third time he bit.
+
+It must be owned that Cartouche had shown some excuse for his violent
+behaviour, because he always remained chained up, whereas Pyramus was
+allowed certain hours of liberty; and it was during one of these that
+he made up his mind to steal the bones from Cartouche, whose chain (he
+thought) would prevent any attempt at reprisals. Indeed, he even tried
+to make out to his conscience that probably the bones were not dainty
+enough for Cartouche, who loved delicate food, whereas anything was
+good enough for him, Pyramus. However, whether he wanted to eat the
+bones or not, Cartouche had no intention of letting them be stolen
+from him, and having managed to drive off Pyramus on the first
+occasion, he determined to get safely hold of the bones before his
+enemy was unchained again.
+
+Now the chains of each were the same length, four feet, and in
+addition to that, Pyramus had a bigger head and longer nose than
+Cartouche, who was much smaller altogether. So it follows that when
+they were both chained up, Pyramus could stretch farther towards any
+object that lay at an equal distance between their kennels. Pyramus
+knew this, and so he counted on always getting the better of
+Cartouche.
+
+But Cartouche had not been born a fox for nothing, and he watched with
+a scornful expression the great Pyramus straining at his chain with
+his eyes nearly jumping out of his head with greed and rage. 'Really,'
+said Cartouche to himself, 'if he goes on like that much longer, I
+shall have a mad dog for a neighbour before the day is out. Let me see
+if _I_ can't manage better.' But as we know, being a much smaller
+animal than Pyramus, his nose did not come nearly so close to the
+bones; and after one or two efforts to reach the tempting morsel which
+was lying about six feet from each kennel, he gave it up, and retired
+to his warm bed, hoping that he might somehow hit upon some idea
+which would enable him to reach the 'bones of contention.'
+
+All at once he jumped up, for after hard thought he had got what he
+wanted. He trotted merrily to the length of his chain, and now it was
+Pyramus's turn to look on and to think with satisfaction: 'Well, if
+_I_ can't get them, _you_ can't either, which is a comfort.'
+
+  [Illustration: CARTOUCHE OUTWITS PYRAMUS]
+
+But gradually his grin of delight changed into a savage snarl, as
+Cartouche turned himself round when he had got to the end of his
+chain, and stretching out his paw, hooked the bone which he gradually
+drew within reach, and before Pyramus had recovered from his
+astonishment, Cartouche had got possession of all the bones and was
+cracking them with great enjoyment inside his kennel.
+
+It may seem very unjust that Cartouche was always kept chained up,
+while Pyramus was allowed to roam about freely, but the fact was that
+Pyramus only ate or stole when he was really hungry, while Cartouche
+was by nature the murderer of everything he came across. One day he
+broke his chain and ran off to the fowl-yard of Monsieur Mauprivez,
+who lived next door. In less than ten minutes he had strangled
+seventeen hens and two cocks: nineteen corpses in all! It was
+impossible to find any 'extenuating circumstances' in his favour. He
+was condemned to death and promptly executed.
+
+Henceforth Pyramus reigned alone, and it is sad to think that he
+seemed to enjoy it, and even that his appetite grew bigger.
+
+It is bad enough for any dog to have an appetite like Pyramus when he
+was at home, but when he was out shooting, and should have been doing
+his duty as a retriever, this fault became a positive vice. Whatever
+might be the first bird shot by his master, whether it happened to be
+partridge or pheasant, quail or snipe, down it would go into Pyramus's
+wide throat. It was seldom, indeed, that his master arrived in time to
+see even the last feathers.
+
+A smart blow from a whip kept him in order all the rest of the day,
+and it was very rarely that he sinned twice in this way while on the
+same expedition, but unluckily before the next day's shooting came
+round, he had entirely forgotten all about his previous caning, and
+justice had to be done again.
+
+On two separate occasions, however, Pyramus's greediness brought its
+own punishment. One day his master was shooting with a friend in a
+place where a small wood had been cut down early in the year, and
+after the low shrubs had been sawn in pieces and bound in bundles, the
+grass was left to grow into hay, and this hay was now in process of
+cutting. The shooting party reached the spot just at the time that the
+reapers were having their dinner and taking their midday rest, and one
+of the reapers had laid his scythe against a little stack of wood
+about three feet high. At this moment a snipe got up, and M. Dumas
+fired and killed it. It fell on the other side of the stack of wood
+against which the scythe was leaning.
+
+As it was the first bird he had killed that day, he knew of course
+that it would become the prey of Pyramus, so he did not hurry himself
+to go after it, but watched with amusement, Pyramus tearing along,
+even jumping over the stack in his haste.
+
+But when after giving the dog the usual time to swallow his fat
+morsel, Monsieur did not see Pyramus coming back to him as usual in
+leaps and bounds, he began to wonder what could have happened, and
+made hastily for the stack of wood behind which he had disappeared.
+There he found the unlucky Pyramus lying on the ground, with the point
+of the scythe right through his neck. The blood was pouring from the
+wound, and he lay motionless, with the snipe dead on the ground about
+six inches from his nose.
+
+The two men raised him as gently as possible, and carried him to the
+river, and here they bathed the wound with water. They then folded a
+pocket-handkerchief into a band, and tied it tightly round his neck to
+staunch the blood, and when this was done, and they were wondering how
+to get him home, a peasant fortunately passed driving a donkey with
+two panniers, and he was laid in one of the panniers and taken to the
+nearest village, where he was put safely into a carriage.
+
+For eight days Pyramus lay between life and death. For a whole month
+his head hung on one side, and it was only after six weeks (which
+seems like six years to a dog) that he was able to run about as usual,
+and appeared to have forgotten his accident.
+
+Only, whenever he saw a scythe he made a long round to avoid coming in
+contact with it.
+
+Some time afterwards he returned to the house with his body as full of
+holes as a sieve. On this occasion he was taking a walk through the
+forest, and, seeing a goat feeding, jumped at its throat. The goat
+screamed loudly, and the keeper, who was smoking at a little distance
+off, ran to his help; but before he could come up the goat was half
+dead. On hearing the steps of the keeper, and on listening to his
+strong language, Pyramus understood very well that this stout man
+dressed in blue would have something very serious to say to him, so he
+stretched his legs to their fullest extent, and started off like an
+arrow from a bow. But, as Man Friday long ago remarked, 'My little
+ball of lead can run faster than thou,' the keeper's little ball of
+lead ran faster than Pyramus, and that is how he came home with all
+the holes in his body.
+
+There is no denying that Pyramus was a very bad dog, and as his master
+was fond of him, it is impossible to believe that he can _always_ have
+been hungry, as, for instance, when he jumped up in a butcher's shop
+to steal a piece of meat and got the hook on which it was hung through
+his own jaws, so that someone had to come and unhook him. But hungry
+or not, Monsieur Dumas had no time to be perpetually getting him out
+of scrapes, and when a few months later an Englishman who wanted a
+sporting dog took a fancy to Pyramus, his master was not altogether
+sorry to say good-bye.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF A WEASEL_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+Weasels are so sharp and clever and untiring, that their activity has
+been made into a proverb; and, like many other sharp and clever
+creatures, they are very mischievous, and fond of killing rabbits and
+chickens, and even of sucking their eggs, which they do so carefully
+that they hardly ever break one.
+
+A French lady, called Mademoiselle de Laistre, a friend of the great
+naturalist, Monsieur de Buffon, once found a weasel when he was very
+young indeed, and, as she was fond of pets, she thought she would
+bring him up. Now a weasel is a little creature, and very pretty. It
+has short legs and a long tail, and its skin is reddish brown above
+and white below. Its eyes are black and its ears are small, and its
+body is about seven inches in length. But this weasel was much smaller
+than that when it went to live with Mademoiselle de Laistre.
+
+Of course it had to be taught: all young things have, and this weasel
+knew nothing. The good lady first began with pouring some milk into
+the hollow of her hand and letting it drink from it. Very soon, being
+a weasel of polite instincts, it would not take milk in any other way.
+After its dinner, when a little fresh meat was added to the milk, it
+would run to a soft quilt that was spread in its mistress's bedroom,
+and, having soon discovered that it could get inside the quilt at a
+place where the stitches had given way, it proceeded to tuck itself up
+comfortably for an hour or two. This was all very well in the day,
+but Mademoiselle de Laistre did not feel at all safe in leaving such a
+mischievous creature loose during the night, so whenever she went to
+bed, she shut the weasel up in a little cage that stood close by. If
+she happened to wake up early, she would unfasten the cage, and then
+the weasel would come into her bed, and, nestling up to her, go to
+sleep again. If she was already dressed when he was let out, he would
+jump all about her, and would never once miss alighting on her hands,
+even when they were held out three feet from him.
+
+  [Illustration: MADEMOISELLE DE LAISTRE AND HER WEASEL]
+
+All his ways were pretty and gentle. He would sit on his mistress's
+shoulder and give little soft pats to her chin, or would run over a
+whole room full of people at the mere sound of her voice. He was very
+fond of the sun, too, and would tumble about and murmur with delight
+whenever it shone on him. The little weasel was rather a thirsty
+animal, but he would not drink much at a time, and, when he had once
+tasted milk, could not be persuaded to touch rain-water. Baths were
+quite new to him, too, and he could not make up his mind to them, even
+in the heat, from which he suffered a good deal. His nearest approach
+to bathing was a wet cloth wrapped round him, and this evidently gave
+him great pleasure.
+
+Cats and dogs about the place condescended to make friends with him,
+and they never quarrelled nor hurt each other. Indeed, in many of
+their instincts and ways, weasels are not very unlike cats, and one
+quality they have in common is their curiosity. Nothing was dull or
+uninteresting to this little weasel. It was impossible to open a
+drawer or take out a paper without his little sharp nose being thrust
+round the corner, and he would even jump on his mistress's hands, the
+better to read her letters. He was also very fond of attracting
+attention, and in the midst of his play would always stop to see if
+anyone was watching. If he found that no one was troubling about him,
+he would at once leave off, and, curling himself up, go off into a
+sleep so sound that he might be taken up by the head and swung
+backwards and forwards quite a long time before he would wake up and
+be himself again.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT WOLVES_
+
+
+Wolves are found in the colder and more northern parts of Asia and
+North America, and over the whole of Europe, except the British Isles,
+where they were exterminated long ago. Some say Lochiel killed the
+last wolf in Scotland, some say a gamekeeper was the hero. The wolf
+very much resembles the dog in appearance, except that his eyes are
+set in obliquely, and nearer his nose. His coat is commonly of a tawny
+grey colour, but sometimes black or white, and he varies in size
+according to the climate. Some wolves only measure two and a half feet
+in length, not counting the tail, others are much larger. They have
+remarkably keen sight, hearing, and sense of smell, and such a
+stealthy gait, that their way of slinking along has passed into a
+proverb in countries where wolves are common. They live in rocky
+caverns in the forest, sleep by day like other beasts of prey, and go
+out at night to forage for food. They eat small birds, reptiles, the
+smaller animals, such as rats and mice, some fruits, grapes among
+others, and rotten apples; they do not disdain even dead bodies, nor
+garbage of any sort. But in times of famine or prolonged snow, when
+all these provisions fail them, and they feel the pinch of hunger,
+then woe betide the flocks of sheep or the human beings they may
+encounter. In 1450 wolves actually came into Paris and attacked the
+citizens. Even so lately as the long and severe winter of 1894-5, the
+wolves came down into the plains of Piedmont and the lower Alpes
+Maritimes in such numbers that the soldiery had to be called out to
+destroy them. In such times a wolf in broad daylight will steal up to
+a flock of sheep peacefully feeding, seize on a fine fat one, and make
+away with it, unseen and unsuspected even by the watchful sheep dog.
+Should a first attempt prove successful, he will return again and
+again, till, finding he can no longer rob that flock unmolested, he
+will look out for another one still unsuspicious. If he once gets
+inside a sheep-fold at night, he massacres and mangles right and left.
+When he has slain to his heart's content, he goes off with a victim
+and devours it, then comes back for a second, a third, and a fourth
+carcase, which he carries away to hide under a heap of branches or
+dead leaves. When dawn breaks, he returns gorged with food to his
+lair, leaving the ground strewn with the bodies of the slain. The wolf
+even contrives to get the better of his natural enemy, the dog, using
+stratagem and cleverness in the place of strength. If he spies a gawky
+long-legged puppy swaggering about his own farmyard, he will come
+closer and entice him out to play by means of every sort of caper and
+gambol. When the young simpleton has been induced to come out beyond
+the farmyard, the wolf, throwing off his disguise of amiable
+playfulness, falls upon the dog and carries him away to make a meal
+of. In the case of a dog stronger and more capable of making
+resistance the stratagem requires two wolves; one appears to the dog
+in its true character of wolf, and then disappears into an ambush,
+where the other lies hidden. The dog, following its natural instinct,
+pursues the wolf into the ambush, where the two conspirators soon make
+an end of it.
+
+So numerous have wolves always been in the rural districts of France,
+that from the earliest times there has been an institution called the
+_Louveterie_, for their extermination. Since the French Revolution
+this has been very much modified, but there is still a reward of so
+much per head for every wolf killed. Under ordinary circumstances the
+wolf will not only not attack man, but will flee from him, for he is
+as cowardly as he is crafty. But if driven by hunger he will pursue,
+or rather he will follow a solitary traveller for miles, dogging his
+footsteps, and always keeping near, sometimes on one side, sometimes
+on the other, till the man, harassed and worn out by fatigue and
+fright, is compelled to halt; then the wolf, who had been waiting for
+this opportunity, springs on him and devours him.
+
+Audubon, in his 'Quadrupeds of America,' tells a story of two young
+negroes who lived on a plantation on the banks of the Ohio in the
+State of Kentucky, about the year 1820. They each had a sweetheart,
+whom they used to go to visit every evening after their work was done.
+These negresses lived on another plantation about four miles away, but
+a short cut led across a large cane brake. When winter set in with its
+long dark nights no ray of light illuminated this dismal swamp. But
+the negroes continued their nightly expeditions notwithstanding,
+arming themselves by way of precaution with their axes. One dark night
+they set off over a thin crust of snow, the reflection from which
+afforded all the light they had to guide them on their way. Hardly a
+star appeared through the dense masses of cloud that nearly covered
+the sky, and menaced more snow. About half way to their destination
+the negroes' blood froze at the sound of a long and fearful howl that
+rent the air; they knew it could only come from a pack of hungry and
+perhaps desperate wolves. They paused to listen, and only a dismal
+silence succeeded. In the impenetrable darkness nothing was visible a
+few feet beyond them; grasping their axes they went on their way
+though with quaking hearts. Suddenly, in single file, out of the
+darkness sprang several wolves, who seized on the first man,
+inflicting terrible wounds with their fangs on his legs and arms;
+others as ravenous leapt on his companion, and dragged him to the
+ground. Both negroes fought manfully, but soon one had ceased to move,
+and the other, despairing of aiding his companion, threw down his axe
+and sprang on to the branch of a tree, where he found safety and
+shelter for the rest of that miserable night. When day broke, only the
+bones of his friend lay scattered on the blood-stained, trampled snow;
+three dead wolves lay near, but the rest of the pack had betaken
+themselves to their lair, to sleep away the effects of their night's
+gorge.
+
+  [Illustration: 'WHEN DAY BROKE']
+
+A sledge journey through the plains of Siberia in winter is a perilous
+undertaking. If a pack of hungry wolves get on the track of a sledge,
+the travellers know, as soon as they hear the horrid howls and see the
+grey forms stealing swiftly across the snow, that their chances of
+escape are small. If the sledge stops one instant men and horses are
+lost; the only safety is in flight at utmost speed. It is indeed a
+race for life! The horses, mad with terror, seem to have wings; the
+wolves, no less swift, pursue them, their cruel eyes gleaming with the
+lust for blood. From time to time a shot is fired, and a wolf falls
+dead in the snow; bolder than the others, he has tried to climb into
+the sledge and has met his reward. This incident gives a momentary
+respite to the pursued, for the murderous pack will pause to tear in
+pieces and devour their dead comrade; then, further inflamed with the
+taste of blood, they will continue the headlong pursuit with redoubled
+vigour.
+
+Should the travellers be able to reach a village or friendly farmhouse
+before the horses are completely exhausted, the wolves, frightened by
+the lights, will slink away into the forest, balked this time of their
+prey. On the other hand, should no refuge be near, the wolves will
+keep up with the horses till the poor beasts stumble and fall from
+fatigue, when the whole pack will instantly spring upon men and
+horses, and in a few moments the blood-stained snow alone tells the
+tale.
+
+There have been instances, but fortunately few, of wolves with a
+perfect craving for human flesh. Such was the notorious Bete (or
+beast) du Gevaudan, that from the year 1764 and onwards ravaged the
+district of that name, in Auvergne, to the south of the centre of
+France. This wolf was of enormous size, measuring six feet from the
+point of its nose to the tip of its tail. It devoured eighty-three
+persons, principally women and children, and seriously wounded
+twenty-five or thirty others. It was attacked from first to last by
+between _two and three hundred thousand_ hunters, probably not all at
+once. With half a dozen wolves, each equal to 200,000 men, a country
+could afford to do without an army. But the wolf of Gevaudan was no
+common wolf. He never married, having no leisure, fortunately for the
+human race. The whole of France was in a state of alarm on its
+account; the peasants dared no longer go to their work in the fields
+alone and unarmed. Every day brought tidings of some fresh trouble; in
+the morning he would spread terror and confusion in some village in
+the plains, in the evening he would carry off some hapless victim from
+some mountain hamlet fifteen or twenty leagues away. Five little
+shepherd boys, feeding their flocks on the mountain-side, were
+attacked suddenly by the ferocious beast, who made off with the
+youngest of them; the others, armed only with sticks, pursued the
+wolf, and attacked it so valiantly that they compelled it to drop its
+prey and slink off into the wood. A poor woman was sitting at her
+cottage door with her three children, when the wolf came down on them
+and attempted to carry off each of the children in turn. The mother
+fought so courageously in defence of her little ones that she
+succeeded in putting the wolf to flight, but in so doing was terribly
+bitten herself, and the youngest child died of his wounds.
+
+Sometimes twenty or thirty parishes joined forces to attack the beast,
+led by the most experienced huntsmen and the chief _louvetier_ of the
+kingdom. On one occasion twenty thousand hunters surrounded the forest
+of Preinieres, where it lay concealed; but on this, as well as every
+other occasion, the wolf escaped in the most surprising--one might
+almost say miraculous--manner, disappearing as if he had been turned
+into smoke. Some hunters declared that their bullets had rebounded off
+him, flattened and harmless. Others alleged that when he had been
+shot, like the great Dundee, with a silver bullet (a well-known charm
+against sorcery) at such close quarters that it appeared impossible he
+should not be mortally wounded, in a day or two some fresh horror
+would announce that the creature was still uninjured. The very dogs
+refused at length to go after him, and fled howling in the opposite
+direction. The belief became general that it was no ordinary wolf of
+flesh and blood, but the Fiend himself in beast shape. Prayers were
+put up in the churches, processions took place, and the Host remained
+exhibited as in the times of plague and public calamity.
+
+The State offered a reward of 2,000 francs to whosoever should slay
+the monster; the syndics of two neighbouring towns added 500 francs,
+making a total of 100_l._ English money, a large sum in those days.
+The young Countess de Mercoire, an orphan, and chatelaine of one of
+the finest estates of the district, offered her hand and fortune in
+marriage to whoever should rid the country of the scourge. This
+inspired the young Count Leonce de Varinas, who, though no sportsman
+by nature, was so deeply in love with the Countess that he determined
+to gain the reward or perish in the attempt. Assisted by a small band
+of well-trained hunters, and by two formidable dogs, a bloodhound and
+a mastiff, he began a systematic attack on the wolf. After many
+fruitless attempts they succeeded one day in driving the creature into
+an abandoned quarry of vast size, the sides of which were twenty or
+thirty feet high and quite precipitous, and the only entrance a narrow
+cart track blasted out of the rock. The young Count, determined to do
+or die alone, sternly refused to allow his men to accompany him into
+the quarry, and left them posted at the entrance with orders only to
+fire on the beast should it attempt to force its way out. Taking only
+the dogs with him, and having carefully seen to the state of his
+weapons, he went bravely to the encounter. The narrow defile was so
+completely hemmed in on every side that, to the vanquished, there was
+no escape nor alternative but death. Here and there, on patches of
+half-melted snow, were footprints, evidently recent, of the huge
+beast; but the creature remained invisible, and for nearly ten minutes
+the Count had wandered among the rocks and bushes before the dogs
+began to give sign of the enemy's presence.
+
+About a hundred yards from where he stood was a frozen pool, on the
+edge of which grew a clump of bulrushes. Among their dry and yellow
+stalks Leonce suddenly caught a glimpse of a pair of fiery
+eyes--nothing more; but it was enough to let him know that the
+longed-for moment had at length arrived. Leonce advanced cautiously,
+his gun cocked and ready to fire, and the dogs close at his heels,
+growling with rage and fear. Still the wolf did not stir, and Leonce,
+determining to try other tactics, stopped, raised his gun to his
+shoulder, and aimed between the gleaming eyes, nothing more being yet
+visible. Before he could fire the beast dashed from among the
+crackling reeds and sprang straight at him. Leonce, nothing daunted,
+waited till it was within ten paces and then fired. With a howl of
+anguish the wolf fell as if dead. Before Leonce had time to utter a
+shout of joy, it was on its feet again. Streaming with blood and
+terrible in its rage it fell on the young man. He attempted to defend
+himself with his bayonet, which, though of tempered steel, was broken
+as if it had been glass; his gun, too, was bent, and he himself was
+hurled to the ground. But for his faithful dogs it would soon have
+been all over with him. They flew at the wolf's throat, who quickly
+made an end of the bloodhound; one crunch broke his back, while one
+stroke of the ruthless paw disembowelled him. Castor, the mastiff,
+had, however, the wolf by the throat, and a fearful struggle ensued
+over the prostrate body of Leonce. They bit, they tore, they worried,
+they rolled over and over each other, the wolf, in spite of its
+wounds, having always the advantage. Half stunned by the fall,
+suffocated by the weight of the combatants, and blinded by the dust
+and snow they scattered in the fray, Leonce had just sufficient
+strength to make one last effort in self-defence. Drawing his
+hunting-knife, he plunged it to the hilt in the shaggy mass above him.
+From a distance he seemed to hear shouts of 'Courage, Monsieur!
+Courage, Castor! We are coming!' then conscious only of an
+overwhelming weight above him, and of iron claws tearing at his chest,
+he fainted away. When he came to himself he was lying on the ground,
+surrounded by his men. Starting up, he exclaimed, 'The beast! where is
+the beast?'
+
+  [Illustration: THE DEATH OF THE FAMOUS WOLF OF GEVAUDAN]
+
+'Dead, Monsieur! stone dead!' answered the head-keeper, showing him
+the horrid creature, all torn and bloody, stretched out on the snow
+beside the dead bloodhound. Castor, a little way off, lay panting and
+bruised, licking his wound. The Count's knife was firmly embedded in
+the beast's ribs; it had gone straight to the heart and death had been
+instantaneous. A procession was formed to carry the carcase of the
+wolf in triumph to the castle of the Countess. The news had flown in
+advance, and she was waiting on the steps to welcome the conquering
+hero. It was not long before the Countess and the gallant champion
+were married; and, as the wolf left no family, the country was at
+peace. Are you not rather sorry for the poor wolf?
+
+
+
+
+_TWO HIGHLAND DOGS_
+
+
+I
+
+Righ and Speireag were two Highland dogs who lived in a beautiful
+valley not far from the west coast of Scotland, where high hills slope
+down to the shores of a blue loch, and the people talk a strange
+language quite different from English, or even from French, or German,
+or Latin, which is called Gaelic.
+
+The name 'Righ,' means a king, and 'Speireag' means a sparrow-hawk,
+but they are words no one, except a Highlander, can pronounce
+properly. However, the dogs had a great many friends who could not
+talk Gaelic, and when English-speaking people called them 'Ree' and
+'Spearah,' they would always answer.
+
+Righ was a great tawny deerhound, tall and slender, very stately, as a
+king should be, and as gentle as he was strong. He had a rough coat and
+soft brown eyes, set rather near together, and very bright and
+watchful. His chief business in life was to watch the faces of his
+friends, and to obey their wishes quickly, to take his long limbs away
+from the drawing-room hearth-rug when the butler came in to put on the
+coals, not to get in the way more than so big a dog could help, and not
+to get too much excited when anything in the conversation suggested the
+likelihood of a walk. But his father and all his ancestors had led very
+different lives; they had been trained to go out on the mountains with
+men who hunted the wild deer, and to help them in the chase, for the
+deerhounds run with long bounds and are as fleet as the stag himself.
+Then, when the beautiful creature had been killed, it was their duty to
+guard the body, and to see that carrion crows, and eagles, and other
+wild birds should not molest it. But Righ's master was a Bishop, who,
+though he lived quite near to a great deer forest, and often took his
+dogs over the hills to where the deer lived, never killed anything, but
+loved to see all his fellow-creatures happy among the things they liked
+best.
+
+Speireag was a very little dog, of the kind that is called a Skye
+terrier, though the island of Skye is one of the few places in which a
+long-haired terrier is very rare. He was quite small, what his
+Highland friends called 'a wee bit doggie;' he was very full of life
+and courage, wonderfully plucky for his size, like the fierce little
+bird whose name he bore. Like a good many little people he lacked the
+dignity and repose of his big companion, and, though very
+good-tempered among his friends, was quite ready to bite if beaten,
+and did not take a scolding with half the gentleness and humility with
+which Righ would submit to punishment, perhaps because he needed it
+oftener, for he was so busy and active that he sometimes got into
+scrapes. He was only three years old at the time of this story and
+Righ was seven, so it was perhaps natural that Righ should be the
+wiser of the two.
+
+They lived in a beautiful house quite near the loch, and they had a
+large garden to play in, and they could go in and out of the house and
+do just as they liked so long as they came when they were called and
+did as they were bid, and did not climb on the sofa cushions when
+their feet were muddy. There were very few houses on their side the
+water, and as their friends went about in boats as often as other
+people go out in carriages, the dogs were used to the water, and could
+swim as easily as walk, and what is more, knew how to sit still in a
+boat, so that they were allowed to go everywhere with their friends
+because they gave no trouble.
+
+They had a very happy life, for there was always something going on,
+which is what dogs like, and plenty of people to go walks with. Their
+young masters sometimes went out with guns, and a dog, a country dog,
+loves a gun better than anything in the world, because he knows it
+means business in which he can help. Sometimes their mistress took
+them for a walk, and then they knew that they must be on their best
+behaviour, and not wander too far away from the road and have to be
+whistled back, and not fight with the collies at the cottage doors,
+nor chase cats, nor be tiresome in any way; they generally kept close
+beside her, Righ walking very slowly so as to accommodate his big
+strides to the progress of a poor human thing with only two legs, and
+Speireag trotting along with tiny little footsteps that seemed to make
+a great fuss and to be in a great hurry about nothing at all.
+
+There was nothing, however, so delightful as going for walks with
+their own master, the Bishop. For one thing, they generally knew he
+really meant to do something worth while. Pottering about with a gun
+or escorting a lady is pleasant enough, but it generally means coming
+home to lunch or tea, and the real joy of a dog's walk is to feel that
+you are getting further and further away from home, and that there are
+miles of heather and pine-wood behind you, and yet you are still going
+on and on, with chances of more hares and more squirrels to run after.
+Sometimes the Bishop would stop at a shepherd's hut or a lonely
+cottage under the lee of a hill, and sometimes he would sit down to
+examine a flower he had gathered in the wood, but they forgave him
+very good-temperedly, and could always find something to interest them
+while they waited.
+
+Righ generally sat down beside his master and stretched out his great
+limbs on the heather, for he liked to think he was taking care of
+somebody or something. Speireag would lie down for a minute, panting,
+with his little red tongue hanging out and his hairy little paws all
+wet and muddy; but he never rested for long, but would dart off,
+pretending to have found a rat or a squirrel, even if none really
+existed.
+
+It was in December, 1887, the weather was raw and cold, there was ice
+floating about on the loch, and the sea gulls used to come up to the
+garden terrace to be fed. The young masters were away, and mistress
+could only take walks along the road, there was nothing to tempt her
+to a mountain scramble or a saunter in the woods. The Bishop was very
+busy, and day after day the dogs would start up from the rug at the
+sound of the opening of his study door upstairs, and after a minute's
+anxious listening, with ears cocked and heads erect, they would lie
+down again with a sigh of disappointment, for there was no sound of
+approach to the hat-stand nor of whistled invitation for a walk.
+
+Finally came a sad day when the Bishop went away, and dog-life
+threatened to become monotonous. Then, one Saturday, hope revived, for
+a visitor came to the house, an old friend whom they loved and trusted
+as a good dog always loves what is trustworthy. He was a frequent
+visitor, and had, in fact, left the house but three weeks before. He
+was there for a holiday rest, and had leisure to bestow on dogs and on
+long walks, which they always shared.
+
+He was very thoughtful for them, not the sort of man who would set off
+on a whole afternoon's ramble and say, when half a mile on his way, 'I
+wish I'd remembered Righ and Speireag!' He always remembered them, and
+thought for them; and when he fed them after dinner, would always give
+big bits of biscuit to the big dog, and little bits to the little dog,
+and it is not every one who has the sense for that!
+
+Every day, and often twice a day, he took them out, down to the church
+or the pier, or across the lake and up to the Pass of Glencoe, where
+stern grey hills and hovering eagles and a deep silent valley still
+seem to whisper together of a sad true story that happened there in
+just such weather as this two hundred years ago.
+
+These were very happy days for dogs, for they did not mind the cold,
+it was only an excuse for wild scampering and racing, and they were
+very grateful for their friend's return. He had been ill, but was able
+to enjoy his walks and though about sixty years of age he had all
+those qualities of youth which endear a man to a dog or a child. He
+was brave and unselfish, and strong to love and to endure, and they
+loved him without knowing why; without knowing that he had lost his
+health from overwork in the service of the poor and suffering, and
+among outcasts so low as to be beyond the sympathy of any heart less
+loving than that of a dog or of a very good man. 'Father' Mackonochie
+he was always called, and though he had never had wife or children of
+his own, many a fatherless child, and many a lonely grown-up man or
+woman, felt that it was quite easy and natural to call him by a name
+so sacred.
+
+On the Wednesday after he came, he took Righ and Speireag for a
+glorious walk through the shrubberies and out through a gate on to the
+road at the foot of the hills behind, a road that winds on and on for
+many miles, the mountains rising steeply above, the lake being cold
+and grey below; the bank, that slopes away from the road to the water,
+in places covered with gorse and low bushes and heather, where an
+enterprising dog may hunt for rats and rabbits, or rush headlong after
+a pee-wit or moor-fowl as it rises with a scream at his approach and
+flutters off high into the air, and then descending to within a few
+feet of him, skims low before him, hopelessly far, yet tantalisingly
+near.
+
+The way was familiar to them by land or by water. Often had they
+sailed up the loch in the same direction, further and further into the
+heart of the mountains, the valley becoming more and more narrow, the
+shores of the lake nearer and nearer to each other, till, had they
+gone far enough, they would have reached the Dog's Ferry, a spot where
+the water is so narrow that a dog may easily swim across. Righ, strong
+swimmer that he was, had often crossed the loch near his master's
+house, where the ferry boats ply, and needed no Dog's Ferry, but few
+dogs made such powerful strokes in the water as he.
+
+This day, however, they did not reach the Dog's Ferry. The afternoon
+was closing in, there were streaks of gold in the dull grey sky, and
+it was, the good Father thought, time to return. 'Never mind, little
+man,' he said as Speireag looked reproachfully at him with wistful
+brown eyes gleaming through overhanging silvery locks, 'we'll do it
+to-morrow, only we must set off earlier.'
+
+This was good news, and the little dog started home gaily, running, as
+little dogs will, ten miles, at least, to every one of the road, and
+tired enough when home was reached at last. Dinner was a welcome
+feast, and Righ and Speireag slept sound till it was time for evening
+service. They always attended chapel night and morning, and took their
+places at the foot of the steps, half-way, when both were present,
+between mistress in her seat and master at the place of his sacred
+office. To-night, as usual, they remained perfectly quiet and
+apparently indifferent to what was going on till, at the words
+'Lighten our darkness,' bed-time came into immediate prospect, and
+they started into expectant attitudes, awaiting the final 'Amen.'
+
+
+II
+
+The next morning, though cold, was fine and fairly bright, and the
+dogs watched eagerly for signs of the promised walk. The service in
+chapel was rather long this morning, for, as it was Advent, the
+'Benedicite' was read, and though Righ and Speireag noticed only that
+they had time for a longer nap than usual, there were some present who
+will never forget, as the season comes round again each year, the
+special significance of part of that song of praise--
+
+    O ye frost and cold--O ye ice and snow--O ye nights and days
+    O ye light and darkness, O ye mountains and hills,
+    O ye beasts and cattle, O ye holy and humble men of heart,
+    Bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify Him for ever!
+
+But at last the service was over and the dogs trotted out into the
+hall, and followed mistress and their friend to the front door to see
+'what the weather was like.' It was not a specially pleasant morning,
+but it would do for a walk, and after waiting a few minutes to have
+some sandwiches cut, the only detention that could be endured with
+patience, the three set out. After about six miles they were on new
+ground, but on they went, the lake to the right of the road getting
+narrower--on past the Dog's Ferry and still on, till the loch had
+become a river, and could be crossed by a bridge.
+
+Righ and Speireag knew, by a more certain method than looking at
+clocks, that it was lunch time, half past one at least, and they never
+thought of doubting that they would cross the bridge and turn
+homewards along the other side the loch, and so get in about tea-time;
+or, for their friend was enterprising, by a longer way also on the
+further side, either of which would involve a delightful long walk,
+but with just that hint of a homeward turn which, even to dogs, is
+acceptable when breakfast has become a mere memory.
+
+They accordingly followed the road on to the bridge, but as Father
+Mackonochie did not overtake them, Righ, ever watchful of his friends,
+turned to look back and saw him speaking to a girl, after which, to
+their surprise, he whistled them back, and instead of continuing along
+the road as it turned off to the right, kept straight on, though there
+was now only a rough track leading through a gate into the wood
+beyond.
+
+When they had advanced a few paces into the wood, he sat down under a
+tree and took out his packet of sandwiches. Righ and Speireag, sitting
+close beside him, had their share, or perhaps more, for their wistful
+brown eyes hungrily reminded him that they had multiplied the distance
+many times over, and that an unexpected luncheon out of doors is a joy
+in a dog's day, of a kind for which a man may well sacrifice a part of
+his minor pleasure.
+
+Starting off again was a fresh delight. On they went, further and
+further, always climbing higher and getting deeper into the wood. To
+the left, the steep mountain-side rose abruptly above them; to the
+right, below the path, the river tore its way between steep banks
+down, down to its home in the lake. Now and then the trees parted and
+made way for a wild mountain torrent leaping from rock to rock down
+the hill side, and rushing across their path to join the river below.
+As they climbed further these became more frequent. Their friend could
+stride across, setting an occasional foot upon a stepping-stone, and
+Righ, too, could cross safely enough, long-limbed as he was, though
+now and then he had to swim, and the streams were so rapid that it
+needed all his strength to cross the current. Sometimes he helped
+Speireag, for the brave little dog would always try to follow his big
+companion, and sometimes, with an anxious bark, would give warning
+that help was needed, and then the kind Father would turn back to pick
+up the little dog and carry him till they were in safety.
+
+It was very hard work, they were always climbing, and in many places
+the road was polished with a thin coating of ice, but the dogs feared
+nothing and kept on bravely.
+
+The path dwindled to a mere track, and the climbing became steeper
+still. The streams crossed their road still oftener, and the stones
+were slippery with ice. The wood became thinner, and as they had less
+shelter from the trees, great flakes of half-frozen snow were driven
+against their faces. There was no thought now of hares or stags, Righ
+and Speireag had no energies left for anything but patient following.
+Poor little Speireag's long coat was very wet, and as it dried a
+little, it became hard and crisp with frost. The long hair falling
+over his eyes was matted together and tangled with briers, and his
+little feet were sore and heavy with the mud that had caked in the
+long tassels of silky hair. Even Righ was very weary, and he followed
+soberly now instead of bounding along in front, his ears and tail
+drooped, and each time he crossed the ice-cold water he seemed more
+and more dejected.
+
+As they left the wood behind them, the snow fell thick and blinding,
+but just at first, as they came out into the open, it seemed not quite
+so dark as under the trees. There was nothing to be seen but grey sky
+and grey moor, even the river had been left behind, and only blackened
+patches remained to show where, in summer, the ground was spread with
+a gay carpet of purple heather and sweet bog-myrtle. They got deeper
+at each step into half-frozen marsh; there was no sound or sign of
+life. The dogs felt hungry and weary, and they ached with the cold and
+wet. But they were following a friend, and they trusted him wholly.
+Well they knew that each step was taking them farther from home, and
+farther into the cold and darkness. But dog-wisdom never asserts
+itself, and in trustful humility they followed still, and the snow
+came down closer and closer around them, and even the grey sky and the
+grey moor were blotted out--and the darkness fell.
+
+
+III
+
+It was a disappointing home-coming for the Bishop that Thursday
+evening! There was no hearty handshake from waiting friend, no
+rejoicing bay of big dog or extravagant excitement of little dog to
+welcome him. The three had been out the whole day, he was told, and
+had not yet reappeared. A long walk had been projected, but they had
+been expected home long before this. When dinner-time came, and they
+did not appear, two servants had been sent out with lanterns to meet
+them, as the road, though not one to be missed, was dark, and some
+small accident might have happened. The men were not back yet, but
+doubtless the missing party would soon return.
+
+The night was dark and stormy, and Father Mackonochie had been for
+some time somewhat invalided, and as time passed the Bishop became
+increasingly anxious. At length he ordered a carriage, and with the
+gardener set off towards Kinloch, the head of the loch, thinking that
+accident or weariness might have detained his friend, and the carriage
+might be useful. On the way they met the first messengers returning
+with the news that nothing could be heard at Kinloch of the missing
+three, except that they had passed there between one and two o'clock
+in the afternoon. The Bishop and his men sought along the road, and
+inquired for tidings at the very few houses within reach, but in vain.
+The night was dark and little could be done, and there was always the
+hope that on their return they might find that some tidings had been
+heard, that the lost friends might have come back by the other side of
+the lake.
+
+So at last they turned back, reaching home about four o'clock in the
+morning. No news had been heard, and all felt anxious and perplexed,
+but most believed that some place of shelter had been reached, as the
+dogs had not come home. They could find their way home from anywhere,
+and there seemed little doubt that, overtaken by darkness, all three
+had found shelter in a shepherd's or gamekeeper's hut, perhaps on the
+other side of the lake, as they had almost certainly crossed the
+bridge, no one having met them on the road by which they had started.
+
+Nevertheless all that was possible must be done in case of the worst,
+and as soon as daylight returned four parties of men were despatched
+in different directions, the Bishop himself choosing that which his
+friend and his dogs were known to have taken the day before.
+
+A whole day of search over miles and miles of the desolate wintry
+mountains revealed but one fact, that the party had eaten their
+luncheon under a tree in the wood, beyond the bridge. The squirrels
+had left the sandwich paper there to tell the tale, and for the first
+time it seemed likely that they had not turned homewards on reaching
+the head of the lake, either by the same road they had come, or by
+that on the other side of the water and through Glencoe.
+
+One by one, the search parties came home with no tidings. No trace of
+the wanderers had been seen, no bark of dogs had been heard, no help
+had been found towards the discovery of the sad secret. Weary and
+heartsick as all felt, no time was to be lost, every hour made the
+anxiety greater, and all were ready in a very short time to start
+afresh.
+
+Again, for the second time, all through the long night they wandered
+over the mountains, through the wood, and across the deer-forest
+beyond. It was an awful night. Again and again were their lights blown
+out; the snow lay deep in all the hollows; where the streams had
+overflowed their banks, the path was a sheet of solid ice; the rocks,
+polished and slippery, were climbed with utmost difficulty. At every
+opening in the hills an ice-cold wind whirled down glen and corrie,
+sleet and hail-stones beat against their faces, the frozen pools in
+the marshes gave way beneath their feet. The night was absolutely
+dark, not a star shone out to give them courage. The silence and the
+sounds were alike awful. Sometimes they could hear each other's
+laboured breathing as they tottered on the ice or waded through the
+snow, sometimes all other sounds were lost in the shrieking of the
+whirlwinds, the crackling of the ice, and the roaring of the swollen,
+angry streams.
+
+What could have happened? Even if accident had occurred, either or
+both of the dogs would surely have returned, and how could even a
+Highland dog, hungry and shelterless, live through such a night as
+this?
+
+Morning came again, and returning to the point, near the bridge at
+which the carriage had been left, two of the parties met, and drove
+home for food and dry clothing, and to learn what others might have to
+tell.
+
+There was no news, and again the same earnest friends, with many more
+kind helpers, set out on their almost hopeless journey. The trackless
+wilds of the deer-forest seemed the most likely field for search, and
+all now, in various groups, set off in this direction.
+
+Hour after hour passed without any gleam of hope, and even the Bishop
+began to feel that everything possible had been done, and was turning
+sadly homewards. A second party, a few hundreds yards behind, had
+almost come to the same resolve, many of the men had been without rest
+since Thursday, and even the dog, who with one of the keepers of the
+deer-forest had joined the party, was limping wearily and was
+exhausted by the cold and the rough walking.
+
+Suddenly he stopped, and, with ears pricked and head erect, listened.
+No one knows better than a Highlander the worth of a collie's opinion,
+and more than one stopped to listen too. Not far away, and yet faint,
+came the bark of a dog! Among the men was Sandy, one of the Bishop's
+stablemen, who knew and loved Righ and Speireag, and his heart leapt
+up as he recognised the deerhound's bay!
+
+Away, to their left, the mountains were cleft by a narrow glen, the
+sound came from the bank on the hither side. The Bishop and his party
+had climbed to the further side, but a shout reached them, alert and
+watchful as they were.
+
+They turned back wondering, scarcely daring to hope. The men who had
+called to them were hastening to a given point, the dog, nose to
+ground, preceding them. There is no mistaking the air of a dog on
+business. The collie's intentness was as different from his late
+dejection as was the present haste of the men from the anxious
+watchful plodding of their long search.
+
+In another moment they came in sight of something which made them hold
+back the dog, and which arrested their own footsteps. The Bishop
+himself must be the first to tread on what all felt was holy ground.
+
+There, on the desolate hillside, lay the body of Father Mackonochie,
+wreathed about with the spotless snow, a peaceful expression on his
+face. One on either side sat the dogs, watching still, as they had
+watched through the two long nights of storm and darkness. Even the
+approach of friends did not tempt them to forsake their duty. With
+hungry, weary faces they looked towards the group which first came
+near them, but not till their own master knelt down beside all that
+remained of his old friend, did they yield up their trust, and rise,
+numbed and stiff, from the posts they had taken up, who knows how long
+before?
+
+To say a few words of prayer and thanksgiving was the Bishop's first
+thought, his second to take from his pocket the sandwiches he carried,
+and to give all to Righ and Speireag.
+
+A bier was contrived of sticks from a rough fence that marked the
+boundary of the deer-forest, and the body was lifted from the frozen
+ground on which it lay. The return to Kinloch, where the carriage
+waited, was very difficult, and the bearers had to change places very
+often.
+
+Slow as was their progress, it was as rapid as Righ could manage,
+numbed with cold, and exhausted with hunger. The little dog was easily
+carried, and for once little Speireag was content to rest.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THE LONG VIGIL']
+
+No one will ever know what those faithful dogs felt and endured
+during those two days and nights of storm and loneliness. Those who
+sought them in the darkness of that second awful night must have
+passed very near the spot where they lay, sleeping perhaps, or
+deafened by the storm, or even, possibly, listening anxiously with
+beating hearts to the footsteps which came so near, and yet turned
+away, leaving them, faithful to their post, in the night.
+
+They in their degree, like the man whose last sleep they guarded, were
+'true and faithful servants.'
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It is pleasant to know that Righ and Speireag did not suffer
+permanently for all they had undergone! They lived for five years and
+a half after, and had many and many a happy ramble when the sun was
+bright and the woods were green, and squirrels and hares were merry.
+They could not be better cared for than they had always been, but, if
+possible, they were more indulged. If they contrived to get a dinner
+in the kitchen as well as in the dining-room, their friends remembered
+the days when they had none, and nobody told tales. If they lay in the
+sun quite across the front door, or took up the whole of the rug
+before the winter fire, everyone felt that there were arrears of
+warmth to be made up to them. Their portraits were painted, and in the
+sculpture which in his own church commemorates Father Mackonochie's
+death, the dogs have not been forgotten.
+
+Righ was the elder of the two, and towards the end of his thirteen
+years showed signs of old age and became rheumatic and feeble, but
+Speireag, though three years younger, did not long survive him.
+
+They rest now under a cairn in the beautiful garden they loved so
+well; dark green fir trees shelter their grave, a gentle stream goes
+merrily by on its way to the lake below, and in the crannies of the
+stones of which the cairn is built, fox-gloves and primroses and
+little ferns grow fresh and green.
+
+On the cairn is this inscription:
+
+    IN MEMORY OF
+
+    15th December, 1887.
+
+    RIGH died 19th January, 1893.
+
+    SPEIREAG died 28th August, 1893.
+
+
+
+
+_MONKEY TRICKS AND SALLY AT THE ZOO_
+
+_Naturalist's Note-book._
+
+
+Some monkeys are cleverer and more civilised than others, and the
+chiefs have their followers well in hand; every monkey having his own
+especial duties, which he is very careful to fulfil. When the stores
+of food which have been collected are getting low, the elders of the
+tribe--grey beards with long manes--meet together and decide where
+they shall go to lay in fresh supplies. This important point being
+settled, the whole body of monkeys, even down to the very little ones,
+leave the woods or mountain ravine where they live, and form into
+regular order. First scouts are posted; some being sent on to places
+in advance, others being left to guard the rear, while the main body,
+made up of the young and helpless monkeys, follow the chiefs, who
+march solemnly in front and carefully survey every precipice or
+doubtful place before they suffer anyone to pass over it.
+
+It is not at all easy, even for an elderly and experienced monkey, to
+keep order among the host of lively chattering creatures for whose
+safety he is responsible, and indeed it would often be an impossible
+task if it were not for the help of the rear-guard. These much-tried
+animals have to make up quarrels which often break out by the way; to
+prevent the greedy ones from stopping to eat every scrap of fruit or
+berry that hangs from the trees as they pass, and to scold the mothers
+who try to linger behind in order to dress their children's hair and
+to make them smart for the day.
+
+Under these conditions, it takes a long time even for monkeys to
+reach their destination, which is generally a corn-field, but, once
+there, scouts are sent out to every rock or rising ground, so as to
+guard against any surprise. Then the whole tribe fall to, and after
+filling their cheek pouches with ears of corn, they make up bundles to
+tuck under their arms. After the long march and the hasty picking,
+they begin to get thirsty as well as hungry, and the next thing is to
+find some water. This is very soon done, as they seem able to detect
+it under the sand, however deep down it may be, and by dint of taking
+regular turns at digging, it does not take long before they have laid
+bare a well that is large enough for everybody.
+
+Monkeys love by nature to imitate what they see, and have been known
+to smoke a pipe, and to pretend to read a book that they have seen
+other people reading. But sometimes they can do a great deal more than
+this, and show that they can calculate and reason better than many
+men. A large Abyssinian monkey was one day being taken round Khartoum
+by its master, and made to perform all sorts of tricks for the
+amusement of the bystanders. Among these was a date-seller, who was
+squatting on the ground beside his fruit. Now the monkey was
+passionately fond of dates, but being very cunning was careful not to
+let this appear, and went on performing his tricks as usual, drawing
+little by little nearer to the date basket as he did so. When he
+thought he was near enough for his purpose, he first pretended to die,
+slowly and naturally, and then, after lying for a moment on the sand
+as stiff as a corpse, suddenly bounded up with a scream straight in
+front of the date-seller's face, and stared at him with his wild eyes.
+The man looked back at him spell-bound, quite unaware that one of the
+monkey's hind feet was in the date basket, clawing up as much fruit as
+its long toes could hold. By some such trick as this the monkey
+managed to steal enough food daily to keep him fat and comfortable.
+
+No cleverer monkey ever lived than the ugly old Sally, who died at
+the Zoological Gardens of London only a few years ago. Her keeper had
+spent an immense deal of time and patience in training her up, and it
+was astonishing what she was able to do. 'Sally,' he would say,
+putting a tin cup full of milk into her hands, with a spoon hanging
+from it, 'show us how you used to drink when you were in the woods,'
+upon which Sally stuck all her fingers into the milk and sucked them
+greedily. 'Now,' he continued, 'show us how you drink since you became
+a lady,' and then Sally took the spoon and drank her milk in dainty
+little sips. Next he picked up a handful of straw from the bottom of
+the cage, and remarked carelessly, 'Here, just tear those into six,
+will you, all the same length.' Sally took the straws, and in half a
+minute the thing was done. But she had not come to the end of her
+surprises yet. 'You're very fond of pear, I know,' said the keeper,
+producing one out of his pocket and cutting it with his knife; 'well,
+I'm going to put some on my hand, but you're not to touch it until
+I've cut two short pieces and three long ones, and then you may take
+the second long one, but you aren't to touch any of the rest.' The man
+went on cutting his slices without stopping, and was quite ready to
+begin upon a sixth, when Sally stretched out her hand, and took the
+fourth lying along the row, which she had been told she might have.
+Very likely she might have accomplished even more wonderful things
+than this, but one cold day she caught a chill, and died in a few
+hours of bronchitis.
+
+
+
+
+_HOW THE CAYMAN WAS KILLED_
+
+Waterton's _Wanderings in S. America_.
+
+
+In the year 1782 there was born in the old house of Walton, near
+Pontefract, in Yorkshire, a boy named Charles Waterton, who afterwards
+became very famous as a traveller and a naturalist. As soon as he
+could walk, he was always to be found poking about among trees, or
+playing with animals, and both at home and at school he got into many
+a scrape through his love of adventure. He was only about ten when
+some other boys dared him to ride on a cow, and of course he was not
+going to be beaten. So up he got while the cow was only thinking how
+good the grass tasted, but the moment she felt a strange weight on her
+back, she flung her heels straight into the air, and off flew Master
+Waterton over her head.
+
+Many years after this, Waterton was travelling in South America,
+seeing and doing many curious things. For a long time he had set his
+heart on catching a cayman, a kind of alligator that is found in the
+rivers of Guiana. For this purpose he took some Indians with him to
+the Essequibo, which falls into the sea not far from Demerara, and was
+known to be a famous place for caymans. It was no good attempting to
+go after them during the long, bright day. They were safely in hiding,
+and never thought of coming out till the sun was below the horizon.
+
+So Waterton and his Indians waited in patience till the moon rose, and
+everything was still, except that now and then a huge fish would leap
+into the air and plunge again under water. Suddenly there broke forth
+a fearful noise, unlike the cry of any other creature. As one cayman
+called another answered; and although caymans are not very common
+anywhere, that night you would have thought that the world was full of
+them.
+
+The three men stopped eating their supper of turtle and turned and
+looked over the river. Waterton could see nothing, but the Indian
+silently pointed to a black log that lay in the stream, just over the
+place where they had baited a hook with a large fish, and bound it on
+a board. At the end of the board a rope was fastened, and this was
+also made fast to a tree on the bank. By-and-bye the black log began
+to move, and in the bright moonlight he was clearly seen to open his
+long jaws and to take the bait inside them. But the watchers on shore
+pulled the rope too soon, and the cayman dropped the bait at once.
+Then for an hour he lay quite still, thinking what he should do next,
+but feeling cross at having lost his supper, he made up his mind to
+try once more, and cautiously took the bait in his mouth. Again the
+rope was pulled, and again the bait was dropped into the river; but in
+the end the cayman proved more cunning than the Indians, for after he
+had played this trick for three or four times he managed to get the
+fish without the hook, and when the sun rose again, Waterton knew that
+cayman hunting was over for that day.
+
+For two or three nights they watched and waited, but did not ever get
+so near success as before. Let them conceal a hook in the bait ever so
+cleverly, the cayman was sure to be cleverer than they, and when
+morning came, the bait was always gone and the hook always left. The
+Indians, however, had no intention of allowing the cayman to beat them
+in the long run, and one of them invented a new hook, which this time
+was destined to better luck. He took four or five pieces of wood about
+a foot long, barbed them at each end, and tied them firmly to the end
+of a rope, thirty yards long. Above the barb was baited the flesh of
+an acouri, a creature the size of a rabbit. The whole was then
+fastened to a post driven into the sand, and the attention of the
+cayman aroused to what was going on by some sharp blows on an empty
+tortoiseshell, which served as a drum.
+
+About half-past five the Indian got up and stole out to look, and then
+he called triumphantly to the rest to come up at once, for on the hook
+was a cayman, ten feet and a half long.
+
+But hard as it had been to secure him, it was nothing to the
+difficulty of getting him out alive, and with his scales uninjured,
+especially as the four Indians absolutely refused to help, and that
+left only two white men and a negro, to grapple with the huge monster.
+Of these, too, the negro showed himself very timid, and it was not
+easy to persuade him to be of any use.
+
+The position was certainly puzzling. If the Indians refused their
+help, the cayman could not be taken alive at all, and if they gave it,
+it was only at the price of injuring the animal and spoiling its skin.
+At length a compromise occurred to Waterton. He would take the mast of
+the canoe, which was about eight feet long, and would thrust it down
+the cayman's throat, if it showed any signs of attacking him. On this
+condition, the Indians agreed to give their aid.
+
+Matters being thus arranged, Waterton then placed his men--about seven
+in all--at the end of the rope and told them to pull till the cayman
+rose to the surface, while he himself knelt down with the pole about
+four yards from the bank, ready for the cayman, should he appear,
+roaring. Then he gave the signal, and slowly the men began to pull.
+But the cayman was not to be caught without a struggle. He snorted and
+plunged violently, till the rope was slackened, when he instantly
+dived below. Then the men braced all their strength for another
+effort, and this time out he came and made straight for Waterton.
+
+  [Illustration: THE CAPTURE OF THE CAYMAN]
+
+The naturalist was so excited by his capture, that he lost all sense
+of the danger of his position. He waited till the cayman was within a
+few feet of him, when he flung away his pole, and with a flying leap
+landed on the cayman's back, twisting up the creature's feet and
+holding tightly on to them. The cayman, very naturally, could not in
+the least understand what had happened, but he began to plunge and
+struggle, and to lash out behind with his thick scaly tail, while the
+Indians looked on from afar, and shouted in triumph.
+
+To Waterton the only fear was, lest the rope should prove too weak for
+the strain, in which case he and the cayman would promptly disappear
+into the depths of the Essequibo. But happily the rope was strong, and
+after being dragged by the Indians for forty yards along the sand, the
+cayman gave in, and Waterton contrived to tie his jaws together, and
+to lash his feet on to his back. Then he was put to death, and so
+ended the chase of the cayman.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF FIDO_
+
+
+Fido's master had to go a long journey across the country to a certain
+town, and he was carrying with him a large bag of gold to deposit at
+the bank there. This bag he carried on his saddle, for he was riding,
+as in those days there were no trains, and he had to travel as quickly
+as he could.
+
+Fido scampered cheerfully along at the horse's heels, and every now
+and then the man would call out to her, and Fido would wag her tail
+and bark back an answer.
+
+The sun was hot and the road dusty, and poor Fido's little legs grew
+more and more tired. At last they came to a cool, shady wood, and the
+master stopped, dismounted, and tied his horse to a tree, and took his
+heavy saddle-bags from the saddle.
+
+He laid them down very carefully, and pointing to them, said to Fido,
+'Watch them.'
+
+Then he drew his cloak about him, lay down with his head on the bags,
+and soon was fast asleep.
+
+Little Fido curled herself up close to her master's head, with her
+nose over one end of the bags, and went to sleep too. But she did not
+sleep very soundly, for her master had told her to watch, and every
+few moments she would open her eyes and prick up her ears, in case
+anyone were coming.
+
+  [Illustration: THE WOUNDING OF FIDO]
+
+Her master was tired and slept soundly and long--much longer than he
+had intended. At last he was awakened by Fido's licking his face. The
+dog saw that the sun was nearly setting, and knew that it was time
+for her master to go on his journey.
+
+The man patted Fido and then jumped up, much troubled to find he had
+slept so long. He snatched up his cloak, threw it over his horse,
+untied the bridle, sprang into the saddle, and calling Fido, started
+off in great haste. But Fido did not seem ready to follow him. She ran
+after the horse and bit at his heels, and then ran back again to the
+woods, all the time barking furiously. This she did several times, but
+her master had no time to heed her and galloped away, thinking she
+would follow him.
+
+At last the little dog sat down by the roadside, and looked
+sorrowfully after her master, until he had turned a bend in the road.
+When he was no longer in sight she sprang up with a wild bark, and ran
+after him again. She overtook him just as he had stopped to water his
+horse at a brook that flowed across the road. She stood beside the
+brook and barked so savagely that her master rode back and called her
+to him; but instead of coming she darted off down the road still
+barking.
+
+Her master did not know what to think, and began to fear that his dog
+was going mad. Mad dogs are afraid of water, and act in a strange way
+when they see it. While the man was thinking of this, Fido came
+running back again, and dashed at him furiously. She leapt at the legs
+of his horse, and even jumped up and bit the toe of her master's boot.
+Then she ran down the road again, barking with all her might.
+
+Her master was now sure that she was mad, and, taking out his pistol
+he shot her. He rode away quickly, for he loved her dearly and could
+not bear to see her die.
+
+He had not ridden very far when he stopped suddenly. He felt under his
+coat for his saddle-bags. They were not there!
+
+Could he have dropped them, or had he left them behind in the wood
+where he had rested? He felt sure they must be in the wood, for he
+could not remember having picked them up or fastening them to his
+saddle.
+
+He turned his horse and rode back again as hard as he could.
+
+When he came to the brook he sighed and said, 'Poor Fido!' but though
+he looked about he could see nothing of her. When he crossed the brook
+he saw some drops of blood on the ground, and all along the road he
+still saw drops of blood. Tears came into his eyes, and he felt very
+sad and guilty, for now he understood why little Fido had acted so
+strangely. She knew that her master had left behind his precious bags
+of gold, and so she had tried to tell him in the only way she could.
+
+All the way to the wood lay the drops of blood. At last he reached the
+wood, and there, all safe, lay the bags of gold, and beside them, with
+her little nose lying over one end of them, lay faithful Fido, who,
+you will be pleased to hear, recovered from her wound, and lived to a
+great age.
+
+
+
+
+_BEASTS BESIEGED_
+
+Adapted from Theophile Gautier.
+
+
+Twenty-five years ago (in the winter of 1870-1871) Paris was closely
+besieged by the Germans, who had beaten one French army after another
+on the frontier, and had now advanced into the very heart of the
+country. The cold was frightful, and no wood could be got, and as if
+this was not enough, food began to give out, and the people inside the
+city soon learned to know the tortures of hunger. There was no hay or
+corn for the horses; after sheep and oxen they were the first animals
+to be eaten, and then whispers were heard about elephants and camels
+and other beasts in the Jardin des Plantes, which is the French name
+for their Zoological Gardens.
+
+Now it is quite bad enough to be taken from the forests and deserts
+where you never did anything but just what you chose, and to be shut
+up in a small cage behind bars; but it is still worse not to have
+enough food to eat, and worst of all to be made into food for other
+people. Luckily the animals did not know what was being talked about
+in the world outside, or they would have been more uncomfortable than
+they were already.
+
+Any visitor to the Jardin des Plantes about Christmas time in 1870,
+and for many weeks later, would have seen a strange sight. Some parts
+of the Gardens were set aside for hospitals, and rows of beds occupied
+every sheltered building. Passing through these, the visitor found
+himself in the kingdom of the beasts, who were often much more gentle
+than their gaolers.
+
+After coming from the streets where nothing was the same as it had
+been six months before, and everything was topsy-turvy, it was almost
+soothing to watch the animals going on in their usual way, quite
+regardless of what men might be doing outside. There was the white
+bear swinging himself from side to side and rubbing his nose against
+the bars, just as he had done on the day that he had first taken up
+his abode there. There was a camel still asking for cakes, and an
+elephant trumpeting with fury because he didn't get any. Nobody had
+cakes for themselves, and it would have been far easier to place a
+gold piece in the twirling proboscis. An elephant who is badly fed is
+not a pretty spectacle. Its skin is so large that it seems as if it
+would take in at least three or four extra bodies, and having only one
+shrunken skeleton to cover, it shrivels up into huge wrinkles and
+looks like the earth after a dry summer. On the whole, certain kinds
+of bears come off best, for they can sleep all the winter through, and
+when they wake up, the world will seem the same as when they last shut
+their eyes, and unless their friend the white bear tells them in bear
+language all that has happened they will never be any the wiser.
+
+Still it is not all the bears who are lucky enough to have the gift of
+sleep. Some remained broad awake, and stood idly about in the corners
+of their dens, not knowing how to get rid of the time that hung so
+heavily on their paws. What was the use for the big brown marten to go
+up to the top of his tree, when there was no one to tickle his nose
+with a piece of bread at the end of a string? Why should his brother
+take the trouble to stand up on his hind legs when there was nobody to
+laugh and clap him? Only one very young bear indeed, with bright eyes
+and a yellow skin, went on his own way, regardless of spectators, and
+he was busily engaged in looking at himself in a pail of water and
+putting on all sorts of little airs and graces, from sheer admiration
+of his own beauty.
+
+  [Illustration: THE DREAM OF THE HUNGRY LION]
+
+Perhaps the most to be pitied of all were the lions, for they do not
+know how to play, and could only lie about and remember the days when
+towards sunset they crept towards the cool hill, and waited till the
+antelopes came down for their evening drink. And then, ah _then_! but
+that is only a memory, while stretched out close by is the poor
+lioness in the last stage of consumption, and looking more like those
+half-starved fighting lions you see on royal coats of arms than a real
+beast. At such times most children would give anything to catch up the
+Zoological Gardens and carry them right away into the centre of
+Africa, and let out the beasts and make them happy and comfortable
+once more. But that was not the feeling of the little boy who had been
+taken by his mother to see the beasts as a treat for his birthday. At
+each cage they passed he came to a standstill, and gazing at the
+animal with greedy eyes, he said, 'Mother, wouldn't you like to eat
+that?' Every time his mother answered him, 'No one eats these beasts,
+my boy; they are brought from countries a long way off, and cost a
+great deal of money.' The child was silent for a moment, but at the
+sight of the zebra, the elk, or the little hyaena, his face brightened
+again, and his voice might be heard piping forth its old question,
+'Mother, wouldn't you like to eat that?'
+
+It is a comfort to think that the horrid greedy boy was disappointed
+in his hopes. Whatever else he may have eaten, the taste of lions and
+of bears is still strange to him, for the siege of Paris came to an
+end at last, and the animals were made happy as of old with their
+daily portions.
+
+
+
+
+_MR. GULLY_
+
+
+He was a herring gull, and one of the largest I have ever seen. He was
+beautiful to look at with his soft grey plumage, never a feather of
+which was out of place. Of his character I will say nothing; that can
+be best judged by reading the following truthful biography of my 'dove
+of the waters.'
+
+I cannot begin at the beginning. Of his youth, which doubtless, in
+every sense of the word, was a stormy one, I know nothing. He had
+already acquired the wisdom, or perhaps in his case slyness is a
+better word, of years by the time that he came to us.
+
+Gully was found one day in a field near our house in a very much
+exhausted condition. He had probably come a long distance, which he
+must have accomplished on foot, as he was unable to fly owing to his
+wing having been pinioned.
+
+He was very hungry and greedily bolted a small fish that we offered
+him, and screamed for more. We then turned him into the garden, where
+he soon found a sheltered corner by our dining-room window and went to
+sleep standing on one leg. The other one he always kept tucked away so
+that was quite invisible.
+
+Next morning I came out to look for Gully and feed him. He had
+vanished! I thought of the pond where I kept my goldfish, forty
+beautiful goldfish. There sure enough was Mr. Gully swimming about
+contentedly, but where were the goldfish? Instead of the crystal
+clear pond, was a pool of muddy water; instead of forty goldfish, all
+that I could make out, when Mr. Gully had been chased away and the
+water given time to settle, was one miserable little half-dead fish,
+the only survivor of the forty.
+
+This was the first of Gully's misdeeds. To look at Gully, no one could
+believe him to be capable of hurting a fly. He had the most lovely
+gentle brown eyes you ever saw, and seemed more like a benevolent old
+professor than anything else. He generally appeared to be half asleep
+or else sunning himself with a contented smile on his thoughtful
+countenance.
+
+Gully next took to killing the sparrows; he was very clever at this.
+When he had finished eating, the sparrows were in the habit of
+appropriating the remnants of the feast. This Gully strongly
+disapproved of, so when he had eaten as much as he wanted, he retired
+behind a chair and waited till the sparrows were busy feasting, then
+he would make a rush and seize the nearest offender. He sometimes used
+to kill as many as from two to four sparrows a day in this manner. The
+pigeons then took to coming too near his reach. At first he was afraid
+of them and left them alone; but the day came when a young fan-tail
+was foolish enough to take his airing on the terrace, close to Mr.
+Gully's nose. This was too much for Mr. Gully, who pounced upon the
+unfortunate 'squeaker' and slew him. _L'appetit vient en mangeant_,
+and after this Mr. Gully took the greatest delight in hunting these
+unfortunate birds and murdering them. No pigeon was too large for him
+to attack. I only just succeeded in saving the cock-pouter, a giant
+among pigeons, from an untimely death, by coming up in time to drive
+Mr. Gully away from his victim.
+
+After this we decided to shut Mr. Gully up. We thought he would make a
+charming companion for the guinea-pigs. At that time I used to keep
+about fifty of various species in a hen-run. So to the guinea-pigs
+Gully was banished. At first the arrangement answered admirably, Gully
+behaved as nicely as possible for about a month, and we were all
+congratulating ourselves on having found such a good way out of our
+difficulty, when all at once his thirst for blood was roused afresh.
+One day he murdered four guinea-pigs and the next day three more of
+these unfortunate little beasts.
+
+We then let him join the hens and ducks. He at once constituted
+himself the leader of the latter; every morning he would lead them
+down to a pond at the bottom of the fields, a distance of about a
+quarter of a mile; and every evening he would summon them round him
+and lead them home. At his cry the ducks and drakes would come
+waddling up to him with loud quacks; he used always to march in the
+most stately manner about two yards ahead of them. Of the cocks and
+hens Gully deigned to take no notice. On two occasions he made an
+exception to this rule of conduct. On the first, he and a hen had a
+dispute over the possession of a worm. This dispute led to a fight of
+which Gully was getting the best when the combatants were separated.
+On the second occasion Gully was accused of decapitating a hen. No one
+saw him do it, but it looked only too like his work. He had a neat
+clean style.
+
+One day he led his ducks to the pond as usual, but in the evening they
+returned by themselves. We came to the conclusion that the poor old
+bird must be dead. We quite gave him up for lost, and had mourned him
+for two or three weeks, when what should we see one day but Mr. Gully
+leading his ducks as usual to his favourite pond, as if he had never
+been away.
+
+Where he had spent all the time he was absent remains a mystery to
+this day. After this he remained with us some time, during which he
+performed no new feat of valour with the exception of one fight which
+he had with a cat. In this fight he had some feathers pulled out, but
+ultimately succeeded in driving her off after giving her leg such a
+bite that she was lame for many a long day.
+
+Since then he has again disappeared. Will he ever return? Mysterious
+was his coming and mysterious his going.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES FROM PLINY_
+
+HOW DOGS LOVE
+
+
+Now there was living at Rome, under the Emperors Vespasian and Titus
+(A.D. 69-81) a man called Pliny, who gave up his life to the study of
+animals and plants. He not only watched their habits for himself, but
+he listened eagerly to all that travellers would tell him, and
+sometimes happened to believe too much, and wrote in his book things
+that were not true. Still there were a great many facts which he had
+found out for himself, and the stories he tells about animals are of
+interest to every one, partly because it seems strange to think that
+dogs and horses and other creatures were just the same then as they
+are now.
+
+The dogs that Pliny writes about lived in all parts of the Roman
+Empire, and were as faithful and devoted to their masters as our dogs
+are to us. One dog called Hyrcanus, belonging to King Lysimachus, one
+of the successors of Alexander the Great, jumped on to the funeral
+pyre on which lay burning the dead body of his master. And so did
+another dog at the burial of Hiero of Syracuse. But during the
+lifetime of Pliny himself, a dog's devotion in the heart of Rome had
+touched even the Roman citizens, ashamed though they generally were of
+showing their feelings. It had happened that a plot against the life
+of Nero had been discovered, and the chief conspirator, Titus Sabinus
+by name, was put to death, together with some of his servants. One of
+these men had a dog of which he was very fond, and from the moment
+the man was thrown into prison, the dog could not be persuaded to move
+away from the door. At last there came a day when the man suffered the
+cruel death common in Rome for such offences, and was thrown down a
+steep flight of stairs, where he broke his neck. A crowd of Romans had
+gathered round the place of execution, in order to see the sight, and
+in the midst of them all the dog managed to reach his master's side,
+and lay there, howling piteously. Then one of the crowd, moved with
+pity, threw the dog a piece of meat, but he only took it, and laid it
+across his master's mouth. By-and-bye, the men came for the body in
+order to throw it into the river Tiber, and even then the dog followed
+and swam after it, and held it up and tried to bring it to land, till
+the people came out in multitudes from the houses round about, to see
+what it was to be faithful unto death--and beyond it.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STRANGE HISTORY OF CAGNOTTE_
+
+_Menagerie Intime._
+
+
+In the early part of this century, a little boy of three years old,
+named Theophile Gautier, travelled with his parents from Tarbes, in
+the south of France, to Paris. He was so small that he could not speak
+any proper French, but talked like the country people; and he divided
+the world into those who spoke like him and were his friends, and
+those who did not, and were strangers.
+
+But though he was only three, and a great baby in many ways, he loved
+his home dearly, and everything about it, and it nearly broke his
+heart to come away. His parents tried to comfort him by giving him the
+most beautiful chocolates and little cakes, and when that failed they
+tried what drums and trumpets would do. But drums and trumpets
+succeeded no better than cakes and chocolates, for the greater part of
+poor Theophile's tears were shed for the 'dog he had left behind him,'
+called Cagnotte, which his father had given away to a friend, as he
+did not think that any dog who had been accustomed to run along the
+hills and valleys above Tarbes, could ever make himself happy in
+Paris.
+
+Theophile, however, did not understand this, but cried for Cagnotte
+all day long; and one morning he could bear it no longer. His nurse
+had put out all his tin soldiers neatly on the table, with a little
+German village surrounded by stiff green trees just in front of them,
+hoping Theophile might play at a battle or a siege, and she had also
+placed his fiddle (which was painted bright scarlet) quite handy, so
+that he might play the triumphal march of the victor. Nothing was of
+any use. As soon as Josephine's back was turned Theophile threw
+soldiers and village and fiddle out of the window, and then prepared
+to jump after them, so that he might take the shortest way back to
+Tarbes and Cagnotte. Luckily, just as his foot was on the sill,
+Josephine came back from the next room, and saw what he was about. She
+rushed after him and caught him by the jacket, and then took him on
+her knee, and asked him why he was going to do anything so naughty and
+dangerous. When Theophile explained that it was Cagnotte whom he
+wanted and must have, and that nobody else mattered at all, Josephine
+was so afraid he would try to run away again, that she told him that
+if he would only have patience and wait a little Cagnotte would come
+to him.
+
+All day long Theophile gave Josephine no peace. Every few minutes he
+came running to his nurse to know if Cagnotte had arrived, and he was
+only quieted when Josephine went out and returned carrying a little
+dog, which in some ways was very like his beloved Cagnotte. Theophile
+was not quite satisfied at first, till he remembered that Cagnotte had
+travelled a long, long way, and it was not to be expected that he
+should look the same dog as when he started; so he put aside his
+doubts, and knelt down to give Cagnotte a great hug of welcome. The
+new Cagnotte, like the old, was a lovely black poodle, and had
+excellent manners, besides being full of fun. He licked Theophile on
+both cheeks, and was altogether so friendly that he was ready to eat
+bread and butter off the same plate as his little master.
+
+The two got on beautifully, and were perfectly happy for some time,
+and then gradually Cagnotte began to lose his spirits, and instead of
+jumping and running about the world, he moved slowly, as if he was in
+pain. He breathed shortly and heavily, and refused to eat anything,
+and even Theophile could see he was feeling ill. One day Cagnotte was
+lying stretched out on his master's lap, and Theophile was softly
+stroking his skin, when suddenly his hand caught in what seemed to be
+string, or strong thread. In great surprise, Josephine was at once
+called, to explain the strange matter. She stooped down, and peered
+closely at the dog's skin, then took her scissors and cut the thread.
+Cagnotte stretched himself, gave a shake, and jumped down from
+Theophile's lap, leaving a sort of black sheep-skin behind him.
+
+  [Illustration: CAGNOTTE COMES OUT OF HIS SKIN]
+
+Some wicked men had sewn him up in this coat, so that they might get
+more money for him; and without it he was not a poodle at all, but
+just an ugly little street dog, without beauty of any kind.
+
+After helping to eat Theophile's bread and butter and soup for some
+weeks, Cagnotte began to grow fatter, and his outside skin became too
+tight for him, and he was nearly suffocated. Once delivered from it,
+he shook his ears for joy, and danced a waltz of his own round the
+room, not caring a straw how ugly he might be as long as he was
+comfortable. A very few weeks spent in the society of Cagnotte made
+the memory of Tarbes and its mountains grow dim in the mind of
+Theophile. He learnt French, and forgot the way the country people
+talked, and soon he had become, thanks to Cagnotte, such a thorough
+little Parisian, that he would not have understood what his old
+friends said, if one of them had spoken to him.
+
+
+
+
+_STILL WATERS RUN DEEP; OR THE DANCING DOG_
+
+_Menagerie Intime._
+
+
+When Little Theophile became Big Theophile, he was as fond as ever of
+dogs and cats, and he knew more about them than anybody else. After
+the death of a large white spaniel called Luther, he filled the vacant
+place on his rug by another of the same breed, to whom he gave the
+name of Zamore. Zamore was a little dog, as black as ink, except for
+two yellow patches over his eyes, and a stray patch on his chest. He
+was not in the least handsome, and no stranger would ever have given
+him a second thought. But when you came to know him, you found Zamore
+was not a common dog at all. He despised all women, and absolutely
+refused to obey them or to follow them, and neither Theophile's mother
+nor his sisters could get the smallest sign of friendship from him. If
+they offered him cakes or sugar, he would accept them in a dignified
+manner, but never dreamed of saying 'thank you,' still less of wagging
+his tail on the floor, or giving little yaps of delight and gratitude,
+as well-brought-up dogs should do. Even to Theophile's father, whom he
+liked better than anyone else, he was cold and respectful, though he
+followed him everywhere, and never left his master's heels when they
+took a walk. And when they were fishing together, Zamore would sit
+silent on the bank for hours together, and only allowed himself one
+bark when the fish was safely hooked.
+
+Now no one could possibly have guessed that a dog of such very quiet
+and reserved manners was at heart as gay and cheerful as the silliest
+kitten that ever was born, but so he was, and this was how his family
+found it out.
+
+One day he was walking as seriously as usual through a broad square in
+the outskirts of Paris, when he was surprised at meeting a large grey
+donkey, with two panniers on its back, and in the panniers a troop of
+dogs, some dressed as Swiss shepherdesses, some as Turks, some in full
+court costume. The owner of the animals stopped the donkey close to
+where Zamore was standing, and bade the dogs jump down. Then he
+cracked his whip; the fife and drum struck up a merry tune, the dogs
+steadied themselves on their hind legs, and the dance began.
+
+Zamore looked on as if he had been turned into stone. The sight of
+these dogs, dressed in bright colours, this one with his head covered
+by a feathered hat, and that one by a turban, but all moving about in
+time to the music, and making pirouettes and little bows; were they
+really _dogs_ he was watching or some new kind of men? Anyway he had
+never seen anything so enchanting or so beautiful, and if it was true
+that they were only dogs--well, _he_ was a dog too!
+
+With that thought, all that had lain hidden in Zamore's soul burst
+forth, and when the dancers filed gracefully before him, he raised
+himself on his hind legs, and in spite of staggering a little,
+prepared to join the ring, to the great amusement of the spectators.
+
+The dog-owner, however, whose name was Monsieur Corri, did not see
+matters in the same light. He raised his whip a second time, and
+brought it down with a crack on the sides of Zamore, who ran out of
+the ring, and with his tail between his legs and an air of deep
+thought, he returned home.
+
+  [Illustration: 'AND WHAT DO YOU THINK SHE SAW?']
+
+All that day Zamore was more serious and more gloomy than ever.
+Nothing would tempt him out, hardly even his favourite dinner, and it
+was quite plain that he was turning over something in his mind. But
+during the night his two young mistresses were awakened by a strange
+noise that seemed to come from an empty room next theirs, where Zamore
+usually slept. They both lay awake and listened, and thought it was
+like a measured stamping, and that the mice might be giving a ball.
+But could little mice feet tread so heavily as that? Supposing a thief
+had got in? So the bravest of the two girls got up, and stealing to
+the door softly opened it and looked into the room. And what do you
+think she saw? Why, Zamore, on his hind legs, his paws in the air,
+practising carefully the steps that he had been watching that morning!
+
+This was not, as one might have expected, a mere fancy of the moment,
+which would be quite forgotten the next day. Zamore was too serious a
+dog for that, and by dint of hard study he became in time a beautiful
+dancer. As often as the fife and drum were heard in the streets,
+Zamore rushed out of the house, glided softly between the spectators,
+and watched with absorbed attention the dancing dogs who were doing
+their steps: but remembering the blow he had had from the whip, he
+took care not to join them. He noted their positions, the figures, and
+the way they held their bodies, and in the night he copied them,
+though by day he was just as solemn as ever. Soon he was not contented
+with merely copying what he saw, he invented for himself, and it is
+only just to say that, in stateliness of step, few dogs could come up
+to him. Often his dances were witnessed (unknown to himself) by
+Theophile and his sisters, who watched him through the crack of the
+door; and so earnest was he, that at length, worn out by dancing, he
+would drink up the whole of a large basin of water, which stood in the
+corner of the room.
+
+When Zamore felt himself the equal of the best of the dancing dogs, he
+began to wish that like them he might have an audience.
+
+Now in France the houses are not always built in a row as they are in
+England, but sometimes have a square court-yard in front, and in the
+house where Zamore lived, this court was shut in on one side by an
+iron railing, which was wide enough to let dogs of a slim figure
+squeeze through.
+
+One fine morning there met in this court-yard fifteen or twenty dogs,
+friends of Zamore, to whom the night before he had sent letters of
+invitation. The object of the party was to see Zamore make his _debut_
+in dancing, and the ball-room was to be the court-yard, which Zamore
+had carefully swept with his tail. The dance began, and the spectators
+were so delighted, that they could not wait for the end to applaud, as
+people ought always to do, but uttered loud cries of 'Ouah, ouah,'
+that reminded you of the noises you hear at a theatre. Except one old
+water spaniel who was filled with envy at Zamore's talents, and
+declared that no decent dog would ever make an exhibition of himself
+like that, they all vowed that Zamore was the king of dancers, and
+that nothing had ever been seen to equal his minuet, jig, and waltz
+for grace and beauty.
+
+It was only during his dancing moments that Zamore unbent. At all
+other times he was as gloomy as ever, and never cared to stir from the
+rug unless he saw his old master take up his hat and stick for a walk.
+Of course, if he had chosen, he might have joined Monsieur Corri's
+_troupe_, of which he would have made the brightest ornament; but the
+love of his master proved greater than his love of his art, and he
+remained unknown, except of his family. In the end he fell a victim to
+his passion for dancing, and he died of brain fever, which is supposed
+to have been caused by the fatigue of learning the schottische, the
+fashionable dance of the day.
+
+
+
+
+_THEO AND HIS HORSES; JANE, BETSY, AND BLANCHE_
+
+From _Menagerie Intime_.
+
+
+After Theophile grew to be a man, he wrote a great many books, which
+are all delightful to read, and everybody bought them, and Theophile
+got rich and thought he might give himself a little carriage with two
+horses to draw it.
+
+And first he fell in love with two dear little Shetland ponies who
+were so shaggy and hairy that they seemed all mane and tail, and whose
+eyes looked so affectionately at him, that he felt as if he should
+like to bring them into the drawing-room instead of sending them to
+the stable. They were charming little creatures, not a bit shy, and
+they would come and poke their noses into Theophile's pockets in
+search for sugar, which was always there. Indeed their only fault was,
+that they were so very, very small, and that, after all, was _not_
+their fault. Still, they looked more suited to an English child of
+eight years old, or to Tom Thumb, than to a French gentleman of forty,
+not so thin as he once was, and as they all passed through the
+streets, everybody laughed, and drew pictures of them, and declared
+that Theophile could easily have carried a pony on each arm, and the
+carriage on his back.
+
+Now Theophile did not mind being laughed at, but still he did not
+always want to be stared at all through the streets, whenever he went
+out. So he sold his ponies and began to look out for something nearer
+his own size. After a short search he found two of a dapple grey
+colour, stout and strong, and as like each other as two peas, and he
+called them Jane and Betsy. But although, to look at, no one could
+ever tell one from the other, their characters were totally different,
+as Jane was very bold and spirited, and Betsy was terribly lazy. While
+Jane did all the pulling, Betsy was quite contented just to run by her
+side, without troubling herself in the least, and, as was only
+natural, Jane did not think this at all fair, and took a great dislike
+to Betsy, which Betsy heartily returned. At last matters became so bad
+that, in their efforts to get at each other, they half kicked the
+stable to pieces, and would even rear themselves upon their hind legs
+in order to bite each other's faces. Theophile did all he could to
+make them friends, but nothing was of any use, and at last he was
+forced to sell Betsy. The horse he found to replace her was a shade
+lighter in colour, and therefore not quite so good a match, but
+luckily Jane took to her at once, and lost no time in doing the
+honours of the stable. Every day the affection between the two became
+greater: Jane would lay her head on Blanche's shoulder--she had been
+called Blanche because of her fair skin--and when they were turned out
+into the stable-yard, after being rubbed down, they played together
+like two kittens. If one was taken out alone, the other became sad and
+gloomy, till the well-known tread of its friend's hoofs was heard from
+afar, when it would give a joyful neigh, which was instantly answered.
+
+Never once was it necessary for the coachman to complain of any
+difficulty in harnessing them. They walked themselves into their
+proper places, and behaved in all ways as if they were well brought
+up, and ready to be friendly with everybody. They had all kinds of
+pretty little ways, and if they thought there was a chance of getting
+bread or sugar or melon rind, which they both loved, they would make
+themselves as caressing as a dog.
+
+  [Illustration: BLANCHE TELLING GHOST STORIES TO JANE IN THE STABLE]
+
+Nobody who has lived much with animals can doubt that they talk
+together in a language that man is too stupid to understand; or, if
+anyone _had_ doubted it, they would soon have been convinced of the
+fact by the conduct of Jane and Blanche when in harness. When Jane
+first made Blanche's acquaintance, she was afraid of nothing, but
+after they had been together a few months, her character gradually
+changed, and she had sudden panics and nervous fits, which puzzled her
+master greatly. The reason of this was that Blanche, who was very
+timid and easily frightened, passed most of the night in telling Jane
+ghost stories, till poor Jane learnt to tremble at every sound. Often,
+when they were driving in the lonely alleys of the Bois de Boulogne
+after dark, Blanche would come to a dead stop or shy to one side as if
+a ghost, which no one else could see, stood before her. She breathed
+loudly, trembled all over with fear, and broke out into a cold
+perspiration. No efforts of Jane, strong though she was, could drag
+her along. The only way to move her was for the coachman to dismount,
+and to lead her, with his hand over her eyes for a few steps, till the
+vision seemed to have melted into air. In the end, these terrors
+affected Jane just as if Blanche, on reaching the stable, had told her
+some terrible story of what she had seen, and even her master had been
+known to confess that when, driving by moonlight down some dark road,
+where the trees cast strange shadows, Blanche would suddenly come to a
+dead halt and begin to tremble, he did not half like it himself.
+
+With this one drawback, never were animals so charming to drive. If
+Theophile held the reins, it was really only for the look of the
+thing, and not in the least because it was necessary. The smallest
+click of the tongue was enough to direct them, to quicken them, to
+make them go to the right or to the left, or even to stop them. They
+were so clever that in a very short time they had learned all their
+master's habits, and knew his daily haunts as well as he did himself.
+They would go of their own accord to the newspaper office, to the
+printing office, to the publisher's, to the Bois de Boulogne, to
+certain houses where he dined on certain days in the week, so very
+punctually that it was quite provoking; and if it ever happened that
+Theophile spent longer than usual at any particular place, they never
+failed to call his attention by loud neighs, or by pawing the ground,
+sounds of which he quite well knew the meaning.
+
+But alas, the time came when a Revolution broke out in Paris. People
+had no time to buy books or to read them; they were far too busy in
+building barricades across the streets, or in tearing up the paving
+stones to throw at each other. The newspaper in which Theophile wrote,
+and which paid him enough money to keep his horses, did not appear any
+more, and sad though he was at parting, the poor man thought he was
+lucky to find some one to buy horses, carriage, and harness, for a
+fourth part of their worth. Tears stood in his eyes as they were led
+away to their new stable; but he never forgot them, and they never
+forgot him. Sometimes, as he sat writing at his table, he would hear
+from afar a light quick step, and then a sudden stop under the
+windows.
+
+And their old master would look up and sigh and say to himself, 'Poor
+Jane, poor Blanche, I hope they are happy.'
+
+
+
+
+_MADAME THEOPHILE AND THE PARROT_
+
+_Menagerie Intime._
+
+
+After the death of Cagnotte, whose story you may have read, Theophile
+was so unhappy that he would not have another dog, but instead,
+determined to fill the empty place in his heart with cats. One of
+those that he loved the best was a big yellowy-red puss, with a white
+chest, a pink nose, and blue eyes, that went by the name of Madame
+Theophile, because, when he was in the house, it never left his side
+for a single instant. It slept on his bed, dreamed while sitting on
+the arm of Theophile's chair while he was writing (for Theophile was
+by this time almost a grown-up man), walked after him when he went
+into the garden, sat by his side while he had his dinner, and
+sometimes took, gently and politely, the food he was conveying to his
+own mouth.
+
+One day, a friend of Theophile's, who was leaving Paris for a few
+days, brought a parrot, which he begged Theophile to take care of
+while he was away. The bird not feeling at home in this strange place,
+climbed up to the top of his cage and looked round him with his funny
+eyes, that reminded you of the nails in a sofa. Now Madame Theophile
+had never seen a parrot, and it was plain that this curious creature
+gave her a shock. She sat quite still, staring quietly at the parrot,
+and trying to think if she had ever seen anything like it among the
+gardens and roofs of the houses, where she got all her ideas of the
+world. At last she seemed to make up her mind:
+
+'Of course, it must be a kind of green chicken.'
+
+Having set the question at rest, Madame Theophile jumped down from the
+table where she had been seated while she made her observations, and
+walked quickly to the corner of the room, where she laid herself flat
+down, with her head bent and her paws stretched out, like a panther
+watching his prey.
+
+The parrot followed all her movements with his round eyes, and felt
+that they meant no good to him. He ruffled his feathers, pulled at his
+chain, lifted one of his paws in a nervous way, and rubbed his beak up
+and down his food tin. All the while the cat's blue eyes were talking
+in a language the parrot clearly understood, and they said: 'Although
+it is green, that fowl would make a nice dinner.'
+
+But Madame Theophile had not lain still all this while. Slowly,
+without even appearing to move, she had drawn closer and closer. Her
+pink nostrils trembled, her eyes were half shut, her claws were pushed
+out and pulled into their sheaths, and little shivers ran down her
+back.
+
+Suddenly her back rounded itself like a bent bow, and with one bound
+she leapt on the cage. The parrot knew his danger, and was too
+frightened to move; then, calling up all his courage, he looked his
+enemy full in the face, and, in a low and deep voice he put the
+question: 'Jacky, did you have a good breakfast?'
+
+This simple phrase struck terror into the heart of the cat, who made a
+spring backwards. If a cannon had been fired close to her ear, or a
+shopful of glass had been broken, she could not have been more
+alarmed. Never had she dreamed of anything like this.
+
+'And what did you have--some of the king's roast beef?' continued the
+parrot.
+
+'It is not a chicken, it is a man that is speaking,' thought the cat
+with amazement, and looking at her master, who was standing by, she
+retired under the bed. Madame Theophile knew when she was beaten.
+
+
+
+
+_THE BATTLE OF THE MULLETS AND THE DOLPHINS_
+
+
+Many singular stories may be found in Pliny, but the most interesting
+is how men and dolphins combine together on the coast of France, near
+Narbonne, to catch the swarms of mullet that come into those waters at
+certain seasons of the year.
+
+  [Illustration: HOW THE DOLPHINS HELPED THE FISHERMEN TO CATCH THE
+    MULLETS]
+
+'In Languedoc, within the province of Narbonne, there is a standing
+pool or dead water called Laterra, wherein men and dolphins together
+used to fish; for at one certain time of the year an infinite number
+of fishes called mullets, taking the vantage of the tide when the
+water doth ebb, at certain narrow weirs and passages with great force
+break forth of the said pool into the sea; and by reason of that
+violence no nets can be set and pitched against them strong enough to
+abide and bear their huge weight and the stream of the water together,
+if so be men were not cunning and crafty to wait and espie their time
+and lay for them and to entrap them. In like manner the mullets for
+their part immediately make speed to recover the deep, which they do
+very soon by reason that the Channel is near at hand; and their only
+haste is for this, to escape and pass that narrow place which
+affordeth opportunities to the fishers to stretch out and spread their
+nets. The fishermen being ware thereof and all the people besides (for
+the multitude knowing when fishing time is come, run thither, and the
+rather for to see the pleasant sport), cry as loud as ever they can to
+the dolphins for aid, and call "Simo, Simo," to help to make an end of
+this their game and pastime of fishing. The dolphins soon get the ear
+of their cry and know what they would have, and the better if the
+north winds blow and carry the sound unto them; for if it be a
+southern wind it is later ere the voice be heard, because it is
+against them. Howbeit, be the wind in what quarter soever, the
+dolphins resort thither flock-meal, sooner than a man would think, for
+to assist them in their fishing. And a wondrous pleasant sight it is
+to behold the squadrons as it were of those dolphins, how quickly they
+take their places and be arranged in battle array, even against the
+very mouth of the said pool, where the mullets are to shoot into the
+sea, to see (I say) how from the sea they oppose themselves and fight
+against them and drive the mullets (once affrighted and scared) from
+the deep on the shelves. Then come the fishers and beset them with net
+and toile, which they bear up and fortify with strong forks; howbeit,
+for all that, the mullets are so quick and nimble that a number of
+them whip over, get away, and escape the nets. But the dolphins are
+ready to receive them; who, contenting themselves for the present to
+kill only, make foul work and havoc among them, and put off the time
+of preying and feeding upon, until they have ended the battle and
+achieved the victory. And now the skirmish is hot, for the dolphins,
+perceiving also the men at work, are the more eager and courageous in
+fight, taking pleasure to be enclosed within the nets, and so most
+valiantly charging upon the mullets; but for fear lest the same should
+give an occasion unto the enemies and provoke them to retire and fly
+back between the boats, the nets, and the men there swimming, they
+glide by so gently and easily that it cannot be seen where they get
+out. And albeit they take great delight in leaping, and have the cast
+of it, yet none essayeth to get forth but where the nets lie under
+them, but no sooner are they out, but presently a man shall see brave
+pastime between them as they scuffle and skirmish as it were under the
+ramparts. And so the conflict being ended and all the fishing sport
+done, the dolphins fall to spoil and eat those which they killed in
+the first shock and encounter. But after this service performed, the
+dolphins retire not presently into the deep again, from whence they
+were called, but stay until to-morrow, as if they knew very well they
+had so carried themselves as that they deserved a better reward than
+one day's refection and victuals; and therefore contented they are not
+and satisfied unless to their fish they have some sops and crumbs of
+bread given them soaked in wine, and had their bellies full.'
+
+
+
+
+_MONKEY STORIES_
+
+
+Before telling you more stories about monkeys, we must tell you some
+dry facts about them, in order that you may understand the stories.
+There are three different kinds of monkeys--apes, baboons, and monkeys
+proper. The difference is principally in their tails, so that when you
+see them at the Zoo (for there are none wild in Europe, except at
+Gibraltar), you will know them by the apes having no tails and walking
+upright; baboons have short tails and go on all fours; and monkeys
+have tails sometimes longer than their whole bodies, by which they can
+swing themselves from tree to tree. Apes and monkeys are so ready to
+imitate everything which men do, that the negroes believe that they
+are a lazy race of men, who will not be at the trouble to work.
+Baboons, on the contrary, can be taught almost nothing.
+
+There are two kinds of apes, called oran otans and chimpanzees. They
+are both very wild and fierce, and difficult to catch, but, when
+caught, become not only tame, but very affectionate, and can be taught
+anything. Nearly two hundred years ago, in 1698, one was brought to
+London that had been caught in Angola. On board ship he became very
+fond of the people who took care of him, and was very gentle and
+affectionate, but would have nothing to do with some monkeys who were
+on the same ship. He had had a suit of clothes made for him, probably
+to keep him warm. As the ship got into colder regions he took great
+pleasure in dressing himself in them, and anything he could not put on
+for himself he used to bring in his paw to one of the sailors, and
+seem to ask him to dress him. He had a bed to sleep in, and at night
+used to put his head on the pillow and tuck himself in like a human
+being. His story is unfortunately a short one, for he died soon after
+coming to London. He could not long survive the change from his native
+forests to the cage of a menagerie.
+
+  [Illustration: TWO ORAN OTANS]
+
+Another, a female, was brought to Holland nearly a hundred years
+later, in 1776, but she, too, pined and died after seven months'
+captivity. She was very gentle and affectionate, and became so fond of
+her keeper that when they left her alone, she used to throw herself on
+the ground screaming, and tearing in pieces anything in her reach,
+just like a naughty child. She could behave as well as any lady in
+the land when she liked. When asked out to tea, she used to bring a
+cup and saucer, put sugar in the cup, pour out the tea, and leave it
+to cool; and at dinner her manners were just as good. She used her
+knife and fork, table napkin, and even toothpick, as if she had been
+accustomed to them all her life, which, of course, in her native
+forest was far from being the case. She learnt all her nice habits
+either from watching people at table, or from her keeper's orders. She
+was fond of strawberries, which she ate very daintily, on a fork,
+holding the plate in the other hand. She was particularly fond of
+wine, and drank it like a human being, holding the glass in her hand.
+She was better behaved than two other oran otans, who, though they
+could behave as well at table as any lady, and could use their knives
+and forks and glasses, and could make the cabin boy (for it was on
+board ship) understand what they wanted, yet, if he did not attend to
+them at once, they used to throw him down, seize him by the arm, and
+bite him.
+
+A French priest had an oran otan that he had brought up from a baby,
+and who was so fond of his master that he used to follow him about
+like a dog. When the priest went to church he used to lock the oran
+otan up in a room; but one day he got out, and, as sometimes happens
+with dogs, who cannot get reconciled to Sunday, he followed his master
+to church. He managed, without the priest's seeing him, to climb on
+the sounding board above the pulpit, where he lay quite still till the
+sermon began. He then crept forward till he could see his master in
+the pulpit below, and imitated every one of his movements, till the
+congregation could not keep from laughing. The priest thought they
+were making fun of him, and was naturally very angry. The more angry
+he became the more gestures he used, every one of which the ape
+overhead repeated. At last a friend of the priest stood up in the
+congregation, and pointed out the real culprit. When the priest looked
+up and saw the imitation of himself, he could not keep from laughing
+either, and the service could not go on till the disturber had been
+taken down and locked up again at home.
+
+Another kind is called the Barbary ape, because they are found in such
+numbers in Barbary that the trees in places seem nearly covered with
+them, though there are quantities as well in India and Arabia. They
+are very mischievous and great fighters. In India the natives
+sometimes amuse themselves by getting up a fight among them. They put
+down at a little distance from each other baskets of rice, with stout
+sticks by each basket, and then they go off and hide themselves among
+the trees to watch the fun. The apes come down from the trees in great
+numbers, and make as though they were going to attack the baskets, but
+lose courage and draw back grinning at each other. The females are
+generally the boldest, and the first to seize on the food; but as soon
+as they put their heads down to eat, some of the males set-to to drive
+them off. Others attack them in their turn. They all seize on the
+sticks, and soon a free fight begins, which ends in the weakest being
+driven off into the woods, and the conquerors enjoying the spoil. They
+are not only fierce but revengeful, and will punish severely any
+person who kills one of them. Some English people who were driving
+through a country full of these apes in the East Indies, wished, out
+of sheer wantonness, to have one shot. The native servants, knowing
+what the consequences would be, were afraid; but, as their masters
+insisted, they had to obey, and shot a female whose little ones were
+clinging to her neck. She fell dead from the branches, and the little
+ones, falling with her, were killed too. Immediately all the other
+apes, to the number of about sixty, came down and attacked the
+carriage. They would certainly have killed the travellers if the
+servants, of whom there was fortunately a number, had not driven the
+apes off; and though the carriage set off as fast as the horses could
+lay legs to the ground, the apes followed for three miles.
+
+  [Illustration: THE BABOONS WHO STOLE THE POOR MAN'S DINNER]
+
+_Baboons_ are as ugly, revolting creatures as you could wish to see,
+and very fierce, so they can seldom be tamed nor even caught. There
+are, of course, few stories about them. When people try to catch
+them, they let their pursuers come so near that they think they have
+them, and then they bound away ten paces at once, and look down
+defiantly from the tree-top as much as to say, 'Don't you wish you may
+get me?' One baboon had so wearied his pursuers by his antics that
+they pointed a gun at him, though with no intention of firing. He had
+evidently seen a gun before, and knew its consequences, and was so
+frightened at the bare idea, that he fell down senseless and was
+easily captured. When he came to himself again he struggled so
+fiercely that they had to tie his paws together, and then he bit so
+that they had to tie his jaws up.
+
+Baboons are great thieves, and come down from the mountains in great
+bodies to plunder gardens. They cram as much fruit as they possibly
+can into their cheek pouches to take away and eat afterwards at their
+leisure. They always set a sentinel to give the alarm. When he sees
+anyone coming, he gives a yell that lasts a minute, and then the whole
+troop sets off helter-skelter.
+
+They will rob anyone they come upon alone in the most impudent way.
+They come softly up behind, snatch away anything they can lay their
+hands on, and then run off a little way and sit down. Very often it is
+the poor man's dinner that they devour before his eyes. Sometimes they
+will hold it out in their hands and pretend they are going to give it
+back, in such a comic way that I would defy you not to laugh, though
+it were your own dinner that had been snatched away and then offered
+to you.
+
+_Monkeys_ live in the tree-tops of the forests of India and South
+Africa, where they keep up a constant chattering and gambolling, all
+night as well as all day, playing games and swinging by their tails
+from tree to tree. One kind, the four-fingered monkey, can pass from
+one high tree-top to another, too far even for a monkey to jump, by
+making themselves into a chain, joined to each other by their tails.
+They can even cross rivers in this way. There are any number of
+different kinds of monkeys, as you can see any day in the monkey house
+at the Zoo. One kind is well named the howling monkey, because they
+howl in chorus every morning two hours before daylight, and again at
+nightfall. The noise they make is so fearful that, if you did not
+know, you would think it was a forest full of ferocious beasts quite
+near, thirsting for their prey, instead of harmless monkeys a mile or
+two away. There is always a leader of the chorus, who sits on a high
+branch above the others. He first howls a solo, and then gives a
+signal for the others to join in; then they all howl together, till he
+gives another signal to stop.
+
+The egret monkeys are great thieves. When they set to work to rob a
+field of millet, they put as many stalks as they can carry in their
+mouths, in each paw, and under each arm, and then go off home on their
+hind legs. If pursued, and obliged for greater speed to go on all
+their four legs, they drop what they carry in their paws, but never
+let go what they have in their mouths. The Chinese monkey is also a
+great thief, and even cleverer about carrying away his booty. They
+always set a sentinel on a high tree; when he sees anyone coming, he
+screams 'Houp, houp, houp!' The others then seize as much as they can
+carry in their right arm, and set off on three legs. They are called
+Chinese, not because they come from China, but because the way the
+hair grows on their heads is like a Chinese cap. It is long and parts
+in the middle, spreading out all round.
+
+In many parts of India monkeys are worshipped by the natives, and
+temples are erected for them. But monkeys of one tribe are never
+allowed to come into any of these sanctuaries when another tribe is
+already in possession. A large strong monkey was once seen by some
+travellers to steal into one of these temples; as soon as the
+inhabitants saw that he did not belong to their tribe, they set on him
+to drive him out. As he was only one against many, though bigger and
+stronger than the others, he saw that he had no chance, and bounded up
+to the top, eleven stories high. As the temple ended in a little round
+dome just big enough for himself, he was master of the situation, and
+every monkey that ventured to climb up he flung down to the bottom.
+When this had happened three or four times, his enemies thought it
+best to let him alone, and he stayed there in peace till it was dark
+and he could slip away unseen.
+
+
+
+
+_ECCENTRIC BIRD BUILDERS_
+
+From Jones' _Glimpses of Animal Life_.
+
+
+Everybody knows how fond birds are of building their nests in church,
+and if we come to think of it, it is a very reasonable and sensible
+proceeding. Churches are so quiet, and have so many dark
+out-of-the-way corners, where no one would dream of poking, certainly
+not the woman whose business it is to keep the church clean. So the
+birds have the satisfaction of feeling that their young are kept safe
+and warm while they are collecting food for them, and there is always
+some open door or window to enable the parents to fly in or out.
+
+But all birds have not the wisdom of the robins, and swallows, and
+sparrows that have selected the church for a home, and some of them
+have chosen very odd places indeed wherein to build their nests and
+lay their eggs. Hinges of doors, turning lathes, even the body of a
+dead owl hung to a ring, have all been used as nurseries; but perhaps
+the oddest spot of all to fix upon for a nest is the outside of a
+railway carriage, especially when we remember how often railway
+stations are the abode of cats, who move safely about the big wheels,
+and even travel by train when they think it necessary.
+
+Yet, in spite of all the drawbacks, railway carriages remain a
+favourite place for nesting birds, and there is a curious story of a
+pair of water-wagtails which built a snug home underneath a
+third-class carriage attached to a train which ran four times daily
+between Cosham and Havant. The father does not seem to have cared
+about railway travelling, which, to be sure, must appear a wretched
+way of getting about to anything that has wings; for he never went
+with the family himself, but spent the time of their absence
+fluttering restlessly about the platform to which the train would
+return. He was so plainly anxious and unhappy about them, that one
+would have expected that he would have insisted on some quieter and
+safer place the following year when nesting time came round again; but
+the mother apparently felt that the situation had some very distinct
+advantages, for she deliberately passed over every other spot that her
+mate pointed out, and went back to her third-class carriage.
+
+Yet a railway carriage seems safety itself in comparison with a London
+street lamp, where a fly-catcher's nest was found a few years ago.
+Composed as it was of moss, hair, and dried grass, it is astonishing
+that it never caught fire, but no doubt the great heat of the gas was
+an immense help in hatching the five eggs which the birds had laid.
+
+Those fly-catchers had built in a hollow iron ornament on the top of
+the lamp, but some tomtits are actually known to have chosen such a
+dangerous place as the spot close to the burner of a paraffin street
+lamp. And even when the paraffin was exchanged for gas, the birds did
+not seem to mind, and would sit quite calmly on the nest, while the
+lamplighter thrust his long stick past them to put out the light.
+
+Birds reason in a different way from human beings, for a letter-box
+would not commend itself to us as being a very good place to bring up
+a family, with letters and packages tumbling on to their heads every
+instant. A pair of Scotch tomtits, however, thought otherwise, and
+they made a comfortable little nest at the back of a private
+letter-box, nailed on to the trunk of a tree in Dumfriesshire. The
+postman soon found out what was going on, but he took great pains not
+to disturb them, for he was fond of birds, and was very curious to see
+what the tomtits would do. What the tomtits did was to go peacefully
+on with their nest, minding their own business, and by-and-bye eight
+little eggs lay in the nest. By this time the mother had got so used
+to the postman, that she never even moved when he unlocked the door,
+only giving his hand a friendly peck when he put it in to take out the
+letters, and occasionally accepting some crumbs which he held out to
+it. But no sooner did the little birds break through their shells than
+the parents became more difficult to deal with. They did not mind
+knocks from letters for themselves, but they grew furiously angry if
+the young ones ever were touched by so much as a corner, and one day,
+when a letter happened to fall plump on top of the nest, they tore it
+right to pieces. In fact, it was in such a condition, that when the
+postman came as usual to make his collection, he was obliged to take
+the letter back to the people who had written it, for no Post Office
+would have sent it off in such a state.
+
+
+
+
+_THE SHIP OF THE DESERT_
+
+From Burckhardt's _Travels in Nubia_.
+
+
+Of all animals under the sun, perhaps the very ugliest is the camel;
+but life in the deserts of Africa and Arabia could not go on at all
+without the constant presence of this clumsy-looking creature. Some
+African tribes keep camels entirely for the use of their milk and
+flesh; and it is noticeable that these animals are much shyer and more
+timid than their brothers in Syria and Arabia, who will instantly come
+trotting up to any fresh camel that appears on the scene, or obey the
+call of any Bedouin, even if he is a stranger.
+
+In general, the camel is merely employed as a beast of burden, and
+from this he gets his name of the 'ship of the desert.' Like other
+ships, he sways from side to side, and his awkward motion is apt to
+make his rider feel very sick, till he gets accustomed to this way of
+travelling. Camels are wonderfully strong and enduring animals, and
+can stow up water within them for several days, besides having an
+extraordinary power of smelling any water or spring that is far beyond
+the reach of man's eyes. These qualities are naturally very valuable
+in the burning deserts which stretch unbroken for hundreds of miles,
+where everything looks alike, and the sun as he passes across the
+heavens is the traveller's only guide.
+
+Partly from fear of warlike tribes, which wander through the deserts
+of Arabia and Nubia, and partly from the help and protection which a
+large body can give, the one to the other, it is the custom for
+merchants and travellers to band together and travel in great
+caravans of men and camels. They try, if possible, to find some well
+by which they can encamp, and every man fills his own skins with water
+before starting afresh on his journey. More quarrels arise about water
+than people who live in countries with plenty of streams and rivers
+can have any idea of. One man will sell his skinful to another at a
+very high price, while if a traveller thinks he will be very prudent
+and lay in a large store, the rest are certain to take it from him
+directly their own supply runs short. Foods they can do without on
+those burning plains, but not water.
+
+Some of these misfortunes befel a traveller of the name of Burckhardt,
+who left Switzerland in the opening years of this century, to pass
+several years in Africa and the East. After going through Syria, he
+began to make his way up the Nile, and even penetrated as far as
+Nubia, joining for that purpose a caravan of traders under the
+leadership of a Ababde--an Arab race who from the earliest days have
+been acknowledged to be the best guides across the desert.
+
+Owing to the intense heat which prevails in those countries, the
+marches always take place in the small hours of the morning, and
+midnight seems to have been the usual hour for the start. Very
+commonly the march would continue for eleven hours, during which time
+the men were only allowed to drink twice, while the asses, who with
+the camels formed part of the caravan, were put on half their
+allowance. Sometimes a detachment was sent on to wells that were known
+to lie along the route, to get everything ready for the rest when they
+came up; but it often happened that the springs were so choked up by
+drifting sand that no amount of digging would free them. Then there
+was nothing for it but to go on again.
+
+It was in the month of March that Burckhardt and his companions had
+their hardest experience of the dreadful desert thirst. The year had
+been drier than was common even in Nubia, and even in the little oases
+or fertile spots, most of the trees and acacias were withered and
+dead. Hour after hour the travellers toiled on, and soon the asses
+gave out, and their riders were forced to walk over the scorching
+sand. Burckhardt had been a little more careful of his stock of water
+than the other members of the caravan, and for some days had cooked no
+food or eaten anything but biscuits, so that he had been able to spare
+a draught every now and then for his own ass, and still had enough to
+last both of them for another day. However, it was quite clear that
+unless water was quickly found they must all die together, and a
+council was held as to what was best to be done. The Ababde chief's
+advice was--and always had been--to send out a company of ten or
+twelve of the strongest camels, to try to make their way secretly to
+the Nile, through the ranks of unfriendly Arab tribes encamped all
+along its eastern shore.
+
+This was agreed upon; and about four in the afternoon the little band
+set out, loaded with all the skins in the caravan. The river was a
+ride of five or six hours distant; so that many hours of dreadful
+suspense must pass before the watchers left behind could know what was
+to be their fate. Soon after sunset a few stragglers came in, who had
+strayed from the principal band; but they had not reached the river,
+and could give no news of the rest. As the night wore on, several of
+the traders came to Burckhardt to beg for a taste of the water he was
+believed to have stored up; but he had carefully hidden what remained,
+and only showed them his skins which were empty. Then the camp
+gradually grew silent, and all sat and waited under the stars for the
+verdict of life or death. It was three in the morning when shouts were
+heard, and the camels, refreshed by deep draughts of the Nile water,
+came along at their utmost speed, bearing skins full enough for many
+days' journey. Only one man was missing; but traders are a cruel
+race, and these cared nothing about his fate, giving themselves up to
+feasting and song, and joy at their deliverance.
+
+Yet only a year later, the fate that had almost overtaken them befel a
+small body of merchants who set out with their camels from Berber to
+Daraou. The direct road, which led past the wells of Nedjeym, was
+known to be haunted at that date by the celebrated robber Naym, who
+waylaid every caravan from Berber; so the merchants hired an Ababde
+guide to take them by a longer and more easterly road, where there was
+another well at which they could water. Unluckily the guide knew
+nothing of the country that lay beyond, and the whole party soon lost
+themselves in the mountains. For five days they wandered about, not
+seeing a creature who could give them help, or even direct them to the
+right path. Then, their water being quite exhausted, they turned
+steadily westwards, hoping by this means soon to reach the Nile. But
+the river at this point takes a wide bend, and was, if they had known
+it, further from them than before; and after two days of dreadful
+agony, fifteen slaves and one merchant died. In desperation, another
+merchant, who was an Ababde, and owner of ten camels, had himself
+lashed firmly on to the back of the strongest beast, lest in his
+weakness he should fall off, and then ordered the whole herd to be
+turned loose, thinking that perhaps the instinct of the animals would
+succeed where the knowledge of man had failed. But neither the Ababde
+nor his camels were ever seen again.
+
+The merchants struggled forwards, and eight days after leaving the
+well of Owareyk they arrived in sight of some mountains which they
+knew; but it was too late, and camels and merchants sank down helpless
+where they lay. They had just strength to gasp out orders for two of
+their servants to make their way on camels to the mountains where
+water would be found, but long before the mountains were reached, one
+of the men dropped off his camel and, unable to speak, waved his
+hands in farewell to his comrade. The other mechanically rode on, but
+his eyes grew dim and his head dizzy, and well though he knew the
+road, he suffered his camel to wander from it. After straying
+aimlessly about for some time, he dismounted and lay down in the shade
+of a tree to rest, first tying his camel to one of the branches. But a
+sudden puff of wind brought the smell of the water to the camel's
+nostrils, and with a furious bound, he broke the noose and galloped
+violently forward, and in half an hour was sucking in deep draughts
+from a clear spring. The man, understanding the meaning of the camel's
+rush, rose up and staggered a few steps after him, but fell to the
+ground from sheer weakness. Just at that moment a wandering Bedouin
+from a neighbouring camp happened to pass that way, and seeing that
+the man still breathed, dashed water in his face, and soon revived
+him. Then, laden with skins of water, the two men set out for those
+left behind, and hopeless though their search seemed to be, they found
+they had arrived in time, and were able to save them from a frightful
+death.
+
+
+
+
+_'HAME, HAME, HAME, WHERE I FAIN WAD BE'_
+
+
+Nothing in nature is more curious or more difficult of explanation
+than the stories recorded of animals conveyed to one place, finding
+their way back to their old home, often many hundreds of miles away.
+Not very long ago, a lady at St. Andrews promised to make a present to
+a friend who lived somewhere north of Perth, of a fine cat which she
+wished to part with. When the day arrived, the cat was tied safely up
+in a hamper, put in charge of the guard, and sent on its way. It was
+met at the station by its new mistress, who drove it home, and gave it
+an excellent supper and a comfortable bed. This was on Friday. All
+Saturday it poked about, examining everything as cats will, but
+apparently quite happy and content with its quarters. About seven on
+Sunday morning, as the lady drew up her blind to let in the sunshine,
+she saw the new puss trotting down the avenue. She did not pay much
+attention to the fact till the day went on, and the cat, who generally
+had a good appetite, did not come in to its meals. When Monday came,
+but the puss did not, the lady wrote to her friend at St. Andrews
+saying she feared that the cat had wandered away, but she would make
+inquiries at all the houses round, and still hoped to find it. On
+Tuesday evening loud mews were heard outside the kitchen door of the
+St. Andrews house, and when it was opened, in walked the cat, rather
+dirty and very hungry, but otherwise not at all the worse for wear.
+Now as anybody can see if he looks at the map, it is a long way from
+St. Andrews to Perth, even as the crow flies. There are also two big
+rivers which _must_ be crossed, the Tay and the Eden, or if the cat
+preferred coming by train, at least two changes have to be made. So
+you have to consider whether, granting it an instinct of _direction_,
+which is remarkable enough in itself, the animal was sufficiently
+strong to swim such large streams; or whether it was so clever that it
+managed to find out the proper trains for it to take, and the places
+where it must get out. Any way, home it came, and was only two days on
+the journey, and there it is still in St. Andrews, for its mistress
+had not the heart to give it away a second time.
+
+Trains seem to have a special fascination for cats, and they are often
+to be seen about stations. For a long while one was regularly to be
+seen travelling on the Metropolitan line, between St. James's Park and
+Charing Cross, and a whole family of half-wild kittens are at this
+moment making a play-ground of the lines and platforms at Paddington.
+One will curl up quite comfortably on the line right under the wheel
+of a carriage that is just going to start, and on being disturbed
+bolts away and hides itself in some recess underneath the platform.
+Occasionally you see one with part of its tail cut off, but as a rule
+they take wonderfully good care of themselves. The porters are very
+kind to them, and they somehow contrive to get along, for they all
+look fat and well-looking, and quite happy in their strange quarters.
+
+Of course cats are not the only animals who have what is called the
+'homing instinct.' Sheep have been known to find their way back from
+Yorkshire to the moors north of the Cheviots where they were born and
+bred, although sheep are not clever beasts and they had come a
+roundabout journey by train. But there are many such stories of dogs,
+and one of the most curious is told by an English officer who was in
+Paris in the year 1815. One day, as the officer was walking hastily
+over the bridge, he was annoyed by a muddy poodle dog rubbing up
+against him, and dirtying his beautifully polished boots. Now dirty
+boots were his abhorrence, so he hastily looked round for a
+shoe-black, and seeing one at a little distance off, at once went up
+to him to have his boots re-blacked. A few days later the officer was
+again crossing the bridge, when a second time the poodle brushed
+against him and spoilt his boots. Without thinking he made for the
+nearest shoe-black, just as he had done before, and went on his way;
+but when the same thing happened a third time, his suspicions were
+aroused, and he resolved to watch. In a few minutes he saw the dog run
+down to the river-side and roll himself in the mud, and then come back
+to the bridge and keep a sharp look-out for the first well-dressed man
+who would be likely to repay his trouble. The officer was so delighted
+with the poodle's cleverness, that he went at once to the shoe-black,
+who confessed that the dog was his and that he had taught him this
+trick for the good of trade. The officer then proposed to buy the dog,
+and offered the shoe-black such a large sum that he agreed to part
+with his 'bread-winner.'
+
+So the officer, who was returning at once to England, carried the dog,
+by coach and steamer to London, where he tied him up for some time, in
+order that he should forget all about his old life, and be ready to
+make himself happy in the new one. When he was set free, however, the
+poodle seemed restless and ill at ease, and after two or three days he
+disappeared entirely. What he did then, nobody knows, but a fortnight
+after he had left the London house, he was found, steadily plying his
+old trade, on the Pont Henri Quatre.
+
+A Northumbrian pointer showed a still more wonderful instance of the
+same sagacity. He was the property of one Mr. Edward Cook, who after
+paying a visit to his brother, the owner of a large property in
+Northumberland, set sail for America, taking the dog with him. They
+travelled south together as far as Baltimore, where excellent shooting
+was to be got; but after one or two days' sport the dog disappeared,
+and was supposed to have lost itself in the woods. Months went by
+without anything being known of the dog, when one night a dog was
+heard howling violently outside the quiet Northumberland house. It was
+admitted by the owner, Mr. Cook, who to his astonishment recognised it
+as the pointer which his brother had taken to America. They took care
+of him till his master came back, and then they tried to trace out his
+journey. But it was of no use. How the pointer made its way through
+the forest, from what port it started, and where it landed, remain a
+mystery to this day.
+
+
+
+
+_NESTS FOR DINNER_
+
+
+However wonderful and beautiful nests may be, very few English people
+would like to eat them; yet in China the nest of a particular variety
+of swallow is prized as a great delicacy.
+
+These nests are chiefly gathered from Java, Sumatra, and other islands
+of the Malay Archipelago, and are carried thence to China, where they
+fetch a large price. Although, within certain limits, they are very
+plentiful, they are very difficult and dangerous to get, for the
+swallows build in the depths of large and deep caverns, mostly on the
+seashore, and the men have to be let down from above by ropes, or
+descend on ladders of bamboo. In Java, so many men have lost their
+lives in nest gathering, that in some parts a regular religious
+ceremony is held, twice or three times a year, before the expedition
+is undertaken; prayers are said, and a bull is sacrificed.
+
+It is not easy to know what the nests are really made of, because from
+the time that Europeans first noticed the trade--about two hundred
+years ago--they have differed among themselves in their accounts of
+the jelly-like substance used by the swallows. Some naturalists have
+thought it is the spawn of the fish, which floats thickly on the
+surface of these seas; others, that it is a kind of deposit of dried
+sea foam gathered by the birds from the beach, while others again
+think that the substance is formed of sea plants chewed by the birds
+into a jelly; but, whatever it may be, the Chinese infinitely prefer
+nests to oysters or anything else, and are willing to pay highly for
+them.
+
+  [Illustration: {BIRD'S NESTS FOR DINNER}]
+
+The nests, which take about two months to build, are always found to
+be of two sorts: an oblong one just fitted to the body of the male
+bird, and a rounder one for the mother and her eggs. The most valuable
+nests are those which are whitest, and these generally belong to the
+male; they are very thin, and finely worked. The birds are small and
+feed chiefly on insects, which are abundant on these islands; their
+colour is grey, and they are wonderfully quick in their movements,
+like the humming birds, which are about their own size. They are
+sociable, and build in swarms, but they seldom lay more than two eggs,
+which take about a fortnight to hatch.
+
+
+
+
+_FIRE-EATING DJIJAM_
+
+
+Some curious notes about walking unharmed through fire, in the
+November (1894) number of 'Longman's Magazine,' under the heading 'At
+the Sign of the Ship,' suggested that a record might be kept of
+Djijam's eccentricities, especially as they differed somewhat from
+those of most other dogs. Anyone accustomed to animals knows, and
+anyone who is not can imagine, that dogs differ as much in their
+behaviour and ways as human beings. Djijam was as unlike any dog I
+have ever had, seen, or heard of, as could be. My wife, who is a
+patient and successful instructor of animals, never managed to teach
+him anything, any attempt to impart usual or unusual accomplishments
+being met with the most absolute, impenetrable idiocy, which no
+perseverance could conquer or diminish in the least degree. That this
+extreme stupidity was really assumed is now pretty clear, though at
+the time it was attributed to natural density.
+
+It was at Christmas-tide, about two years ago, that my wife and I
+drove over to a village some few miles away, to choose one of a litter
+of four fox-terrier pups, which we heard were on sale at a livery
+stable. We found the mother of the lively litter almost overpowered by
+her boisterous progeny, who though nearly three months old had not yet
+found other homes. Without any particular objection on the part of the
+parent we examined the pups, and selected and brought away one which
+seemed to have better points than the rest, whom we left to continue
+their gambols in the straw, unconscious probably that any other means
+of warming themselves were possible. The journey home was accomplished
+with the customary puppish endeavors to escape restraint. The same
+evening, after the servants had retired to bed, Master Djijam was
+placed in the kitchen, out of harm's way as it was thought. The last
+thing at night we went to inspect the little animal, and could not at
+first discover his whereabouts. When a thing is lost it is customary
+to hunt about in unlikely places, so we looked into the high
+cinder-box under the kitchener, and found the object of our search
+comfortably curled up directly under the red-hot fire. It was fairly
+warm work fishing him out.
+
+For another reason, not connected with heat, he was subsequently
+christened Djijam, a truly oriental name, which some of our friends
+think may have helped to develop his original taste for fire.
+
+When Djijam was about six months old we observed that he frequently
+jumped up to people who were seated smoking. This induced a humorous
+friend one day to offer him the lighted end of a cigarette, which
+Djijam promptly seized in his mouth and extinguished. After that
+triumph Djijam usually watched for, and plainly demanded the lighted
+fag ends of cigarettes and cigars, so that his might be the
+satisfaction of finishing them off. This led to lighted matches being
+offered to him, which he eagerly took in his mouth, and if wax vestas,
+swallowed as a welcome addition to his ordinary diet. From matches to
+lighted candles was an easy step, and these he rapidly extinguished
+with great gusto as often as they were presented to him. He would also
+attack lighted oil lamps if placed on the floor, but they puzzled him,
+and defied his efforts to bite or breathe them out. A garden bonfire
+used to drive him wild with delight, and snatching brands from the
+fire, indoors or out, was a delirious joy. My wife discovered him once
+in the full enjoyment of a large lighted log on the dining-room
+carpet. Red-hot cinders he highly relished, though in obtaining them
+he frequently singed off his moustaches. Perhaps the oddest of his
+fiery tricks was performed one day when he wished the cook to hand him
+some dainty morsel on which she chanced to be operating. This was
+against the rules, as he well knew, so she declined to accept the
+hint. Djijam was at once provoked to anger and cast round for some way
+of obtaining compensation, at the same time hoping, perhaps, to
+retaliate. He naturally went for the kitchen fire, out of which he
+drew a red-hot cinder and carried it in his mouth across the kitchen,
+through a small lobby into the scullery, to his box-bed, into the
+straw of which he must have speedily dropped the live coal, and jumped
+in after it. Soon after, the cook smelt wood burning and searched the
+lower part of the house lest anything were afire. Finding nothing
+wrong, she last of all visited the scullery, and found Djijam enjoying
+the warmth of his smouldering straw bed and wooden box.
+
+  [Illustration: 'IN THE FULL ENJOYMENT OF A LARGE LIGHTED LOG ON THE
+    DINING-ROOM CARPET']
+
+Alas, Djijam grew snappish even to his best friends, and although it
+was suggested that he might be found an engagement on the Variety
+stage of the Westminster Aquarium, as a fire-eating hound, it was
+reluctantly decided that he should go the way of all flesh. I am sure
+if he had been asked, he would in some way have indicated that he
+preferred cremation to any other mode of disposal. But it was not to
+be, yet it was a melancholy satisfaction to learn that his end was
+peaceful though commonplace.
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF THE DOG OSCAR_
+
+
+In the north-west of Scotland there is a very pretty loch which runs
+far up into the land. On one side great hills--almost mountains--slope
+down into the water, while on the opposite side there is a little
+village, with the road along which the houses straggle, almost part of
+the loch shore. At low tide, banks of beautiful golden seaweed are
+left at the edges of the water, and on this seaweed huge flocks of
+sea-gulls come and feed.
+
+A few years ago there lived in this village a minister who had a
+collie-dog named Oscar. He lived all alone in his little cottage, and
+as Jean, the woman who looked after him, was a very talkative person,
+by no means congenial to him. Oscar was his constant companion and
+friend.
+
+He seemed to understand all that was said to him, and in his long,
+lonely walks across the hills, it cheered him to have Oscar trotting
+quietly and contentedly beside him. And when he came home from
+visiting sick people, and going to places where he could not take
+Oscar, he would look forward to seeing the soft brown head thrust out
+of the door, peering into the darkness, ready to welcome him as soon
+as he should come in sight.
+
+One of Oscar's favourite games was to go down to the shore when the
+tide was low, and with his head thrown up and his tail straight out,
+he would run at the flocks of gulls feeding on the seaweed, and
+scatter them in the air, making them look like a cloud of large white
+snow-flakes. In a minute or two the gulls would settle down again
+to their meal, and again Oscar would charge and rout them.
+
+  [Illustration: 'OSCAR WOULD CHARGE AND ROUT THEM']
+
+This little manoeuvre of his would be repeated many times, till a
+long clear whistle was heard from the road by the loch. Then the gulls
+might finish their supper in peace, for Oscar's master had called him,
+and now he was walking quietly along by his side, looking as if there
+were no such things in the world as gulls.
+
+'No, Oscar, lad! Not to-day! not to-day!' said the minister one
+afternoon, as he put on his hat and coat and took his stick from the
+dog who always fetched it when he saw preparations being made for a
+walk.
+
+'I can't take you with me; you must stay in the paddock. No run by the
+loch this afternoon, lad. 'Tis too long, and you are not so strong as
+you were. We are growing old together, Oscar.'
+
+The dog watched his master till he disappeared over the little bridge
+and up the glen, and then he went and lay down by the paling which
+surrounded the bit of field. Jean soon went out to a friend's house to
+have a little gossip, and Oscar was left alone.
+
+He felt rather forlorn. Across the road he heard the distant splashing
+of the waves as they ran angrily up the beach of the loch, and the
+whistling of the wind down the glen.
+
+He watched the grey clouds scudding away overhead, and he envied the
+children he heard playing in the street, or racing after the tourist
+coach on its way up the Pass.
+
+He began to feel drowsy.
+
+'The gulls will be feeding on the banks now! How I wish ...' and his
+eyes closed, and he dreamt a nice dream, that he was dashing along
+through shallow pools of water towards the white chattering flock,
+when--what was this in front of him? White feathers! Two gulls! Was he
+dreaming still? No the gulls were real! What luck! He could not go to
+the gulls, so the gulls had come to him.
+
+In a moment he was wide awake, and made a rush at the two birds who
+were gazing at him inquiringly with their heads on one side. But after
+two or three rushes, 'What stupid gulls these are!' thought Oscar.
+'They can scarcely fly.'
+
+And, indeed, the birds seemed to have great difficulty in lifting
+themselves off the ground, and appeared to grow more and more feeble
+after each of Oscar's onslaughts. At last one of them fell.
+
+'Lazy creature! you have had too much dinner! Up you get!'
+
+But the gull lay down gasping.
+
+Oscar made for the other. Why, that was lying down too! He went to the
+first one. It was quite still and motionless, and after one or two
+more gasps its companion was the same.
+
+Oscar felt rather frightened. Was it possible that he had killed them?
+What would his master say? How was he to tell him it was quite a
+mistake? That he had only been in fun? He must put the gulls out of
+sight.
+
+He dragged them to one side of the cottage where the minister used to
+try every year to grow a few cherished plants, and there in the loose
+earth he dug a grave for the birds.
+
+Then he went back to his old place, and waited for his master's
+return.
+
+When the minister came back, for the first time in his life, Oscar
+longed to be able to speak and tell him all that had happened. How
+could he without speech explain that the death of the birds was an
+accident--an unfortunate accident?
+
+He felt that without an explanation it was no use unearthing the white
+forms in the border.
+
+'Sir, sir!' cried Jean, putting her head in at the door. 'Here's Widow
+McInnes come to see you. She's in sore trouble.'
+
+The minister rose and went to the door.
+
+'Stay here, Oscar,' he said, for Widow McInnes was not fond of Oscar.
+
+In a few minutes the minister came back.
+
+He patted Oscar's soft head.
+
+  [Illustration: 'OSCAR FELT RATHER FRIGHTENED']
+
+'She wanted to accuse thee, Oscar lad, of killing the two white
+pigeons which her son sent her yesterday from the south, and which
+escaped this afternoon from their cage. As if you would touch the
+bairnies, as the poor woman calls them! Eh, lad?'
+
+Oscar wagged his tail gratefully. Then in a sudden flash it came upon
+him that he _had_ killed the pigeons. Now he saw the birds were
+pigeons, not gulls, and, worse than killing them, he had, all
+unknowingly, told his master a lie; and he could not undo it. He
+whined a little as if in pain, and moved slowly out of the room. The
+minister sat on, deep in thought, and then went outside the house to
+see the sunset. Great bands of thick grey cloud wrapped the hill-tops
+in their folds, and lay in long bands across the slopes, while here
+and there in the rifts were patches of pale lemon-coloured sky. The
+loch waters heaved sullenly against the shore. The minister looked
+away from the sunset, and his eye fell on a little mound in the bed by
+the cottage.
+
+'What did I plant there?' he thought, and began poking it with his
+stick.
+
+'Oscar, Oscar!'
+
+Oscar was bounding down the path. He had just determined to unbury the
+pigeons and bring them to his master, and, even if he received a
+beating, his master would know he had not meant to deceive.
+
+But now, hearing the call, and the tone of the minister's voice, he
+knew it was too late. He stopped, and then crept slowly towards that
+tall black figure standing in the twilight, with the two white pigeons
+lying at his feet.
+
+'Oh, Oscar, Oscar lad, what _have_ you done?'
+
+At that moment a boy came running to the gate.
+
+'Ye'll be the minister that Sandy Johnston is speiring after. He says,
+"Fetch the minister, and bid him come quick."'
+
+  [Illustration: 'OH, OSCAR, OSCAR LAD, WHAT _HAVE_ YOU DONE?']
+
+The minister gave a few directions to Jean, and in a moment or two was
+ready to go with the boy. It was a long row to the head of the loch,
+and a long walk to reach the cottage where Sandy Johnston lay dying.
+The minister stayed with him for two nights, till he seemed to need
+his help no more, and then started off to come home. But while he was
+being rowed along the loch, a fierce snowstorm came on. The boat
+made but little way, and they were delayed two or three hours. Cold
+and tired, the minister thought with satisfaction of his warm
+fireside, with Oscar lying down beside his cosy chair. Then, for the
+first time since it had happened, he thought of the pigeons, and he
+half smiled as he recalled Oscar's downcast face as he came up the
+path.
+
+With quick steps he hurried along the street from the landing-place.
+The snow was being blown about round him, and the night was fast
+closing in. He was quite near his own gate now, and he looked up,
+expecting to see the familiar brown head peering out of the door for
+him; but there was no sign of it.
+
+He opened the gate and strode in. Still no Oscar to welcome him.
+
+'Jean, Jean!' he called. Jean appeared from the kitchen, and even in
+the firelight he could see traces of tears on her rough face.
+
+'Where is Oscar?'
+
+'Ah, sir, after ye were gone wi' the lad, he wouldna' come into the
+house, and wouldna' touch a morsel o' food. He lay quite still in the
+garden, and last night he died. An' it's my belief, sir, he died of a
+broken heart, because ye did na' beat him after killing the pigeons,
+and he couldna' make it up wi' ye.'
+
+And the minister thought so, too; and when Jean was gone, he sat down
+by his lonely fireside and buried his face in his hands.
+
+
+
+
+_DOLPHINS AT PLAY_
+
+
+For some reason or other, dolphins, those queer great fish that always
+seem to be at play, have been subjects for many stories. Pliny himself
+has told several, and his old translator's words are so strange, that,
+as far as possible, we will tell the tale as he tells it.
+
+'In the days of Augustus Caesar, the Emperor,' says Pliny, 'there was a
+dolphin entered the gulf or pool Lucrinus, which loved wondrous well a
+certain boy, a poor man's son; who using to go every day to school
+from Baianum to Puteoli, was wont also about noon-tide to stay at the
+water side and call unto the dolphin, "Simo, Simo," and many times
+would give him fragments of bread, which of purpose he ever brought
+with him, and by this means allured the dolphin to come ordinarily
+unto him at his call. Well, in process of time, at what hour soever of
+the day this boy lured for him and called "Simo," were the dolphin
+never so close hidden in any secret and blind corner, out he would and
+come abroad, yea, and scud amain to this lad, and taking bread and
+other victuals at his hand, would gently offer him his back to mount
+upon, and then down went the sharp-pointed prickles of his fins, which
+he would put up as it were within a sheath for fear of hurting the
+boy. Thus, when he once had him on his back, he would carry him over
+the broad arm of the sea as far as Puteoli to school, and in like
+manner convey him back again home; and thus he continued for many
+years together, so long as the child lived. But when the boy was
+fallen sick and dead yet the dolphin gave not over his haunt, but
+usually came to the wonted place, and missing the lad seemed to be
+heavy and mourn again, until for very grief and sorrow he also was
+found dead upon the shore.'
+
+  [Illustration: THE BOY GOES TO SCHOOL ON THE DOLPHIN'S BACK]
+
+
+
+
+_THE STARLING OF SEGRINGEN_
+
+Translated from the German of Johann Peter Hebel.
+
+
+In a little German village in Suabia, there lived a barber, who
+combined the business of hair-cutting and shaving with that of an
+apothecary; he also sold good brandy, so that he had no lack of
+customers, not to speak of those who merely wished to pass an hour in
+gossiping.
+
+Not the least of the attractions, however, was a tame starling, named
+Hansel, who had been taught to speak, and had learnt many sayings
+which he overheard, either from his master, the barber, or from the
+idlers who gathered about the shop. His master especially had some
+favourite sayings, or catchwords, such as, 'Truly, I am the barber of
+Segringen'--for this is the name of the village--'As heaven will,' 'By
+keeping bad company,' and the like; and these were most familiar to
+the starling.
+
+Everybody for miles round had at least heard of Hansel, and many came
+on purpose to see him and hear him talk, for Hansel would often
+interpose a word into the conversation, which came in very aptly.
+
+But it happened one day, Hansel's wings--which had been cut--having
+grown again, that he thought to himself: 'I have now learnt so much, I
+may go out and see the world.' And when nobody was looking,
+whirr!--away he went out of the window.
+
+Seeing a flock of birds, he joined them, thinking: 'They know the
+country better than I.'
+
+But alas! this knowledge availed them little, for all of them, with
+Hansel, fell into a snare which had been laid by a fowler, who soon
+came to see what was in his net. Putting in his hand, he drew out one
+prisoner after another, callously wringing their necks one by one.
+
+But suddenly, when he was stretching out his murderous fingers to
+seize another victim, this one cried out: 'I am the barber of
+Segringen!'
+
+The man almost fell backwards with astonishment and fright, believing
+he had to do with a sorcerer at least; but presently recovering
+himself a little, he remembered the starling, and said: 'Eh, Hansel,
+is it you! How did you come into the net?'
+
+'By keeping bad company,' replied Hansel.
+
+'And shall I carry you home again?'
+
+'As heaven will,' replied the starling.
+
+Then the fowler took him back to the barber, and related the manner of
+his capture, receiving a good reward.
+
+The barber also reaped a fine harvest, for more people came to his
+shop on purpose to see the clever bird, who had saved his life by his
+ready tongue.
+
+
+
+
+_GRATEFUL DOGS_
+
+From 'Das Echo,' June 8, 1895. Letter to the editor, signed G. M.,
+Mexico, purporting to be an extract from a letter of his brother in
+Nebraska. I have translated and recast it.
+
+
+A farmer in Nebraska--one of the Western States of North
+America--possessed two dogs, a big one called Fanny, and a small one
+who was named Jolly. One winter day the farmer went for a walk and
+took with him his two pets; they came to a brook that ran through the
+farm, and was now frozen up.
+
+Fanny crossed it without much ado, but Jolly, who was always afraid of
+water, distrusted the ice, and refused to follow. Fanny paused at the
+other side, and barked loudly to induce her companion to come, but
+Jolly pretended not to understand.
+
+Then Fanny ran back to him, and tried to explain that it was quite
+safe, but in vain, Jolly only looked after his master, and whimpered;
+upon which, Fanny, losing patience, seized him by the collar, and
+dragged him over.
+
+For this kindness Jolly showed himself grateful some time afterwards.
+
+Fanny, greedy creature, was fond of fresh eggs. When she heard a hen
+cackle she always ran to look for the nest, and one day she discovered
+one under the fruit-shed. But, alas! she could not get the beloved
+dainty because she was too large to go under the shed. Looking very
+pensive and thoughtful, she went away, and soon returned with Jolly,
+bringing him just before the hole.
+
+Jolly, however, was stupid and did not understand; Fanny put her head
+in, and then her paws, without being able, with all her efforts, to
+reach the egg; the smaller dog, seeing that there was something in the
+hole, went in to look, but not caring for eggs, came out empty-handed.
+
+Thereupon Fanny looked at him in such a sad and imploring way, that
+her master, who was watching them, could scarcely suppress his
+laughter.
+
+At last Jolly seemed to understand what was wanted; he went under the
+shed again, brought out the egg, and put it before Fanny, who ate it
+with great satisfaction, and then both dogs trotted off together.
+
+
+
+
+_GAZELLE_
+
+PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A TORTOISE
+
+
+Alexandre Dumas, in whose book, as I told you, I read the story of Tom
+the Bear, as well as those of other animals, was one day walking past
+the shop of a large fishmonger in Paris. As he glanced through the
+window he saw an Englishman in the shop holding a tortoise, which he
+was turning about in his hands. Dumas felt an instant conviction that
+the Englishman proposed to make the tortoise into turtle soup, and he
+was so touched by the air of patient resignation of the supposed
+victim that he entered the shop, and with a sign to the shopwoman
+asked whether she had kept the tortoise for him which he had bespoken.
+
+The shopwoman (who had known Dumas for many years) understood with
+half a word, and gently slipping the tortoise out of the Englishman's
+grasp, she handed it to Dumas, saying, 'Pardon, milord, the tortoise
+was sold to this gentleman this morning.'
+
+The Englishman seemed surprised, but left the shop without
+remonstrating, and Dumas had nothing left for it but to pay for his
+tortoise and take it home.
+
+As he carried his purchase up to his rooms on the third floor he
+wondered what could have possessed him to buy it, and what on earth he
+was to do with it now he had got it. It was certainly a remarkable
+tortoise, for the moment he put it down on the floor of his bedroom it
+started off for the fireplace at such a pace as to earn for itself the
+name of 'Gazelle.'
+
+Once near the fire, Gazelle settled herself in the warmest corner she
+could find, and went to sleep.
+
+Dumas, who wished to go out again and was afraid of his new possession
+coming to any harm, called his servant and said: 'Joseph, whilst I am
+out you must look after this creature.'
+
+Joseph approached with some curiosity. 'Ah!' he remarked, 'why, it's a
+tortoise; that creature could bear a carriage on its back.'
+
+'Yes, yes, no doubt it might, but I beg you won't try any experiments
+with it.'
+
+'Oh, it wouldn't hurt it,' assured Joseph, who enjoyed showing off his
+information. 'The Lyons diligence might drive over it without hurting
+it.'
+
+'Well,' replied his master, 'I believe the great sea turtle _might_
+bear such a weight, but I doubt whether this small variety----'
+
+'Oh, _that's_ of no consequence,' interrupted Joseph; 'it's as strong
+as a horse, and small though it is, a cartload of stones might
+pass----'
+
+'Very good, very good; never mind that now. Just buy the creature a
+lettuce and some snails.'
+
+'Snails! why, is its chest delicate?'
+
+'No, why on earth do you ask such a thing?'
+
+'Well, my last master used to take an infusion of snails for his
+chest--not that it prevented----'
+
+Dumas left the room without waiting for the end. Before he was
+half-way downstairs he found that he had forgotten his handkerchief,
+and on returning surprised Joseph standing on Gazelle's back,
+gracefully poised on one leg, with the other out-stretched behind him
+in such a way that not an ounce of his eleven-stone weight was lost on
+the poor creature.
+
+'Idiot! what are you about?'
+
+'There, sir, didn't I say so?' rejoined Joseph, proudly.
+
+'There, there, give me a handkerchief and mind you don't touch that
+creature again.'
+
+  [Illustration: DUMAS FINDS JOSEPH STANDING ON GAZELLE'S BACK]
+
+'There, sir,' said the irrepressible Joseph, bringing the
+handkerchief. 'But indeed you need not be at all afraid; a waggon
+could drive over----'
+
+Dumas fled.
+
+He returned rather late at night, and no sooner took a step into his
+room than he felt something crack under his boot. He hastily raised
+his foot and took a further step with the same result: he thought he
+must be treading on eggs. He lowered his candlestick--the carpet was
+covered with snails.
+
+Joseph had obeyed orders literally. He had bought the lettuces and the
+snails, had placed them all in a basket and Gazelle on the top, and
+then put the basket in the middle of his master's bedroom. Ten minutes
+later the warmth of the fire thawed the snails into animation, and the
+entire caravan set forth on a voyage of discovery round the room,
+leaving silvery tracks behind them on carpet and furniture.
+
+As for Gazelle, she was quietly reposing at the bottom of the basket,
+where a few empty shells proved that all the fugitives had not been
+brisk enough to make their escape.
+
+Dumas, feeling no fancy for a possible procession of snails over his
+bed, carefully picked up the stragglers one by one, popped them back
+into the basket, and shut down the lid. But in five minutes' time he
+realised that sleep would be out of the question with the noise going
+on, which sounded like a dozen mice in a bag of nuts. He decided to
+move the basket to the kitchen.
+
+On the way there it occurred to him that if Gazelle went on at this
+rate she would certainly die of indigestion before morning. He
+remembered that the owner of the restaurant on the ground floor had a
+tank in the back yard where he often put fish to keep till wanted, and
+it struck him that the tank would be the very place for his tortoise.
+He at once put his idea into execution, got back to his room and to
+bed, and slept soundly till morning.
+
+Joseph woke him early.
+
+'Oh, sir, such a joke!' he exclaimed, standing at the foot of the bed.
+
+'What joke?'
+
+'Why, what your tortoise has been up to!'
+
+'What on earth do you mean?'
+
+'Well, sir, could you believe that it got out of your room--goodness
+knows how--and walked downstairs and right into the tank?'
+
+'You owl! you might have guessed I put it there myself.'
+
+'Did you indeed, sir? Well, you certainly _have_ made a mess of it
+then.'
+
+'How so?'
+
+'Why the tortoise has eaten up a tench--a superb tench weighing three
+pounds--which the master of the restaurant put into the tank only last
+night. The waiter has just been telling me about it.'
+
+'Go at once and fetch me Gazelle and the scales.'
+
+During Joseph's absence his master took down a volume of Buffon, and
+consulted that eminent authority on the subject of tortoises and
+turtles. There seemed to be no doubt, according to the celebrated
+naturalist, that these creatures did eat fish voraciously when they
+got the chance.
+
+'Dear, dear,' thought Dumas, 'I fear the owner of the tank has Buffon
+on his side.'
+
+Just then Joseph returned with the accused in one hand and the kitchen
+scales in the other.
+
+'You see,' began the irrepressible valet, 'these sort of creatures eat
+a lot. They need it to keep up their strength, and fish is
+particularly nourishing. Only see how strong sailors are, and they
+live so much on fish----'
+
+His master cut him short.
+
+'How much did you say that tench weighed?'
+
+'Three pounds. The waiter asks nine francs for it.'
+
+'And Gazelle ate it all?'
+
+'Every bit except the head, the back-bone, and the inside.'
+
+'Quite correct, Monsieur Buffon had said as much. Very well--but
+still--three pounds seems a good deal.'
+
+He put Gazelle in the scale. She weighed exactly two pounds and a
+half! The deduction was simple. Either Gazelle had been falsely
+accused or the theft had been much smaller than was represented.
+Indeed the waiter readily took this view of the matter, and was quite
+satisfied with five francs as an indemnity.
+
+The varied adventures of Gazelle had become rather a bore, and her
+owner felt that he must try to find some other home for her. She spent
+the following night in his room, but thanks to the absence of snails
+all went well. When Joseph came in next morning, his first act as
+usual was to roll up the hearth-rug, and, opening the window, to shake
+it well out in the air. Suddenly he uttered an exclamation and flung
+himself half out of the window.
+
+'What's the matter, Joseph?' asked his master, only half awake.
+
+'Oh, sir--it's your tortoise. It was on the rug, and I never saw
+it--and----'
+
+'Well! and----?'
+
+'And I declare, before I knew what I was about, I shook it out of the
+window.'
+
+'Imbecile!' shouted Dumas, springing out of bed.
+
+'Ah!' cried Joseph with a sigh of relief. 'See, she's eating a
+cabbage!'
+
+And so she was. Her fall had been broken by a rubbish heap, and after
+a few seconds in which to recover her equanimity, she had ventured to
+thrust her head out, when finding a piece of cabbage near, she at once
+began her breakfast.
+
+'Didn't I say so, sir?' cried Joseph, delighted. 'Nothing hurts those
+creatures. There now, whilst she's eating that cabbage a
+coach-and-four might drive over her----'
+
+'Never mind, never mind; just run down and fetch her up quick.'
+
+  [Illustration: DUMAS BRINGS GAZELLE TO NO. 109 FAUBOURG ST.-DENIS]
+
+Joseph obeyed, and as soon as his master was dressed he called a cab,
+and taking Gazelle with him, drove off to No. 109 in the Faubourg
+St.-Denis. Here he climbed to the fifth floor and walked straight into
+the studio of his friend, who was busy painting a delightful little
+picture of performing dogs. He was surrounded by a bear, who was
+playing with a log as he lay on his back, a monkey, busy pulling a
+paint brush to pieces, and a frog, who was half-way up a little ladder
+in a glass jar. You will, I dare say, have guessed already that the
+painter's name was Decamps, the bear's Tom, the monkey's Jacko I., and
+the frog's Mademoiselle Camargo, and you will not wonder that Dumas
+felt that he could not better provide for Gazelle than by leaving her
+as an addition to the menagerie in his friend's studio.[8]
+
+    [8] See p. 375.
+
+
+
+
+_COCKATOO STORIES_
+
+_Naturalist's Note-Book._ Reeves & Turner: 1868.
+
+
+About thirty years ago a gentleman, who was fond of birds and beasts,
+took into his head to try if parrots could not be persuaded to make
+themselves at home among the trees in his garden. For a little while
+everything seemed going beautifully, and the experimenter was full of
+hope. The parrots built their nests in the woods, and in course of
+time some young ones appeared, and gradually grew up to their full
+size. Then, unluckily, they became tired of the grounds which they
+knew by heart, and set off to see the world. The young parrots were
+strong upon the wing, and their beautiful bright bodies would be seen
+flashing in the sun, as much as fifteen miles away, and, then, of
+course, some boy or gamekeeper with a gun in his hand was certain to
+see them, and covet them for the kitchen mantel-shelf or a private
+collection.
+
+The cockatoos however did not always care to choose trees for their
+building places. One little pair, whose grandparents had whisked about
+in the heat of a midsummer day in Australia, found the climate of
+England cold and foggy, and looked about for a warm cover for their
+new nest. They had many conversations on the subject, and perhaps one
+of these may have been overheard by a jackdaw, who put into their
+minds a brilliant idea, for the very next morning the cockatoos were
+seen carrying their materials to one of the chimneys, and trying to
+fasten them together half-way up. But cockatoos are not as clever as
+jackdaws about this kind of thing, and before the nest had grown to
+be more than a shapeless mass, down it came, and such a quantity of
+soot with it, that the poor cockatoos were quite buried, and lay for a
+day and night nearly smothered in soot, till they happened to be found
+by a housemaid who had entered the room. But in spite of this mishap
+they were not disheartened, and as soon as their eyes and noses had
+recovered from their soot bath, they began again to search for a more
+suitable spot. To the great delight of their master, they fixed upon a
+box which he had nailed for this very purpose under one of the gables,
+and this time they managed to build a nest that was as good as any
+nest in the garden. Still, they had no luck, for though the female
+laid two eggs, and sat upon them perseveringly, never allowing them to
+get cold for a single instant, it was all of no use, for the eggs
+turned out to be both bad!
+
+Some cousins of theirs, a beautiful white cockatoo and his lovely
+rose-coloured wife, were more prosperous in their arrangements. They
+scooped out a most comfortable nest with their claws and bills in the
+rotten branch of an acacia tree, and there they brought up two young
+families, all of them white as snow, with flame-coloured crests. The
+eldest son, unhappily for himself, got weary of his brothers and
+sisters, and the little wood on the outskirts of the garden, where he
+was born, and one winter day took a flight towards the town. His
+parents never quite knew what occurred, but the poor young cockatoo
+came back severely wounded, to the great fury of all his family, who
+behaved very unkindly to him. It is a curious fact that no animals and
+very few birds can bear the sight of illness, and these cockatoos were
+no better than the rest. They did not absolutely ill-treat him, but
+they refused to let him enter their nest, and insisted that he should
+live by himself in a distant bush. At last his master took pity on
+him, and brought him into the garden, but this so enraged the
+cockatoos who were already in possession, that they secretly murdered
+him. However it is only just to the race of cockatoos to observe that
+they are not always so bad as this, for during the very same season an
+unlucky young bird, whose wing and leg were broken by an accident, was
+adopted by an elderly cockatoo who did not care for what her
+neighbours said, and treated him as her own son. The following year,
+when nesting time came round, the white cockatoos went back to their
+acacia branch, but were very much disgusted to find a pair of grey
+parrots there before them, and a little pair of bald round heads
+peeping over the edge. These little parrots grew up with such very bad
+tempers that no one would have anything to do with them, and as for
+their own relations, they looked upon them with the contempt that a
+cat often shows to a man. To be sure these relations were considered
+to be rather odd themselves, for they did not care to be troubled with
+a family of their own, so had taken under their protection two little
+kittens, who had been born in one of the boxes originally set apart
+for the parrots. The two birds could not endure to see the old cat
+looking after her little ones, and whenever she went out for a walk or
+to get her food, one of the parrots always took her place in the box.
+It would have been nice to know how long this went on, and if the
+kittens adopted any parrot-like ways. Luckily, there was one
+peculiarity of the parrots which it was beyond their power to imitate,
+and that was the horrible voice which renders the society of a parrot,
+and still more of a cockatoo, unendurable to most people.
+
+
+
+
+_THE OTTER WHO WAS REARED BY A CAT_
+
+_Naturalist's Note-Book._
+
+
+There is still living in the kingdom of Galloway a wonderful cat who
+is so completely above all the instincts and prejudices of her race,
+that she can remain on friendly terms with young rabbits, and wile
+away a spare hour by having a game with a mouse. A _real_ game, where
+the fun is not all on one side, but which is enjoyed by the mouse as
+much as by the cat.
+
+Hardly less strange, from the opposite point of view, is the
+friendship that existed between two cats and an otter, which had been
+taken from its mother when only a few hours old, to be brought up by
+hand by a gentleman. This was not a very easy thing to manage. It was
+too young to suck milk out of a spoon, which was the first thing
+thought of, but a quill passed through a cork and stuck into a baby's
+bottle proved a success, and through this the little otter had its
+milk five times every day, until he was more than five weeks old. Then
+he was introduced to a cat who had lately lost a kitten, and though
+not naturally very good-tempered, the puss took to him directly,
+evidently thinking it was her own kitten grown a little bigger. In
+general this cat, which was partly Persian, and, as I have said, very
+cross, did not trouble herself much about her young ones, which had to
+take care of themselves as well as they could; but she could not make
+enough of the little otter, and when he was as big as herself she
+would walk with him every day to the pond in the yard, where he had
+his bath, watching his splashings and divings with great anxiety, and
+never happy till he got out safe.
+
+But, like human children, the baby otter would have been very dull
+without someone to play with, and as there were no little otters
+handy, he made friends with a young cat called Tom.
+
+All through the long winter, when the pond was frozen, and diving and
+swimming were no longer possible, he and Tom used to spend happy
+mornings playing hide and seek among the furniture in the dining-room,
+till Tom began to feel that the otter was getting rather rough, and
+that his teeth were very sharp, and that it would be a good thing to
+get out of his reach, on the top of a high cupboard or chimney piece.
+
+But at last the snow melted, and the ice became water again, and the
+first day the sun shone, the otter and the old cat went out for a walk
+in the yard. After the little fellow had had his dive, which felt
+delicious after all the weeks that he had done without it, he wandered
+carelessly into a shed where he had never been before, and to his
+astonishment he suddenly heard a flutter of wings, and became
+conscious of a sharp pain in his neck. This was produced by the beak
+of a falcon, who always lived in the shed, and seeing the strange
+creature enter his door, at once made up his mind that it was its duty
+to kill it. The cat and the gentleman who happened to come in at the
+same moment rushed forward and beat off the bird, and then, blinded by
+excitement, like a great many other people, and not knowing friends
+from foes, the cat rushed at her master. In one moment she had
+severely bitten the calf of his leg, given his thigh a fearful
+scratch, and picked up the otter and carried him outside. Then, not
+daring to trust him out of her sight, she marched him sternly up the
+hill, keeping him all the while between her legs, so that no danger
+should come near him.
+
+As the otter grew bigger the cats became rather afraid of his claws
+and teeth, which grew bigger too, and inflicted bites and scratches
+without his knowing it. But if the cats tired of him, he never tired
+of the cats, and was always dull and unhappy when they were out of his
+way. Sometimes, when his spirits were unusually good (and his teeth
+unusually sharp), the poor playfellows were obliged to seek refuge in
+the bedrooms of the house, or even upon the roof, but the little otter
+had not lived so long with cats for nothing, and could climb nearly as
+well as they. When he had had enough of teasing, he told them so (for,
+of course, he knew the cat language), and they would come down, and he
+would stretch himself out lazily in front of the fire, with his arms
+round Tom's neck.
+
+It would be nice to know what happened to him when he really grew up,
+whether the joys of living in a stream made him forget his old friends
+at the farm, or whether he would leave the chase of the finest trout
+at the sound of a mew or a whistle. But we are not told anything about
+it, so everybody can settle it as they like.
+
+
+
+
+_STORIES ABOUT LIONS_
+
+
+The lion in its wild state is a very different animal from the lion of
+menageries and wild-beast shows. The latter has probably been born in
+captivity, reared by hand, and kept a prisoner in a narrow cage all
+its life, deprived not only of liberty and exercise, but of its proper
+food. The result is a weak, thin, miserable creature, with an unhappy
+furtive expression, and a meagre mane, more like a poodle than the
+king of beasts in a savage state.
+
+The lion of South Africa differs in many points from that of Algeria,
+of whom we are going to speak. In Algeria there are three kinds of
+lions--the black, the tawny, and the grey. The black lion, more rarely
+met with than the two others, is rather smaller, but stronger in
+build. He is so called from the colour of his mane, which falls to his
+shoulder in a heavy black mass. The rest of his coat is the colour of
+a bay horse. Instead of wandering like the other two kinds, he makes
+himself a comfortable dwelling, and remains there probably all his
+life, which may last thirty or forty years, unless he falls a victim
+to the hunter. He rarely goes down to the plains in search of prey,
+but lies in ambush in the evening and attacks the cattle on their way
+down from the mountain, killing four or five to drink their blood. In
+the long summer twilights he waits on the edge of a forest-path for
+some belated traveller, who seldom escapes to tell the tale.
+
+The tawny and grey lion differ from each other only in the colour of
+their mane; all three have the same habits and characteristics, except
+those peculiar to the black lion just described. They all turn night
+into day, and go out at dusk to forage for prey, returning to their
+lair at dawn to sleep and digest in peace and quiet. Should a lion,
+for any reason, shift his camp during the day, it is most unlikely
+that he will attack, unprovoked, any creature, whether human or
+otherwise, whom he may chance to meet; for during the day he is 'full
+inside,' and the lion kills not for the sake of killing, but to
+satisfy his hunger. The lion is a devoted husband; when a couple go
+out on their nightly prowl, it is always the lioness who leads the
+way; when she stops he stops too, and when they arrive at the fold
+where they hope to procure their supper, she lies down, while he leaps
+into the midst of the enclosure, and brings back to her the pick of
+the flock. He watches her eat with great anxiety lest anything should
+disturb her, and never begins his own meal till she has finished hers.
+As a father he is less devoted; the old lion being of a serious
+disposition, the cubs weary him with their games, and while the family
+is young the father lives by himself, but at a short distance, so as
+to be at hand in case of danger. When the cubs are about three months
+old, and have finished teething (a process which often proves fatal to
+little lionesses), their mother begins to accustom them to eat meat by
+bringing them mutton to eat, which she carefully skins, and chews up
+small before giving to them. Between three and four months old they
+begin to follow their mother at night to the edge of the forest, where
+their father brings them their supper. At six months the whole family
+change their abode, choosing for the purpose a very dark night.
+Between eight months and a year old they begin to attack the flocks of
+sheep and goats that feed by day in the neighbourhood of their lair,
+and sometimes venture to attack oxen, but being still young and
+awkward, they often wound ten for one killed, and the father lion is
+obliged to interfere. At the age of two years they can slay with one
+blow an ox, horse, or camel, and can leap the hedges two yards high
+that surround the folds for protection. This period in the history of
+the lion is the most disastrous to the shepherds and their flocks, for
+then the lion goes about killing for the sake of learning to kill. At
+three years they leave their parents and set up families of their own,
+but it is only at the age of eight that they attain their full size
+and strength, and, in the case of the male, his full mane.
+
+  [Illustration: THE LION CAUGHT IN THE PIT]
+
+The question is sometimes asked, why does the lion roar? The answer
+is, for the same reason that the bird sings. When a lion and lioness
+go out together at night, the lioness begins the duet by roaring when
+she leaves her den, then the lion roars in answer, and they roar in
+turn every quarter of an hour, till they have found their supper;
+while they are eating they are silent, and begin roaring as soon as
+satisfied, and roar till morning. In summer they roar less and
+sometimes not at all. The Arabs, who have good reason to know and
+dread this fearsome sound, have the same word for it as for the
+thunder. The herds being constantly exposed to the ravages of the
+lion, the natives are obliged to take measures to protect them, but,
+the gun in their unskilled hands proving often as fatal to themselves
+as to their enemy, they are forced to resort to other means. Some
+tribes dig a pit, about ten yards deep, four or five wide, and
+narrower at the mouth than the base. The tents of the little camp
+surround it, and round them again is a hedge two or three yards high,
+made of branches of trees interlaced; a second smaller hedge divides
+the tents from the pit in order to prevent the flocks from falling
+into it. The lion prowling in search of food scents his prey, leaps
+both hedges at one bound, and falls roaring with anger into the pit
+digged for him. The whole camp is aroused, and so great is the
+rejoicing that no one sleeps all night. Guns are let off and fires lit
+to inform the whole district, and in the morning all the neighbours
+arrive, not only men, but women, children, and even dogs. When it is
+light enough to see, the hedge surrounding the pit is removed in order
+to look at the lion, and to judge by its age and sex what treatment it
+is to receive, according to what harm it may have done. If it is a
+young lion or a lioness the first spectators retire from the sight
+disgusted, to make room for others whose raptures are equally soon
+calmed. But if it is a full-grown lion with abundant mane, then it is
+a very different scene; frenzied gestures and appropriate cries spread
+the joyful news from one to another, and the spectators crowd in such
+numbers that they nearly edge each other into the pit. When everyone
+has thrown his stone and hurled his imprecation, men armed with guns
+come to put an end to the noble animal's torture; but often ten shots
+have been fired before, raising his majestic head to look
+contemptuously on his tormentors, he falls dead. Not till long after
+this last sign of life do the bravest venture to let themselves down
+into the pit, by means of ropes, to pass a net under the body of the
+lion, and to hoist it up to the surface by means of a stake planted
+there for the purpose. When the lion is cut up, the mothers of the
+tribe receive each a small piece of his heart, which they give to
+their sons to eat to make them strong and courageous; with the same
+object they make themselves amulets of hairs dragged out from his
+mane.
+
+Other tribes make use of the ambush, which may be either constructed
+underground or on a tree. If underground a hole is dug, about one yard
+deep, and three or four wide, near a path frequented by the lion; it
+is covered with branches weighted down by heavy stones, and loose
+earth is thrown over all. Four or five little openings are left to
+shoot through, and a larger one to serve as a doorway, which may be
+closed from within by a block of stone. In order to ensure a good aim
+the Arabs kill a boar and lay it on the path opposite the ambush; the
+lion inevitably stops to sniff this bait, and then they all fire at
+once. Nevertheless he is rarely killed on the spot, but frantically
+seeking his unseen enemies, who are beneath his feet, he makes with
+frenzied bounds for the nearest forest, there sometimes to recover
+from his wounds, sometimes to die in solitude. The ambush in a tree is
+conducted on the same lines as the other, except that the hunters are
+above instead of below their quarry, from whom they are screened by
+the branches.
+
+  [Illustration: THE AMBUSH]
+
+There are, however, in the province of Constantine some tribes of
+Arabs who hunt the lion in a more sportsmanlike manner. When a lion
+has made his presence known, either by frequent depredations or by
+roarings, a hunting party is formed. Some men are sent in advance to
+reconnoitre the woods, and when they return with such information as
+they have been able to gather as to the age, sex, and whereabouts of
+the animal, a council of war is held, and a plan of campaign formed.
+Each hunter is armed with a gun, a pistol, and a yataghan, and then
+five or six of the younger men are chosen to ascend the mountain,
+there to take their stand on different commanding points, in order to
+watch every movement of the lion, and to communicate them to their
+companions below by a pre-arranged code of signals. When they are
+posted the general advance begins; the lion, whose hearing is
+extremely acute, is soon aware of the approach of enemies, who in
+their turn are warned by the young men on the look-out. Finally, when
+the lion turns to meet the hunters the watchers shout with all their
+might 'Aoulikoum!' 'Look out!' At this signal the Arabs draw
+themselves up in battle array, if possible with their backs to a rock,
+and remain motionless till the lion has approached to within twenty or
+thirty paces; then the word of command is given, and each man, taking
+the best aim he can, fires, and then throws down his rifle to seize
+his pistol or yataghan. The lion is generally brought to the ground by
+this hail of bullets, but unless the heart or the brain have been
+pierced he will not be mortally wounded; the hunters therefore throw
+themselves upon him before he can rise, firing, stabbing right and
+left, blindly, madly, without aim, in the rage to kill. Sometimes in
+his mortal agony the lion will seize one of the hunters, and, drawing
+him under his own body, will torture him, almost as a cat does a mouse
+before killing it. Should this happen, the nearest relation present of
+the unhappy man will risk his own life in the attempt to rescue him,
+and at the same time to put an end to the lion. This is a perilous
+moment; when the lion sees the muzzle of the avenger's rifle pointed
+at his ear he will certainly crush in the head of his victim, even if
+he has not the strength left to spring on his assailant before the
+latter gives him the _coup de grace_.
+
+The Arabs in the neighbourhood of Constantine used, about fifty years
+ago, to send there for a famous French lion-hunter, Jules Gerard by
+name, to rid them of some unusually formidable foe. They never could
+understand his way of going to work--alone and by night--which
+certainly presented a great contrast to their methods. On one occasion
+a family of five--father, mother, and three young lions--were the
+aggressors. The Arab sheik, leading Monsieur Gerard to the river,
+showed him by their footprints on the banks where this fearful family
+were in the habit of coming to drink at night, but begged him not to
+sacrifice himself to such fearful odds, and either to return to the
+camp, or to take some of the tribe with him. Gerard declining both
+suggestions, the sheik was obliged to leave, as night was at hand, and
+the lions might appear at any moment. First he came near the hunter,
+and spoke these words low: 'Listen, I have a counsel to give thee. Be
+on thy guard against the Lord of the Mighty Head; he will lead the
+way. If thy hour has come, he will kill thee, and the others will eat
+thee.' Coming still nearer the sheik whispered: '_He_ has stolen my
+best mare and ten oxen.' 'Who? who has stolen them?' asked Monsieur
+Gerard. '_He_,' and the sheik pointed for further answer to the
+mountain. 'But name him, name the thief.' The answer was so low as to
+be barely audible: 'The Lord of the Mighty Head,' and with this
+ominous counsel the sheik departed, leaving Gerard to his vigil.
+
+As the night advanced the moon appeared, and lit up the narrow ravine.
+Judging by its position in the heavens it might be eleven o'clock,
+when the tramp of many feet was heard approaching, and several
+luminous points of reddish light were seen glittering through the
+thicket. The lions were advancing in single file, and the lights were
+their gleaming eyes. Instead of five there were only three, and the
+leader, though of formidable dimensions, did not come up to the
+description of the Lord of the Mighty Head. All three stopped to gaze
+in wonder at the man who dared to put himself in their path. Gerard
+took aim at the shoulder of the leader and fired. A fearful roar
+announced that the shot had told, and the wounded lion began painfully
+dragging himself towards his assailant, while the other two slunk away
+into the wood. He had got to within three paces when a second shot
+sent him rolling down into the bed of the stream. Again he returned to
+the charge, but a third ball right in the eye laid him dead. It was a
+fine, large, young lion of three years, with formidable teeth and
+claws. As agreed upon with the sheik, Monsieur Gerard immediately
+lit a bonfire in token of his victory, in answer to which shots were
+fired to communicate the good news to all the surrounding district. At
+break of day two hundred Arabs arrived to insult their fallen enemy,
+the sheik being the first to appear, with his congratulations, but
+also with the information that at the same hour that the young lion
+had been shot, the Lord of the Mighty Head had come down and taken
+away an ox. These devastations went on unchecked for more than a year,
+one man alone, Lakdar by name, being robbed of forty-five sheep, a
+mare, and twenty-nine oxen. Finally he lost heart, and sent to beg
+Monsieur Gerard to come back and deliver him if possible of his
+tormentor. For some nights the lion made no sign, but on the
+thirteenth evening Lakdar arrived at the lion-hunter's camp, saying:
+'The black bull is missing from the herd; to-morrow morning I shall
+find his remains and thou wilt slay the lion for me.'
+
+  [Illustration: 'ALL THREE STOPPED TO GAZE AT THE MAN WHO DARED TO
+    PUT HIMSELF IN THEIR PATH']
+
+Accordingly next morning at dawn Lakdar returned to announce that he
+had found the dead bull. Gerard rose and, taking his gun, followed the
+Arab. Through the densest of the forest they went, till at the foot of
+a narrow rocky ravine, close to some large olive trees, they found the
+partially devoured carcase. Monsieur Gerard cut some branches the
+better to conceal himself, and took up his position under one of the
+olive trees, there to await the approach of night, and with it the
+return of the lion to the spoil. Towards eight o'clock, when the
+feeble light of the new moon barely penetrated into the little glade,
+a branch was heard to crack at some distance. The lion-hunter rose
+and, shouldering his weapon, prepared to do battle. From about thirty
+paces distant came a low growl, and then a guttural sound, a sign of
+hunger with the lion, then silence, and presently an enormous lion
+stalked from the thicket straight towards the bull, and began licking
+it. At this moment Monsieur Gerard fired, and struck the lion within
+about an inch of his left eye. Roaring with pain, he reared himself
+up on end, when a second bullet right in the chest laid him on his
+back, frantically waving his huge paws in the air. Quickly reloading,
+Monsieur Gerard came close to the helpless monster, and while he was
+raising his great head from the ground fired two more shots, which
+laid the lion stone dead, and thus brought to an end the career of the
+'Lord of the Mighty Head.'
+
+
+
+
+_BUILDERS AND WEAVERS_
+
+
+No one can examine birds and their ways for long together without
+being struck by the wonderful neatness and cleverness of their
+proceedings. They make use of a great many different kinds of
+materials for their nests, and manage somehow to turn out a nest which
+not only will hold eggs, but is strong and of a pretty shape. Rotten
+twigs are, curiously enough, what they love best for the outside, and
+upon the twigs various substances are laid, according to the species
+and taste of the builder. The jay, for instance, collects roots and
+twists them into a firm mass, which he lays upon the twigs; the
+American starling uses tough wet rushes and coarse grass, and after
+they are matted together, somehow ties the nest on to reeds or a bush;
+while the missel thrush lines the casing of twigs with tree moss, or
+even hay. To these they often add tufts of wool, and lichen, and the
+whole is fastened together by a kind of clay. The favourite spot
+chosen by the missel thrush is the fork of a tree in an orchard, where
+lichens are large and plentiful enough to serve as a covering for the
+nests.
+
+Still, if the account given by Vaillant and Paterson is true, the
+sociable grosbeaks surpass all the other birds in skill and invention.
+They have been known to cover the trunks of trees with a huge kind of
+fluted umbrella, made of dry, fine grass, with the boughs of the trees
+poking through in various places. No doubt in the beginning the nest
+was not so large, but it is the custom of these birds to live
+together in clans, and each year fresh 'rooms' have to be added. When
+examined, the bird city was found to have many gates and regular
+streets of nests, each about two inches distant from the other. The
+structure was made of 'Boshman's' grass alone, but so tightly woven
+together that no rain could get through. The nests were all tucked in
+under the roof, which, by projecting, formed eaves, thus keeping the
+birds warm and dry. Sometimes the umbrella has been known to contain
+as many as three hundred separate nests, so it is no wonder that the
+tree at last breaks down with the weight, and the city has to be
+founded again elsewhere.
+
+Now in the nests of all these birds there has been a good deal of what
+we called 'building' and 'carpentry' when we are talking of our own
+houses and our own trades. But there are a whole quantity of birds
+spread over the world, who are almost exclusively weavers, and can
+form nests which hang down from the branch of a tree without any
+support. To this class belongs the Indian sparrow, which prefers to
+build in the tops of the very highest trees (especially on the Indian
+fig) and particularly on those growing by the river-side. He weaves
+together tough grass in the form of a bottle, and hangs it from a
+branch, so that it rocks to and fro, like a hammock. The Indian
+sparrow, which is easily tamed, does not like always to live with his
+family, so he divides his nest into two or three parts, and is careful
+to place its entrance underneath, so that it may not attract the
+notice of the birds of prey. In these nests glow-worms have frequently
+been found, carefully fastened into a piece of fresh clay, but whether
+the bird deliberately tries in this way to light up his dark nest, or
+whether he has some other use for the glow-worm, has never been found
+out. But it seems quite certain that he does not _eat_ it, as Sir
+William Jones once supposed.
+
+The Indian sparrow is a very clever little bird, and can be taught to
+do all sorts of tricks. He will catch a ring that is dropped into one
+of the deep Indian wells, before it reaches the water. He can pick the
+gold ornament neatly off the forehead of a young Hindu woman, or carry
+a note to a given place like a carrier pigeon. At least so it is said;
+but then very few people have even a bowing acquaintance with the
+Indian sparrow.
+
+
+
+
+_'MORE FAITHFUL THAN FAVOURED'_
+
+
+There never was a more faithful watch-dog than the great big-limbed,
+heavy-headed mastiff that guarded Sir Harry Lee's Manor-house,
+Ditchley, in Oxfordshire.[9] The sound of his deep growl was the
+terror of all the gipsies and vagrants in the county, and there was a
+superstition among the country people, that he was never known to
+sleep. Even if he was seen stretched out on the stone steps leading up
+to the front entrance of the house, with his massive head resting on
+his great fore-paws, at the sound of a footfall, however distant, his
+head would be raised, his ears fiercely cocked, and an ominous
+stiffening of the tail would warn a stranger that his movements were
+being closely watched, and that on the least suspicion of anything
+strange or abnormal in his behaviour, he would be called to account by
+Leo. Strangely enough, the mastiff had never been a favourite of his
+master's. The fact that dogs of his breed are useless for purposes of
+sport, owing to their unwieldy size and defective sense of smell, had
+prevented Sir Harry from taking much notice of him. He looked upon the
+mastiff merely as a watch-dog. The dog would look after him, longing
+to be allowed to join him in his walk, or to follow him when he rode
+out, through the lanes and fields round his house, but poor Leo's
+affection received little encouragement. So long as he guarded the
+house faithfully by day and night, that was all that was expected of
+him: and as in doing this he was only doing his duty, and fulfilling
+the purpose for which he was there, little notice was taken of him by
+any of the inmates of the house. His meals were supplied to him with
+unfailing regularity, for his services as insuring the safety of the
+house were fully recognised; but as Sir Harry had not shown him any
+signs of favour, the servants did not think fit to bestow unnecessary
+attention on him. So he lived his solitary neglected life, in summer
+and winter, by night and day, zealous in his master's interests, but
+earning little reward in the way of notice or affection.
+
+    [9] More about this gentleman and his dog may be read in
+    _Woodstock_, by Sir Walter Scott.
+
+One night, however, something occurred that suddenly altered the
+mastiff's position in the household, and from being a faithful slave,
+he all at once became the beloved friend and constant companion of Sir
+Harry Lee. It was in winter, and Sir Harry was going up to his bedroom
+as usual, about eleven o'clock. Great was his astonishment on opening
+the library door, to find the mastiff stretched in front of it. At
+sight of his master Leo rose, and, wagging his tail and rubbing his
+great head against Sir Harry's hand, he looked up at him as if anxious
+to attract his attention. With an impatient word Sir Harry turned
+away, and went up the oak-panelled staircase, Leo following closely
+behind him. When he reached his bedroom door, the dog tried to follow
+him into the room, and if Sir Harry had been a more observant man, he
+must have noticed a curious look of appeal in the dog's eyes, as he
+slammed the door in his face, ordering him in commanding tones to 'Go
+away!' an order which Leo did not obey. Curling himself up on the mat
+outside the door, he lay with his small deep-sunk eyes in eager
+watchfulness, fixed on the door, while his heavy tail from time to
+time beat an impatient tattoo upon the stone floor of the passage.
+
+Antonio, the Italian valet, whom Sir Harry had brought home with him
+from his travels, and whom he trusted absolutely, was waiting for his
+master, and was engaged in spreading out his things on the toilet
+table.
+
+'That dog is getting troublesome, Antonio,' said Sir Harry. 'I must
+speak to the keeper to-morrow, and tell him to chain him up at night
+outside the hall. I cannot have him disturbing me, prowling about the
+corridors and passages all night. See that you drive him away, when
+you go downstairs.'
+
+'Yes, signor,' replied Antonio, and began to help his master to
+undress. Then, having put fresh logs of wood on the fire, he wished
+Sir Harry good-night, and left the room. Finding Leo outside the door,
+the valet whistled and called gently to him to follow him; and, as the
+dog took no notice, he put out his hand to take hold of him by the
+collar. But a low growl and a sudden flash of the mastiff's teeth,
+warned the Italian of the danger of resorting to force. With a
+muttered curse he turned away, determined to try bribery where threats
+had failed. He thought that if he could secure a piece of raw meat
+from the kitchen, he would have no difficulty in inducing the dog to
+follow him to the lower regions of the house, where he could shut him
+up, and prevent him from further importuning his master.
+
+Scarcely had Antonio's figure disappeared down the passage, when the
+mastiff began to whine in an uneasy manner, and to scratch against his
+master's door. Disturbed by the noise, and astonished that his
+faithful valet had disregarded his injunctions, Sir Harry got up and
+opened the door, on which the mastiff pushed past him into the room,
+with so resolute a movement that his master could not prevent his
+entrance. The instant he got into the room, the dog's uneasiness
+seemed to disappear. Ceasing to whine, he made for the corner of the
+room where the bed stood in a deep alcove, and, crouching down, he
+slunk beneath it, with an evident determination to pass the night
+there. Much astonished, Sir Harry was too sleepy to contest the point
+with the dog, and allowed him to remain under the bed, without making
+any further attempt to dislodge him from the strange and unfamiliar
+resting-place he had chosen.
+
+When the valet returned shortly after with the piece of meat with
+which he hoped to tempt the mastiff downstairs, he found the mat
+deserted. He assumed that the dog had abandoned his caprice of being
+outside his master's door, and had betaken himself to his usual haunts
+in the basement rooms and passages of the house.
+
+Whether from the unaccustomed presence of the dog in his room, or from
+some other cause, Sir Harry Lee was a long time in going to sleep that
+night. He heard the different clocks in the house strike midnight, and
+then one o'clock; and as he lay awake watching the flickering light of
+the fire playing on the old furniture and on the dark panels of the
+wainscot, he felt an increasing sense of irritation against the dog,
+whose low, regular breathing showed that he, at any rate, was sleeping
+soundly. Towards two in the morning Sir Harry must have fallen into a
+deep sleep, for he was quite unconscious of the sound of stealthy
+steps creeping along the stone corridor and pausing a moment on the
+mat outside his room. Then the handle of the door was softly turned,
+and the door itself, moving on its well-oiled hinges, was gently
+pushed inward. In another moment there was a tremendous scuffle
+beneath the bed, and with a great bound the mastiff flung himself on
+the intruder, and pinned him to the floor. Startled by the unexpected
+sounds, and thoroughly aroused, Sir Harry jumped up, and hastily lit a
+candle. Before him on the floor lay Antonio, with the mastiff standing
+over him, uttering his fierce growls, and showing his teeth in a
+dangerous manner. Stealthily the Italian stole out his hand along the
+floor, to conceal something sharp and gleaming that had fallen from
+him, on the dog's unexpected onslaught, but a savage snarl from Leo
+warned him to keep perfectly still. Calling off the mastiff, who
+instantly obeyed the sound of his master's voice, though with
+bristling hair and stiffened tail he still kept his eyes fixed on the
+Italian, Sir Harry demanded from the valet the cause of his unexpected
+intrusion into his bedroom at that hour, and in that way. There was so
+much embarrassment and hesitation in Antonio's reply, that Sir Harry's
+suspicions were aroused. In the meantime the unusual sounds at that
+hour of the night had awakened the household. Servants came hurrying
+along the passage to their master's room. Confronted by so many
+witnesses, the Italian became terrified and abject, and stammered out
+such contradictory statements, that it was impossible to get at the
+truth of his story, and Sir Harry saw that the only course open to him
+was to have the man examined and tried by the magistrate.
+
+  [Illustration: 'AND PINNED HIM TO THE GROUND']
+
+At the examination the wretched valet confessed that he had entered
+his master's room with the intention of murdering and robbing him, and
+had only been prevented by the unexpected attack of the mastiff.
+
+Among the family pictures in the possession of the family of the Earls
+of Lichfield, the descendants of Sir Harry Lee, there is a full-length
+portrait of the knight with his hand on the head of the mastiff, and
+beneath this legend, 'More faithful than favoured.'
+
+
+
+
+_DOLPHINS, TURTLES, AND COD_
+
+Stories from Audubon
+
+From _Audubon's Life_, by Robert Buchanan. Sampson Low & Co.
+
+
+In the excellent life of Mr. Audubon, the American naturalist
+(published in 1868 by Sampson Low, Marston & Co.), some curious
+stories are to be found respecting the kinds of fish that he met with
+in his voyages both through the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.
+Audubon's remarks about the habits of dolphins are especially
+interesting, and will be read with pleasure by everybody who cares for
+'the sea and all that in them is.'
+
+Dolphins abound in the Gulf of Mexico and the neighbouring seas, and
+are constantly to be seen chasing flying fish, which are their food.
+Flying fish can swim more rapidly than the dolphins, which of course
+are far larger creatures; but if they find themselves much
+outnumbered, and in danger of being surrounded, they spread the fins
+that serve them for wings, and fly through the air for a short
+distance. At first this movement throws out the dolphins, who are
+unable to follow the example of their prey, but they soon contrive to
+keep up with the flying fish by giving great bounds into the air; and
+as the flying fish's powers are soon exhausted, it is not long before
+the hunt comes to an end and the dolphins seize the fish as they
+tumble into the sea.
+
+Sailors are fond of catching dolphins, and generally bait their hooks
+with a piece of shark's flesh. When the fish is taken, its friends
+stay round it till the last moment, only swimming away as the dolphin
+is hauled on board. For its size, which is generally about three feet
+long and has rarely been known to exceed four feet, the dolphin has a
+remarkably good appetite, and sometimes he eats so much that he is
+unable to escape from his enemy, the bottle-nosed porpoise. A dolphin
+that was caught in the Gulf of Mexico was opened by the sailors, and
+inside him were counted twenty-two flying fish, each one six or seven
+inches long, and all arranged quite neatly with their tails foremost.
+Before they have their dinner they are full of fun, and their
+beautiful blue and gold bodies may often be seen leaping and bounding
+and diving about the ship--a sight which the sailors always declare
+portends a gale. Indeed, the stories to which dolphins give rise are
+many and strange. The negroes believe that a silver coin, fried or
+boiled in the same water as the fish, will turn into copper if the
+dolphin is in a state unfit for food; but as no one can swear that he
+has ever seen the transmutation of the metal, it may be suspected that
+the tale was invented by the cook for the sake of getting an extra
+dollar.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+About eighty miles from the Peninsula of Florida are a set of low,
+sandy banks known as the _Tortuga_ or _Turtle Islands_, from the
+swarms of turtles which lay their eggs in the sand, and are eagerly
+sought for by traders.
+
+Turtles are of many sorts, but the green turtle is considered the
+best, and is boiled down into soup, which is both rich and
+strengthening. They are cautious creatures, and never approach the
+shore in the daylight, or without watching carefully for some time to
+see if the coast is indeed clear. They may be seen on quiet moonlight
+nights in the months of May and June, lying thirty or forty yards from
+the beach, listening intently, and every now and then making a loud
+hissing noise intended to frighten any enemies that may be lurking
+near. If their quick ears detect any sound, however faint, they
+instantly dive and swim to some other place; but if nothing is
+stirring, they land on the shore, and crawl slowly about with the aid
+of their flappers, until they find a spot that seems suitable for the
+hatching of their eggs, which often number two hundred, laid at one
+time. The operations are begun by the turtle scooping out a hole in
+the burning sand by means of her hind flappers, using them each by
+turns, and throwing up the sand into a kind of rampart behind her.
+This is done so quickly that in less than ten minutes she will often
+have dug a hole varying from eighteen inches to two feet. When the
+eggs are carefully placed in separate layers, the loose sand is laid
+over them, and the hole not only completely hidden but made to look
+exactly like the rest of the beach, so that no one could ever tell
+that the surface had been disturbed at all. Then the turtle goes away
+and leaves the hot sand to do the rest.
+
+In course of time the young turtles, hardly bigger than a
+five-shilling piece, leave their shells, and make their way to the
+water, unless, before they are hatched, their nest has been discovered
+by men, or by the cougars and other wild animals, who feed greedily on
+them. If they belong to the tribe of the green turtles, they will at
+once begin to seek for sea plants, and especially a kind of grass,
+which they bite off near the roots, so as to get the tenderest parts.
+If they are young hawk-bills, they will nibble the seaweed, and soon
+go on to crabs and shell-fish, and even little fishes. The loggerheads
+grow a sharp beak, which enables them to crack the great conch shells,
+and dig out the fish that lives inside, while the trunk turtle, which
+is often of an immense size but with a very soft body, loves
+sea-urchins and shell-fish. All of them can swim so fast that they
+often seem to be flying, and it needs much quickness of eye and hand
+to spear them in the water. Even to catch them on shore is a matter of
+great difficulty, and in general more than one man is required for the
+service. The turtle is raised up from behind by a man on his knee,
+pushing with all his might against her shoulder; but this has to be
+done with great caution, or else the hunter may get badly bitten. When
+the turtle is fully raised up, she is thrown over on her back, and,
+like a sheep in a similar position, can seldom recover herself without
+help. The turtles, when caught, are put into an enclosure of logs with
+a sandy or muddy bottom through which the tide flows, and here they
+are kept and fed by their captors till they are ready for the market.
+Unlike most creatures, their price is out of all proportion to their
+weight, and a loggerhead turtle weighing seven hundred pounds has been
+known to cost no more than a green turtle of thirty.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Early in May, and well into June, the seas extending northwards from
+Maine to Labrador are alive with ships just starting for the cod
+fishing. Their vessels are mostly small but well stocked, and a large
+part of the space below is filled with casks, some full of salt and
+others empty. These empty ones are reserved for the oil that is
+procured from the cod.
+
+Every morning, as soon as it is light, some of the crew of each ship
+enters a small boat, which can be sailed or rowed as is found
+necessary. When they reach the cod banks every man boards up part of
+his boat for the fish when caught, and then takes his stand at the end
+with two lines, baited at the opening of the season with salted
+mussels, and later with gannets or capelings. These lines are dropped
+into the sea on either side of the boat, and when the gunwale is
+almost touching the water and it is dangerous to put in any more fish,
+they give up work for the morning and return to the harbour. In
+general, fishing is a silent occupation, but cod fishers are rather a
+talkative race, and have bets with each other as to the amount of the
+'takes' of the respective crews. When they get back to their vessels,
+often anchored eight or ten miles away, they find that the men who
+have been left behind have set up long tables on deck, carried the
+salt barrels on shore, placed all ready the casks for the livers, and
+cleared the hold of everything but a huge wedge of salt for the
+salting. Then, after dinner, some of the men row back to the cod
+banks, while the others set about cleaning, salting, and packing the
+fish, so as to be quite finished when the men return from their second
+journey. It is almost always midnight before the work is done, and the
+men can turn in for their three hours' sleep.
+
+If, as often happens, the hauls have been very large, the supply soon
+threatens to become exhausted, so on Sunday the captain sails off for
+a fresh bank. Then, the men who are the laziest or most unskilful in
+the matter of fishing take out the cargo that has been already salted,
+and lay it out on scaffolds which have been set up on the rocks. When
+the sun has dried the fish for some time, they are turned over; and
+this process is repeated several times in the day. In the evening they
+are piled up into large stacks, and protected from the rain and wind.
+In July the men's work is in one way less hard than before, for this
+is the season when the capelings arrive to spawn upon the shores, and
+where capelings are, cod are sure to follow. Now great nets are used,
+with one end fastened to the land, and these nets will sometimes
+produce twenty or thirty thousand fish at a haul.
+
+With so many men engaged in the cod fishing, and considering the
+number of diseases to which cod are subject, it is perhaps quite as
+well that each fish should lay such a vast supply of eggs, though out
+of the eight million laid by one fish which have been counted, it is
+calculated that, from various causes, only about a hundred thousand
+come to maturity.
+
+
+
+
+_MORE ABOUT ELEPHANTS_
+
+From _The Wild Elephant_. Sir J. Emerson Tennent.
+
+
+Long, long ago, when the moon was still young, and some of the stars
+that we know best were only gradually coming into sight, the earth was
+covered all over with a tangle of huge trees and gigantic ferns, which
+formed the homes of all sorts of enormous beasts. There were no men,
+only great animals and immense lizards, whose skeletons may still be
+found embedded in rocks or frozen deep down among the Siberian
+marshes; for, after the period of fearful heat, when everything grew
+rampant, even in the very north, there came a time of equally intense
+cold, when every living creature perished in many parts of the world.
+
+When the ice which crushed down life on the earth began to melt, and
+the sun once more had power to pierce the thick cold mists that had
+shrouded the world, animals might have been seen slowly creeping about
+the young trees and fresh green pastures, but their forms were no
+longer the same as they once were. The enormous frames of all sorts of
+huge monsters, and the great lizard called the ichthyosaurus, had been
+replaced by smaller and more graceful creatures, who could move
+lightly and easily through this new world. But changed though it
+seemed to be, one beast still remained to tell the story of those
+strange old times, and that was the elephant.
+
+Now anybody who has ever stood behind a big, clumsy cart-horse going
+up a hill cannot fail to have been struck with its likeness to an
+elephant; and it is quite true that elephants and horses are nearly
+related. Of course in the East, where countries are so big and marches
+are so long, it is necessary to have an animal to ride of more
+strength and endurance than a horse, and so elephants, who are, when
+well treated, as gentle as they are strong, were very early trained as
+beasts of burden, or even as 'men-of-war.'
+
+In their wild condition they have a great many curious habits. They
+roam about the forests of India or Africa in herds, and each herd is a
+real family, who have had a common grandfather. The elephants are very
+particular as to the number of their herd; it is never less than ten,
+or more than twenty-one, but being very sociable they easily get on
+terms of civility with other herds, and several of these groups may be
+seen moving together towards some special pond or feeding ground. But
+friendly as they often are, each clan keeps itself as proudly distinct
+from the rest as if they were all Highlanders. Any unlucky elephant
+who has lost his own herd, and tries to attach himself to a new one,
+is scouted and beaten away by every member of the tribe, till, like a
+man who is punished and scorned for misfortunes he cannot help, the
+poor animal grows desperate, and takes to evil courses, and is hunted
+down under the name of 'a rogue.'
+
+Elephants have a great idea of law and order, and carefully choose a
+leader who is either strong enough or clever enough to protect the
+herd against its enemies. Even a female has sometimes been chosen, if
+her wisdom has been superior to that of the rest; but male or female,
+the leader once fixed upon, the herd never fails to give him absolute
+obedience, and will suffer themselves to be killed in their efforts to
+save his life.
+
+  [Illustration: 'LONG, LONG AGO.' THE ELEPHANT DREAMS OF HIS OLD
+    COMPANIONS]
+
+As everyone knows, during the dry season in India water becomes very
+scarce, and even the artificial tanks that have been built for
+reservoirs are very soon empty. About the middle of this century, an
+English officer, Major Skinner by name, had drawn up to rest on the
+embankment of a small Indian tank, which, low though it was,
+contained the only water to be found for a great distance. On three
+sides of the tank there was a clearing, but on the fourth lay a very
+thick wood, where the herd lay encamped all day, waiting for darkness
+to fall, so that they might all go to drink. Major Skinner knew the
+habits of elephants well, and what to expect of them, so he sent all
+his natives to sleep, and climbed himself into a large tree that
+sheltered the tank at one corner. However, it appeared that the
+elephants were unusually cautious that night, for he sat in his tree
+for two hours before a sound was heard, though they had been lively
+enough as long as the sun was shining.
+
+Suddenly a huge elephant forced his way through the thickest part of
+the forest, and advanced slowly to the tank, his ears at full cock,
+and his eyes glancing stealthily round. He gazed longingly at the
+water for some minutes, but did not attempt to drink--perhaps he felt
+it would be a mean advantage to take of his comrades--and then he
+quietly retraced his steps backwards till he had put about a hundred
+yards between himself and the water, when five elephants came out of
+the jungle and joined him. These he led forward, listening carefully
+as before, and placed them at certain spots where they could command a
+view both of the open country and the forest. This done, and the
+safety of the others provided for, he went to fetch the main body of
+the herd, which happened to be four or five times as large as usual.
+Silently, as if preparing for an assault, the whole of this immense
+body marched up to where the scouts were standing, when a halt was
+signalled, so that the leader might for the last time make sure that
+no hidden danger, in the shape of man, lion, or tiger, awaited them.
+Then permission was given, and with a joyful toss of their trunks in
+the air, in they dashed, drinking, wallowing, and rolling over with
+delight, till one would have thought it had been years since they had
+tasted a drop of water, or known the pleasures of a bath.
+
+From his perch in the tree Major Skinner had been watching with
+interest the movements of the herd, and when he saw that they had
+really had their fill, he gently broke a little twig and threw it on
+the ground. It seemed hardly possible that such a tiny sound could
+reach the ears of those great tumbling, sucking bodies, but in one
+instant they were all out of the tank, and tearing towards the forest,
+almost carrying the little ones between them.
+
+Of course it is not always that elephants can find tanks without
+travelling many hundreds of miles after them, and on these occasions
+their wonderful sagacity comes to their aid. They will pause on the
+banks of some dried-up river, now nothing but a sandy tract, and feel
+instinctively that underneath that sand is the water for which they
+thirst. But then, how to get at it? The elephants know as well as any
+engineer that if they tried to dig a hole straight down, the weight of
+their bodies would pull down the whole side of the pit with them, so
+that is of no use. In order to get round this difficulty, long
+experience has taught them that they must make one side to their well
+a gentle slope, and when this is done they can wait with perfect
+comfort for the water, whose appearance on the surface is only a
+question of time.
+
+  [Illustration: THE ELEPHANT FALLS ON HIS KNEES BEFORE THE LITTLE
+    SCOTCH TERRIER]
+
+Much might be written about the likes and dislikes of elephants, which
+seem as a rule to be as motiveless as the likes and dislikes of human
+beings. Till they are tamed and treated kindly by some particular
+person, elephants show a decided objection to human beings, and in
+Ceylon have a greater repugnance to a white skin than to a brown one.
+In fact, they are shy of anything new or strange, but will put up with
+any animal to which they are accustomed. Elks, pigs, deer, and
+buffaloes are their feeding companions, and the elephants take no more
+notice of their presence than if they were so many canaries. Indeed,
+as far as can be gathered, the elephant is much more afraid of the
+little domestic animals with which it is quite unacquainted than of
+the huge vegetable-eating beasts with which both it and its
+forefathers were on intimate terms. Goats and sheep it eyes with
+annoyance; they are new creatures, and were never seen in jungles or
+forests; but, bad as they might be, dogs, the shadows of men, were
+worse still. They were so quick, so lively, and had such hideous high
+voices, which they were always using, not keeping them for special
+occasions like any self-respecting quadruped. Really they might almost
+as well be parrots with their incessant chatter. But of all kinds of
+dogs, surely the one called a Scotch terrier was the most alarming and
+detestable. One day an animal of this species actually seized the
+trunk of an elephant in its teeth, and the elephant was so surprised
+and frightened that it fell on its knees at once. At this the dog was
+a little frightened too, and let go, but recovered itself again as the
+elephant rose slowly to its feet, and prepared to charge afresh. The
+elephant, not knowing what to make of it, backed in alarm, hitting out
+at the dog with its front paws, but taking care to keep his wounded
+trunk well beyond its reach. At last, between fright and annoyance he
+lost his head completely, and would have fairly run away if the keeper
+had not come in and put a stop to the dog's fun.
+
+If AEsop had known elephants--or Scotch terriers--he might have made a
+fable out of this; but they had not visited Greece in his day.
+
+
+
+
+_BUNGEY_
+
+From Jesse's _British Dogs_.
+
+
+During the reigns of Queen Elizabeth and James, there lived a brave
+and accomplished knight called Sir John Harington, who had been
+knighted on the field of battle by the famous Earl of Essex, and had
+translated into English a long poem, by an Italian called Ariosto. But
+busy though he was in so many ways, Sir John still had time to spare
+for his 'raw dogge' Bungey, and in the year 1608 he writes a long
+letter to Prince Henry, elder brother of Charles I., full of the
+strange doings of his favourite. Bungey seems to have been used by Sir
+John as a sort of carrier pigeon, and he tells how he would go from
+Bath to Greenwich Palace, to 'deliver up to the cowrte there such
+matters as were entrusted to his care.' The nobles of the court made
+much of him, and sometimes gave him errands of their own, and it was
+never told to their 'Ladie Queen, that this messenger did ever blab
+ought concerning his highe truste, as others have done in more special
+matters.' More wonderful even than this was his behaviour concerning
+two sacks of wheat which Bungey had been commissioned by Sir John's
+servant Combe, to carry from Bath to his own house at Kelston, a few
+miles distant. The sacks were tied round the dog's body by cords, but
+on the way the cords got loose, and Bungey, clever though he was,
+could not tie them up again. However he was not to be beaten, and
+hiding one 'flasket' in some bushes that grew near by, he bore the
+other in his teeth to Kelston, and then returning, fetched the hidden
+one out of the rushes and arrived with it in good time for dinner.
+Sir John is plainly rather afraid that Prince Henry may not quite
+believe this instance of sagacity, for he adds, 'Hereat your Highnesse
+may perchance marvell and doubte; but we have living testimonie of
+those who wroughte in the fields, and espied his work, and now live to
+tell they did muche long to plaie the dogge, and give stowage to the
+wine themselves, but they did refraine, and watchede the passinge of
+this whole business.'
+
+As may be well guessed, the fame of Bungey's talents soon spread, and
+then, as now, there were many dog stealers in the country. On one
+occasion, as Sir John was riding from Bath to London, Bungey was
+tempted to leave his side by the sight of a pond swarming with wild
+duck or mallard. Unluckily other people besides Bungey thought it good
+sport to hunt wild fowl, and did not mind seizing valuable dogs, so
+poor Bungey was caught and bound, till it could be settled who would
+give the highest price for him.
+
+At last his captors decided that they would take him to London, which
+was not very far off, and trust to chance for finding a buyer. As it
+happened, the Spanish Ambassador was on the look out for a dog of that
+very kind, and he was so pleased with Bungey, that he readily agreed
+to give the large sum asked by the men who brought him. Now Bungey was
+a dog who always made the best of things, and as Sir John tells the
+Prince, 'suche was the courte he did pay to the Don, that he was no
+lesse in good likinge there than at home.' In fact, everybody grew so
+fond of him, that when after six weeks Sir John discovered where he
+was and laid claim to him, no one in the house could be prevailed on
+to give him up. Poor Sir John, who, as we know, was very much attached
+to Bungey, was at his wit's end what to do, when it suddenly occurred
+to him to let the dog himself prove who was his real master. So,
+having the Ambassador's leave to what he wished in the matter, he
+called all the company together at dinner-time and bade Bungey go
+into the hall where dinner was already served, and bring a pheasant
+from the dish. This, as Sir John says, 'created much mirthe; but much
+more, when he returned at my commandment to the table, and put it
+again in the same cover.' After such a proof there was no more to be
+said, and Sir John was allowed to be the dog's master. But Bungey's
+life was not destined to be a very long one, and his death was strange
+and sudden. As he and his master were once more on the road from
+London to Bath on their return journey, he began jumping up on the
+horse's neck, and 'was more earneste in fawninge and courtinge my
+notice, than what I had observed for time backe; and after my chidinge
+his disturbing my passinge forwardes, he gave me some glances of such
+affection as moved me to cajole him; but alas! he crept suddenly into
+a thorny brake, and died in a short time.'
+
+  [Illustration: BUNGEY AT THE SPANISH AMBASSADOR'S HOUSE]
+
+It is impossible to guess what kind of illness caused the death of
+poor Bungey, but it is pleasant to think that Sir John never forgot
+him, and also loved to talk of him to his friends. 'Now let Ulysses
+praise his dogge Argus,' he writes to Prince Henry, 'or Tobit be led
+by that dogge whose name doth not appear; yet could I say such things
+of my Bungey as might shame them both, either for good faith, clear
+wit, or wonderful deedes; to say no more than I have said of his
+bearing letters to London and Greenwich, more than a hundred miles. As
+I doubt not but your Highness would love my dogge, if not myselfe, I
+have been thus tedious in his storie; and again saie, that of all the
+dogges near your father's courte, not one hathe more love, more
+diligence to please, or less paye for pleasinge, than him I write of.'
+
+
+
+
+_LIONS AND THEIR WAYS_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+Although it would not be safe to put one's self into the power of a
+lion, trusting to its generosity to make friends, there are a great
+many stories of the kindness of lions to other creatures which are
+perfectly true. One day, more than a hundred years ago, a lion cub
+only three months old was caught in one of the great forests near the
+river Senegal, and brought to a Frenchman as a gift. The Frenchman,
+who was fond of animals, undertook to train it, and as the cub was
+very gentle and quiet this was easily done. He soon grew very fond of
+his master, and enjoyed being petted both by him and his friends, and
+what was more strange in a beast whose forefathers had passed all
+their lives in solitude, the lion hated being by himself. The more the
+merrier was clearly _his_ motto, and whether the company consisted of
+dogs, cats, ducks, sheep, geese, or monkeys (which were his
+bedfellows), or men and women, did not matter to him; and you may
+imagine his joy, when one night as he went to bed he found two little
+new-born pups in his straw. He was quite as pleased as if he had been
+their mother; indeed he would hardly let the mother go near them, and
+when one of them died, he showed his grief in every possible way, and
+became still more attached to its brother.
+
+After six months the lion, now more than a year old, was sent off to
+France, still with the little pup for company. At first his keepers
+thought that the strangeness of everything would make him frightened
+and savage, but he took it quite calmly and was soon allowed to roam
+about the ship as he pleased. Even when he landed at Havre, he only
+had a rope attached to his collar, and so he was brought to
+Versailles, the pup trotting happily by his side. Unfortunately,
+however, the climate of Europe did not agree with the dog as with the
+lion, for he gradually wasted away and died, to the terrible grief of
+his friend. Indeed he was so unhappy that another dog was put into the
+cage to make up for the lost one, but this dog was not used to lions,
+and only knew that they were said to be savage beasts, so he tried to
+hide himself. The lion, whose sorrow, as often happens, only made him
+irritable and cross, was provoked by the dog's want of confidence in
+his kindness, and just gave him one pat with his paw which killed him
+on the spot. But he still continued so sad, that the keepers made
+another effort, and this time the dog behaved with more sense, and
+coaxed the lion into making friends. The two lived happily together
+for many years, and the lion recovered some of his spirits, but he
+never forgot his first companion, or was quite the same lion again.
+
+  [Illustration: 'THE HOTTENTOT NOTICED A HUGE LION LYING IN THE
+    WATER']
+
+Many hundreds of miles south of Senegal a Hottentot who lived in
+Namaqualand was one evening driving down a herd of his master's
+cattle, to drink in a pool of water, which was fenced in by two steep
+walls of rock. It had been a particularly hot summer, and water was
+scarce, so the pool was lower than usual, and it was not until the
+whole herd got close to the brink, that the Hottentot noticed a huge
+lion, lying right in the water, preparing to spring. The Hottentot,
+thinking as well as his fright would let him think at all, that
+anything would serve as supper for the lion, dashed straight through
+the herd, and made as fast as he could for some trees at a little
+distance. But a low roar behind him told him that he had been wrong in
+his calculations, and that the lion was of opinion that man was nicer
+than bull. So he fled along as quickly as his trembling legs would let
+him, and just reached one of the tree aloes in which some steps had
+been cut by the natives, as the lion bounded into the air. However the
+man swung himself out of his enemy's range, and the lion fell flat
+upon the ground. Now the branches of the tree were covered with
+hundreds of nests of a kind of bird called the Sociable Grosbeak, and
+it was to get these nests that the natives had cut in the smooth trunk
+the steps which had proved the salvation of the Hottentot. Behind the
+shelter of the nests the Hottentot cowered, hoping that when he was no
+longer seen, the lion would forget him and go in search of other prey.
+But the lion seemed inclined to do nothing of the sort. For a long
+while he walked round and round the tree, and when he got tired of
+that he lay down, resolved to tire the man out. The Hottentot hearing
+no sound, peeped cautiously out, to see if his foe was still there,
+and almost tumbled down in terror to meet the eyes of the lion glaring
+into his. So the two remained all through the night and through the
+next day, but when sunset came again the lion could bear his dreadful
+thirst no longer, and trotted off to the nearest spring to drink. Then
+the Hottentot saw his chance, and leaving his hiding place he ran like
+lightning to his home, which was only a mile distant. But the lion did
+not yield without a struggle; and traces were afterwards found of his
+having returned to the tree, and then scented the man to within three
+hundred yards of his hut.
+
+
+
+
+_THE HISTORY OF JACKO I._
+
+
+The ship 'Roxalana' of Marseilles lay anchored in the Bay of Loando,
+which as we all know is situated in South Guinea. The 'Roxalana' was a
+merchant vessel, and a brisk traffic had been going on for some time
+with the exchange of the European goods with which the ship had been
+laden, for ivory and other native produce. All hands were very busy
+getting on board the various provisions and other stores needed for a
+long voyage, for it was in the days of sailing vessels only, and it
+would be some time before they could hope to return to Marseilles.
+
+Now the captain of the 'Roxalana' was a mighty hunter, and seeing that
+all was going on well under the first officer's direction, he took his
+gun and a holiday and went up country for one more day's sport.
+
+He was as successful as he was brave, and he had the great good luck
+to meet a tiger, a young hippopotamus, and a boa constrictor. All
+these terrible creatures fell before the unerring aim of the Provencal
+Nimrod, and after so adventurous a morning's work the captain
+naturally began to feel tired and hungry, so he sat down under the
+shade of some trees to rest and have some lunch.
+
+He drew a flask of rum out of one pocket, and having uncorked it
+placed it on his right side; from his other pocket he produced a huge
+guava, which he laid on his left side, and finally he drew a great
+wedge of ship biscuit from his game bag and put it between his knees.
+Then he took out his tobacco pouch and began to fill his pipe so as
+to have it ready at hand when he had finished his meal.
+
+  [Illustration: ANNOYANCE OF THE CAPTAIN ON FINDING HIS FLASK OF RUM
+    UPSET]
+
+Imagine his surprise when, having filled his pipe, he found the flask
+had been upset and the guava had disappeared!
+
+I am afraid the captain made use of some very strong language, but
+there was nothing for it but to make the best of the biscuit, the sole
+relic of his feast. As he munched it he warily turned his head from
+side to side, watching for the thief, when all of a sudden something
+fell upon his head. The captain put up his hand and found--the skin of
+his guava. Then he raised his eyes and saw a monkey dancing for joy at
+his own pranks in the tree just above him.
+
+As I have already shown the captain was an excellent shot. Without
+stirring from his seat, he took up his gun and with a shot snapped the
+end of the branch on which his persecutor was sitting.
+
+Down came branch and monkey, and the captain at once captured the
+latter before it had time to recover from the surprise of its rapid
+fall.
+
+He was small and quite young, only half grown, but of a rather rare
+kind, as the captain, who had an ever-ready eye to the main chance, at
+once perceived.
+
+'Ah ha!' said he, 'this little fellow will be worth fifty francs if
+he's worth a farthing by the time we get back to Marseilles.'
+
+So saying he popped the monkey into his game-bag and buttoned it
+carefully up. Then, feeling that a piece of biscuit was not quite a
+sufficient lunch after the fatigues of his morning's sports, he
+retraced his steps and returned to his ship in company with his
+monkey, whom he named 'Jacko.'
+
+Before leaving Loando the captain, who was fond of pets, bought a
+beautiful white cockatoo with a saffron crest and jet black beak.
+'Cataqua' (that was his harmonious name) was indeed a lovely creature
+and extremely accomplished into the bargain. He spoke French,
+English, and Spanish equally well, and sang 'God save the King,' the
+'Marseillaise,' and the Spanish National Anthem with great perfection.
+
+The aptitude for languages made him a ready pupil, and his vocabulary
+was largely increased by daily association with the crew of the
+'Roxalana,' so that before they had been very long at sea Cataqua
+swore freely in the purest Provencal, to the delight and admiration of
+his captain.
+
+The captain was very fond of his two pets, and every morning, after
+inspecting the crew and giving each man his orders for the day, he
+would go up to Cataqua's cage, followed by Jacko, and give the
+cockatoo a lesson. When this was well said he would reward his pupil
+by sticking a lump of sugar between the wires of the cage, a reward
+which delighted Cataqua whilst it filled Jacko with jealousy.
+
+He too loved sugar, and the moment the captain's back was turned he
+would draw near the cage and pull and pinch till the lump of sugar
+generally changed its destination, to the despair of Cataqua, who,
+crest erect and with brandished claw, rent the air with shrieks of
+rage mingled with angry oaths.
+
+Jacko meanwhile stood by affecting an innocent air and gently sucking
+the sugar which he had stowed away in one of his pouches. Unluckily
+none of Cataqua's owners had taught him to cry 'stop thief' and he
+soon realised that if Jacko were to be punished he must see to it
+himself.
+
+So one day, when the monkey after safely abstracting the sugar pushed
+a paw between the bars of the cage to gather up some remaining crumbs,
+Cataqua, who was gently swinging, head down, and apparently
+unconscious of what was going on, suddenly caught Jacko's thumb in his
+beak and bit it to the bone.
+
+Jacko uttered a piercing shriek, rushed to the rigging and climbed as
+far as he could, when he paused, clinging on by three paws and
+piteously brandishing the fourth in the air.
+
+Dinner-time came, and the captain whistled for Jacko, but contrary to
+all customs no Jacko came. The captain whistled again, and this time
+he thought he heard an answering sound which seemed to come from the
+sky. He raised his eyes and beheld Jacko still waving his injured paw.
+Then began an exchange of signals, with the result that Jacko firmly
+refused to come down. Now the captain had trained his crew to habits
+of implicit obedience and had no notion of having his orders resisted
+by a monkey, so he took his speaking trumpet and called for Double
+Mouth.
+
+Double Mouth was the cook's boy, and he had well earned his nickname
+by the manner in which he took advantage of his culinary position to
+make one meal before the usual dinner hour without its interfering in
+the least with his enjoyment of a second at the proper time. At the
+captain's call Double Mouth climbed on deck from the cook's galley and
+timidly approached his chief.
+
+The captain, who never wasted words on his subordinates, pointed to
+Jacko, and Double Mouth at once began to give chase with an activity
+which proved that the captain had chosen well. As a matter of fact
+Jacko and Double Mouth were dear friends, the bond of sympathy which
+united them being one of greediness, for many a nice morsel Jacko had
+to thank the cook's boy for. So when the monkey saw who was coming,
+instead of trying to escape him he ran to meet him, and in a few
+minutes the two friends, one in the other's arms, returned to the deck
+where the captain awaited them.
+
+The captain's one treatment for wounds of all kinds consisted of a
+_compress_ steeped in some spirit, so he at once dipped a piece of rag
+in rum and bandaged the patient's thumb with it. The sting of the
+alcohol on the wound made Jacko dance with pain, but noticing that
+the moment the captain's back was turned Double Mouth rapidly
+swallowed the remains of the liquid in which the rag had been dipped,
+he realised that however painful as a dressing it might possibly be
+agreeable to the palate. He stretched out his tongue and very
+delicately touched the bandage with its tip. It was certainly rather
+nice, and he licked more boldly. By degrees the taste grew on him, and
+he ended by putting his thumb, bandage and all, into his mouth and
+sucking it bodily.
+
+The result was that (the captain having ordered the bandage to be
+wetted every ten minutes) by the end of a couple of hours Jacko began
+to blink and to roll his head, and as the treatment continued he had
+at length to be carried off by Double Mouth, who laid him on his own
+bed.
+
+Jacko slept without stirring for some hours. When he woke the first
+thing which met his eyes was Double Mouth busy plucking a fowl. This
+was a new sight, but Jacko seemed to be particularly struck by it on
+this occasion. He got up from the bed and came near, his eyes steadily
+fixed on the fowl, and carefully watched how the whole operation
+proceeded. When it was ended, feeling his head a little heavy still,
+he went on deck to take the air.
+
+The weather was so settled and the wind so favourable that the captain
+thought it only a waste to keep the poultry on board alive too long,
+so he gave orders that a bird should be served daily for his dinner in
+addition to his usual rations. Soon after a great cackling was heard
+amongst the hencoops and Jacko climbed down from the yard where he was
+perched at such a rate that one might have thought he was hastening to
+the rescue. He tore into the kitchen, where he found Double Mouth
+already plucking a newly killed fowl, till not an atom of down was
+left on it.
+
+Jacko showed the deepest interest in the process, and on returning to
+deck he, for the first time since his accident, approached Cataqua's
+cage, carefully keeping beyond range of his beak however. After
+strolling several times round, he at last seized a favourable moment
+and clutching hold of one of Cataqua's tail feathers, pulled hard till
+it came out regardless of the cockatoo's screams and flappings. This
+trifling experiment caused Jacko the greatest delight, and he fell to
+dancing on all fours, jumping up and falling back on the same spot
+which all his life was the way in which he showed his supreme content
+about anything.
+
+Meantime the ship had long lost sight of land and was in full sail in
+mid ocean. It appeared unnecessary to the captain, therefore, to keep
+his cockatoo shut up in a cage, so he opened the door and released the
+prisoner, there being no means of escaping beyond the ship. Cataqua
+instantly took advantage of his freedom to climb to the top of one of
+the masts, where, with every appearance of rapture, he proceeded to
+regale the ship's company with his entire large and varied vocabulary,
+making quite as much noise by himself as all the five-and-twenty
+sailors who formed his audience.
+
+Whilst this exhibition was taking place on deck a different scene was
+being enacted below. Jacko had as usual approached Double Mouth at
+plucking time, but this time the lad, who had noticed the extreme
+attention with which the monkey watched him, thought that possibly
+there might be some latent talent in him which it was a pity not to
+develop.
+
+Double Mouth was one of those prompt and energetic persons who waste
+no time between an idea and its execution. Accordingly he quietly
+closed the door, put a whip into his pocket in case of need, and
+handed Jacko the duck he was about to pluck, adding a significant
+touch to the handle of the whip as a hint.
+
+But Jacko needed neither hint nor urging. Without more ado he took the
+duck, placed it between his knees as he had seen his tutor do, and
+fell to with a will. As he found the feathers giving place to down
+and the down to skin, he became quite enthusiastic, so much so that
+when his task was done he fell to dancing for joy exactly as he had
+done the day before by Cataqua's cage.
+
+Double Mouth was overjoyed for his part. He only regretted not having
+utilised Jacko's talents sooner, but he determined to do so regularly
+in the future. Next day the same operation took place, and on the
+third day, Double Mouth, recognising Jacko's genius, took off his own
+apron and tied it round his pupil, to whom from that moment he
+resigned the charge of preparing the poultry for the spit. Jacko
+showed himself worthy of the confidence placed in him, and by the end
+of a week he had quite distanced his teacher in skill and quickness.
+
+Meantime the ship was nearing the Equator. It was a peculiarly sultry
+day, when the very sky seemed to sink beneath its own weight; not a
+creature was on deck but the man at the helm and Cataqua in the
+shrouds. The captain had flung himself into his hammock and was
+smoking his pipe whilst Double Mouth fanned him with a peacock's tail.
+Even Jacko seemed overcome by the heat, and instead of plucking his
+fowl as usual, he had placed it on a chair, taken off his apron, and
+appeared lost in slumber or meditation.
+
+His reverie, however, did not last long. He opened his eyes, glanced
+round him, picked up a feather which he first stuck carelessly in his
+mouth and then dropped, and at length began to slowly climb the ladder
+leading on deck, pausing and loitering at each step. He found the deck
+deserted, which apparently pleased him, as he gave two or three little
+jumps whilst he glanced about to look for Cataqua, who with much
+gesticulation was singing 'God save the King' at the top of his voice.
+
+Then Jacko seemed to forget his rival's existence altogether, and
+began lazily to climb the rigging on the opposite side, where he
+indulged in various exercises, swinging by his tail head down, and
+generally appearing to have only come with a view to gymnastics. At
+length, seeing that Cataqua took no notice of him, he quietly sidled
+that way, and at the very moment that the performance of the English
+National Anthem was at its height, he seized the singer firmly with
+his left hand just where the wings join the body.
+
+Cataqua uttered a wild note of terror, but no one was sufficiently
+awake to hear it.
+
+'By all the winds of heaven!' exclaimed the captain suddenly. 'Here's
+a phenomenon--snow under the Equator!'
+
+'No,' said Double Mouth, 'that's not snow, that's--ah, you rascal!'
+and he rushed towards the companion.
+
+'Well, what is it then?' asked the captain, rising in his hammock.
+
+'What is it?' cried Double Mouth from the top of the ladder. 'It's
+Jacko plucking Cataqua!'
+
+The captain was on deck in two bounds, and with a shout of rage roused
+the whole crew from their slumbers.
+
+'Well!' he roared to Double Mouth, 'what are you about, standing
+there? Come, be quick!'
+
+Double Mouth did not wait to be told twice, but was up the rigging
+like a squirrel, only the faster he climbed the faster Jacko plucked,
+until when the rescuer reached the spot it was a sadly bare bird which
+he tore from Jacko's vindictive hands and carried back to his master.
+
+Needless to say that Jacko was in dire disgrace after this exploit.
+However, in time he was forgiven and often amused the captain and crew
+with his pranks.
+
+When the 'Roxalana' reached Marseilles after a quick and prosperous
+voyage, he was sold for seventy-five francs to Eugene Isabey the
+painter, who gave him to Flero for a Turkish hookah, who in his turn
+exchanged him for a Greek gun with Decamps.
+
+
+
+
+_SIGNORA AND LORI_
+
+Translated from _Deutsche Blaetter_, 1867. No. 10.
+
+
+A gentleman living at Guestrow, in Mecklenburg, who was very fond of
+animals, possessed a fine parrot, which had beautiful plumage, and
+could talk better than most of his kind. Besides the parrot, he had a
+poodle, called Signora Patti, after the great singer, whom the
+gentleman had once heard when he was upon a visit to Rostock; after
+his return home he bestowed the name upon his dear poodle.
+
+Under the tuition of her master, the poodle began to be an artist in
+her way. There was no trick performed by dogs too difficult for her to
+learn. The parrot, whose name was Lori, paid the greatest attention
+whilst the Signora's lessons were going on, and he soon had all the
+vocabulary, which the Signora carried in her head, not only in his
+memory, but on his tongue.
+
+When the dog was told by her master to 'go to the baker,' then Lori
+could croak out the words also. Signora Patti would hasten to fetch
+the little basket, seat herself before her master, and, looking up at
+him with her wise eyes, scrape gently upon the floor with her paw,
+which signified: 'Please put in the money.' Her master dropped in a
+few coins, the Signora ran quickly to the baker with the basket, and
+brought it back filled with little cakes; placing it before her
+master, she awaited her reward, a good share of the dainties.
+
+Often, for a variety in the lessons, she had to go to the baker
+without money; then her master simply gave the order, 'on tick!' and
+the Signora, who knew that the cakes would be sent, obeyed the command
+at once.
+
+  [Illustration: LORI REFUSES TO SHARE WITH THE SIGNORA]
+
+The parrot made a droll use of these practisings, turning to account
+his knowledge of speech in the slyest way. If he found himself alone
+with the poodle, who was perhaps comfortably stretched on her cushion,
+Lori would cry--imitating his master's voice--as if he quite
+understood the joke: 'Go out!' Poor Patti would get up in obedience to
+the order and slink out of the door with her ears drooping. And
+immediately Lori would whistle, just in the tone used by his master,
+and the Signora then returned joyfully into the room.
+
+But it was not only for pastime that Lori exercised his gift; the
+cunning bird used it for the benefit of his greedy beak. It began to
+happen often to the master to find that his private account-book,
+carefully kept in the smallest details, did not agree well with that
+of his neighbour the baker. The Signora, declared the baker, had
+become most accomplished in the art of running up a long bill, and
+always, of course, at her master's orders. Only he, the master, when
+he looked over the reckoning, growled to himself: 'My neighbour is a
+rogue; he chalks up the amount double.'
+
+How very much was he astonished, then, and how quickly were his
+suspicions turned into laughter, when he beheld, through a half-open
+door, the following absurd scene.
+
+It was one fine morning, and Lori sat upon the top of his cage,
+calling out in his shrillest tones: 'Signora, Signora!' The poodle
+hastened to present herself before him, wagging her tail, and Lori
+continued, 'Go to the baker.' The Signora fetched the little basket
+from its place, and put it before her tyrant, scratching her paw on
+the floor to ask for money.
+
+'On tick!' was Lori's prompt and brief remark; the Signora seized the
+basket, and rushed out of the door. Before long she returned, laid the
+basket, full of the little cakes, before the parrot, and looked with a
+beseeching air for the reward of her toil.
+
+But the wicked Lori received her with a sharp 'get out,' putting her
+to flight, and proceeded to enjoy his ill-gotten gains in solitude.
+
+
+
+
+_OF THE LINNET, POPINJAY, OR PARROT, AND OTHER BIRDS THAT CAN SPEAK_
+
+
+The linnets be in manner the best birds of all others, howbeit, they
+be very docible. Do they will whatsoever they are taught and bidden,
+not only with their voice, but also with their feet and bills, as if
+they were hands. In the territory about Arelate (Arles) there is a
+bird called Taurus (because it loweth like a bull or cow, for
+otherwise a small bird it is). There is another also named Anthus,
+which likewise resembleth the neighing of horses; and if haply by the
+approach of horses they be driven from their grass whereof they feed,
+they will seem to neigh, and flying unto them, chase them away, and to
+be revenged of them again. But above all other birds of the air, the
+parrots pass for counterfeiting a man's voice, insomuch as they will
+seem to parle and prate our very speech. This fowl cometh out of the
+Indies; it is all the body over green, only it hath a collar about the
+neck of vermilion red, different from the rest of her feathers. The
+parrot can skill to salute emperors, and bid good-morrow: yea, and to
+pronounce what words she heareth. She loveth wine well, and when she
+hath drunk freely, is very pleasant and playful. She hath an head as
+hard as is her beak. When she learns to speak, she must be beaten
+about the head with a rod of iron; for otherwise she careth for no
+blows. When she taketh her flight down from any place, she lighteth
+upon her bill, and resteth thereupon, and by that means saveth her
+feet, which by nature are but weak and feeble, and so carrieth her
+own weight more lightly.
+
+There is a certain pie, of nothing so great reckoning and account as
+the parrot, because she is not far set, but here by near at hand:
+howbeit, she pronounces that which is taught her more plainly and
+distinctly than the other. These take a love to the words that they
+speak; for they not only learn them as a lesson, but they learn them
+with a delight and pleasure, insomuch that a man shall find them
+studying thereupon, and conning the said lesson; and by their careful
+thinking upon that which they learn they show plainly how mindful and
+intentive they be thereto. It is for certain known that they have died
+for very anger and grief that they could not learn to pronounce some
+hard words; as also unless they hear the same words repeated often
+unto them, their memory is so shittle, they will soon forget the same
+again. If they miss a word and have lost it, they will seek to call it
+again to remembrance; and if they fortune to hear the same word in the
+meantime, they will wonderfully joy thereat. As for their beauty, it
+is not ordinary, although it be not very lovely. But surely amiable
+enough are they in this, that they can so well resemble man's speech.
+It is said that none of their kind are good to be made scholars, but
+such only as feed upon mast; and among them, those that have five toes
+to their feet. But even these also are not fit for that purpose, after
+the first two years of their age. And their tongue is broader than
+ordinary; like as they be all that counterfeit man's voice, each one
+in their kind, although it be in manner general to birds whatsoever to
+be broad-tongued.
+
+Agrippina the Empress, wife to Claudius Caesar, had a black-bird or a
+throstle at what time I compiled this book, which could counterfeit
+man's speech; a thing never seen or known before. The two Caesars also,
+the young princes (to wit, Germanicus and Drusus,) had one stare, and
+sundry nightingales, taught to parle Greek and Latin. Moreover, they
+would study upon their lessons, and meditate all day long; and from
+day to day come out with new words still, yea, and are now able to
+continue a long speech and discourse. Now for to teach them the
+better, these birds must be in a secret place apart by themselves,
+when they can hear no other voice; and one is to sit over them, who
+must repeat often that which he would have them to learn; yea, and
+please them also with giving them such meat as they best love.
+
+
+
+
+_PATCH AND THE CHICKENS_
+
+
+On a farm up in Durham, there were six little chickens who were
+deserted by the mother hen as soon as they were hatched. So the
+farmer's wife put them in a basket and carried them into the cottage
+to keep them warm by the fire.
+
+There they were discovered by a smooth-coated terrier, named Patch,
+who was at that time very sad because her little puppy had just died,
+and she began to look after the chickens as if they were her own
+children. The little chicks also turned to her quite naturally for
+care and protection.
+
+She used to treat them very gently, and would sit and watch them feed
+with the greatest interest. She would curl herself up, and then let
+them climb about her, and go to sleep between her paws. Sometimes she
+did not seem to consider the floor comfortable enough for her adopted
+family, and would jump on to a wooden settle which stood in the
+kitchen, and then with her feet she would pat the cushions into a cosy
+bed, and very carefully would take one chicken after another in her
+mouth, and place them on the softest part.
+
+Soon the time came for the chickens to be sent out into the world.
+
+One day when Patch was out for a walk they were taken to the farmyard.
+
+When the poor little dog returned she was quite broken-hearted, and
+ran whining about the cottage. Then, as if seized with a sudden
+thought, she walked out of the door, and in a very short time she
+reappeared, followed by her feathered family, and again they took up
+their abode in the cottage. Every morning Patch used to take them out
+for a walk, and it was a most amusing sight to see the little terrier
+followed by a procession of six stately hens.
+
+At last their living in the house became such an inconvenience to the
+farmer's wife that poor Patch's children had to be killed.
+
+For some time Patch was very unhappy, and would still go into the
+farmyard to look for her six chickens.
+
+
+
+
+_THE FIERCE FALCON_
+
+From _Wild Sports of the Highlands_. By C. St. John.
+
+
+There are not nearly so many stories about birds as about dogs and
+cats, because birds can fly away, and it is more difficult to know
+what becomes of them. Perhaps, properly speaking, stories about birds
+have no business in a 'Beast Book,' but as long as the story is
+interesting, it does not do to be too particular.
+
+A good many years ago, a gentleman named St. John was exploring the
+high hills near the source of the Findhorn, in Inverness-shire, when
+he found a young falcon which was being reared as a pet by a shepherd
+boy, who gave her trout to eat. There was not much beauty about the
+falcon when Mr. St. John first saw her, for her plumage was
+dark-brown, with long-shaped spots on the breast, but in spite of that
+he took a fancy to her, and persuaded her master to sell her to him.
+When, however, she had passed her second birthday, and might be
+considered grown up, she put on all her finest feathers, and was very
+much admired by everyone. Her throat became a lovely soft cream
+colour, and the brown on her back changed into a lovely dark grey,
+while on her bosom, each little feather was crossed by a bar. But
+lovely though she was, Mr. St. John felt her to be a great care, for
+she was very strong as well as very brave, and would never think twice
+about attacking dogs or even people, if they offended her. As for the
+fowls, she soon made such short work of _them_, that her master was
+obliged to chain her up in the kitchen garden, which had hitherto
+formed the property of a tame owl. Luckily for the owl, the falcon at
+once made friends with him, and he was even allowed to finish up any
+of the falcon's dinner which she did not want herself.
+
+Matters went quite smoothly for some weeks, and Mr. St. John was
+beginning to flatter himself that his pet was quieting down, and
+becoming quite a home bird, when one day a duck, tempted by the sight
+of the garden, whose gate had been carelessly left open, advanced a
+few steps along the path. Seeing nothing and nobody (for being
+daylight, the owl was asleep and the falcon too cunning to move) the
+duck became bolder, and walked merrily on, pecking at anything that
+took her fancy, and making funny little noises of satisfaction,
+unconscious of a pair of bright eyes that were watching her from
+behind a bush. Indeed, so absorbed was the duck in her afternoon tea,
+that she never even saw the falcon steal softly out and soar a little
+way up into the air, and suddenly swoop down with great force, and
+before the victim had time to be frightened she was dead, and her body
+was carried away in the falcon's claws, to serve for her supper.
+
+Now the duck was the mother of a large family, all newly hatched, and
+it would have fared very badly with them in their babyhood, had it not
+been for the kindness of a guinea-fowl, who adopted them as her own,
+directly she heard that they were left orphans and helpless. The
+guinea-fowl, indeed, was quite glad of the chance, because she had a
+warm heart, and had mourned sadly for her husband, who had been lately
+condemned to death on account of a series of horrible murders he had
+committed among the young chickens. So the good creature thought the
+duck's sad accident quite providential, and at once set about filling
+her place. Like many other mothers, instead of making the little
+ducklings fall into _her_ ways, _she_ fell into theirs, and never left
+their sides, except on urgent business. And they had, even then, only
+to call to her if they saw great clumsy animals such as dogs or
+children coming their way, and down she would rush in a frightful
+hurry, half scrambling, half flying over bushes and palings, and
+making furious pecks at the children's legs, if they ventured too
+close to her little ones.
+
+Still, not all her love nor all her courage would have prevented the
+guinea-fowl falling a victim to the falcon, if once the bird had got
+loose, and as it was, the falcon continued to do a good deal of damage
+to the creatures about the farmyard. A cock, who had hitherto crowed
+very loudly and declared himself king of the birds, was foolish enough
+to give battle to our falcon. An hour after, a few feathers were all
+that remained of _him_, and as to the pigeons, if they ever happened
+to get within the length of her chain, their doom was certain. At last
+the gaps in the poultry yard became so serious that Mr. St. John made
+up his mind that the falcon must be fastened up in a still more
+out-of-the-way place, and while he was altering her chain away she
+flew. Of course he thought she was gone for ever, and he watched her
+circling about the house with a very sad heart, for he still was fond
+of her, though she was such a very bad bird, and gave him so much
+trouble; but as it was getting dark, he had to go in, and stealing a
+last look at her as he entered the house, he saw her settling down for
+the night, in the top of a tall tree.
+
+For five days no more was seen or heard of the wanderer, and it was
+not until the fifth morning that Mr. St. John observed her, high in
+the air, fighting fiercely with some hooded crows. He stood out on the
+grass, where there was nothing to hide him, and whistled loudly. In an
+instant the falcon heard him, busily engaged though she was, and
+wheeled down to her old master, perching on his arm, and rubbing her
+beak against him. She did not seem to have been softened or improved
+by her taste of liberty, for she showed herself quite as ready as of
+old to attack everything within reach of her chain, first killing
+them, and then pulling off their hair or plucking out their feathers,
+before she began her meal. The only animal which she could not
+swallow was a mole, and one day she swooped down on a Skye terrier,
+and it would certainly not have escaped alive, had not its master come
+to the rescue. But it is time we thought of something nicer than this
+dreadful bird.
+
+
+
+
+_MR. BOLT, THE SCOTCH TERRIER_
+
+Jesse's _British Dogs_.
+
+
+All children who know anything of dogs or cats will have found out
+very soon that the ugly ones are generally far cleverer and more
+sensible than the pretty ones, who are very apt to think too much of
+themselves, and will spend a long time admiring themselves in the
+glass, just as if they were vain men and women. Perhaps it is not
+altogether their fault if they are stupid, for when they are shaped
+well, and have fine glossy coats, their masters and mistresses spoil
+them, and give them too much to eat, so they grow lazy and greedy and
+disobedient, and like better to lie on the hearth-rug than to do
+tricks or jump over fences.
+
+Now, luckily for himself, Mr. Bolt, the hero of this story, was quite
+a plain dog. There could be no doubt about it; and those who loved him
+did so because he was useful and good company, and not because he was
+elegant or graceful. Bolt was a large Scotch terrier, rough and hairy,
+with a thick sort of grey fringe, and great dark eyes looking out from
+underneath the fringe. His tail and his legs were very short, and his
+back was very long, so long that he reminded one of a furniture van
+more than anything else.
+
+But, clever though he was, Bolt had his faults, and the worst of them
+was that he was very apt to take offence when none was intended, and
+was far too ready to pick a quarrel, and to hit out with all his
+might. He probably owed some of this love of fighting to the country
+in which he was born; for, although a Scotch dog by descent, he was
+Irish by birth, and his earliest home was near Dublin. As everybody
+knows, the happiest moment of an Irishman's life is when he is
+fighting something or somebody, and Bolt in his youth was as reckless
+as any Irishman of them all. He was hardly a year old when he turned
+upon his own mother, who had done something to displease him when they
+were chained together in a stable, and never let her throat go until
+she was stone dead. Cats, too, were his natural enemies, whom he
+fought and conquered when no dogs were at hand, and sometimes he would
+steal out at night from his master's bed, where he always slept, and
+go for a chase by the light of the moon. Early one morning a fearful
+noise was heard in the house, and when his master, unable to bear it
+any longer, got out of bed to see what had happened, he found a
+strange cat lying on the stairs quite dead, and the house-cat, with
+which Bolt was barely on speaking terms, sitting in a friendly manner
+by the side of the conqueror. It is supposed that the strange cat had
+been led either by motives of curiosity or robbery to enter by some
+open window, and that the house-cat, unable to drive him out, had
+welcomed Bolt's ready help for the purpose. Fighter though he was by
+nature, Bolt had inherited enough Scotch caution not to begin a
+quarrel unless he had a fair chance of victory; but he was generous,
+and seldom attacked dogs smaller than himself, unless he was forced
+into it, or really had nothing better to do. He always began by
+seizing his enemy's hind leg, which no other dog had been known to do
+before, and he had such a dislike to dogs whose skins were yellow,
+that not even the company of ladies, and the responsibility weighing
+upon him as their escort, would stop Bolt's wild rush at his yellow
+foe. He hated being shut up too, and showed amazing cleverness in
+escaping from prison. If that was _quite_ impossible, he did the next
+best thing, which was to gnaw and destroy every article he could in
+any way reach. One day when he had behaved so oddly that his family
+feared he must be going mad (children have been known to frighten
+their parents in a similar way), he was chained up in a little room,
+and, feeling too angry to sleep, he amused himself all night with
+tearing a Bible, several shoes, and a rug, while he gnawed a hole
+through the door, and bit through the leg of a table. In the morning,
+when his master came to look at him, he seemed quite recovered, and
+very well pleased with himself.
+
+As you will see, Bolt had plenty of faults, but he also had some very
+good qualities, and when he did not think himself insulted by
+somebody's behaviour, he could show a great deal of sense. One night
+the cook had been sitting up very late, baking bread for the next day,
+and being very tired, she fell asleep by the kitchen fire, and a spark
+fell out on her woollen dress. As there was no blaze, and the girl was
+a heavy sleeper, she would most likely never have waked at all till it
+was too late, only luckily for her, the smell reached Bolt's nose as
+he was lying curled up on his master's bed, near the door which always
+stood open. Before rousing the house, and giving them all a great
+fright, he thought he had better make sure exactly what was wrong, so
+he ran first down to the kitchen from which the smell seemed to come,
+and finding the cook half stupefied by the smoke, he rushed back to
+call his master. This he managed to do by tearing up and down the
+room, leaping on the bed, and pulling off all the clothes, so that the
+poor man was quite cold. His master was much astonished at the state
+of excitement Bolt was in, and feared at first that he had gone mad,
+but after a few minutes he decided that he would get up and see what
+was the matter. Bolt went carefully before him into the kitchen and
+sat down by the side of the sleeping girl, turning his face anxiously
+to the door, to make sure that his master should make no mistake. So
+in a few seconds the fire was put out, and the girl escaped with
+nothing worse than a slight scorching.
+
+I might tell you many stories of Bolt and his funny ways, but I have
+only room for one now. After some time his mistress and her daughter
+left the house in which Bolt had spent so many years, and took
+lodgings in Dublin. Bolt went with them, but when they all arrived,
+the landlady declared she did not like dogs, and Bolt must be placed
+elsewhere. Now this was very awkward; of course it was out of the
+question that Bolt could be left behind, yet it was too late to make
+other arrangements, so after some consideration he was sent back to
+some lodgings near by, where his master had formerly lived, and where
+they promised to take great care of him. His young mistress called
+every day to carry him off for a walk, and she often tried to get him
+to enter the house she herself was living in, but nothing would
+persuade the offended Bolt to go inside the door. He would sit on the
+step for some time, hoping she would be persuaded to return with
+_him_, but when he found _that_ was hopeless, he walked proudly back
+to his own rooms. His mistresses stayed in that house for nearly a
+year, and in all that time Bolt never forgot or forgave the slight put
+upon him, or could be induced to enter the house. Indeed, his feelings
+were so bitterly hurt, that even when they all set up house again, it
+was months before Bolt could be got to do anything more than pay his
+family a call now and then, and sometimes dine with them. So you see
+it is a serious thing to offend a dog, and he needs to be as
+delicately handled as a human being.
+
+
+
+
+_A RAVEN'S FUNERAL_
+
+
+In the days of Tiberius the Emperor, there was a young raven hatched
+in a nest upon the church of Castor and Pollux; which to make a trial
+how he could fly, took his first flight into a shoemaker's shop just
+over against the said church. The master of the shop was well enough
+content to receive this bird, as commended to him from so sacred a
+place, and in that regard set great store by it. This raven in short
+time being acquainted to man's speech, began to speak, and every
+morning would fly up to the top of the Rostra, or public pulpit for
+orations, when, turning to the open Forum or market place, he would
+salute and bid good-morrow to Tiberius Caesar, and after him to
+Germanicus and Drusus, the young princes, every one by their names:
+and anon the people of Rome also that passed by. And when he had so
+done, afterwards would fly again to the shoemaker's shop aforesaid.
+This duty practised, yea and continued for many years together, to the
+great wonder and admiration of all men.
+
+Now it fell out so, that another shoemaker who had taken the next shop
+unto him, either upon a malicious envy or some sudden spleen and
+passion of anger, killed the raven. Whereat the people took such
+indignation, that they, rising in an uproar, first drove him out of
+that street, and made that quarter of the city too hot for him; and
+not long after murdered him for it. But contrariwise, the carcase of
+this raven was solemnly interred, and the funeral performed with all
+the ceremonial obsequies that could be devised. For the corpse of this
+bird was bestowed in a coffin, couch, or bed, and the same bedecked
+with chaplets of fresh flowers of all sorts, carried upon the
+shoulders of two blackamoors, with minstrels before, sounding the
+haut-boys, and playing on the fife, as far as the funeral fire, which
+was piled and made in the right hand of the causey Appia, in a certain
+plain or open field.
+
+  [Illustration: A RAVEN'S FUNERAL]
+
+So highly reputed the people of Rome that ready wit and apt
+disposition in a bird, as they thought it a sufficient cause to ordain
+a sumptuous burial therefore.
+
+
+
+
+_A STRANGE TIGER_
+
+Bingley's _Animal Biography_.
+
+
+In the year 1790, a baby tiger only six weeks old, whose skin was most
+beautifully marked in black and yellow, and whose figure was as
+perfectly modelled as the figure of any tiger could be, was put on
+board a large East India Company's ship called the 'Pitt,' to be
+brought to London as a present to George III. Of course, in those
+days, no one ever thought of coming through the Red Sea, but all
+vessels sailed all the way round by the Atlantic, so the voyage
+naturally took many months, especially if the winds were unfavourable.
+Under these circumstances it was as well to choose your
+fellow-passengers carefully, as you had to live such a long time with
+them.
+
+  [Illustration: THE TIGER AND HIS FRIEND]
+
+Unlike most of its tribe, the little tiger soon made itself at home on
+board ship, and as it was too small to do much harm, it was allowed to
+run about loose and played with anybody who had time for a game. It
+generally liked to sleep with the sailors in their hammocks, and they
+would often pretend to use it for a pillow, as it lay at full length
+on the deck. Partly out of fun, and partly because it was its nature
+so to do, the tiger would every now and then steal a piece of meat, if
+it found one handy. One day it was caught red-handed by the carpenter,
+who took the beef right out of its mouth, and gave it a good beating,
+but instead of the man getting bitten for his pains, as he might have
+expected, the tiger took his punishment quite meekly, and bore the
+carpenter no grudge after. One of its favourite tricks was to run out
+to the very end of the bowsprit, and stand there looking over the sea,
+and there was no place in the whole ship to which it would not climb
+when the fancy took it. But on the whole, the little tiger preferred
+to have company in its gambols, and was especially fond of dogs, of
+which there were several on board. They would chase each other and
+roll over together just like two puppies, and during the ten months or
+so that the voyage from China lasted, they had time enough to become
+fast friends. When the vessel reached London, the tiger was at once
+taken to the Tower, which was the Zoological Gardens of those days.
+The little fellow did not mind, for he was always ready to take what
+came and make the best of it, and all the keepers grew as fond of him
+as the sailors had been.
+
+No more is known about him for eleven months, when he was quite grown
+up, and then one day, just after he had had his dinner, a black
+rough-haired terrier pup was put into his cage. Most tigers would have
+eaten it at once, but not this one, who still remembered his early
+friends on board ship. He used to watch for the pup every day, and
+lick it all over, taking care never to hurt it with his rough tongue.
+In general, the terrier had its food outside the cage, but sometimes
+it was forgotten, and then it would try to snatch a bit of the tiger's
+meat; but this the tiger thought impertinent, and made the dog
+understand that it was the one thing he would not stand.
+
+After several months of close companionship, the terrier was for some
+reason taken away, and one day, when the tiger awakened from his
+after-dinner nap, he found the terrier gone, and a tiny Dutch mastiff
+in its place. He was surprised, but as usual made no fuss, and
+proceeded to give it a good lick, much to the alarm of the little
+mastiff. However, its fright soon wore off, and in a day or two it
+might be seen barking round him and even biting his feet, which the
+tiger never objected to, perhaps because he could hardly have felt it.
+
+Two years after the tiger had been settled in the Tower, the very same
+carpenter who had beaten him for stealing the beef came back to
+England and at once paid a visit to his old friend. The tiger was
+enchanted to see him, and rushing to the grating, began rubbing
+himself against it with delight. The carpenter begged to be let into
+the cage, and though the keepers did not like it, he declared there
+was no danger, and at last they opened the door. In a moment the tiger
+was by his side, nearly knocking him down with joy and affection,
+licking his hands and rubbing his head on his shoulders, and when,
+after two or three hours, the carpenter got up to go, the tiger would
+hardly let him leave the den, for he wanted to keep him there for
+ever.
+
+But all tigers cannot be judged by this tiger.
+
+
+
+
+_HALCYONS AND THEIR BIOGRAPHERS_
+
+
+Some of the old writers, such as Pliny, Plutarch, Ovid, and Aristotle,
+tell a pretty story about a bird called the halcyon, which flew
+sporting over the seas, and in midwinter, when the days were shortest,
+sat on its nest and brooded over its eggs. And Neptune, who loved
+these small, gay-plumaged creatures, took pity on them, and kept the
+waves still during the time of their sitting, so that by-and-bye the
+days in a man's life that were free from storm and tempest became
+known as his 'halcyon days,' by which name you will still hear them
+called.
+
+Now after a careful comparison of the descriptions of the ancient
+writers, modern naturalists have come to the conclusion that the
+'halcyon' of Pliny and the rest was no other than our beautiful
+kingfisher, which flashes its lovely green and blue along the rivers
+and cascades both of the Old World and the New. It is now known that
+the kingfisher is one of the burrowing birds, and that it scoops out
+in the sand or soft earth of the river banks a passage which is often
+as much as four feet long and grows wider as it recedes from the
+water. It feeds upon fish, and fish bones may be found in large
+numbers on the floor of the kingfisher's house, which, either from
+laziness or a dislike to change, he inhabits for years together. His
+eyes are wonderfully quick, and he can detect a fish even in turbulent
+waters from the bough of a tree. Then he makes a rapid dart, and
+rarely misses his prey. No bird has been the subject of so many
+superstitions and false stories as the kingfisher, which attracted
+much attention from its great beauty. Ovid changes the king of
+Magnesia and his wife Alcyone into kingfishers, Pliny talks of the
+bird's sweet voice (whereas its note is particularly harsh and ugly),
+and Plutarch mistakes the sea-urchin's shell for that of the halcyon.
+Even the Tartars have a story to tell of this bird, and assure us that
+a feather plucked from a kingfisher and then cast into the water will
+gain the love of every woman it afterwards touches, while the Ostiacs
+held that the possession of the skin, bill, and claws of the
+kingfisher will ensure the owner a life made up of 'halcyon days.'
+
+
+
+
+_THE STORY OF A FROG_
+
+
+PART I
+
+Everyone knows what excitement the approach of the shooting season
+causes to a certain class of people in Paris. One is perpetually
+meeting some of them on their way back from the canal where they have
+been 'getting their hands in' by popping at larks and sparrows,
+dragging a dog after them, and stopping each acquaintance to ask: 'Do
+you like quails and partridges?' 'Certainly.' 'Ah, well, I'll send you
+some about the second or third of next month.' 'Many thanks.' 'By the
+way I hit five sparrows out of eight shots just now. Not bad, was it?'
+'First rate indeed!'
+
+Well, towards the end of August, 1830, one of these sportsmen called
+at No. 109, in the Faubourg St.-Denis, and on being told that Decamps
+was at home, climbed to the fifth floor, dragging his dog up step by
+step, and knocking his gun against every corner till he reached the
+studio of that eminent painter. However, he only found his brother
+Alexandre, one of those brilliant and original persons whose inherent
+laziness alone prevented his bringing his great natural gifts to
+perfection.
+
+He was universally voted a very good fellow, for his easy good nature
+made him ready to do or give whatever anyone asked. It was not
+surprising, therefore, that the new comer soon managed to persuade
+Alexandre that nothing could be more delightful than to attend the
+opening of the shooting season on the plains of St.-Denis, where,
+according to general report, there were swarms of quails, clouds of
+partridges, and troops of hares.
+
+As a result of this visit, Alexandre Decamps ordered a shooting coat
+from his tailor, a gun from the first gun-maker's in Paris, and a pair
+of gaiters from an equally celebrated firm; all of which cost him 660
+francs, not to mention the price of his licence.
+
+On August 31 Alexandre discovered that one important item was still
+wanting to his outfit--a dog. He went at once to a man who had
+supplied various models to his brother Eugene's well-known picture of
+'performing dogs,' and asked if he happened to have any sporting dogs.
+
+The man declared he had the very thing, and going to the kennel
+promptly whipped off the three-cornered hat and little coat worn by a
+black and white mongrel whom he hastened to present to his customer as
+a dog of the purest breed. Alexandre hinted that it was not usual for
+a pointer to have such sharp-pointed ears, but the dealer replied that
+'Love' was an English dog, and that it was considered the very best
+form for English dogs to have pointed ears. As this statement _might_
+be true, Alexandre made no further objections, but paid for the dog
+and took Love home with him.
+
+At five o'clock next morning Alexandre was roused up by his sporting
+friend, who, scolding him well for not being ready earlier, hurried
+him off as fast as possible, declaring the whole plain would be shot
+before they could get there.
+
+It was certainly a curious sight; not a swallow, not even the meanest
+little sparrow, could rise without a volley of shots after it, and
+everyone was anxiously on the look-out for any and every sort of bird
+that could possibly be called game.
+
+Alexandre's friend was soon bitten by the general fever and threw
+himself energetically amidst the excited crowd, whilst Alexandre
+strolled along more calmly, dutifully followed by Love. Now everyone
+knows that the first duty of any sporting dog is to scour the field
+and _not_ to count the nails in his master's boots. This thought
+naturally occurred to Alexandre, and he accordingly made a sign to
+Love and said: 'Seek!'
+
+  [Illustration: LOVE'S DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOUR OUT SHOOTING]
+
+Love promptly stood up on his hind legs and began to dance.
+
+'Dear me,' said Alexandre, as he lowered his gun and contemplated his
+dog: 'It appears that Love unites the lighter accomplishments to his
+more serious education. I seem to have made rather a good bargain.'
+However, having bought Love to point and not to dance, he waited till
+the dance was over and repeated in firm tones: 'Seek!'
+
+Love stretched himself out at full length and appeared to be dead.
+
+Alexandre put his glass into his eye and inspected Love. The
+intelligent creature was perfectly immovable; not a hair on his body
+stirred, he might have been dead for twenty-four hours.
+
+'This is all very pretty,' said Alexandre, 'but, my friend, this is
+not the time for these jokes. We are here to shoot--let us shoot.
+Come! get up.'
+
+Love did not stir an inch.
+
+'Wait a bit,' remarked Alexandre, as he picked up a stick from the
+ground and took a step towards Love, intending to stir him up with it:
+'Wait a bit.' But no sooner did Love see the stick in his master's
+hand than he sprang to his feet and eagerly watched his movements.
+Alexandre thinking the dog was at last going to obey, held the stick
+towards him, and for the third time ordered him to 'seek.'
+
+Love took a run and sprang gracefully over the stick.
+
+Love could do three things to perfection--dance on his hind legs, sham
+dead, and jump for the king!
+
+Alexandre, however, who did not appreciate the third accomplishment
+any more than he had done the two others, broke the stick over Love's
+back, which sent him off howling to his master's friend.
+
+As fate would have it the friend fired at that very moment, and an
+unfortunate lark fell right into Love's jaws. Love thankfully accepted
+this windfall, and made but one mouthful of the lark. The infuriated
+sportsman threw himself on the dog, and seizing him by the throat to
+force open his jaws, thrust in his hand and drew out--three tail
+feathers: the bird itself was not to be thought of.
+
+Bestowing a vicious kick on the unhappy Love, he turned on Alexandre,
+exclaiming: 'Never again do you catch me shooting with you. Your brute
+of a dog has just devoured a superb quail. Ah! come here if you dare,
+you rascal!'
+
+Poor Love had not the least wish to go near him. He ran as fast as he
+could to his master, a sure proof that he preferred blows to kicks.
+
+However, the lark seemed to have whetted Love's appetite: and
+perceiving creatures of apparently the same kind rise now and then
+from the ground, he took to scampering about in hopes of some second
+piece of good luck.
+
+Alexandre had some difficulty in keeping up with him, for Love hunted
+his game after a fashion of his own, that is to say with his head up
+and his tail down. This would seem to prove that his sight was better
+than his scent, but it was particularly objectionable to his master,
+for he put up the birds before they were within reach, and then ran
+barking after them. This went on nearly all day.
+
+Towards five o'clock Alexandre had walked about fifteen miles and Love
+at least fifty; the former was exhausted with calling and the latter
+with barking, when, all of a sudden Love began to point, so firmly and
+steadily that he seemed changed to stone.
+
+At this surprising sight Alexandre, forgetful of all his fatigues and
+disappointments, hurried up, trembling lest Love should break off
+before he could get within reach. No fear; Love might have been glued
+to the spot. Alexandre came up to him, noted the direction of his eyes
+and saw that they were fixed on a tuft of grass, and that under this
+grass there appeared to be some greyish object. Thinking it must be a
+young bird which had strayed from its covey, he laid down his gun,
+took his cap in his hand, and cautiously creeping near, like a child
+about to catch a butterfly, he flung the cap over the unknown object,
+put in his hand and drew out--a frog!
+
+Anyone else would have flung the frog away, but Alexandre
+philosophically reflected that there must certainly be some great
+future in store for this, the sole result of his day's sport; so he
+accordingly put the frog carefully into his game bag and brought it
+home, where he transferred it to an empty glass jam jar and poured the
+contents of his water-bottle on its head.
+
+  [Illustration: THE SOLE RESULT OF HIS DAY'S SPORT]
+
+So much care and trouble for a frog may appear excessive; but
+Alexandre knew what this particular frog had cost him, and he treated
+it accordingly.
+
+It had cost him 660 francs, without counting his licence.
+
+
+PART II
+
+'Ah, ah!' cried Dr. Thierry as he entered the studio next day, 'so
+you've got a new inmate.' And without paying any attention to Tom's
+friendly growls or to Jacko's engaging grimaces, he walked straight up
+to the jar which contained Mademoiselle Camargo--as she had already
+been named.[10]
+
+    [10] A fashionable dancer in Paris.
+
+Mademoiselle Camargo, unaware that Thierry was not only a learned
+doctor, but also a most intellectual and delightful person, fell to
+swimming round and round her jar as fast as she could go, which
+however did not prevent her being seized by one of her hind legs.
+
+  [Illustration: MADEMOISELLE CAMARGO BECOMES A BAROMETER]
+
+'Dear me,' said Thierry, as he turned the little creature about, 'a
+specimen of the _Rana temporaria_. See, there are the two black spots
+near the eyes which give it the name. Now if you only had a few dozens
+of this species, I should advise you to have a fricassee made of their
+hind legs, to send for a couple of bottles of good claret, and to ask
+me to dinner. But as you only happen to have one, we will, with your
+leave, content ourselves with making a barometer.
+
+'Now,' said Thierry, opening a drawer, 'let us attend to the
+prisoner's furniture.' Saying which he took out two cartridges, a
+gimlet, a penknife, two paint-brushes, and four matches. Decamps
+watched him without in the least understanding the object of all these
+preparations, which the doctor was making with as much care as though
+for some surgical operation.
+
+First he emptied the powder out of the cartridges into a tray and kept
+the bullets. Then he threw the brushes and ties to Jacko and kept the
+handles.
+
+'What the deuce are you about?' cried Decamps, snatching his two best
+paint-brushes from Jacko. 'Why you're ruining my establishment!'
+
+'I'm making a ladder,' gravely replied Thierry.
+
+And true enough, having bored holes in the bullets, he fixed the brush
+handles into them so as to form the sides of the ladder, using the
+matches to make the rungs. Five minutes later the ladder was completed
+and placed in the jar, where the weight of the bullets kept it firmly
+down.
+
+No sooner did Mademoiselle Camargo find herself the owner of this
+article of furniture than she prepared to test it by climbing up to
+the top rung.
+
+'We shall have rain,' said Thierry.
+
+'You don't say so,' replied Decamps, 'and there's my brother who
+wanted to go out shooting again to-day.'
+
+'Mademoiselle Camargo does not advise his doing so,' remarked the
+doctor.
+
+'How so?'
+
+'My dear friend, I have been providing you with an inexpensive but
+reliable barometer. Each time you see Mademoiselle Camargo climb to
+the top of her ladder it's a sure sign of rain; when she remains at
+the bottom you may count on fine weather, and if she goes up
+half-way, don't venture out without your umbrella; changeable,
+changeable.'
+
+'Dear me, dear me,' said Decamps.
+
+During the next six months Mademoiselle Camargo continued to foretell
+the weather with perfect and unerring regularity. But for painful
+reasons into which we need not inquire too closely, Mademoiselle's
+useful career soon closed, and she left a blank in the menagerie.
+
+
+
+
+_THE WOODPECKER TAPPING ON THE HOLLOW OAK TREE_
+
+
+Most children who were taught music forty or fifty years ago, learnt
+as one of their first tunes an air called 'The Woodpecker Tapping on
+the Hollow Oak Tree.' Oak trees are not the only ones that
+woodpeckers, and especially American woodpeckers, 'tap' on. There is
+hardly any old tree which they disdain to work upon, sometimes for
+food, sometimes for nesting purposes, sometimes it would seem merely
+for the sake of employment and of keeping their bills in order.
+
+For the woodpecker's bill is a very powerful instrument, and can get
+through a great deal of work. In the case of the 'ivory-billed
+woodpecker,' it is not only white, and hard, and strong, but it has a
+ribbed surface, which tends to prevent its breaking, and even if he
+does not form one of this class, the woodpecker is as clever in his
+own line as any carpenter, and more industrious than many. The moment
+that he notices symptoms of decay in any tree, he flies off to make a
+careful examination of it, and when he has decided on the best mode of
+attack, he loses no time, and has even been known to strip all the
+bark off a dead pine tree of thirty feet long in less than twenty
+minutes. And this not in little bits, but in sheets five or six feet
+long, and as whole as the fleece of a sheep when it is sheared.
+
+Of course different varieties of woodpeckers have little differences
+in their habits, in the same way that habits differ in different
+families; but certain customs and ways of digging are common to them
+all. Every woodpecker, for instance, when placed in a wooden cage,
+will instantly set to work to dig himself out of it, and to keep him
+safe, he needs to be surrounded by wire, against which his bill is
+utterly useless. In general the male and female work by turns at the
+hole, which is always begun by the male, and is as perfectly round as
+if it had been measured and drawn from one point to another. For a
+while the boring is quite straight, and then it takes a sloping
+direction, so as to provide a partial shelter against the rain.
+Sometimes the bird will begin by a slope, and end in a direct line,
+but the hole is never straight all through, and the depth varies from
+two to five feet, according to the kind of woodpecker that is digging.
+The inside of the nest and the passage to it are as smooth as if they
+had been polished with a plane, and the chips of wood are often thrown
+down in a careless manner, at some distance, in order that attention
+may not be attracted to the spot. Often the bird's labours have to
+begin, especially in orchards, which are favourite nesting places with
+them, with having to turn out swarms of insects, nestling comfortably
+between the bark and the tree. These he either kills or eats; anyhow
+he never rests until they are safely got rid of.
+
+The woodpecker is never still, and, in many respects, is like a
+mischievous boy; so, as can be imagined, he is not very easy to make a
+pet of. One adventurous person, however, captured a woodpecker in
+America, and has left us a history of its performances during the
+three days it lived in captivity. The poor bird was very miserable in
+its prison, and cried so like a child that many persons were
+completely taken in. Left alone for a short time in the room while his
+captor had gone to look after his horse, he examined the room
+carefully to see where lay his best chance of escape. His quick eye
+soon detected the plaster between the window and the ceiling, and he
+began at once to attack the weak place. He worked so hard that when
+his master returned he had laid bare the laths, and had bored a hole
+bigger than his own head, while the bed was strewn with big fragments
+of plaster. A very little while longer and he would have been free,
+and what a pity that he was disturbed in his work! But his master was
+most anxious to keep him a little longer, to observe his ways, so he
+tied him to the leg of the table, and went off to get him some food.
+By the time the man came back the mahogany table was lying in bits
+about the floor, and the woodpecker was looking eagerly round to see
+what other mischief he could do. He would not eat food of any kind,
+and died in three days, to the great regret of his captor.
+
+
+
+
+_DOGS OVER THE WATER_
+
+
+No animal, not even the horse, has made itself so many friends as the
+dog. A whole library might be filled with stories about what dogs have
+done, and men could learn a great deal from the sufferings dogs have
+gone through for masters that they love.
+
+Whatever differences there may be between foreigners and Englishmen,
+there is at any rate none in the behaviour of British and foreign
+dogs. 'Love me, love my dog,' the proverb runs, but in general it
+would be much more to the point to say 'love my dog, love me.' We do
+not know anything of the Austrian officer of whose death I am going to
+tell you, but after hearing what his dog did, we should all have been
+pleased to make the master's acquaintance.
+
+In the early years of this century, when nearly every country in
+Europe was turned into a battlefield by Napoleon, there was a
+tremendous fight between the French and the Austrians at Castiglione
+in Lombardy, which was then under the Austrian yoke. The battle was
+hard fought and lasted several hours, but at length the Austrian ranks
+were broken and they had to retreat, after frightful losses on both
+sides. After the field had been won, Napoleon, as his custom was,
+walked round among the dead and dying, to see for himself how the day
+had gone. Not often had he performed this duty amidst a greater scene
+of blood and horror, and as he came to a spot where the dead were
+lying thickest, he saw to his surprise a small long-eared spaniel
+standing with his feet on the breast of an Austrian officer, and his
+eyes fixed on his face, waiting to detect the slightest movement.
+Absorbed in his watch, the dog never heard the approach of the Emperor
+and his staff, but Napoleon called to one of his attendants and
+pointed out the spaniel. At the sound of his voice the spaniel turned
+round, and looked at the Emperor, as if he knew that to him only he
+must appeal for help. And the prayer was not in vain, for Napoleon was
+very seldom needlessly cruel. The officer was dead and beyond any aid
+from him, but the Emperor did what he could, and gave orders that the
+dog should be looked after by one of his own men, and the wounded
+Austrians carefully tended. _He_ knew what it was to be loved as
+blindly by men as that officer was loved by his dog.
+
+Nearly two years before this time, France was trembling in the power
+of a set of bloody ruffians, and in Paris especially no man felt his
+head to be safe from one hour to the other. Hundreds of harmless
+people were clapped into prison on the most paltry charges, and if
+they were not torn to pieces by infuriated crowds, they ended their
+lives on the guillotine.
+
+  [Illustration: {THE FAITHFUL SPANIEL}]
+
+Among the last of the victims before the fall of Robespierre, which
+finished the Reign of Terror, was a magistrate in one of the
+departments in the North of France whom everyone looked up to and
+respected. It may be thought that it would not have been easy to find
+a pretext for throwing into prison a man of such an open and
+honourable life, but when other things failed, a vague accusation of
+conspiracy against the Government was always possible, and accordingly
+the magistrate was arrested in his own house. No one was there to help
+him or to share his confinement. He had long sent away his children to
+places of safety; some of his relations were in gaol like himself, and
+his friends dared not come forward. They could have done him no good,
+and would only have shared his fate. In those dark days every man had
+to suffer alone, and nobly they did it. Only one friend the magistrate
+had who ventured openly to show his affection, and even _he_ might
+go no farther than the prison doors, namely, his spaniel, who for
+twelve years had scarcely left his side; but though dogs were not yet
+proscribed, the spaniel's whinings availed nothing, and the gates were
+shut against him. At first he refused to believe that his master would
+never come back, and returned again and again with the hopes of
+meeting the magistrate on his way home. At last the dog's spirits gave
+way, and he went to the house of a friend of the family who knew him
+well, and received him kindly. Even here, however, he had to be
+carefully hidden lest his protector should be charged with sheltering
+the dog of an accused person, and have to pay the penalty on the
+guillotine. The animal seemed to know what was expected of him, and
+never barked or growled as dogs love to do; and indeed he was too sad
+to take any interest in what was going on around him. The only bright
+spot in his day was towards evening when he was secretly let out, and
+he made straight for the gate of the prison. The gate was never
+opened, but he always hoped that _this_ time it would be, and sat on
+and on till he felt that his chance was gone for that day. All the
+prison officials knew him by sight, and were sorry for him, and one
+day the gaoler's heart was softened, and he opened the doors, and led
+him to his master's cell. It would be difficult to say which of the
+two was the happier, and when the time came for the prisoners to be
+locked up for the night, the man could scarcely tear away the dog, so
+closely did he cling to his master. However, there was no help for it,
+he had to be put outside, lest it should occur to some one in
+authority to make a visit of inspection to the prison. Next evening
+the dog returned at the same hour and was again admitted, and when his
+time was up, he went home with a light heart, sure that by sunset next
+day he would be with his beloved master.
+
+This went on for several weeks, and the dog, at any rate, would have
+been quite satisfied if it had gone on for ever. But one morning the
+magistrate was told that he was to be brought before his judges to
+make answer to his charge and receive his sentence. In the midst of a
+vast crowd, which dared not show sympathy even if it felt it, the
+magistrate pleaded for the last time, without a friend to give him
+courage except his dog, which had somehow forced himself through
+guards and crowd, and lay crouched between his legs, happy at this
+unexpected chance of seeing his master.
+
+Sentence of death was pronounced, as was inevitable, and the hour of
+execution was not long delayed. In the wonderful way that animals
+always _do_ know when something out of the common is passing, the
+spaniel was sitting outside the door when his master walked out for
+the last time, although it was long before the hour of his daily
+visit. Alone, of all the friends that he had known and loved, his dog
+went with him, and stood beside him on the steps of the guillotine,
+and sat at his feet when his head fell. Vaguely the spaniel was aware
+that something terrible had happened; his master, who had never failed
+him before, would not speak to him now. It was in vain to lick his
+hand: he got no pat in answer. But if his master was asleep, and his
+bed was underground, then he too must sleep by his side till the
+morning came and the world awoke again.
+
+So two nights passed, and three. Then his friend, who had sheltered
+him during these long weeks, came to look for him, and, after much
+coaxing and caressing, persuaded him to return to his old
+hiding-place. With great difficulty he was induced to swallow some
+food, but the moment his protector's back was turned, he rushed out
+and fought his way to his master's grave.
+
+This lasted for three months, and every day the dog looked sadder and
+thinner than the day before. At length his friend thought he would try
+a new plan with him, and tied him firmly up. But in the morning he
+found that the dog had, like Samson, broken through his bonds, and was
+lying on the grave, which he never left again. Food was brought to
+him--he never came to seek it himself, and in time he refused even
+what was lying there before him. One day his friends found him trying
+to scratch up the earth where his master lay; and all at once his
+strength gave way, and with one howl he died, showing the two men who
+stood around of love that was stronger than death, and fidelity that
+lasted beyond the grave.[11]
+
+    [11] From _Observations in Natural History_.
+
+One more story of a little dog--this time an English one--and I have
+done.
+
+It was on February 8, 1587, that Mary Queen of Scots ended her
+eighteen years of weary captivity upon a scaffold at Fotheringay.
+Carefully dressed in a robe of black velvet, with a long mantle of
+satin floating above it, and her head covered with a white crape veil,
+Mary ascended the platform, where the executioner was awaiting her.
+Some English nobles, sent by Queen Elizabeth to see that her orders
+were carried out, were standing by, and some of Queen Mary's faithful
+women. But besides these was one whose love for her was hardly
+less--the Queen's little dog, who had been her constant companion in
+the prison. 'He was sitting there the whole time,' says an
+eye-witness, 'keeping very quiet, and never stirring from her side;
+but as soon as the head was stricken off and placed upon the seat, he
+began to bestir himself and cry out; afterwards he took up a position
+between the body and the head, which he kept until some one came and
+removed him, and this had to be done by violence.' We are not told who
+took him away and tenderly washed off the blood of Mary which was
+staining his coat, but we may be sure that it was one of the Queen's
+ladies who cherished everything that belonged to her, and in memory of
+her mistress would care for her little dog to the end of its days.
+
+
+
+
+_THE CAPOCIER AND HIS MATE_
+
+
+When Vaillant the traveller was in Africa, he made the acquaintance of
+a bird to which he gave the name of capocier. It was a small creature,
+which was in the habit of coming with its mate several times a day
+into Vaillant's tent; a proceeding which he thought arose from pure
+friendship, but which he soon found sprang from interested motives.
+Vaillant was making a collection of birds, and his table was strewn
+about with moss, wool, and such things as he used for stuffing. The
+capocier, with more sense than might have been expected of him, found
+out very soon that it was much easier to steal Vaillant's soft
+material than to collect it laboriously for himself, and the
+naturalist used to shut his eyes with amusement while the birds flew
+off with a parcel of stuffing as big as themselves.
+
+He followed them, and tracked them to a bush which grew by a spring in
+the corner of a deserted garden. Here they had placed a thick layer of
+moss, in a fork of one of the branches, and were now engaged in
+weaving in grass, cotton, and flax. The whole of the second day the
+little pair worked hard, the male making in all forty-six journeys to
+Vaillant's room, for thieving purposes. The spoil was always laid
+either on the nest itself, or within the reach of the female, and when
+enough had been collected, they both trampled it in, and pressed it
+down with their bodies.
+
+At last the male got tired, and tried to prevail on his wife to play a
+game. She declined, and said she had no time for such things; so, to
+revenge himself, the male proceeded to pull to pieces her work. Seeing
+that he would have his own way, the female at length consented to play
+for a little, and fluttered from bush to bush, while her mate flew
+after her, but she always managed to keep just out of his reach. When
+he had had enough, he let her go back to her work, while he sang a
+song for a little, and then made ready to help build the nest. He
+found, or stole, the materials necessary, and carried them back to his
+wife, who packed them firmly in and made all tidy. But her husband was
+much more idle than she, and he soon tired of steady labour. He
+complained of the heat, and laughed at her for being in such a hurry,
+and said there was plenty of time before them, and he wanted a little
+fun. So eight times during that one morning the poor wife had to leave
+off her building, and hide her impatience, and pretend to play, when
+she would much rather have been doing something else, and it was three
+days before the bottom was finished and the sides begun.
+
+Certainly the making of the bottom _was_ rather a troublesome
+business; for the birds had to roll over every part of it, so as to
+get it firm and hard. Then, when all was right, they made a border,
+which they first trimmed round, and next overlaid with cotton,
+pressing it all together with their breasts and shoulders. The twigs
+of the bush in which the nest was built were interlaced into the sides
+to prevent the whole structure being blown down, and particular care
+was taken that none of them should stick out in the inside of the
+nest, which was absolutely smooth and solid. After seven days it was
+done, and very pretty it was. It was perfectly white in colour, and
+about nine inches high on the outside where it had been made very
+thick, and not more than five inches within. However that was quite
+big enough for two such little people.
+
+
+
+
+_OWLS AND MARMOTS_
+
+
+It is curious, when we come to think of it, how very few of the
+creatures that live upon the earth ever take the trouble to build any
+kind of house to live in. For the most part, they are contented to
+find out some cave or hole or convenient place where they can be
+hidden, and from which they can steal forth to get their food, but as
+for collecting materials from the outside to make their dwelling place
+stronger or more beautiful, as do the beavers, for instance, why, we
+might all look for many years before we should find a horse or a tiger
+employing himself like that!
+
+Yet we all know that all the birds that live (the cuckoo excepted)
+manage to build some kind of a nest, and so do some fishes and many
+insects. It would take too long to write about them all, but we will
+just see how some of the cleverest among them go to work.
+
+One of the first things that struck Europeans travelling sixty or
+seventy years ago in the wild country beyond the great Mississippi,
+was the fact that whole districts, sometimes several acres in extent
+and sometimes several miles, were covered with little mounds of the
+shape of a pyramid, about two feet wide at the bottom, and at the most
+eighteen inches high. These are the houses of the marmots or prairie
+dogs, and when deserted as they often are by their original
+inhabitants, they become the homes of burrowing owls.
+
+Now a neat, comfortable, well-built house is really quite necessary
+for the marmot, as he goes fast to sleep when the weather begins to
+get cold, and does not wake up till the sun is shining warmly again on
+the earth above him. Then he sets to work, either to repair the walls
+of his house which have been damaged by the heavy rains and hard
+frosts, or if that seems useless labour, to dig a fresh one somewhere
+else. But industrious as he is, the hard work does not make the marmot
+at all a 'dull boy,' and he can still spare time for a good game now
+and then.
+
+Of course, as we are talking about birds, perhaps we ought not to be
+describing marmots, which are naturally not birds at all; but as they
+build for the burrowing owls to inhabit, a description of the houses
+may not be out of place.
+
+The entrance to the marmot's house is either at the top or on the side
+of the little mound above ground. Then he hollows out a passage
+straight down for one, or sometimes two feet, and this passage is
+continued in a sloping direction for some distance further, when it
+leads, like a story in the 'Arabian Nights,' into a large warm room,
+built of soft dry grass, which has been packed into a tight, firm
+mass. In general the outside of the little mounds is covered with
+small plants and grasses, so that the marmot always has his food near
+at hand, but occasionally they prefer to make their villages in barren
+spots, as being safer from enemies. Still, wherever they are, the
+sociable little colony of marmots are said to be haunted by at least
+one burrowing owl, a bird about nine inches long, and from a distance
+not very unlike the marmot itself, when it is sitting up, listening
+for the approach of danger. If no burrow seems likely to be vacant at
+the time he wants one, the owl does not scruple to turn out the owner,
+who has to begin all his labour over again. Sometimes, when affairs
+above ground are more than usually disturbed, and foes of all kinds
+are prowling about, seeking whom they may devour, owls and marmots and
+rattlesnakes, and lizards rush helter-skelter into the underground
+city, taking refuge from the dangers of the upper world. It would be a
+strange sight if we could see it, and it would be stranger still if
+the fugitives manage to separate without some of the party having gone
+to make the dinners of the rest.
+
+
+
+
+_EAGLES' NESTS_
+
+
+Eagles, as a rule, build their nests on the shelves of rocks, high out
+of reach of any but the boldest climbers. There are, however, some
+species among them who prefer the tops of trees, at a height varying
+from fifteen to fifty feet. These nests are constructed of long
+sticks, grass, and even reeds, and are often as much as five or six
+feet high, and at least four broad. Soft pine tops form the lining,
+and a bed for the young. Many eagles are clever divers, and like the
+excitement of catching their own fish, instead of merely forcing the
+fish-hawks to give up their prey, and an American naturalist gives an
+interesting account of the sporting proceedings of two eagles on the
+Green River in Kentucky. The naturalist had been lying hidden among
+the rocks on the bank of the river for about two hours, when suddenly
+far above his head where the eagle had built his nest, he heard a loud
+hissing, and on looking up, saw that the little eaglets had crawled to
+the edge of the nest, and were dancing with hope and excitement at the
+idea of a good dinner. In a few moments the parent eagle reached the
+rock and balancing himself on the edge by the help of his wings and
+tail, handed over his spoil to the young ones. The little eagles
+seemed in luck that day, for soon their mother appeared in sight
+carrying in her claws a perch. But either the watcher below made some
+movement, or else her eyes were far sharper than her mate's, for with
+a loud cry she dropped her fish, and hovered over the nest to protect
+it in case of an attack. When all was quiet again, the naturalist went
+out cautiously to examine the perch, which he found to weigh as much
+as 51/2 lbs. You do not catch such big perch in England.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+Transcriber's Note
+
+Some stories have a source provided, which appeared as footnotes in
+the original book. The transcriber has instead presented them as
+subtitles below the main chapter title.
+
+Archaic and variant spelling is preserved as printed.
+
+Minor punctuation errors have been repaired.
+
+Hyphenation has been made consistent.
+
+The following typographic errors have been repaired:
+
+    Page 7--wrapt amended to rapt--"The waiters, remarking his
+    rapt attention, ..."
+
+    Page 77--be amended to he--"Then, having made a huge fire in
+    front of the entrance, which, moreover, he barricaded ..."
+
+    Page 144--by-and-by amended to by-and-bye, for
+    consistency--"And by-and-bye he came back, dragging Pritchard
+    by his stake."
+
+    Page 250--Then amended to The--"The Ababde chief's advice
+    was--and always had been--to send out ..."
+
+    Page 255--Northumbriam amended to Northumbrian--"A
+    Northumbrian pointer showed a still more wonderful instance
+    ..."
+
+    Page 287--idemnity amended to indemnity--"... and was quite
+    satisfied with five francs as an indemnity."
+
+    Page 290--quiet amended to quite--"His parents never quite
+    knew what occurred, ..."
+
+    Page 301--coupe amended to coup--"... before the latter gives
+    him the _coup de grace_."
+
+Illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in
+the middle of a paragraph.
+
+
+
+
+
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