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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/8075.txt b/8075.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f02673f --- /dev/null +++ b/8075.txt @@ -0,0 +1,15574 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Junior Classics Volume 8 +Selected and arranged by William Patten +#5 in our series by Selected and arranged by William Patten + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: The Junior Classics Volume 8 + Animal and Nature Stories + +Author: Selected and arranged by William Patten + +Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8075] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on June 12, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JUNIOR CLASSICS VOLUME 8 *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Franks, Robert Prince, +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + + + + + +[Illustration: 'WHAT A PRETTY LITTLE WATER LILY' CRIED LILEN + From the painting by Marie Webb] + +THE JUNIOR CLASSICS + +SELECTED AND ARRANGED BY WILLIAM PATTEN MANAGING EDITOR OF THE +HARVARD CLASSICS + +INTRODUCTION BY CHARLES W. ELIOT, LL. D. PRESIDENT EMERITUS OF +HARVARD UNIVERSITY + +WITH A READING GUIDE BY WILLIAM ALLAN NEILSON, Ph.D. PROFESSOR OF +ENGLISH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT SMITH COLLEGE, NORTHAMPTON, +MASS., SINCE 1917 + + + + + +VOLUME EIGHT + +Animal and Nature Stories + + + +TABLE OF CONTENTS + +Little Cyclone: The Story of a Grizzly Cub, W. T. Hornaday +Some True Stories of Tigers, Wolves, Foxes, and Bears, + W. H. G. Kingston +Some Animal Friends in Africa, Bayard Taylor +My Fight with a Catamount, Allen French +In Canada with a Lynx, Roe L. Hendrick +Solomon's Grouch: The Story of a Bear, Franklin W. Calkins +A Droll Fox-Trap, C. A. Stephens +The Horse That Aroused the Town, Lillian M. Gask +What Ginger Told Black Beauty, Anna Sewell +Some True Stories of Horses and Donkeys, W. H. G. Kingston +"Old Mustard": A Tale of the Western Pioneers, E. W. Frentz +Carlo, the Soldiers' Dog, Rush C. Hawkins +A Brave Dog, Sir Samuel W. Baker +Uncle Dick's Rolf, Georgiana M. Craik +Scrap, Lucia Chamberlain +A Fire-Fighter's Dog, Arthur Quiller-Couch +Plato: The Story of a Cat, A. S. Downs +Peter: A Cat O' One Tail, Charles Morley +Jeff the Inquisitive, Rush C. Hawkins +The Impudent Guinea-Pig, Charles F. Lummis +Hard to Hit, Ernest Ingersoll +That Sly Old Woodchuck, William O. Stoddard +The Faithful Little Lizard, W. Hill James +Toby the Wise, Rush C. Hawkins +Blackamoor, Ruth Landseer +A Parrot That Had Been Trained to Fire a Cannon, + Sir Samuel W. Baker +The Sandpiper's Trick, Celia Thaxter +How Did the Canary Do It?, Celia Thaxter +A Runaway Whale, Capt. O. G. Fosdick +Saved by a Seal, Theodore A. Cutting +Old Muskie the Rogue, Levi T. Pennington +Teaching Fish to Ring Bells, C. F. Holder +Marcus Aurelius, Octave Thanet +Anna and the Rattler, Mrs. Cornell +The Butterfly's Children, Mrs. Alfred Gatty +The Dragon-Fly and the Water-Lily, Carl Ewald +Powder-Post, C. A. Stephens +The Queen Bee, Carl Ewald +A Swarm of Wild Bees, Albert W. Tolman +The Intelligence of Ants, Sir John Lubbock +The Katy-Did's Party, Harriet B. Stowe +The Beech and the Oak, Carl Ewald +The Oak and the Snail, Mrs. Alfred Gatty +The Story of a Stone, David Starr Jordan +How the Stone-Age Children Played, Charles C. Abbott +The Mist, Carl Ewald +The Anemones, Carl Ewald +The Weeds, Carl Ewald +Some Voices from the Kitchen Garden, + Mrs. Alfred Gatty +The Wind and the Flowers, Mrs. Alfred Gatty + +PHIL'S ADVENTURES AMONG THE ANIMALS + +At Home With the Beavers, Lillian M. Gask +Two Enemies of the Beavers, Lillian M. Gask +The Squirrel's Story, Lillian M. Gask +A Den in the Rocks, Lillian M. Gask +Ships of the Desert, Lillian M. Gask + +SOME ANIMAL STORIES + +The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter +Lions and Tigers, Anonymous +Apes and Monkeys, Anonymous +The Hippopotamus and the Rhinoceros, Anonymous +The Giraffe, Anonymous +Parrots, Anonymous +Rab and His Friends, John Brown, M.D. +A Ride With a Mad Horse in a Freight-Car, + W. H. H. Murray +A-Hunting of the Deer, Charles D. Warner + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + +"WHAT A PRETTY LITTLE WATER-LILY!" CRIED ELLEN + +The Dragon-Fly and the Water-Lily + (Frontispiece illustration in color from the painting by Marie Webb) + +GINGER AND I WERE STANDING ALONE IN THE SHADE + What Ginger Told Black Beauty + (From the painting by Maude Scrivener) + +THEY LEARNT FROM THEIR FATHER TO HUNT THE STAG IN HIS COVERT + +The Beech and the Oak + (From the drawing by John Hassell) + +PEOPLE WHO WERE OUT FOR AN EVENING STROLL + The Mist + (From the painting by Edmund Dulac) + + + + +LITTLE CYCLONE: THE STORY OF A GRIZZLY CUB + +By W. T. Hornaday + + +Little Cyclone is a grizzly cub from Alaska, who earned his name by +the vigor of his resistance to ill treatment. When his mother was +fired at, on a timbered hillside facing Chilkat River, he and his +brother ran away as fast as their stumpy little legs could carry +them. When they crept where they had last seen her, they thought +her asleep; and cuddling up close against her yet warm body they +slept peacefully until morning. + +Before the early morning sun had reached their side of the +mountains, the two orphans were awakened by the rough grasp of +human hands. Valiantly they bit and scratched, and bawled aloud +with rage. One of them made a fight so fierce and terrible that his +nervous captor let him go, and that one is still on the Chilkoot. + +Although the other cub fought just as desperately, his captor +seized him by the hind legs, dragged him backwards, occasionally +swung him around his head, and kept him generally engaged until +ropes were procured for binding him. When finally established, with +collar, chain and post, in the rear of the saloon in Porcupine +City, two-legged animals less intelligent than himself frequently +and violently prodded the little grizzly with a long pole "to see +him fight." Barely in time to save him from insanity, little +Cyclone was rescued by the friendly hands of the Zoological +Society's field agent, placed in a comfortable box, freed from all +annoyance, and shipped to New York. + +He was at that time as droll and roguish-looking a grizzly cub as +ever stepped. In a grizzly-gray full moon of fluffy hair, two big +black eyes sparkled like jet beads, behind a pudgy little nose, +absurdly short for a bear. Excepting for his high shoulders, he was +little more than a big bale of gray fur set up on four posts of the +same material. But his claws were formidable, and he had the true +grizzly spirit. + +The Bears' Nursery at the New York Zoological Park is a big yard +with a shade tree, a tree to climb, a swimming pool, three sleeping +dens, and a rock cliff. It never contains fewer than six cubs, and +sometimes eight. + +Naturally, it is a good test of courage and temper to turn a new +bear into that roystering crowd. Usually a newcomer is badly scared +during his first day in the Nursery, and very timid during the +next. But grizzlies are different. They are born full of courage +and devoid of all sense of fear. + +When little Cyclone's travelling box was opened, and he found +himself free in the Nursery, he stalked deliberately to the centre +of the stage, halted, and calmly looked about him. His air and +manner said as plainly as English: "I'm a grizzly from Alaska, and +I've come to stay. If any of you fellows think there is anything +coming to you from me, come and take it." + +Little Czar, a very saucy but good-natured European brown bear cub, +walked up and aimed a sample blow at Cyclone's left ear. Quick as a +flash out shot Cyclone's right paw, as only a grizzly can strike, +and caught the would-be hazer on the side of the head. Amazed and +confounded, Czar fled in wild haste. Next in order, a black bear +cub, twice the size of Cyclone, made a pass at the newcomer, and he +too received so fierce a countercharge that he ignominiously +quitted the field and scrambled to the top of the cliff. + +Cyclone conscientiously met every attack, real or feigned, that was +made upon him. In less than an hour it was understood by every bear +in the Nursery that that queer-looking gray fellow with the broad +head and short nose could strike quick and hard, and that he could +fight any other bear on three seconds' notice. + +From that time on Cyclone's position has been assured. He is +treated with the respect that a good forearm inspires, but being +really a fine-spirited, dignified little grizzly, he attacks no +one, and never has had a fight. + + + + +SOME TRUE STORIES OF TIGERS, WOLVES, FOXES AND BEARS + +By W. H. G. Kingston + + +On one of her voyages from China, the Pitt, East Indiaman, had on +board, among her passengers, a young tiger. He appeared to be as +harmless and playful as a kitten, and allowed the utmost +familiarity from every one. He was especially fond of creeping into +the sailors' hammocks; and while he lay stretched on the deck, he +would suffer two or three of them to place their heads on his back, +as upon a pillow. Now and then, however, he would at dinner-time +run off with pieces of their meat; and though sometimes severely +punished for the theft, he bore the chastisement he received with +the patience of a dog. His chief companion was a terrier, with whom +he would play all sorts of tricks--tumbling and rolling over the +animal in the most amusing manner, without hurting it. He would +also frequently run out on the bowsprit, and climb about the +rigging with the agility of a cat. + +On his arrival in England, he was sent to the menagerie at the +Tower. While there, another terrier was introduced into his den. +Possibly he may have mistaken it for his old friend, for he +immediately became attached to the dog, and appeared uneasy +whenever it was taken away. Now and then the dangerous experiment +was tried of allowing the terrier to remain while the tiger was +fed. Presuming on their friendship, the dog occasionally ventured +to approach him; but the tiger showed his true nature on such +occasions by snarling in a way which made the little animal quickly +retreat. + +He had been in England two years, when one of the seamen of the +_Pitt_ came to the Tower. The animal at once recognized his +old friend, and appeared so delighted, that the sailor begged to be +allowed to go into the den. The tiger, on this, rubbed himself +against him, licked his hands, and fawned on him as a cat would +have done. The sailor remained in the den for a couple of hours or +more, during which time the tiger kept so close to him, that it was +evident he would have some difficulty in getting out again, without +the animal making his escape at the same time. The den consisted of +two compartments. At last the keeper contrived to entice the tiger +to the inner one, when he closed the slide, and the seaman was +liberated. + + +Even a wolf, savage as that animal is, may, if caught young, and +treated kindly, become tame. + +A story is told of a wolf which showed a considerable amount of +affection for its master. He had brought it up from a puppy, and it +became as tame as the best-trained dog, obeying him in everything. +Having frequently to leave home, and not being able to take the +wolf with him, he sent it to a menagerie, where he knew it would be +carefully looked after. At first the wolf was very unhappy, and +evidently pined for its absent master. At length, resigning itself +to its fate, it made friends with its keepers, and recovered its +spirits. + +Fully eighteen months had passed by, when its old master, returning +home, paid a visit to the menagerie. Immediately he spoke, the wolf +recognized his voice, and made strenuous efforts to get free. On +being set at liberty it sprang forward, and leaped up and caressed +him like a dog. Its master, however, left it with its keepers, and +three years passed away before he paid another visit to the +menagerie. Notwithstanding this lapse of time, the wolf again +recognized him, and exhibited the same marks of affection. + +On its master again going away, the wolf became gloomy and +desponding, and refused its food, so that fears were entertained +for its life. + +It recovered its health, however, and though it suffered its +keepers to approach, exhibited the savage disposition of its tribe +towards all strangers. + +The history of this wolf shows you that the fiercest tempers may be +calmed by gentleness. + + +Arrant thieves as foxes are, with regard to their domestic virtues +they eminently shine. Both parents take the greatest interest in +rearing and educating their offspring. They provide, in their +burrow, a comfortable nest, lined with feathers, for their new-born +cubs. Should either parent perceive in the neighbourhood of their +abode the slightest sign of human approach, they immediately carry +their young to a spot of greater safety, sometimes many miles away. +They usually set off in the twilight of a fine evening. The papa +fox having taken a survey all round, marches first, the young ones +march singly, and mamma brings up the rear. On reaching a wall or +bank, papa always mounts first, and looks carefully around, rearing +himself on his haunches to command a wider view. He then utters a +short cry, which the young ones, understanding as "Come along!" +instantly obey. All being safely over, mamma follows, pausing in +her turn on the top of the fence, when she makes a careful survey, +especially rearward. She then gives a responsive cry, answering to +"All right!" and follows the track of the others. Thus the party +proceed on their march, repeating the same precautions at each +fresh barrier. + +When peril approaches, the wary old fox instructs his young ones to +escape with turns and doublings on their path, while he himself +will stand still on some brow or knoll, where he can both see and +be seen. Having thus drawn attention to himself, he will take to +flight in a different direction. Occasionally, while the young +family are disporting themselves near their home, if peril +approach, the parents utter a quick, peculiar cry, commanding the +young ones to hurry to earth; knowing that, in case of pursuit, +they have neither strength nor speed to secure their escape. They +themselves will then take to flight, and seek some distant place of +security. + +The instruction they afford their young is varied. Sometimes the +parents toss bones into the air for the young foxes to catch. If +the little one fails to seize it before it falls to the ground, the +parent will snap at him in reproof. If he catches it cleverly, papa +growls his approval, and tosses it up again. This sport continues +for a considerable time. + + +As I have said, no other animals so carefully educate their young +in the way they should go, as does the fox. He is a good husband, +an excellent father, capable of friendship, and a very intelligent +member of society; but all the while, it must be confessed, an +incorrigible rogue and thief. + +A gentleman was lying one summer's day under the shelter of some +shrubs on the banks of the Tweed, when his attention was attracted +by the cries of wild-fowl, accompanied by a great deal of +fluttering and splashing. On looking round, he perceived a large +brood of ducks, which had been disturbed by the drifting of a fir +branch among them. After circling in the air for a little time, +they again settled down on their feeding-ground. + +Two or three minutes elapsed, when the same event again occurred. A +branch drifted down with the stream into the midst of the ducks, +and startled them from their repast. Once more they rose upon the +wing, clamouring loudly, but when the harmless bough had drifted +by, settled themselves down upon the water as before. This occurred +so frequently, that at last they scarcely troubled themselves to +flutter out of the way, even when about to be touched by the +drifting bough. + +The gentleman, meantime, marking the regular intervals at which the +fir branches succeeded each other in the same track, looked for a +cause, and perceived, at length, higher up the bank of the stream, +a fox, which, having evidently sent them adrift, was eagerly +watching their progress and the effect they produced. Satisfied +with the result, cunning Reynard at last selected a larger branch +of spruce-fir than usual, and couching himself down on it, set it +adrift as he had done the others. The birds, now well trained to +indifference, scarcely moved till he was in the midst of them, +when, making rapid snaps right and left, he secured two fine young +ducks as his prey, and floated forward triumphantly on his raft; +while the surviving fowls, clamouring in terror, took to flight, +and returned no more to the spot. + + +A labourer going to his work one morning sight of a fox stretched +out at full length under a bush. Believing it to be dead, the man +drew it out by the tail, and swung it about to assure himself of +the fact. Perceiving no symptoms of life, he then threw it over his +shoulder, intending to make a cap of the skin, and ornament his +cottage wall with the brush. While the fox hung over one shoulder, +his mattock balanced it on the other. The point of the instrument, +as he walked along, every now and then struck against the ribs of +the fox, which, not so dead as the man supposed, objected to this +proceeding, though he did not mind being carried along with his +head downward. Losing patience, he gave a sharp snap at that +portion of the labourer's body near which his head hung. The man, +startled by this sudden attack, threw fox and mattock to the +ground, when, turning round, he espied the live animal making off +at full speed. + + +I have still another story to tell about cunning Reynard. Daylight +had just broke, when a well-known naturalist, gun in hand, +wandering in search of specimens, observed a large fox making his +way along the skirts of a plantation. Reynard looked cautiously +over the turf-wall into the neighbouring field, longing evidently +to get hold of some of the hares feeding in it, well aware that he +had little chance of catching one by dint of running. After +examining the different gaps in the wall, he fixed on one which +seemed to be the most frequented, and laid himself down close to +it, in the attitude of a cat watching a mouse-hole. He next scraped +small hollow in the ground, to form a kind of screen. Now and then +he stopped to listen, or take a cautious peep into the field. This +done, he again laid himself down, and remained motionless, except +when occasionally his eagerness induced him to reconnoitre the +feeding hares. + +One by one, as the sun rose, they made their way from the field to +the plantation. Several passed, but he moved not, except to crouch +still closer to the ground. At length two came directly towards +him. The involuntary motion of his ears, though he did not venture +to look up, showed that he was aware of their approach. Like +lightning, as they were leaping through the gap, Reynard was upon +them, and catching one, killed her immediately. He was decamping +with his booty, when a rifle-ball put an end to his career. + + +I must tell you one more story about a fox, and a very interesting +little animal it was, though not less cunning than its relatives in +warmer regions. + +Mr. Hayes, the Arctic explorer, had a beautiful little snow-white +fox, which was his companion in his cabin when his vessel was +frozen up during the winter. She had been caught in a trap, but +soon became tame, and used to sit in his lap during meals, with her +delicate paws on the cloth. A plate and fork were provided for her, +though she was unable to handle the fork herself; and little bits +of raw venison, which she preferred to seasoned food. When she took +the morsels into her mouth, her eyes sparkled with delight. She +used to wipe her lips, and look up at her master with a +_coquetterie_ perfectly irresistible. Sometimes she exhibited +much impatience; but a gentle rebuke with a fork on the tip of the +nose was sufficient to restore her patience. + +When sufficiently tame, she was allowed to run loose in the cabin; +but she got into the habit of bounding over the shelves, without +much regard for the valuable and perishable articles lying on them. + +She soon also found out the bull's-eye overhead, through the cracks +round which she could sniff the cool air. Close beneath it she +accordingly took up her abode; and thence she used to crawl down +when dinner was on the table, getting into her master's lap, and +looking up longingly and lovingly into his face, sometimes putting +out her little tongue with impatience, and barking, if the +beginning of the repast was too long delayed. + +To prevent her climbing, she was secured by a slight chain. This +she soon managed to break, and once having performed the operation, +she did not fail to attempt it again. To do this, she would first +draw herself back as far as she could get, and then suddenly dart +forward, in the hope of snapping it by the jerk; and though she was +thus sent reeling on the floor, she would again pick herself up, +panting as if her little heart would break, shake out her +disarranged coat, and try once more. When observed, however, she +would sit quietly down, cock her head cunningly on one side, follow +the chain with her eye along its whole length to its fastening on +the floor, walk leisurely to that point, hesitating a moment, and +then make another plunge. All this time she would eye her master +sharply, and if he moved, she would fall down on the floor at once, +and pretend to be asleep. + +She was a very neat and cleanly creature, everlastingly brushing +her clothes, and bathing regularly in a bath of snow provided for +her in the cabin. This last operation was her great delight. She +would throw up the white flakes with her diminutive nose, rolling +about and burying herself in them, wipe her face with her soft +paws, and then mount to the side of the tub, looking round her +knowingly, and barking the prettiest bark that ever was heard. This +was her way of enforcing admiration; and being now satisfied with +her performance, she would give a goodly number of shakes to her +sparkling coat, then, happy and refreshed, crawl into her airy bed +in the bull's-eye, and go to sleep. + + +The Indian believes the bear to be possessed not only of a +wonderful amount of sagacity, but of feelings akin to those of +human beings. Though most species are savage when irritated, some +of them occasionally exhibit good humour and kindness. + +A story is told of a man in Russia, who on an expedition in search +of honey, climbed into a high tree. The trunk was hollow, and he +discovered a large cone within. He was descending to obtain it, +when he stuck fast. Unable to extricate himself, and too far from +home to make his voice heard, he remained in that uncomfortable +position for two days, sustaining his life by eating the honey. He +had become silent from despair, when, looking up, what was his +horror to see a huge bear above him, tempted by the same object +which had led him into his dangerous predicament, and about to +descend into the interior of the tree! + +Bears--very wisely--when getting into hollows of rocks or trees, go +tail-end first, that they may be in a position to move out again +when necessary. No sooner, in spite of his dismay, did the tail of +the bear reach him, than the man caught hold of it. The animal, +astonished at finding some big creature below him, when he only +expected to meet with a family of bees, against whose stings his +thick hide was impervious, quickly scrambled out again, dragging up +the man, who probably shouted right lustily. Be that as it may, the +bear waddled off at a quick rate, and the honey-seeker made his way +homeward, to relate his adventure, and relieve the anxiety of his +family. + + +The brown bear, which lives in Siberia, may be considered among the +most good-natured of his tribe. Mr. Atkinson, who travelled in that +country, tells us that some peasants--a father and mother--had one +day lost two of their children, between four and six years of age. +It was soon evident that their young ones had wandered away to a +distance from their home, and as soon as this discovery was made +they set off in search of them. + +Having proceeded some way through the wilds, they caught sight in +the distance of a large animal, which, as they got nearer, they +discovered to be a brown bear; and what was their horror to see +within its clutches their lost young ones! Their sensations of +dismay were exchanged for astonishment, when they saw the children +running about, laughing, round the bear, sometimes taking it by the +paws, and sometimes pulling it by the tail. The monster, evidently +amused with their behaviour, treated them in the most affectionate +manner. One of the children now produced some fruit, with which it +fed its shaggy playfellow, while the other climbed up on its back, +and sat there, fearlessly urging its strange steed to move on. The +parents gave way to cries of terror at seeing the apparent danger +to which their offspring were exposed. The little boy, however, +having slipped off the bear's back, the animal, hearing the sound +of other voices, left the children, and retreated quietly into the +forest. + + + + +SOME ANIMAL FRIENDS IN AFRICA + +By Bayard Taylor + + +Years ago I spent a winter in Africa. I had intended to go up the +Nile only as far as Nubia, visiting the great temples and tombs of +Thebes on the way; but when I had done all this, and passed beyond +the cataracts at the southern boundary of Egypt, I found the +journey so agreeable, so full of interest, and attended with so +much less danger than I had supposed, that I determined to go on +for a month or two longer, and penetrate as far as possible into +the interior. Everything was favorable to my plan. + +When I reached Khartoum, the Austrian consul invited me to his +house; and there I spent three or four weeks, in that strange town, +making acquaintance with the Egyptian officers, the chiefs of the +desert tribes and the former kings of the different countries of +Ethiopia. When I left my boat, on arriving, and walked through the +narrow streets of Khartoum, between mud walls, very few of which +were even whitewashed, I thought it a miserable place, and began to +look out for some garden where I might pitch my tent, rather than +live in one of those dirty-looking habitations. The wall around the +consul's house was of mud like the others; but when I entered I +found clean, handsome rooms, which furnished delightful shade and +coolness during the heat of the day. The roof was of palm-logs, +covered with mud, which the sun baked into a hard mass, so that the +house was in reality as good as a brick dwelling. It was a great +deal more comfortable than it appeared from the outside. + +There were other features of the place, however, which it would be +difficult to find anywhere except in Central Africa. After I had +taken possession of my room, and eaten breakfast with my host, I +went out to look at the garden. On each side of the steps leading +down from the door sat two apes, who barked and snapped at me. The +next thing I saw was a leopard tied to the trunk of an orange-tree. +I did not dare to go within reach of his rope, although I +afterwards became well acquainted with him. A little farther, there +was a pen of gazelles and an antelope with immense horns; then two +fierce, bristling hyenas; and at last, under a shed beside the +stable, a full-grown lioness sleeping in the shade. I was greatly +surprised when the consul went up to her, lifted up her head, +opened her jaws so as to show the shining white tusks, and finally +sat down upon her hack. + +She accepted these familiarities so good-naturedly that I made bold +to pat her head also. In a day or two we were great friends; she +would spring about with delight whenever she saw me, and would purr +like a cat whenever I sat upon her back. I spent an hour or two +every day among the animals, and found them all easy to tame except +the hyenas, which would gladly have bitten me if I had allowed them +a chance. The leopard, one day, bit me slightly on the hand; but I +punished him by pouring several buckets of water over him, and he +was always very amiable after that. The beautiful little gazelles +would cluster around me, thrusting up their noses into my hand, and +saying "Wow! wow!" as plainly as I write it. But none of these +animals attracted me as much as the big lioness. She was always +good-humored, though occasionally so lazy that she would not even +open her eyes when I sat down on her shoulder. She would sometimes +catch my foot in her paws as a kitten catches a ball, and try to +make a plaything of it,--yet always without thrusting out her +claws. Once she opened Her mouth, and gently took one of my legs in +her jaws for a moment; and the very next instant she put out her +tongue and licked my hand. There seemed to be almost as much of the +dog as of the cat in her nature. We all know, however, that there +are differences of character among animals as there are among men; +and my favorite probably belonged to a virtuous and respectable +family of lions. + + +The day after my arrival I went with the consul to visit the pacha, +who lived in a large mud palace on the bank of the Blue Nile. He +received us very pleasantly, and invited us to take seats in the +shady court-yard. Here there was a huge panther tied to one of the +pillars, while a little lion, about eight months old, ran about +perfectly loose. The pacha called the latter, which came springing +and frisking towards him. "Now," said he, "we will have some fun." +He then made the lion lie down behind one of the pillars, and +called to one of the black boys to go across the court-yard on some +errand. The lion lay quite still until the boy came opposite to the +pillar, when he sprang out after him. The boy ran, terribly +frightened; but the lion reached him in five or six leaps, sprang +upon his back and threw him down, and then went back to the pillar +as if quite satisfied with his exploit. Although the boy was not +hurt in the least, it seemed to me like a cruel piece of fun. + +The pacha, nevertheless, laughed very heartily, and told us that he +had himself trained the lion to frighten the boys. + + +Presently the little lion went away, and when we came to look for +him, we found him lying on one of the tables in the kitchen of the +palace, apparently very much interested in watching the cook. The +latter told us that the animal sometimes took small pieces of meat, +but seemed to know that it was not permitted, for he would run away +afterwards in great haste. What I saw of lions during my residence +in Khartoum satisfied me that they are not very difficult to tame, +only, as they belong to the cat family, no dependence can be placed +on their continued good behavior.... + + +Although I was glad to leave that wild town, with its burning +climate, and retrace the long way back to Egypt, across the +Desert and down the Nile, I felt very sorry at being obliged to +take leave forever of all my pets. The little gazelles said, "Wow! +wow!" in answer to my "Good-bye"; the hyenas howled and tried to +bite, just as much as ever; but the dear old lioness I know would +have been sorry if she could have understood that I was going. She +frisked around me, licked my hand, and I took her great tawny head +into my arms, and gave her a kiss. Since then I have never had a +lion for a pet, and may never have one again. I must confess I am +sorry for it; for I still retain my love for lions (four-footed +ones, I mean), to this day. + + + + +MY FIGHT WITH A CATAMOUNT + +By Allen French + + +My guide, Alaric, and I had gone in after moose to the country +beyond Mud Brook, in Maine. There its watershed between the east +branch and the west is cut up into valleys, in one or another of +which a herd of moose, in winter, generally takes up quarters. It +was not yet yarding-time, for the snow was still only about four +inches deep, making it just right for the moose-hunter who is at +the same time a sportsman. + +Our task was a slow one; we had to examine each valley for moose +tracks, tramping up one side and down the other, or as we usually +managed it, separating at the valley's mouth, each taking a side, +meeting at the end and then, if unsuccessful, taking the quickest +way back to camp. + +And unsuccessful we were, since for three days we found no trail. +But Alaric was not in the least discouraged. + +"You can never tell about moose," he said; "they travel so. There +were moose in this country before the snow, and there are moose +within a day's walk of us now. It's just as I told you; we may have +to spend five days in finding where they are." + +It was on the second day that we found that, while after moose, we +had been tracked by a catamount. The print of its paw was +generously large. + +"I've seen bigger," said Alaric, "but this feller's big enough. +He's just waiting round, I guess, so as to get some of the meat we +kill. We'll remember him," he said, looking up at me as he knelt on +the snow, "so's to see that he doesn't spoil the hide or the head." + +I accepted the theory, and thought little more of the matter for +twenty-four hours. + +At the end of the third day we found that the catamount had for a +second time been following our trail--not only _our_ trail, +but also _mine._ + +He had followed me all day as I walked along the hillside, looking +ahead and on both sides, but seldom behind. Alaric examined his +tracks carefully for half a mile. + +"He was in sight of you all the way," he said. "See here, where he +stood for some time, just shifting about in one place, watching?" I +saw--and thought. + +After a while, it seemed to me, a catamount might get tired of +waiting for us to kill his meat, and would start in to kill it for +himself. Unquestionably the easiest game for him to get would be +human. + +For there were no deer in the region, and the caribou were all +herded on Katahdin and Traveller. The previous severe winter had +decimated the partridges, and big is the catamount that will tackle +a moose. I mentioned the theory to Alaric. + +"Um--yes, perhaps," he said, and eyed me dubiously. + +Then I wished that I had not said anything. It is not well to let +your guide think that you are afraid. + +In the morning, when we had attained our valley's mouth, Alaric was +about to keep with me, instead of leaving me as before; but that +made our hunting much slower, for we could cover much less ground, +and I sent him around the other way. + +"All right," said he. "But keep a good lookout behind you now." + +He disappeared in a cedar swamp, and I made my way along the slope +of a hill. I watched indeed behind as well as in front, and in +every fox's track I crossed I saw a catamount's, until finally I +got used to the situation, and believed that the "Indian devil" had +concluded to let me alone. + +The day was fine. The sun shone bright, and the softening snow, +dropping from the upper branches of the trees, kept up a constant +movement in the woods. I took and held a good pace, and with my +eyes searching the snow ahead and on all sides of me for signs of +moose, walked for a full hour, seeing nothing living but the +woodpeckers and the chickadees, hearing nothing but the rustle of +the branches, as released of their loads they sprang back into +place. Then, quite needlessly, I found insecure footing under the +snow, and plunged suddenly at full length. My rifle whirled from my +hand with force, and I heard it strike against the uncovered top of +a sugar-loaf stone. I jumped up in fear and hastily examined it. +The breech was shattered--my rifle was as useless as any stick. + +Now I thought of the catamount, as, with the broken rifle in my +hands, I looked about me in the woods, bright with sun and snow. I +was not entirely helpless, for my revolver and knife were in my +belt. + +Yet a thirty-eight calibre revolver, even with a long cartridge and +a long barrel, is not a sure defence against an animal as heavy as +myself, which in facing me would present for a mark only a round +head and a chest with muscles so thick and knotty that they would +probably stop any revolver bullet. I doubted my ability to hit the +eye. + +Very likely I was no longer followed; and in any case, I might call +Alaric. And yet he was too far away for a shout to reach him, and I +dared not fire signal-shots, for in order to travel light, I had +left at camp all revolver cartridges but those in the chambers. + +So I started at once for the bottom of the valley, hoping to strike +Alaric's trail on the opposite slope, and intending to follow it +until I caught him. + +My rifle I left where it was; it was useless and heavy. I cast many +a glance behind me as, almost at a trot, I made my way down the +long hillside. + +I strode on rapidly, for I had certainly a mile to cover before I +could strike Alaric's trail, much more before I could catch my +nimble guide. I was cheerful and unalarmed until, pausing to look +behind, I saw, a hundred yards away, a tawny animal quickly slip +behind a tree. + +I hastily drew my revolver and knife; but no movement came from its +hidden breast, and rather than stand and wait, I pursued my +retreat. I moved more slowly, yet as fast as I could and still +guard myself against another fall and watch for a rush from behind. +I scanned the ground in front of me, and glanced back every second. +For some time I saw no more of the catamount. + +But when I did see him, I was startled at his nearness; he was +within fifty yards. I hurried on as he slipped aside again; but +looking again in a moment, I saw him now following boldly upon my +trail. I stopped, but he stopped, too, and stood regarding me. He +was too far away for me to fire yet, and as he made no movement to +approach, I cautiously continued my retreat, always after a few +steps stopping to face him. + +He stopped as I stopped, yet each time I turned away he came +quickly closer. I was already thinking of awaiting him without +further movement, when the way was blocked by a ravine. + +It was cut by the stream that drained the valley, and its steep +sides were nearly fifteen feet in height. They even overhung in +places, but this I did not then know. I was in no mind to trust +myself in the deep gully, where the catamount might drop upon me +before I could scramble out upon the other side. + +I walked into an open space, and took my stand close to a birch +that grew on the very edge of the bank. For thirty feet there was +no good cover for the catamount; so, armed and determined, I waited +his action. + +The animal skirted the bushes about me, as if examining the ground, +and to my disappointment, began to come upon me along the edge of +the ravine. This gave him the best cover before his charge, and at +the same time assured him that the momentum of his rush would not +carry him tumbling into the gully. Always keeping too well +concealed for a good mark, he crept up behind a fallen tree, on the +near side of which a little bush grew, and flattened himself there, +watching me, I felt sure, and waiting, in the hope that he might +catch me off my guard. + +I cannot describe how stealthy and noiseless and altogether perfect +his maneuvering was. Although the trees that grew about were all +small and the bushes bare, and although the white snow gave no +background for concealment, he covered himself so perfectly at one +time, and slipped in and out of sight so quickly at another, that +although I stood with revolver pointed and cocked, I could find no +opportunity for a shot. + +As he circled for position he came ever nearer, and I could see at +one time the round head, with its short, pointed ears; at another +the long, sinuous, muscular body; but they moved so rapidly that +before I could shoot they were gone from sight. + +All the time he made no sound but a little rustle. In his final +concealment I saw nothing of him but his tail, that twitched and +twitched and twitched. + +At last I caught the glint of his pale green eye and fired. There +came a snarl from behind the bush, and it was dashed to one side +and the other, while round head and bared teeth and tawny body came +crashing through. I pulled trigger again, and the report sounded +muffled, and the smoke for an instant obscured the beast. All was +white, when, like a breath, it passed, and I saw the rushing +catamount not ten feet from me. + +I had not time to fire or crouch, but with ready legs hurled myself +to one side, and threw my left arm around the tree that grew at the +edge of the bank. With an awful dread I felt the ground giving way +beneath me. + +I dropped my knife and caught the tree closer, when it, too, leaned +to fall. It hung for a moment over the steep slope, and I could not +save myself. The frost had not clamped the over-hang to the solid +ground. The last fall rains had cut it under; the first spring thaw +would have brought it down, had not my weight been thrown upon it. + +With a twist the tree and I fell together. I clutched my revolver +desperately, despite the sickening fear of the fall, and in my +grasp it exploded in mid air. Then I fell, and although my body +struck easily in the snow-covered ravine, my right hand had been +beaten against a sharp rock, and the birch was upon me so that I +could not move. + +My legs were on the bank, and underneath the snow beneath my +shoulders I soon felt the ice, from which stones protruded. One +snow-covered rock received and supported my head. I lay upon my +right side, and my right hand, swinging in a curve, had struck with +force upon another stone, and lay upon the ice, the only part of my +body, except my head, which was free. My left arm was pressed close +to my side by the birch, which lay across my body and legs. + +The weight was not so great but that I could have lifted it, could +I but have gained purchase. But I must at the same time lift my own +body, for my hips were lower than my feet, my shoulders lower than +my hips; and I could not gather ten pounds of force in that +position. + +My fall confused me somewhat, and I could not at first feel +anything, either the pain in my hand or the danger I was in. I +noticed only the fine, powdery snow which, cast up by the fall, +settled upon me as I lay. Then I saw my arm, stretched out in front +of me, with a bloody hand at the end of it, and I came fully to +myself. + +A pain shot from finger-tip to shoulder as I closed my hand tighter +upon the butt of the revolver. But I clenched my teeth and tried to +rise--tried twice more before I gave it up as hopeless. Then I +raised my hand and put it in a better position, propped upon a +stone. + +The movements hurt me terribly, but I thought of the catamount, +which would surely not be satisfied with two bullets for its +breakfast. I was scarcely ready when the head of the beast was +thrust over the edge of the bank to look for me. + +He saw, and gloated as a human enemy might have done. His savage +snarl was full of intelligence, and his slow approach was +deliberate torture. He stood for a moment in full view--then +slipped and slid down to the surface of the ice, where, ten yards +away, he stood and looked at me. + +I saw his magnificent build, his superb muscular development, as +with his body in profile, his head turned toward me, he waited +before approaching, playing with my helplessness; but I was not +entirely helpless! With shaking hand I took aim; I could not use my +thumb to cock the revolver, but drew hard at the trigger, and the +hammer rose and fell. + +My turn for gloating had come now, for the catamount was crying +with rage and pain. He fell writhing, striking with his forepaws at +the snow, and raising his head to snap at nothing; but this did not +last long. Slowly he dragged himself to a sitting posture, and I +could understand his plight and estimate my own danger. + +My first two bullets had but torn his flesh. My last had broken his +back. He was paralyzed in his hind legs, as I have seen a deer, yet +he had many minutes to live, perhaps hours, and was strong and +angry enough to finish me. Painfully he started on that short +journey to me. With his forepaws, his claws digging the snow, he +began to drag himself toward me. + +I could only wait. I had but one more shot, and wished to hold it +till he should be close; but my torn hand was weak, and the bruised +tendons had already begun to stiffen. Into that deep place, where +bank and trees overhung, the sun did not come, and I felt the cold +striking into my raw flesh. More than that, my weight upon my +shoulder began to cut off the blood from my arm. I felt pricking in +my flesh, my arm began to be numb, and I feared that I might not be +able to shoot. + +If he could but hurry! He dragged himself at a snail's pace. It +would be so long before he came close that my hand would be +useless. Yet as he crawled directly at me, the mark was a poor one. +I saw with satisfaction that he would have to turn aside for one of +the rocks in his path. When at last he reached it, and began to +drag himself around it, he gave me my last chance. + +I saw the space behind his shoulder, prayed that my bullet might +miss his ribs, summoned the last force at my almost dead hand, and +fired. + +A little drift of air blew the smoke aside so quickly that I could +see the fur fly. He bit savagely at his side, but he crawled on +without stopping. From my numb hand the revolver fell without noise +in the snow--my fight was finished. He came on; he was only fifteen +feet away from me, when he stopped and coughed. Would he sink, +unable to move farther? + +No; he started again! Although his legs dragged behind him, +impeding, although he left a red trail on the snow, and each step +forced a snarl from him, he came on. With glittering eyes and +hoarse breath, he forced himself to cross the last space. Minutes +passed before he was close enough to touch me. + +Ah! Even as he turned toward my hand to seize it, even as I waited +to see, rather than feel, the crunching of my senseless arm, his +head drooped. He raised it once more, but his power was gone. He +laid his head, once so powerful, upon my hand, rested his body +against the stone, that stood high enough to support him, and +glared at me with his fierce, malignant eyes. + +Then the fire changed in his eyes, clouded, flickered, glowed--went +out. The last breath was expelled with a wheeze. He was dead. + +Then my own powers sank, and I thought that I was dying, too. +Somewhere in the midst of my faintness I had a sense as if I felt, +rather than heard, hasty, heavy footsteps on the bank above me. As +soon as I knew anything clearly, I knew that the tree had been +pulled away, and that Alaric was bending over me. He had, with ears +alert for any sound, and with footsteps kept as near to me as they +might be with obedience to my order, come rushing to my aid at the +sound at my first revolver-shot. But the distance was so great that +he did not arrive until my fight was over. + + + + +IN CANADA WITH A LYNX + +By Roe L. Hendrick + + +This adventure came about through an invitation which Ray Churchill +received from his friend, Jacques Pourbiere of Two Rivers, New +Brunswick. Ray had half-promised to visit his New Brunswick +acquaintance during the deer-hunting season, and late in August was +reminded of the fact. A second letter came in September, the +carefully worded school English of the writer not being able to +conceal the warmth and urgency of the invitation. + +So Ray telegraphed his acceptance, and four days later arrived at +Fredericton, where he secured a hunting license. The next morning +he reached Two Rivers, and Jacques met him with a span of ponies, +attached to a queer spring vehicle, mounted on wheels that seemed +out of all proportion to the body of the carriage. Ray wondered if +it was a relic of Acadia, but did not like to ask. They drove for a +dozen miles through a wooded and hilly country, and arrived at +their destination shortly before nightfall. + +Jacques was quite alone at the time, as his parents had gone to +visit their older children along the St. John River. He promised +Ray at least one deer within a couple of days, and another within a +week. + +The Pourbiere home resembled those of the better class of +_habitants_, but with a difference due to the greater prosperity +of the family in preceding generations. The main room had a huge +fireplace, used only occasionally, for there was an air-tight +stove connected with the chimney just above it, to afford +greater warmth in winter. The other rooms Were chiefly detached, +although there was an entry-like porch on the south front of the +living-room, and a huge door opening at the east end, both +connecting with the yard outside. + +But the wood-shed, milk-house and summer kitchen were in the rear, +each being a rectangular building of heavy logs, with low lofts +above. The homestead was, in fact, a cluster of houses rather than +a single dwelling. + +What most attracted Ray's attention were the huge bedsteads in the +living-room. They were tall four-posters, such as he had seen +elsewhere, but with the difference that a canopy covered them. Each +had a carved wooden frame, surmounting the top of the posts like a +roof. The wood was black with age, its surface being covered with +elaborate foliage and armorial devices, representing the toil of +some old French artisan of the seventeenth century. They probably +had been brought across the Atlantic by the original emigrant, and +carefully preserved ever since. They stood in diagonally opposite +corners of the room, and upheld the hugest of feather beds, with +gay, home-made worsted coverlets and valances that shamed the hues +of the rainbow. They certainly tempted to rest in that climate and +at that season, but would have seemed suffocating in a warmer +region. + +That evening Ray said: + +"See here, Jacques, you have double windows, with no way of opening +them that I can find, and your fireplace is closed to make a better +draft for this stove. I'm used to fresh air at night. If I leave +the end door ajar, you won't be afraid of burglars, will you?" + +The Canadian shrugged his shoulders at this exhibition of his +guest's eccentricity, but his hospitality was more than equal to +the strain. + +_"Non, non!"_ he replied. "Nobody rob. We nevaire lock doors +here," and his white teeth flashed. + +Ray laughed softly as he thrust a billet of wood between the door +and its frame. "But why do you say 'br-r-r!' under your breath?" he +asked. + +"Co-old before morning, ver' cold!" + +"I know, but we'll be snug in bed, and won't feel it. You Canadians +wouldn't have so much consumption if you breathed purer air when +you slept." + +_"Oui!"_ was the polite reply; and nothing more was said. + +Long before dawn Ray sprang from bed, closed the door and stirred +up the fire. The moon, although low in the west, was still +brilliant when they made their way to where a stream trickled down +to Cedar Lake, and within a half-hour got their first deer, a fine +three-year-old buck. + +They secured some smaller game during the morning, and in the +afternoon took the deer home, and skinned and dressed it. Most of +the carcass was hung up in the milk-room, but Jacques carried a +hind quarter in and suspended it beside the closed fireplace, later +cutting off steaks for supper and breakfast. + +They passed a merry evening, each telling stories of his +experiences, which were so different in quality that they possessed +all the charm of novelty to the respective listeners. Again Ray set +the door ajar, after they had undressed, and in a few moments both +were asleep. + +Several hours passed. Had either young man been awake, he might +have heard soft footfalls about the door. A squatty, heavily built +animal, with huge feet, bob tail, and pointed ears adorned with +tufts of hair, had traced the slaughtered deer to the farmhouse by +means of drops of blood, and now was searching eagerly for the +meat. + +He sought the milk-room again and again, and even sprang to the +window-ledge, but could not get inside. Then he came back and +sniffed at the partly open door of the living-room. + +The human smell was there, and he hesitated. But so, too, was the +odor of fresh venison, and his mouth watered. + +A round head was thrust inside the door. The moon, peering above +the hemlocks to the southeastward, cast its rays through a window +directly upon the fresh meat. + +The temptation was greater than the intruder was able to withstand. +Inch by inch he crowded past the swaying door, and silently crept +toward the venison. The two men were breathing very loudly, but +neither stirred; and at last he gathered supreme courage, and +leaped upon the meat. + +It fell with a crash against the stove, and the two were awakened +simultaneously. As Jacques sprang from the bed, the animal backed, +dragging the quarter of venison toward the door. He collided with +it, knocking the billet of wood outside, and the latch fell into +place with a clash. + +Finding himself a prisoner, the creature advanced, spitting and +growling, straight at Jacques, who, crying, _"Loup cervier! loup +cervier!"_ retreated to the bed. + +But the pursuit did not end there. Seeing that the beast was about +to leap upon the bed, the Canadian hastily climbed one of the +posts, not a second too soon, and ensconced himself on the edge of +the canopy top, with his back pressed against the timbers of the +loft floor above. + +Ray had been too much amazed to interfere at first, but now the +time seemed ripe to reopen the door and drive the lynx out. He made +a rush, but the angry creature turned and dashed at his legs so +viciously that in a couple of seconds he, too, found himself +perched precariously on the canopy of his own bed, with "prick-ears" +spitting and snarling on the coverlet. + +"Can that beast climb up here, like a cat?" he asked, with no +little anxiety in his tones. + +_"Oui,"_ was the reply, "he can; but _loup cerviers_ don' +climb mooch." + +In a few moments the lynx went back to the venison, and began +eating it voraciously, only stopping to snarl when the young men +spoke or moved. The fire was very low, the room had been well +aired, and the two were thinly clad. Before long their teeth were +chattering. + +"Eef Ah can get heem away from door, Ah'll roon an' get goon an' +feex heem!" Jacques said, with marked ill-will underlying his +quaint English. He clambered about the creaking canopy frame, which +threatened to collapse at any moment, till he reached the side +wall. Along this were suspended loops of onions. A big one hurtled +through the air and hit the intruder in the side. He whirled about +and dashed for the bed. + +Babette, the family cat, had been concealed beneath this bed during +the preceding scrimmage. She now thrust out her head just in time +to be seen by the lynx, and the liveliest sort of chase about the +room ensued. + +When hard pressed, she somehow reached a shelf close beside Ray, +climbed recklessly over him, her claws stabbing him in a dozen +places, and hid behind him. The lynx was thoroughly aroused, and +although clumsier and heavier, set out sturdily to follow. + +Ray's hand fell on the shelf, and clutched a flat-iron, of which +there were a half-dozen in a row. Leaning forward, he struck the +oncomer a hard blow over the head. Prick-ears fell to the floor, +and rolled, writhing, struggling and half-stunned, under the bed. + +"Now, Jacques, now!" Ray yelled. His host jumped, and was outside +the door in an instant. Ray grasped another flat-iron and waited. +The sound of struggling beneath the bed was unabated. + +In five minutes he heard a plaintive voice calling outside: + +"Where you put dem goons?" + +"In the milk-room." + +_"Oui,_ but where? Ah'm freezing!" + +"I--I don't remember." + +Jacques, saying many things in a _patois_ he had never learned +in the provincial school, went back to the milk-room. The lynx +ventured to show his head, and a flat-iron dented the floor close +beside it. Then the animal circled the room, dodged another +missile, and hid in a dark corner. + +Ray could hear Jacques tossing things about in the obscurity of the +milk-room, but plainly finding no guns, and as plainly getting +colder every minute. + +Something must be done at once. He clutched a flat-iron in each +hand, screwed his courage to the sticking point, and dropped to the +floor. + +As he flung the door wide open, he heard the rasping of the lynx's +claws on the boards behind him. He dashed outside, threw both +flat-irons wildly at his pursuer, and jumped as far as he could to +one side. The lynx kept straight on, headed for the woods a few +rods away. + +Jacques had found his gun at last. He took a flying shot in the +moonlight, hitting a tree at least a rod at the lynx's right. Then +the two went inside, enlivened the fire, and dressed as hastily as +possible. + +"Consumption is bad, ver' bad for Canadians," said Jacques, a +half-hour later, picking his words with care. + +Ray grinned, but made no reply. + +"Night air is good; but Ah don' lak dese--dese beeg microbes eet +bring in." + + + + +SOLOMON'S GROUCH: THE STORY OF A BEAR + +By Franklin W. Calkins + + +A pet grizzly bear had been for a number of years a feature +at Hartranft's. As a puny infant, barely able to crawl, Solomon, +as he was solemnly dubbed, was brought in off the Teton Mountains, +and as milk was scarcer than money at the horse-ranch, he was +aristocratically fed on malted milk. + +On this expensive diet the cub throve amazingly. Good feeding was +continued after his weaning from the rubber nipple, and at the end +of three years Solomon had grown to be a fat wooly monster. He was +kept chained to a post in the warm season, and had an enclosed +stall in a big barn for his winter quarters. Ordinarily he was +good-natured, but he was a rough and not altogether safe +playfellow. The near-by bawling of cattle always aroused in him +ebullitions of rage. + +"Solomon's got an awful grouch agin any noise bigger than what he +can make hisself," was the saying of the ranch hands. + +When Joe Hartranft's sister, Mrs. Murray, and her two boys, Rufe +and Perry, came to the ranch to spend the month of June, Solomon +was promptly hustled into his stall in the barn. It was thought +best to have no boys fooling round the grizzly. + +This would undoubtedly have been the safest disposition, but for an +oversight of the "stable boss." A big Percheron had been kept loose +in a closed stall adjoining Solomon's, and one day, when the bear's +voice was raised in remonstrance against his shrill neighing, he +had turned his heels loose against the partition which separated +them. His fierce battery had loosened two boards four or five feet +above the floor. And the cracks he made had gone unnoted, or at +least the mending had been neglected. + +A few days after the visitors came, a fine shorthorn cow with a new +calf was turned into the barn for the day. + +Men and work-horses were at work at the alfalfa-cutting, and the +bear and cow and calf were sole occupants of the barn when Rufe and +Perry mounted an outside ladder and entered its loft. + +This loft, with its grain-bins, its huge empty space, its +cross-beams and braces, offered an attractive gymnasium. In one of +the bins, used chiefly for storage, they discovered a lot of +fishing-tackle, seines and spears of various sorts for taking the +salmon which annually ran up the Snake River and its tributaries. + +They had ventured to drag out one of the seines and unroll it on +the floor of the loft, when the cow below them broke into +distressful bawling. Peering down a square aperture, through which +hay was lifted by machine forks in the season of storing, they saw +that the calf had got in between the wheels of two buggies which +were housed on one side of the driveway. + +The feeble creature was stuck fast enough, and the helpless dam +could only bellow her distress. The boys, in spite of some fear of +the cow, would have gone down to extricate the calf, but at this +instant Solomon roused in his lair, and took a hand in the +demonstration. + +His uproar became frightful as the cow, more than ever alarmed for +her calf, continued to bawl. There was a trap-door raised for +ventilation over Solomon's stall, and the boys ran eagerly to have +a look at the grizzly. + +They were highly entertained for a moment. Hair on end, teeth +gnashing, Solomon charged back and forth in his enclosure. Then he +reared up on his hind legs and clawed at the pine planks which shut +him in. He had not long continued this performance when his claws +caught in the crack of a loosened board. There was a ripping creak +and a crash, and down came the board. Another followed, and +Solomon, ceasing his violent threats for the instant, peered +through a wide gap into another domain. His hesitation was brief; +he scrambled through, walked out of the open door of the +horse-stall into an alley, and sought wider range. + +At first the boys were a little frightened, but they concluded that +Solomon would not be able to climb into the loft, and that it was +safer for them to stay above than to go down the ladder, for the +grizzly might easily push aside one of the half-dozen sliding doors +and get out of the barn. + +The barn was at a considerable distance from the house, so they +determined not to alarm the women unless Solomon should get outside +and so make it necessary. They sat for a time listening to the +monotonous bawling of the cow. Solomon seemed to have lost interest +in her noise, as they heard him now and then rummaging among the +empty stalls. + +They had begun to hope that the bear would not find his way out of +the stalls, when they heard him scrambling heavily. + +Then came a resounding thump as he dropped from one of the open +mangers to the floor of the barn. + +Almost instantly a terrific bawling and uproar broke out below. +Solomon had reached the cow at last. The boys ran to the edge of +the hay-lift and peered down. The cow was directly underneath, had +backed up against the buggies, and stood tossing her head and +bawling like a crazy thing. + +Dropping their eyes below the level of the loft floor, the lads saw +Solomon coming round a pile of new alfalfa which had been unloaded +in front of the central stalls. His rage was terrific, although he +advanced slowly to the attack. + +He came under the wide opening and swayed back and forth before the +cow like a tiger in its cage, roaring his threats and watching for +an opening to get by the lowered horns. He was a creature of +instinct, and with a veteran's precaution before a wicked pair of +horns. + +Nevertheless the cow, in a lightning charge, caught him broadside +on, and bore him, in a swift rush, into the midst of the heap of +clover. But for that soft padding for his ribs, it would have gone +hard with Solomon. He was doubled up and thrust into the soft mass, +fighting wildly. + +Bear and cow were buried in a storm of clover and flying hay. They +twisted about. Then the bear got his back braced against a stall +and his hind feet against the cow, and he bowled her into the +middle of the barn. + +With a huge grunt she alighted on her side and rolled clean over. +As she scrambled to her feet, full of pluck and snorting fiercely, +Solomon issued from the midst of the alfalfa-heap, and again the +two faced each other, filling the barn with loudmouthed threats. + +It was a splendid and exciting battle, but Rufe and Perry, certain +that the bear would kill the cow unless prevented, felt that they +must do something. They had heard their Uncle Joe say that, since +Solomon was getting crosser, he would give him away if anybody +could be found to come and get him. + +Since nobody else was within reach, they cast about for some means +of distracting Solomon from his fell purpose. Better kill the bear, +if possible, than let him destroy a valuable farm animal. Suddenly, +as the bear came directly beneath, Perry bethought him of the +fish-spears. + +In a twinkling he had one in hand, and was standing over the wide +aperture. + +"That's it! That's it!" shouted Rufe. "Stab him! Stick it clear +into him! That'll keep him busy for a while!" + +Solomon was again weaving back and forth before the threatening +horns, and as he came within easy reach, Perry gave him a fierce +thrust between the shoulders. As the tines pierced his muscles, the +bear reared to his hind legs with a whining roar of pain. Perry, +still clinging to the handle of the spear, was suddenly thrown off +his perch and tumbled head foremost upon the grizzly! + +Thus the peril of breaking bones in falling was avoided in the +peril of rolling on the barn floor in the clutches of a mad +grizzly! + +The bear had twisted his neck to seize the spear-handle, and when +Perry hit him, was bowled over on his side. + +The spear-handle snapped in his teeth, and as he wrenched +frantically at the fragment, its tines were twisted, cutting deeper +into his flesh. + +This wound, the first he had ever received, set Solomon crazy. + +He paid not the slightest heed to boy or cow, but rolled and +threshed, biting at the fragment of spear-handle, giving vent to +his rage and pain in a hoarse, distressful roar. + +Perry might easily have scrambled to his feet and escaped, but he +also was flung at full length on the floor, and instantly Solomon, +in distress, rolled over him, crushing the breath from his lungs. + +The terrified Rufe, looking down upon his brother's blackened face +and the bear's wicked claws waving above it, leaped to his feet and +started to run to the barn-loft door, to scream for help. + +At less than half the distance, his feet caught in the meshes of +the unrolled net, and he measured his length on the floor. + +As he quickly untangled a foot, the thought flashed into his mind, +"Throw this net upon the bear's legs!" In a flash he was at the +edge of the open floor and hauling the big seine in coils at his +feet. + +When he had a heap to the height of his knees he gathered it in his +arms and dropped the coils upon Solomon's waving legs. + +The bear's claws took instant hold of the stout meshes, and bruin, +feeling his feet entangled, wrenched at their fastenings, rolling +himself over on his side and off the body of the prostrate boy. +Perry, well-nigh smothered, had barely strength enough to crawl out +of reach of the whirlwind fight which now took place. + +Even the cow was awed to silence by the uproar of Solomon's rage as +he fought with the entangling folds of the salmon net. + +The seine needed no attendance. It did its own work once the +grizzly's legs had been thrust through its meshes. + +Coil after coil, the hundred and fifty feet of seine came down out +of the loft as the bear rolled and pitched and tumbled. The more he +tore and threshed, the more meshes there were to enwrap and +entangle him. + +In five minutes from the time its first meshes dropped upon him, +the net had Solomon so wound and bound that his legs were +immovable, and he could barely wriggle his neck. + +Perry soon recovered his breath, and before they ran to the field +to tell of Solomon's plight, the two boys had the presence of mind +to pen the cow up where she could not, should she take a notion, +gore the helpless grizzly. + +Amid both laughter and commiseration, blended with comments on the +pluck of the two youngsters, the ranchmen performed a surgical +operation on the helpless Solomon, extracting the spear from his +flesh. With much greater difficulty they freed him from the seine +and got him back into his lair. + + + +A DROLL FOX-TRAP + +By C. A. Stephens + +When I was a boy I lived in one of those rustic neighborhoods on +the outskirts of the great "Maine woods." Foxes were plenty, for +about all those sunny pioneer clearings birch-partridges breed by +thousands, as also field-mice and squirrels, making plenty of game +for Reynard. + +There were red foxes, "cross-grays," and "silver-grays;" even black +foxes were reported. These animals were the pests of the +farm-yards, and made havoc with the geese, cats, turkeys, and +chickens. In the fall of the year, particularly after the frosts, +the clearings were overrun by them night and morning. Their sharp, +cur-like barks used often to rouse us, and of a dark evening we +would hear them out in the fields, "mousing" around the +stone-heaps, making a queer, squeaking sound like a mouse, to call +the real mice out of their grass nests inside the stone-heaps. +This, indeed, is a favorite trick of Reynard. + +At the time of my story, my friend Tom Edwards (ten years of age) +and myself were in the turkey business, equal partners. We owned a +flock of thirty-one turkeys. These roosted by night in a large +butternut tree in front of Tom's house--in the very top of it, and +by day they wandered about the edges of the clearings in quest of +beech-nuts, which were very plentiful that fall. + +All went well till the last week in October, when, on taking the +census one morning, a turkey was found to be missing; the +thirty-one had become thirty since nightfall the previous evening. +It was the first one we had lost. + +We proceeded to look for traces. Our suspicions were divided. Tom +thought it was "the Twombly boys," nefarious Sam in particular. I +thought it might have been an owl. But under the tree, in the soft +dirt, where the potatoes had recently been dug, we found +fox-tracks, and two or three ominous little wads of feathers, with +one long tail feather adrift. Thereupon we concluded that the +turkey had accidentally fallen down out of the butternut--had a +fit, perhaps--and that its flutterings had attracted the attention +of some passing fox, which had, forthwith, taken it in charge. It +was, as we regarded it, one of those unfortunate occurrences which +no care on our part could have well foreseen, and a casualty such +as turkey-raisers are unavoidably heirs to, and we bore our loss +with resignation. We were glad to remember that turkeys did not +often fall off their roosts. + +This theory received something of a check when our flock counted +only twenty-nine the next morning. There were more fox-tracks, and +a great many more feathers under the tree. This put a new and +altogether ugly aspect on the matter. No algebra was needed to +figure the outcome of the turkey business at this rate, together +with our prospective profits, in the light of this new fact. It was +clear that something must be done, and at once, too, or ruin would +swallow up the poultry firm. + +Rightly or wrongly, we attributed the mischief to a certain +"silver-gray" that had several times been seen in the neighborhood +that autumn. + +It would take far too much space to relate in detail the plans we +laid and put in execution to catch that fox during the next two +weeks. I recollect that we set three traps for him to no purpose, +and that we borrowed a fox-hound to hunt him with, but merely +succeeded in running him to the burrow in a neighboring rocky +hill-side, whence we found it quite impossible to dislodge the wily +fellow. + +Meanwhile the fox (or foxes) had succeeded in getting two more of +the turkeys. + +Heroes, it is said, are born of great crises. This dilemma of ours +developed Tom's genius. + +"I'll have that fox," he said, when the traps failed; and when the +hound proved of no avail he still said: "I'll have him yet." + +"But how?" I asked. Tom said he would show me. He brought a +two-bushel basket and went out into the fields. In the stone-heaps, +and beside the old logs and stumps, there were dozens of deserted +mouse-nests, each a wad of fine dry grass as large as a quart box. +These were gathered up, and filled the great basket. + +"There," said he, triumphantly, "don't them smell _mousey_?" + +They did, certainly; they savored as strongly of mice as Tom's +question of bad grammar. + +"And don't foxes catch mice?" demanded Tom, confidently. + +"Yes, but I don't see how that's going to catch the fox," I said. + +"Well, look here, then, I'll show ye," said he. "Play you's the +fox; and play 't was night, and you was prowling around the fields. +Go off now out there by that stump." + +Full of wonder and curiosity, I retired to the stump. Tom, +meantime, turned out the mass of nests, and with it completely +covered himself. The pile now resembled an enormous mouse-nest, or +rather a small hay-cock. Pretty soon I heard a low, high-keyed, +squeaking noise, accompanied by a slight rustle inside the nest. +Evidently there were mice in it; and, feeling my character as fox +at stake, I at once trotted forward, then crept up, and, as the +rustling and squeaking continued, made a pounce into the grass--as +I had heard it said that foxes did when mousing. Instantly two spry +brown hands from out the nest clutched me with a most vengeful +grip. As a fox, I struggled tremendously. But Tom overcame me +forthwith, choked me nearly black in the face, then, in dumb show, +knocked my head with a stone. + +"D'ye see, now!" he demanded. + +I saw. + +"But a fox would bite you," I objected. + +"Let him bite," said Tom. "I'll resk him when once I get these two +bread-hooks on him. And he can't smell me through the mouse-nests +either." + +That night we set ourselves to put the stratagem in operation. With +the dusk we stole out into the field where the stone-heaps were, +and where we had oftenest heard foxes bark. Selecting a nook in the +edge of a clump of raspberry briars which grew about a great +pine-stump, Tom lay down, and I covered him up completely with the +contents of the big basket. He then practiced squeaking and +rustling several times to be sure that all was in good trim. His +squeaks were perfect successes--made by sucking the air sharply +betwixt his teeth. + +"Now be off," said Tom, "and don't come poking around, nor get in +sight, till you hear me holler." + +Thus exhorted, I went into the barn and established myself at a +crack on the back side, which looked out upon the field where Tom +was ambushed. + +Tom, meanwhile, as he afterward told me, waited till it had grown +dark, then began squeaking and rustling at intervals, to draw the +attention of the fox when first he should come out into the +clearing, for foxes have ears so wonderfully acute, that they are +able to hear a mouse squeak twenty rods away, it is said. + +An hour passed. Tom must have grown pretty tired of squeaking. It +was a moonless evening, though not very dark. I could see objects +at a little distance through the crack, but could not see so far as +the stump. It got rather dull, watching there; and being amidst +nice cozy straw, I presently went to sleep, quite unintentionally. +I must have slept some time, though it seemed to me but a very few +minutes. + +What woke me was a noise--a sharp suppressed yelp. It took me a +moment to understand where I was, and why I was there. A sound of +scuffling and tumbling on the ground at some distance assisted my +wandering wits, and I rushed out of the barn and ran toward the +field. As I ran, two or three dull whacks came to my ear. + +"Got him, Tom?" I shouted, rushing up. + +Tom was holding and squeezing one of his hands with the other and +shaking it violently. He said not a word, and left me to poke about +and stumble on the limp warm carcass of a large fox that lay near. + +"Bite ye?" I exclaimed, after satisfying myself that the fox was +dead. + +"Some," said Tom; and that was all I could get from him that night. + +We took the fox to the house and lighted a candle. It was the +"silver-gray." + +Tom washed his bite in cold water and went to bed. Next morning he +was in a sorry and a very sore plight. His left hand was bitten +through the palm, and badly swollen. There was also a deep bite in +the fleshy part of his right arm, just below the elbow, several +minor nips in his left leg above the knee, and a ragged "grab" in +the chin. These numerous bites, however, were followed by no +serious ill effects. + +The next day, Tom told me that the fox had suddenly plunged into +the grass, that he had caught hold of one of its hind legs, and +that they had rolled over and over in the grass together. He owned +to me that when the fox bit him on the chin, he let go of the +brute, and would have given up the fight, but that the fox had then +actually attacked him. "Upon that," said Tom, "I just determined to +have it out with him." + +Considering the fact that a fox is a very active, sharp-biting +animal, and that this was an unusually large male, I have always +thought Tom got off very well. I do not think that he ever cared to +make a fox-trap of himself again, however. + +We sold the fox-skin in the village, and received thirteen dollars +for it, whereas a common red fox-skin is worth no more than three +dollars. + +How, or by what wiles that fox got the turkeys out of the high +butternut, is a secret--one that perished with him. It would seem +that he must either have climbed the tree, or else have practiced +sorcery to make the turkey come down. + + + +THE HORSE THAT AROUSED THE TOWN + +By Lillian M. Gask + +A wise and just monarch was the good King John. His kingdom +extended over Central Italy, and included the famous town of Atri, +which in days gone by had been a famous harbour on the shores of +the Adriatic. Now the sea had retreated from it, and it lay inland; +no longer the crested waves rolled on its borders, or tossed their +showers of silver spray to meet the vivid turquoise of the sky. + +The great desire of good King John was that every man, woman and +child in his dominions should be able to obtain justice without +delay, be they rich or poor. To this end, since he could not +possibly listen to all himself, he hung a bell in one of the city +towers, and issued a proclamation to say that when this was rung a +magistrate would immediately proceed to the public square and +administer justice in his name. The plan worked admirably; both +rich and poor were satisfied, and since they knew that evil-doers +would be quickly punished, and wrongs set right, men hesitated to +defraud or oppress their neighbours, and the great bell pealed less +often as years went on. + +In the course of time, however, the bell-rope wore thin, and some +ingenious citizen fastened a wisp of hay to it, that this might +serve as a handle. One day in the height of summer, when the +deserted square was blazing with sunlight, and most of the citizens +were taking their noonday rest, their siesta was disturbed by the +violent pealing of the bell. + +"Surely some great injustice has been done," they cried, shaking +off their languor and hastening to the square. To their amazement +they found it empty of all human beings save themselves; no angry +supplicant appealed for justice, but a poor old horse, lame and +half blind, with bones that nearly broke through his skin, was +trying with pathetic eagerness to eat the wisp of hay. In +struggling to do this, he had rung the bell, and the judge, +summoned so hastily for so slight a cause, was stirred to +indignation. + +"To whom does this wretched horse belong?" he shouted wrathfully. +"What business has it here?" + +"Sir, he belongs to a rich nobleman, who lives in that splendid +palace whose tall towers glisten white above the palm-grove," said +an old man, coming forward with a deep bow. "Time was that he bore +his master to battle, carrying him dauntlessly amid shot and shell, +and more than once saving his life by his courage and fleetness. +When the horse became old and feeble, he was turned adrift, since +his master had no further use for him; and now the poor creature +picks up what food he can in highways and byways." + +On hearing this the judge's face grew dark with anger. "Bring his +master before me," he thundered, and when the amazed nobleman +appeared, he questioned him more sternly than he would have done +the meanest peasant. + +"Is it true," he demanded, "that you left this, your faithful +servant, to starve, since he could no longer serve you? It is long +since I heard of such gross injustice--are you not ashamed?" + +The nobleman hung his head in silence; he had no word to say in his +own defence as with scathing contempt the judge rebuked him, adding +that in future he would neglect the horse at his peril. + +"For the rest of his life," he said, "you shall care for the poor +beast as he deserves, so that after his long term of faithful +service he may end his days in peace." + +This decision was greeted with loud applause by the town folk, who +gathered in the square. + +"Our bell is superior to all others," they said to each other, with +nods and smiles, "for it is the means of gaining justice, not only +for men, but for animals too in their time of need." + +And with shouts of triumph they led the old war-horse back to his +stable, knowing that for the future its miserly owner would not +dare to begrudge it the comfort to which it was so justly entitled. + + + +WHAT GINGER TOLD BLACK BEAUTY + +By Anna Sewell + +One day when Ginger and I were standing alone in the shade, we had +a great deal of talk; she wanted to know all about my bringing up +and breaking in, and I told her. + +"Well," said she, "if I had had your bringing up, I might have had +as good a temper as you, but now I don't believe I ever shall." + +"Why not?" I said. + +"Because it has been all so different with me," she replied. "I +never had any one, horse or man, that was kind to me, or that I +cared to please, for in the first place I was taken from my mother +as soon as I was weaned, and put with a lot of other young colts; +none of them cared for me, and I cared for none of them. There was +no kind master like yours to look after me, and talk to me, and +bring me nice things to eat. The man that had the care of us never +gave me a kind word in my life. I do not mean that he ill-used me, +but he did not care for us one bit further than to see that we had +plenty to eat, and shelter in the winter. A footpath ran through +our field and very often the great boys passing through would fling +stones to make us gallop. I was never hit, but one fine young colt +was badly cut in the face, and I should think it would be a scar +for life. We did not care for them, but of course it made us more +wild, and we settled it in our minds that boys were our enemies. We +had very good fun in the free meadows, galloping up and down and +chasing each other round and round the field; then standing still +under the shade of the trees. But when it came to breaking in, that +was a bad time for me; several men came to catch me, and when at +last they closed me in at one corner of the field, one caught me by +the forelock, another caught me by the nose and held it so tight I +could hardly draw my breath; then another took my under jaw in his +hard hand and wrenched my mouth open, and so by force they got on +the halter and the bar into my mouth; then one dragged me along by +the halter, another flogging behind, and this was the first +experience I had of men's kindness; it was all force. They did not +give me a chance to know what they wanted. I was high bred and had +a great deal of spirit and was very wild, no doubt, and gave them, +I dare say, plenty of trouble, but then it was dreadful to be shut +up in a stall day after day instead of having my liberty, and I +fretted and pined and wanted to get loose. You know yourself it's +bad enough when you have a kind master and plenty of coaxing, but +there was nothing of that sort for me. + +"There was one--the old master, Mr. Ryder--who, I think, could soon +have brought me round, and could have done anything with me; but he +had given up all the hard part of the trade to his son and to +another experienced man, and he only came at times to oversee. His +son was a strong, tall, bold man; they called him Samson, and he +used to boast that he had never found a horse that could throw him. +There was no gentleness in him, as there was in his father, but +only hardness, a hard voice, a hard eye, a hard hand; and I felt +from the first that what he wanted was to wear all the spirit out +of me, and just make me into a quiet, humble, obedient piece of +horse-flesh. 'Horse-flesh!' Yes, that is all that he thought +about," and Ginger stamped her foot as if the very thought of him +made her angry. Then she went on: + +"If I did not do exactly what he wanted, he would get put out, and +make me run round with that long rein in the training field till he +had tired me out. I think he drank a good deal, and I am quite sure +that the oftener he drank the worse it was for me. One day he had +worked me hard in every way he could, and when I lay down I was +tired, and miserable, and angry; it all seemed so hard. The next +morning he came for me early, and ran me round again for a long +time. I had scarcely had an hour's rest, when he came again for me +with a saddle and bridle and a new kind of bit. I could never quite +tell how it came about; he had only just mounted me on the training +ground, when something I did put him out of temper, and he chucked +me hard with the rein. The new bit was very painful, and I reared +up suddenly, which angered him still more, and he began to flog me. +I felt my whole spirit set against him, and I began to kick, and +plunge, and rear as I had never done before, and we had a regular +fight; for a long time he stuck, to the saddle and punished me +cruelly with his whip and spurs, but my blood was thoroughly up, +and I cared for nothing he could do if only I could get him off. At +last, after a terrible struggle, I threw him off backwards. I heard +him fall heavily on the turf, and, without looking behind me, I +galloped off to the other end of the field; there I turned round +and saw my persecutor slowly rising from the ground and going into +the stable. I stood under an oak tree and watched, but no one came +to catch me. The time went on, and the sun was very hot; the flies +swarmed round me and settled on my bleeding flanks where the spurs +had dug in. I felt hungry, for I had not eaten since the early +morning, but there was not enough grass in that meadow for a goose +to live on. I wanted to lie down and rest, but with the saddle +strapped tightly on, there was no comfort, and there was not a drop +of water to drink. The afternoon wore on, and the sun got low. I +saw the other colts led in, and I knew they were having a good +feed. + +"At last, just as the sun went down, I saw the old master come out +with a sieve in his hand. He was a very fine old gentleman with +quite white hair, but his voice was what I should know him by +amongst a thousand. It was not high, nor yet low, but full, and +clear, and kind, and when he gave orders it was so steady and +decided, that every one knew, both horses and men, that he expected +to be obeyed. He came quietly along, now and then shaking the oats +about that he had in the sieve, and speaking cheerfully and gently +to me: 'Come along, lassie, come along, lassie; come along, come +along.' I stood still and let him come up; he held the oats to me, +and I began to eat without fear; his voice took all my fear away. +He stood by, patting and stroking me whilst I was eating, and +seeing the clots of blood on my side he seemed very vexed. 'Poor +lassie! it was a bad business, a bad business!' Then he quietly +took the rein and led me to the stable; just at the door stood +Samson. I laid my ears back and snapped at him. 'Stand back,' said +the master, 'and keep out of her way; you've done a bad day's work +for this filly.' He growled out something about a vicious brute. +'Hark ye,' said the father, 'a bad-tempered man will never make a +good-tempered horse. You've not learned your trade yet, Samson.' +Then he led me into my box, took off the saddle and bridle with his +own hands, and tied me up; then he called for a pail of warm water +and a sponge, took off his coat, and while the stableman held the +pail, he sponged my sides a good while, so tenderly that I was sure +he knew how sore and bruised they were. 'Whoa! my pretty one,' he +said, 'stand still, stand still.' His very voice did me good, and +the bathing was very comfortable. The skin was so broken at the +corners of my mouth that I could not eat the hay; the stalks hurt +me. He looked closely at it, shook his head, and told the man to +fetch a good bran mash and put some meal into it. How good that +mash was! and so soft and healing to my mouth. He stood by all the +time I was eating, stroking me and talking to the man. 'If a +highmettled creature like this,' said he, 'can't be broken in by +fair means, she will never be good for anything.' + +"After that he often came to see me, and when my mouth was healed, +the other breaker, Job, they called him, went on training me; he +was steady and thoughtful, and I soon learned what he wanted." + + + +SOME TRUE STORIES OP HORSES AND DONKEYS + +By W. H. G. Kingston + +The horse becomes the willing servant of man, and when kindly +treated looks upon him as a friend and protector. + +I have an interesting story to tell you of a mare which belonged to +Captain I--, an old settler in New Zealand. She and her foal had +been placed in a paddock, between which and her master's residence, +three or four miles away, several high fences intervened. The +paddock itself was surrounded by a still higher fence. + +One day, however, as Captain I--was standing with a friend in front +of his house, he was surprised to see the mare come galloping up. +Supposing that the fence of her paddock had been broken down, and +that, pleased at finding herself at liberty, she had leaped the +others, he ordered a servant to take her back. The mare willingly +followed the man; but in a short time was seen galloping up towards +the house in as great a hurry as before. The servant, who arrived +some time afterwards, assured his master that he had put the mare +safely into the paddock. Captain I--told him again to take back the +animal, and to examine the fence more thoroughly, still believing +that it must have been broken down in some part or other, though +the gate might be secure. + +Captain I--and his friend then retired into the house, and were +seated at dinner, when the sound of horse's hoofs reached their +ears. The friend, who had on this got up to look out of the window, +saw that it was the mare come back for the third time; and +observing the remarkable manner in which she was running up and +down, apparently trying even to get into the house, exclaimed, +"What can that mare want? I am sure that there is something the +matter." Captain I--on hearing this hurried out to ascertain the +state of the case. No sooner did the mare see him than she began to +frisk about and exhibit the most lively satisfaction; but instead +of stopping to receive the accustomed caress, off she set again of +her own accord towards the paddock, looking back to ascertain +whether her master was following. His friend now joined him, and +the mare, finding that they were keeping close behind her, trotted +on till the gate of the paddock was reached, where she waited for +them. On its being opened, she led them across the field to a deep +ditch on the farther side, when, what was their surprise to find +that her colt had fallen into it, and was struggling on its back +with its legs in the air, utterly unable to extricate itself. In a +few minutes more probably it would have been dead. The mare, it was +evident, finding that the servant did not comprehend her wishes, +had again and again sought her master, in whom she had learned from +past experience to confide. Here was an example of strong maternal +affection eliciting a faculty superior to instinct, which fully +merits the name of reason. + +[Illustration: GINGER AND I WERE STANDING ALONE IN THE SHADE + _From the painting by Maude Scrivener_] + +The memory of horses is remarkable. The newsman of a country paper +was in the habit of riding his horse once or twice a week to the +houses of fifty or sixty of his customers, the horse invariably +stopping of his own accord at each house as he reached it. + +But the memory of the horse was exhibited in a still more curious +manner. It happened that there were two persons on the route who +took one paper between them, and each claimed the privilege of +having it first on each alternate week. The horse soon became +accustomed to this regulation, and though the parties lived two +miles distant, he stopped once a fortnight at the door of the +half-customer at one place, and once a fortnight at the door of the +half-customer at the other; and never did he forget this +arrangement, which lasted for several years. + +I was once travelling in the interior of Portugal with several +companions. My horse had never been in that part of the country +before. We left our inn at daybreak, and proceeded through a +mountainous district to visit some beautiful scenery. On our return +evening was approaching, when I stopped behind my companions to +tighten the girths of my saddle. Believing that there was only one +path to take, I rode slowly on, but shortly reached a spot where I +was in some doubt whether I should go forward or turn off to the +left. I shouted, but heard no voice in reply, nor could I see any +trace of my friends. Darkness was coming rapidly on. My horse +seeming inclined to take the left hand, I thought it best to let +him do so. In a short time the sky became overcast, and there was +no moon. The darkness was excessive. Still my steed stepped boldly +on. So dense became the obscurity, that I could not see his ears; +nor could I, indeed, distinguish my own hand held out at +arms-length. I had no help for it but to place the reins on my +horse's neck and let him go forward. + +We had heard of robberies and murders committed; and I knew that +there were steep precipices, down which, had my horse fallen, we +should have been dashed to pieces. Still the firm way in which he +trotted gave me confidence. Hour after hour passed by. The darkness +would, at all events, conceal me from the banditti, if such were in +wait--that was one consolation; but then I could not tell where my +horse might be taking me. It might be far away from where I hoped +to find my companions. + +At length I heard a dog bark, and saw a light twinkling far down +beneath me, by which I knew that I was still on the mountain-side. +Thus on my steady steed proceeded, till I found that he was going +along a road, and I fancied I could distinguish the outlines of +trees on either hand. Suddenly he turned on one side, when my hat +was nearly knocked off by striking against the beam of a trellised +porch, covered with vines; and to my joy I found that he had +brought me up to the door of the inn which we had left in the +morning. + +My companions, trusting to their human guide, had not arrived, +having taken a longer though safer route. My steed had followed the +direct path over the mountains which we had pursued in the morning. + +Another horse of mine, which always appeared a gentle animal, and +which constantly carried a lady, was, during my absence, ridden by +a friend with spurs. On my return, I found that he had on several +occasions attacked his rider, when dismounted, with his fore-feet, +and had once carried off the rim of his hat. From that time forward +he would allow no one to approach him if he saw spurs on his heels; +and I was obliged to blindfold him when mounting and dismounting, +as he on several occasions attacked me as he had done my friend. + +A horse was shut up in a paddock near Leeds, in a corner of which +stood a pump with a tub beneath it. + +The groom, however, often forgot to fill the tub, the horse having +thus no water to drink. The animal had observed the way in which +water was procured, and one night, when the tub was empty, was seen +to take the pump handle in his mouth, and work it with his head +till he had procured as much water as he required. + +A remarkable instance of a horse saving human life occurred some +years ago at the Cape of Good Hope. A storm was raging when a +vessel, dragging her anchors, was driven on the rocks and speedily +dashed to pieces. Many of those on board perished. The remainder +were seen clinging to the wreck, or holding on to the fragments +which were washing to and fro amid the breakers. No boat could put +off. When all hope had gone of saving the unfortunate people, a +settler, somewhat advanced in life, appeared on horseback on the +shore. His horse was a bold and strong animal, and noted for +excelling as a swimmer. The farmer, moved with compassion for the +unfortunate seamen, resolved to attempt saving them. Fixing himself +firmly in the saddle, he pushed into the midst of the breakers. At +first both horse and rider disappeared; but soon they were seen +buffeting the waves, and swimming towards the wreck. Calling two of +the seamen, he told them to hold on by his boots; then turning his +horse's head, he brought them safely to land. + +No less than seven times did he repeat this dangerous exploit, thus +saving fourteen lives. For the eighth time he plunged in, when, +encountering a formidable wave, the brave man lost his balance, and +was instantly overwhelmed. The horse swam safely to shore; but his +gallant rider, alas! was no more. + +Some horses in the county of Limerick, which were pastured in a +field, broke bounds like a band of unruly schoolboys, and +scrambling through a gap which they had made in a fence, found +themselves in a narrow lane. Along the quiet by-road they galloped +helter-skelter, at full speed, snorting and tossing their manes in +the full enjoyment of their freedom, but greatly to the terror of a +party of children who were playing in the lane. As the horses were +seen tearing wildly along, the children scrambled up the bank into +the hedge, and buried themselves in the bushes, regardless of +thorns,--with the exception of one poor little thing, who, too +small to run, fell down on its face, and lay crying loudly in the +middle of the narrow way. + +On swept the horses; but when the leader of the troop saw the +little child lying in his path, he suddenly stopped, and so did the +others behind him. Then stooping his head, he seized the infant's +clothes with his teeth, and carefully lifted it to the side of the +road, laying it gently and quite unhurt on the tender grass. + +He and his companions then resumed their gallop in the lane, +unconscious of having performed a remarkable act. + +We have no less an authority than Dr. Franklin to prove that +donkeys enjoy music. + +The mistress of a chateau in France where he visited had an +excellent voice, and every time she began to sing, a donkey +belonging to the establishment invariably came near the window, and +listened with the greatest attention. One day, during the +performance of a piece of music which apparently pleased it more +than any it had previously heard, the animal, quitting its usual +post outside the window, unceremoniously entered the room, and, to +exhibit its satisfaction, began to bray with all its might. + +Donkeys sometimes exert their ingenuity to their own advantage. A +certain ass had his quarters in a shed, in front of which was a +small yard. On one side of the yard was a kitchen garden, separated +from it by a wall, in which was a door fastened by two bolts and a +latch. The owner of the premises one morning, in taking a turn +round his garden, observed the footprints of an ass on the walks +and beds. "Surely some one must have left the door open at night," +thought the master. He accordingly took care to see that it was +closed. + +Again, however, he found that the ass had visited the garden. + +The next night, curious to know how this had happened, he watched +from a window overlooking the yard. At first he kept a light +burning near him. The ass, however, remained quietly at his stall. +After a time, to enable him to see the better, he had it removed, +when what was his surprise to see the supposed stupid donkey come +out of the shed, go to the door, and, rearing himself on his +hind-legs, unfasten the upper bolt of the door with his nose. This +done, he next withdrew the lower bolt; then lifted the latch, and +walked into the garden. He was not long engaged in his foraging +expedition, and soon returned with a bunch of carrots in his mouth. +Placing them in his shed, he went back and carefully closed the +door and began at his ease to munch the provender he had so +adroitly got possession of. + +The owner, suspecting that people would not believe his story, +invited several of his neighbours to witness the performance of the +ass. Not till the light, however, had been taken away, would the +creature commence his operations, evidently conscious that he was +doing wrong. + +A lock was afterwards put on the door, which completely baffled the +ingenuity of the cunning animal. + + + +"OLD MUSTARD": A TALE OF THE WESTERN PIONEERS + +By E. W. Frentz + +When Grandmother Lane was a little girl her father came in one day +and said, "Wife, it is all settled at last. I have sold the farm. +Next week we will start West. There is a large company going from +here, and we must try to get ready to go with them." + +Little Mary, as grandmother was then called, heard the news with +great delight, because she knew it would mean a long, long journey, +lasting months, and carrying them into a new country, where there +was never any cold weather and where great crops could be raised +without much hard work, and there would always be plenty to eat. +Besides, her family was not going alone, but many other families +whom they knew were going at the same time, so that she would have +some of her playmates with her all the way. + +It was a wonderful sight when the great day came at last, and the +long wagon-train set out. In all there were more than forty wagons, +some drawn by four or six horses, and some by as many as eight big +oxen. And such strange wagons! They were more like little houses on +wheels, only instead of a roof there was a high frame overhead made +of hoops, and covered with canvas, so it made a sort of tent to +ride in by day, if you wished, and to sleep in at night. And from +these hoops hung all sorts of things--hams and pieces of bacon, +strips of dried pumpkin, pans to cook in, and clothes. Underneath +the big wagon, outside, swung the great kettles, in which the +larger things were cooked, and axes, and ropes and chains for +pulling the wagons out when they got stuck in the mud. + +To little Mary it was all new and delightful. The big wagons +squeaked and groaned and swayed from side to side till the hams +hanging from the frame overhead would swing back and forth like the +pendulum of a clock. There were the shouts of the men to the horses +and oxen, the barking of the dogs that ran along the side of the +trail, the sharp cracking of the drivers' whips, and the +_ting-tang_ of the iron kettles swinging against each other. +And always they were passing through places that were new and +seeing things that were fresh and strange. + +The wagon of Mr. Harding--that was grandmother's father--was drawn +by four oxen, but of them, known as Jerry, began to show signs of +sickness when they had been on the road a few days. The men gave +him medicine and doctored him all they could, but he seemed to grow +weaker all the time instead of better, and one morning, when they +went to yoke the oxen to the wagon, they found him dead. + +For a day or two they went on with only three oxen. Then Mr. +Harding met a trader who was willing to sell him a pet ox that he +called "Old Mustard," to take the place of Jerry. + +It was a very funny-looking ox, indeed, not like any that Mary or +anybody in her family had ever seen before. He had a very large, +round head, with shaggy hair matted on top, and on his back was a +large hump. In color he was a dirty yellow all over. That is why +the trader called him Mustard. + +"He isn't very pretty," said the trader, "but he is strong and +good-natured, and will pull more than any ox of his size that I +ever saw. Besides, he will get on with less grass and less water. +He is a half-buffalo--he shows that in his huge head and shoulders. +For this reason he will be worth more to you than any scout or +watch-dog; he can smell Indians a mile away, and will fight them on +sight." Mr. Harding did not quite like to buy so strange an animal, +but he must get another ox somewhere, and so he took Old Mustard. + +By the end of the first day he was very glad he had done so, for +the funny-looking yellow creature took its place at the tongue of +the cart and pulled steadily and well. And every day after that he +did his work faithfully, and seemed never to be sick or to feel +tired. + +By the end of the fourth week the wagon-train had entered a country +where the Indians were known to be on the war-path, and trouble was +expected. They even found the remains of three partly burned +wagons. + +Great care was now taken to send scouts ahead during the day and to +prepare the camp for defense at night. + +The first thing that was done as soon as the stop was made for the +night was to "park" all the wagons, as they called it. The big +ox-carts were placed in a great circle and chained one to another. +Sometimes the cattle were picketed outside, to graze, with men +armed with guns to watch them, and sometimes they were driven +inside. But always the camp-fires were built in the circle, and +round them the different families gathered to cook and eat their +supper. + +One night, when the wagons had been parked and every one had eaten +supper and gone to sleep, Old Mustard began to act very strangely. +At first he tossed his head and blew hard through his nostrils; +then he began to move about uneasily as far as his rope would let +him, and to snort and paw the ground. + +When one of the guards went near him he turned upon him a pair of +eyes that were bright green and shiny. At last Mr. Harding happened +to think what the trader had told him. + +"Do you suppose it can be that he scents Indians?" he asked one of +the other men. + +"It may be," he said. "It is sure that he is excited over +something. Perhaps we had better be on the safe side and wake the +men." + +Quietly Mr. Harding went from wagon to wagon, rousing the sleepers. +He had hardly finished when Old Mustard, with a terrible roar, +snapped the rope that held him, dashed to the edge of the circle, +leaped a cart-tongue, and thundered away into the darkness. Almost +instantly there came a scream and then the rushing charge of Indian +riders. + +They were met by the men of the party, now all prepared for them +and protected by the circle of wagons. And finding that their +attack had been discovered too soon, the Indians drew off after the +first rush. + +By the earliest flush of daylight a searching-party went out from +camp. It came upon poor Old Mustard grazing about, and not far away +lay an Indian trampled into the dust. The Indian was the foremost +of the band that was quietly creeping up on the camp when Old +Mustard had scented them, and not only given warning, but surprised +and killed the leader. + + + +CARLO, THE SOLDIERS' DOG + +By General Rush C. Hawkins + +The Ninth New York Volunteers was organized in April, 1861, in the +City of New York. Two of the companies were made up of men from +outside the city. C was composed of men from Hoboken and Paterson, +New Jersey, and G marched into the regimental headquarters fully +organized from the town of Fort Lee in that State. With this last +named company came Carlo, the subject of this sketch. + +When he joined the regiment, he had passed beyond the period of +puppyhood and was in the full flush of dogly beauty. He was large, +not very large,--would probably have turned the scales at about +fifty pounds. His build was decidedly "stocky," and, as horsey men +would say, his feet were well under him; his chest was broad and +full, back straight, color a warm dark brindle, nose and lips very +black, while he had a broad, full forehead and a wonderful pair of +large, round, soft, dark-brown eyes. Add to this description an air +of supreme, well-bred dignity, and you have an idea of one of the +noblest animals that ever lived. + +His origin was obscure; one camp reunion asserted that he was born +on board of a merchant ship while his mother was making a passage +from Calcutta to New York; and another told of a beautiful mastiff +living somewhere in the State of New Jersey that had the honor of +bringing him into the world. It would be very interesting to know +something of the parentage of our hero, but since the facts +surrounding his birth are unattainable, we must content ourselves +with telling a portion of a simple story of a good and noble life. +It may be safe to assert that he was not a native American; if he +had been, he would have provided himself with the regulation +genealogical tree and family coat-of-arms. + +During the first part of his term of service, Carlo was very loyal +to his company, marched, messed, and slept with it; but he was not +above picking up, here and there, from the mess tents of the other +companies a tid-bit, now and then, which proved acceptable to a +well-appointed digestion. + +His first turn on guard was performed as a member of the detail +from Co. G, and always afterward, in the performance of that duty, +he was most faithful. No matter who else might be late, he was ever +on time when the call for guard mount was sounded, ready to go out +with his own particular squad. At first, he would march back to +company quarters with the old detail, but, as soon as he came to +realize the value and importance of guard duty, he made up his mind +that his place was at the guard tent and on the patrol beat, where +he could be of the greatest service in watching the movements of +the enemy. + +In the performance of his duties as a member of the guard he was +very conscientious and ever on the alert. No stray pig, wandering +sheep, or silly calf could pass in front of his part of the line +without being investigated by him. It is possible that his +vigilance in investigating intruding meats was sharpened by the +hope of substantial recognition in the way of a stray rib extracted +from the marauding offender whose ignorance of army customs in time +of war had brought it too near our lines. + +As a rule, Carlo, what with his guard duties and other purely +routine items, managed to dispose of the day until dress parade. At +that time he appeared at his best, and became the regimental dog. + +No officer or soldier connected with the command more fully +appreciated "The pomp and circumstance of great and glorious war" +than he. As the band marched out to take position previous to +playing for the companies to assemble, he would place himself +alongside the drum-major, and, when the signal for marching was +given, would move off with stately and solemn tread, with head well +up, looking straight to the front. Upon those great occasions, he +fully realized the dignity of his position, and woe betide any +unhappy other dog that happened to get in front of the marching +band. When upon the parade field, he became, next to the colonel, +the commanding officer, and ever regarded himself as the regulator +of the conduct of those careless and frivolous dogs, that go +about the world like street urchins, having no character for +respectability or position in society to sustain. + +Of those careless ne'er-do-wells the company had accumulated a very +large following. As a rule, they were harmless and companionable, +and were always on hand ready for a free lunch. It was only on +dress parade that they made themselves over-officious. Each company +was attended to the parade ground by its particular family of +canine companions, and, when all of them had assembled, the second +battalion of the regiment would make itself known by a great +variety of jumpings, caperings, barks of joy, and cries of delight. +To this unseasonable hilarity Carlo seriously objected, and his +actions plainly told the story of his disgust at the conduct of the +silly members of his race. He usually remained a passive observer +until the exercise in the manual of arms, at which particular +period in the ceremonies, the caperings and the barkings would +become quite unendurable. Our hero would then assume the character +of a preserver of the peace. He would make for the nearest group of +revellers, and, in as many seconds, give a half dozen or more of +them vigorous shakes, which would set them to howling, and warn the +others of the thoughtless tribe of an impending danger. Immediately +the offenders would all scamper to another part of the field, and +remain quiet until the dress parade was over. This duty was +self-imposed and faithfully performed upon many occasions. + +After the parade was dismissed Carlo would march back to quarters +with his own company, where he would remain until the last daily +distributions of rations, whereupon, after having disposed of his +share, he would start out upon a tour of regimental inspection, +making friendly calls at various company quarters and by taps +turning up at the headquarters of the guard. His duties ended for +the day, he would enjoy his well-earned rest until reveille, unless +some event of an unusual nature, occurring during the night, +disturbed his repose and demanded his attention. + +During the first year of his service in the field, Carlo was very +fortunate. He had shared in all the transportations by water, in +all the marchings, skirmishes, and battles, without receiving a +scratch or having a day's illness. But his good fortune was soon to +end, for it was ordained that, like other brave defenders, he was +to suffer in the great cause for which all were risking their +lives. + +The morning of April 18, 1862, my brigade, then stationed at +Roanoke Island, embarked upon the steamer _Ocean Wave_ for an +expedition up the Elizabeth River, the object of which was to +destroy the locks of the Dismal Swamp canal in order to prevent +several imaginary iron-clads from getting into Albemarle Sound. + +Among the first to embark was the ever ready and faithful Carlo, +and the next morning, when his companions disembarked near +Elizabeth City, he was one of the first to land, and, during the +whole of the long and dreary march of thirty miles to Camden Court +House, lasting from three o'clock in the morning until one in the +afternoon, he was ever on the alert, but keeping close to his +regiment. The field of battle was reached; the engagement, in which +his command met with a great loss, commenced and ended, and, when +the particulars of the disaster were inventoried, it was +ascertained that a Confederate bullet had taken the rudimentary +claw from Carlo's left fore-leg. This was his first wound, and he +bore it like a hero without a whine or even a limp. A private of +Co. G, who first noticed the wound, exclaimed: "Ah, Carlo, what a +pity you are not an officer! If you were, the loss of that claw +would give you sixty days' leave and a brigadier general's +commission at the end of it." That was about the time that +generals' commissions had become very plentiful in the Department +of North Carolina. + +The command re-embarked, and reached Roanoke Island the morning +after the engagement, in time for the regulation "Hospital or Sick +Call," which that day brought together an unusual number of +patients, and among them Carlo, who was asked to join the waiting +line by one of the wounded men. When his turn came to be inspected +by the attending surgeon, he was told to hold up the wounded leg, +which he readily did, and then followed the washing, the +application of simple cerate, and the bandaging, with a +considerable show of interest and probable satisfaction. + +Thereafter, there was no occasion to ask him to attend the +surgeon's inspection. Each morning, as soon as the bugle call was +sounded, he would take his place in line with the other patients, +advance in his turn, and receive the usual treatment. This habit +continued until the wound was healed. + +Always, after this, to every friendly greeting, he would respond by +holding up the wounded leg for inspection, and he acted as though +he thought that everybody was interested in the honorable scar that +told the story of patriotic duty faithfully performed. + +Later on, for some reason known to himself, Carlo transferred his +special allegiance to Co. K. and maintained close connection with +that company until the end of his term of service. He was regarded +by its members as a member of the company mess, and was treated as +one of them. But, notwithstanding his special attachments, there +can be no reasonable doubt about his having considered himself a +member of the regiment, clothed with certain powers and +responsibilities. At the end of his term he was fitted with a +uniform--trousers, jacket, and fez, and, thus dressed, he marched +up Broadway, immediately behind the band. He was soon after +mustered out of the service, and received an honorable discharge, +not signed with written characters, but attested by the good-will +of every member of the regiment. + + + +A BRAVE DOG + +By Sir Samuel W. Baker + +When I was a boy, my grandfather frequently told a story concerning +a dog which he knew, as a more than ordinary example of the +fidelity so frequently exhibited by the race. This animal was a +mastiff that belonged to an intimate friend, to whom it was a +constant companion. It was an enormous specimen of that well-known +breed, which is not generally celebrated for any peculiar +intelligence, but is chiefly remarkable for size and strength. This +dog had been brought up by its master from puppyhood, and as the +proprietor was a single man, there had been no division of +affection, as there would have been had the dog belonged to a +family of several members. Turk regarded nobody but his owner. (I +shall now honour Turk by the masculine gender.) + +Whenever Mr. Prideaux went out for a walk, Turk was sure to be near +his heels. Street dogs would bark and snarl at the giant as his +massive form attracted their attention, but Turk seldom +condescended to notice such vulgar demonstrations; he was a +noble-looking creature, somewhat resembling a small lioness; but +although he was gentle and quiet in disposition, he had upon +several occasions been provoked beyond endurance, and his attack +had been nearly always fatal to his assailants. He slept at night +outside his master's door, and no sentry could be more alert upon +his watch than the faithful dog, who had apparently only one +ambition--to protect, and to accompany his owner. + +Mr. Prideaux had a dinner-party. He never invited ladies, but +simply entertained his friends as a bachelor; his dinners were but +secondary to the quality of his guests, however, who were always +men of reputation either in the literary world, or in the modern +annals of society. The dog Turk was invariably present, and usually +stretched his huge form upon the hearth-rug. + +It was a cold night in winter, when Mr. Prideaux's friends were +talking after dinner, that the conversation turned upon the subject +of dogs. Almost every person had an anecdote to relate, and my own +grandfather being present, had no doubt added his mite to the +collection, when Turk suddenly awoke from a sound sleep, and having +stretched himself until he appeared to be awake to the situation, +walked up to his master's side, and rested his large head upon the +table. + +"Ha ha, Turk!" exclaimed Mr. Prideaux, "you must have heard our +arguments about the dogs, so you have put in an appearance." + +"And a magnificent specimen he is!" remarked my grandfather; "but +although a mastiff is the largest and most imposing of the race, I +do not think it is as sensible as many others." + +"As a rule you are right," replied his master, "because they are +generally chained up as watch-dogs, and have not the intimate +association with human beings which is so great an advantage to +house-dogs; but Turk has been my constant companion from the first +month of his existence, and his intelligence is very remarkable. He +understands most things that I say, if they are connected with +himself; he will often lie upon the rug with his large eyes fixed +upon me as though searching my inward thoughts, and he will +frequently be aware instinctively that I wish to go out; upon such +times he will fetch my hat, cane, or gloves, whichever may be at +hand, and wait for me at the front door. He will take a letter or +any other token to several houses of my acquaintance, and wait for +a reply; and he can perform a variety of actions that would imply a +share of reason seldom possessed by other dogs." + +A smile of incredulity upon several faces was at once perceived by +Mr. Prideaux, who immediately took a guinea from his pocket, and +addressed his dog. "Here, Turk! they won't believe in you! ... take +this guinea to No.--,--Street, to Mr.--, and bring me a receipt." + +The dog wagged his huge tail with evident pleasure, and the guinea +having been placed in his mouth, he hastened towards the door; this +being opened, he was admitted through the front entrance to the +street. It was a miserable night; the wind was blowing the sleet +and rain against the windows; the gutters were running with muddy +water, and the weather was exactly that which is expressed by the +common term, "not fit to turn a dog out in;" nevertheless, Turk had +started upon his mission in the howling gale and darkness, while +the front door was once more closed against the blast. + +The party were comfortably seated around the fire, and much +interested in the success or failure of the dog's adventure. + +"How long will it be before we may expect Turk's return?" inquired +an incredulous guest. + +"The house to which I have sent him is about a mile and a half +distant, therefore if there is no delay when he barks for admission +at the door, and my friend is not absent from home, he should +return in about three-quarters of an hour with an acknowledgment. +If, on the other hand, he cannot gain admission, he may wait for +any length of time," replied his master. + +Bets were exchanged among the company--some supported the dog's +chances of success, while others were against him. + +The evening wore away; the allotted time was exceeded, and a whole +hour had passed, but no dog had returned. Fresh bets were made, but +the odds were against the dog. His master was still hopeful.... +"I must tell you," said Mr. Prideaux, "that Turk frequently +carries notes for me, and as he knows the house well, he certainly +will not make a mistake; perhaps my friend may be dining out, +in which case Turk will probably wait for a longer time".... +Two hours passed ... the storm was raging. Mr. Prideaux +himself went to the front door, which flew open before a fierce +gust the instant that the lock was turned. The clouds were +rushing past a moon but faintly visible at short intervals, +and the gutters were clogged with masses of half-melted snow. +"Poor Turk!" muttered his master, "this is indeed a wretched night +for you.... Perhaps they have kept you in the warm kitchen, +and will not allow you to return in such fearful weather." + +When Mr. Prideaux returned to his guests he could not conceal his +disappointment. "Ha!" exclaimed one who had betted against the dog, +"I never doubted his sagacity. With a guinea in his mouth, he has +probably gone into some house of entertainment where dogs are +supplied with dinner and a warm bed, instead of shivering in a +winter's gale!" + +Jokes were made by the winners of bets at the absent dog's expense, +but his master was anxious and annoyed. The various bets were paid +by the losers, and poor Turk's reputation had suffered severely.... +It was long past midnight: the guests were departed, the storm +was raging, and violent gusts occasionally shook the house.... +Mr. Prideaux was alone in his study, and he poked the fire until it +blazed and roared up the chimney.... + +"What can have become of that dog?" exclaimed his master to himself, +now really anxious; "I hope they kept him; ... most likely they +would not send him back upon such a dreadful night." + +Mr. Prideaux's study was close to the front door, and his acute +attention was suddenly directed to a violent shaking and +scratching, accompanied by a prolonged whine. In an instant he ran +into the hall, and unlocked the entrance door.... A mass of +filth and mud entered.... This was Turk! + +The dog seemed dreadfully fatigued, and was shivering with wet and +cold. His usually clean coat was thick with mire, as though he had +been dragged through deep mud. He wagged his tail when he heard his +master's voice, but appeared dejected and ill. + +Mr. Prideaux had rung the bell, and the servants, who were equally +interested as their master in Turk's failure to perform his +mission, had attended the summons. The dog was taken downstairs, +and immediately placed in a large tub of hot water, in which he was +accustomed to be bathed. It was now discovered that in addition to +mud and dirt, which almost concealed his coat, he was besmeared +with blood! + +Mr. Prideaux himself sponged his favourite with hot soap and water, +and, to his astonishment, he perceived wounds of a serious nature: +the dog's throat was badly torn, his back and breast were deeply +bitten, and there could be no doubt that he had been worried by a +pack of dogs. This was a strange occurrence, that Turk should be +discomfited! + +He was now washed clean, and was being rubbed dry with a thick +towel while he stood upon a blanket before the kitchen fire.... +"Why, Turk, old boy, what has been the matter? Tell us all about +it, poor old man!" exclaimed his master. + +The dog was now thoroughly warmed, and he panted with the heat of +the kitchen fire; he opened his mouth, ... _and the guinea which +he had received in trust dropped on the kitchen floor_!... + +"There is some mystery in this," said Mr. Prideaux, "which I +will endeavour to discover to-morrow.... He has been set upon by +strange dogs, and rather than lose the guinea, he has allowed +himself to be half killed without once opening his mouth in +self-defence! Poor Turk!" continued his master, "you must have lost +your way, old man, in the darkness and storm; most likely confused +after the unequal fight. What an example you have given us wretched +humans in being steadfast to a trust!" + +Turk was wonderfully better after his warm bath. He lapped up a +large bowl of good thick soup mixed with bread, and in half an hour +was comfortably asleep upon his thick rug by his master's bedroom +door.... + +Upon the following morning the storm had cleared away, and a +bright sky had succeeded to the gloom of the preceding night. + +Immediately after breakfast, Mr. Prideaux, accompanied by his dog +(who was, although rather stiff, not much the worse for the rough +treatment he had received), started for a walk towards the house to +which he had directed Turk upon the previous evening. He was +anxious to discover whether his friend had been absent, as he +concluded that the dog might have been waiting for admittance, and +had been perhaps attacked by some dogs belonging to the house, or +its neighbours'. + +The master and Turk had walked for nearly a mile, and had just +turned the corner of a street when, as they passed a butcher's shop +upon the right hand, a large brindled mastiff rushed from the +shop-door, and flew at Turk with unprovoked ferocity. + +"Call your dog off!" shouted Mr. Prideaux to the butcher, who +surveyed the attack with impudent satisfaction.... "Call him +off, or my dog will kill him!" continued Mr. Prideaux. + +The usually docile Turk had rushed to meet his assailant with a +fury that was extraordinary. With a growl like that of a lion, he +quickly seized his antagonist by the throat; rearing upon his hind +legs, he exerted his tremendous strength, and in a fierce struggle +of only a few seconds, he threw the brindled dog upon its back. It +was in vain that Mr. Prideaux endeavoured to call him off, the rage +of his favourite was quite ungovernable; he never for an instant +relaxed his hold, but with the strength of a wild beast of prey, +Turk shook the head of the butcher's dog to the right and left +until it struck each time heavily against the pavement ... The +butcher attempted to interfere, and lashed him with a huge whip. + +"Stand clear! fair play! don't you strike my dog!" shouted Mr. +Prideaux. "Your dog was the first to attack!" + +In reply to the whip, Turk had redoubled his fury, and, without +relinquishing his hold, he had now dragged the butcher's dog off +the pavement, and occasionally shaking the body as he pulled the +unresisting mass along the gutter, he drew it into the middle of +the street. + +A large crowd had collected, which completely stopped the +thoroughfare. There were no police in those days, but only +watchmen, who were few and far between; even had they been present, +it is probable they would have joined in the amusement of a +dog-fight, which in that age of brutality was considered to be +sport.... + +"Fair play!" shouted the bystanders.... "Let 'em have it out!" +cried others, as they formed a circle around the dogs.... In +the meantime, Mr. Prideaux had seized Turk by his collar, while the +butcher was endeavouring to release the remains of his dog from the +infuriated and deadly grip.... + +At length Mr. Prideaux's voice and action appeared for a moment +to create a calm, and, snatching the opportunity, he, with the +assistance of a person in the crowd, held back his dog, as the +carcass of the butcher's dog was dragged away by the lately +insolent owner.... The dog was dead! + +Turk's flanks were heaving with the intense exertion and excitement +of the fight, and he strained to escape from his master's hold to +once more attack the lifeless body of his late antagonist.... +At length, by kind words and the caress of the well-known hand, his +fury was calmed down.... + +"Well, that's the most curious adventure I've ever had with a dog!" +exclaimed the butcher, who was now completely crestfallen.... +"Why, that's the very dog! he is so--that's the very dog who came +by my shop late last night in the howling storm, and my dog Tiger +went at him and towzled him up completely. I never saw such a +cowardly cur; he wouldn't show any fight, although he was pretty +near as big as a costermonger's donkey; and there my dog Tiger +nearly eat half of him, and dragged the other half about the +gutter, till he looked more like an old door-mat than a dog; and I +thought he must have killed him ... and here he comes out as fresh +as paint to-day, and kills old Tiger clean off as though he'd been +only a biggish cat!" + +"What do you say?" asked Mr. Prideaux ... "Was it your dog that +worried my poor dog last night, when he was upon a message of +trust? ... My friend, I thank you for this communication, but let +me inform you of the fact that my dog had _a guinea in his +mouth_ to carry to my friend, and rather than drop it he allowed +himself to be half killed by your savage Tiger. To-day he has +proved his courage, and your dog has discovered his mistake. This +is the guinea that he dropped from his mouth when he returned to me +after midnight, beaten and distressed!" said Mr. Prideaux, much +excited. "Here, Turk, old boy, take the guinea again, and come +along with me! you have had your revenge, and have given us all a +lesson." His master gave him the guinea in his mouth, and they +continued their walk.... It appeared, upon Mr. Prideaux's +arrival at his friend's house, that Turk had never been there; +probably after his defeat he had become so confused that he lost +his way in the heavy storm, and had at length regained the road +home some time after midnight, in the deplorable condition already +described. + + + +UNCLE DICK'S ROLF + +By Georgiana M. Craik + +"I had been riding for five or six miles one pleasant afternoon. It +was a delicious afternoon, like the afternoon of an English summer +day. You always imagine it hotter out in Africa by a good deal than +it is in England, don't you? Well, so it is, in a general way, a +vast deal hotter; but every now and then, after the rains have +fallen and the wind comes blowing from the sea, we get a day as +much like one of our own best summer days as you ever felt +anywhere. This afternoon was just like an English summer afternoon, +with the fresh sweet breeze rustling amongst the green leaves, and +the great bright sea stretching out all blue and golden, and +meeting the blue sky miles and miles away. + +"It wasn't very hot, but it was just hot enough to make the thought +of a swim delicious; so after I had been riding leisurely along for +some little time, shooting a bird or two as I went,--for I wanted +some bright feathers to send home to a little cousin that I had in +England,--I alighted from my horse, and, letting him loose to +graze, lay down for a quarter of an hour to cool myself, and then +began to make ready for my plunge. + +"I was standing on a little ledge of cliff, some six or seven feet +above the sea. It was high tide, and the water at my feet was about +a fathom deep. 'I shall have a delightful swim,' thought to myself, +as I threw off my coat; and as just at that moment Rolf in a very +excited way flung himself upon me, evidently understanding the +meaning of the proceeding, and, as I thought, anxious to show his +sympathy with it, I repeated the remark aloud. 'Yes, we'll have a +delightful swim, you and I together,' I said. 'A grand swim, my old +lad'; and I clapped his back as I spoke, and encouraged him, as I +was in the habit of doing, to express his feelings without reserve. +But, rather to my surprise, instead of wagging his tail, and +wrinkling his nose, and performing any of his usual antics, the +creature only lifted up his face and began to whine. He had lain, +for the quarter of an hour while I had been resting, at the edge of +the little cliff, with his head dropped over it; but whether he had +been taking a sleep in that position, or had been amusing himself +by watching the waves, was more than I knew. He was a capital one +for sleeping even then, and generally made a point of snatching a +doze at every convenient opportunity; so I had naturally troubled +my head very little about him, taking it for granted that he was at +his usual occupation. But, whether he had been asleep before or +not, at any rate he was wide awake now, and, as it seemed to me, in +a very odd humor indeed. + +"'What's the matter, old fellow?' I said to him, when he set up +this dismal howl. 'Don't you want to have a swim? Well, you needn't +unless you like, only _I_ mean to have one; so down with you, +and let me get my clothes off.' But, instead of getting down, the +creature began to conduct himself in the most incomprehensible way, +first seizing me by the trousers with his teeth and pulling me to +the edge of the rock, as if he wanted me to plunge in dressed as I +was; then catching me again and dragging me back, much as though I +was a big rat that he was trying to worry; and this pantomime, I +declare, he went through three separate times, barking and whining +all the while, till I began to think he was going out of his mind. + +"Well, God forgive me! but at last I got into a passion with the +beast. I couldn't conceive what he meant. For two or three minutes +I tried to pacify him, and as long as I took no more steps to get +my clothes off he was willing to be pacified; but the instant I +fell to undressing myself again he was on me once more, pulling me +this way and that, hanging on my arms, slobbering over me, howling +with his mouth up in the air. And so at last I lost my temper, and +I snatched up my gun and struck him with the butt-end of it. My +poor Rolf!" said Uncle Pick, all at once, with a falter in his +voice; and he stopped abruptly, and stooped down and laid his hand +on the great black head. + +"He was quieter after I had struck him," said Uncle Dick, after a +little pause. "For a few moments he lay quite still at my feet, and +I had begun to think that his crazy fit was over, and that he was +going to give me no more trouble, when all at once, just as I had +got ready to jump into the water, the creature sprang to his feet +and flung himself upon me again. He threw himself with all his +might upon my breast and drove me backwards, howling So wildly that +many a time since, boys, I have thought I must have been no better +than a blind, perverse fool, not to have guessed what the trouble +was; but the fact is, I was a conceited young fellow (as most young +fellows are), and because I imagined the poor beast was trying for +some reason of his own to get his own way, I thought it was my +business to teach him that he was not to get his own way, but that +I was to get mine; and so I beat him down somehow,--I don't like to +think of it now; I struck him again three or four times with the +end of my gun, till at last I got myself freed from him. + +"He gave a cry when he fell back. I call it a cry, for it was more +like something human than a dog's howl,--something so wild and +pathetic that, angry as I was, it startled me, and I almost think, +if time enough had been given me, I would have made some last +attempt then to understand what the creature meant; but I had no +time after that. I was standing a few feet in from the water, and +as soon as I had shaken him off he went to the edge of the bit of +cliff, and stood there for a moment till I came up to him, and +then--just as in another second I should have jumped into the +sea--my brave dog, my noble dog, gave one last whine and one look +into my face, and took the leap before me. And then, boys, in +another instant I saw what he had meant. He had scarcely touched +the water when I saw a crocodile slip like lightning from a sunny +ledge of the cliff, and grip him by the hinder legs. + +"You know that I had my gun close at hand, and in the whole course +of my life I never was so glad to have my gun beside me. It was +loaded, too, and a revolver. I caught it up, and fired into the +water. I fired three times, and two of the shots went into the +brute's head. One missed him, and the first seemed not to harm him +much, but the third hit him in some vital place, I hope,--some +sensitive place, at any rate, for the hideous jaws started wide. +Then, with my gun in my hand still, I began with all my might to +shout out, 'Rolf!" I couldn't leave my post, for the brute, though +he had let Rolf go, and had dived for a moment, might make another +spring, and I didn't dare to take my eyes off the spot where he had +gone down; but I called to my wounded beast with all my might, and +when he had struggled through the water and gained a moment's hold +of the rock, I jumped down and caught him, and somehow--I don't +know how--half carried and half dragged him up the little bit of +steep ascent, till we were safe on the top,--on the dry land again. +And then upon my word, I don't know what I did next, only I think, +as I looked at my darling's poor crushed limbs, with the blood +oozing from them, and heard his choking gasps for breath--I--I +forgot for a moment or two that I was a man at all, and burst out +crying like a child. + +"Boys, you don't know what it is to feel that a living creature has +tried to give up his life for you, even though the creature is only +a soulless dog. Do you think I had another friend in the world who +would have done what Rolf had done for me? If I had, I did not know +it. And then when I thought that it was while he had been trying to +save my life that I had taken up my gun and struck him! There are +some things, my lads, that a man does without meaning any harm by +them, which yet, when he sees them by the light of after events, he +can never bear to look back upon without a sort of agony; and those +blows I gave to Rolf are of that sort. _He_ forgave them,--my +noble dog; but I have never forgiven myself for them to this hour. +When I saw him lying before me, with his blood trickling out upon +the sand, I think I would have given my right hand to save his +life. And well I might, too, for he had done ten times more than +that to save mine. + +"He licked the tears off my cheeks, my poor old fellow; I remember +that. We looked a strange pair, I dare say, as we lay on the ground +together, with our heads side by side. It's a noble old head still, +isn't it, boys? (I don't mean mine, but this big one down here. All +right, Rolf! We're only talking of your beauty, my lad.) It's as +grand a head as ever a dog had. I had his picture taken after I +came home. I've had him painted more than once, but somehow I don't +think the painters have ever seen quite into the bottom of his +heart. At least, I fancy that if I were a painter I could make +something better of him than any of them have done yet. Perhaps +it's only a notion of mine, but, to tell the truth, I've only a +dozen times or so in my life seen a painting of a grand dog that +looks quite right. But I'm wandering from my story, though, indeed, +my story is almost at an end. + +"When I had come to my senses a little, I had to try to get my poor +Rolf moved. We were a long way from any house, and the creature +couldn't walk a step. I tore up my shirt, and bound his wounds as +well as I could, and then I got my clothes on, and called to my +horse, and in some way, as gently as I could,--though it was no +easy thing to do it,--I got him and myself together upon the +horse's back, and we began our ride. There was a village about four +or five miles off, and I made for that. It was a long, hard jolt +for a poor fellow with both his hindlegs broken, but he bore it as +patiently as if he had been a Christian. I never spoke to him but, +panting as he was, he was ready to lick my hands and look lovingly +up into my face. I've wondered since, many a time, what he could +have thought about it all; and the only thing I am sure of is that +he never thought much of the thing that he himself had done. That +seemed, I know, all natural and simple to him; I don't believe that +he has ever understood to this day what anybody wondered at in it, +or made a hero of him for. For the noblest people are the people +who are noble without knowing it; and the same rule, I fancy, holds +good, too, for dogs. + +"I got him to a resting-place at last, after a weary ride, and then +I had his wounds dressed; but it was weeks before he could stand +upon his feet again, and when at last he began to walk he limped, +and he has gone on limping ever since. The bone of one leg was so +crushed that it couldn't be set properly, and so that limb is +shorter than the other three. _He_ doesn't mind it much, I +dare say,--I don't think he ever did,--but it has been a pathetic +lameness to me, boys. It's all an old story now, you know," said +Uncle Dick, abruptly, "but it's one of those things that a man +doesn't forget, and that it would be a shame to him if he ever +_could_ forget as long as his life lasts." + +Uncle Dick stooped down again as he ceased to speak, and Rolf, +disturbed by the silence, raised his head to look about him. As his +master had said, it was a grand old head still, though the eyes +were growing dim now with age. Uncle Dick laid his hand upon it, +and the bushy tail began to wag. It had wagged at the touch of that +hand for many a long day. + +"We've been together for fifteen years. He's getting old now," said +Uncle Dick. + + + +SCRAP + +By Lucia Chamberlain + +At the gray end of the afternoon the regiment of twelve companies +went through Monterey on its way to the summer camp, a mile out on +the salt-meadows; and it was here that Scrap joined it. + +He did not tag at the heels of the boys who tagged the last +company, or rush out with the other dogs who barked at the band; +but he appeared somehow independent of any surroundings, and +marched, ears alert, stump tail erect, one foot in front of the +tall first lieutenant who walked on the wing of Company A. + +The lieutenant was self-conscious and so fresh to the service that +his shoulder-straps hurt him. He failed to see Scrap, who was very +small and very yellow, until, in quickening step, he stumbled over +him and all but measured his long length. He aimed an accurate kick +that sent Scrap flying, surprised but not vindictive, to the side +lines, where he considered, his head cocked. With the scratched ear +pricked and the bitten ear flat, he passed the regiment in review +until Company K, with old Muldoon, sergeant on the flank, came by. + +As lean, as mongrel, as tough, and as scarred as Scrap, he carried +his wiry body with a devil-may-care assurance, in which Scrap may +have recognized a kindred spirit. He decided in a flash. He made a +dart and fell in abreast the sergeant of Company K. Muldoon saw and +growled at him. + +"Gr-r-r-r!" said Scrap, not ill-naturedly, and fell back a pace. +But he did not slink. He had the secret of success. He kept as +close as he could and yet escape Muldoon's boot. With his head +high, ears stiff, tail up, he stepped out to the music. + +Muldoon looked back with a threat that sent Scrap retreating, heels +over ears. The sergeant was satisfied that the dog had gone; but +when camp was reached and ranks were broken he found himself +confronted by a disreputable yellow cur with a ragged ear cocked +over his nose. + +"Well, I'm domned!" said Muldoon. His heart, probably the toughest +thing about him, was touched by this fearless persistence. + +"Ar-ren't ye afraid o' nothin', ye little scrap?" he said. Scrap, +answering the first name he had ever known, barked shrilly. + +"What's that dog doing here?" said the tall lieutenant of Company +A, disapprovingly. + +"I'm afther kickin' him out, sor," explained Muldoon, and, upon the +lieutenant's departure, was seen retreating in the direction of the +cook-tent, with the meager and expectant Scrap inconspicuously at +his heels. + +He went to sleep at taps in Muldoon's tent, curled up inside +Muldoon's cartridge-belt; but at reveille the next morning the +sergeant missed him. Between drill and drill Muldoon sought +diligently, with insinuations as to the character of dog-stealers +that were near to precipitating personal conflict. He found the +stray finally, in Company B street, leaping for bones amid the +applause of the habitants. + +Arraigned collectively as thieves, Company B declared that the dog +had strayed in and remained only because he could not be kicked +out. But their pride in the height of his leaps was too evidently +the pride of possession; and Muldoon, after vain attempts to catch +the excited Scrap, who was eager only for bones, retired with +threats of some vague disaster to befall Company B the next day if +_his_ dog were not returned. + +The responsibility, with its consequences, was taken out of Company +B's hands by Scrap's departure from their lines immediately after +supper. He was not seen to go. He slid away silently, among the +broken shadows of the tents. Company B reviled Muldoon. Scrap spent +the night in a bugler's cape, among a wilderness of brasses, and +reappeared the next morning at guard mount, deftly following the +stately maneuvers of the band. + +"Talk about a dorg's gratitude!" said the sergeant of Company B, +bitterly, remembering Scrap's entertainment of the previous +evening. + +"I'm on to his game!" muttered old Muldoon. "Don't ye see, ye +fool, he don't belong to any _wan_ of us. He belongs to the +crowd--to the regiment. That's what he's tryin' to show us. He's +what that Frinchman down in F calls a--a mascot; and, be jabers, he +moves like a soldier!" + +The regiment's enthusiasm for Scrap, as voiced by Muldoon, +was not extended to the commanding officer, who felt that the +impressiveness of guard mount was detracted from by Scrap's +deployments. Also the tall lieutenant of Company A disliked the +sensation of being accompanied in his social excursions among +ladies who had driven out to band practise by a lawless yellow pup +with a bitten ear. The lieutenant, good fellow at bottom, was yet a +bit of a snob, and he would have preferred the colonel's foolish +Newfoundland to the spirited but unregenerate Scrap. + +But the privates and "non-coms" judged by the spirit, and bid for +the favor of their favorite, and lost money at canteen on the next +company to be distinguished as Scrap's temporary entertainers. He +was cordial, even demonstrative, but royally impartial, devoting a +day to a company with a method that was military. He had personal +friends,--Muldoon for one, the cook for another,--but there was no +man in the regiment who could expect Scrap to run to his whistle. + +Yet independent as he was of individuals, he obeyed regimental +regulations like a soldier. He learned the guns and the bugles, +what actions were signified by certain sounds. He was up in the +morning with the roll of the drums. He was with every drill that +was informal enough not to require the presence of the commanding +officer, and during dress parade languished, lamenting, in +Muldoon's tent. Barking furiously, he was the most enthusiastic +spectator of target practise. He learned to find the straying balls +when the regimental nine practised during "release," and betrayed a +frantic desire to "retrieve" the shot that went crashing seaward +from the sullen-mouthed cannon on the shore. More than once he made +one of the company that crossed the lines at an unlawful hour to +spend a night among the crooked ways of Monterey. + +The regiment was tiresome with tales of his tricks. The height of +his highest leap was registered in the mess, and the number of rats +that had died in his teeth were an ever increasing score in the +canteen. He was fairly aquiver with the mere excitement and +curiosity of living. There was no spot in the camp too secure or +too sacred for Scrap to penetrate. His invasions were without +impertinence; but the regiment was his, and he deposited dead rats +in the lieutenant's shoes as casually as he concealed bones in the +French horn; and slumbered in the major's hat-box with the same +equanimity with which he slept in Muldoon's jacket. + +The major evicted Scrap violently, but, being a good-natured man, +said nothing to the colonel, who was not. But it happened, only a +day after the episode of the hat-box, that the colonel entered his +quarters to find the yellow mascot, fresh from a plunge in the surf +and a roll in the dirt, reposing on his overcoat. + +To say that the colonel was angry would be weak; but, overwhelmed +as he was, he managed to find words and deeds. Scrap fled with a +sharp yelp as a boot-tree caught him just above the tail. + +His exit did not fail to attract attention in the company street. +The men were uneasy, for the colonel was noticeably a man of action +as well as of temper. Their premonitions were fulfilled when at +assembly the next morning, an official announcement was read to the +attentive regiment. The colonel, who was a strategist as well as a +fighter, had considered the matter more calmly overnight. He was +annoyed by the multiplicity of Scrap's appearances at times and +places where he was officially a nuisance. He was more than annoyed +by the local paper's recent reference to "our crack yellow-dog +regiment." But he knew the strength of regimental sentiment +concerning Scrap and the military superstition of the mascot, and +he did not want to harrow the feelings of the "summer camp" by +detailing a firing squad. Therefore he left a loop-hole for Scrap's +escape alive. The announcement read: "All dogs found in camp not +wearing collars will be shot, by order of the commanding officer." + +Now there were but two dogs in camp, and the colonel's wore a +collar. The regiment heard the order with consternation. + +"That'll fix it," said the colonel, comfortably. + +"Suppose some one gets a collar?" suggested the major, with a hint +of hopefulness in his voice. + +"I know my regiment," said the colonel. "There isn't enough money +in it three days before pay day to buy a button. They'll send him +out to-night." + +Immediately after drill there was a council of war in Muldoon's +tent, Muldoon holding Scrap between his knees. Scrap's scratched +ear, which habitually stood cocked, flopped forlornly; his stump +tail drooped dismally. The atmosphere of anxiety oppressed his +sensitive spirit. He desired to play, and Muldoon only sat and +rolled his argumentative tongue. From this conference those who +had been present went about the business of the day with a +preternatural gloom that gradually permeated the regiment. The +business of the day was varied, since the next day was to be a +field day, with a review in the morning and cavalry maneuvers in +the afternoon. + +All day Scrap was conspicuous in every quarter of the camp, but at +supper-time the lieutenant of Company A noted his absence from his +habitual place at the left of Muldoon in the men's mess-tent. The +lieutenant was annoyed by his own anxiety. + +"Of course they'll get him out, sir?" he said to the major. + +"Of course," the major assented, with more confidence than he felt. +The colonel was fairly irritable in his uncertainty over it. + +Next morning the sentries, who had been most strictly enjoined to +vigilant observation, reported that no one had left camp that +night, though a man on beat four must have failed in an +extraordinary way to see a private crossing his line six feet in +front of him. + +The muster failed to produce any rag-eared, stub-tailed, +eager-eyed, collarless yellow cub. Nor did the mess-call raise his +shrill bark in the vicinity of the cook's tent. The lieutenant felt +disappointed. + +He thought that the regiment should at least have made some sort of +demonstration in Scrap's defense. It seemed a poor return for such +confidence and loyalty to be hustled out of the way on an official +threat. + +It seemed to him the regiment was infernally light-hearted, as, +pipe-clay white and nickel bright in the morning sun, it swung out +of camp for the parade-ground, where the dog-carts and runabouts +and automobiles were gathering from Del Monte and the cottages +along the shore. + +The sight of the twelve companies moving across the field with the +step of one warmed the cockles of the colonel's pride. The regiment +came to parade rest, and the band went swinging past their front, +past the reviewing-stand. As it wheeled into place, the colonel, +who had been speaking to the adjutant, who was the lieutenant of +Company A, bit his sentence in the middle, and glared at something +that moved, glittering, at the heels of the drum-major. + +The colonel turned bright red. His glass fell out of his +eye-socket. + +"What the devil is the matter with that dog?" he whispered softly. +And the adjutant, who had also seen and was suffocating, managed to +articulate, "Collars!" + +The colonel put his glass back in his eye. His shoulders shook. He +coughed violently as he addressed the adjutant: + +"Have that dog removed--no, let him alone--no, adjutant, bring him +here!" + +So the adjutant, biting his lip, motioned Muldoon to fall out. + +Tough old Muldoon tucked Scrap, struggling, squirming, glittering +like a hardware shop, under his arm, and saluted his commander, +while the review waited. + +The colonel was blinking through his glass and trying not to grin. + +"Sergeant, how many collars has that dog got on?" + +"Thirteen, sor," said Muldoon. + +"What for?" said the colonel, severely. + +"Wan for each company, sor, an' wan for the band." + + + +A FIRE-FIGHTER'S DOG + +By Arthur Quiller-Couch + +This is the story of a very distinguished member of the London Fire +Brigade--the dog Chance. It proves that the fascinations of fires +(and who that has witnessed a fire cannot own this fascination?) +extends even to the brute creation. In old Egypt, Herodotus tells +us, the cats used on the occasion of a conflagration to rush forth +from their burning homes, and then madly attempt to return again; +and the Egyptians, who worshipped the animals, had to form a ring +round to prevent their dashing past and sacrificing themselves to +the flames. This may, however, be due to the cat's notorious love +for home. In the case of the dog Chance another hypothesis has to +be searched for. + +The animal formed his first acquaintance with the brigade by +following a fireman from a conflagration in Shoreditch to the +central station at Watling Street. Here, after he had been petted +for some time by the men, his master came for him and took him +home. But the dog quickly escaped and returned to the central +station on the very first opportunity. He was carried back, +returned, was carried back again, and again returned. + +At this point his master--"like a mother whose son _will_ go +to sea"--abandoned the struggle and allowed him to follow his own +course. Henceforth for years he invariably went with the engine, +sometimes upon the carriage itself, sometimes under the horses' +legs; and always, when going uphill, running in advance, and +announcing by his bark the welcome news that the fire-engine was at +hand. + +Arrived at the fire, he would amuse himself with pulling burning +logs of wood out of the flames with his mouth, firmly impressed +that he was rendering the greatest service, and clearly anxious to +show the laymen that he understood all about the business. Although +he had his legs broken half a dozen times, he remained faithful to +the profession he had so obstinately chosen. At last, having taken +a more serious hurt than usual, he was being nursed by the firemen +beside the hearth, when a "call" came. At the well-known sound of +the engine turning out, the poor old dog made a last effort to +climb upon it, and fell back--dead. + +He was stuffed, and preserved at the station for some time. But +even in death he was destined to prove the friend of the brigade. +For, one of the engineers having committed suicide, the firemen +determined to raffle him for the benefit of the widow, and such was +his fame that he realized 123 pounds 10 shillings, 9 pence, or over +$615 in American money! + + + +PLATO: THE STORY OF A CAT + +By A. S. Downs + +One day last summer a large handsome black cat walked gravely up +one side of Main street, crossed, and went half-way down the other. +He stopped at a house called The Den, went up the piazza steps, and +paused by an open window. + +A lady sitting inside saw and spoke to him; but without taking any +notice, he put his paws on the sill, looked around the room as if +wondering if it would suit him, and finally gazed into her face. + +After thinking a minute he went in, and from that hour took his +place as an important member of the family. Civil to all, he gives +his love only to the lady whom he first saw; and it is odd to see, +as he lies by the fire, how he listens to all conversation, but +raises his head only when she speaks, and drops it again when she +has finished, with a pleased air. + +No other person in the house is so wise, for he alone never makes a +mistake. The hours he selects for his exercise are the sunniest; +the carpets he lies upon the softest, and he knows the moment he +enters the room whether his friend will let him lie in her lap, or +whether because of her best gown she will have none of him. No one +at The Den can tell how he came to be called Plato. It is a fact +that he answers to the name, and when asked if so known before he +came there, smiles wisely. "What matters it," the smile says, "how +I was called, or where I came from, since I am Plato, and am here?" + +He dislikes noise, and entirely disapproves sweeping. A broom and +dustpan fill him with anxiety, and he seeks the soft cushions of +the big lounge; but when these in their turn are beaten and tossed +about, he retreats to the study-table. However, as soon as he +learned that once a week his favorite room was turned into chaos, +he sought another refuge, and refuses to get up that day until +noon. + +Many were the speculations as to Plato's Christmas present. All +were satisfied with a rattan basket just large enough for him to +lie in, with a light open canopy, cushions of cardinal chintz, and +a cardinal satin bow to which was fastened a lovely card. + +It was set down before Plato, and although it is probable it was +the first he had ever seen, he showed neither surprise nor +curiosity, but looked at it loftily as if such a retreat should +have been given him long ago, for could not any discerning person +see he was accustomed to luxury? He stepped in carefully and curled +himself gracefully upon the soft cushions, the glowing tints of +which were very becoming to his sable beauty. + +It was soon seen that Plato was very fond of his basket, and was +unwilling to share it in the smallest degree. When little Bessie +put her doll in, "just to see if cardinal was becoming to her," he +looked so stern and walked so fiercely toward them that dolly's +heart sank within her, and Bessie said, "Please excuse us, Plato." +If balls and toys were carelessly dropped there he would push them +out without delay, and if visitors took up the basket to examine +it, he would fix his eyes upon them, thinking, "O yes, you would +pick pockets or steal the spoons if I did not watch you." + +As his conduct can never be predicted, great was the curiosity when +one cold afternoon he was noticed walking up the avenue while a +miserable yellow kitten dragged herself after him. She was so thin +you could count her bones, and she had been so pulled and kicked +that there seemed to be nothing of her but length and--dirt. + +When Lord Plato chooses, he enters the front doors, but as he waits +no man's pleasure, unless it pleases him first, he has a way of +getting in on his own account. Upon one of the shed doors is an +old-fashioned latch, which by jumping he can reach and lift with +his paw. Having opened the door, he pushed his poor yellow +straggler in and followed himself. She laid down at once on the +floor, and Plato began washing her with his rough tongue, while the +lookers-on assisted his hospitality by bringing a saucer of milk. +While she ate Plato rested, looking as pleased as if he were her +mother at her enjoyment. The luncheon finished, the washing was +resumed, and as the waif was now able to help, she soon looked more +respectable. But Plato had not finished his work of mercy. He +looked at the door leading to the parlor, then at her; and finally +bent down tenderly to her little torn ears, as if whispering, but +she would not move. Perhaps in all her wretched life she had never +been so comfortable, and believed in letting well enough alone. +Reason and persuasion alike useless, Plato concluded to try force +and, taking her by the back of the neck, carried her through the +house and dropped her close to his dainty cherished basket. + +Then he appeared a little uncertain what to do. The basket was nice +and warm; he was tired and cold; it had been a present to him; the +street wanderer was dirty still; and the rug would be a softer bed +than she had ever known. Were these his thoughts, and was it +selfishness he conquered when at last he lifted the shivering +homeless creature into his own beautiful nest? + + + +PETER: A CAT O' ONE TAIL + +By Charles Morley + +Peter, the admirable cat whose brief history I am about to relate, +appeared in the world on a terrible winter's night. A fierce +snowstorm was raging, the sleet was driving at a terrific rate +through the air, and the streets were banked up with snow-drifts. +All traffic had been stopped, the roar of London was hushed, and +every one who had the merest pretence of a fireside sought it on +this memorable occasion. It was a wild night in the city, a wild +night in the country, a wild night at sea, and certainly a most +unpropitious night for the birth of a cat, an animal which is +always associated with home and hearth. The fact remains that Peter +was born on the night of one of the most terrible storms on record. + +Our chairs were drawn up to the fire, the tea-things were on +the table, and my mother was just about to try the strength +of the brew, when Ann Tibbits, our faithful and well-tried +maid-of-all-work, bounced into the room without knocking at the +door. Her cap was all awry, her hair was dishevelled, and she +gasped for breath as she addressed herself to my mother thus, +in spasms: + +"Please--ma'am--the cat has put her kittens--in--your--bonnet!" + +Such a breach of discipline had never been known before in our prim +household, where there was a place for everything, and everything +had a place. + +My mother pushed her spectacles on to her forehead, and, looking +severely at Ann, said: "_Which_ one, Ann? My summer bonnet, +or--my winter bonnet?" + +"The one with the fur lining, ma'am." + +"And a most comfortable bonnet to live in, I'm sure!" replied my +mother sarcastically, as much as to say that she wished all cats +had such a choice under the circumstances. "Another cat would have +chosen the one with the lace and the violets, out of sheer +perverseness. But there--I _knew_ I could depend on a cat +which had been trained in _my_ house." + +My mother poured out a cup of tea, betraying no agitation +as she dropped two lumps of sugar into the cup--her customary +allowance--and helped herself to cream. In a minute or two, +however, she took up her knitting, and I noticed that two stitches +in succession were dropped, a sure sign that she was perturbed in +spirit. Suddenly my mother turned her eyes to the fire. + +"_How many_, Ann?" she continued, addressing our faithful +servant, who still remained standing at the table awaiting her +orders. + +"Seven, ma'am." + +"_Seven!_" cried my mother. "Seven--it's outrageous. Why, my +bonnet wouldn't hold 'em!" + +"Three in the bonnet, ma'am, and two in your new m-u-f-f!" + +"My new muff!" cried my mother. "I _knew_ you were keeping +something back." And the stitches dropped fast and furious. "That's +only _five_, Ann," she continued, looking up from her work. +"Where are the other two? I insist upon knowing." + +"In the Alaska tail boa, ma'am," responded Ann, timidly. + +Slowly my mother's wrath evaporated, and her features settled down +to their ordinary aspect of composure. + +"Well," she said, "it might have been worse. She might have put +them in my silk dress. But there--it is evident that something must +be done. I'm a kind woman, I hope, but I'm not going to be +responsible for seven young and tender kittens. Ann Tibbits, +England expects every woman to do her duty!" + +"_All?_ asked Ann. + +"_Four_," replied my mother. + +"Now?" asked Ann. + +"The sooner the better," said my mother. + +At this moment a sudden blast shook every window in the house, +which seemed to be in momentary danger of a total collapse. + +"Not fit to turn a dog out," murmured my mother. "Not fit to turn a +dog out. Ugh! how cold it is, and here am I condemning to death +four poor little kittens on a night like this--to snatch them away +from their warm mother, my muff, and Alaska tail, and dip them in a +bucket of ice-cold water. And yet they must go; but, Ann, I've an +idea--WARM the water. They shall leave the world comfortably. +They'll never know it." + +The faithful, unemotional Ann carried out her instructions. Peter +was one of the three kittens which were born in my mother's +fur-lined bonnet, and the white marks on his body always remind me +of the terrible snowstorm in the midst of which he sounded his +first mew. + +After several weeks the liberty which our cat Cordelia had taken +with my mother's finery was forgotten, and the household had +settled down into its usual humdrum routine. Tibbits had made the +new arrivals a bed in the little box-room, and the doctor declared +that Mrs. Cordelia was doing as well as could be expected. Every +morning we had asked the usual question: "How is Cordelia?" "Quite +well, thank you." "And the kittens?" "Also quite well." In due +course Ann brought the welcome news that the three kittens had +opened their eyes, and the kid glove was at once detached from the +knocker of the front door. It was on the morning after they had +obtained their blessed sight that I was invited by Tibbits to go +downstairs and take my choice. I went down, but I could see nothing +of the kittens; there was only Cordelia, with tail twisting, eyes +aflame, and whiskers bristling, wheeling round and round a number +of straw cases in which champagne had once been packed. Lo! one of +the cases began to walk. The movement caught Cordelia's eye, and +she knocked it over with her paw. A fluffy, chubby kitten, +consisting of a black body with a patch of white on it, was +revealed. The little one so captivated my fancy that I put him in +my pocket, and without more ado took him upstairs, and publicly +announced my determination to claim him as my property. + +"What shall we name it?" asked my mother. + +"Fiz," said one, alluding to the empty champagne cases,--a +suggestion which was at once overruled, as we were a temperate +family and little given to sparkling liquids. "Pop" was also voted +against, not only as being vulgar, but as going to the other +extreme, and leading people to suppose that we were extensively +addicted to ginger-ale. + +"I think, my dears, as Peter was born on a--" My mother's speech +was interrupted by an exultant "Cock-a-doodle-do." + +"That horrid fowl again!" exclaimed my mother. + +The cock in question was the property of a neighbor, and was a most +annoying bird. Even my kitten was disturbed by the defiant note. +"_M-e-w?_" said he, in a meek interrogative, as much as to +say, "What _is_ that dreadful noise?" + +"Cock-a-doodle-do," cried the bird again. + +"Mew," replied the kitten, this time with a note of anger in his +voice. "COCK-A-DOODLE," screamed the bird, evidently in a violent +temper. "Mew," said the kitten again, in a tone of remonstrance. +The remaining syllable of his war-cry and the kitten's reply were +cut short by my mother, who put her fingers to her ears, and said: + +"And the cock crowed thrice. My dears, I have it!" + +"What, mother?" + +"We'll call him PETER." cried the family. + +"Peter Gray?" + +"Peter Simple?" + +"Peter the Great?" + +"No," replied my mother, with a humorous twinkle, "Peter the +Apostle," pointing to the Family Bible, which was always kept on a +little occasional table in a corner of the sitting-room. "And let +Peter be a living warning against fibbing, my dears, whether on a +small scale or a large one." + +A bowl of water was then placed on the table and, having sprinkled +a shower upon his devoted back, I as his proprietor, looking at him +closely, cried: + +"Arise, Peter; obey thy master." + +In the middle of my exhortations, however, Cordelia jumped on the +table, took little Peter by the scruff of his neck, and carried him +back to the nursery. + +The day came when I put Peter into the pocket of my overcoat, and +took him away to his new home. I had the greatest confidence in +him, being a firm believer in the doctrine of heredity. His father +I never knew, but his grandfather bore a great reputation for +courage, as was indicated on his tombstone, the inscription on +which ran as follows: + + Here lies LEAR. Aged about 8 years. A Tom Cat killed in + single combat with Tom the Templar whilst defending his + hearth and home. England expects every cat to do his + duty. + +His mother Cordelia was of an affectionate nature, caring little +for the chase, indifferent to birds (except sparrows), temperate in +the matter of fish, timid of dogs, a kind mother, and had never +been known to scratch a child. I believed then that there was every +possibility of Peter's inheriting the admirable qualities of his +relatives. The world into which he was introduced contained a large +assortment of curios which I had bought in many a salesroom, such +as bits of old oak, bits of armor, bits of china, bits of tapestry, +and innumerable odds and ends which had taken my fancy. Picture, +then, Peter drinking his milk from a Crown Derby dish which I had +placed in a corner between the toes of a gentleman skeleton whom +Time had stained a tobacco brown. The Crown Derby dish and the +skeleton were, like the rest of my furniture, "bargains." At this +period of his life Peter resembled a series of irregular circles, +such as a geometrician might have made in an absent moment: two +round eyes, one round head, and one round body. I regarded him much +as a young mother would her first baby, for he was my first pet. I +watched him lest he should get into danger; I conversed with him in +a strange jargon, which I called cats' language; I played with him +constantly, and introduced him to a black hole behind the +skeleton's left heel, which was supposed to be the home of mice. He +kept a close watch on the black hole, and one day, which is never +to be forgotten, he caught his first mouse. It was a very little +one, but it clung to Peter's nose and made it bleed. Regardless of +the pain, Peter marched up to me, tail in air, and laid the +half-dead mouse at my feet, with a look in his eyes which said +plainly enough, "Shades of Caesar! I claim a Triumph, master." + +He returned to the black hole again, and mewed piteously for more. +Peter was very green, as you will understand, but he soon +discovered that mewing kept the mice away, and having taken the +lesson to heart, preserved silence for the future. The mouse-hunts +occupied but a small portion of Peter's time. He was full of queer +pranks, which youth and high spirits suggested to him. He took a +delight in tumbling down the stairs; he hid himself in the mouth of +a lion whose head was one of my chief treasures; he tilted against +a dragon candlestick like a young St. George; he burnt his budding +whiskers in an attempt to discover the source of the flame in the +wick of the candle. He became, too, a great connoisseur of vases, +ornaments, and pictures, sitting before them and examining them for +an hour at a time. He was also very much given to voyages of +discovery, dark continents having a peculiar fascination for him. +Even the lion's mouth had no terror for him. I once produced him +from the interior of a brand-new top hat like a conjurer an +omelette. Again, we were very much surprised at breakfast one +morning to see Peter walk out of a rabbit-pie in which he had +secreted himself. + +I used to let my canary fly about the room, and Peter chased him. +The canary flew to an old helmet on a shelf, and thus baffled +Peter. The canary seemed to know this, for when Peter was in the +room he always flew to the helmet and sang in peace. If he perched +elsewhere there was a chase. The linnet's cage I placed on the +window-sill in sunny weather, and Peter took great interest in him. +He could not see the musician, but he heard the music, and tried +every means he knew to discover its source. + +At last he peeped through a little hole at the back of the cage, +and when he saw the bird he was quite satisfied, and made no +attempt to disturb it. + +In the matter of eating and drinking Peter was inclined to +vegetarianism, being fond of beet-root and cabbage, but he soon +took to carnal habits, always liking his food to be divided into +three portions, consisting of greens, potatoes, and meat. In +addition to such food as we gave him he by no means despised any +delicacies he could discover on his own account. For instance he +cleaned out a pot of glycerine. Having tilted the lid up, he pulled +out the pins from a pincushion, but was saved in time; he was +curious about a powder-box, and came mewing downstairs a Peter in +white; he did not despise the birds out of a hat; he lost his +temper when he saw his rival in the looking-glass, and was beside +himself with rage when the glass swung round and he saw only a +plain board. His most curious experience was his first glimpse of +the moon, which he saw from our bit of back garden. He was rooted +to the ground with wonder at the amazing sight, and we called him +in vain. The only reply was a melancholy, love-stricken mew which +went to my heart. + + * * * * * + +So Peter rejoiced in the days of his youth, and there was no end to +his frolics. But do not think for a moment that his education was +neglected, especially in the invaluable matters of manners and +deportment, both of which are so essential to advancement in life. +I taught him to sit at table; to enter a room with grace, and to +leave it with dignity. Indeed, I spared no trouble, and Peter +became as rigorous as a Chesterfield in the proper observance of +all such matters. I can give you no better example of Peter's +extensive knowledge of what was right and wrong in the ceremonial +side of life than by telling you that when he felt an irrepressible +sneeze forming he trotted out of the room and sneezed outside. When +Peter played, too, he played gently, and did not disturb his elders +by obtrusive attentions. He never required to be told twice to do a +thing. Once was enough for Peter. Then again in the matter of +breakages he was as virtuous a kitten as ever lived. I had thirty +precious blue china vases on my sideboard, and through this fragile +maze Peter always wound in and out without moving a vase. His +virtues in this respect were well known to my servants, who never +accused Peter of breaking the milk-jug, or the cups and saucers, I +can assure you. Like the best of human beings, he had his faults, +but upon these it would be impertinent to touch more than lightly. + +Peter was partial to Fridays, because Fridays were devoted to +cleaning up. If you have ever watched a woman washing the kitchen +floor, you will have noticed that she completes one patch before +she proceeds with the next, as if she took pride in each patch, +regarding it as a picture. It was Peter's delight to sit and watch +this domestic operation; and no sooner was the woman's back turned +towards a fresh portion of her territory than Peter ran all over +the freshly washed patch and impressed it with the seal of his +paws, just as an explorer would indicate a great annexation by a +series of flags. That was a mere frolic. It was about this time +that I discovered Peter's power as a performing cat. I tied a +hare's foot to a piece of string and dangled it before Peter's +eyes. I hid the hare's foot in strange places. I flung it +downstairs. I threw it upstairs. The hare's foot never failed to +attract him. We used to roll on the floor together; we played +hide-and-seek together. I noticed that he had a habit of lying on +his back with his tail out, his head back, and his paws crossed. By +degrees I taught him to assume this attitude at the word of +command, so that when I said, "Die, Peter!" Peter turned on his +back and became rigid until he received permission to live again. + +I also taught him to talk in mews at the word of command. I hear +some genial critic exclaim that this cannot be true. I decline to +argue with any critic that ever lived, and repeat, fearlessly, and +in measured terms, that Peter talked to _me._ Of course he +would not drop into conversation with the first person who bade him +"good-morning," but I assert again that Peter and I held many +conversations together by means of the "mew," used with a score of +inflections, often delicately shaded, each of which conveyed its +meaning to me. + +Peter took to reading, too, quite easily, and sat up with +eye-glasses on his nose and a paper between his paws. It was, as +you may well imagine, a red-letter day with me when Peter said his +prayers for the first time; and I was better pleased when he put +his little paws up and lifted his eyes up to the ceiling than with +any other of his accomplishments, though they were more appreciated +by unthinking friends. It was all very well to place a mouse at my +feet and thus play to the gallery, but I felt that Peter's thirst +for applause might be his ruin. + + * * * * * + +When the summer came, and the London pavements began to quake with +heat, I determined to fly to the country. As delights are doubled +when shared with those we care for, I determined to take Peter with +me, so I packed him up in a specially constructed travelling saloon +of his own, to wit, a flannel-lined basket containing all the +necessary comforts for the journey, such as air-holes and +feeding-bottles, and off we started in the highest of spirits. +Peter found a new world opened to him, and the thousand and one +beauties of the country fascinated us both. We were the guests of a +burly farmer, who lived in a queer old house, half timber and half +brick, with low-ceilinged rooms. The general living-room was the +capacious kitchen, which looked mighty picturesque. Oak panels ran +half-way up to the ceiling; the pots and pans were ranged neatly in +an open cupboard, pleasantly suggestive of good fare and plenty of +it. There were flowers in red pots in the windows, and my bedroom +was a picture of coolness and cleanliness. + +Amid these pleasant surroundings Peter soon made himself very +happy, and became a great friend of a cat called Jack, who took him +under his charge and showed him the ways of the country. Jack was a +favorite on the farm. He was certainly given to roving, and did not +always "come home to tea." As a mouser he had few equals in the +countryside, and one evening when we were telling stories by the +fireside the farmer told me that Jack had despatched no less than +four hundred mice from one hay-rick. + +Jack was a disciple of Isaak Walton. He would crouch on a mossy +knoll by the edge of the river, and sometimes was successful in +capturing a small trout. The farmer was himself a great fisherman. +Jack was a study while the preparations were in progress, and, all +intent, would follow close at his master's heels. He would crouch +among the rushes whilst the tackle was being adjusted, and +anxiously scan the water as the fly drifted along the surface. He +took a keen delight in the sport, and when a fish was negotiating +the bait he always purred loudly in anticipation of the feast in +prospect. The trout landed and the line re-cast, he would seize his +prey, and with stealthy gait slink off with his prize, leaving the +old farmer to discover his loss when he might. Together Jack and +Peter roamed over the meadow lands, and the poultry-run was an +object of great interest to them. Together they fought the rats, +and together they would lie in wait for the thrush and the +blackbird,--I am happy to say in vain. The farmer told me that in +his youth Jack once took up his residence in the hollow of an old +oak, where he lived on the furred and feathered game. At last he +returned home. For hours he wandered about his old home, fearful of +discovery, now crouching amongst the flower-beds, and now flying in +terror at the sound of the hall clock. At last he ventured into the +kitchen, entering by the window and creeping to the kitchen hearth, +where he dozed off to the music of the cricket, to be welcomed like +another Prodigal Son. + +Alas! these delights were cut short, for Peter and I were soon +compelled to pack up our traps and proceed to the seaside for +professional purposes. Peter was not fond of the sea. When I took +him out yachting he was compelled to call for the steward; and one +day when exploring the rocks at low water, gazing with rapture at +his own charming face as it was reflected in the glassy surface of +a deep pool, an inquiring young lobster nipped his tail, and the +shore rang with piteous calls for help. Peter has never cared for +the sea since then, and so deeply was the disaster impressed upon +him that I have known him reject a choice bit of meat which +happened to have a few grains of salt on it. It wafted him back to +the ocean, the lobster, and the steward. What powers of imagination +were Peter's! + + * * * * * + +As these memoirs cover a period of seven or eight years, and as +space is limited, my readers will kindly consent to take a seat on +the convenient carpet of the magician, and be wafted gently to the +next station on the road without further question. This is a +pleasant byway in suburban London, greatly frequented by +organ-grinders, travelling bears, German bands, and peripatetic +white mice. This road is always associated in my mind with the +mysterious disappearance of Peter. We had often laughed at the odd +old lady who lived two doors higher up, for the anxiety which she +displayed when any of her pets were missing. It was our turn now. + +This same old lady was very fond of her cats, and had nine of them +at the time I am writing of. Every morning when the weather was +warm, she and her cats would come out and unconsciously form a +succession of tableaux for our amusement. A rug was spread out +under the pear tree in the middle of the tiny lawn, a great +basket-chair was placed in the middle of this rug, and, these +preparations having been made, the old lady, who was very stout, +and always wore a monster poke bonnet and a shapeless black silk +dress, came out, followed by her nine cats, and took possession of +the basket-chair. A little maid then appeared with a tray, on which +were nine little blue china saucers and a jug of milk. The nine +little saucers were ranged in a semicircle, and filled with milk, +whereupon the old lady cried out, "Who says breakfast, dearies? Who +says breakfast--breakfast?" This invitation was immediately +responded to by the nine cats. When they had done the old lady +cried, "Who says washee, dearies? Washee, washee, washee?" +Whereupon the nine cats sat on their haunches and proceeded to make +their toilettes. The requirements of cleanliness having been +satisfied, and the nine basins having been taken away by the little +maid, the old lady shouted out, "Who says play, dearies? Playee, +playee, playee?" holding out her arms, and calling out, "Dido Dums, +Dido Dums, come here, deary," when a fine Persian cat jumped on to +her right shoulder. "Now Diddles Doddles, Diddles Doddles," and +another Persian cat jumped on to her left shoulder. "Tootsy +Wootsy," she called once more, and a black cat scrambled up to the +crown of the poke bonnet. And one by one they were summoned by some +endearing diminutive, until the nine cats had taken possession of +every possible coign of vantage which was offered by the old lady's +capacious person. There they sat, waving their tails to and fro, +evidently very pleased by their mistress's little attentions. Mrs. +Mee was not very popular in the neighborhood, except with the +milkman and the butcher. The cats'-meat-man, indeed, who supplied +various families in our road, positively hated her--so I gathered +from our servant,--and had been heard to say _sotto voce_ in +unguarded moments, "Ha! ha! I'll be revenged." It was not +unnatural, as the cats were fed on mutton cutlets and fresh milk, +and cats' meat was at a discount. About three weeks before Peter +disappeared, Mrs. Mee, in the short space of three or four days, +had lost no less than five cats by a violent death, and five little +graves had been dug, marked by five little tombstones, and the five +dead cats had been laid in their last resting-places by the hands +of the old lady herself. A funeral is not generally amusing, but I +could not restrain a smile when I saw my eccentric old neighbor +follow the remains of her dead pets, which were reverently carried +on the tea-tray by the little serving-maid, the old lady herself +leading the way, ringing a muffled peal with the dinner-bell, the +remaining cats bringing up the rear, pondering over the fate of +their dead comrades. + +It happened that three of these unfortunate victims had been found +on my doorstep. I felt very angry with the old lady, who blamed me +for the destruction of her pets, adducing the fact that they were +found dying on my doorsteps as proof conclusive. One morning I +received an anonymous postcard. Although it bore the Charing Cross +postmark, I felt sure it came from the old lady. It read as +follows: + + "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold." + +This was the last straw, for I felt that as regards the old lady's +cats I had behaved in a sympathetic and neighborly spirit. I +remember this post-card because the same afternoon that it came +Peter disappeared, and I began to fear that he had yielded to the +temptation of a poisoned pig's foot which had been found in my +garden stripped of its flesh. This was a delicacy which Peter had +never been able to resist, though why he should have preferred it +to the choice foods that were daily piled upon his plate I cannot +for the life of me say. We searched the neighborhood in vain, and +at last I determined to advertise. Accordingly I addressed an +advertisement to my favorite paper. It ran as follows: + + "COME BACK, PETER. Lost, stolen, strayed, or poisoned, a white + and black cat called Peter, who left his friends at--on Monday + afternoon last. Round his neck he wore a blue ribbon with the word + PETER embroidered upon it in red silk. Before retiring to rest he + always says his prayers. Dead or alive, a reward of Two Pounds is + offered to any one who will restore him to his mourning friends." + +I little knew what I was bringing on my devoted head. I had been +troubled enough before with dying cats, but now they were all +alive. Cats were brought to me in baskets, in boxes, in arms; Manx +cats and cats whose tails were missing for other than hereditary +reasons; lame cats, blind cats, cats with one eye, and cats who +squinted. Never before had I seen such an extraordinary collection. +My whole time was now taken up in interviewing callers with cats. + +If the boys were bad before, they were a thousand times worse now. +Here is one example out of a score. He was a boy known as Pop, who +carried the laundry baskets. + +"'Ave yer found yer cat yet?" + +"No, we haven't." + +"Did yer say it was a yaller 'un?" + +"No, I didn't." + +"What did I say, Hop?" continued Pop, triumphantly turning to a +one-legged friend who swept a crossing close by. + +"Yer said, Pop, as it was a tortus," murmured the bashful Hop, who +had sheltered himself behind Pop. + +"A tortus, that's it. A tortus, and Hop and _I's_ found it, +sir. We've got it here." + +"You're wrong. My cat's _not_ a tortoise," I replied. + +"Bless you, we know that, guv'nor. Just as if we didn't know Peter! +Ah! Peter was a cat as wants a lot of replacin', Peter does. But me +and Hop's got a tortus as is a wunner, guv'nor. A heap better nor +Peter. Poor old Peter! he's dead and gone. Be sure of that. This +'ere's a reg'lar bad road. A prize-winner, warn't 'e, Hoppy?" They +held up the prize-winner, who was _not_ a tortoise, and was +mangy. + +"Look here, my boys, you can take her away. Now, be off. Quick +march!" + +"Yer don't want it, guv'nor. Jest think agin. Why, 'ow will you get +along without a cat? The mice is 'orrible in this 'ere road. Come, +guv'nor, I'll tell you what I'll do. You shall 'ave a bargain," +said Pop. + +I insisted that the tortoise prize-winner should be taken away, and +the next day I stopped the advertisement and resigned myself to +despair. A week after Peter had disappeared I heard the voice of my +friend Pop at the door. "I say, mister, I've some noose. Come along +o' me. I think I've found 'im. Real. A blue ribbon round 'is neck +and says 'is prayers. Put on yer 'at and foller, foller, foller +me." Mr. Pop led the way along the road, and turned off to the +right, and we walked up another road until we reached a large house +which had been unoccupied for many months. The drains were up, and +two or three workmen were busy. Pop at once introduced me as "the +gent as was lookin' for his cat." "Have you seen a cat with a blue +ribbon round his neck?" I asked them, very dubious as to the +honesty of Pop's intention. "Well, sich a cat _'as_ bin 'ere +for some days," replied the workman to whom I had spoken. "He used +to come when we were gettin' our bit of dinner. But we never know'd +but wot it came from next door. You go upstairs to the first-floor +front, and you'll see a sight." On the top of the stairs was Peter, +who knew me at once, and began to purr and rub himself against my +legs in a most affectionate manner, as if to appease any outburst +of wrath on my part. I felt too pleased to be angry, and followed +Peter into the empty room, which was littered with paper and +rubbish, and the remains of forty or fifty mice lay strewn about +the floor. Peter looked up to me as if to say: "Not a bad bag--eh, +master?" In the corner of the room was a bit of sacking which Peter +had used as a bed. Pop explained to me that he had heard the men +talking about the funny cat that came and dined with them every +day. This conversation induced him to search the house, with the +happy result that Peter was restored to the bosom of his sorrowing +family, and Pop gave up the laundry basket, and invested the reward +in a small private business of his own. + + * * * * * + +Peter and I have had many homes in London and in the country. +Together we have lived in flats, in hotels, in farm-houses, and in +lodgings for single gentlemen. In lodgings for single gentlemen we +had many strange experiences which would occupy too much time to +relate, and I will therefore touch but lightly upon this period of +Peter's career. Peter, being a gentlemanly cat, never quarrelled +with ladies, however hard they might be to please, and let them +gird at him as they would. For did not that gracious animal, when +Mrs. Nagsby was accusing him of stealing fowls, say--did he not +arch his bonny back and purr against Mrs. Nagsby's ankles and +endeavor to appease her? In her softer moods she did sometimes +relax, and even allowed Peter to sit by her side as she read the +paper. Peter was held responsible for every article that was lost +in Mrs. Nagsby's apartments, and the amount of money I paid to that +good lady for breakage in the course of six months would have +furnished a small cottage. Mrs. Nagsby was a widow, and the late +lamented Nagsby had supported her by his performances on the +euphonium. This instrument was kept in a case in Mrs. Nagsby's +little room, which was on the ground-floor back, and looked on to a +series of dingy walls. Mrs. Nagsby used to polish up the euphonium +every Saturday morning with a regularity which nothing prevented. +Did it not speak volumes for her affection for the late lamented? +On one of these Saturdays it happened that a German band stopped at +the front door. Mrs. Nagsby could never resist the seductive power +of brass music. She rushed upstairs to the first-floor front to +listen to the performance. Fate ordained it that Mrs. Nagsby should +leave the precious euphonium on the floor in her haste to hear the +band. Fate ordained it also that Peter should come down stairs at +this particular moment and wend his way to Mrs. Nagsby's parlor. +Fate also had ordained it that a mouse which lived in a hole behind +Mrs. Nagsby's easy-chair should issue at this particular moment for +a little bread-crumb expedition. Mrs. Nagsby was a careful +housekeeper, and finding no crumbs about, the mouse roamed into the +silent highway presented by the orifice of the euphonium. It was +natural enough that Peter should follow the mouse. Unfortunately, +Peter's progress was stopped, the girth of his body being too great +to admit him; and my door being open, I at once rushed to the +rescue, and found Peter with his head in the depths of the +euphonium, and making fierce struggles to vacate the position. Mrs. +Nagsby came downstairs and entered her parlor just as I succeeded +in extracting Peter from the musical instrument. Fiercely was I +reproached for Peter's escapade, and humbly did I make his +apologies, little knowing the secret of the plight from which I had +rescued him. Having soothed my landlady, she at length took up the +euphonium and proceeded to apply her eye to the main orifice to see +if Peter had damaged it, handling the euphonium in the manner of a +telescope. I was thinking of the reproaches in prospect, when I was +startled by a loud shriek, to which the euphonium imparted a +metallic vibration, and Mrs. Nagsby dropped the instrument on to +the floor, the good lady herself following it with a thud. A wee +mouse scuttled across her face, disappeared behind the easy chair, +and doubtless rejoined his anxious family. Mrs. Nagsby recovered +after her maid-of-all-work and I had burnt a few sheets of brown +paper under her nostrils; but I had great difficulty in making the +peace. + +In vain I pointed out that the responsibility did not remain with +me, or even with Peter. We agreed after some debate that it was the +German band, which was never afterwards patronized by Mrs. Nagsby. + +I got into further trouble with Mrs. Nagsby owing to a greyhound +which I had bought at a sale. I had no character with him, for he +had no character. If Mrs. Nagsby had killed him with the meat +hatchet I would have held my peace, for never a day passed but King +Arthur took his name in vain. The first night I brought him home +Mrs. Nagsby gave me permission as a great favor to chain him to the +kitchen table. In the morning two of the table legs had been +mangled, and that is our reason why I called him King Arthur, of +the Round Table. The next night King Arthur was taken upstairs and +attached to the leg of my wash-stand. I was awakened out of my +beauty sleep by a horrible clamor which caused me to think that the +house had fallen in. I presently realized that King Arthur had +mistaken the water-jug for a dragon. In any case it was smashed to +bits, and the noise brought Mrs. Nagsby to my door in anger. I +should be sorry to say what King Arthur cost me in hard cash for +breakages and legs of mutton. Poor Peter! thou wast a saint when +compared with that fiend on four legs. + +The _denouement_ came at last, and it arose from King Arthur's +fondness for the ladies. There was nothing remarkable in the +appearance of the old lady who was Mrs. Nagsby's favorite lodger, +who had held the rooms above mine for three years. Rut the lady had +a most beautiful sealskin jacket, trimmed with tails of sable. King +Arthur had unluckily a feminine affection for furs, and I never +dared to take him into any of the fashionable thoroughfares, as he +had a way of following the ladies, not for their own dear sakes, +but for the fur which they might happen to be wearing. Whether they +were only tippets or dyed rabbit-skins, it did not matter to King +Arthur. + +Well, one unfortunate afternoon, I was leading my greyhound home. A +few yards in front of us was Mrs. Nagsby's first-floor lady, taking +the sun in all the glories of her sealskin jacket and sable tails. +To my horror I dropped the chain in taking a match-box out of my +pocket, and before I could take any steps to prevent him--_King +Arthur was coursing Mrs. Nagsby's first-floor lodger at his highest +rate of speed!!!_ King Arthur held on his course and literally +took the old lady aback, and began to tear those choice sable +tippets asunder. Nor was the base creature content to rest at the +sable tippets. Before I reached his victim his mouth was full of +sealskin. Let me pass on, merely saying that King Arthur was shot +that night in the mews at the back of Mrs. Nagsby's, a victim to +his own indiscretions. + +And now I come to the fatal catastrophe which finally drove me and +Peter from the shelter of Mrs. Nagsby's roof. That lady had a set +of false teeth which she was in the habit of depositing on her +dressing-table when she went to bed. I had learned this from Sarah +when that damsel was in a confidential mood. Peter, I think I have +told you, slept in my room. One very warm night Mrs. Nagsby left +her door open, and her night light was burning as usual. I also +slept with my door open, and Peter, being hot like the rest of us, +left the room for a stroll, and visited Mrs. Nagsby's apartment. +Presently he came back with Mrs. Nagsby's teeth between his own--at +least I suppose so, for I found them on the hearth-rug when I +awoke. I was greatly amused, though a little puzzled to know how I +could replace them. After some reflection I went down to breakfast, +placed the trophy in a saucer, and showed it to Sarah, who screamed +and traitorously ran up and informed her mistress. Mrs. Nagsby came +down rampant, but of course speechless. I was thankful for this; +but the violent woman, after sputtering spasmodically, caught sight +of the missing article in the saucer, and, lost to all sense of +shame, replaced it in position and poured forth a torrent of the +most violent abuse. + +Peter and I left. + + + +JEFF THE INQUISITIVE + +By General Rush C. Hawkins + +Among the gunboats doing duty on the inland waters of North +Carolina in the early spring of 1862, which composed what Commodore +Goldsborough designated his "Pasteboard Fleet," was the +_Louisiana_, commanded by Commander Alexander Murray, who was +noted for his efficiency and good nature. + +His treatment of his crew made him one of the most popular officers +in the whole fleet. He entered into all of their sports and +sympathized with the discomforts of forecastle life. He was fond of +animal pets, and always welcomed the arrival of a new one. At the +time of which I am writing, his ship carried quite a collection of +tame birds and four-footed favorites. Among them was a singular +little character, known as "Jeff." He was a perfectly black pig of +the "Racer Razor Back" order, which, at that time, were plentiful +in the coast sections of the more southern of the slave-holding +States. They were called "racers" because of their long legs, +slender bodies, and great capacity for running; and "Razor Backs" +on account of the prominence of the spinal column. The origin of +this particular species of the porcine tribe is unknown, but there +is a tradition to the effect that their progenitors were a part of +the drove that came to the coast of Florida with De Soto when he +started on the march which ended with the discovery of the +Mississippi River. History records the fact that a large number of +animals were brought from Spain for food, and that a considerable +number of them succeeded in getting away from the expedition soon +after the landing was effected. + +Our particular specimen of this wandering tribe of natural +marauders was captured by a boat's crew of the _Louisiana_ in +one of the swamps adjacent to Currituck Sound when he was a wee bit +of an orphaned waif, not much larger than an ostrich egg. + +He was an ill-conditioned little mite that had probably been +abandoned by a heartless mother, possibly while escaping from the +prospective mess-kettle of a Confederate picket. + +In those days Confederate pickets were not very particular as to +the quality or kind of food, and I have a suspicion that even a +"Razor Back" would have been a welcome addition to their meal. + +When "Jeff" was brought on board, his pitiful condition excited the +active sympathy of all, from the commander down to the smallest +powder monkey, and numerous were the suggestions made as to the +course of treatment for the new patient. The doctor was consulted, +and after a careful diagnosis, decided there was no organic +disease: want of parental care, want of nourishment and exposure, +were held responsible for "Jeff's" unfavorable condition. It was +decided to put him on a light diet of milk, which proved an +immediate success, for, within forty-eight hours after his first +meal, the patient became as lively as possible. As days and weeks +went on, there appeared an improvement of appetite that was quite +phenomenal, but no accumulation of flesh. His legs and body grew +longer; and, with this lengthening of parts, there came a +development of intellectual acuteness that was particularly +surprising. He attached himself to each individual of the ship. He +had no favorites, but was hail-fellow-well-met with all. He +developed all the playful qualities of a puppy and reasoned out a +number of problems in his own way. His particular admirers declared +that he learned the meaning of the different whistles of the +boatswain: that he knew when the meal pennant was hoisted to the +peak; could tell when the crew was beat to quarters for drill, and +often proved the correctness of this knowledge by scampering off to +take his place by one particular gun division, which seemed to have +taken his fancy. + +I can testify personally to only one item in the schedule of his +intellectual achievements. It is a custom in the navy for the +commander of a ship to receive any officer of rank of either branch +of the service at the gangway of the ship. In this act of courtesy +he is always accompanied by the officer of the deck, and often by +others that may happen to be at hand. After the advent of "Jeff," +whenever I went on board the _Louisiana,_ he was always at the +gangway, and seemingly was deeply interested in the event. It may +be said of him, generally, that he was overflowing with spirits, +and took an active interest in all the daily routine work of his +ship. + +He had a most pertinacious way of poking his nose into all sorts of +affairs, not at all after the manner of the usual pig, but more +like a village gossip who wants to know about everything that is +going on in the neighborhood. + +In the gradual development of "Jeff's" character, it was discovered +that he had none of the usual well-known traits of the pig. He was +more like a petted and pampered dog, was playful, good-natured, and +expressed pleasure, pain, anger, and desire, with various squeals +and grunts, delivered with a variety of intonations that were very +easily interpreted. He was never so happy as when in the lap of one +of the sailors, having his back stroked. His pleasure upon those +occasions was evinced by the emission of frequent good-natured +grunts and looking up into the face of the friendly stroker. + +When on shore he followed his favorites like a dog and was never +known to root. Except in speech and appearance he was the +counterpart of a happy, good-natured, and well-cared-for household +dog--possibly, however, rather more intelligent than the average +canine pet. + +The Fourth of July, 1862, was a gala day at Roanoke Island. The +camps of the island and the vessels in the harbor were in holiday +attire. Colors were flying, bands playing, drums beating, patriotic +steam was up to high pressure. The good old day, so dear to the +hearts of Americans, was made more glorious by the exchange of camp +hospitalities and an indulgence in such simple hilarity as the +occasion seemed to require; but "Jeff" was not forgotten. Early in +the morning he was bathed and scrubbed, more than to his heart's +content, and then patriotically decorated. In his right ear was a +red ribbon, in his left a white one; around his neck another of +blue. + +Thus adorned he was brought on shore to pay me a visit, and as he +came through my door he appeared to be filled with the pride of +patriotism and a realization of the greatness of the occasion. His +reward for this unusual demonstration was instantaneous, and +consisted of some apples and a toothsome dessert of sugar. +Afterward he made the round of the camps with a special escort of +warrant officers and devoted Jack Tars. + +During this triumphant march over the island an incident occurred +which developed the slumbering instinct of the swamp "racer." In a +second, as it were, and seemingly without cause, "Jeff" was seen to +move off at a tremendous pace at right angles with the line of +march. He was seen after he had run a few yards to make a great +jump, and then remain in his tracks. The pursuing party found him +actively engaged in demolishing a moccasin, which he had crushed by +jumping and landing with his feet upon its head and back. Hogs of +this particular kind are famous snake-killers--a big rattler or a +garter snake is all the same to them. They advance to the attack +with the greatest impetuosity, and a feast upon snake is the usual +reward of exceptional bravery. + +"Jeff" was a confirmed lover of good eating, and in time paid the +usual penalty for over-indulgence of his very piggish appetite. +While the meal pennant was up, it was his habit to go from one +fore-castle mess to another, and to insist upon having rather more +than his share of the choice morsels from each. In a short time he +came to the repair shop very much the worse for wear, with an +impaired digestion and a cuticle that showed unmistakable evidence +of scurvy. For the first he was put upon short rations; for the +second, sand baths on shore were prescribed. Under this treatment +poor "Jeff" lost all his buoyancy of spirits and his habitual +friskiness, and became sad and dejected, but bore his troubles with +patience. He took to the sand baths at once, and gave forth many +disgruntled grunts when lifted out of them. + +The last time I saw "Jeff," in 1862, he was buried up to his ears +in the cool sands of the Roanoke Island shore, with eyes upturned +and looking like a very sad pig, but I fear none the wiser for his +offenses against the rights of a well-regulated digestion. + + + +THE IMPUDENT GUINEA-PIG + +By Charles F. Lummis + +No other creature is so absolutely graceful as a rattlesnake, and +none more gentle in intention. It is only against imposition that +he protests. Our forefathers had learned a not unworthy lesson from +their contact with nature in the New World when they put upon the +first flag of the colonies a rattlesnake, with the Latin legend, +_Nemo me impune lacessit_--"No one wounds me with impunity." +The flag of independence, however, only half told the real meaning +of its emblem--the warning, and not the self-restraint. There is a +device, to my notion, much more expressive: a rattlesnake rampant, +with the Spanish motto, _Ni huyes ni persigues_--"Thou needst +not flee, but thou must not pursue." Or, in other words, "I impose +upon no one; no one must impose upon me." That is the real meaning +of the rattlesnake, as any one can testify who knows him well. + +I chanced one day to enter the market in Los Angeles, and was +surprised to find in one of the stalls a large collection of +rattlesnakes, mostly brought in from the Mojave desert. It was the +first time I had ever seen the crotalus sold in the stalls of a +city market; and as they went at the very reasonable figure of +fifty cents apiece, I promptly purchased a pair. The dealer, with a +noose of cord, lassoed the two I indicated, and after some +maneuvering got them stowed in two large cigar boxes, which he tied +up tightly. Reaching home safely with my new pets, I made them a +roomy cage with wire-screen in front and a sliding door on top, and +transferred them to it without much difficulty. One was a strong, +handsome fellow five feet long and with fifteen rattles; the other +was about three feet in length and had an ordinary "string." + +The dealer told me they had eaten nothing in six months; and +fancying it must be about lunch-time with them, I went down-town, +as soon as they were comfortably settled in the new quarters, to +get them food. A rattler, you know, will touch no dead meat, so I +had to seek some living bait. After ransacking the markets I found +at last one young cuye--the funny little South American, generally +miscalled among us the "guinea-pig." It was about half grown--a +very proper-sized morsel for the larger snake. + +My friends rattled a little as I opened the slide on the top of +their cage, promptly closing it as I dropped the cuye in. But, to +my surprise, they paid no further attention to the newcomer, except +to appear very much bored by him; and, stranger yet, the guinea-pig +showed no sign whatever of fear. I have so often watched birds, +rabbits, dogs, horses, cattle, and other animals--up to the +strongest and boldest--in presence of the rattlesnake, and have +always noted in them such unmistakable tokens of terror, that it +astonished me to find this pretty little white-and-tan creature so +utterly unconcerned. In dropping from the door he alighted squarely +upon the backs of the snakes, whereupon they drew away uneasily; +and he proceeded to look and sniff about, very much as you may have +seen a rabbit do. I stood by the cage a long time, expecting the +snakes to lose patience at last and enact a tragedy; but nothing +happened. The cuye scurried freely about the cage, generally +treading upon the irregular loops which covered most of the floor; +and the snakes neither rattled nor raised their heads at him. + +For fully a week the three lodged together harmoniously. Sometimes, +on entering the room, I found the guinea-pig quietly reposing +inside the careless coil of one of his strange bedfellows. Several +times he was squatting upon them, and more than once sitting +squarely upon the head of one! I began to wonder if there were +anything constitutionally wrong with the snakes. Whether they +deemed him too big or too foolish to be eaten, I have never known; +but, whatever the reason, they made no motion toward eating him. +Unfortunately, he did not know how to return a favor. + +One afternoon I was writing at my desk, when a tremendous rattling +behind me caused me to jump up and go to the cage. The smaller +snake was up in arms, skirring his rattle violently, while the +larger one was twisting uneasily about, but not showing fight. And +what do you imagine ailed him? Why, that miserable cuye was perched +upon him, coolly nibbling that beautiful rattle, of which only +three or four beads were left! In my righteous indignation I tore +open the slide and "snaked out" the vandal as quickly as possible. +Afterward it occurred to me to wonder that I had not been struck; +for nothing so alarms and angers a crotalus as a swift motion like +that with which I had removed the cuye. The rattles never grew +again, and my best snake was spoiled. Why the cuye should have +cared to eat that mysterious husk which is so absolutely dry and +flavorless, I can explain only by adding that rats and mice have +the same perverted taste, and that it seems fairly a passion with +them. I have had many skins and rattles eaten up by them. + +Shortly after this episode one of our helpers in the office found a +nest of mice, and, mindful of my hungry snakes, I contrived to +catch one mouse alive. When the rattlers saw him through their +screen, they manifested such a lively interest as nothing had +aroused in them before. I cautiously opened the slide in the top of +the cage, held the mouse up by the tail, and let him drop. + +There was a fair illustration of the matchless agility of the +crotalus when he cares to be quick. The cage was just twelve inches +high in the clear; but before the falling mouse was halfway to the +bottom, there was an indescribable gray blur, and I knew that the +larger snake had hit him. I have improved numerous chances to study +the stroke of rattlesnake, which is the swiftest motion made by any +living creature; but that particular case, better than any other, +gave me a conception of its actual rapidity. From years of +experience with the pneumatic shutter in photographing objects in +rapid motion, I should say the snake's head traversed that twelve +or fifteen inches in something like the three-hundredth part of a +second. + +The mouse fell upon the floor of the cage, and it never moved +again. The snake knew perfectly that it had done its work, for in +place of "recovering" for another stroke, as they invariably do +after a failure, he swallowed the mouse in the usual slow and +painful fashion, with as much apparent effort as a morsel four +times as large should have given him. + + + +HARD TO HIT + +By Ernest Ingersoll + +The spring weather we sometimes have in March reminds me, +especially in the evening, of some days passed so high up in the +Rocky Mountains that the summer was left down in the valley. One +such spring-like evening we camped close to the timber-limit, and I +made my first trip into the region above, in which no trees grow. +Having left the spruce-woods quickly behind, there came some stiff +climbing up ledges of broken rocks, standing, cliff-like, to bar +the way to the summit. These surmounted, the way was clear, for +from the northeast--the side I was on--this mountain presents a +smooth grassy slope to the very top; but the western side of the +range is a series of rocky precipices, seamed and shattered. This +is true of many mountains in Colorado. + +Just above the cliffs grew a number of dwarfed spruces, some of +them with trunks six inches in diameter, yet lying flat along the +ground, so that the gnarled and wind-pressed boughs were scarcely +knee-high. They stood so closely together, and were so stiff, that +I could not pass between them; but, on the other hand, they were +strong enough to bear my weight, so that I could walk over their +tops when it was inconvenient to go around. + +Some small brown sparrows, of two or three species, lived there, +and they were very talkative. Sharp, metallic chirps were heard, +also, as the blue snow-bird flitted about, showing the white +feathers on either side of its tail, in scudding from one +sheltering bush to another. Doubtless, careful search would have +discovered its home, snugly built of circularly laid grasses, and +tucked deeply into some cozy hollow beside the root of a spruce. + +My pace now became slow, for in the thin air of a place twelve +thousand feet above the sea-level, climbing is exhausting work. But +before long I came to the top, and stood on the verge of a crag +that showed the crumbling action of water and frost. Gaping cracks +seamed its face, and an enormous mass of fallen rock covered the +broad slope at its foot. The very moment I arrived there, I heard a +most lively squeaking going on, apparently just under the edge of +the cliff or in some of the cracks. It was an odd noise, something +between a bark and scream, and I could think of nothing but young +hawks as the authors of it. So I set at work to find the nest, but +my search was in vain, while the sharp squeaking seemed to multiply +and to come from a dozen different quarters. By this time I had +crawled down the rough face of the cliff, and had reached the heaps +of fallen rock. There I caught a glimpse of a little head with two +black eyes, like a prairie-dog's, peering out of a crevice, and I +was just in time to see him open his small jaws and say _"shink" +_--about as a rusty hinge would pronounce it. I whipped my +revolver out of my belt and fired, but the little fellow dodged the +bullet and was gone. Echoes rattled about among the rocks, wandered +up and down the canon, and hammered away at half a dozen stone +walls before ceasing entirely. But when they had died away, not +another sound was to be heard. Every little rascal had hid. + +So I sat down and waited. In about five minutes a tiny, timid +squeak broke the stillness, then a second a trifle louder, then one +away under my feet in some subterranean passage. Hardly daring to +breathe, I waited and watched. Finally the chorus became as loud as +before, and I caught sight of one of the singers only about ten +yards away, head and shoulders out of his hole, doubtless +commenting to his neighbor in no complimentary way upon the strange +intruder. Slowly lifting my pistol, I pulled the trigger. I was +sure he had not seen me, yet a chip of rock flying from where he +had stood was my only satisfaction; he had dodged again. + +I had seen enough, however, to know that the noisy colony was a +community of Little Chief hares (_Lagomys princeps,_ as they +are named in the textbooks), or "conies," as the silver miners call +them. They are related to the woodchucks as well as to the hare, +and they live wholly at or above timber-line, burrowing among the +fallen and decomposing rocks which crown the summits of all the +mountains. Not every peak, by any means, harbors conies; on the +contrary, they are rather uncommon, and are so difficult to shoot +that their skins are rare in museums, and their ways are little +known to naturalists. During the middle of the day they are asleep +and quiet; but in the evening and all night when the moon shines +they leave their rocky retreats and forage in the neighboring +meadows, meeting the yellow-footed marmot and other neighbors. +About the only enemies they have, I fancy, are the rattlesnake and +weasel, excepting when a wild-cat may pounce upon one, or an owl +swoop down and snatch up some rambler. In the cold season, of +course, their burrows are deep in snow; but then the little fellows +are taking their long winter sleep, and neither know nor care what +the weather may be. + +An Indian will eat a cony,--if he can catch it. He likes to use its +fur, also, for braiding his locks into those long plaits which +delight his soul; but the lively little rodents are pretty safe +from all human foes, even one with a Colt's revolver! + + + +THAT SLY OLD WOODCHUCK + +By William O. Stoddard + +"Deah me! Dey's jes' one moah row ob taters. I's hoein' de bes' I +know." + +Julius leaned on his hoe for a moment. His bright black face was +turned a little anxiously toward the front fence. Over in the road +beyond that there stood a white boy, of about his own size, and he +was calling: + +"Quib! Quib! Come here!" + +"Dar he goes!" said Julius. "Dey'e got him agin. He's de bes' dog +for woodchucks, he is! An' I can't go 'long. Tell you wot, dough, +if I'd ha' t'ought he'd run away 'fore I'd hoed dese taters, I'd +nebber hab gibben him dat big bone. De rascal! He's jes' hid it +away, somewhar, down 'mong de cabbages." + +That was what Quib had done with his precious bone; but now his +little, lean, yellow legs were carrying him rapidly down the road, +with half a dozen very noisy boys behind him. + +"Pete! Pete Corry! Where was it you saw that woodchuck?" + +"Finest woodchuck you ever saw in all your life!" was Pete's reply. + +"He'll get away from us!" + +"No, he won't. Abe Selover is watching for him. That woodchuck is +in the stone-heap at the corner of old Hamburger's pasture-lot." + +Quib must have understood what Mart Penniman said, for he did not +halt for one second till he reached the bars that led into that +very field. It was more than a quarter of a mile from the +potato-patch, but Quib had barked all the way--probably out of +respect for the size and importance of the coming woodchuck. + +Mart Penniman and Abe Selover had started their great "game" on the +way home from driving their cows. They had raced him across the +pasture and along the fence, into the stone-heap, and then Abe had +staid to keep watch while Mart went after Julius Davis's dog. That +meant also, of course, as large a crowd of boys as he could pick up +in going and coming. + +It was a sad thing for Julius that his mother had set him at the +potato-patch, and that Quib had broken his contract with the bone. + +Quib was not usually so treacherous, but he happened to be on +friendly terms with every boy of that hunting-party. + +They had all helped him chase woodchucks at one time or another, +and he had great confidence in them, but that was nothing at all to +their confidence in him. + +The pasture bars did not stop a single one of the +woodchuck-hunters. All the boys went over while Quib was wriggling +under, through a hole he knew, and there, almost right before them +was the stone-heap. It was quite a large one, and it was thickly +overgrown with wild raspberry vines. + +"Abe--is he there?" + +"He didn't get away, did he?" + +"Are you sure he is in there?" + +"Quib! Quib!" shouted Abe. "Woodchucks! Quib, woodchucks! Right in +here. Find 'em!" + +Quib was dancing around in a quiver of noisy excitement, for he had +caught a sniff of something under the first bush he sprang into. + +How he did bark and yelp and scratch, for about a minute! + +"Poys! Poys! Vat is all dis? Vat you want vis mein stone-heap, eh?" + +It was old Hamburger himself climbing the fence, and he looked +longer and leaner just then, and had more pipe in his mouth, than +the boys thought they had ever seen before. + +"The finest woodchuck you ever saw, Mr. Hamburger," began Cole +Thomas, by way of an apology. + +"Vootchuck! Dat's it! Ant so you puts a tog into mein stone-heap, +and you steps onto mein grass, ant you knock ober all mein +beautiful mullein-stalks and mein thistles and mein scoke-veeds!" + +Puff! puff! came the great clouds of smoke from the grim lips of +the old German, but it struck Cole Thomas that Mr. Hamburger +himself was on the watch for that woodchuck. + +Bow-wow-yow-yelp! and Mart shouted: + +"There he goes!" + +"Hi! We'll get him!" screamed Abe. + +"Take him, Quib! Take him!" + +Quib had started a woodchuck. + +There was never a stone-heap piled up that had room in it for both +a dog and a woodchuck. + +Mr. Hamburger took the pipe out of his mouth, which was a thing +nobody could remember ever having seen him do. + +"Dose poys! Dat vootchuck! De tog is a goot von. Dey vill preak +dare little necks. Joost see how dey run! But de tog is de pest +runner of dem poys, egsept de vootchuck." + +Mr. Hamburger did not run. Nobody had ever seen him do any such +thing as that. + +But he walked on across the pasture-lot, toward the deep ravine +that cut through the side of the hill to the valley. + +All that time poor Julius had been hoeing away desperately upon the +last row of his mother's potatoes, and she had been smiling at him +from the window. She was anxious he should get through, for she +meant to send him to the village for a quarter of a pound of tea. + +It was just as Julius reached the last hill that the baby cried, +and when Mrs. Davis returned to the window to say something about +the store and the kind of tea she wanted, all she could see of +Julius was the hoe lying beside that last hill. + +"Ef he hasn't finished dem taters and run away!" + +She would have been proud of him if she could have seen how +wonderfully fast he did run away, down the road he had seen Quib +and the other hunters. + +"Dey's into de lot!" he exclaimed, when he came to the bars. "Dar's +Pete Corry's ole straw hat lyin' by de stone-heap. Mus' hab been +somefin' won'erful, or he'd nebber forgot his hat." + +That was an old woodchuck, of course, or he would not have been so +large, and it may be he knew those boys as well as Quib did. If +not, it was his own fault, for every one of them had chased him +before, and so had Quib. + +He knew every inch of that pasture-lot, and he knew the shortest +way to the head of the deep ravine. + +"Boys!" shouted Abe Selover, with all the breath he had. "Boys! +He's going for the glen! Now we've got him!" + +The ravine was a rocky and wonderful place, and all the boys were +perfectly familiar with it, and considered it the grandest +play-house in the world, or, at least, in the vicinity of the +village. If Quib once got the woodchuck penned up among those +rocks, they could play hide-and-seek for him till they should find +him. + +Some city people that had a picnic there once had called it a +"glen," and the name had stuck to it, mainly because it was +shorter than any other the boys could think of; and, besides +that, the schoolmaster of the district two years before (who +didn't suit the trustees) had been named Glenn, and so the word +must have been all right. + +Some of the boys were near enough to see the woodchuck make for the +two maples at the head of the ravine, and Bob Hicks tumbled over +Andy Thompson while he was shouting: + +"Catch him, Quib!" + +After they got past those two maple trees there was no more fast +running to be done. + +Down, down, deeper and rockier and rougher every rod of it, the +rugged chasm opened ahead of them, and it was necessary for the +boys to mind their steps. It was a place where a woodchuck or a +small dog could get around a good deal faster than any boy, but +they all followed Quib in a way that would have scared their +mothers if they had been there. + +"It's grand fun!" said Mart Penniman. "Finest woodchuck you ever +saw!" + +"Come on, boys!" shouted Abe Selover, away ahead. "We'll get him, +this time." + +Abe had a way of being just the next boy behind the dog in any kind +of chase, and they all clambered after him in hot haste. + +On went Quib, and even Abe Selover could not see him more than half +the time, for he had an immense deal of dodging to do, in and out +among the rocks and trees, and it was dreadfully shady at the +bottom of that ravine. + +The walls of rock, where Abe was, rose more than sixty feet high on +either side, and the glen was only a few rods wide at the widest +place. + +"He's holed him! He's holed him! Come on! we've got him, now!" + +Quib was scratching and yelping like an insane dog at the bottom of +what looked like a great crack between two rocks, in the left-hand +side of the glen as you went down. The crack was only an inch or so +wide at the bottom, and twisted a good deal as it went up, for the +rock was of the kind known as "pudding-stone." There was a hole, +just there, large enough for a woodchuck, but too small for a dog. + +"Dig, boys! Dig!" + +"Dig yourself," said Pete Corry. "Who's going to dig a rock, I'd +like to know?" + +"Let Quib in, anyhow. He'll drive him out." + +Abe was prying at that hole with a dead branch of a tree, and, +almost while he was speaking, a great piece of the loose +pudding-stone fell off and came thumping down at his feet. + +"A cave, boys, a cave! Just look in!" + +Quib did not wait for anybody to look in, but bounded through the +opening with a shrill yelp, and Abe Selover squeezed after him. + +Pete Corry felt a little nervous when he saw how dark it was, but +he followed Abe; and the other boys came on as fast as the width of +the hole would let them. + +That is, they crept through, one boy at a time. + +What surprised them was, that the moment they had crawled through +that hole they could stand up straight. + +"Where's the woodchuck?" asked Bob Hicks. + +"Woodchuck? Why, boys, this is a regular cave," replied Abe. + +"Quib's in there, somewhere," said Mart Penniman. "Just hear him +yelp!" + +"Hold on," said Cole Thomas--"there's more light coming in. We +shall be able to see, in a minute." + +The fact was that it took a little time for their eyes to get +accustomed to the small amount of light there was in that cave. + +The cave itself was not very large. + +It grew wider for about twenty feet from the hole they came in by, +and the floor, which was covered with bits of rock, sloped upward +like the roof of a house, only not quite so abruptly. + +In the middle it was more than a rod wide. Then it grew narrower, +and steeper, and darker with every step. But they knew about where +the upper end must be, for they could hear Quib barking there. + +"It's dark enough," said Andy. + +"Come on, boys!" shouted Abe Selover. "We'll have that woodchuck +this time. He's in this cave, somewhere." + +They were not very much afraid to keep a little way behind Abe +Selover, and in a few minutes they heard him say: + +"Quib! Is he there? Have you got him?" + +Quib barked and whined, and the sound seemed to come from away +above them. + +"Come on, boys! I can see a streak of light. It's like climbing up +an old chimney. Quib's almost on him." + +All that time, while they were groping through that cave, Julius +Davis was looking around the pasture-lot after them. + +He would have been glad of a small glimpse of Quib, but all he had +found as yet was Mr. Hamburger, who was standing under an old +butternut-tree and looking down at a round, hollow place in the +ground. + +He was smoking very hard. + +"Hab you seen my dog?" asked Julius. + +"Hold shtill, poy! Joost you vait. Hi! Dere goes dose vootshuck!" + +"Dat's so. He's coming right up out ob de hole, and dar ain't no +dog to foller him!" + +Away went the woodchuck, and Julius gave him up for lost; but Mr. +Hamburger smoked harder than ever and looked down at the hole. + +"Hark! Hear dem? It is de tog. Pless mein eyes, if dey didn't chase +dose vootshuck right oonder mein pasture-lot!" + +Julius could hear Quib bark now, away down there in the ground, and +he could not stand still on any one side of that hollow. So he +danced up and down on every side of it. + +One minute,--two, three minutes,--it was a dreadfully long time, +--and then it was the voice of Abe Selover mixed with a long yelp +from Quib. + +"Come on, boys! I've shoved him through. I'm going right up after +him. Nothing to pull away but some sods." + +"Dat's de tog!" exclaimed Mr. Hamburger. "Keep shtill, black poy! +De rest of dose vootshucks is coming. Keep shtill." + +Nothing but some sods to pull away, to make that hole large enough, +and then Abe Selover's curly head popped out, and the rest of him +followed, grimy and dirty, but in a great fever of excitement and +fun. + +After him climbed the other boys, one by one. + +"Mr. Hamburger, did you see where that woodchuck went to?" + +"De vootshuck? I don't know him. But de black poy haf run after de +tog, ant he vas run so fast as nefer you saw. Vare you leetle +vootshucks coom from, eh? You climb oonder mein pasture?" + +"No use, Abe," said Mart Penniman. "We've missed that woodchuck +this time." + +"We've found the cave, though," said Pete Corry. "It's through that +he got away from us so many times." + +"I dell you vat," said Mr. Hamburger; "de nex' time you leetle +vootshucks vant to chase dat oder vootshuck, you put a pag ofer +dese hole. Den you shace him round among de rocks, and you will +catch de tog ant de vootshuck into de same pag." + +"That's what we'll do," said Abe Selover. "But not to-day, boys. He +was the finest woodchuck I ever saw, but we've missed him this +time." + + + +THE FAITHFUL LITTLE LIZARD + +By Lieutenant-Colonel W. Hill James + + + +On the diggings near the Avoca River the lizard's future master +had, as was the digger's custom, come out of his hole, or shaft, at +eleven o'clock for a short half-hour's rest between breakfast and +the midday meal. He threw himself down in a half-sitting posture, +and was dreamily smoking his pipe when from beneath a neighboring +rock, popped out a little lizard who eyed the stranger with +inquisitive interest, as quickly retiring, to return again in a few +minutes. + +This was repeated several times, the lizard's keen eyes always +fixed on the face of the intruder. + +Presently the digger's foot was approached, and evidently approved +of for its warmth. After a retreat to the rock a farther advance +was made, this time to the knee of the stranger, to whose face the +two brilliant little eyes were still enquiringly directed. Before +the half-hour's rest was over the left arm of the smoker had been +mounted, his neck rounded, and the right arm descended, the +venturesome journey ended by the lizard squatting contentedly on +the back of his new-found friend's right hand. Confidence had thus +been established between the two, but not to the extent of capture, +for on the gold-seeker attempting to place his left hand over his +new acquaintance, he scuttled away to his rock with almost +inconceivable quickness. The digger's smoke over, he returned to +his work in the hole, leaving his blouse where he had sat. + +When the work of the day was finished the tired gold-seeker mounted +to the surface and, taking up his blouse, was about to march to his +camp, three miles away, when, to his great surprise, he discovered +his little four-footed friend lying hidden in the fold of the +garment. He carried him gently in the blouse to the camp, and +there, with the usual courage and confidence of his race, the +little reptile quickly adapted himself to his new surroundings in +the digger's tent. He was carefully fed, kept warm at night, and +soon began to like his new quarters with the gold-seekers. In +return for much affectionate attention he was, in a few days, quite +at home with all the party. + +On the walk to camp he had made his home in his master's serge +blouse, running up the arm of the loose garment or round the full +front above the tight waistband, as fancy took him, and enjoying +the warmth of his master's body. It was very interesting and +amusing to see him poke his little head out between the buttons, or +through a buttonhole of the blouse at intervals to ask, with +glittering eye and jerky movement, for an occasional fly from his +master's hand caught on the shafts or cover of the cart. + +When the camp was pitched for the night, Master Lizard would employ +himself by making the most inquisitive scrutiny and inspection of +the immediate surroundings within and without the tent. He made +himself acquainted with every stone, tuft, stump, or hole, within +what he considered his domain, eventually retiring with the sun to +the blanket on his master's bed, where he invariably slept. + +On one occasion, during the darkness of the night, he became +extremely restless, and ran about on the bed, evidently with a view +to awakening his protector, who, being a sound sleeper, was not +easily disturbed. Failing to attract attention, he proceeded to run +rapidly backwards and forwards over the sleeper's face, making at +the same time a low spitting noise, like an angry cat. By this +means he at length roused his friend, who gently pushed him away +several times, speaking soothingly to him in the hope of quieting +the excited little animal. + +But the lizard would not be soothed. Having attracted attention, he +continued his inexplicable movements with redoubled energy, until +at length his master, convinced that something must be amiss, got +up, struck a light, and looked round the tent, the sharp eyes of +the lizard following every movement with intense interest. As +nothing unusual could be seen, the gold-hunter retired once more, +after pooh-poohing the lizard for his fears. + +Scarcely had he dropped off to sleep, when he was again disturbed, +and, losing patience at these repeated interruptions to his +slumbers, he seized the lizard and threw him lightly across the +tent. In this involuntary flight the little creature unfortunately +struck the tent-pole with considerable force, and half of his tail +was broken off--a matter of no very great importance to a lizard, +perhaps, but still a discouraging reward for a well-meant warning. +Notwithstanding this the little reptile returned to the bed, +keeping close to his master, but he continued to be very restless +and excited for the remainder of the night. + +When day dawned, preparations were begun for the day's march. The +tents were struck and the bedding was rolled up, ready to be placed +on the rough digger's cart. Then the mystery was explained. In the +twigs and ferns thrown underneath the scanty bedding, to keep it +from the bare ground, a huge tiger snake with several young ones +was discovered. This snake is of a deadly description and is much +feared by the colonists. Like all snakes, it gives forth a strong +odor, which, no doubt, made the lizard aware of his enemy's +presence, unless, perhaps, he saw it creep under the curtain of the +tent. Of course, the snakes were killed at once. + +After this our little friend with half a tail became a greater +favorite than ever, because we recognized that he was protector as +well as friend. + + + +TOBY THE WISE + +By General Rush C. Hawkins + +The chief subject of this truthful history is a jet-black, +middle-aged bird, commonly known in England as a rook, but +nevertheless a notable specimen of the crow family. + +In his babyhood he was, in the language of the ancient chroniclers, +grievously hurt and wounded full sore, and particularly so in the +left wing. He was so badly disabled that he had to forego the +pleasure of flying through the air, and was obliged to content +himself as best he could with trudging about on the rough surface +of mother earth. + +In his sad plight, with the maimed wing dragging painfully along, +he chanced to pass the window of a library belonging to and +occupied by a charming old English gentleman, a perfect example of +the old school, learned, benevolent, and very fond of animals and +feathered pets. No one can tell what chance it was that brought the +unhappy and wounded young rook to the window of this good man. But +possibly it was a real inspiration on the part of the young bird. +Toby was wet, weary, wounded and hungry, and as he looked in upon +the cheerful wood fire and the kindly face of the master of the +house, his longing expression was met by a raising of the window +and an invitation to walk in to a breakfast of corn and meal that +had been hastily prepared for him. He gazed and thought, and +thought and gazed, upon the joys within and still he doubted; but, +finally, appetite and curiosity got the better of his discretion, +and, as he walked cautiously in, the window was closed behind him. +So the wounded bird entered upon a new life. + +At first he was a little shy and cautious and it took considerable +time for him to convince himself that his protector was his friend. +After a few weeks, however, he realized the value of his new +position, and consented to the establishment of intimate relations. +In fact, Toby became so attached to his master, that he was not +happy out of his presence. + +During the first month of his captivity, his wounded wing was bound +close to his body for the purpose of giving the fractured bone an +opportunity to unite, and during most of that time he would walk by +his master's side, cawing and looking up into his face as if asking +for recognition. When the wing got well, and his ability to fly was +re-established, he would anticipate the direction of the promenades +by flying in advance from shrub to bush, alighting and awaiting the +arrival of his master. + +The most singular part of Toby's domestication was his exclusive +loyalty to a single person. He had but one intimate friend, and to +him his loyalty was intense. He would tolerate the presence of +other members of the household, but when strangers appeared he was +decidedly offish, and scolded until they disappeared. + +Three times a day Toby is decidedly funny, and goes through a +comical performance. In his master's study there is a contrivance +which, on a small scale, resembles the old New England well-pole. +At one end, which rests upon the floor, Toby commences his ascent +with a great flapping of wings and uproarious cawing. When he +arrives at the upper end of the pole, some eight or nine feet from +the floor, it falls and lands him upon a platform, beside a plate +containing his food. This climbing up the pole precedes each meal, +and takes place punctually at the same hour and minute of each day. +In the spring of 1890 Toby was tempted from his loyalty, and flew +off with a marauding flock of his kind. He remained away all +summer. He was missed but not mourned, for his master felt certain +he would return; and, sure enough, one bleak cold morning in +November, Toby was found looking longingly into the room where he +had first seen his good master. The window was opened, he walked in +and mounted his pole, and after him came a meek, modest and timid +young rook, more confiding than Toby, and differing from him in +many other respects. He, too, was duly adopted, and was christened +Jocko. He was easily domesticated and soon became a part of the +household of one of the finest old Bedfordshire manorial homes. + +With age Toby has taken on quite an amount of dignity. He is +neither so noisy nor so companionable as formerly, but is more +staid and useful. One of his favorite resting places, where he +enjoys his after-breakfast contemplations and his afternoon +siestas, is among the branches of a fine old English oak, whose +protecting shades, in the far-off past, were the scene of the +stolen love meetings of Amy Wentworth and the Duke of Monmouth. + +Neither of these knowing birds has been able to understand the +mystery of a looking-glass. They spend many hours of patient +investigation before a mirror in their master's room, but all to no +purpose, for the puzzle seems to remain as great as ever. They +usually walk directly up to it, and betray great surprise when they +find two other rooks advancing to meet them. For a while they +remain silent and motionless, looking at the strangers, and +waiting, apparently, for some sign of recognition. Then they go +through a considerable flapping of wings and indulge in numerous +caws, but after long waiting for an audible response they give up +the useless effort, only to return next day as eager as ever to +solve the mystery. The older bird and his admiring junior are +perfectly contented with their home, and never leave it. They often +look out from their perches upon wandering flocks of vagrant rooks, +but are never tempted to new adventures. The old fellow is very +wise. Like a fat old office-holder, he knows enough to appreciate a +sinecure in which the rewards are liberal and the service nominal. +His devoted follower never falters in his dutiful imitation of his +benefactor. + +Toby proves by his actions that he appreciates the advantages of +the situation, and in his simple way makes some return for the +pleasures he enjoys. + +During a considerable portion of the pleasant days of the year he +is really the watchman upon the tower, ever on the lookout to give +notice of the approach of visitors to his castle, and no one can +intrude upon the premises under his self-appointed watchmanship +without exciting vigorous caws, which are enthusiastically +reinforced by those of his faithful subordinate. Aside from his +affectionate devotion to his master, this duty of "chief watchman +of the castle" is Toby's most substantial return for favors +received. + +In a letter of last May, the master wrote: "My two crows are +sitting on chairs close to me, and cawing to me that it is time for +me to let them out of the window, so I must obey." This quotation +gives but a faint intimation of the exceptionally friendly +relations existing between these devoted friends. Blessed are the +birds that can inspire such affection in the heart of a noble old +man, and doubly blessed is he who is the object of such loving +appreciation. Long may they all live to enjoy the fulness of their +mutual attachments! + +This brief sketch is not intended for an amusing story. It is only +a narrative of facts in support of an often repeated theory, viz.: +that the humblest creatures are worthy of our tender consideration, +and, when properly treated, will make pleasing returns for the +affection we may bestow upon them. + + + +BLACKAMOOR + +By Ruth Landseer + +Many will wonder how I managed to keep order in the schoolroom and +give proper attention to the lessons with three baby woodchucks, a +turtle, two squirrels and a young crow about the place. My fellow +teachers will be inclined to say that the children would have eyes +and ears for nothing else. + +In point of fact it made little difference after my pupils became +accustomed to the sight and sound of these "pets." Moreover, they +were a source of endless pleasure and, I think, profit, for I gave +little talks upon the habits and history of all these creatures, +and sought to inculcate sentiments of compassion and love toward +all living things. + +This was my first school, however, and people wondered. The +supervisor also wondered, and was skeptical. Several of the +parents, who did not understand very well, complained to him that I +kept a menagerie instead of a school. There were some, even, who +did not wish to have their children taught natural history, because +they came home and asked questions. They did not like it and deemed +it quite unnecessary. They desired to have their children attend +strictly to their "school studies." + +It came about, therefore, that at the end of the second term the +position was given to another teacher, and for one whole term my +occupation was gone. + +Yet my former pupils lamented so openly and said so much at home, +that their small voices wrought a change of opinion, and at the +beginning of the second year the school was given to me again. The +teacher who had taken my place said a little spitefully, on +leaving, that I had spoiled the school for any one else. She was a +very worthy young lady, but one of those who scream at the sight of +a spider, a mouse or a harmless snake. + +Blackamoor came to school one morning in July, head downward, in +the hands of one of my larger boys, named Wiggan Brown, who was a +little inclined to thoughtless cruelty. On the part of children, +indeed, cruelty is usually thoughtless. They are rarely cruel after +they have been taught to think on the subject. + +Wiggan and his older brother had taken Blackamoor from a nest in +the top of a hemlock-tree. By this time the reader will have +guessed that Blackamoor was the young crow which became one of our +schoolhouse pets. + +At first we built a pen for him at the farther corner of the +schoolyard, where we kept him until he could fly. After that he was +released, to stay with us or depart. He chose to stay, and during +school hours usually sat on the ridge of the schoolhouse roof. At +night he often accompanied me home, and lingered about the +farmhouse or barns till school-time the next day. At the recesses +he swaggered and hopped about with the children at play, often +cawing uproariously. + +If a dog or cat approached during school hours, Blackamoor would +cry, _"Har-r-r!"_ from the roof, and drive the intruder away. +If it was a person, he cried _"Haw!"_ quite sharply, on a +different key. If another crow or large bird flew past, he turned +up an eye and said _"Hawh!"_ rather low. In fact, he kept us +posted on all that was going on out-of-doors, for we soon came to +know most of his signal-cries. The boys would glance up from their +books and smile when they heard him. + +Blackamoor had certain highly reprehensible traits. He was +thievish, and we were obliged to keep an eye on him, or he would +steal all our lead-pencils, pocket-handkerchiefs and other small +objects. What he took he secreted, and was marvelously cunning in +doing it. + +He fell finally into a difficulty with a gang of Italian laborers +who were excavating for a new railroad line that passed within a +quarter of a mile of the schoolhouse. There were fifty-five of +these Italians, and they had their camp in a grove of pines within +plain sight of us. My pupils were afraid of these swarthy men, for +they jabbered fiercely in an unknown tongue, and each one was armed +with a sheath-knife. + +On the whole, I thought it better that my boys should not go to +their camp. But Blackamoor went there, and indeed became a constant +visitor. There were probably titbits to be secured about their +cooking-fires. For a time he nearly deserted the schoolhouse for +the Italian camp in the pines, or at least was flying back and +forth a great deal, "hawing" and "harring." + +All appeared to go well for a while. Then one forenoon I heard loud +shouts outside, and on going to the door, saw a hatless Italian +pursuing Blackamoor across the pasture below the house. He was a +very active young man, and was filling the air with stones and +cries. + +Blackamoor, however, was taking it all easily, flying low, but +keeping out of reach. He had something in his beak. + +Catching sight of me in the doorway, the Italian stopped, but +gesticulated eagerly, pointing to the crow; and he said much that I +failed utterly to comprehend. + +I conjectured that Blackamoor had purloined something, and felt +that I must keep him from going to the camp; but that was not +easily accomplished. We tied him by the leg, but he tugged at the +string till it was frayed off or came untied, and flew away. + +But a crisis was at hand. The second morning afterward an alarming +commotion began, as I was hearing a class in mental arithmetic. The +house was surrounded by excited Italians. Stones rattled on the +roof. Angry shouts filled the air. It was a mob. The children were +terrified, and I was sufficiently alarmed myself, for a pane of +glass crashed and clubs banged against the sides of the house. + +Hastily locking the door, I peered out of the window. Certainly +wild Indians could hardly have looked more savage than did those +Italians, hurling stones and clubs at the house. + +Yet through it all I had a suspicion that the demonstration was +directed at Blackamoor rather than against us; for I fancied that I +had heard our bird say _"Haw!"_ a moment before the hubbub +burst forth. Still it was decidedly alarming while it lasted, and +continued for a much longer time than was pleasant. I judged it +more prudent to keep the door locked than to go forth to +remonstrate. + +Finally, after a great bombardment, the outcries and racket +subsided, and with a vast sense of relief, I saw the Italians +retiring across the pasture to their camp. As a matter of course +the children carried home terrible accounts of what had occurred, +and our small community waxed indignant over what was deemed an +outrage by lawless foreigners. + +The suspicion, however, remained with me that Blackamoor was at the +bottom of all the trouble. I had the boys catch him and make him +fast again, this time with a small dog-chain, which he could not +bite off. He cawed vigorously, but we kept him at anchor for a week +or more. And meanwhile the Italian camp was moved to a point six +miles farther along the line of the new railway. + +At a schoolhouse in the country it is often difficult to get small +repairs made. Early that season the boys had broken a pane of glass +in the low attic window at the front end of the house. I had been +trying to get it replaced for two months; and now we had two panes +broken. At last I bought new glass and a bit of putty and with the +aid of Wiggan and another boy, set the panes myself one night after +school. + +But while setting the attic pane we made a singular discovery. In +the low, dark loft, just inside the hole of the broken pane, lay a +heap of queer things which caused us first to stare, then to laugh. +The like, I am sure, was never found in the loft of a New England +sehoolhouse before. I made a list. There were: + + The much soiled photograph of an Italian baby. + Three photographs of pretty Italian girls. + Four very villainous old pipes. + Many straws of macaroni. + An old felt hat. + A dirty stick of candy. + Five small silver coins. + An harmonica. + An odd sort of flute. + The bonnet of an Italian baby. + Four soiled red bandannas. + A black wallet containing about a dollar in silver. + Two tin cups. + Two pictures of peasants. + Two plugs of tobacco. + +These are but samples. All told, there were at; least ninety +articles. It was Blackamoor's hoard; and all the while we were +overhauling it he cawed and hawed in great glee! + +That night we talked it over, and decided that restoration was our +only proper course. The long-suffering Italians were now six miles +away; but on Saturday we procured a pair of farm horses and a wagon +with three seats for our journey of reparation. The purloined +articles were put in a large basket, and we set up a perch in the +wagon, to which Blackamoor was chained in token of punishment. +After this manner six of us drove to the new camp. + +When we arrived the gang was hard at work in a cutting; but when, +one after another, they caught sight of our wagon, with Blackamoor +atop, exclamations, not of a complimentary nature, burst forth all +along the line. + +But I beckoned to their Irish "boss," and after showing him our +basket and explaining the circumstances, asked him to allow each +of the men to take what belonged to him. + +"Ah, sure!" replied the foreman, with a broad grin. "Here, all of +you," he shouted down the cutting, "come get your trinkets what the +crow stole!" + +Wonderingly, the gang gathered round the wagon. But when they saw +the basket and what was in it, the liveliest expressions of +satisfaction arose. Each seized his own. + +I had the foreman say to them how very sorry we were that our bad +bird had given them so much trouble. Then followed, in response, as +pretty a bit of politeness as I have ever witnessed. + +The Italians took off their hats and bowed all round. One of them +then made a little speech, which the Irish boss translated after +his own fashion, somewhat like this: + +"It's all right, they say. You are most good. They thank you with +all their hearts. They are sorry you have had to come so far. You +are a very, very kind signorina." + +The foreman grinned apologetically. "They want to sing you a song," +he said. + +I said that we should be delighted. Immediately four of them +stepped forth together and sang. It was an Italian song, and had a +refrain so plaintive that I often catch myself trying to hum it. + +"Now, then, get back to your work, men!" shouted the boss, and so +this odd little episode ended. + +Yet it was not wholly ended, either, for in October, as the gang +tramped back along the road-bed of the railway, going home with all +their packs and bundles, one of those who had sung came up to the +schoolhouse and laid a little bouquet of frost flowers and red +autumn leaves on the doorstep. + +Catching sight of me through the window, he nodded brightly, +pointed to the bouquet, nodded again, then hurried on after his +fellows. I went to the door, and when they saw me there, half a +hundred old hats were raised and hands were waved in token of +farewell. + +I thought of our previous fears and of the hard things that had +been said, and was ashamed. Again the truth of that humane old +proverb came home to me: + +"Almost everybody is a good fellow if you treat him right." + +And Blackamoor? + +A few days later Blackamoor deserted us. A large flock of his wild +kindred was mustering in the vicinity for the autumn migration. We +concluded that he had joined his tribe--and were not inconsolable. + + + +A PARROT THAT HAD BEEN TRAINED TO FIRE A CANNON + +By Sir Samuel W. Baker + +There are no people who surpass the natives of India in the +training of elephants or other wild animals. For many ages the +custom has prevailed among the native princes of that country of +educating not only the elephant and the dog, but the leopard and +the falcon to assist them in the chase. + +The Gaekwar of Baroda, during my sojourn in his State, most kindly +furnished me with opportunities of witnessing the excellent +training of his falcons, hunting leopards, or cheetahs, and other +animals. + +We were also allowed to inspect the immense collection of jewels +belonging to the Gaekwar. These were in such numbers and variety +that I quite lost my respect for diamonds and rubies, although one +of the former had actually been purchased for $450,000. + +The gold and silver batteries of field-guns were also exhibited. +There are only four of these cannon, two of which are solid gold +four-pounders, fitted with an internal tube of steel. The carriages +are plated with gold, and the harness for the team of oxen is +heavily ornamented with the same precious metal. Gold horns are +fitted upon those of the oxen employed, and these animals are +selected for their immense size and general perfection of +appearance. + +The silver guns, carriages, limbers, harness, etc., were precisely +similar. + +The most interesting artilleryman in his Highness's service was a +small green parrot. This bird was one of many which had been +trained to the various exercises of a field-gun, and it was +exhibited by its native tutor in our presence. + +A large table was placed in the arena where rhinoceros, buff aloes, +and rams had been recently struggling for victory in their various +duels, and a far more entertaining exhibition was exchanged for the +savage conflicts.... Upon this table stood a model brass cannon +about eight inches in length of barrel, and a calibre equal to a +No. 12 smooth-bore gun. The rammer and sponger lay by the side of +the small field-piece. + +About a dozen green parrots were spectators, who were allowed to +remain on perches, while the best-trained gunner was to perform in +public before at least three thousand spectators, the Gaekwar, and +his ministers, and friends, including ourselves, being seated in a +raised structure similar to the grand stand of an English +racecourse, which commanded the entire arena, the parrots being +immediately beneath. + +The gunner was placed upon the table, and at once took its stand by +the gun, and, in an attitude of attention, waited for orders from +its native master. + +The word of command was given, and the parrot instantly seized the +sponger in its beak, and inserting it within the muzzle without the +slightest difficulty, vigorously moved it backwards and forwards, +and then replaced it in its former position. + +The order was now given "to load." A cartridge was lying on the +table, which the bird immediately took within its beak, and +dexterously inserted in the muzzle; it then seized the rammer, and, +with great determination of purpose and force, rammed the cartridge +completely home, giving it several sharp taps when at the breech. +The parrot replaced the rammer by the side of the sponger, and +waited for further orders, standing erect close to the rear of the +gun. + +The trainer poured a pinch of priming powder upon the touch-hole, +and lighted a small port-fire; this he gave to the parrot, which +received it in its beak at a right angle, and then stood by its +gun, waiting for the word. + +"Fire!" ... At that instant the parrot applied the match, and the +report of the cannon was so loud that most people started at the +sound; but the pretty green gunner never flinched--the parrot stood +by its gun quite unmoved. The trainer took the port-fire, which it +had never dropped from its beak, and gave an order to sponge the +gun, which was immediately executed, the bird appearing to be quite +delighted at its success. + + + +THE SANDPIPER'S TRICK + +By Celia Thaxter + +One lovely afternoon in May I had been wandering up and down, +through rocky gorges, by little swampy bits of ground, and on the +tops of windy headlands, looking for flowers, and had found many: +--large blue violets, the like of which you never saw; white +violets, too, creamy and fragrant; gentle little houstonias; gay +and dancing erythroniums, and wind-flowers delicately tinted, blue, +straw-color, pink, and purple. I never found such in the mainland +valleys; the salt air of the sea deepens the colors of all flowers. +I stopped by a swamp which the recent rains had filled and turned +to a little lake. Light green iris-leaves cut the water like sharp +and slender swords, and, in the low sunshine that streamed across, +threw long shadows over the shining surface. + +Some blackbirds were calling sweetly in a clump of bushes, and +song-sparrows sang as if they had but one hour in which to crowd +the whole raptures of the spring. As I pressed through the budding +bayberry bushes to reach some milk-white sprays of shadbush which +grew by the water-side, I startled three curfews. They flew away, +trailing their long legs, and whistling fine and clear. I stood +still to watch them out of sight. How full the air was of pleasant +sounds! The very waves made a glad noise about the rocks, and the +whole sea seemed to roar afar off, as if half asleep and murmuring +in a kind of gentle dream. The flock of sheep was scattered here +and there, all washed as white as snow by the plenteous rains, and +nibbling the new grass eagerly; and from near and far came the +tender and plaintive cries of the young lambs. + +Going on again, I came to the edge of a little beach, and presently +I was startled by a sound of such terror and distress that it went +to my heart at once. + +In a moment a poor little sandpiper emerged from the bushes, +dragging itself along in such a way that, had you seen it, you +would have concluded that every bone in its body had been broken. +Such a dilapidated bird! Its wings drooped and its legs hung as if +almost lifeless. It uttered continually a shrill cry of pain, and +kept just out of the reach of my hand, fluttering hither and +thither, as if sore wounded and weary. At first I was amazed, and +cried out, "Why, friend and gossip! What is the matter?" and then +stood watching it in mute dismay. + +Suddenly it flashed across me that this was only my sandpiper's way +of concealing from me a nest; and I remembered reading about this +little trick of hers in a book of natural history. The object was +to make me follow her by pretending that she could not fly, and so +lead me away from her treasure. So I stood perfectly still, lest I +should tread on the precious habitation, and quietly observed my +deceitful little friend. + +Her apparently desperate and hopeless condition grew so comical +when I reflected that it was only affectation, that I could not +help laughing, loud and long. "Dear gossip," I called to her, "pray +don't give yourself so much unnecessary trouble! You might know I +wouldn't hurt you or your nest for the world, you most absurd of +birds!" + +As if she understood me, and as if she could not bear being +ridiculed, up she rose at once, strong and graceful, and flew off +with a full, round, clear note, delicious to hear. + +Then I cautiously looked for the nest, and found it quite close to +my feet, near the stem of a stunted bayberry bush. Mrs. Sandpiper +had only drawn together a few bayberry leaves, brown and glossy, a +little pale green lichen, and a twig or two, and that was a pretty +enough house for her. Four eggs, about as large as robins', were +within, all laid evenly with the small ends together, as is the +tidy fashion of the Sandpiper family. No wonder I did not see them; +for they were pale green like the lichen, with brown spots the +color of the leaves and twigs, and they seemed a part of the +ground, with its confusion of soft neutral tints. I couldn't admire +them enough, but, to relieve my little friend's anxiety, I came +very soon away; and as I came, I marvelled much that so very small +a head should contain such an amount of cunning. + + + +HOW DID THE CANARY DO IT? + +By Celia Thaxter + +A little friend of mine, who was going away for the winter, asked +me to take charge of one of her canaries till she returned in the +spring. The bird was a foreigner, born and bred in Fayal, and +brought across the water in his youth, a gray-green and golden +little creature, whose name was Willie. + +I gladly consented, and one day Willie was brought over from +Jamaica Plains, a distance of ten miles, and deposited in my +parlor. His cage was closely covered with brown paper during the +journey, and he came in the cars, by the roundabout way of Boston. + +At first he seemed somewhat lonely and lost, but soon grew very +happy and content in his new home; and well he might be, for he had +all his wants supplied, and did not lack companions. + +I had two canaries, a robin, and a song-sparrow, and they soon +began to make beautiful music all together. + +The sun could not rise without shining into the parlor windows; it +lingered there all day, till the last glow of the evening-red faded +out of the sky. At two windows the light streamed through green +leaves and gay flowers, and made a most cheerful atmosphere, in +which no bird could possibly help singing. The song-sparrow's +clear, friendly notes seemed to bring May to the very door; +and the robin executed, _sotto voce,_ all his fine out-of-door +melodies, and put one into an April mood with his sweet, melancholy +rain-song. + +Willie could not choose but be happy. So they all sang and +chirruped together the whole winter through, and cheered us in that +cold, sad season. Slowly the earth turned daily more and more +toward the sun, and before we were ready to realize so much joy, +the "willow-wands" were spangled with "downy silver," and the alder +catkins began to unwind their long spirals, and swing pliant in the +first winds of March. Then the melting airs of April set the brooks +free, the frogs began to pipe, and there was rare music! Birds came +in flocks, the soft green grass stole gradually over the land, and +dandelions shone gay in the meadows. When beneath a southern window +the flowering almond blossomed, I kept the windows open during fine +weather, and left the bird cages on the sill the whole day. Little +wild birds came and sat on the grapevine trellis above, and +twittered and talked with the captives, and sometimes alighted on +the cages; the pink almond sprays waved round them, and all were, +or seemed to be, as happy as the day is long. + +Willie's little mistress returned about this time, and I only +awaited a proper opportunity to return my charge, safe and well, +into her hands. I congratulated myself on his state of health and +spirits, and thought how glad she would be to see him again. But, +alas! for human calculations. One afternoon I went, as usual, to +take in the cage for the night: there was Dick, the robin; and +Philip, the sparrow; and slender Rupert, my own canary, and his +mate; but Willie of Fayal, the green and golden stranger, was gone, +cage and all. I looked out of the window; there lay the cage upon +the ground, empty. Imagine my consternation! Had some strange, +prowling cat devoured--? I was in despair at the thought. + +"If it had been any one but Willie," I said, again and again. He +had been intrusted to my care; what should I say when he was +required of me? In real sorrow I wrote to my youthful friend and +told her all. She mourned her bird as dead, but only for a day; for +what do you think happened? The most surprising thing! You never +will guess; so I shall tell you all, at once. + +Willie was not devoured; he escaped from his cage, and flew +unerringly back to his former home, ten miles from mine. The night +after he disappeared from my window, he was heard pecking at the +window of the little girl's chamber, but no one noticed him; so he +stayed about the house till morning, and flew in when the window +was opened, and was found perched on the cage of his old companion. + +Great was everybody's astonishment, as you may imagine. There was +no mistaking him,--it was Willie, and no other. + +Yes, really and truly. Now, how do you suppose he found his way +over all those miles of unfamiliar country, straight to that +chamber window? _What_ guided him? Did he fly high or low? +Probably not high; for his wings were unused to flying at all, and +consequently not strong; but they bore him over woods and fields, +over streets and people, over hundreds of houses, till at last his +tired eyes beheld the tower and gables of his old dwelling-place +rising from among the pleasant woods, and then he knew he might +rest in safety. + +But how _could_ he find the way? Supposing birds to have means +of communicating with each other by speech, how would he have put +his questions, wishing to ask his way? Meeting a thrush, or +sparrow, or any other dainty feathered creature, he might perhaps +have hailed it with,--"Good morrow, comrade;" but he couldn't have +said, "Can you tell me the way to Jamaica Plains?" or, "Do you know +where the little girl lives to whom I belong? Her name is May, and +she has golden hair; can you tell me how to find her?" Do you think +he could? Yet he did find her, and until last summer, was still +living in that pretty chamber among the green trees. + +Some time, perhaps, we shall understand those things; but until +then, Willie's journey must remain one of the mysterious incidents +in natural history. + + + +A RUNAWAY WHALE + +By Captain O.G. Fosdick + +"Now, boys," said Captain Daniel, "draw your skiff up beside the +_Greyhound,_ and I'll tell you a story of how I was once run +away with by a whale." + +We boys did as we were bid, drawing the skiff well up clear of the +tideway. We clambered on board the _Greyhound_ and, seating +ourselves or the transom, waited for Captain Daniel to begin. +Taking a match from his waistcoat pocket and lighting a long clay +pipe, he spoke: + +Along in the fifties I was cabin-boy on the whaling-ship +_Nimrod_, Alarson Coffin, master. We were cruising on the +coast of Brazil when, one day, the lookout, stationed at the +masthead, reported a large school of sperm-whales off our lee-beam. + +Captain Coffin, who had taken his spy-glass and gone aloft at the +first cry from the masthead, ordered the boats lowered. As the men +tumbled over one another to be first to reach the monsters, my +young heart danced within me, and our old black steward had to hold +me back, I was so anxious to go. + +There was a gentle wind blowing, and the boats' crews, having +hoisted the sails, were fast leaving the ship. + +Captain Coffin now ordered the men to get a spare boat from its +cranes over the quarter-deck and fit it with whaling implements. + +There were only a few of us left on board for ship-keepers. We +quickly had the boat down from its cranes, and everything ready for +launching. + +There were several other whalers off our weather beam, and as soon +as they noticed our boats in the water they squared their yards and +ran down across our stern. Captain Coffin had observed their +manoeuvres, and calling to the ship's cooper, he said, "Bangs, you +will have to take charge of the ship during my absence, for every +one of our boats is fastened to a whale, and the rest of the school +has become gallied, and I don't want those Nantucketers to get +there before our boats secure two whales apiece, at least." + +Taking another look at the ships which had now crossed our wake, he +added, "Blast those Nantucketers! They can smell a sperm-whale five +miles to their leeward any time." + +He had come down from the rigging, and ordered the head-sails +thrown back. The order was obeyed, and stepping to the ship's +waist, he placed his powerful shoulders against the whale-boat, and +said: "Now, boys, all shove together!" + +As the ship rolled to the leeward, out through the gangway shot our +boat and landed safely in the water, and I after her; for you must +know, children, I was so anxious to see the boat launched properly +that as she struck the water I ran to the open gangway, and not +noticing the boat's warp, which the steward had taken the +precaution to fasten taut to the ship's rail, was struck by it and +thrown overboard. + +They threw me a bight of rope from the ship, and I clambered back +on deck. Captain Coffin told me to go below and change my dripping +clothes, and then I could go in the boat with him and pull the +after oar. You may lay to it that I flew down those cabin stairs, +for if there was anything in the world I longed for, it was to get +a chance to see a sperm-whale killed. + +As Captain Coffin stepped to the bow of the boat he ordered the +black steward to his place at the steering-oar. "Don't be afraid to +lay me right on to them, steward," said he. "Nothing but wood and +black skin will suit me to-day!" + +We soon caught up with the other boat. The first and second +officers had each killed a whale, and were then engaged in buoying +a tub, with the _Nimrod's_ name stamped upon it, to their +carcasses. The rest of the school had gone down, and the third and +fourth officers' crews were resting on their oars, waiting for the +attacked whales to break water again. + +The other ships now had their boats in the water, and as Captain +Coffin saw them approach he called to his officers: "Don't let the +Nantucketers beat us! They are regular sharks after sperm-oil, but +we have four whales the best of them now. Every man here must +strike his fish to-day." + +He had hardly finished his speech when, right beside our boat, an +old bull whale showed his nose out of the water and sent a blast of +hot air out of his spout-holes, which was blown back to us by the +wind. + +As we felt the warm breath on our faces, each man checked his oar. +And right here, children, I want to correct a mistaken idea. Whales +don't spout water. It is their hot breath which, like the breath +from a horse's nostrils in winter, shows white against the sky and +looks like water. + +The body of the whale which had broken water beside us bore many a +scar, and his back was all covered with barnacles. + +"Now, boys, give way to your oars, and you, steward, lay me right +on to him!" spoke Captain Coffin, and as each man gave a steady +pull steward, with a skilful turn of the steering oar, brought the +head of the boat round, and the next instant her bow brought up +against the body of the whale. Captain Coffin's wish was fulfilled, +for, in whalemen's lore, we were "wood and black skin." + +Instantly he plunged his harpoon into the monster's quivering +blubber, and with a dexterity that was wonderful in a man of his +size, he seized another and thrust it to the hilt beside the first. + +"Stern all! stern all!" he cried, and, as we backed away from the +maddened whale, it turned and, with one sweep of its flukes, sent a +cataract of water over us that almost filled the boat, and drenched +us to the skin. It dived, then, and the whale line ran out of its +tub so rapidly that the loggerhead in the stern, around which was a +turn of the line, smoked like a chimney. + +"Pour some water on that line!" cried the steward to the tub +oarsman. And as the man obeyed, the steward tightened the turn on +the rope, and the boat shot ahead like a race-horse. + +Soon the whale slackened his speed and rode to the surface, and in +a few moments broke water off our starboard bow. Then Captain +Coffin ordered us to gather in the line and pull him up beside the +whale, and at the same time he took a long lance from its socket +and having braced himself firmly against the bow thwart, stood +ready. + +What a moment of awe it was to me as I looked at the monster +angrily lashing the water with its fins and flukes! The next +instant we were beside the whale, and as it rolled on its side +Captain Coffin transfixed him with a thrust of his lance that +seemed to pierce his very vitals. The next moment the blood poured +in gallons from his spout-holes. Having slackened the line from the +boat, we rested on our oars at a safe distance and watched the +monster circling around in its dying fury. + +During this time the rest of the boats had each secured another +whale. The crew in the third officer's boat appeared to be making +signals of distress, and Captain Coffin ordered us to cut loose +from our whale and go quickly to their assistance. + +We saw as we drew near them that the gunwale and the two upper +streaks of their boat had been stove by their last whale, and the +officer was about to throw all the whaling implements overboard, in +order to lighten her, for the crew were desperately bailing out the +water, which was pouring in through the broken seams. She was fast +sinking. + +Captain Coffin at once ordered the men to get into our boat with +their implements, and taking the smashed boat in tow, we returned +to our own whale, which appeared to be fast dying. + +The captain, after securing the end of the severed whale-line, +attached it to the line in the third officer's boat, and then told +me to get into the stoven boat, and remain by the whale, while he +carried the rescued crew to the ship. + +As he left me he sang out, "Don't let those Nantucketers steal the +whale from you, boy, for I feel proud of my work to-day! That is +the largest whale I ever saw." Turning to the third officer, he +added, "And I killed it in the good old-fashioned hand-lance style, +and didn't touch the new-fangled bomb-gun that the owners put in +all our boats." + +As the boats separated, I turned and watched the dying whale. It +was slowly swimming around in a large circle, and the blood was +just oozing from its spout-holes as it came to the surface to +breathe. + +The sun was about a handspike high from the horizon. There was +considerable water left in the boat, which, empty of men, now +floated high; so I took a bucket and busied myself in bailing it +out. After bailing awhile, I leaned back against the thwarts and +took another look at the whale. The creature was not dead yet, and +there did not seem to be any blood coming from its spout-holes. In +fact, it seemed to be spouting all right, and was not circling +around any more, but was swimming slowly ahead. What did it mean? +Could Captain Coffin have fastened me to the wrong whale? I asked +myself. I began to feel frightened, for all of a sudden the monster +began to beat the water again with its flukes, and the boat was +going at a faster rate of speed. + +The sun had now reached the water's edge, and I could not see any +boat coming. What should I do if the whale turned on me? I looked +round for a knife to cut the whale-line, but could not find one. +The crew had taken all the knives with them. The whale had +disappeared, and the line was fast running out of its tub. Faster +and faster it ran, until, with a jerk, the end flew from the tub, +and I thought I was free. + +But alas, no! for when the crew were being changed one of them had +fastened the small tub, which is used for a drag, in the end of the +line, and it was yanked under the bow thwart and jammed there. + +The boat now shot ahead with furious speed. It was growing darker, +and I could scarcely make out the ship. In vain I looked for the +boat. Would it never come! + +To add to my trouble, the rest of the whales had joined the old +bull, and were hoarsely spouting and leaping out of the water +all around me. In fact, there were whales everywhere, on both +sides of the boat, and down beneath it. I could dimly see their +greenish-white reflections as they swam just beneath the surface. + +One old cow whale and her calf were close beside me, and as they +came up to spout I could feel the water from the splash of the +little one's flukes. As a boy on shipboard I had often longed for a +little whale to play with, but the desire had all left me now, for +I crouched down in the boat and covered my face with my hands. + +Oh, if the captain would only come and take me out of that boat! I +would never go to sea again, I thought. + +Suddenly the boat stopped with a jerk, and uncovering my face, I +saw a sight that made me scream with fright. Right in front of me +was a large sperm-whale's head, with its jaws wide open, and its +long row of white, glistening teeth shining from the phosphorescent +brightness of the water. With a snap its mouth closed, and it sank +out of sight, while I, falling on my knees, asked God to save me. + +After that I felt better, and managed to crawl under the +stem-sheets for shelter, for I was chilled through. It was quite +dark, although the stars shone brightly. The whale seemed to have +got free, for the boat was idly rocking on the water. + +In changing my cramped form to an upright position, my hand came +against a hard, round piece of iron. A feeling of security, of +advantage, of longing for battle ran through me as my hand rested +on the cold steel. It was one of the captain's bomb-guns, which was +so despised by him, but which might be the means of saving me from +an awful death. I pulled it from its socket, and fondled it in my +excitement and relief at finding some means of defence. + +I found I was able to lift the gun to my shoulder, and my pulse +beat with renewed vigor as I raised the hammer and found the gun +was loaded. So great was my joy that I forgot for the moment the +terrible uncertainty of my position, and almost wished the whale +would come back. I did not feel so long, for the next instant the +boat began to move. + +Again I heard the whales' spouting, and right abreast was a monster +swimming straight toward the boat. With an inward prayer to God, I +raised the gun to my shoulder, and the next instant, as the monster +thrust its head out of the water, I fired. + +The recoil threw me against the side of the boat, where I lay, +partially stunned and unable to move. I was conscious enough, +however, to remember, and in silent, stupefied terror I awaited a +second onslaught from the enraged animal. I seemed to feel the +crunching of the boat's timbers in those awful jaws, and I must +have swooned in looking forward to my own terrible fate. + +When I regained my senses, all was quiet around me. Off the side of +the boat, at some distance, a whale floated on the water. After +waiting a few moments, I ventured to crawl forward on the thwarts, +and found the whale-line was still attached to the bow. I went back +to the stern and sat on the after thwart, thinking of the gun. I +felt in the bottom of the boat for it, but could not find it. It +must have fallen overboard when I fell down. + +As I was groping, I felt an object in the bottom of the boat that I +knew at once was the boat's lantern keg, which is kept in all +whale-boats. In it are flint, tinder, a lantern, candles, and +packed all around them are ship's biscuits. Instantly the memory of +our officers' instructions in reference to their use came to me. + +Quickly taking the keg to the stern of the boat, I struck its end +against the loggerhead. It soon yielded to my pounding, and the +head fell out. How sweet the hard pilot-bread tasted! It brought to +my remembrance the water-keg which is also kept in a whale-boat. + +I went to the midship thwart, and found the keg there, lashed +firmly beneath it. I loosened it and drank heartily. Then I took +the lantern and tinder from the keg, and striking the flint, I soon +had one of the candles lighted. I sat down on the after thwart and +held the light aloft till my arm ached. + +Everything about me was made more weird by the gleam of the +lantern. The swish of the water as it rippled beneath the boat and +the screeching of sea-fowls that had now gathered around the +floating carcass set me to thinking of the ship, and I wondered if +they would see the light and come to my rescue. I did not know what +time it was, but judged it must he near midnight. I tried to call, +but my own voice frightened me--it sounded so strange; so once more +I relapsed into silence. + +Suddenly something seemed to be the matter with the whale. I +thought I heard a sound like some one falling overboard. What could +it be? At that moment a black body shot out of the water right +beside the boat. It was followed by another and another. Soon I +learned what it was, for I had seen them before. They were sharks, +which, attracted by the dead whale, had come to feast on the +carcass. + +It made me shiver to see them rush at the monster, and tear big +mouthfuls of flesh from its side. I tied the lantern to the +loggerhead and crawled under the stern-sheets so as not to see +them. + +Now I was well-nigh exhausted, and began to feel drowsy. Sleep soon +overcame me, and testing my head against the boat's side, I lost +consciousness. + +When I awoke I heard voices and recognized Captain Coffin, who had +me in his arms, while the boat's crew were pulling us to the +_Nimrod_. They had seen the lantern from the ship, and Captain +Coffin had come himself in the boat to rescue me. + +My shot from the bomb-gun had killed the bull whale, and it had +also taught Captain Coffin two lessons: First, not to leave a whale +merely because it is spouting blood, for it is liable, as in the +present case, to clear its spouting, as its ruptured blood vessel +is drained, and like a wounded animal, to fight with renewed vigor; +second, not to despise the bomb-gun. Always use your bomb-gun on a +whale, children. + +We solemnly told Captain Daniel that we would do so, and then we +bade him good night and went away from the _Greyhound_ with +sea-pictures in our minds that can never go out of them as long as +we live. + + + +SAVED BY A SEAL + +By Theodore A. Cutting + +The liveliest seal that father and I ever caught, and the only one +that ever got away from us after we had housed it, was Nab. +Although father has been catching seals for zoological gardens and +circuses almost as long as I can remember, and knows all their +tricks both in water and on land, yet Nab was too sharp for him. + +It was my vain attempt to recapture him that terminated in the most +exciting experience I ever had with a seal. + +Our seal-shed, which stood at the edge of the rocks fifteen feet +above the surf, held in Nab's day eight occupants, all nearly +full-grown. + +The circus seals, which are caught and trained while young, had all +been sold; and these we expected to place in the zoological gardens +at Philadelphia and Cincinnati. Nab had not been in our possession +long, however, before he demonstrated his exceptional abilities, +and was straightway singled out to be trained, since a clever +circus seal is usually worth twice as much as a mere menagerie +animal. + +Father generally takes the training into his own hands and sends me +out for the daily supply of fish; but I took such a liking to Nab +that I spent every evening teaching him. + +He first drew attention to himself by his skill in stealing fish +from the others. Although I always gave him the first mouthful, to +keep him quiet, he would swallow it and be ready for the next +before I could get a second fish from the sack. He would eye a shad +in my hand as closely as he had once watched the young salmon +darting about in the waters of Monterey Bay. And the instant I let +go of it, intending to drop it into the open mouth of the next +seal, Nab would snap it as it fell. + +He learned quickly the trick that all trained seals know--that of +balancing a ball on the nose. But for a seal that is not much of a +feat after the experience of keeping themselves constantly in poise +amidst the rolling breakers and surging swells. I taught him to +rise on his flippers and march, also to turn to right or left at +the word. + +But his education had not proceeded very far when he picked up of +his own account the trick that none of his predecessors had been +able to acquire--how to escape from the little shed, where all a +seal's splashing must be in a square tank, and to be free again in +the boundless Pacific. + +There were two rooms in the seal-house, one at the back for the +animals, and one in front for the boat, fish-lines and crates. The +seal quarters had no outside door, the only exit being into the +front room. + +Father, unusually tired one night after we had both been out all +day for fish, went down alone to feed the seals. It was nearly +dark, and he closed the outside door without catching it. When he +opened the inside door and began to distribute the bass, Nab took +advantage of the dusk to steal every fish he could get his nose in +reach of. It seemed impossible to get a mouthful to any other seal +in the lot; and father, at last quite out of patience, gave him a +smart cut over his stubby little ears with the training whip. + +Nab gave a shrill yelp, dived between father's legs, and slid out +into the boat room, the door to which had been left ajar. A seal +presents an awkward appearance hobbling on his queer flippers, but +he can make rapid progress. Before father could get his balance and +start after him, Nab was well out into the boat room. + +Father stopped only to close the door against the rest of the +seals, and was again in pursuit; but Nab in the meantime had +reached the far end, bumped against the unfastened door and was +scuttling across the outer threshold. Father ran after him, only to +see his body floundering from one rock to another and to hear its +happy splash in the water below. + +We both felt sorry to lose Nab, for the buyers will always pick out +a lively fellow and pay a better price for him than for another, +even though he be larger. + +"Couldn't we trap him again?" I asked. + +"I guess you'd have an interesting time catching as smart a seal as +that after he's already been once landed," said father. "One or two +of them that have slipped out of the lasso I've got hold of again; +but if a seal gets away after he's had one full sniff of +civilization he doesn't very often get near enough for a second." + +"Would you know him if you should see him?" I asked. + +"I don't think we'll ever get that near, but we might come to +within hearing distance, and I could tell his yap out of a +hundred," replied father. + +Without saying anything to father about it, I made up my mind to +get Nab back, if such a thing were possible. + +The main feeding-ground of the band of seals from which we take our +animals is just off Moss Beach, and I was almost certain that I +could get a sight of Nab there. Whether I should be able to tell +him, floating among the other seals, with only a little, shiny head +out of water, I had doubts; but I thought I could make him +recognize me. + +There was only one fact that made me hesitate about carrying out my +plans, and that was the danger of swimming at Moss Beach. Father +had warned me two or three times about the strength of the undertow +there; but since my whole scheme depended upon getting out among +the seals, and I was a good swimmer, I decided to run the risk. + +Telling father one night that I should go off in the morning to +fish from the rocks, I went early to bed, and was up next day by +sunrise. With a hook and line and half the length of an old lasso, +I was off for the rocks near Moss Beach. + +As it was nearly low tide, I soon had a piece of abalone on my +hook, and was fishing. + +No seals were in sight, but I kept a sharp lookout for them as I +fished. I had just caught a second shad--and it was something I had +never done before, to catch a shad off the rocks--when the heads of +half a dozen seals appeared on the swells to my left. More heads +came in sight as I grabbed up my fishes and hastened to the sandy +part of the shore. + +I was in high spirits, for shad would tempt Nab as no other fish +could. In less than two minutes I had my clothes off, the lariat +knotted round my waist, and the short string that tied the fishes +together between my teeth. + +The seals were still where I had first seen them, out less than two +hundred yards from shore. + +I waded quickly into the water until the waves began to break over +my head, and then swam. Before I had taken three strokes one of the +fishes I held by my teeth began to lend assistance, jumping and +splashing about so under my nose that I thought best to beat a +retreat. + +When I turned to gain shallow water again, however, I felt at once +the strength of the undertow, which in my excitement I had entirely +forgotten. I could make no headway against it until a couple of big +waves came up from behind, and sent me far enough in to get a firm +footing. + +With confidence that my shad would give me no more trouble, I again +turned to swim out. The water of the big waves that had boosted me +in now began to draw me out in the undertow. + +I hesitated when I felt the strength of its sweep, and still more +as I thought of the greater force it would have when the tide +turned. Where I stood I could withstand it, but a little deeper in +I well knew it would be impossible to do so without the help of +incoming waves. + +"They just washed me ashore once; I guess they will again," I +thought, and threw myself into the current. + +As I approached the seals most of them began to swim off, but two +or three of the larger males stood their ground, letting me come to +within a couple of rods of them. Nearer, however, they would not +let me draw, although their curiosity about me was great. + +From the way they went circling round me, stretching their long +necks up out of the water to get a good view, I concluded I was of +a different species of water animal from those with which they were +familiar. Of Nab, however, I could see nothing. + +"Fish, Nab, fish, fish!" I called, and held up for inspection one +of the shad I had brought. + +At the sound of my voice there was a sharp little bark from behind, +such as Nab alone could give when I had an exceptionally delicate +morsel for him. I turned quickly, and saw at a distance his shining +dog-shaped head. + +"Fish, Nab, a fine shad for you, fish!" I coaxed. + +He came a little nearer, and I was confident the bait would prove +irresistible. But my assurance was ill-founded, for in spite of +all my coaxing, Nab only circled round and round me until I was +dizzy trying to keep track of him. Either he had had fairly good +luck fishing for himself that morning, and was not suffering very +keen pangs of hunger, or else he still associated my benevolence +too closely with the little square splash-tub of the seal-house. + +When I had begun to grow weary from the incessant motion necessary +to keep myself afloat, Nab suddenly made a dash so close that his +flippers brushed my side. He snapped the fish out of my hand, and +in the same instant he was again beyond reach. The fact that he had +come up for one fish encouraged me to hope he would come also for +the second, and I began to coax with renewed energy. + +Nab was seemingly as much on his guard as before, however, and +again went through his complete list of maneuvers, first rearing +high out of the water, turning one side of his head and then the +other toward me, then ducking into the depths with a final flourish +of his tail, to reappear presently on the other side of me, as +sportive as before. + +By this time I had begun to feel pretty well exhausted, and when I +suddenly thought of the undertow, I decided to swim back. + +So intent had I been upon urging Nab near enough to get the lariat +about his neck that I had not once looked toward shore. As I now +did so I was terrified to find that one of the unaccountably +shifting currents along Moss Beach had swept me a long distance out +to sea. + +Without more nonsense, I dropped my remaining shad and started back +with long, even strokes. Nab snapped up the fish and disappeared in +the deep green water. + +In spite of my efforts, I found that I was making small speed +against the current. The rock and tree on the point of land to my +right, by which I judged my progress, kept almost in the same +straight line. Knowing it was useless to spend my strength directly +against a current, I shifted my course in the direction of the +point. From the sand-hills to my left I could see that I now made +more progress, but the distance I had to cover was greater than +straight to Moss Beach. + +Before I had covered half the distance I was almost too fatigued to +take another stroke; then the feeling of weariness seemed to leave +me, and I swam on as if turned into a machine. It was in a +mechanical way, too, that my brain seemed to work. + +"If the undertow's as strong as when I came out," I thought, "I can +never get through the breakers." + +I wished I had told father my plans. He might have come out with a +boat to get me. Then I wondered how it was that my arms and legs +kept on moving when there was so little feeling in them. + +The roar of the breakers had suddenly grown louder, and I saw I was +within twenty yards of shore. I swam on with the same steady +strokes, but at a certain distance from the water-line came to a +standstill. + +I knew I was held back by the undertow, and that there was need of +all my remaining strength to get ashore. I increased my efforts, +but surged helplessly forward and backward with the rising and +falling waves. + +When I thought I had given my last stroke, a big wave boosted me +in, followed by a second and third, until it seemed I must be where +I could reach bottom. + +I let my feet down, down, until my toes at last touched the sand. I +dug them in with all my might, and battled desperately to keep my +footing. + +Then came a little swell that lifted me from my feet, and the +terrible current swooped me back again. My strength was gone, and I +turned on my back to float. + +"Perhaps I can try again if I rest," I thought, and meanwhile +drifted out until the roar of the breakers came but dully to my +ears--out where the water was deep and green. + +Realizing that I paid for every minute of rest by drifting farther +from shore, I rolled wearily over, and with slow strokes started +back. + +At this moment Nab stuck his nose from the water not three feet +away. When I spoke his name, he came up so that I could put my hand +on his neck. For half a minute he was quiet, letting me bear my +weight upon him; then he showed by beginning to dive and circle +that his motive in coming to me was purely for sport. Every other +minute he would shake loose from my hand and then peer at me +beneath the water as my head sank under. + +At last I got such a firm grip on the nape of his neck that I could +hold on even when he dived. With my other hand I untied the piece +of lasso from round me and tried to put the noose over Nab's head. +To this he had objections, and ducked and backed and splashed until +I nearly strangled. Forced to give up this scheme, I nevertheless +succeeded in getting a cinch round one of his hind flippers close +up to the body. + +"March, Nab!" I then shouted. "Forward, march!" + +He either had forgotten his lessons or exulted in the fact that he +was now at liberty to disobey orders, for instead of heading for +shore, he started in the opposite direction. + +"Haw!" I cried. "Haw! Gee, then, gee!" But Nab would turn neither +to right nor left, and dragged me farther out to sea. + +Thinking I might steer him by his flipper, I gave a jerk on the +lariat. What the seal thought I don't know, but when he felt the +noose tighten he seemed filled with sudden fright, and plunged into +the depths. Instinctively I took a big breath when I saw him +disappear, and laid hold of the lasso with both hands. In another +instant I was making the longest dive under water that I believe +man ever took. + +It might have been pleasing to glide through the depths under other +circumstances and at moderate speed; but following down after this +uncertain guide at the rushing pace he set was the worst experience +I ever had. I should have let go my hold but for the thought that +there was no worse place than that from which I had started. + +I hung on and on, even after it seemed I should burst for want of +air. Then came a shiver along the lariat and the sensation in my +body of scraping against a rock. Although I still held on tightly, +my speed suddenly slackened, and I knew the old lasso had been cut +in two on the rock. + +Half-strangled though I was, I began pawing my way to the surface. +When at last my head broke through into the air, I hung to the +rock, sputtering and gasping. I didn't attempt to do more than get +my breath for, I think, a quarter of an hour; but at last I looked +round to see where I was. + +At first I could not make it out, for Moss Beach was nowhere in +sight; then, when I saw a couple of huge pelicans perched on the +rock above my head, the truth came to me. Nab had taken me out +clear round the point and over to Seal Rocks--the island home of +seals and pelicans. How I ever could have taken such a dive and +come out alive is still a mystery to me, except when I remember how +the water churned in my ears at our terrific speed. + +The rock upon which I hung had been Nab's birthplace, and the place +where he had been captured by father and me. Here he used to lie to +toast in the sun, and here also he had fled when he felt my line +round his flipper. + +As soon as I could clear the salt water from my mouth and lungs I +began to work my way up on the rock. + +Exhausted as I was, and benumbed with cold, this was no easy +matter; and once, when a fragment of rock gave way beneath my +fingers, I nearly slipped back into the water. But at last I +crawled up far enough to send off the pelicans in fright, and to +get where the sun would strike me. I expected to blister my back, +but I thought it would be a welcome change from the freezing +process. + +After the blood had begun to warm up a little in my veins I began +to think of getting back to the mainland. + +It was a distance of only a hundred yards from the rock across, but +when I looked down into that green water and recalled my recent +experiences I shrank from sliding in as from death itself. I +measured the distance twenty times with my eyes, and the same +number of times assured myself that there would be no undertow here +with the tide coming in, but I could not bring myself to let go the +rocks that felt so firm and good. + +When I observed, however, that it was nearly high tide, and that I +should have to swim against the tide if I waited much longer, I +climbed down without more fooling, and struck back for shore. +Although a side current shifted me from my direct course so that I +had to land upon another beach than I had intended, I got ashore +without difficulty, and hastened across the point to Moss Beach, +where I had left my clothes. + +I never again attempted to recapture Nab, nor have I had an +opportunity to repay him for towing me to Seal Rocks; but I have +seen him a number of times since, and have often heard his happy +bark from the rocks along the coast. + + + +OLD MUSKIE THE ROGUE + +BY LEVI T. PENNINGTON + +"You must go; that's all. There will be some way, you'll see." + +Carl Mills and Lee Henly were separating for the night. They were +close friends; and although Carl's father was the most prosperous +man in the community, and Lee was the son of a poor widow, they had +always been together, and had been leaders of the class that had +been graduated from the local high school the month before. + +To-night they had been discussing for the hundredth time their +plans for the coming year. Carl (was going to college in the +autumn,--that was a settled thing),--and Lee longed to go as he had +never longed for anything before in his life. There was nothing to +prevent his going but the lack of funds. His mother was to spend +the winter with a married daughter, ten years his senior. He had a +scholarship in the college and a chance to pay his way in part by +working in the college library. But that would take all his spare +time, and he was sure that he would still lack about one hundred +dollars of having enough to carry him through the first year. + +Both boys dearly loved Lake Wanna-Wasso, on the shore of which they +lived. It was, indeed, one of the most beautiful of all the sheets +of water which a half-century ago knew the dip of the Indian's +paddle and the ripple of his birch-bark canoe. There may be other +waters as clear and sweet as those of northern Michigan, but the +native and the enthusiastic summer visitor find it hard to believe. + +Both Lee and Carl spent much of their time in the employ of the +people at Forest Lodge during the summer, when the Chicago +fishermen, headed by the wealthy Camerons, were there for three +months. + +Lee was in Mr. Cameron's special employ, and from him had learned +the art of bait-casting. At the close of the previous season, Mr. +Cameron had given him his longest and strongest maskinonge +casting-rod; it was too heavy now for Mr. Cameron, who found his +casting arm seriously crippled by rheumatism. + +It was but a few days after Lee's last talk with Carl Mills that he +heard Mr. Cameron and Mr. Gardner discussing the fine collection of +mounted fish belonging to Mr. Cameron in Chicago. Mr. Gardner was +speaking of it in glowing terms, and was especially praising a +maskinonge in the collection. + +"Yes," said Mr. Cameron, "that certainly was a fine fish when +Smithson took him out of this lake five years ago; but I had set my +heart on a bigger one. I wanted one that would weigh over fifty +pounds when he came out of the water, and that one weighed only +forty-three. I'd gladly give one hundred dollars for a specimen +caught with hook and line that would tip the scales at fifty pounds +or better." + +"Do you think you'll ever find one?" asked Mr. Gardner. + +"I hardly know," said Mr. Cameron. "Two years ago one was netted in +the river near Detroit which was over that weight, but I did not +learn of it until too late; and, anyway, I want one that is caught +with hook and line, and the story of whose capture I can know." + +Two weeks later, one morning when Mr. Cameron had decided that he +would not go out upon the lake, Lee Henly paddled a light canoe out +across Forest Lodge Cove and practised with his casting-rod. In +this cove there seemed to be no fish at all, although elsewhere in +the lake fish were plentiful. At one point here three great +elm-trees with spreading tops had fallen into the lake years +before. + +There they still lay, water-logged, their hundreds of branches +forming a miniature jungle under water, just off the bold shore. +Merely for practise, Lee dropped his casting-bait near these +treetops, and started to reel in. + +Then he almost fell from the boat, for there was a great swirl in +the water where his minnow was spinning along, a broad tail came +out and hit the water with a tremendous splash, and he struck but +did not hook the fish, which, however, he saw to be enormous. + +That night he said to Carl Mills, "Carl, I believe I see a chance +for college." + +"What is it?" asked his friend. + +Then Lee told of the conversation he had heard, and of the great +fish that had given him a strike. "And I believe that he weighs +over fifty pounds, and that I can catch him if you will help me," +he said. + +There was but one day in the week, however, that they could try for +the big fish, for both were employed that year every week-day +except Tuesday, when Mr. Cameron went to the town fifteen miles +away; and on Tuesday they dared to fish only in the very early +morning, for fear that some of the fishermen at Forest Lodge would +learn that there was a great fish there, and catch him. They did +not want to be unsportsmanlike, but Lee was confident that none of +the rich fishermen needed the fish as he did. + +The first Tuesday morning brought them not even encouragement. +Although Carl paddled the boat all about the cove, and Lee did the +best casting of which he was capable, no strike rewarded them; and +when they saw the first stir about Forest Lodge, they hastened to +another part of the lake, and left Old Muskie, as they had already +named the big fish. + +When the next Tuesday morning came again they were out. The boat +was kept at as great a distance from shore as Lee could cover with +his longest casts, and just as the casting-minnow fell straight out +from the middle treetop, there was a great swirl in the water. Lee +struck, and the reel began to sing as the great fish started a +tremendous run; but in an instant the line came back slack. The +saber-like teeth of the maskinonge had cut it off like a knife. + +"And what can we do about that?" said Carl, as Lee sadly reeled in +the useless line. + +"I don't know yet, but I have an idea," said Lee. + +The next Tuesday morning Lee was not ready to try for the big fish +again, although it was almost torture to stay away from the old +treetops. He promised to be ready the next week, and he was. What +he had done had surprised his mother, who knew that he had been +saving every cent in the hope of going to college. He had sent away +to a fishing-tackle house for their largest first-class silk line, +and received one hundred yards of line that was tested to fifty +pounds. He had sent to an electrical supply house for their +smallest unwound copper wire, and had received a spool of it, +almost hairlike in its fineness. Both purchases had been expensive +for him. + +From "Old Injun Jake" Lee had learned the art of doing fine +splicing and of braiding many strands. He unbraided the silk line +for a considerable length, and weaving in one by one the copper +wire lengths that he had cut from the spool, he joined the wire to +the silk with a joint that would readily pass through a line-guide, +and continued to braid till he had a six-foot, flexible copper +leader that would sustain his own weight, united to his one hundred +yards of line with a joint as strong as the line itself. Thus did +he provide against the teeth of Old Muskie. + +Tuesday morning the boys were again fishing in Forest Lodge Cove at +daybreak. Again Old Muskie struck, and unable to cut the line, +rushed into the interlacing boughs of the submerged treetops. + +For a while the strain on the rod indicated that he was surging +back and forth among the treetops, but soon the dead pull showed +that the old warrior was no longer making a fight. + +Rowing in, the boys found the casting-bait fast on one of the +limbs. When they got it loose and pulled it in, they found that one +of the treble hooks was gone. Old Muskie in his rush had caught one +of the hooks upon a branch and it had held, while the one that was +in his mouth had pulled from the minnow, and the big savage of the +lake was again at liberty. + +Lee made a change in his minnow before the next Tuesday morning. +Instead of using the treble hooks that were fastened with screws +into the sides of the minnow, he bored a hole in the body of the +wooden bait, and using again his copper wire, passed it back and +forth through the body of the minnow and through the eye of the +treble hook on each side. He knew that no fish would break all +these strands of copper wire, although he felt that Old Muskie +might break the hooks. + +The next Tuesday morning Lee again hooked Old Muskie. Again the big +fish got to the treetops, and again Lee felt the dead pull that +meant that he had no longer a fighting fish to deal with. Reeling +up as Carl paddled the boat toward shore, Lee found that Old Muskie +had entangled the line among the branches, and getting a chance to +use his great strength, had broken the heavy silk line. Lee was +delighted to see that it had been broken above the point where he +had spliced it to the copper leader. + +"What can you do about that?" asked Carl. + +"I'm not sure," said Lee, "but every time thus far the old fellow +has run straight away from the direction in which I was reeling my +minnow. I believe that if we come at him from near the shore he +will take a run toward the open lake, and we'll have a chance at +him." + +During the week that followed, Lee again spliced a copper leader to +his line. Again he "made over" a big casting-minnow, and when +Tuesday morning brought its opportunity, Carl put the canoe along +the shore, but as far out as the end of the submerged treetops. +Three casts were made, each farther and farther forward, without +results. The fourth, however, a perfect cast of over one hundred +feet, which fell just beyond the farthest treetop, was rewarded; +the water broke in a great eddy as Old Muskie took the bait. Lee +struck with all his might, and pulled with all the force he dared +to use, although he was pulling almost straight back toward the +treetops. + +As he had hoped, Old Muskie pulled the other way, and with a +tremendous rush, left the treetops, and started toward the channel +into the open lake. Half-way across he gave an astonishing leap +into the air, showing the boys for the first time just what a +monster they had succeeded in hooking. + +Hope more lively than any they had felt before filled the hearts of +the young fishermen, as the monster maskinonge rushed across the +cove. But instead of hitting the narrow open channel into the main +lake, he rushed across the wide bar, through a veritable forest of +bulrushes. + +Then the fight was quickly over. The fish had been hooked only on +the treble hook in the rear of the casting-minnow; the hooks on the +side dragged through the rushes, and caught upon so many of them +that the hook was torn from the mouth of Old Muskie, and again Lee +reeled in his line without the big fish at the end of it. + +Both boys sat in the canoe for several minutes as blue as boys +could be. It certainly was discouraging. But presently Lee raised +his head, and with a flash of the eyes said, "I'll catch that +fellow yet!" + +And Carl Mills, with admiration and determination both on his face, +said, "Right! And I'll help you do it!" + +A big maskinonge lives a life much like that of a rogue elephant in +its isolation. He selects some spot,--a cove filled with lily-pads, +a bend of a river, or a sunken treetop like the home of Old Muskie, +--and there he will stay, month after month, if not year after +year. So there was little danger of Old Muskie's leaving Forest +Lodge Cove that summer unless he was caught or killed or died the +mysterious death that comes to the great fish of the streams and +lakes. + +Lee Henly and Carl Mills knew this, and they had been learning more +and more of the habits of this particular maskinonge. In every new +thing that they learned, they felt that they had one more aid +toward the final capture of Old Muskie and the realization of Lee's +ambition for college that year. + +Lee had learned that hooking the big fish was the easiest part of +the work of capturing him. He decided that he must provide by every +possible means against the entanglement of his casting-bait. + +With this in view, he made a wooden casting-minnow himself. He took +a spinner and the glass eyes from an old one he had used, and from +a bit of red cedar he whittled out the shape for the body. He had +bought a very heavy, although not a very large, hand-forged treble +hook. He took a heavy, spring-steel wire, and had the old +blacksmith at Kessler's Corners weld an eye in it through the eye +of the treble hook. He put on the back spinner, and passed the wire +through the wooden minnow. He used no front spinner, as it might +catch in the rushes. + +The front eye he made in the wire himself by bending and twisting +till he was sure beyond all question that it was safe. Then he +fastened his copper leader into this eye, put the glass eyes into +the head of the minnow, and with careful painting his bait was +complete. + +The season was now growing late. College was to begin September +23d. On Tuesday, September 9th, Carl and Lee set out at daybreak on +their quest. They fished long and carefully, but got no strike. +They left the cove for half an hour, then tried again. This time +the great fish struck, but was not hooked. Soon Forest Lodge was +astir, and fishing for Old Muskie ended for that day. + +Then came the last day. Carl was to leave for college the following +Monday. "We just _must_ get him this morning!" he said, as +they pushed out from the landing with the first glow of daylight. +They knew a little later in the day would be better, but they felt +that they must lose no time. + +Carl worked the canoe down the shore, the little craft slipping +through the water as quietly as a floating swan. Lee outdid himself +in length of cast, for he did not wish Old Muskie to take fright +because they were too near. + +At the fifth cast the big fish hit the bait. He rushed savagely at +it, and closed his jaws down squarely upon it. Lee struck as if for +his life, and drove the hooks deep into the fish's jaw, and with +click and drag both on the reel and his thumb adding to the +pressure, he pulled all he thought his tackle would bear--pulled +straight back toward the treetops, which he was most anxious to +avoid. + +Stubbornly the big fish pulled in the opposite direction, and with +a rush started across the cove. So fast did the line run out that +Lee's thumb was almost blistered, but he held it hard against the +spinning reel, and the fish rushed on across the cove. + +Straight through the forest of rushes he dashed, and Lee and Carl +held their breath, as the line cut through the water. Lee held the +rod high, Carl sent the canoe along the track taken by the fish; +and in a few dizzy seconds Old Muskie was through the rushes and +out into the open lake. And now Lee made no effort to check him, +but let him run as far as possible from the shore, although he +continued his mad rush till less than thirty feet of line remained +on his reel. + +Forest Lodge was quickly awake and astir. Mr. Gardner was just at +the landing for a trip across the lake, when out in front of him +came the canoe as if being towed by the great fish, which leaped +high into the air. + +He rushed into Forest Lodge and roused Mr. Cameron and all the rest +by beating upon his door and crying, "Get up! Get up! Your +fifty-pound maskinonge is hooked, and by a boy!" No further call +was needed, and the beach was soon lined with a score of fishermen +and their wives, hastily and some of them grotesquely dressed. + +Meanwhile, Lee and Carl had begun working together to regain the +line that had been run out. The victory could never have come to +the young fisherman but for the masterly way in which Carl handled +the canoe. He made it almost a part of Lee. It moved with his +motion, always responsive, always steady. + +When the fish went out toward the open lake, the boat went with +him, that he might go as far as he would. When he made a wild rush +for the shore, the paddle sent the boat off at an angle to his +course, that the steel rod might exert a pull sidewise, and thus +turn him from his course, and back toward the open lake. + +And all this time, Lee was putting on his tackle all the strain +that he dared, holding the line so taut that his arm ached before +the fight had been on ten minutes--and it lasted fifty-five. + +When Old Muskie would leap frantically into the air, fiercely +shaking himself, down would go the tip of the rod, clear below the +surface of the water; and when he would "sound," the tip of the rod +pulled upward relentlessly. Whatever the direction of the rushes of +the big fish, always the skilled hand and wiry arm of Lee Henly +were ready to baffle and turn aside, to hold back and to weary. + +"Pretty fight!" said Herbert Gerrish to Mr. Cameron, who was +watching in silence, but with keen admiration. + +"Fine!" said Mr. Cameron. "Never saw a better." + +"Think he'll land the fish?" asked John Newby. + +"If he does not now, he is bound to do it some day," replied Mr. +Cameron. "That fish might just as well give it up now as any time. +I know Lee Henly." + +Indeed, it began to look as if victory was near. Slowly the rushes +of the maskinonge were becoming less fierce. Carl had the gaff at +hand for Lee when he was ready for it. Lee, fearful of a rush under +the boat, dared not work the fish round for Carl to gaff, but kept +him at the end of the boat where he himself might use the big hook. + +But what he had feared came to pass. The big maskinonge did make a +run under the boat. He was straight in front, when with a +lightning-like dash he made a half-circle and went under the boat +from the side. + +With a quick motion of arm and wrist, Lee threw the end of the rod +over the prow of the canoe. It was all there was to do, but the rod +would surely have struck the end of the boat, and something would +probably have broken and the fish escaped, had not Carl, with a +mighty stroke of the paddle, backed the canoe so quickly that Lee +was almost thrown overboard. But the fish was saved. + +The fight was nearly over. Gradually they forced the maskinonge +toward the sandy beach. Mr. Cameron had got a big, long-handled +gaff-hook, and now, forgetful of his rheumatism, waded out +waist-deep into the water. There was a brief but decisive struggle +that went hopelessly against the fish, and Mr. Cameron gaffed Old +Muskie and dragged him ashore. + +Lee and Carl stepped out on the beach, both of them on the verge of +collapse. + +There was a great fish supper at Forest Lodge that night. The skin, +head, tail and fins of Old Muskie were carefully preserved and sent +to the best taxidermist in Chicago; but there was enough left of +his fifty-three-pound body for the company gathered about the big +"Oak Hall" dining-table. On the right of Mr. Cameron sat Lee Henly, +and on the left, Carl Mills. Mr. Cameron and the Forest Lodge +people were jubilant. Carl found a fifty-dollar bill under his +plate, and Lee found a check for one hundred dollars. And as the +meal progressed, the story of the capture of Old Muskie was told +substantially as I have told it to you. + +There is little more to tell. I might tell you about how Lee Henly +worked his way through college, after the catching of Old Muskie +had given him his start. I could tell you of his work as general +manager of the business house of Cameron, Page & Co. of Chicago. +But that would be the story of Lee Henly, and I started out to tell +you nothing but the story of Old Muskie, whose mounted body is now +in the private office of Mr. Cameron himself, where Lee Henly sees +it every day. + + + +TEACHING FISH TO RING BELLS + +By C. F. Holder + +A certain pond in the country was once peopled with a number of +turtles, frogs, and fishes which I came to consider my pets, and +which at last grew so tame that I fed them from my hands. Among +them, however, were four or five little sticklebacks that lived +under the shade of a big willow, and these were so quarrelsome that +I generally fed them apart from the rest. But sometimes all met, +and then the feast usually was ended by the death of a minnow. For, +shocking to say, whenever there was a dispute for the food, some +one of the little fishes was almost sure to be devoured by the +hungry sticklebacks. + +These stickleback-and-minnow combats, after a while, came to be of +daily occurrence, and the reason for this was a singular one, which +I must explain. + +Under the willow shade, and from one of the branches, I had hung a +miniature "belfry," containing a tiny brass bell, and had led the +string into the water, letting it go down to a considerable depth. +At first, I tied a bait at intervals upon the line, and the +sticklebacks, of course, seized upon it, and thus rang the bell. +Generally the ringing was done in a very grave and proper way, +although sometimes, when the bait was too tightly tied, the quick +peals sounded like a call to a fire. + +I kept up this system of baiting the string for about a week, until +I thought they understood it, and then replaced the worms by bits +of stone. As I expected, the next morning, as I looked through the +grass and down into the water, tinkle! tinkle! rang the bell, and I +knew my little friends were saying, "Good-morning!" and expected a +breakfast. You may be sure they got it. I put my hand down, and up +they came, and got one worm apiece; and as I raised my hand, down +they rushed, and away went the bell, in an uproarious peal, that +must have startled the whole neighborhood. I was quick to respond, +and they soon learned to ring the bell before coming to the +surface; in fact, if they saw me pass, I always heard their welcome +greeting. But to return to the minnows. + +I generally fed them first, about twenty feet up the bank; but one +morning I found one or two had followed me down to the residence of +the stickleback family. They met with a rude reception, however, +and, to avoid making trouble, the next day I went to the willow +first. But no sooner had the bell begun to ring, than I saw a lot +of ripples coming down, and in a second the two factions were in +mortal combat. The sticklebacks were fighting not only for +breakfast, but for their nests, which were near by; and they made +sad work of the poor minnows, who, though smart in some things, did +not know when they were whipped, and so kept up the fight, though +losing one of their number nearly every morning. The bell now and +then rang violently, but I fear it was only sounding an appeal from +a voracious stickleback whose appetite had got the better of his +rage. + +So it went on every morning. The minnows had learned what the bell +meant, and though usually defeated in the fight, they in reality +had their betters as servants to ring the bell and call them to +meals. Finally, they succeeded, by force of great numbers, in +driving away their pugnacious little rivals, and the bell hung +silent; for, strange to say, they knew what the sound meant, but I +could never teach them to ring it, when they could rise and steal +the worm from my hand without. But I am inclined to think it was +more laziness than inability to learn, as they afterward picked up +readily some much more difficult tricks. I taught them to leap from +the water into my hand, and lie as if dead; and having arranged a +slide of polished wood upon the bank, by placing worms upon it I +soon had them leaping out and sliding down like so many boys +coasting in the winter. That they afterward did it for amusement I +know, as I often watched them unobserved when there was nothing to +attract but the fun of sliding. This kind of amusement is not +uncommon with many other animals, particularly seals, which delight +in making "slides" on the icy shores. + + + +MARCUS AURELIUS + +By Octave Thanet + +The ship was nearing the Irish coast. It was a delightful June day +and most of the passengers were on deck. Two ladies sat a little +apart from the crowd of ship-chairs under the cabin awning. One was +fair, plump, pretty and dressed in black; the cabin passengers +called her "the lovely Widow." She was a Mrs. Morris on her way to +Europe to join her brother, accompanied by her two nephews (sons of +two brothers), her sister Nora, and her maid. The other lady was +Miss Nora. She was much younger than her sister whom she did not +resemble in the least, being a tall straight, slim, handsome young +woman with black hair and dark gray eyes in which sparkled a +suspicious gleam of mirth. + +Mrs. Morris was speaking: "He is a perfect young savage! Such +manners, and such grammar--I am sure no one would dream that his +father was a bishop. Do you suppose all Western boys are that way? +And such a temper, too! I assure you, Nora, he was fighting the +whole time we were in New York. And look at the way he treats +Edmund--I wonder the boy stands it--poor nice fellow!" + +"Edmund is nice," answered Nora, "but Oscar has his good +points--what are they all crowding aft for?" + +With an exclamation of "Those dreadful children!" the elder lady +extricated herself from her rug and hurried aft. Nora followed. +Evidently there had been a quarrel of some sort. The purser and the +deck-steward were each holding a boy. + +The steward's captive, a handsome, flushed, black-haired lad of +thirteen, was kicking and pushing and making violent efforts to +wiggle out between the steward's legs. The other lad stood +perfectly quiet. He was taller than the dark boy and might have +been two years older, but he was of a much slighter build. His fair +hair was disordered, his nose bleeding, and his collar torn. +Looking up into the purser's face, he said in a low tone, +"_Please_ let us fight it out. He'll bully me again, if you +don't!" + +At this the dark boy stopped in his violent attacks on the +steward's legs and said, breathlessly: "Well, you ain't such a +milksop after all, Ned!" + +"No, no," said the purser; "no fighting on the _Gallia_. You +two young gentlemen must promise to let each other alone while you +are on shipboard or"-- + +"O, promise, Ned," the dark boy interrupted, "we can have it out +onshore, you know! Say, _I_ promise, let me go." + +"I promise, too, then," said the fair boy. + +"Mind you both remember," said the purser, releasing his captive; +and turning to Mrs. Morris: "No harm done yet ma'am." + +Both boys recognized their aunt; they had been too busy with each +other before to look about. They stood silently by, Oscar grinning +and Edmund frowning, while she apologized for their conduct. Then +she turned to them and led them to an impromptu court of justice +behind the wheel-house. The proceedings were brief. Oscar told his +story. As usual, he related a perfectly plain, uncolored tale, +making no excuse for himself. + +"We were up on deck, Aunt Nellie and Aunt Nora, and Ned was reading +and us boys wanted him to play shovel-board and he wouldn't; so +just for fun, I tried to show the boys--while he was reading, you +know--how near I could come to hitting his cap, and not hit it; and +I made a mistake and hit it and just then the wind blowed and it +went overboard, and the boys laughed and he jumped up and said, +'Who knocked my hat off?' and I said it was me, and he said he +wasn't going to take any more bullying from me and up and hit me in +the face and then I hit him back. I told him I was only fooling, +but he didn't mind and kept on getting madder and hitting till I +got mad too and--that's how it happened. But I didn't mean to knock +his hat off, and I'll fight him all he wants on shore." + +"I didn't know he was fooling," said Edmund, "and Aunt Nellie, it +isn't just this time; I don't mind once; but it's all the time +and--and I truly can't bear it!" The boy's pale face flushed as he +spoke; his voice trembled over the last words and he turned his +head away, winking his eyes hard. Oscar's own eyes grew round with +amazement; it was all he could do to keep from whistling. He +listened to his aunt's reproaches in silence, abstractedly sliding +up and down a freshly tarred rope; and, at their close, when +sentence was pronounced (keeping his high spirits below deck the +rest of the day), he merely nodded his head and walked off saying: +"All right, Aunt Nellie, that's fair enough, I am sure; I'll stay +all right." + +"Well!" said Mrs. Morris in a puzzled way, "did ever one see such a +boy? I don't believe he cares a particle--Mercy!" The last +ejaculation was caused by her seeing Oscar's back. + +"Let him go," said Nora, who was shrewder than her sister; "don't +say anything about that to-day; I'm not sure about his not caring." + +Oscar went directly to the cabin. His young head was fully occupied +trying to make out his cousin's behavior. The boys had never seen +each other until they met in New York, about a week previous to +sailing. It was Oscar's first visit East. The New York boys were +amused by his Western way of speaking and showed their amusement +openly. They made fun of his dress, too, which to be sure was +rather queer, for his mother had been dead many years and the +bishop, good man, was only anxious to encourage the tradespeople in +his own town, and took whatever they were pleased to offer. Mrs. +Morris soon reformed his wardrobe, and Oscar went to work, himself, +reforming his tormentors' manners with his fists. He was in the +full career of his missionary work, and well covered with bruises, +when it came time to sail. + +Edmund was the only New York boy now left him. It happened that +Edmund had taken little notice of Oscar, thinking him a rude, +quarrelsome, noisy fellow; while Oscar had a slight opinion of +Edmund--a boy who did not fight, or play games, and always afraid +of soiling his clothes. He said to himself that he would "give Ned +a pretty lively voyage." At first, Edmund was simply scornful; then +he became irritated--at last, angry in good earnest. The quarrel +was the sequel of a series of petty annoyances. Nevertheless it +bewildered Oscar. Ned had not acted in the least as expected. He +could fight; and though he fought in an ignorant, unskilful fashion +that aroused Oscar's pity, he could fight vigorously, and take hard +knocks without whimpering. Most marvelous of all, "Ned" whom he had +pictured wrapt in self-admiration because he lived in New York and +his father was so rich--Ned had been hurt by the teasing. + +While he thought, the boy sat with his feet curled up under him on +the long cabin seat that looks out on the sea; and his cheek was +pressed against a little grimy hand. He could see the steel-blue +waves moving toward the ship in wide scallops and the white +sea-gulls flying between the ocean and the sky. Yet he hardly +noticed them; so deeply was he thinking that he started when a hand +was laid on his shoulder. + +Then he saw and pulled Aunt Nora down beside him. "What were you +thinking of?" said she. + +"Of Ned," he answered. "He ain't so mean as I thought he was. At +any rate, he ain't a coward." + +"I could have told you better than that," said Nora. "Why, Oscar, +once I saw him hold a mad dog so that some little girls could run +away. He held it until a man came running up and knocked the poor +beast over the head. It was Ned's favorite dog, too, and when it +had drawn its last breath he sat down and cried over it." + +"Humph," said Oscar, "he was pretty brave; what did you do?" + +"I was in the house; I ran down to him, but when I got there the +dog was dying. I heard Ned say, 'Oh! please kill him quick. Poor +Louis!'" + +"Guess he felt bad," said Oscar. + +"He is fond of animals, even those most people dislike. Didn't you +hear of his collection of snakes? He has tamed them so that he can +do anything with them. Once, most unluckily, they got out of the +box and came down stairs into the drawing-room which was filled +with ladies." + +"And they, every one, jumped on the chairs and hollered," said +Oscar. + +"They did precisely that, Oscar; every one except your Aunt Lizzie. +She stood still and told us how harmless the snakes were until, +knowing her I suppose, they all glided up to her when _she_ +climbed a chair, too, very quickly. Luckily Ned happened to be in +the house and heard the commotion and ran in. He whipped the snakes +up and wound them about his arm as coolly as though they had been +pieces of rope." + +Oscar was evidently impressed. But his prejudice made a last rally. +He muttered something about Ned's being a nice boy if he were not +so "airy;" always "fussing about his clothes and talking in a +mincing way--just like a New York boy." + +"Do you remember," said Nora, "how the boys plagued you in New +York, merely because you didn't talk and dress quite as they do? +Didn't you think it mean of them?" + +"Mean as dirt," Oscar said promptly; "and I made 'em sick of it, +too. I guess they won't try it on another Western feller!" + +"But, my dear boy, don't you see you are doing the same thing? You +tease Ned and make him unhappy because he doesn't dress and talk +like the boys you know at home." + +Oscar shrugged his shoulders; then he laughed. "Maybe you're right, +Aunt Nora. Anyhow I didn't mean to be mean and I'm willing to make +up if Ned is!" + +Nora squeezed the little grimy hand so affectionately that he +shrank back lest she should kiss him, "before everybody"--the +erratic and inconsiderate conduct of women in kissing boys was one +of his trials. However, she was more judicious. She went on: "I +knew I could trust you to be just, Oscar. Only you must remember +that Ned isn't impulsive like you; it takes him a long time to get +over things. You have made him unhappy and he may not be ready to +forgive you at a minute's notice. But if you persevere, I am sure +he will understand you and you will be the best friends possible." + +Privately, she resolved to try to soften Edmund's resentment before +Oscar should speak to him. But the unfortunate Oscar did not let a +moment slip. No sooner was his aunt's back turned to speak to an +acquaintance than he darted away "to find Ned." Ned was easily +found. He was lying in his berth so bundled up in a rug that only a +patch of his hair was visible. The poor boy had been crying; but of +course Oscar could not know that. He began in a loud, cheerful +voice that grated on Edmund's nerves. "I say, Ned, s'pose we make +up! we'd have lots more fun being friends; and I'll learn you how +to box and everything." + +No answer. + +"Say, Ned, are you 'sleep?" + +"No, I'm not," came in a fierce, smothered voice from the heap on +the berth, "and I wish you'd leave me alone!" + +"Then you don't want to make up and be friends?" said Oscar, in a +changed voice. + +"No, I don't." + +"All right for you, then!" said Oscar. With which withering sarcasm +and a vast deal of dignity he marched out of the room. "Catch me +trying that again," thought he. + +Nevertheless his pride was soon conquered by his new admiration of +Edmund and his longing for society. In a day or two he brought his +best cap to his cousin, saying with assumed carelessness: "You can +have it, if you want it, for the one I knocked overboard." + +"Thanks," answered Edmund stiffly; "I don't want it; I've plenty of +caps." + +He met all Oscar's rough yet timid advances in the same spirit. He +was always civil, but an iceberg would have been as companionable. +To Nora who remonstrated with him he said: "I can't help it; I +don't like him and I never shall. He's bullied me all the voyage +and now he thinks he has only to ask me and I'll make up. I wish +he'd let me alone!" + +"How unforgiving you are, Ned," said Nora, "don't you ever do wrong +things yourself?" + +"I never do mean things. And it's no use talking; I shall always +despise him." + +She said no more, thinking, "I will leave it to time. They will be +so much together that they will have to like each other to be +comfortable. If only Oscar doesn't lose his temper and take to +tormenting him again!" + +Happily Oscar kept his temper. He had a great notion of fairness +and, once convinced that he had done wrong, he took his punishment +unflinchingly, angry for the moment, sometimes, but bearing no +malice. + +By this time the voyage had ended and they were in Warwickshire, +visiting an English friend of Mrs. Morris. It was while there that +they went one afternoon to drink tea with Lady Margaret Vincent. +Lady Margaret was a Scotchwoman. She had married an Englishman +(long since dead), and for many years had lived in England, but she +travelled far and often, having even been to America, which is +considered a prodigious journey in England. + +Edmund was charmed with Lady Margaret's home. He could not look +enough at the quaint old garden with its formal flower-beds and +primly cut yew-trees, or the wonderful old house, the front of +which had not been changed since Henry and Elizabeth. As they went +through the hall, he gazed in an awe-stricken way at the great +carved staircase and the walls where armor was hanging and +strangely fashioned weapons. He felt as though he were stepping +into the Middle Ages. + +Meanwhile, Oscar, oblivious of the Middle Ages and every other +improving subject, was getting acquainted with the page. Oscar had +seen pages, for the first time, in New York. He pitied them; they +couldn't like it, rigged out in those ridiculous clothes and never +able to laugh or play. Always willing to talk, he did his best to +amuse them. Now he was busy questioning James: Did his high collar +hurt him? Did he have to rub up his buttons to keep them bright? +Did--here his aunt saw him and jerked him away. + +From the hall they passed into a room as odd as delightful. All the +woodwork was of oak, age-darkened to a brown-black, and most +curiously carved. The mantelpiece had high pillars decorated with +ribbons and scrolls and shields and griffin's heads cut out of the +wood; and deep shelves on which were arranged queerly shaped and +colored china vases, teapots and teacups. Oscar thought them ugly, +wondering at the ladies' admiration. Before the doors and windows +hung tapestry curtains in which pictures of hunting scenes were +woven. The stuff was darned in so many places that Oscar quite +pitied Lady Margaret who must have such old curtains; but Mrs. +Morris gave a little scream of delight and cried "Oh!" and "How +priceless!" and something that sounded like "Goblins!" But though +Oscar looked hard at the curtains to find the goblins, he saw none. +Then his eyes strayed over the polished floor and the dull-hued +rugs, over ebony and ivory cabinets and stiff-backed chairs, to be +fixed, finally, by a huge Wardian case. + +There were rocks in the case, coated with moss; ferns and strange +sea-weeds grew on the edge of the water; crabs clung below; lizards +crept above; innumerable slimy things swam about, midway. The case +stood on a long table. Near it, on another box, half a dozen snakes +lay coiled into one indistinguishable mass. Under the table three +monkey-like little creatures were dancing and chattering. A wee +Scotch terrier ran about, sniffing at the guests' clothing. Before +the fire of coals--for the day was chilly for June--was stretched a +great white stag-hound. The room and all the animals made Oscar +think of _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_. + +Lady Margaret was standing close to the staghound. Her tall, large +figure was clad in black satin; her fair old face was framed by +abundant white hair which had a gloss like silver; and her dark +eyes were bright as her diamonds. She greeted them cordially, at +once taking a fancy to Edmund because of his evident delight in +animals. Perhaps she might have thought better of Oscar, had she +not caught him in the act of winking at the page. Very soon she +began to speak of the creatures about her. "Marmosets, my dears," +clutching one of the little chatterers under the table; "they make +a deal of noise, but like most noisy people's talk it doesn't mean +much. This is my aquarium; the sea-horses are most odd, don't you +think? And here," coolly pushing back her sleeve and plunging a +plump, white arm into the water, "this, you know--just a frog! See +how tame! And people call them ugly! That's all they know about it. +Look at his beautiful skin and his honest eye! Isn't he handsome, +now? Here are some lizards, but they are not so interesting; quite +pleasant, you know, but not fascinating, like frogs and snakes. +Yes, my lad, I dare say you will be wanting to see the snakes. Here +they are. They are as tame as they are beautiful." + +"She isn't going to take _them_ out in her hands, is she?" +Mrs. Morris whispered to her English friend. + +"She always does," was the placid answer. "See!" + +Lady Margaret had made a bracelet of a snake and was holding out +her arm. One by one she added the others while Mrs. Morris, having +interposed her friend between her and the spectacle, controlled her +nerves as best she could. "They are quite harmless, quite, I assure +you," said Lady Margaret, making a reassuring gesture with her arm, +on which it happened two snakes were coiled. "Now, look, my lads, +I'll put this one back; he is a well-meaning snake but rather +stupid. _This_ one I'll lay on the table." + +Mrs. Morris rapidly retreated towards the fire, stepping on the +hound's tail by the way, and naturally bringing out a deep growl +which sent her back again. + +Unconscious of her guest's alarm, Lady Margaret continued: "His +name is Marcus Aurelius; I call him that after the great Roman +emperor, because he is so sweet-tempered and intelligent. See what +a humorous expression he has!" (And, in fact, the snake's tiny eyes +and wide mouth had something the look of an ironical grin about +them.) "Look! See him follow me about the table. He knows his +friend--don't you, my pet? Now, Marcus, I'll put up my arm for a +pole; make a monkey of yourself. Climb down, again. Now," tapping +the table, "be a dead snake. Very good. Now, show them what you +think of strangers." She motioned to Oscar; but he edged back +behind Nora, muttering, "No, they are nasty!" + +Then Nora stepped forward. Instantly the snake coiled itself up, +hissing. + +"Now, you," said Lady Margaret to Edmund. + +"He won't be afraid of me," laughed Edmund, stretching forth his +hand; "come, pet!" + +And to Lady Margaret's surprise the snake came, twining about the +boy's wrist as it was used to twine about hers. "Ah, you have my +gift, my dear!" she cried, delighted. + +She put the snake back in the box and excused herself for a moment. +The page brought in the tea-tray. In a moment Lady Margaret +returned and made the tea, Mrs. Morris who had been looking on all +this while in a kind of trance of horror, recovered enough, at +these refreshing signs, to sink into a chair by a low table. She +clutched her sister's arm--Nora sat next to her--and murmured, "Was +there ever such an awful menagerie of a house?" + +"Be quiet," whispered Nora. + +"I can't be quiet! Those dreadful little monkey things are under +the table, nibbling at my ankles, I shall _have_ to scream!" + +"You can't scream. Don't disgrace your country. Lady Margaret will +hear us, I much fear!" + +"She's making tea at the other table. Besides, Mrs. Darrel and Eddy +are talking to her, Nora. Are you sure that big dog is safe? Did +you hear him growl? It was an awfully fierce-sounding growl! And, +Nora, I _think_ one of the snakes is loose. There were six in +the box and I can count only five--yes, Lady Margaret, the tea is +quite right. It is delicious." + +But though, in truth it was delicious, and though equally to be +praised were the thin bread and butter, the Scotch shortbread from +Edinburgh, and the English plum cake, Mrs. Morris never enjoyed a +repast less. She spent her time making little sorties with her feet +at the marmosets, which took it for play and returned to the attack +with new zest; and she whispered to Nora that she was morally sure +the sixth snake was crawling up her chair. + +Nora, herself, was not at ease; nevertheless, her patriotic +politeness conquered; she ate everything, looked at everything, +praised everything. Lady Margaret found her "most agreeable." + +Mrs. Darrel had seen the snakes too often to be disturbed, and +Edmund was in his element. As for Oscar, he fell into sad +disgrace--he kicked the marmosets. Lady Margaret was too kind to +say anything; but Mrs. Morris did the subject justice all the way +home. "At least you might have kicked them, quietly, under the +table," said she; "but no, you do it sideways in full view of +everyone!" + +The next day the party journeyed on towards London. The sun shone +brightly and the weather, which had been so abnormally cold as to +require overcoats, or as the English term them, "top coats," grew +warmer, so that there was nothing to mar enjoyment unless it were +the lack of harmony between the two boys. This still continued. If +there were times when Edmund felt his dislike yielding ever so +slightly to Oscar's good humor and gay spirits, his pride and his +contempt for his cousin stiffened it at once. + +It was two days after their arrival in a quiet town near London +where they were to stay a few days for rest at a picturesque old +inn, that Mrs. Morris received a letter from Mrs. Darrel. She read +it at the breakfast table. Before she was half down the first page +she turned to Nora: "There! Didn't I tell you one of those snakes +was gone? Listen to this: 'Poor Lady Margaret is in such distress +over losing her pet snake, the one she called Marcus Aurelius. She +thinks she didn't replace the cover of the box securely the day you +were there, for she hasn't seen it since. She fears it crawled away +and wandered into the village and was killed. Isn't she a dear old +goose?'" + +"Was it the little trick-snake?" said Oscar. "What a shame!" + +Edmund said nothing; he was sorry for Lady Margaret and he was +sorry for himself. The little Marcus Aurelius had made a deep +impression on him; ever since he had been meditating the bold +venture of writing to Lady Margaret asking her if she would sell or +exchange that snake. + +He kept thinking of the matter all the morning, wondering what had +become of Marcus. In the afternoon, he was to drive with his Aunt +Nora. While he was dressing, Celeste, the maid, brought him his +overcoat. Madame desired him to wear it, as he had a cold. "Very +well," said Edmund, obliging as usual. Approaching to put the coat +on, a little later, he stopped short. Surely the wind didn't cause +that singular flutter in the cloth! Then the flap moved. "Come +out!" cried Edmund. + +As though in response to his invitation a small head erected itself +from the pocket, a small green head with glittering eyes, a head +which had an indescribably droll and Waggish air--the head, in +short, of the lost Marcus Aurelius. The intelligent reptile +immediately crawled out. He wound himself about the hand Edmund +held to him, curled under the boy's sleeve, nestled under his +sleeve with manifest pleasure at renewing the acquaintance. + +It was plain enough to Edmund how it had happened. The intelligent +Marcus crawling into the hall had spied the pocket of Edmund's coat +and coolly entered. Once there, he had gone to sleep and the +unsuspecting Celeste had rolled the coat up in a strap not to undo +it until now. "So here you are, you beauty," said Edmund, "and I'll +take good care of you while you are mine; I only wish you could be +mine forever!" + +There was a candy-box on the table with a glass cover. Of this he +hastily made a prison, then sallied out to find his captive some +mice. They were not the easiest thing in the world to get, +requiring considerable seeking and talking. He did not venture to +tell why he wanted mice; and he overheard the housekeeper grumble: +"Most extraordinary boys, those Americans! Do you expect he wants +to _cat_ them?" + +By this time Nora was ready; he had hardly replaced the snake in +the box before he heard her knock at the door. It was a charming +day and drive, yet I fear he saw little of the scenery. Alas, that +it must be confessed, a wicked thought had crept into his brain. He +coveted Lady Margaret's snake. He coveted it so ardently that he +began to imagine how easy it would be for him to keep it. There was +a man in London who sold snakes. Edmund had been up buying some +snakes from him which the man was to keep until he should want +them. What more easy than to send Marcus Aurelius to this saurian +boarding-house? Ah, what an ugly temptation for Edmund who had been +called a good boy from his cradle. He would have no more of it. But +it came back again and finally, when he reached the inn, he had +almost decided to keep the snake. "Anyhow I'll take it to Tomlin's" +(Tomlin was the snake man), he said to himself; "there's no hurry." +Yet in his secret soul he knew that once taken to Tomlin's, Marcus +Aurelius would never return to Lady Margaret. Thus thinking, he +went toward the box. The snake was gone! Yes, gone, vanished +absolutely, leaving no trace either in the box or in the room. +Vainly and long Edmund searched; either the cover had not fitted +exactly, or Marcus, the intelligent Marcus, had managed to remove +it; in either case he had evidently set off anew on his travels. +Edmund began to feel he had been a wicked boy. He stood in the +centre of the room, trying to collect his wits. Oscar's room +adjoined his; he could hear Oscar moving about, whistling out of +tune. Should he go in and search there? Standing irresolute, he +heard a loud cry from his cousin. "Sloped! gone!" Then followed a +muffled sound which Edmund rightly interpreted to be Oscar poking +under the bed with an umbrella; and, then, came a thundering rap on +the door. "Say, Ned," called Oscar, entering immediately, "I'm in +an awful scrape! Your snake's gone!" + +"My snake," repeated Edmund, feebly. + +"Yes; the one you bought to-day. I saw it in the glass box on your +table." + +Edmund remembered that he had left the box in full view when he +went for mice. His face grew red. "Did you let it out?" said he. + +"Of course I didn't," Oscar answered. "Did you think I'd do such a +thing? I opened the door to speak to you and I saw it on the table +and I remembered you'd been talking of buying some snakes, so I +knew it was yours. I didn't go into the room at all, but this +afternoon when I came into my own room, Ned, its little green head +was sticking out of my overcoat pocket--ugh! I pretty near put my +hand on it! I'd have called you, but you'd gone, and it wasn't any +use calling Aunt Nellie--she'd just jump on the bed and scream; so +I didn't know what to do, for I can't handle those things like you, +Ned, so I pushed its head down with my tooth brush and pinned up +the pocket with my scarf pin. Then I waited a while for you, and I +thought it had gone into a torpid condition like you read of, and +Jack Dale came for me to go to see a Punch-and-Judy and when I got +back the little deceitful beggar had cleared out! I'm awful sorry, +Ned." + +Edmund from red, had turned pale; he did not lift his eyes from the +floor; he was feeling more ashamed of himself than he had ever +thought to feel in his life. Poor blundering Oscar whom he had +despised had conquered his horror of snakes to do a service to a +boy who had never given him a pleasant word; while he--_he_ +had tried to steal Lady Margaret's pet! Now Oscar was avowing his +carelessness without a thought of concealment, while he could not +summon courage to tell the truth. + +"It may be in the rooms somewhere," he managed to say finally; "and +never mind, Oscar, you did your best to keep him." + +"I'm awful sorry, I am, for a fact," said Oscar; "but of course +it's my fault. You're good not to row me, Ned!" + +"Don't!" said Edmund quickly. + +"Why"--began Oscar; but his words were drowned by a tumult that +suddenly arose outside; shrieks, voices, a great trampling of feet. + +"They've found Marcus! They're killing him!" cried Oscar. + +Both boys flew out of the room. "Don't kill him!" called Edmund. + +"He is our snake!" shouted Oscar. + +People opened doors in all directions as the boys raced past. One +timid woman put her head out of her window, screaming, "Police!" +until quite a small army of blue-coated fellows had assembled. +Another of bolder stamp thought the hotel was on fire and rushed to +the rescue with her water jug. + +"Don't kill him!" Oscar and Edmund kept crying, a cry not +calculated to reassure the nervous. Down the hall dashed the boys. +At the far end an agitated group, variously armed with canes, +brooms and umbrellas, was gathered about a fainting chambermaid +supported in the arms of a waiter and fanned by another chambermaid +with a brush broom. Just behind her stood the head waiter in his +immaculate dress suit, disgust painted on his countenance and a +dustpan held aloft in his hand. + +Something very like a groan burst from Edmund's lips; for, there, +on the dustpan, his gleaming length trailing limply over the edges, +bruised, battered, crushed, lay poor little dead Marcus Aurelius. +Thus tragically had all his travels ended. + +"It's our snake!" cried Oscar, making a spring and snatching the +dustpan from the man's hand. Without another word he darted off at +full speed. He did not hear the head waiter's dignified reproof: +"Young gentlemen as keeps snakes for pets better keep 'em safe +'ome, in _my_ opinion;" or one of the women's speeches: "I +expect he have got a baby tiger hid somewhere; them American +children will do anythink!" + +But Edmund heard. Too dejected to retort, he crawled back to his +room. This was the end of it, then. The poor pet must die because +of his wicked wishes. He knew only too well that it was his haste +to hide the snake lest his aunt should see it, that had displaced +the cover. Had he spoken up like an honest boy he could have taken +time to be careful and poor Marcus would still be rejoicing in the +sun. He did not dare to lift his eyes as he entered the room; he +was afraid to look again on that pitiful spectacle of his making. +Oscar had laid a newspaper on the bed and placed the dustpan on it +and now was looking mournfully down at Marcus. "'Tain't no use," he +muttered, "head's smashed. It's an awful shame! Don't see how it +got out of the room--I shut the door tight. Wish I'd locked it! +Guess Aunt Nellie'll be vexed when she finds I've lost Ned's snake. +Well, she's vexed about something most of the time, so it can't be +helped!" Then, for the first time seeing Edmund's miserable face, +he tried to comfort him. "It's lucky you didn't have him long, Ned, +so you hadn't got fond of him. And I'll buy you another"-- + +Edmund lifted his head. Though Oscar did not guess it, in those last +few moments he had fought; a bitter fight with himself. He +interrupted his cousin: "The snake isn't mine. I didn't buy it. +It's Lady Margaret Vincent's." He went on to tell of his finding +the snake. + +"Whew!" whistled Oscar. "You're bright to guess all that; probably +'tis hers. And you didn't tell Aunt Nora or Aunt Nellie?" + +"They'll know fast enough now," replied Edmund gloomily, "after all +this racket--they're running about yet!" + +"Well, we'd had to told them anyhow," said candid Oscar, "and I +guess I'll catch it. It's truly my fault. _You_ didn't do +nothing. But I ought to have staid and watched and--I declare I'd +forgotten it till this very minute--aunt Nellie told me I mustn't +run out in the streets, ever, without Celeste; she tells me so many +things I can't keep track of all. And there's Lady Margaret too"-- + +"M-must we tell her?" stammered Edmund. + +"Why, it's her snake," said Oscar, opening his honest eyes; "how +can we help it?" + +"I suppose we _can't_ help it," said Edmund. + +"But we might telegraph," said Oscar; "it's a heap easier than +writing and you can get lots of words for a shilling." + +"No, we'll have to write," said Edmund; "I'll do it." + +But Oscar shook his head. "No, Ned, that ain't fair. I'm the most +to blame and I ought to do it. Besides _you_ wouldn't say it +was my fault." + +Then the last barrier of Edmund's pride broke down. "Don't," +he cried again. "I tell you it's I'm to blame, not you. And-- +and--Oscar, I've been very mean to you all along"-- + +"No, you haven't," said Oscar promptly; "it was me bullying you +in the first place made all the trouble. Aunt Nora told me maybe you +wouldn't be friends for a while, and she told me all about the mad +dog and I thought you were a pretty nice boy and I wished you would +like me, but you wouldn't, so I pretended I didn't care. But I did. +It's lonesome travelling around with a feller that's mad with you +all the time." + +Edmund swallowed a little lump in his throat. "If you'll make up +with me, now, I'll never be mad with you again," said he, holding +out his hand. + +Oscar clasped it across the bed over the mangled remains of the +too-adventurous Marcus Aurelius, whose adventures, thus, were not +quite in vain. + +Edmund kept his word. Indeed, he was surprised to find how easy it +was to like Oscar; and Nora's prediction was fulfilled. The two +boys were very happy in Europe; but Edmund never forgot Marcus. He +told the truth to Nora and she persuaded Mrs. Morris to deal gently +with Oscar. He went to the races, after all. Previously Edmund had +written the whole story to Lady Margaret in a letter which she read +with smiles and tears. The postscript was by Oscar. It ran as +follows: + + + DEER LADY MARGARET:-- + + Ned wont let me see his letter but I'm sure he + took all the blame on himself becaws he always dose + but it was me too blame and not him becaws I + pined the snake in my coat pocket becaws I was + affraid to handel it and ran off too the punch + and gudy show and it got out and the head water + killed it I didn't give him any tip when he went + away I'm very sorry and I'm sorry I kicked the + mormossits but they bit my legs No more at pressent + from your obedient servent too comand. + + OSCAR T. W----. + +It only remains to say that Marcus Aurelius is back home, at Lady +Margaret's; but she never makes a bracelet of him, now; most +ingeniously mended and stuffed, he abides perpetually in a glass +case; and she describes his perfections and his lamentable end with +tears in her eyes. + + + +ANNA AND THE RATTLER + +By Mrs. Cornell + +A voice rose wrathfully in the back yard, "Wee-lie! What iss this? +You fell in the pig trough? Come here, that I beat you! Come here, +I say!" + +Willie did not accept the invitation. A shrill whimpering was his +sole response. Twelve-year-old Anna stepped to the kitchen door, +peering round the sash. "Pa's scolding Willie," she announced to +her mother. + +The storm continued to rage in the back yard. + +"Shust look at your clothes! Go now! To the creek wit' you! Come +_not_ in the house until you are cleaned. Ach!" + +Ex-Sea-Captain Schulz, now prune-grower in the mountain boundary +west of Santa Clara Valley, turned in at the kitchen door. + +"I don't know what to do wit' the boy. Go, mine Anna, get the lad a +clean shirt, and take it down to the creek." + +On Anna's return from the bathing pool she said softly to her +mother, "Willie isn't at the creek. Perhaps he has run off." + +"O child, don't bother me about Willie! He'll run back again fast +enough, he's that scared of the mountains and the trees." + +Anna was conscious of an undercurrent of sympathy with the forlorn +waif her father had brought from the city some months before. The +very love and awe with which the mountains filled her imaginative +soul gave her comprehension of the fear with which they imbued the +dull-witted offspring of San Francisco gutters. + +Willie did not return all that long, August day. The captain and +his American wife spread and dipped prunes busily on the hot south +slope. The box-laden wagon rolled by at intervals. Household duties +went helter-skelter under Anna's management. At six o'clock Mrs. +Schulz, hot and tired, wakened her lazy little daughter, +outstretched beneath the hollyhocks and poppies in the small front +garden. + +"For gracious sake, Anna! Hurry! You've not done the dinner +dishes!" + +"Have the cows come?" Anna asked, resourcefully. + +"Land! If I hadn't forgotten about Willie! Come--hurry! You'll have +to go for the cows. I'll wash the dishes." + +Anna felt quite in the mood to go for the cows. It meant an hour or +so of patting barefooted and bare headed along the soft dust of the +road, or over the slippery brown grass of the mountain pastures, +with tall pines on every hand and a gold-blue sky above. + +She mused about the missing Willie. Had he carried out his +occasional threat to run away? + +"The road is open, go when you like," was her father's one reply to +such futile outbursts. But they well knew the road was not open to +Willie. The six mountain miles intervening between their ranch and +the station formed an impassable barrier to his timorous soul. + +"I guess he's afraid of the bigness of things," Anna concluded. +"And he's got no call to run away. Papa threatens him, but he's +never laid hand on him yet. I s'pose it's on account of the bath he +ran away." + +There was no Willie at the bathing-pool. The checked gingham shirt +fluttered lonesomely where she had that morning placed it. + +Some minutes later, shuffling deliciously among the dappled leaves +of a hill trail, she sprang aside in quick dismay. + +"Goodness!" What had seemed to be a bunch of dry leaves and grass +coiled swiftly, with the rattling whir that goes straight to the +fear center of the human heart. In a flash Anna's hands were full +of rocks. The first article in every California mountain child's +education is to destroy every rattlesnake that comes in sight. Anna +dodged the first strike of the snake, and before he could get +nearer she began a fusillade of such efficiency that the reptile +enemy sought retreat. + +Then Anna was privileged to witness a strange thing--a very strange +thing; so unusual, in fact, that when reported to the head of the +zoological department of the State university that conservative +gentleman would have given the story little credence had it not +been for the unimpeachable authority of a celebrated naturalist, +who had reported it as occasionally occurring among the large, +much-to-be-dreaded species of the Eastern States--the _Crotalus +horrible_, or banded rattler. + +To Anna's unutterable surprise, the snake turned for refuge to a +near-by oak-tree. Perhaps he came against it unintentionally, as +the rattlesnake sees badly by daylight. At any rate, he reared his +head against it much as he would have done in ascending the side of +a sunny boulder in the early days of his chilled awakening from his +winter sleep. + +He writhed spirally but slowly up its rough trunk, which seemed +from eighteen to twenty inches in circumference. When the rocks +ceased flying he would halt, evidently not half-liking his task, to +wave his bluntly triangular head in the direction where the moving +shadow indicated to his blurred vision the position of his enemy. +But on the resumption of active hostilities, he would begin again +his painful ascent. + +"Ow-w-w-ch!" sounded a howl from above. + +Looking up at the cry, Anna discerned among the clustering leaves +of the black oak a huddled figure, with raccoon-like eyes, peering +down at the mounting snake, to escape from which he had, in fact, +climbed the tree. + +"Willie," she shouted, "jump! The snake's coming! Jump!" + +"Ow-w-w-ch!" he continued to wail. + +The snake stopped, confused, craning its head upward at the new +complication, then downward at its known adversary. Its hesitation +would make Willie's escape practicable, if he could conquer his +crazy fear. + +"Willie, break off a limb--beat it back! I can run!" + +The snake undulated a few inches farther. The reiterated cry was +Willie's only response. Anna's quick eye saw another chance. + +"There's that big limb on the redwood. You can reach it. Swing +across. It's easy. You must!" stamping. "O Willie, do it! Do it!" + +Her sailor father had often reproved Anna for her delight in +climbing and swinging from tree to tree, by means of her long arms +and practised hands. + +"It iss not goodt for you to be a monkey, mine Anna," he would say. +"Little girls need nefer to go to the masthead. Thou hast no call +to be a sailor. Be only a brave _kindchen_, and help our goodt +mother wit' the dishes." + +His admonition would dissolve in an unrestrained roar of laughter +as she wickedly "shinned" up the porch post to a coign of vantage +on the vine-covered roof. + +But she could not climb the tree where the snake still clung. There +was the neighboring redwood, huge-girthed, smooth-boled, with limbs +out of reach, yet with the lowest bough almost touching the limb on +which Willie crouched, mechanically clutching the body of the tree, +but dumb and stupefied with the horror of his situation. + +Anna hurriedly piled large rocks under a thick, broken branch-stump +of the redwood, which was at least eight feet from the ground. Four +times she leaped upward and fell back, wounding her tough little +feet. She noticed blood-stains on the rocks as she heaped them with +a broader base for her fifth attempt. The snake rested, waving his +head downward as if in query. Fortunately, he was full and +sluggish. + +Once more Anna crouched and shot upward. Her right hand caught the +projecting stump, her left easily followed. Clasping the decreasing +trunk of the tree with her slim, muscular legs, hanging also by her +hands, she dropped her head backward to take observation. The snake +hung out, also, toward her, from his tree, then resumed his +deliberate climbing. Evidently the task was neither easy nor to his +liking. + +Anna hitched breathlessly up toward the coveted limb. Reaching it, +she took out her jack-knife,--inseparable companion,--scientifically +cut a wedge from a short limb above her, and broke off the weakened +branch. Recovering her balance, she reached out with this flexible +club, but could not touch the snake, now roused to accelerated +activity. + +Holding her weapon between her teeth, Anna worked her way nearly to +the end of her tough support. Throwing out her right hand, she was +able to catch the big limb, at the base of which Willie, almost +insensible, still huddled. Then she swung, pendulum-like, by her +hands, increasing her momentum. At the right moment she released +the redwood bough and flung her light body full upon the young oak. +Grasping the limb with both hands, she hauled herself up beside the +terrified boy. + +The snake, shaken by the tumult above, wavered and stopped. As a +rule, a rattlesnake, conscious of his defense, makes a good fight; +but here the conditions were unusual and confusing. On level +ground, where he could have coiled, and where his sensitive under +surface could have slid comfortably over smooth earth, he would not +have shirked combat when cornered. Now, with his enemy mysteriously +above, his one idea seemed to be escape. + +Willie jabbered an idiotic welcome. + +"He can't strike until he gets clear here," Anna reassured him. "He +can't coil." + +Her rapid blows still further dismayed her antagonist. He bit +viciously at the stick, touching it more than once; for the +rattler's strike is deadly swift, despite his languid locomotion. + +At last Anna, settling herself firmly on the limb, raised her club +with both hands and delivered a slashing blow on the neck of her +foe, breaking, as they afterward found, his vertebral column. + +The darting head hung limp; a progressive loosening ran through the +mottled coils; there was a slight rasping sound, a thud, and then a +whitish heap on the ground, which Anna cleared when, swinging down +by her hands to a safe distance, she leaped lightly to the ground. + +Willie followed, dazed and fearful. He helped round up the cows, +casting furtive glances ahead and on each side at every footstep. +Before entering the house, he slunk, although still agonized with +fear, through the golden twilight to the abhorred bathing-pool and +the languidly fluttering cross-bars of the repudiated gingham +shirt. + +But Anna, too ill for supper, crept into her father's arms, where +he sat on the vine-darkened veranda, and fell asleep on his +shoulder. + +"Ach, mine Anna," the captain said, tenderly, "it iss sometimes +goodt for little girls to make themselves to be sailors!" + + + +THE BUTTERFLY'S CHILDREN + +By Mrs. Alfred Gatty + +"Let me hire you as a nurse for my poor children," said a Butterfly +to a quiet Caterpillar, who was strolling along a cabbage-leaf in +her odd lumbering way. "See these little eggs," continued the +Butterfly; "I don't know how long it will be before they come to +life, and I feel very sick and poorly, and if I should die, who +will take care of my baby Butterflies when I am gone? Will +_you_, kind, mild, green Caterpillar? But you must mind what +you give them to eat, Caterpillar!--they cannot, of course, live on +_your_ rough food. You must give them early dew, and honey +from the flowers, and you must let them fly about only a little way +at first; for, of course, one can't expect them to use their wings +properly all at once. Dear me! it is a sad pity you cannot fly +yourself. But I have no time to look for another nurse now, so you +will do your best, I hope. Dear! dear! I cannot think what made me +come and lay my eggs on a cabbage-leaf! What a place for young +Butterflies to be born upon! Still you will be kind, will you not, +to the poor little ones? Here, take this gold-dust from my wings as +a reward. Oh, how dizzy I am! Caterpillar! you will remember about +the food--" + +And with these words the Butterfly drooped her wings and died; and +the green Caterpillar, who had not had the opportunity of even +saying Yes or No to the request, was left standing alone by the +side of the Butterfly's eggs. + +"A pretty nurse she has chosen, indeed, poor lady!" exclaimed she, +"and a pretty business I have in hand! Why, her senses must have +left her or she never would have asked a poor crawling creature +like me to bring up her dainty little ones! Much they'll mind me, +truly, when they feel the gay wings on their backs, and can fly +away out of my sight whenever they choose!" + +However, there lay the eggs on the cabbage-leaf; and the green +Caterpillar had a kind heart, so she resolved to do her best. But +she got no sleep that night, she was so very anxious. She made her +back quite ache with walking all night round her young charges, for +fear any harm should happen to them; and in the morning says she to +herself-- + +"Two heads are better than one. I will consult some wise animal +upon the matter, and get advice. How should a poor crawling creature +like me know what to do without asking my betters?" + +But still there was a difficulty--whom should the Caterpillar +consult? There was the shaggy Dog who sometimes came into the +garden. But he was so rough!--he would most likely whisk all the +eggs off the cabbage-leaf with one brush of his tail. There was the +Tom Cat, to be sure, who would sometimes sit at the foot of the +apple-tree, basking himself and warming his fur in the sunshine; +but he was so selfish and indifferent! "I wonder which is the +wisest of all the animals I know," sighed the Caterpillar, in great +distress; and then she thought, and thought, till at last she +thought of the Lark; and she fancied that because he went up so +high, and nobody knew where he went to, he must be very clever, and +know a great deal, for to go up very high (which _she_ could +never do), was the Caterpillar's idea of perfect glory. + +Now in the neighbouring corn-field their lived a Lark, and the +Caterpillar sent a message to him, to beg him to come and talk to +her, and when he came she told him all her difficulties, and asked +him what she was to do to feed and rear the little creatures so +different from herself. + +"Perhaps you will be able to inquire and hear something about it +next time you go up high," observed the Caterpillar, timidly. + +The Lark said, "Perhaps he should;" but he did not satisfy her +curiosity any further. Soon afterwards, however, he went singing +upwards into the bright, blue sky. By degrees his voice died away +in the distance, till the green Caterpillar could not hear a sound. +So she resumed her walk round the Butterfly's eggs, nibbling a bit +of the cabbage-leaf now and then as she moved along. + +"What a time the Lark has been gone!" she cried, at last. "I wonder +where he is just now! I would give all my legs to know!" And the +green Caterpillar took another turn round the Butterfly's eggs. + +At last the Lark's voice began to be heard again. The Caterpillar +almost jumped for joy, and it was not long before she saw her +friend descend with hushed note to the cabbage bed. + +"News, news, glorious news, friend Caterpillar!" sang the Lark; +"but the worst of it is, you won't believe me!" + +"I believe everything I am told," observed the Caterpillar, +hastily. + +"Well, then, first of all, I will tell you what these little +creatures are to eat. What do you think it is to be? Guess!" + +"Dew, and the honey out of flowers, I am afraid," sighed the +Caterpillar. + +"No such thing, old lady! Something simpler than that. Something +that _you_ can get at quite easily." + +"I can get at nothing quite easily but cabbage-leaves," murmured +the Caterpillar, in distress. + +"Excellent! my good friend," cried the Lark, exultingly; "you have +found it out. You are to feed them with cabbage-leaves." + +_"Never!"_ said the Caterpillar, indignantly. "It was their +dying mother's last request that I should do no such thing." + +"Their dying mother knew nothing about the matter," persisted the +lark; "but why do you ask me, and then disbelieve what I say? You +have neither faith nor trust." + +"Oh, I believe everything I am told," said the Caterpillar. + +"Nay, but you do not," replied the Lark; "you won't believe me even +about the food, and yet that is but a beginning of what I have to +tell you. Why, Caterpillar, what do you think those little eggs +will turn out to be?" + +"Butterflies, to be sure," said the Caterpillar. + +"_Caterpillars!_" sang the Lark; "and you'll find it out in +time;" and the Lark flew away, for he did not want to stay and +contest the point with his friend. + +"I thought the Lark had been wise and kind," observed the mild +green Caterpillar, once more beginning to walk around the eggs, +"but I find that he is foolish and saucy instead. Perhaps he went +up _too_ high this time. I still wonder whom he sees, and what +he does up yonder." + +"I would tell you if you would believe me," sang the Lark, +descending once more. + +"I believe everything I am told," reiterated the Caterpillar, with +as grave a face as if it were a fact. + +"Then I'll tell you something else," cried the Lark; "for the best +of my news remains behind. _You will one day be a Butterfly +yourself_." + +"Wretched bird!" exclaimed the Caterpillar, "you jest with my +inferiority--now you are cruel as well as foolish. Go away! I will +ask your advice no more." + +"I told you you would not believe me!" cried the Lark, nettled in +his turn. + +"I believe everything that I am told" persisted the Caterpillar; +"that is"--and she hesitated--"everything that it is _reasonable_ +to believe. But to tell me that Butterflies' eggs are Caterpillars, +and that Caterpillars leave off crawling and get wings, and become +Butterflies!--Lark! you are too wise to believe such nonsense +yourself, for you know it is impossible." + +"I know no such thing," said the Lark, warmly. "Whether I hover +over the corn-fields of earth, or go up into the depths of the sky, +I see so many wonderful things, I know no reason why there should +not be more. Oh, Caterpillar! it is because you crawl, because you +never get beyond your cabbage-leaf, that you call _any_ thing +_impossible_." + +"Nonsense!" shouted the Caterpillar, "I know what's possible, and +what's not possible, according to my experience and capacity, as +well as you do. Look at my long green body and these endless legs, +and then talk to me about having wings and a painted feathery coat! +Fool!--" + +"And fool you!" cried the indignant Lark. "Fool, to attempt to +reason about what you cannot understand! Do you not hear how my +song swells with rejoicing as I soar upwards to the mysterious +wonder-world above? Oh, Caterpillar; what comes to you from thence, +receive, as _I_ do, upon trust." + +"That is what you call--" + +"_Faith_," interrupted the Lark. + +"How am I to learn Faith?" asked the Caterpillar. + +At that moment she felt something at her side. She looked +round--eight or ten little green Caterpillars were moving about, +and had already made a show of a hole in the cabbage-leaf. They had +broken from the Butterfly's eggs! + +Shame and amazement filled our green friend's heart, but joy soon +followed; for, as the first wonder was possible, the second might +be so too. "Teach me your lesson, Lark!" she would say; and the +Lark sang to her of the wonders of the earth below and of the +heaven above. And the Caterpillar talked all the rest of her life +to her relations of the time when she should be a Butterfly. + +But none of them believed her. She nevertheless had learnt the +Lark's lesson of faith, and when she was going into her chrysalis +grave, she said-- + +"I shall be a Butterfly some day!" + +But her relations thought her head was wandering, and they said, +"Poor thing!" + +And when she was a Butterfly, and was going to die again, she +said-- + +"I have known many wonders--I have faith--I can trust even now +for what shall come next!" + + + +THE DRAGON-FLY AND THE WATER-LILY + +By Carl Ewald + +In among the green bushes and trees ran the brook. Tall, +straight-growing rushes stood along its banks, and whispered to the +wind. Out in the middle of the water floated the Water-Lily, with +its white flower and its broad green leaves. + +Generally it was quite calm on the brook. But when, now and again, +it chanced that the wind took a little turn over it, there was a +rustle in the rushes, and the Water-Lily sometimes ducked +completely under the waves. Then its leaves were lifted up in the +air and stood on their edges, so that the thick green stalks that +came up from the very bottom of the stream found that it was all +they could do to hold fast. + +All day long the Larva of the Dragon-Fly was crawling up and down +the Water-Lily's stalk. "Dear me, how stupid it must be to be a +Water-Lily!" it said, and peeped up at the flower. + +"You chatter as a person of your small mind might be expected to +do," answered the Water-Lily. "It is just the very nicest thing +there is." + +"I don't understand that," said the Larva. "I should like at this +moment to tear myself away, and fly about in the air like the big, +beautiful Dragon-Flies." + +"Pooh!" said the Water-Lily. "That would be a funny kind of +pleasure. No; to lie still on the water and dream, to bask in +the sun, and now and then to be rocked up and down by the +waves--there's some sense in _that_!" + +The Larva sat thinking for a minute or two. "I have a longing for +something greater," it said at last. "If I had my will, I would be +a Dragon-Fly. I would fly on strong, stiff wings along the stream, +kiss your white flower, rest a moment on your leaves, and then fly +on." + +"You are ambitious," answered the Water-Lily, "and that is stupid +of you. One knows what one has, but one does not know what one may +get. May I, by the way, make so bold as to ask you how you would +set about becoming a Dragon-Fly? You don't look as if that was what +you were born for. In any case you will have to grow a little +prettier, you gray, ugly thing," + +"Yes, that is the worst part of it," the Larva answered sadly. "I +don't know myself how it will come about, but I hope it _will_ +come about some time or other. That is why I crawl about down here +and eat all the little creatures I can get hold of." + +"Then you think you can attain to something great _by feeding! +_" the Water-Lily said, with a laugh. "That would be a funny way +of getting up in the world." + +"Yes; but I believe it is the right way for me!" cried the +Dragon-Fly Grub earnestly. "All day long I go on eating till I get +fat and big; and one fine day, as I think, all my fat will turn +into wings with gold on them, and everything else that belongs to a +proper Dragon-Fly!" + +The Water-Lily shook its clever white head, "Put away your silly +thoughts," it said, "and be content with your lot. You can knock +about undisturbed down here among my leaves, and crawl up and down +the stalk to your heart's desire. You have everything that you +need, and no cares or worries--what more do you want?" + +"You are of a low nature," answered the Larva, "and therefore you +have no sense of higher things. In spite of what you say, I wish to +become a Dragon Fly." And then it crawled right down to the bottom +of the water to catch more creatures and stuff itself still bigger. + +But the Water-Lily lay quietly on the water and thought things +over. "I can't understand these animals," it said to itself. "They +knock about from morning till night, chase one another and eat one +another, and are never at peace. We flowers have more sense. +Peacefully and quietly we grow up side by side, bask in the +sunshine, and drink the rain, and take everything as it comes. And +I am the luckiest of them all. Many a time have I been floating +happily out here on the water, while the other flowers there on dry +land were tormented with drought. The flowers' lot is the best; but +naturally the stupid animals can't see it." + +When the sun went down the Dragon-Fly Larva was sitting on the +stalk, saying nothing, with its legs drawn up under it. It had +eaten ever so many little creatures, and was so big that it had a +feeling as if it would burst. But all the same it was not +altogether happy. It was speculating on what the Water-Lily had +said, and it could hardly get to sleep the whole night long on +account of its unquiet thoughts. All this speculating gave it a +headache, for it was work which it was not used to. It had a +back-ache too, and a stomach-ache. It felt just as though it was +going to break in pieces, and die on the spot. + +When the sky began to grow gray in the early morning it could hold +out no longer. "I can't make it out," it said in despair. "I am +tormented and worried, and I don't know what will be the end of it. +Perhaps the Water-Lily is right, and I shall never be anything else +but a poor, miserable Larva. But that is a fearful thing to think +of. I did so long to become a Dragon-Fly and fly about in the sun. +Oh, my back! my back! I do believe I am dying!" + +It had a feeling as if its back was splitting, and it shrieked with +pain. At that moment there was a rustle among the rushes on the +bank of the stream. + +"That's the morning breeze," thought the Larva; "I shall at least +see the sun when I die." And with great trouble it crawled up one +of the leaves of the Water-Lily, stretched out its legs, and made +ready to die. + +But when the sun rose, like a red ball, in the east, suddenly it +felt a hole in the middle of its back. It had a creepy, tickling +feeling, and then a feeling of tightness and oppression. Oh, it was +torture without end! Being bewildered, it closed its eyes; but it +still felt as though it were being squeezed and crushed. At last it +suddenly noticed that it was free; and when it opened its eyes it +was floating through the air on stiff, shining wings, a beautiful +Dragon-Fly. Down on the leaf of the Water-Lily lay its ugly gray +Larva case. + +"Hurrah!" cried the new Dragon-Fly. "So I have got my darling wish +fulfilled!" and it started off at once through the air at such a +rate that you would think it had to fly to the ends of the earth. + +"The creature has got its desire at any rate," thought the +Water-Lily. "Let us see if it will be any the happier for it." + +Two days later the Dragon-Fly came flying back, and seated itself +on the flower of the Water-Lily. + +"Oh, good-morning," said the Water-Lily. "Do I see you once more? I +thought you had grown too fine to greet your old friends." + +"Good-day," said the Dragon-Fly. "Where shall I lay my eggs?" + +"Oh, you are sure to find some place," answered the flower. "Sit +down for a bit, and tell me if you are any happier now than when +you were crawling up and down my stalk, a little ugly Larva." + +"Where shall I lay my eggs? Where shall I lay my eggs?" screamed +the Dragon-Fly, and flew humming around from place to place, laid +one here and one there, and finally seated itself, tired and weary, +on one of the leaves. + +"Well?" said the Water-Lily. + +"Oh, it was better in the old days--much better," sighed the +Dragon-Fly. "The sunshine is really delightful, and it is a real +pleasure to fly over the water; but I have no time to enjoy it. I +have been so terribly busy, I tell you. In the old days I had +nothing to think about; now I have to fly about all day long to get +my silly eggs disposed of. I haven't a moment free. I have scarcely +time to eat." + +"Didn't I tell you so?" cried the Water-Lily in triumph. "Didn't I +prophesy that your happiness would be hollow?" + +"Good-bye," sighed the Dragon-Fly. "I have not time to listen to +your disagreeable remarks. I must lay some more eggs." But just as +it was about to fly off the Starling came. + +"What a pretty little Dragon-Fly!" it said; "it will be a +delightful tit-bit for my little ones." + +Snap! it killed the Dragon-Fly with its bill, and flew off with it. + +"What a shocking thing!" cried the Water-Lily, as its leaves shook +with terror. "Those animals! those animals! They are funny +creatures. I do indeed value my quiet, peaceful life. I harm +nobody, and nobody wants to pick a quarrel with me. I am very +luck--" + +It did not finish what it was saying, for at that instant a boat +came gliding close by. "What a pretty little Water-Lily!" cried +Ellen, who sat in the boat. "I will have it!" She leant over the +gunwale and wrenched off the flower. When she had got home she put +it in a glass of water, and there it stood for three days among a +whole company of other flowers. + +"I can't make it out," it said on the morning of the fourth day. "I +have not come off a bit better than that miserable Dragon-Fly." + +"The flowers are now withered," said Ellen, and she threw them out +of the window. + +So there lay the Water-Lily with its fine white petals on the dirty +ground. + + + +POWDER-POST + +By C. A. Stephens + +There is a tiny borer which eats seasoned oak wood, boring +thousands of minute holes through it till it becomes a mere shell, +and turning out a fine white powder known among country folk as +"powder-post." When a shovel or a pitchfork-handle snaps suddenly, +or an axe-helve or a rake's tail breaks off under no great strain, +the farmer says, "'Twas powder-post." + +If this small pest obtains lodgment in a barn, or in the oak finish +or furniture of a house, it is likely to do a vexatious amount of +damage, and no practicable method of checking its ravages has been +found. Varnishes do not exclude it. Boiling will kill the borer, +but furniture and wainscotings are not easily boiled. + +From the frames of old buildings, when of oak, powder-post will +sometimes run in streams when a beam or brace is struck. + +But everything has its virtues, if only they can be found out; and +long ago, in New England, some rustic AEsculapius discovered that +powder-post was a sovereign balm for all flesh-wounds, causing them +to heal rapidly, without "proud flesh." And if proud flesh +appeared, the wound would still heal if it were opened and dressed +with powder-post. + +What modern medical science would predicate concerning this +panacea, I know not, but thousands of cuts in rural districts +treated with powder-post did very well, and faith in it waxed +strong. So when Sam Eastman cut his foot over in the "east woods," +all the wiseacres in the neighborhood declared that that foot must +be done up in powder-post. "If it isn't," they said, "proud flesh +will get into it, and that boy will be lame all winter." + +It was a bad cut. Sam and Willis Murch had been splitting four-foot +logs, when Sam's axe, glancing from a log, had buried the blade in +his instep; the very bones were cut. There were four of us boys at +work together. We ran to him, tied a handkerchief round his ankle, +and twisted it tight with a stick; but blood flowed profusely. We +did not know how to apply a tourniquet. + +When at last we had helped Sam home, night was at hand; and +although we went to all the neighbors, we could not collect enough +powder-post to dress the cut. Several people said, however, that +plenty of it could be obtained at the old Plancher barn, for the +braces of that barn had been made of cleft red oak, and were "all +powder-posted." But the Plancher barn was four miles distant, in +the clearing in the "great woods." A settler bearing the name had +cleared a farm there forty years before, and had lived there for +over twenty years. Ill fortune beset him, however. His children +died, his house burned on a winter night, and he moved away in +discouragement, abandoning the property. + +The clearing was known to all the boys of the locality as a +favorite haunt of foxes. + +The next morning Sam's younger brother, John, Willis Murch and I +went up to the old barn to get powder-post. John had a small axe +with which to split the timbers, four old newspapers in which to +gather up the precious dust, and a bottle in which to put it. + +It was Thanksgiving morning. The sun rose in a clear, straw-colored +sky. It was cold; the ground was frozen, and there was skating on +the small ponds. + +Red squirrels were scolding on the borders of the wood-lots, and +blue jays came squalling into the orchards. + +"This is a weather-breeder," grandmother remarked at breakfast. + +Low down on the southern horizon, scarcely visible above the +hilltops, was a line of slate-gray cloud. + +Willis and I were not sorry of an excuse for a jaunt through the +woods, for Willis owned a gun--an old army rifle bored out smooth +for shot. Our only anxiety was to get back in good season for +dinner. Thanksgiving dinner was always at three o'clock. + +We set off immediately after breakfast. There was no need for haste +on Sam's account, for John told us that the cut foot was no longer +very painful, and Sam had slept well. The distance was about four +miles, but there was neither road nor path through the forest. + +It was a good time for hunting, for the swamps were frozen and the +foliage was off the trees. The leaves were sodden, and no longer +rustled underfoot. Red and gray squirrels scampered across our +path, but Willis disdained to fire at them. He was loaded for deer; +besides he had but three extra charges. Powder and shot were +usually scarce with us. + +At length we heard a deer run, and followed it for an hour or more. +Then John espied a hedgehog in a poplar-tree, and Willis shot it. +The long black-pointed quills were a curiosity to us, but we did +not deem such game worth carrying home. + +It was near noon when we reached the clearing, and the sky had +become overcast, but as we crossed the Plancher brook a new +diversion presented itself. The pools were frozen over, but the ice +was so transparent that the bottom was plainly visible, and we +could see trout lying sluggishly in the deep water. Several of them +were fine fish, that looked as if they might weigh a pound or more. + +I had heard older boys say that if a gun is fired with the muzzle +held just through the ice of a frozen pool, the concussion will so +stun the fish beneath that they will float up to the under side of +the ice. Willis was afraid that this would burst his gun, but the +trout looked so alluring that at last he ventured the experiment. +John cut a small hole with the axe, and then Willis, lying down, +thrust the muzzle of the gun about six inches beneath the ice. + +Then he edged away, and stretching out his arm at full length, +pulled the trigger. The gun recoiled, but no apparent damage was +done. + +For a few moments the water was turbid with the smoke, but when it +cleared, there, sure enough, were five or six of the very largest +trout floating, belly upward, against the ice. We had but to cut +through and take them out, but John was so slow with his axe that +two of the trout recovered and darted away. + +We had four fine fish to show for the charge of powder, and +immediately searched for another pool. We soon came to one much +deeper and better stocked with trout, and Willis fired under the +ice again. Eight fish were secured here; and going on up the brook, +we found still another pool. This time Willis thrust the gun deeper +into the water, with the result that about a foot of the muzzle was +split open! + +We had angry words about this accident, for Willis, much chapfallen +over the mishap, blamed me, and declared that I ought to buy him a +new gun. As I had but fifty cents in the world, there was no other +way for me but to scoff at Willis's claim. He then seized all the +trout. This did not altogether please John Eastman, and he and I +turned our backs on Willis, and hit upon a stratagem for capturing +trout on our own account. Knowing that it was the concussion of the +shot that stunned the trout, we went up to the old barn and +procured a long, sweeping board. Using this like a flail, we could +strike the ice a blow that made a noise well-nigh as loud as a gun. +When we gave just the right sort of blow, the trout below would +turn on their backs and float up to the ice. John and I soon +secured two good strings of trout; and by this time Willis, who had +followed us, thought it best to make peace. + +"Come on, boys!" he exclaimed. "We had better be going. It's two +o'clock, and beginning to snow." + +We had become so engrossed in our novel method of fishing that we +had not heeded the weather. Fine snow was falling. + +"But I must get the powder-post for Sam's foot!" exclaimed John. +Willis and I had forgotten that. + +"Hurry, then," said Willis, "or we shall be late to Thanksgiving +dinner! I'm hungry now!" + +We ran to the barn. The lean-to door was off its hinges, but wooden +pins held the oak braces of the frame in position. We knocked out +the pins, and prying out two of the braces, split them, and then +beat the pieces on the newspapers. The white powder ran from the +perforated wood in tiny streams. The bottle filled slowly, however, +and it needed much splitting and hammering to obtain even a +teaspoonful of powder-post. Then, at the last moment, Willis +spilled nearly all that he had collected, and another brace had to +be taken out and split. + +By this time our newspapers were torn in pieces, and altogether we +had much trouble in collecting half a bottleful. When at last we +corked up the bottle and hurried out of the barn, a heavy snowstorm +had set in. We could not even see the forest across the clearing. +But we ran as fast as we could, and for fifteen minutes scarcely +slackened our pace. + +The whole forest had taken on a wintry aspect. The snow rattled on +the bare twigs and sodden leaves, and the rising gusts of wind +sighed drearily. + +"It seems to me we ought to come to that little hollow where the +muck-holes are," John said. + +"So I think," replied Willis, stopping to look about. + +"I think we're heading off too far toward Stoss Pond," said I. + +"Oh no, we're not!" cried Willis. "Come on!" + +Gripping our strings of fish, we ran on again, but presently we +were perplexed to discern the side of a mountain looking up +directly ahead. + +"There, now, what did I tell you?" said I. "That's Stoss Pond +mountain." + +Thereupon we tacked again, and ran on. + +The storm thickened and the forest darkened, but on we went through +brush and thicket till we came to the bank of a large brook. + +"We didn't cross any such brook as this on our way up!" John +exclaimed. + +"We're away down on Stoss Pond brook," said Willis. "We've come +wrong! If you both think you know more than I, keep on; I'm going +in this other direction," and Willis set off to run again. John and +I followed him. In the course of five minutes we came suddenly out +into cleared land. + +"There! What did I tell you?" cried Willis. "This is Wilbur's +pasture. We're almost home now." + +John and I were too much gratified to question Willis's superior +wisdom and followed after him, intent only on getting home to +dinner. The storm was now driving thick and fast. We could not see +a hundred yards ahead, but we seemed to be on level ground, such as +I had never seen in Neighbor Wilbur's pasture. Soon we came to +another large brook. + +"There's no brook in Wilbur's pasture!" exclaimed John, stopping +short. + +"I don't care!" cried Willis. "This must be Wilbur's pasture!" He +crossed the brook. + +"Of course it is!" he shouted back to us, "for there's Wilbur's +barn--right ahead of us!" + +We hastened after Willis, plodding through dry, snowy grass, and +came to a barn about which the storm eddied in snowy gusts. + +"But where's Wilbur's house?" asked John. + +We looked round in perplexity. There was no house in sight; but +here was a barn, and the door was ajar. We went in. It was empty of +hay or cattle. The barn looked curiously familiar; but it was not +till we perceived the torn newspapers and the pieces of split oak +brace on the floor that the full truth dawned on us. It was the old +Plancher barn! + +We had run five miles through the woods, only to reach the place +from which we had started. + +John looked at me, and I looked at Willis. A sense of utter +bewilderment fell on us. John and I did not even think to revile +Willis. In fact, we were terrified. All hope of dinner, or of +reaching home at all that night, deserted us. The storm was +increasing; the late November day was at an end. + +For a while we scarcely spoke. John Eastman, who was the youngest, +began to cry. The old barn creaked dismally as each gust of wind +racked it, and loose boards rattled and banged. No created place +can be more dreary than an old and empty barn. + +After our exertions we soon felt very chilly. We should not have +dared build a fire in the barn, even if we had had matches. Willis +groped about in the old hay bay and gathered a few handfuls of +musty hay, which we spread on the barn floor, and then lay down as +snugly together as we could nestle, but nothing that we could do +sufficed to warm us, and we lay shivering for what seemed hours. + +John and I finally fell asleep, and perhaps Willis did also, +although he always denied it. At last he waked us, shaking us +violently. + +"You mustn't sleep!" he exclaimed. "You'll freeze to death and +never wake up!" + +"It's getting terribly cold," he continued; "we'd better get up and +jump round." + +But John and I did not wish to stir from that one small slightly +warmed spot. Our toes and fingers ached. A fine dust of snow sifted +down on our faces; and how that old barn did creak! A gale was +raging. + +"I guess it would be warmer under the barn floor," Willis said, at +last. "There's almost always old dry stuff under a barn floor. If +we can only lift up a plank or two, we'll get down there." + +"Yes, let's do it!" quavered John. "If we get under the floor the +barn won't kill us, maybe, if it blows down." + +Willis crept to the ends of the floor planks, next the lean-to, and +tried first one and then another. Soon he found one that could be +raised and tipped it over, making an aperture large enough to +descend through. It was "pokerish" moving about in the dark; but we +thrust down our legs and found that there was dry chaff and hay +there. Willis let himself down and felt around, and then bade us +get down beside him. We snuggled together under the floor, and with +our hands banked the old stuff about our shivering bodies. + +It seemed safer down there, and we felt the wind less, but lay +listening to the gusts--expecting with every one to hear the barn +fall over us. + +Probably we fell asleep after a while; for my next recollection is +of coughing chaff, and then noticing that it had grown slightly +light. The wind appeared to have lulled. John, who was in the +middle, felt warm as a kitten. I was but half awake, and so cold +that I selfishly crept over between him and Willis. That waked +John; he began to crawl back over me into the warm spot, but bumped +his head against a sleeper of the barn floor and landed on Willis, +who waked in a bad temper. + +"What you doing!" he snarled. "Getting the warm chaff all away from +my back!" + +John thrust out a hand and grasped what he supposed to be Willis's +hair. + +"Where is your old head, anyway!" he exclaimed. "Is that it? Your +mouth isn't with it, is it?" Willis did not reply; he was falling +asleep again. + +"Say, Willis, has your mouth got strayed away from your head?" said +John. + +"Is that your head?" he exclaimed a moment after, speaking to me. + +"Keep still, can't you?" I growled. "You've been in the middle all +night! I want to go to sleep now." + +"Well, by gummy, it isn't his head either!" cried John. "Whose head +is that over there?" + +"You lie down, John," said Willis. + +"But there's somebody else here!" cried John, with a queer note in +his voice; and with that, he scrambled back over us both. The space +was all too narrow for such a maneuvre, and his knees felt hard. +"Now look here," said Willis. "You quit that!" + +But John was climbing through the hole to the barn floor above. +"You must get out of there!" he cried. "There is something down +there." + +By this time Willis was fully waked up. He reached over with his +hand, on the side where John had been, and then he, too, gave a +spring and climbed out on the floor! That alarmed me in turn, and I +followed them, bumping my head in my haste. "What is it?" I +exclaimed. + +"I don't know," said Willis, his voice shaking from excitement. + +"He's got an awful thick head of hair," said John; "but he felt +warm! Seemed to be all hair!" + +"I'll bet it's a bear!" cried Willis. "Denned up, under the floor!" + +With that John and I made for the door; but Willis said he did not +believe it would come out, if it was asleep for the winter. + +For some time we stood near the door, prepared for flight. It was +growing light, and with the daylight our courage revived. First +Willis, then John and I, went back to the hole in the floor and +peeped down; but it was too dark to distinguish any object. + +Growing bolder, Willis ventured slowly to lift another floor plank +over where our hairy bed-fellow lay; and even now I seem to see +John's dilated eyes, as we looked down on a great round mat of +shaggy black hair! + +We had now no doubt that it was, indeed, a bear. Willis lowered the +plank gently into its place; and going outside, we discovered that +there was a hole at the far end of the barn where the old stone +work under the sill had fallen out. + +The discovery excited us so that we forgot our miseries. The bear's +skin and the state bounty would be worth sixteen dollars. As +Willis's gun was useless, we concluded that the thing for us to do +was to run home--if we could find the way--and get assistance. + +We had scarcely left the barn when we saw two men come out of the +woods. One of them had a gun. As they drew nearer, we perceived +that the foremost was Willis's older brother, Ben Murch, and the +other John's father. + +"They're hunting for us! Now don't you tell them we got lost!" said +Willis, with the guile so apt to develop in a boy who has older +brothers who tease him. + +"But we did," said John. + +"If you tell them I'll lick you!" exclaimed Willis. "Make them +believe we've been guarding this bear!" + +John and I did not know what to think of so glaring a deception; +but Willis did the talking; and when Ben called out to demand why +in the world we had not come home, Willis shouted: + +"We've got a big bear under the barn! He's ours, and we are afraid +he'll get away!" + +Neither Ben nor Mr. Eastman asked us another question, but hastened +to see the bear. A plank was pulled up, and then Ben shot the beast +at short range. It did not even growl. + +They made a rude sled of saplings, of the kind known to hunters as +a "scoot," and drew the bear home; and from the vainglorious talk +of Willis one might have thought us the three most valiant lads +that ever ranged the forest! John and I said little. It was rather +fine to be considered heroes, who would not leave a bear even to go +home to a Thanksgiving dinner; but I am glad to remember that we +did not feel quite right about it; and soon afterward John and I +revealed the true state of things to our folks at home. + +The Murches claimed the lion's share of the spoils, but gave John +and me a dollar apiece; and I recollect that I had a very bad cold +for a week. Sam's cut foot healed promptly. It was dressed three +times with powder-post, and showed no sign or symptoms of "proud +flesh." + + + +THE QUEEN BEE + +By Carl Ewald + +The farmer opened his hive. "Off with you!" he said to the Bees. +"The sun is shining, and everywhere the flowers are coming out, so +that it is a joy to see them. Get to work, and gather a good lot of +honey for me to sell to the shopkeeper in the autumn. 'Many a +streamlet makes a river,' and you know these are bad times for +farmers." + +"What does that matter to us?" said the Bees. But all the same they +flew out; for they had been sitting all the winter in the hive, and +they longed for a breath of fresh air. They hummed and buzzed, they +stretched their legs, they tried their wings. They swarmed out in +all directions; they crawled up and down the hive; they flew off to +the flowers and bushes, or wandered all around on the ground. There +were hundreds and hundreds of them. + +Last of all came the Queen. She was bigger than the others, and it +was she who ruled the hive. "Stop your nonsense, little children," +she said, "and set to work and do something. A good Bee does not +idle, but turns to with a will and makes good use of its time." + +So she divided them into parties and set them to work. "You over +there, fly out and see if there is any honey in the flowers. The +others can collect flower-dust, and when you come home give it in +smartly to the old Bees in the hive." + +Away they flew at once. But all the very young ones stayed behind. +They made the last party, for they had never been out with the +others. "What are _we_ to do?" they asked. + +"You! you must perspire," said the Queen. "One, two, three! Then we +can begin our work." And they perspired as well as they had learned +to, and the prettiest yellow wax came out of their bodies. + +"Good!" said the Queen. "Now we will begin to build." The old Bees +took the wax, and began to build a number of little six-sided +cells, all alike and close up to one another. All the time they +were building, the others came flying in with flower-dust and +honey, which they laid at the Queen's feet. + +"We can now knead the dough," she said. "But first put a little +honey in--that makes it taste so much better." They kneaded and +kneaded, and before very long they had made some pretty little +loaves of Bee bread, which they carried into the cells. "Now let us +go on with the building," commanded the Queen Bee, and they +perspired wax and built for all they were worth. + +"And now _my_ work begins," said the Queen, and she heaved a +deep sigh; for her work was the hardest work of all. She sat down +in the middle of the hive and began to lay her eggs. She laid great +heaps of them, and the Bees were kept very busy running with the +little eggs in their mouths and carrying them into the new cells. +Each egg had a little cell to itself; and when they had all been +put in their places, the Queen gave orders to fix doors to all the +cells and shut them fast. + +"Good!" she said, when this was done. "I want you now to build me +ten fine big rooms in the out-of-the-way parts of the hive." + +The Bees had them ready in no time, and then the Queen laid ten +pretty eggs, one in each of the big rooms, and the doors were fixed +as before. Every day the Bees flew in and out, gathering great +heaps of honey and flower-dust; but in the evening, when their work +was done, they would open the doors just a crack and have a peep at +the eggs. + +"Take care," the Queen said one day. "They are coming!" And all the +eggs burst at once, and in every cell lay a pretty little Bee Baby. + +"What funny creatures!" said the young Bees. "They have no eyes, +and where are their legs and wings?" + +"They are Grubs," said the Queen. "You simpletons looked just like +that yourselves once upon a time. One must be a Grub before one can +become a Bee. Be quick now, and give them something to eat." The +Bees bestirred themselves to feed the little ones, but they were +not equally kind to them all. The ten, however, that lay in the +large cells got as much to eat as ever they wanted, and every day a +great quantity of honey was carried in to them. + +"They are Princesses," said the Queen, "so you must treat them +well. The others you can stint; they are only working people, and +they must accustom themselves to be content with what they can +get." And every morning the poor little wretches got a little piece +of Bee bread and nothing more, and with that they had to be +satisfied, though they were ever so hungry. + +In one of the little six-sided cells close by the Princesses' +chambers lay a little tiny Grub. She was the youngest of them all, +and only just come out of the egg. She could not see, but she could +plainly hear the grown-up Bees talking outside, and for a while she +lay quite still and kept her thoughts to herself. All at once she +said out loud, "I could eat a little more," and she knocked at her +door. + +"You have had enough for to-day," answered the old Bee who was +appointed to be head Bee Nurse, creeping up and down in the passage +outside. + +"Maybe, but I am hungry!" shouted the little Grub. "I will go into +one of the Princesses' chambers; I have not room to stir here." + +"Just listen to her!" said the old Bee mockingly. "One would think +by the demands she makes that she was a fine little Princess. You +are born to toil and drudge, my little friend. You are a mere +working Bee, and you will never be anything else all your days." + +"But I want to be Queen!" cried the Grub, and thumped on the door. +Of course the old Bee did not answer such nonsense, but went on to +the others. From every side they were calling out for more food, +and the little Grub could hear it all. + +"It is hard, though," she thought, "that we should have to be so +hungry." And then she knocked on the Princess' wall and called to +her, "Give me a little of your honey. Let me come into your +chamber. I am lying here so hungry, and I am just as good as you." + +"Are you? Just you wait till I am a reigning Queen," said the +Princess. "You may be sure that when that time comes I shall not +forget your impertinence." But she had scarcely said this before +the other Princesses began to cry out in the most dreadful manner. + +"_You_'re not going to be Queen! _I_ shall be Queen! +_I_ shall be Queen!" they shrieked all together, and they +began to knock on the walls and make a frightful disturbance. + +The head Bee Nurse came running up in an instant and opened the +doors. "What are your graces' orders?" she asked, dropping a curtsy +and scraping the ground with her feet. + +"More honey!" they shouted, all in one voice. "But me first--me +first. I am the one who is to be queen." + +"In a moment, in a moment, your graces," she answered, and ran off +as fast as her six legs could carry her. She soon came back with +many other Bees. They were dragging ever so much honey, which they +crammed down the cross little Princesses' throats. And then they +got them to hold their tongues and lie still and rest. + +But the little Grub lay awake, thinking over what had happened. She +longed so much for some honey that she began to shake the door +again. "Give me some honey! I can't stand it any longer. I am just +as good as the others." + +The old Bee tried to hush her. "Hold your tongue, little bawler! +The Queen's coming." And at the same moment the Queen Bee came. + +"Go your ways," she said to the Bees; "I wish to be alone." + +For a long time she stood in silence before the Princesses' +chambers. "Now they are lying there asleep," she said at last. +"From morning till evening they do nothing but eat and sleep, and +they grow bigger and fatter every day. In a few days they will be +full grown, and will creep out of their cells. Then my turn will be +over. I know that too well. I have heard the Bees saying to one +another that they would like to have a younger and more beautiful +Queen, and they will chase me away in disgrace. But I will not +submit to it. To-morrow I will kill them all; then I can remain +Queen till I die." + +Then she went away. But the little Grub had heard all she said. + +"Dear me!" she thought; "it is really a pity about the little +Princesses. They are certainly very uppish, and they have not been +nice to me, but still it would be sad if the wicked Queen killed +them. I think I will tell the old growler outside in the passage +all about it." + +She began once more knocking at the door, and the head Bee Nurse +came running up, but this time she was fearfully angry. "You must +mind what you are doing, my good Grub," she said. "You are the +youngest of them all, and you are the worst for making a noise. +Next time I shall tell the Queen." + +"First listen to me," said the Grub, and she told her about the +Queen's wicked design. + +"Good gracious! is that true?" cried the old Nurse, and beat her +wings in horror. And without hearing a word more, she hurried off +to tell the other Bees. + +"I think I deserve a little honey for what I have done," said the +little Grub. "But I can now lie down and sleep with a good +conscience." + +Next evening, when the Queen thought that all the Bees were in bed, +she came to kill the Princesses. The Grub could hear her talking +aloud to herself. But she was quite afraid of the wicked Queen, and +dared not stir. "I hope she won't kill the Princesses," she +thought, and squeezed herself nearer to the door to hear what +happened. + +The Queen looked cautiously round on all sides, and then opened the +first of the doors. But at the same moment the Bees swarmed out +from all directions, seized her by the legs and wings, and dragged +her out. "What is the matter?" she cried. "Are you raising a +rebellion?" + +"No, your majesty," answered the Bees, with great reverence; "but +we know that you are intending to kill the Princesses, and +_that_ you shall not be allowed to do. What would become of us +in the autumn after your majesty's death?" + +"Let me go!" cried the Queen, and tried to get away. "I am Queen +now anyway, and have the power to do what I like. How do you know +that I shall die in the autumn?" But the Bees held her fast, and +dragged her outside the hive. There they set her free, but she +shook her wings in a passion and said to them,-- + +"You are disloyal subjects, who are not worth ruling over. I +won't stay here an hour longer, but I will go out into the world and +build a new nest. Are there any of you who will come with me?" + +Some of the old Bees, who had been Grubs at the same time as the +Queen, declared that they would follow her. And soon after they +flew away. + +"Now we have no Queen," said the others, "we must take good care of +the Princesses." And so they crammed them with honey from morning +till night; and they grew, and grabbed, and squabbled, and made +more noise each day than the day before. + +As for the little Grub, no one gave a single thought to her. + +One morning the doors of the Princesses' chambers flew open, and +all ten of them stepped out, beautiful full-grown Queen Bees. The +other Bees ran up and gazed at them in admiration. "How pretty they +are!" they said. "It is hard to say which is the most beautiful." + +"_I_ am!" one cried. + +"You make a mistake," said another, and stabbed her with her sting. + +"You are rather conceited," shrieked a third. "I imagine that +_I_ am rather prettier than you are." And immediately they all +began calling out at once, and soon after began to fight with one +another as hard as ever they could. + +The Bees would have liked to separate them, but the old head Bee +Nurse said to them,--"Let them go on fighting; then we shall see +which of them is the strongest, and we will choose her to be our +Queen. We can't do with more than one." + +At this the Bees formed round in a ring and looked on at the +battle. It lasted a long time, and it was fiercely fought. Wings +and legs which had been bitten off were flying about in the air, +and after some time eight of the Princesses lay dead upon the +ground. The two last were still fighting. One of them had lost all +her wings, and the other had only four legs left. + +"She will be a poor sort of Queen whichever of the two we get," +said one of the Bees. "We should have done better to have kept the +old one." But she might have spared herself the remark, for in the +same moment the Princesses gave each other such a stab with their +stings that they both fell dead as a door-nail. + +"That is a pretty business!" called the Bees, and ran about among +each other in dismay. "Now we have no Queen! What shall we do? What +shall we do?" + +In despair they crawled about the hive, and did not know which way +to turn. But the oldest and cleverest sat in a corner and held a +council. For a long time they talked this way and that as to what +they should decide on doing in their unhappy circumstances. But at +last the head Bee Nurse got a hearing, and said,--"I can tell you +how you can get out of the difficulty, if you will but follow my +advice. I remember that the same misfortune happened to us in this +hive a long time ago. I was then a Grub myself. I lay in my cell, +and distinctly heard what took place. All the Princesses had killed +one another, and the old Queen had gone out into the world: it was +just as it is now. But the Bees took one of us Grubs and laid her +in one of the Princesses' cells. They fed her every day with the +finest and best honey in the whole hive; and when she was +full-grown, she was a charming and good Queen. I can clearly +remember the whole affair, for I thought at the time that they +might just as well have taken me. But we may do the same thing +again. I propose that we act in the same way." + +The Bees were delighted, and cried that they would willingly do so, +and they ran off at once to fetch a Grub. + +"Wait a moment," cried the head Bee Nurse, "and take me with you. +At any rate, I will come and help you. Consider now. It must be one +of the youngest Grubs, for she must have time to think over her new +position. When one has been brought up to be a mere drudge, it is +not easy to accustom oneself to wear a crown." + +That also seemed to the Bees to be wise, and the old one went on, +--"Close by the side of the Princesses' cells lies a little Grub. +She is the youngest of them all. She must have learnt a good deal +by hearing the Princesses' refined conversation, and I have noticed +that she has some character. Besides, it was she who was honourable +enough to tell me about the wicked intentions of the old Queen. Let +us take her." + +At once they went in a solemn procession to the six-sided cell +where the little Grub lay. The head Bee Nurse politely knocked at +the door, opened it cautiously, and told the Grub what the Bees had +decided. At first she could hardly believe her own ears; but when +they had carried her carefully into one of the large, delightful +chambers, and brought her as much honey as she could eat, she +perceived that it was all in earnest. + +"So I am to be Queen after all," she said to the head Bee Nurse. +"You would not believe it, you old growler!" + +"I hope that your majesty will forget the rude remarks that I made +at the time you lay in the six-sided cell," said the old Bee, with +a respectful bow. + +"I forgive you," said the new-baked Princess. "Fetch me some more +honey." + +A little time after the Grub was full grown, and stepped out of her +cell as big and as beautiful as the Bees could wish. And besides, +she knew how to commando "Away with you!" she said. "We must have +more honey for our use in the winter, and you others must perspire +more wax. I am thinking of building a new wing to the hive. The new +Princesses shall live there next year; it is very unsuitable for +them to be so near common Grubs." + +"Heyday!" said the Bees to one another. "One would think she had +been a Queen ever since she lay in the egg." + +"No," said the head Bee Nurse; "that is not so. But she has had +_queenly thoughts_, and that is the great thing." + + + +A SWARM OF WILD BEES + +By Albert W. Tolman + +"How many bridges have I driven rivets on?" repeated the watchman, +reflectively. "Let me see--just forty-seven--no, forty-eight! I +forgot the Mogung cantilever. Never in Burma were you? Well, it's +the only time I ever went abroad. It was something of a compliment +for a young fellow of twenty-two to be sent on his company's first +job abroad. I should have liked the trip first rate if Harry Lancy +hadn't been going as foreman. + +"Harry had risen from the ranks, and at twenty-five was considered +one of the company's best men. I'd never worked under him; but I +judged he'd be uppish and arbitrary, and knew I shouldn't like him. +You notice such things when you've just come of age. As you get +older, you begin to think less of your own feelings, and more of +doing your work right. + +"We landed at Rangoon about May 1st, went by rail to Mandalay, and +from there travelled slowly up-country by construction-train to the +Mogung Gorge. During the whole journey I didn't speak a hundred +words to Lancy. Still, I don't think he suspected I had any grudge +against him. If he did, he never let on, but treated me just like +the others. + +"The gorge was an awful hole, two hundred and fifty feet wide and +two hundred deep, with the river dashing white over the ledges at +its bottom. It was to be spanned by a cantilever bridge with an +intermediate truss. + +"We found our work all cut out for us. Every beam and girder was on +the ground, numbered and ready. There were plenty of coolies for +the ordinary labor. So we got busy at once. A temporary wire +suspension-bridge was thrown across above the site of the +cantilever, and work begun from both sides at the same time. + +"From the outset I had determined to give Lancy no chance for +fault-finding, but to have as little to do with him as I possibly +could. + +"Little by little our beam-trusses pushed out from each bank, and +the gap between them grew narrower. + +"One thing that interested me especially at first was the wild +bees. For miles back into the hills their nests lined the walls of +the gorge. Millions of them made it their thoroughfare to and from +the flower-covered plains below us. Particularly at morning and +night their hum, echoing through the ravine and mingling with the +murmur of the river, sounded like the drone of distant machinery. + +"These bees were black and small; but they made up in fierceness +for what they lacked in size. Their stings were far more painful +and poisonous than those of our bees here. Some of us, myself +included, learned this by experience; and we didn't need more than +one lesson. + +"By the middle of June the ends of the opposite beams were about +fifty feet apart. + +"One hot morning, between ten and eleven, I was reaming out a +rivet-hole in the tip of the last beam. I was feeling out of sorts +that forenoon. Lancy had given his orders to me gruff and short, +though, as a matter of fact, he was probably just as gruff with +everybody else. But when you're looking for trouble, you know, you +don't have much trouble finding it. + +"I straddled the beam, my feet almost touching under it. It was hot +in the unclouded sun, and the air was full of tropical scents. +Insects hummed round me. Bright-colored butterflies floated by. Now +and then a flock of shrieking birds swept up the gorge. On the +steel behind me a dozen men were busy. + +"I had almost finished the hole, when my ears caught a humming, +gradually growing louder. I looked down. Several yards below hung a +black mass about as big as a nail-keg. It was a nest of wild bees +swarming. + +"At first I felt curious, interested. Then I noticed that the bunch +was rising directly toward me, and I began to feel alarmed, as I +remembered their fearful stings. If they attacked me I should be in +a bad fix. + +"Slowly, with a revolving motion and an intense, spiteful +_sszzzzz_-ing, the irregular mass kept rising. Its center +seemed so solid that I wondered how the wings had room to beat. Its +outside frayed off into separate bees, drawn inward by a common +attraction. + +"It was not a yard under me now. I dared not move, for I knew what +concentrated misery the swarm held for the man who angered it. As I +watched it floating nearer, my skin crept and my; brain was +fascinated by that monotonous buzzing. Perhaps, if I sat perfectly +quiet, it would pass and leave me unharmed. + +"For a moment, apparently undecided, the ball hovered under me. +Then with a quickened motion, up it came, straight for my feet. + +"I grew hot and cold. My flesh quivered with the imaginary stings +of thousands of poisoned needles, as the fearful mass melted apart +and settled in thick clusters on my shoes and legs! + +"As I watched the crawling thousands come to rest, I simply choked +with terror. What could I do? If I made the slightest motion to get +up, they would swarm over me like lightning, and sting me to death. + +"Twenty feet behind me one of my mates began to hammer, shaking the +beam with his blows. I was afraid the jar might anger the bees into +an attack. + +"'Stop that pounding, Jim!' I begged huskily, as he ceased for a +moment. The hammering stopped. + +"Then exclamations of alarm and sympathy fell upon my ears, and +presently all work on the steel was suspended. I could hear feet +shuffling quietly back to the bank. Soon I was left alone on the +truss, threatened with a death ten times more horrible than any +tiger or snake could inflict. + +"Not daring to move a muscle, not even to turn my head, I sat, as +it seemed to me, for hours, perfectly rigid, staring straight +forward at the red-painted end of the opposite beam, wavering in +the heat fifty feet away. My brain was clear as glass, my senses +keen. Low, excited voices babbled behind me. I could smell onions +boiling in the cook's quarters, and hear his pans and dishes +rattling. + +"Every little while I turned my eyes downward, hoping to see the +bees getting ready to leave. But my shoes and trousers were still +buried inches deep under the sluggishly clinging black bodies. + +"The brassy alarm-clock in the mess tent clanged out eleven. I had +been sitting there only half an hour. + +"The sun struck fiercely down on my head, scantily protected by my +thin cap. A filmy white feather from some passing bird dropped +before my face. I followed it past the hideous furry swelling on my +feet, straight down through the breezeless air, till it dwindled to +a white speck above the ledges two hundred feet below. That was +where I should strike if I fell; but what torments I should suffer +before I struck! + +"The beam was hard and hot. I could not sit quiet forever. I +stirred uneasily. An angry hum rose, and I stiffened. Some of the +bees were above my knees. Suppose I should crush one between my leg +and the steel! Suppose they should creep up and cover my body and +head! + +"A banging of pans began on the bank. Somebody had borrowed the +cook's tinware in the hope of starting the swarm. A wave of unrest +ran over the insects; but soon they settled into quiet again. + +"The heat was affecting my head. I felt fretful, irritable. Why +didn't somebody do something to help me? But what? My teeth +chattered, a nervous chill shook me, and the bees buzzed at my +shaking. + +"The voices behind me stopped. Something was about to happen. I +listened. Feet came stealing cautiously along the beam. What was +going on? + +"'Sit perfectly still.' + +"It was Lancy's voice. What was he trying to do? I felt a consuming +curiosity, but dared not turn my head. His voice came again: + +"'Take a full breath; then shut your mouth.' + +"What in the world had my mouth got to do with it? But I obeyed. + +"A penetrating sulphurous scent stole through the thick air. Then +right under my bee-swollen feet swung a small black kettle, +suspended by a chain round its bail, and filled with a yellowish +substance, burning bluely. It was brimstone, of which we had a +supply for fastening bolts in the rocks. Lancy was trying to smoke +the bees off. + +"Back oscillated the kettle out of my sight. But the swarm had got +the benefit of its contents and didn't like them. An ominous +buzzing rose. Their wings lifted, then settled back. The scent was +not strong enough to start them. + +"I took another full breath. To me the strangling fumes had been +sweet for the relief they promised. Once more the kettle swung +under me, this time remaining a little longer. The smell was +strong; with difficulty I repressed a coughing that threatened to +shake me. + +"This time the outer layer of bees rose slightly and hovered over +the others. Some flew wildly and angrily about. A few dropped, +stupefied. It would evidently take but little more to start the +whole swarm. Lancy moved up close behind me. + +"Again he swung the kettle under the bees. They had had enough. The +entire mass left my legs. The greater number dropped down and hung +a few feet below, but stray skirmishers flew confusedly about. + +"So far, however, not a single bee had touched either of us. It +looked as if we were to escape unharmed. + +"Suddenly an unexpected disaster happened. One end of the bail +pulled out, allowing the kettle to tilt down sidewise. Out fell the +sulphur in a blue-burning, smoky stream. A moment later the chain +slipped entirely off the bail; the kettle shot downward, leaving +only a vanishing scent and a swarm of infuriated bees. + +"Lancy grabbed my shoulder. + +"'Quick! For your life!' + +"I didn't need any urging; but I was stiff and slightly dizzy from +the fumes, and it took me several seconds to get to my feet on the +beam. Unfortunately, too, I crushed three or four bees that Were +crawling stupidly on the steel. + +"Then it seemed as if the whole swarm struck me at once. The +sulphur may have half-stupefied them, but they hadn't forgotten how +to sting. + +"I'll never forget my walk along that narrow beam to the bank. The +bees were all over me in a moment. My hands and face felt as if +they were being punctured with red-hot splinters. Before I'd gone +ten steps my eyes were closed so tight I couldn't see. + +"I'd have gone off the beam head first if it hadn't been for Lancy. +He had on gloves, and mosquito-netting over his head. But they +crawled up his sleeves and down his neck, and stung him bad. Yet he +didn't falter. With one hand stretched back and grasping mine, he +walked cool and straight for the bank, as if he'd been on solid +ground, instead of two hundred feet in the air. + +"Blind and almost crazy from the stings, I stumbled along behind +him. Every step was agony. I was almost tempted to jump from the +beam and go down to be crushed to pulp on the boulders. The only +thing that saved me was Lancy's hand, cool, firm and strong. + +"'Steady! Steady!' he kept saying. I heard him through the +shooting, burning pains, and it saved my reason. At last it didn't +seem as if I could take another step. + +"'Let go!' I cried, trying to get my hand loose; but he dragged me +on. + +"'In a minute,' said he; and all at once I felt the earth under my +feet. + +"I wasn't so far gone but I gave the hand I'd been holding a grip +that squeezed the fingers together. It was all the thanks I could +offer just then. Lancy squeezed back. Then everybody turned to and +helped fight the bees off us. + +"It was weeks before I got over those stings. Lancy had suffered, +too, but of course not so badly. I don't know that he ever knew why +I gripped his hand so hard. I was too much ashamed to tell him of +the grudge I'd held. But I do know that after that I looked on him +as one of my best friends. He'd saved my life, and a friend can't +do much more for you than that." + + + +THE INTELLIGENCE OF ANTS + +By Sir John Lubbock + +The subject of ants is a wide one, for there are at least a +thousand species of ants, no two of which have the same habits. In +this country (England) we have rather more than thirty, most of +which I have kept in confinement. Their life is comparatively long: +I have had working ants which were seven years old, and a queen ant +lived in one of my nests for fifteen years. The community consists, +in addition to the young, of males, which do no work, of wingless +workers, and one or more queen mothers, who have at first wings, +which, however, after one marriage flight, they throw off, as they +never leave the nest again, and in it wings would of course be +useless. The workers do not, except occasionally, lay eggs, but +carry on all the affairs of the community. Some of them, and +especially the younger ones, remain in the nest, excavate chambers +and tunnels, and tend the young, which are sorted up according to +age, so that my nests often had the appearance of a school, with +the children arranged in classes. In our English ants the workers +in each species are all similar except in size, but among foreign +species there are some in which there are two or even more classes +of workers, differing greatly not only in size, but also in form. +The differences are not the result of age nor of race, but are +adaptations to different functions, the nature of which, however, +is not yet well understood. Among the Termites, those of one class +certainly seem to act as soldiers, and among the true ants also +some have comparatively immense heads and powerful jaws. It is +doubtful, however, whether they form a real army. Bates observed +that on a foraging expedition the large-headed individuals did not +walk in the regular ranks, nor on the return did they carry any of +the booty, but marched along at the side, and at tolerably regular +intervals, "like subaltern officers in a marching regiment." + +Solomon was, so far as we yet know, quite correct in describing +ants as having "neither guide, overseer, nor ruler." The so-called +queens are really mothers. Nevertheless it is true, and it is +curious, that the working ants and bees always turn their heads +towards the queen. It seems as if the sight of her gives them +pleasure. On one occasion, while moving some ants from one nest +into another for exhibition at the Royal Institution, I +unfortunately crushed the queen and killed her. The others, +however, did not desert her, or draw her out as they do dead +workers, but on the contrary carried her into the new nest, and +subsequently into a larger one with which I supplied them, +congregating round her for weeks just as if she had been alive. One +could hardly help fancying that they were mourning her loss, or +hoping anxiously for her recovery. + +The communities of ants are sometimes very large, numbering even up +to 500,000 individuals; and it is a lesson to us, that no one has +ever yet seen a quarrel between any two ants belonging to the same +community. On the other hand, it must be admitted that they are in +hostility, not only with most other insects, including ants of +different species, but even with those of the same species if +belonging to different communities. I have over and over again +introduced ants from one of my nests into another nest of the same +species, and they were invariably attacked, seized by a leg or an +antenna, and dragged out. + +It is evident therefore that the ants of each community all +recognize one another, which is very remarkable. But more than +this, I several times divided a nest into two halves, and found +that even after a separation of a year and nine months they +recognized one another, and were perfectly friendly; while they at +once attacked ants from a different nest, although of the same +species. + +It has been suggested that the ants of each nest have some sign or +password by which they recognize one another. To test this I made +some insensible. First I tried chloroform, but this was fatal to +them; and as therefore they were practically dead, I did not +consider the test satisfactory. I decided therefore to intoxicate +them. This was less easy than I had expected. None of my ants would +voluntarily degrade themselves by getting drunk. However, I got +over the difficulty by putting them into whisky for a few moments. +I took fifty specimens, twenty-five from one nest and twenty-five +from another, made them dead drunk, marked each with a spot of +paint, and put them on a table close to where the other ants from +one of the nests were feeding. The table was surrounded as usual +with a moat of water to prevent them from straying. The ants which +were feeding soon noticed those which I had made drunk. They seemed +quite astonished to find their comrades in such disgraceful +condition, and as much at a loss to know what to do with their +drunkards as we are. After a while, however, to cut my story short, +they carried them all away: the strangers they took to edge of the +moat and dropped into the water, while they bore their friends home +into the nest, where by degrees they slept off the effects of the +spirit. Thus it is evident that they know their friends even when +incapable of giving any sign or password. + +This little experiment also shows that they help comrades in +distress. If a wolf or a rook be ill or injured, we are told that +it is driven away or even killed by its comrades. Not so with ants. +For instance, in one of my nests an unfortunate ant, in emerging +from the chrysalis skin, injured her legs so much that she lay on +her back quite helpless. For three months, however, she was +carefully fed and tended by the other ants. In another case an ant +in the same manner had injured her antennae. I watched her also +carefully to see what would happen. For some days she did not leave +the nest. At last one day she ventured outside, and after a while +met a stranger ant of the same species, but belonging to another +nest, by whom she was at once attacked. I tried to separate them, +but whether by her enemy, or perhaps by my well-meant but clumsy +kindness, she was evidently much hurt and lay helplessly on her +side. Several others passed her without taking any notice, but soon +one came up, examined her carefully with her antennae, and carried +her off tenderly to the nest. No one, I think, who saw it could +have denied to that ant one attribute of humanity, the quality of +kindness. + +The existence of such communities as those of ants or bees implies, +no doubt, some power of communication, but the amount is still a +matter of doubt. It is well known that if one bee or ant discovers +a store of food, others soon find their way to it. This, however, +does not prove much. It makes all the difference whether they are +brought or sent. If they merely accompany on her return a companion +who has brought a store of food, it does not imply much. To test +this, therefore, I made several experiments. For instance, one cold +day my ants were almost all in their nests. One only was out +hunting and about six feet from home. I took a dead bluebottle fly, +pinned it on to a piece of cork, and put it down just in front of +her. She at once tried to carry off the fly, but to her surprise +found it immovable. She tugged and tugged, first one way and then +another for about twenty minutes, and then went straight off to the +nest. During that time not a single ant had come out; in fact she +was the only ant of that nest out at the time. She went straight +in, but in a few seconds--less than half a minute--came out again +with no less than twelve friends, who trooped off with her, and +eventually tore up the dead fly, carrying it off in triumph. + +Now the first ant took nothing home with her; she must therefore +somehow have made her friends understand that she had found some +food, and wanted them to come and help her to secure it. In all +such cases, however, so far as my experience goes, the ants brought +their friends, and some of my experiments indicated that they are +unable to send them. + +Certain species of ants, again, make slaves of others, as Huber +first observed. If a colony of the slave-making ants is changing +the nest, a matter which is left to the discretion of the slaves, +the latter carry their mistresses to their new home. Again, if I +uncovered one of my nests of the Fuscous ant (Formica fusca), they +all began running about in search of some place of refuge. If now I +covered over one small part of the nest, after a while some ant +discovered it. In such a case, however, the brave little insect +never remained there, she came out in search of her friends, and +the first one she met she took up in her jaws, threw over her +shoulder (their way of carrying friends), and took into the covered +part; then both came out again, found two more friends and brought +them in, the same manoeuvre being repeated until the whole +community was in a place of safety. This I think says much for +their public spirit, but it seems to prove that, in F. fusca at +least, the powers of communication are but limited. + +One kind of slave-making ant has become so completely dependent on +their slaves that even if provided with food they will die of +hunger, unless there is a slave to put it into their mouths, I +found, however, that they would thrive very well if supplied with a +slave for an hour or so once a week to clean and feed them. + +But in many cases the community does not consist of ants only. They +have domestic animals, and indeed it is not going too far to say +that they have domesticated more animals than we have. Of these the +most important are Aphides on trees and bushes; others collect +root-feeding Aphides into their nests. They serve as cows to the +ants, which feed on the honey-dew secreted by the Aphides. Not +only, moreover, do the ants protect the Aphides themselves, but +collect their eggs in autumn, and tend them carefully through the +winter, ready for the next spring. Many other insects are also +domesticated by ants, and some of them, from living constantly +underground, have completely lost their eyes and become quite +blind. + +When we see a community of ants working together in perfect +harmony, it is impossible not to ask ourselves how far they are +mere exquisite automatons; how far they are conscious beings. When +we watch an ant-hill tenanted by thousands of industrious +inhabitants, excavating chambers, forming tunnels, making +roads, guarding their home, gathering food, feeding the young, +tending their domestic animals--each one fulfilling its duties +industriously, and without confusion--it is difficult; altogether +to deny to them the gift of reason; and all our recent observations +tend to confirm the opinion that their mental powers differ from +those of men, not so much in kind as in degree. + + + +THE KATY-DID'S PARTY + +By Harriet Beecher Stowe + +Miss Katy-did sat on the branch of a flowering azalea, in her best +suit of fine green and silver, with wings of point-lace from Mother +Nature's finest web. + +Miss Katy was in the very highest possible spirits, because her +gallant cousin, Colonel Katy-did, had looked in to make her a +morning visit. It was a fine morning, too, which goes for as much +among the Katy-dids as among men and women. It was, in fact, a +morning that Miss Katy thought must have been made on purpose for +her to enjoy herself in. There had been a patter of rain the night +before, which had kept the leaves awake talking to each other till +nearly morning, but by dawn the small winds had blown brisk little +puffs, and whisked the heavens clear and bright with their tiny +wings, as you have seen Susan clear away the cobwebs in your +mamma's parlor; and so now there were only left a thousand +blinking, burning water drops, hanging like convex mirrors at the +end of each leaf, and Miss Katy admired herself in each one. + +"Certainly I am a pretty creature," she said to herself; and when +the gallant Colonel said something about being dazzled by her +beauty, she only tossed her head and took it as quite a matter of +course. + +"The fact is, my dear Colonel," she said, "I am thinking of giving +a party, and you must help me make out the lists." + +"My dear, you make me the happiest of Katy-dids." + +"Now," said Miss Katy-did, drawing an azalea-leaf towards her, "let +us see,--whom shall we have? The Fireflies, of course; everybody +wants them, they are so brilliant; a little unsteady, to be sure, +but quite in the higher circles." + +"Yes, we must have the Fireflies," echoed the Colonel. + +"Well, then,--and the Butterflies and the Moths. Now, there's a +trouble. There's such an everlasting tribe of those Moths; and if +you invite dull people they're always sure all to come, every one +of them. Still, if you have the Butterflies, you can't leave out +the Moths." + +"Old Mrs. Moth has been laid up lately with a gastric fever, and +that may keep two or three of the Misses Moth at home," said the +Colonel. + +"What ever could give the old lady such a turn?" said Miss Katy. "I +thought she never was sick." + +"I suspect it's high living. I understand she and her family ate up +a whole ermine cape last month, and it disagreed with them." + +"For my part, I can't conceive how the Moths can live as they do", +said Miss Katy with a face of disgust. "Why, I could no more eat +worsted and fur, as they do--" + +"That is quite evident from the fairy-like delicacy of your +appearance," said the Colonel. "One can see that nothing so gross +and material has ever entered into your system." + +"I'm sure," said Miss Katy, "mamma says she don't know what does +keep me alive; half a dew-drop and a little hit of the nicest part +of a rose-leaf, I assure you, often last me for a day. But we are +forgetting our list. Let's see,--the Fireflies, Butterflies, Moths. +The Bees must come, I suppose." + +"The Bees are a worthy family," said the Colonel. + +"Worthy enough, but dreadfully hum-drum" said Miss Katy. "They +never talk about anything but honey and housekeeping; still they +are a class of people one cannot neglect." + +"Well, then, there are the Bumble-bees." + +"Oh, I doat on them! General Bumble is one of the most dashing, +brilliant fellows of the day. + +"I think he is shockingly corpulent," said Colonel Katy-did, not at +all pleased to hear him praised, "don't you?" + +"I don't know but he _is_ a little stout," said Miss Katy; +"but so distinguished and elegant in his manners,--something +martial and breezy about him." + +"Well, if you invite the Bumble-bees you must have the Hornets." + +"Those spiteful Hornets,--I detest them!" + +"Nevertheless, dear Miss Katy, one does not like to offend the +Hornets." + +"No, one can't. There are those five Misses Hornet,--dreadful old +maids! as full of spite as they can live. You may be sure they will +every one come, and be looking about to make spiteful remarks. Put +down the Hornets, though." + +"How about the Mosquitoes?" said the Colonel. + +"Those horrid Mosquitoes,--they are dreadfully common! Can't one +cut them?" + +"Well, dear Miss Katy," said the Colonel, "if you ask my candid +opinion as a friend, I should say _not_. there's young Mosquito, +who graduated last year, has gone into literature, and is +connected with some of our leading papers, and they say he +carries the sharpest pen of all the writers. It won't do to +offend him." + +"And so I suppose we must have his old aunts, and all six of his +sisters, and all his dreadfully common relations." + +"It is a pity," said the Colonel, "but one must pay one's tax to +society." + +Just at this moment the conference was interrupted by a visitor, +Miss Keziah Cricket, who came in with her work-bag on her arm to +ask a subscription for a poor family of Ants who had just had their +house hoed up in clearing the garden-walks. + +"How stupid of them," said Katy, "not to know better than to put +their house in the garden-walk; that's just like those Ants!" + +"Well, they are in great trouble; all their stores destroyed, and +their father killed,--cut in two by a hoe." + +"How very shocking! I don't like to hear of such disagreeable +things,--it affects my nerves terribly. Well, I'm sure I haven't +anything to give. Mamma said yesterday she was sure she didn't know +how our bills were to be paid,--and there's my green satin with +point-lace yet to come home." And Miss Katy-did shrugged her +shoulders and affected to be very busy with Colonel Katy-did, in +just the way that young ladies sometimes do when they wish to +signify to visitors that they had better leave. + +Little Miss Cricket perceived how the case stood, and so hopped +briskly off, without giving herself even time to be offended. "Poor +extravagant little thing!" said she to herself, "it was hardly +worth while to ask her." + +"Pray, shall you invite the Crickets?" said Colonel Katy-did. + +"Who? I? Why, Colonel, what a question! Invite the Crickets? Of +what can you be thinking?" + +"And shall you not ask the Locusts, or the Grasshoppers?" + +"Certainly. The Locusts, of course,--a very old and distinguished +family; and the Grasshoppers are pretty well, and ought to be +asked. But we must draw the line somewhere,--and the Crickets! Why +it's shocking even to think of!" + +"I thought they were nice, respectable people." + +"O, perfectly nice and respectable,--very good people, in fact, so +far as that goes. But then you must see the difficulty." + +"My dear cousin, I am afraid you must explain." + +"Why, their _color_, to be sure. Don't you see?" + +"Oh!" said the Colonel. "That's it, is it? Excuse me, but I have +been living in France, where these distinctions are wholly unknown, +and I have not yet got myself in the train of fashionable ideas +here." + +"Well, then, let me teach you," said Miss Katy. "You know we go for +no distinctions except those created by Nature herself, and we +found our rank upon color, because that is clearly a thing that +none has any hand in but our Maker. You see?" + +"Yes; but who decides what color shall be the reigning color?" + +"I'm surprised to hear the question! The only true color--the only +proper one--is _our_ color, to be sure. A lovely pea-green is +the precise shade on which to found aristocratic distinction. But +then we are liberal;--we associate with the Moths, who are gray; +with the Butterflies, who are blue-and-gold colored; with the +Grasshoppers, yellow and brown;--and society would become +dreadfully mixed if it were not fortunately ordered that the +Crickets are black as jet. The fact is, that a class to be looked +down upon is necessary to all elegant society, and if the Crickets +were not black, we could not keep them down, because, as everybody +knows, they are often a great deal cleverer than we are. They have +a vast talent for music and dancing; they are very quick at +learning, and would be getting to the very top of the ladder if we +once allowed them to climb. But being black is a convenience, +--because, as long as we are green and they are black, we have a +superiority that can never be taken from us. Don't you see now?" + +"Oh, yes, I see exactly," said the Colonel. + +"Now that Keziah Cricket, who just came in here, is quite a +musician, and her old father plays the violin beautifully; by the +way, we might engage him for our orchestra." + +And so Miss Katy's ball came off, and the performers kept it up +from sundown till daybreak, so that it seemed as if every leaf in +the forest were alive. The Katy-dids, and the Mosquitoes, and the +Locusts, and a full orchestra of Crickets made the air perfectly +vibrate, insomuch that old Parson Too-whit, who was preaching a +Thursday evening lecture to a very small audience, announced to his +hearers that he should certainly write a discourse against dancing, +for the next weekly occasion. + +The good Doctor was as good as his word in the matter, and gave out +some very sonorous discourses, without in the least stopping the +round of gayeties kept up by these dissipated Katy-dids, which ran +on, night after night, till the celebrated Jack Frost epidemic, +which occurred somewhere about the first of September. + +Poor Miss Katy, with her flimsy green satin and point-lace, was one +of the first victims, and fell from the bough in company with a sad +shower of last year's leaves. The worthy Cricket family, however, +avoided Jack Frost by emigrating in time to the chimney-corner of a +nice little cottage that had been built in the wood that summer. + +There good old Mr. and Mrs. Cricket, with sprightly Miss Keziah and +her brothers and sisters, found a warm and welcome home; and when +the storm howled without, and lashed the poor naked trees, the +Cricket on the warm hearth would chirp out cheery welcome to papa +as he came in from the snowy path, or mamma as she sat at her +work-basket. + +"Cheep, cheep, cheep!" little Freddy would say. "Mamma, who is it +says 'cheep'?" + +"Dear Freddy, it is our own dear little cricket, who loves us and +comes to sing to us when the snow is on the ground." + +So when poor Miss Katy-did's satin and lace were all swept away, +the warm home-talents of the Crickets made for them a welcome +refuge. + + + +THE BEECH AND THE OAK + +By Carl Ewald + +It all happened long, long ago. There were no towns then with +houses and streets, and church steeples domineering over +everything. + +There were no schools, for there were not many boys, and those that +there were learnt from their father to shoot with the bow and +arrow, to hunt the stag in his covert, to kill the bear in order to +make clothes out of his skin, and to rub two pieces of wood +together till they caught fire. When they knew this perfectly, they +had finished their education. + +There were no railways either, and no cultivated fields, no ships +on the sea, no books, for there was nobody who could read them. + +There was scarcely anything except Trees. But Trees there were in +plenty. They stood everywhere from coast to coast; they saw +themselves reflected in all the rivers and lakes, and stretched +their mighty boughs up towards heaven. They leaned out over the +shore, dipped their boughs in the black fen water, and from the +high hills looked out proudly over the land. + +They all knew each other, for they belonged to a great family, and +were proud of it. + +"We are all _Oak_ Trees," they said. "We own the land, and +rule over it." + +And they were right. There were only a few human beings there in +those days, and those that there were were nothing better than wild +animals. The Bear, the Wolf, and the Fox went out hunting, while +the Stag grazed by the edge of the fen. The Field Mouse sat outside +his hole and ate acorns, and the Beaver built his artistic houses +by the river banks. + +One day the Bear came trudging along and lay down at full breadth +under a great Oak Tree, "Are you there again, you robber?" said the +Oak, and shook a lot of withered leaves down over him. + +"You should not squander your leaves, my old friend," said the +Bear, licking his paws. "That is all the shade you can give against +the sun." + +"If you are not pleased with me, you can go," answered the Oak +proudly. "I am lord in the land, and whatever way you look you find +my brothers and nothing else." + +"True," muttered the Bear. "That is just what is so sickening. I +have been for a little tour abroad, I may tell you, and am just a +little bit spoilt. It was in a land down towards the south--there I +took a nap under the Beech Trees. They are tall, slim Trees, not +crooked old things like you. And their tops are so dense that the +sunbeams cannot creep through them. It was a real pleasure there to +take a midday nap, I assure you." + +"Beech Trees?" said the Oak inquisitively. "What are they?" + +"You might well wish you were half as pretty as a Beech Tree," said +the Bear. "But I don't want to chatter any more with you just now. +I have had to trot a mile on account of a confounded hunter who +struck me on one of my hind legs with an arrow. Now I should like +to have a sleep, and perhaps you will be kind enough to leave me at +peace, since you cannot give me shade." The Bear stretched himself +out and closed his eyes; but he got no sleep _that_ time, for +the other Trees had heard his story, and they began chattering and +talking and rustling their leaves in a way never known in the wood +before. + +"What on earth can those Trees be?" said one of them. + +"It is, of course, a mere story; the Bear wishes to impose upon +us," said the other. + +"What kind of Trees can they be whose leaves sit so close together +that the sunbeams cannot creep between them?" asked a Little Oak, +who was listening to what the big ones were talking about. + +But by his side stood an old gnarled Tree, who gave the Little Oak +a clout on the head with one of his lowest boughs. "Hold your +tongue," he said, "and don't talk till you have something to talk +about. You need none of you believe a word of the Bear's nonsense. +I am much taller than you, and I can see far out over the wood. But +so far as ever I can see, there is nothing but Oak Trees." + +The Little Oak was shamefaced, and held his tongue; and the other +big Trees spoke to one another in low whispers, for they had great +respect for the old one. + +But the Bear got up and rubbed his eyes. "Now you have disturbed my +midday nap," he growled angrily, "and I declare that I will have my +revenge. When I come back I will bring some Beech nuts with me, and +I vow you will all turn yellow with jealousy when you see how +pretty the new Trees are." + +Then he made off. But the Oaks talked the whole day long one to +another about the funny Trees he had told them about. "If they +come, I will kill them," said the Little Oak Tree, but directly +afterwards he got one on the head from the Old Oak. + +"If they come, you shall treat them politely, you young dog," said +he. "But they will not come." + +But in this the Old Oak was wrong, for they did come. + +Towards autumn the Bear came back and lay; down under the Old Oak. +"My friends down there wish me to present their compliments," he +said, and he picked some funny things out of his shaggy coat. "Here +you may see what I have for you." + +"What is it?" asked the Oak. + +"That is _Beech_" answered the Bear--"the Beech nuts which I +promised you." Then he trampled them into the ground and prepared +to go back. + +"It is a pity I cannot stay and see how angry you will be," he +growled, "but those confounded human beings have begun to press one +so hard. The day before yesterday they killed my wife and one of my +brothers, and I must see about finding a place where I can live in +peace. There is scarcely a spot left where a self-respecting Bear +can stay. Goodbye, you old, gnarled Oak Trees!" + +When the Bear had shambled off, the Trees looked at one another +anxiously. + +"Let us see what comes of it," said the Old Oak. + +And after this they composed themselves to rest. The winter came +and tore all their leaves off them, the snow lay high over the +whole land, and every Tree stood deep in his own thoughts and +dreamt of the spring. + +And when the spring came the grass stood green, and the birds began +singing where they left off last. The flowers came up in multitudes +from the earth, and everything looked fresh and gay. The Oak Trees +alone stood with leafless boughs. + +"It is the most dignified thing to come last!" they said to one +another. "The kings of the wood do not come till the whole company +is assembled." + +But at last they came. All the leaves burst forth from the swollen +buds, and the Trees looked at one another and complimented one +another on their beauty. The Little Oak had grown ever so much. He +was very proud of it, and he thought that he had now the right to +join in the conversation. "Nothing has come yet of the Bear's Beech +Trees," he said jeeringly, at the same time glancing anxiously up +at the Old Oak, who used to give him one on the head. + +The Old Oak heard what he said very plainly, and the other Trees +also; but they said nothing. Not one of them had forgotten what the +Bear had told them, and every morning when the sun came out they +peeped down to look for the Beeches. They were really a little +uneasy, but they were too proud to talk about it. + +And one day the little shoots did at last burst forth from the +earth. The sun shone on them, and the rain fell on them, so it was +not long before they grew tall. + +"Oh, how pretty they are!" said the Great Oak, and stooped his +crooked boughs still more, so that they could get a good view of +them. "You are welcome among us," said the Old Oak, and graciously +inclined his head to them. "You shall be my foster--children, and +be treated just as well as my own." + +"Thanks," said the Little Beeches, and they said no more. + +But the Little Oak could not bear the strange Trees. "It is +dreadful the way you shoot up into the air," he said in vexation. +"You are already half as tall as I am. But I beg you to take notice +that I am much older, and of good family besides." + +The Beeches laughed with their little, tiny green leaves, but said +nothing. + +"Shall I bend my branches a little aside so that the sun can shine +better on you?" the Old Tree asked politely. + +"Many thanks," answered the Beeches. "We can grow very nicely in +the shade." + +And the whole summer passed by, and another summer after that, and +still more summers. The Beeches went on growing, and at last quite +overtopped the Little Oak. + +"Keep your leaves to yourself," cried the Oak; "you overshadow me, +and that is what I can't endure. I must have plenty of sunshine. +Take your leaves away or I perish." + +The Beeches only laughed and went on growing. At last they closed +together over the Little Oak's head, and then he died. "That was a +horrid thing to do," a great Oak called out, and shook his boughs +in terror. + +But the Old Oak took his foster-children under his protection. "It +serves him right," he said. "He is paid out for his boasting. I say +it, though he is my own flesh and blood. But now you must behave +yourselves, Little Beeches, or I will give you a clout on the +head." + +Years went by, and the Beeches went on growing, and they grew +till they were tall young Trees, which reached up among the +branches of the Old Oak. + +"You begin to be rather pushing," the Old Tree said. "You should +try to grow a little broader, and stop this shooting up into the +air. Just see where your branches are soaring. Bend them properly, +as you see us do. How will you be able to hold out when a regular +storm comes? I assure you the Wind gives one's head a good shaking. +My old boughs have creaked many a time; and what do you think will +become of the flimsy finery that you stick up in the air?" + +"Every one has his own manner of growth, and we have ours," +answered the young Beeches. "This is the way it's done where we +come from, and we are perhaps as good as you are." + +"That is not a polite way of speaking to an old Tree with moss on +his boughs," said the Oak. "I begin to repent that I was so kind to +you. If you have a spark of honourable feeling alive in you, be +good enough to move your leaves a little to one side. There have +been scarcely any buds on my lowest branches this year, you +overshadow me so." + +"I don't quite understand how that concerns us," answered the +Beeches. "Every one has quite enough to do to look after himself. +If he is equal to his work, and has luck, it turns out well for +him; if not, he must be prepared to go to the wall. That is the way +of the world." + +Then the Oak's lowest branch died, and he began to be seriously +alarmed. "You are pretty things," he said, "if this is the way you +reward me for my hospitality. When you were little I let you grow +at my feet, and sheltered you against the storm, I let the sun +shine on you as much as ever he would, and I treated you as if you +were my own children. And in return for all this you stifle me." + +"Stuff and nonsense!" said the Beeches. So they put forth flowers +and fruit, and when the fruit was ripe the Wind shook the boughs +and scattered it round far and wide. + +"You are quick people like me," said the Wind. "I like you for it, +and am glad to do you a good turn." And the Fox rolled on the +ground at the foot of the Beech Trees and got his fur full of the +prickly fruits, and ran with them far out into the country. The +Bear did the same, and grinned into the bargain at the Old Oak +while he lay and rested in the shadow of the Beeches. The Field +Mouse was beside himself with joy over his new food, and thought +that Beech nuts tasted much nicer than acorns. All round new little +Beech Trees shot up, which grew just as fast as their parents, and +looked as green and as happy as if they did not know what an uneasy +conscience was. + +But the Old Oak gazed sadly out over the wood. The light-green +Beech leaves were peeping out everywhere, and the Oaks were sighing +and bewailing their distress to one another. "They are taking our +strength out of us," they said, and shook as much as the Beeches +around would let them. "The land is ours no longer." One bough died +after another, and the Storm broke them off and cast them on the +ground. The Old Oak had now only a few leaves left at the very top. +"The end is near," he said gravely. + +By this time there were many more human beings in the land than +there were before, and they made haste to hew down the Oaks while +there were still some remaining. + +"Oak timber is better than Beech timber," they said. + +"At last we get a little appreciation," said the old Oak, "but we +have to pay for it with our lives." + +Then he said to the Beech Trees,--"What was I thinking of when I +helped you on in your young days? What an old stupid I was! Before +that, we Oak Trees were lords in the land; and now every year I see +my brothers around me perishing in the fight against you. It will +soon be all over with me, and not one of my acorns has sprouted +under your shade. But before I die I should like to know the name +you give to such conduct." + +"That will not take long to say, old friend," answered the Beeches. +"We call it _competition,_ and that is not any discovery of +our own. It is competition which rules the world." + +"I do not know these foreign words of yours," said the Oak. "I call +it mean ingratitude." And then he died. + + + +THE OAK AND THE SNAIL + +By Mrs. Alfred Gatty + +The trunk of the Oak Tree in the corner of the timber yard lay +groaning under the plank, which a party of children had thrown +across him to play see-saw upon. + +Not that the plank was so heavy, even with two or three little ones +sitting on each end, nor that the Oak was too weak to hold it +up--though, of course, the pressure was pretty strong just at the +centre, where the plank balanced. But it was such a use to be put +to! + +The other half of the Tree had been cut into beautiful even planks, +some time before, but this was the root end, and his time had not +yet come, and he was getting impatient. + +"Here we go up, up, up!" cried the children, as the plank rose into +the sky on one side. "I shall catch the tree-tops--no! the church +steeple--no! the stars." + +Or, "Here we go down, down, down!" cried the others. "Safe and snug +on the ground--no! right through the world--no! out at the other +side. Ah! steady there, stupid old stump!" This was because the +plank had swerved, not the Tree. + +And so the game went on; for the ups and downs came in turns, and +the children shrieked with delight, and the poor Tree groaned +loudly all the time. + +"And I am to sit here; and bear not only their weight but their +blame, and be called stupid and be told to keep steady, when it is +they who are giddy and can't be depended upon; and to be contented, +while they do nothing but play pranks and enjoy themselves," said +he; but he said it to himself, for he did not know which to +complain to--the children or the plank. As he groaned, however, he +thought of the time when he was king of the little wood, where he +had grown up from the acorn days of his babyhood, and it broke his +heart to be so insignificant now. + +[Illustration: THEY LEARNT FROM THEIR FATHER TO HUNT +THE STAG IN HIS COVERT + _From the painting by John Hassall_] + +"Why have they not cut me into planks like the rest?" continued he, +angrily. "I might have led the see-saw myself then, as this fellow +does, who leans so heavily on my back, without a thought that I am +as good or better than himself. Why have they not given me the +chance of enjoying myself like these others--up in the sky at one +end, down on the ground at the other, full of energy and life? The +whole timber yard, but myself, has a chance. Position and honour, +as well as pleasure, are for everybody except me. But I am to stick +in a corner merely for others to steady themselves upon--unthought +of or despised, made a tool of--Miserable me!" + +Now this groaning was so dreadful, it woke the large Garden Snail +in the grass hard by, whose custom it was to come out from his +haunt under the timber-yard wall every morning at sunrise, and +crawl round and round the Oak trunk to see the world come to life, +leaving a slimy track behind him on the bark wherever he moved. It +was his constitutional stroll, and he had continued it all the +season, pursuing his morning reflections without interruption, and +taking his nap in the grass afterwards, as regularly as the day +came round. + +But napping through such lamentation was impossible, and +accordingly he once more began to crawl up the side of the Oak +trunk, his head turning now to one side, now to the other, his +horns extended to the utmost, that, if possible, he might see what +was the matter. + +But he could not make out, though he kept all his eyes open: so +by-and-by he made the inquiry of his old friend the Tree. + +"What is the matter, do you ask?" groaned the Oak more heavily than +ever--"you who can change your position and act independently when +you wish; you who are _not_ left a useless log as I am, the +scorn and sport of my own kith and kin? Yes, the very planks who +balance themselves on my body, and mock me by their activity, have +probably come from my own side, and once hung on me as branches, +drinking in life from the life I gave. Oh miserable me! miserable, +despised, useless!" + +Now there may be plenty of animals to be found with more brilliant +abilities and livelier imagination than the Snail, but for gravity +of demeanour and calmness of nerve who is his equal? And if a sound +judgment be not behind such outward signs, there is no faith to be +put in faces! + +Accordingly, Sir Helix Hortensis--so let us call him, for that is +his scientific name--made no answer at first to the wailings of the +Oak. Three times he crawled round it, leaving three fresh traces of +his transit, before he spoke, his horns turning hither and thither +as those wonderful eyes at the end strove to take in the full state +of the case. And his are not the eyes, you know, which waste their +energies in scatter-brained staring. He keeps them cool in their +cases till there is something to be looked at, and then turns them +inside out to do their work. + +And thus he looked, and he looked, and he looked, while the +children went on shouting, and the plank went on see-sawing, and +the Tree went on groaning; and as he looked, he considered. + +"Have you anything to say?" at last inquired the Oak, who had had +long experience of Sir Helix's wisdom. + +"I have," answered the Snail. "You don't know your own value, +that's all." + +"Ask the see-sawers my value!" exclaimed the prostrate Tree, +bitterly. "One up at the stars, another beyond the world! What am +_I_ doing meanwhile?" + +"Holding them both up, which is more than they can do for +themselves," muttered the Snail, turning round to go back to the +grass. + +"But--but--stop a moment, dear Sir Helix; the see-sawers don't +think that," argued the Tree. + +"They're all light-minded together, and don't think," sneered the +Snail. "Up in the sky one minute, down in the dust the next. Never +you mind that. Everybody can't play at high jinks with comfort, +luckily for the rest of the world. Sit fast, do your duty, and have +faith. While they are going flightily up and down, your steady +balance is the saving of both." + + + +THE STORY OF A STONE + +By David Starr Jordan + +Once on a time, a great many years ago, so many years that if your +father should give you a dollar for every year you could buy up the +whole town you live in and have enough left to pay the National +Debt; in those old days when the great Northwest consisted only of +a few hills, ragged and barren, and full of copper and quartz; in +the days when the Northern Ocean washed the crest of Mount +Washington and wrote its name upon the Pictured Rocks, and the tide +of the Pacific swept over Plymouth Rock and surged up against +Bunker Hill; when the Gulf of Mexico rolled its warm and shallow +waters as far north as Escanaba and Eau Claire; in fact, an +immensely long time ago--there lived somewhere in Oconto County, +Wisconsin, a little jelly-fish. It was a curious creature, about +the shape of half an apple, and the size of a cat's thimble, and it +floated around in the water and ate little things and opened and +shut its umbrella, pretty much as jelly-fishes do in the ocean now. + +It had a great many little feelers that hung down all around like +so many mites of snakes, and so it was named Medusa, after that +lady in the old times who wore snakes instead of hair, and who felt +so badly because she couldn't do them up. Well, our little Medusa +floated around and opened and shut her umbrella for a long time--a +month, or a year, perhaps--we don't know how long. Then, one +morning, down among the sea-weeds, she laid a whole lot of tiny +eggs, transparent as crab-apple jelly and much smaller than a +dew-drop on the end of a pine-leaf. Now she leaves the scene, and +our story henceforth concerns only one of these eggs. + +Well, one day, the sun shone down into the water--the same sun that +shines through your window now--and a little fellow whom we will +call Favosites, because that was his name, woke up inside of the +egg and came out into the great world. He was only a wee bit of +floating jelly, shaped like a cartridge pointed at both ends. He +had at his sides an immense number of little paddles that went +flapping, flapping all the time, keeping him constantly in motion, +whether the little fellow wanted to go or not. So he kept scudding +along in the water, dodging from right to left, to avoid the +ungainly creatures that wanted to eat him. There were crabs and +clams, of a fashion that neither you nor I will ever see alive. +There were huge animals with great eyes, savage jaws and long +feelers, that sat in the end of a long, round shell and glowered at +him, and smaller ones of the same kind that looked like lobsters in +a dinner-horn. + +But none of these got the little fellow, else I should not have any +story to tell. + +At last, having paddled about long enough, he thought of settling +in life. So he looked around until he found a flat bit of shell +that just suited him, when he sat down upon it, and grew fast, like +old Holger Danske, in the Danish myth. Only, unlike Holger, he +didn't go to sleep, but proceeded to make himself at home. So he +made an opening in his upper side, and rigged for himself a mouth +and a stomach, and put a whole row of feelers out, and began +catching little worms and floating eggs and bits of jelly and bits +of lime,--everything he could get,--and cramming them into his +little stomach. + +He had a great many curious ways, but the funniest of all was what +he did with the bits of lime. He kept taking them in and tried to +wall himself up inside with them, as a person would stone a well or +as though a man should swallow pebbles and stow them away in his +feet and all around under the skin, till he had filled himself +full. + +But little Favosites became lonesome all alone on the bottom of +that old ocean, among so many outlandish neighbors; and so, one +night, when he was fast asleep, and dreaming as only a coral animal +can dream, there sprouted out of his side, where his sixth rib +would have been if he had had so many, another little Favosites, +who very soon began to eat worms and wall himself up as if for dear +life. Then, from these two another and another little bud came out, +and another and another little Favosites was formed, and they all +kept growing up higher and higher, and cramming themselves fuller +and fuller of limestone, till at last there were so many of them, +and they were so crowded together, that there wasn't room for them +to grow round; so they had to grow six-sided, like the cells in a +honeycomb. + +Once in a while, some one in the company would get mad because the +others got all of the lime, or would feel uneasy at sitting still +so long and swallowing stones, and would secede from the little +union, without as much as saying "Good-bye," and would sail around +like the old Medusa, and would lay more eggs, which would hatch out +into more Favosites. + +Well, the old ones died or swam away or were walled up, and new +ones filled their places, and the colony thrived for a long time, +and had accumulated quite a stock of lime. But, one day, there came +a freshet in the Menomonee River, and piles of dirt and sand and +ground-up iron ore were brought down, and all the little Favosites' +mouths were filled with it. They didn't like the taste of iron, so +they all died; but we know that their house was not spoiled, for we +have it here. So the rock-house they were making was tumbled about +in the dirt, and the rolling pebbles knocked the corners off, and +the mud worked its way into the cracks and destroyed its beautiful +whiteness. + +There it lay for ages, till the earth gave a great, long heave, +that raised the rest of Wisconsin out of the ocean, and the mud +around our Favosites' house packed and dried into hard rock and +closed it in; and so it became part of the dry land. There it lay, +imbedded in the rock for centuries and centuries. + +Then, the time of the first fishes came, and the other animals +looked on them in awe and wonder as the Indians eyed Columbus. They +were like the gar-pike in our Western rivers, only much larger,--as +big as a stove-pipe,--and with a crust as hard as a turtle's shell. +Then there came sharks, of strange forms, savage and ferocious, +with teeth like bowie-knives. But the time of the old fishes came +and went, and many more times came and went, but still Favosites +lay in the ground. + +Then came the long, hot, wet summer, when the mists hung over the +earth so thick that you might almost have cut them into chunks with +a knife, like a loaf of gingerbread; and great ferns and rushes, +big as an oak and tall as a steeple, grew over the land. Huge +reptiles with jaws like a front door, and teeth like cross-cut +saws, and little reptiles with wings like bats, crawled and swam +and flew. + +But the ferns died, and the reptiles died, and the rush-trees fell +into the swamps, and the Mississippi, now become quite a river, +covered them up, and they were packed away under great layers of +clay and sand, till at last they were turned into coal, and wept +bitter tears of petroleum. But all the while Favosites lay in the +rock at Oconto. + +Then the mists cleared up and the sun shone and the grass began to +grow, and strange animals began to come and feed upon it. They were +funny little zebra horses, no bigger than a Newfoundland dog, and +great hairy elephants, and hogs with noses so long they could sit +on their hind legs and root, and lots of still stranger creatures +that no man ever saw alive. But still Favosites lay in the ground. + +So the long, long summer passed by, and the autumn, and the Indian +summer; and at last the great winter came, and it snowed and +snowed, and it was so cold that the snow wasn't off by the Fourth +of July; and then it snowed and snowed till the snow never went off +at all; and then it got so cold that it snowed all the time, till +the snow covered all the animals, and then the trees, and then the +mountains. Then it would thaw a little, and streams of water would +run over the snow; then it would freeze again, and pack it into +solid ice. Still it went on, snowing and thawing and freezing till +the ice was a mile deep over Wisconsin, and the whole United States +was one great skating rink. + +So it kept on for about a million years, until once when the spring +came and the south winds blew, it began to thaw up. Then the ice +came sliding down from the mountains and hills, tearing up rocks +little and big, from the size of a chip to the size of a meeting +house, crushing forests as you would crush an egg-shell, and wiping +out rivers as you would wipe out a chalk-mark. So it came pushing, +thundering, grinding along slowly enough, but with tremendous +force, this mile-deep glacier, like an immense plow drawn by a +million oxen. + +So the ice plowed across Oconto County, and little Favosites was +rooted out from the quiet place where he had lain so long; but, by +good fortune, he happened to slip into a crevice in the ice, where +he wasn't much crowded, else he would have been ground to powder, +as most of his relatives were, and I shouldn't have had this story +to tell. + +Well, the ice slid along, melting all the while, and making great +torrents of water which, as they swept onward, covered land with +clay and pebbles, till at last it came to a great swamp, overgrown +with tamarac and cedar. Here it stopped and melted, and all the +rocks and stones and dirt it had carried with it, little Favosites +and all, were dumped into one great heap. + +Ages after, a farmer in Grand Chote, Michigan, plowing up his +clover field, to sow for winter wheat, picked up a curious bit of +"petrified honeycomb," and gave it to the schoolboys to take to +their teacher, to hear what he would say about it. And now you have +read what he said. + + + +HOW THE STONE-AGE CHILDREN PLAYED + +By Charles C. Abbott + +Not long since I wandered along a pretty brook that rippled through +a narrow valley. I was on the lookout for whatever birds might be +wandering that way, but saw nothing of special interest. So, to +while away the time, I commenced geologizing; and, as I plodded +along my lonely way, I saw everywhere traces of an older time, when +the sparkling rivulet that now only harbors pretty salamanders was +a deep creek, tenanted by many of our larger fishes. + +How fast the earth from the valley's slopes may have been loosened +by frost and washed by freshets, and carried down to fill up the +old bed of the stream, we will not stop to enquire; for older +traces of this older time were also met with here. As I turned over +the loose earth by the brook-side, and gathered here and there a +pretty pebble, I chanced upon a little arrow-point. + +Whoever has made a collection, be it of postage stamps or birds' +eggs, knows full well how securing one coveted specimen but +increases eagerness for others; and so it was with me that pleasant +afternoon. Just one pretty arrow-point cured me of my laziness, +banished every trace of fatigue, and filled me with the interest of +eager search; and I dug and sifted and washed the sandy soil for +yards along the brook-side, until I had gathered at least a score +of curious relics of the long-departed red men, or rather of the +games and sports and pastimes of the red men's hardy and active +children. + +For centuries before Columbus discovered San Salvador, the red men +(or Indians as they are usually called) roamed over all the great +continent of North America, and, having no knowledge of iron as a +metal, they were forced to make of stone or bone all their weapons, +hunting and household implements. From this fact they are called, +when referring to those early times, a stone-age people, and so, of +course, the boys and girls of that period were stone-age children. + +But it is not to be supposed that because the children of savages +they were altogether unlike the youngsters of to-day. In one +respect, at least, they were quite the same--they were very fond of +play. + +Their play, however, was not like the games of to-day. We might, +perhaps, call the principal game of the boys "Playing Man," for the +little stone implements that were their toys were only miniatures +of the great stone axes and long spear-points of their fathers. + +In one particular these old-time children were really in advance of +the youngsters of to-day; they not only did, in play, what their +parents did in earnest, but they realized, in part, the results of +their playful labor. A good old Moravian missionary who labored +hard to convert these Indians to Christianity, says: "Little boys +are frequently seen wading in shallow brooks, shooting small fishes +with their bows and arrows." Going-a-fishing, then, as now, was +good fun; but to shoot fishes with a bow and arrow is not an easy +thing to do, and this is one way these stone-age children played, +and played to better advantage than most of my young-readers can. +Among the stone-age children's toys that I gathered that afternoon +was a very pretty stone hatchet, very carefully shaped, and still +quite sharp. It has been worked out from a porphyry pebble, and in +every way, except size, is the same as hundreds that are still to +be found lying about the fields. + +No red man would ever deign to use such an insignificant looking +axe, and so we must suppose it to have been a toy hatchet for some +little fellow that chopped away at saplings, or, perhaps knocked +over some poor squirrel or rabbit; for our good old Moravian +friend, the missionary, also tells us that "the boys learn to climb +trees when very young, both to catch birds and to exercise their +sight, which by this method is rendered so quick that in hunting +they see objects at an amazing distance." Their play, then, became +an excellent schooling for them; and if they did nothing but play +it was not a loss of time. + +Several little arrow-points I also found in the valley. The axe was +not far away, and both it and they may have belonged to the same +bold and active young hunter. All of these arrow-points are very +neatly made. + +The same missionary tells us that these young red men of the forest +"exercise themselves very early with bows and arrows, and in +shooting at a mark. As they grow up they acquire a remarkable +dexterity in shooting birds, squirrels, and small game." + +Every boy remembers his first pen-knife, and, whether it had one or +three blades, was proud enough of it; but how different the fortune +of the stone-age children, in this matter of a pocket-knife, which +was doubtless a piece of flint chipped into a shape that might be +used as a knife. + +I have found scores of such knives in the fields that extend along +the little valley, and a few came to light in my search that +afternoon in the brook-side sands and gravel. So, if this chipped +flint is a knife, then, as in modern times, the children were +whittlers. + +Of course, our boys nowadays would be puzzled to cut a willow +whistle or mend the baby's go-cart with such a knife as this; but +still, it will not do to despise stone cutlery. There is a big +canoe in one of the Government buildings that is sixty feet long. +That boat was made in quite recent times, and only stone knives and +hatchets were used in the process. + +I found, too, in that afternoon walk, some curiously shaped +splinters of jasper, which at first did not seem very well adapted +to any purpose; and yet, although mere fragments, they had every +appearance of having been purposely shaped, and not of accidental +resemblances to a hook or sickle blade. When I got home I read that +perfect specimens, mine being certain pieces of the same form, had +been found off in Norway; and Professor Nilsson, who has carefully +studied the whole subject, says they are fish-hooks made of flint, +the largest being bone. Hooks of exactly the same pattern as these +really have been found within half a mile of the little valley I +worked in that afternoon. + +The fish-hooks found in Norway have been thought to be best adapted +for, and really used in, capturing cod-fish in salt water and perch +and pike in inland lakes. The broken hooks I found were fully as +large; and so the little brook that now ripples down the valley, +when a large stream, must have had a good many big fishes in it, or +the stone-age fishermen would not have brought their fishing-hooks, +and have lost them, along this remnant of a larger stream. + +But it must not be supposed that only children in this by-gone era +did the fishing for their tribe. Just as the men captured the +larger game, so they took the bigger fishes; but it is scarcely +probable that the boys who waded the little brooks with bows and +arrows would remain content with that, and, long before they were +men, doubtless they were adepts in catching the more valuable +fishes that abounded, in Indian times, in all our rivers. + +So, fishing, I think, was another way in which the stone-age +children played. + + + +THE MIST + +By Carl Ewald + +The sun had just gone down. + +The frog was croaking his "good-night," which lasted so long that +there seemed no end to it. The bee was creeping into its hive, and +little children were crying because they had to go to bed. The +flower was closing up its petals and bowing its head; the bird was +tucking its bill under its wing; and the stag was laying himself +down to rest in the tall, soft grass in the glade of the wood. + +From the village church the bells were ringing for sunset, and when +that was over the old clerk went home. On his way he had a little +chat or two with the people who were out for an evening stroll, or +were standing before their gate and smoking a pipe till they bade +him good-night and shut the door. + +Then it grew quite quiet, and the darkness fell. There was a light +in the parson's house, and there was one also in the doctor's. But +the farmers' houses were dark, because in summer-time the farmers +get up so early that they must go early to bed. + +And then the stars began to twinkle, and the moon crept higher and +higher up the sky. Down in the village a dog was barking. But it +must have been barking in a dream, for there was nothing to bark +at. + +"Is there anybody there?" asked the Mist. + +But nobody answered, for nobody was there. So the Mist issued forth +in her bright, airy robes. She went dancing over the meadows, up +and down, to and fro. Then she lay quite still for a moment, and +then she took to dancing again. Out over the lake she skipped and +deep into the wood, where she threw her long, damp arms round the +trunks of the trees. + +"Who are you, my friend?" asked the Night-Violet [Footnote: An +inconspicuous flower which in Denmark is very fragrant in the +evening, the "night-smelling rocket" (_Hesperis triatto_).], +who stood there giving forth fragrance just to please herself. + +The Mist did not answer, but went on dancing. + +"I asked you who you were," said the Night-Violet. "And as you +don't answer me, I conclude that you are a rude person." + +"I will now conclude _you_" said the Mist. And then she spread +herself round the Night-Violet, so that her petals were dashed with +wet. + +"Oh, oh!" cried the Night-Violet. "Keep your fingers to yourself, +my friend. I have a feeling as if I had been dipped in the pond. +You have no reason for getting so angry just because I asked you +who you are." + +The Mist let go of her again. "Who am I?" she said. "You could not +understand even if I told you." + +"Try," said the Night-Violet. + +"I am the dewdrop on the flower, the cloud in the sky, and the mist +on the meadow," said the Mist. + +"I beg your pardon," said the Night-Violet. "Would you mind saying +that again? The dewdrop I know. It settles every morning on my +leaves, and I don't think it is at all like you." + +"No; but it is I all the same," said the Mist mournfully. "But no +one knows me. I must live my life under many shapes. One time I am +dew, and another time I am rain; and yet another time I babble as a +clear, cool streamlet through the wood. But when I dance on the +meadows in the evening, men say that it is the marsh-lady brewing." + +"It is a strange story," said the Night-Violet. "Do you mind +telling it to me? The night is long, and I sometimes get a little +bored by it." + +"It is a sad story," answered the Mist. "But you may have it and +welcome." But when she was about to lie down the Night-Violet shook +with terror in all her petals. + +"Be so kind as to keep at a little distance," she said, "at least +till you have properly introduced yourself. I have never cared to +be on familiar terms with people I don't know." + +So the Mist lay down a little way off and began her story:--"I +was born deep down in the earth--far deeper than your roots go. +There I and my sisters--for we are a large family, you must +understand--came into the world as waves of a hidden spring, pure +and clear as crystal; and for a long time we had to stay in our +hiding-place. But one day we suddenly leapt from a hillside into +the full light of the sun. You can well imagine how delightful it +was to come tumbling down through the wood. We hopped over stones +and rippled against the bank. Pretty little fishes gambolled +amongst us, and the trees bent over so that their beautiful green +was reflected in our waters. If a leaf fell, we cradled it and +fondled it and carried it out with us into the wide world. Ah, that +was delightful! It was indeed the happiest time of my life." + +"But when are you going to tell me how you came to turn into mist?" +asked the Night-Violet impatiently. "I know all about the +underground spring. When the air is quite still, I can hear it +murmur from where I stand." + +The Mist lifted herself a little and took a turn round the meadow. +Then she came back, and went on with her story:--"It is the worst +of this world that one is never contented with what one has. So it +was with us. We kept running on and on, till at last we ran into a +great lake, where water-lilies rocked on the water and dragon-flies +hummed on their great stiff wings. Up on the surface the lake was +clear as a mirror. But whether we wished it or not, we had to run +right down by the bottom, where it was dark and gruesome. And this +I could not endure. I longed for the sunbeams. I knew them so well +from the time I used to run in the brook. There they used to peep +down through the leaves and pass over me in fleeting gleams. I +longed so much to see them again that I stole up to the surface, +and lay down in the sunshine all amongst the white water-lilies and +their great green leaves. But, ugh! how the sun burnt me there on +the lake I It was scarcely bearable. Bitterly did I regret that I +had not stopped down below." + +"I can't say this part of your story is very amusing," said the +Night-Violet. "Isn't the Mist soon coming?" + +"Here it is!" said the Mist, and dropped down once more on the +flower, so that it nearly had the breath squeezed out of it. + +"Ough! ough!" shrieked the Night-Violet. "Upon my word, you are +the most ill-natured person I have ever known. Move off, and go on +with your story, since it must be so." + +"In the evening, when the sun had set, I suddenly became +wonderfully light," said the Mist. "I don't know how it came about, +but I thought I could rise up from the lake and fly; and before I +knew anything about it, I was drifting over the water, far away +from the dragon-flies and the water-lilies. The evening breeze bore +me away. I flew high up into the air, and there I met many of my +sisters, who had been just as eager for novelty as myself, and had +had the same fate. We drifted across the sky, for, you see, we had +become clouds." + +"I am not sure I do see," said the Night-Violet. "The thing sounds +incredible." + +"But it is true all the same," answered the Mist "And let me tell +you what happened then. The wind carried us for a long way through +the air. But all at once it would not do so any more, and let us +drop. Down we fell on to the earth as a splashing shower of rain. +The flowers all shut up in a hurry, and the birds crept under +cover--except, of course, the ducks and the geese, for, you know, +the wetter it is the more they like it. Yes--and the farmer too! He +wanted rain so much for his crops, he stood there hugely delighted, +and did not in the least mind getting wet. But otherwise we really +did make quite a sensation." + +"Oh! so you are the rain as well?" said the Night-Violet. "I must +say you have plenty to do." + +"Yes, I'm never idle," said the Mist. + +"All the same, I have not yet heard how you became mist," said the +Night-Violet. "Only, _please_ don't get into a passion again. +You know you promised to tell me without my asking you, and I would +sooner hear the whole story over again than shiver once more in +your horrid, clammy arms." + +The Mist lay silent and sobbed for a few moments. Then she went on +with her story:--"After I had fallen on the earth as rain, I sank +down into the black soil, and was already congratulating myself on +soon getting back to my birthplace, the deep underground spring. +There, at any rate, one enjoyed peace and had no cares. But, as I +was sinking into the ground, the tree roots sucked me up, and I had +to wander about for a whole day in the boughs and leaves. They +treated me as a beast of burden, I assure you. All the food that +the leaves and flowers needed I had to carry up to them from the +roots. It was not till the evening that I managed to get away. When +the sun had gone down the flowers and trees all heaved a deep sigh, +and I and my sisters flew off in that sigh in the form of bright +airy Mists. To-night we dance on the meadow. But when the sun rises +in the morning we shall turn into those pretty transparent dewdrops +which hang from your petals. When you shake us off we shall sink +deeper and deeper till we reach the spring we came from--that is, +if some root or other does not snap us up on the way. And so the +journey goes on. Down the brook, out into the lake, up into the +air, down again to the earth--" + +"Stop!" said the Night-Violet. "If I listen to you any more, I +shall become quite sea-sick." + +Now the frog began to stir. He stretched his legs, and went down to +the ditch to take his morning bath. The birds began to twitter in +the wood, and the bellow of the stag echoed amongst the trees. It +was on the point of dawn, and here came the Sun peeping up over the +hill. + +"Hullo, what is that?" he said. "What a strange sight! One can't +see one's hand before one's face. Wind of the morning! up with you, +you sluggard, and drive the foul Mists away." + +The Morning Wind came over the meadow, and away went the Mists. And +at the very same moment the first rays of the Sun fell right on the +Night-Violet. + +"Heyday!" said the flower. "We have got the Sun already, so I had +better make haste and shut up. Where in the world has the Mist gone +to?" + +"I am still here," said the Dewdrop that hung on its stalk. + +But the Night-Violet shook herself peevishly. "You may stuff +children with that nonsense," she said. "As for me, I don't believe +a word of your whole story. It is as weak as water." + +Then the Sun laughed and said, "You are quite right _there_!" + + + +THE ANEMONES + +By Carl Ewald + +"Peeweet! peeweet!" cried the Plover, as he flew over the bog in +the wood. "My Lady Spring is coming! I can tell it from the feeling +in my legs and wings." + +When the new Grass that lay below in the earth heard that, it +pushed up at once and peeped out merrily from among the old yellow +Grass of last year. For the Grass is always in a great hurry. + +The Anemones in among the trees also heard the Plover's cry; but +they, on the contrary, would not come up yet on any account. "You +must not believe the Plover," they whispered to one another. "He is +a gay young spark who is not to be depended upon. He always comes +too early, and begins crying out at once. No, we will wait quietly +till the Starlings and Swallows come. They are sensible, +steady-going people who know what's what, and don't go sailing with +half a wind." + +And then the Starlings came. They perched on the stumps in front of +their summer villa, and looked about them. "Too early as usual," +said Daddy Starling. "Not a green leaf and not a fly to be seen, +except an old tough one from last year, which isn't worth opening +one's bill for." Mother Starling said nothing, but she did not seem +any more enchanted with the prospect. + +"If we had only stayed in our cosy winter home down there beyond +the mountains," said Daddy Starling. He was angry at his wife's not +answering him, because he was so cold that he thought it might do +him good to have a little fun. "But it is _your_ fault, as it +was last year. You are always in such a dreadful hurry to come out +to the country." + +"If I am in a hurry, I know the reason for it," said Mother +Starling. "And you ought to be ashamed of yourself if you didn't +know it also, since they are your eggs just as much as mine." + +"What do you mean?" said Daddy Starling, much insulted. "When have +I neglected my family? Perhaps you even want me to sit in the cold +and sing to you?" + +"Yes, I do," said Mother Starling in the tone he couldn't resist. + +He began to pipe at once as well as he knew how. But Mother +Starling had no sooner heard the first notes than she gave him a +flap with her wings and snapped at him with her beak. "Oh, please +stop it!" she cried bitterly. "It sounds so sad that it makes one +quite heartsick. Instead of piping like that, get the Anemones to +come up. I think it must be time for them. And besides, one always +feels warmer when there are others freezing besides oneself." + +Now as soon as the Anemones had heard the first piling of the +Starling, they cautiously stuck out their heads from the earth. But +they were so tightly wrapped up in green kerchiefs that one could +not get a glimpse of them. They looked like green shoots which +might turn into anything. "It is too early," they whispered. "It is +a shame of the Starling to entice us out. One can't rely on +anything in the world nowadays." + +Then the Swallow came. "Chee! chee!" he twittered, and shot through +the air on his long, tapering wings. "Out with you, you stupid +flowers! Don't you see that my Lady Spring has come?" + +But the Anemones had grown cautious. They only drew their green +kerchiefs a little apart and peeped out. "One Swallow does not make +a summer," they said. "Where is your wife? You have only come here +to see if it is possible to stay here, and you want to take us in. +But we are not so stupid. We know very well that if we once catch a +bad cold we are done for, for this year at any rate." + +"You are cowards," said the Swallow, perching himself on the +forest-ranger's weathercock, and peering out over the landscape. + +But the Anemones waited still and shivered. A few of them who could +not control their impatience threw off their kerchiefs in the sun. +The cold at night nipped and killed them; and the story of their +pitiful death was passed on from flower to flower, and caused a +great consternation. + +And then--one delightfully mild, still night--my Lady Spring came. + +No one knows how she looks, because no one has ever seen her. But +all long for her, and thank her and bless her. She goes through the +wood and touches the flowers and trees, and at once they burst out. +She goes through the cattle-stalls and unties the beasts, and lets +them out on to the field. She goes straight into the hearts of men +and fills them with gladness. She makes it hard for the best boy to +sit still on his form at school, and she is the cause of a terrible +number of mistakes in the copy-books. But she does not do all this +at once. Night after night she plies her task, and she comes first +to him who longs for her most. + +So it happened that on the very night of her coming she went +straight to the Anemones, who stood in their green kerchiefs and +didn't know how to hold out any longer. And one, two, three! there +they stood in their newly-ironed white collars, and looked so fresh +and so pretty that the Starlings sang their prettiest songs out of +sheer joy in them. + +"Ah, how sweet it is here!" said the Anemones. "How warm the sun +is, and how the birds sing! It is a thousand times better than last +year." But they said the same thing every year, so one needn't take +any account of it. + +There were many others who were quite beside themselves when they +saw the Anemones had come out. One was a schoolboy who wanted to +have his summer holidays at once; and another was the Beech Tree, +who felt exceedingly put out. "Aren't you coming soon to me, my +Lady Spring?" he said. "I am a much more important person than +those silly Anemones, and I can't really hold in my buds much +longer." + +"I am coming, I am coming," answered my Lady Spring. "But you must +give me a little time." + +She went on her way through the wood, and at every step many and +many an Anemone burst into flower. They stood in crowds round the +roots of the Birch Tree, and bashfully bowed their round heads to +the earth. + +"Look up," said my Lady Spring, "and rejoice in God's bright +sunshine. Your life is short, so you must enjoy it while you have +it." + +The Anemones did as she told them. They stretched and strained, and +spread their white petals to all sides, to drink as much sunshine +as they could. They pushed their heads against one another, and +twined their stalks together, and laughed, and were immensely +happy. + +"Now I can wait no longer," said the Beech, and he burst into leaf. + +Leaf after leaf crept forth from its green sheath and waved in the +wind. The great Tree made a green arch, like a mighty roof over the +earth. + +"Dear me, is it already evening?" asked the Anemones, who noticed +that it had grown quite dark. + +"No; it is Death," said my Lady Spring. "Now _your_ time is +over. It happens to you just as it happens to all that is best on +earth. Everything in turn must spring to life, and bloom, and die." + +"Die?" cried some little Anemones. "Must we die already?" + +And some of the big ones grew quite red in the face in their terror +and vexation. + +"We know what it is," they said. "It is the Beech that is the death +of us. He steals the sunshine for his own leaves, and does not +allow us a single ray. He is a mean, wicked thing." + +They stood for some days, grumbling and crying. Then my Lady Spring +came for the last time through the wood. She had still the Oak +Trees and some other crusty old fellows to attend to. "Lie down +nicely in the earth and go to sleep," she said to the Anemones, "It +is of no use to kick against the pricks. Next year I will come back +and waken you once more to life." + +And some of the Anemones did as she told them. But others still +stretched their heads into the air, and grew so ugly and stalky +that it was horrid to see them. + +"Fie for shame!" they cried to the Beech Leaves. "It is you who are +killing us," + +But the Beech shook his long boughs and let his brown husks drop +down to the ground, "Wait till the autumn, you little simpletons," +he said, laughing. "Then you shall see." + +The Anemones could not understand what he meant. But when they had +stretched themselves till they were as tall as they could be, they +broke off and withered. + +The summer was over, and the farmer had carried his corn home from +the field. The wood was still green, but it was a darker green than +before; and in many places red and yellow leaves glowed among the +green ones. The sun was tired after his hot work in the summer, and +went early to bed. + +At night Winter was stealing about among the trees to see if his +time was not soon coming. When he found a flower, he gallantly +kissed it, saying,--"What! are you here still? I am charmed to meet +you. Please stay where you are. I am a good old man, and would not +harm a cat." + +But the flower shuddered at his kiss, and the transparent dewdrop +that hung from its petal froze to ice at the instant. + +Again and again Winter ran through the wood. When he breathed on +them, the leaves turned yellow and the earth grew hard. Even the +Anemones, who lay below in the earth waiting till my Lady Spring +should come back as she had promised, they too felt his breath and +shuddered down in their roots. + +"Ugh! how cold it is!" they said to one another. "How shall we +stand the winter? We shall die for a certainty before it is over." + +"Now it's _my_ time," said Winter. "Now I need no longer steal +about like a thief in the night. After to-day I shall look +everybody in the face, and bite their noses, and make their eyes +run with water." + +At night he let loose the Storm. "Let me see you make a clean +sweep," he said. And the Storm obeyed his command. He went howling +through the wood, and shook the branches till they creaked and +cracked. Any that were rotten broke off, and those that held on had +to turn and bow this way and that. "Away with that finery!" howled +the Storm as he tore off the leaves. "This is not the time to dress +yourself up. The snow will soon be coming on to your branches; that +will be quite another story." + +All the leaves fell in terror to the earth, but the Storm would not +let them rest. He seized them round the waist and waltzed with them +out over the field, high up into the air, and into the wood again, +swept them into great heaps, and then scattered them in all +directions--just as it pleased him. + +Not till morning came did the Storm grow weary and lie down to +rest. "Now you shall have peace for a time," he said. "I will take +a rest till we have the spring cleaning. Then we can have another +turn together--that is, if there are any of you left by then." And +the leaves lay down to rest, and spread themselves like a thick +carpet over the whole land. + +The Anemones felt that it had become pleasantly warm. "Can it be my +Lady Spring already?" they asked each other. + +"I haven't got my buds ready," shouted one of them. + +"Nor I! Nor I!" cried the others in one voice. But one of them took +courage and peeped out over the earth. + +"Good-morning!" cried the withered Beech Leaves. "It is a little +too early, little lady. I hope you will be none the worse for it." + +"Isn't it my Lady Spring?" inquired the Anemone. + +"Not yet," answered the Beech Leaves. "It is only the green Beech +Leaves that you were so angry with last summer. The green has gone +from us, so we have no great finery to boast of now. We have +enjoyed our youth and had our fling, I can tell you. And now we lie +here and protect all the little flowers in the earth against the +winter." + +"And meanwhile _I_ stand shivering in all my bare boughs," +said the Beech peevishly. + +The Anemones talked it over one to another down below in the earth, +and thought it was grand. "Those grand Beech Leaves!" they said. + +"Mind you remember this next summer when I burst into leaf," said +the Beech. + +"We will! we will!" whispered the Anemones. + +But that sort of promise is easily made--and easily broken. + + + +THE WEEDS + +By Carl Ewald + +It was a beautiful, fruitful season. Rain and sunshine came by +turns just as it was best for the corn. As soon as ever the farmer +began to think that things were rather dry, you might depend upon +it that next day it would rain. And when he thought that he had had +rain enough, the clouds broke at once, just as if they were under +his command. + +So the farmer was in a good humour, and he did not grumble as he +usually does. He looked pleased and cheerful as he walked over the +field with his two boys. + +"It will be a splendid harvest this year," he said. "I shall have +my barns full, and shall make a pretty penny. And then Jack and +Will shall have some new trousers, and I'll let them come with me +to market." + +"If you don't cut me soon, farmer, I shall sprawl on the ground," +said the Rye, and she bowed her heavy ear quite down towards the +earth. + +The farmer could not hear her talking, but he could see what was in +her mind, and so he went home to fetch his scythe. + +"It is a good thing to be in the service of man," said the Rye. "I +can be quite sure that all my grain will be well cared for. Most of +it will go to the mill: not that that proceeding is so very +enjoyable, but in that way it will be made into beautiful new +bread, and one must put up with something for the sake of honour. +The rest the farmer will save, and sow next year in his field." + +At the side of the field, along the hedge, and the bank above the +ditch, stood the weeds. There were dense clumps of them--Thistle +and Burdock, Poppy and Harebell, and Dandelion; and all their heads +were full of seed. It had been a fruitful year for them also, for +the sun shines and the rain falls just as much on the poor weed as +on the rich porn. + +"No one comes and mows _us_ down and carries us to a barn," +said the Dandelion, and he shook his head, but very cautiously, so +that the seeds should not fall before their time. "But what will +become of all our children?" "It gives me a headache to think about +it," said the Poppy. "Here I stand with hundreds and hundreds of +seeds in my head, and I haven't the faintest idea where I shall +drop them." "Let us ask the Rye to advise us," answered the +Burdock. And so they asked the Rye what they should do. + +"When one is well off, one had better not meddle with other +people's business," answered the Rye. "I will only give you one +piece of advice: take care you don't throw your stupid seed on to +the field, for then you will have to settle accounts with +_me_." + +This advice did not help the wild flowers at all, and the whole day +they stood pondering what they should do. When the sun set they +shut up their petals and went to sleep; but the whole night through +they were dreaming about their seed, and next morning they had +found a plan. + +The Poppy was the first to wake. She cautiously opened some little +trap-doors at the top of her head, so that the sun could shine +right in on the seeds. Then she called to the Morning Breeze, who +was running and playing along the hedge. "Little Breeze," she said, +in friendly tones, "will you do me a service?" + +"Yes, indeed," said the Breeze. "I shall be glad to have something +to do." + +"It is the merest trifle," said the Poppy. "All I want of you is to +give a good shake to my stalk, so that my seeds may fly out of the +trap-doors." + +"All right," said the Breeze. + +And the seeds flew out in all directions. The stalk snapped, it is +true; but the Poppy did not mind about that, for when one has +provided for one's children, one has really nothing more to do in +the world. + +"Good-bye," said the Breeze, and would have run on farther. + +"Wait a moment," said the Poppy. "Promise me first that you will +not tell the others, else they might get hold of the same idea, and +then there would be less room for my seeds." + +"I am mute as the grave," answered the Breeze, running off. + +"Ho! ho!" said the Harebell. "Haven't you time to do me a little, +tiny service?" + +"Well," said the Breeze, "what is it?" + +"I merely wanted to ask you to give me a little shake," said the +Harebell. "I have opened some trap-doors in my head, and I should +like to have my seed sent a good way off into the world. But you +musn't tell the others, or else they might think of doing the same +thing." + +"Oh! of course not," said the Breeze, laughing. "I shall be as dumb +as a stone wall." And then she gave the flower a good shake and +went on her way. + +"Little Breeze, little Breeze," called the Dandelion, "whither away +so fast?" + +"Is there anything the matter with you, too?" asked the Breeze. + +[Illustration: PEOPLE WHO WERE OUT FOR AN EVENING +STROLL. + _From the painting by Edmund Dulac _] + +"Nothing at all," answered the Dandelion. "Only I should like a few +words with you." + +"Be quick then," said the Breeze, "for I am thinking seriously of +lying down and having a rest." + +"You cannot help seeing," said the Dandelion, "what a fix we are in +this year to get all our seeds put out in the world; for, of +course, one wishes to do what one can for one's children. What is +to happen to the Harebell and the Poppy and the poor Burdock I +really don't know. But the Thistle and I have put our heads +together, and we have hit on a plan. Only we must have you to help +us." + +"That makes _four_ of them," thought the Breeze, and could not +help laughing out loud. + +"What are you laughing at?" asked the Dandelion. "I saw you +whispering just now to the Harebell and Poppy; but if you breathe a +word to them, I won't tell you anything." + +"Why, of course not," said the Breeze. "I am mute as a fish. What +is it you want?" + +"We have set up a pretty little umbrella on the top of our seeds. +It is the sweetest little plaything imaginable. If you will only +blow a little on me, the seeds will fly into the air and fall down +wherever you please. Will you do so?" + +"Certainly," said the Breeze. + +And ush! it went over the Thistle and the Dandelion and carried all +the seeds with it into the cornfield. + +The Burdock still stood and pondered. Its head was rather thick, +and that was why it waited so long. But in the evening a Hare leapt +over the hedge. "Hide me! Save me!" he cried. "The farmer's dog +Trusty is after me." + +"You can creep behind the hedge," said the Burdock, "then I will +hide you." + +"You don't look to me much good for that job," said the Hare, "but +in time of need one must help oneself as one can." And so he got in +safety behind the hedge. + +"Now you may repay me by taking some of my seeds with you over into +the cornfield," said the Burdock; and it broke off some of its many +heads and fixed them on the Hare. + +A little later Trusty came trotting up to the hedge. "Here's the +dog," whispered the Burdock, and with one spring the Hare leapt +over the hedge and into the Rye. + +"Haven't you seen the Hare, Burdock?" asked Trusty. "I see I have +got too old to go hunting. I am quite blind in one eye, and I have +completely lost my scent." + +"Yes, I have seen him," answered the Burdock; "and if you will do +me a service, I will show you where he is." + +Trusty agreed, and the Burdock fastened some heads on his back, and +said to him,--"If you will only rub yourself against the stile +there in the cornfield, my seeds will fall off. But you must not +look for the Hare there, for a little while ago I saw him run into +the wood." + +Trusty dropped the burs on the field and trotted to the wood. + +"Well, I've got _my_ seeds put out in the world all right," +said the Burdock, and laughed as if much pleased with itself; "but +it is impossible to say what will become of the Thistle and the +Dandelion, and the Harebell and the Poppy." + +Spring had come round once more, and the Rye stood high already. + +"We are pretty well off on the whole," said the Rye plants. "Here +we stand in a great company, and not one of us but belongs to our +own noble family. And we don't get in each other's way in the very +least. It is a grand thing to be in the service of man." + +But one fine day a crowd of little Poppies, and Thistles and +Dandelions, and Burdocks and Harebells poked up their heads above +ground, all amongst the flourishing Rye. "What does _this_ +mean?" asked the Rye. "Where in the world are _you_ sprung +from?" + +And the Poppy looked at the Harebell and asked, "Where do you come +from?" + +And the Thistle looked at the Burdock and asked, "Where in the +world have _you_ come from?" They were all equally astonished, +and it was an hour before they had explained. But the Rye was the +angriest, and when she had heard all about Trusty and the Hare and +the Breeze she grew quite wild. + +"Thank heaven, the farmer shot the Hare last autumn," she said; +"and Trusty, fortunately, is also dead, the old scamp. So I am at +peace, as far as _they_ are concerned. But how dare the Breeze +promise to drop the seeds of the weeds in the farmer's cornfield?" + +"Don't be in such a passion, you green Rye," said the Breeze, who +had been lying behind the hedge and hearing everything. "I ask no +one's permission, but do as I like; and now I'm going to make you +bow to me." Then she passed over the young Rye, and the thin blades +swayed backwards and forwards. + +"You see," she said, "the farmer attends to his Rye, because that +is _his_ business. But the rain and the sun and I--we attend +to all of you without respect of persons. To our eyes the poor weed +is just as pretty as the rich corn." + +The farmer now came out to look at his Rye, and when he saw the +weeds in the cornfield he scratched his head with vexation and +began to growl. "It's that scurvy wind that's done this," he said +to Jack and Will, as they stood by his side with their hands in the +pockets of their new trousers. + +But the Breeze flew towards them and knocked all their caps off +their heads, and rolled them far away to the road. The farmer and +the two boys ran after them, but the Wind ran faster than they did. + +It finished up by rolling the caps into the village pond, and the +farmer and the boys had to stand a long time fishing for them +before they got them out. + + + +SOME VOICES FROM THE KITCHEN GARDEN + +By Mrs. Alfred Gatty + +ONE--two--three--four--five; five neatly-raked kitchen-garden beds, +four of them side by side, with a pathway between; the fifth a +narrow slip, heading the others, and close to the gravel walk, as +it was for succession-crops of mustard and cress, which are often +wanted in a hurry for breakfast or tea. + +Most people have stood by such beds in their own kitchen-gardens on +soft spring mornings and evenings, and looked for the coming up of +the seeds which either they or the gardener had sown. + +Radishes in one, for instance, and of all three +sorts--white-turnip, red-turnip, and long-tailed. + +Carrots in another; and this bed had been dug very deep +indeed--subsoil digging, as it were; two spades' depth, that the +roots might strike freely down. + +Onions in another. Beets in the fourth; both the golden and red +varieties; while the narrow slip was half mustard and half cress. + +Such was the plan here, at least, and here, for a time, all the +seeds lay sleeping, as it seemed. For, as the long smooth-raked +beds stretched out dark and bare under the stars, they betrayed no +symptoms of anything going on within. + +Nevertheless, there was no sleeping in the case. The little +seed-grains were fulfilling the law of their being, each after its +kind; the grains, all but their inner germs, decaying; the germs +swelling and growing, till they rose out of their cradles, and made +their way, through their earthen cover lid, to the light of day. + +They did not all come up quite together, of course, nor all quite +alike. But as to the time, the gardener had made his arrangements +so cleverly, that none was very far behind his neighbour. And as to +the difference of shape in the first young leaves, what could it +signify? It is true the young mustards were round and thick; the +cresses oval and pointed; the carrots mere green threads; the +onions sharp little blades; while the beets had an odd, stainy +look. But they all woke up to the same life and enjoyment, and were +all greeted with friendly welcome as they appeared, by the dew, and +light, and sunshine, and breezes, so necessary to them all. + +"I find I get deeper and deeper into the soil every day," remarked +the Carrot. "I shall be I don't know how long, at last. I have been +going down regularly, quite straight, for weeks. Then I am tapering +off to a long point at the end, in the most beautiful proportions +possible. A Grub told me, the other day, this was perfection, and I +believe he was right." + +(That mischievous vagabond Grub, you see!) + +"I knew what it was to live near the surface in my young days," the +Carrot went on; "but never felt solid enjoyment till I struck +deeply down, where all is so rich and warm. This is really being +firmly established and satisfactory to one's-self, though still +progressing, I hope, for I don't see why there should be a limit +Pray tell me, neighbours," added he, good-naturedly enough, "how it +fares with all the rest of you. I should like to know that your +roots are as long, and slim, and orange coloured as mine; doing as +well, in fact, and sinking as far down. I wish us to be all perfect +alike. Perfection is the great thing to try for." + +"When you are sure you are trying in the right way," sneered a +voice from the neighbouring radish-bed (the red and white turnip +variety were always satirical). "But if the long, slim, +orange-roots, striking deep into the earth, are your idea of +perfection, I advise you to begin life over again. Dear me! I wish +you had consulted us before. Why, we stopped going down long ago, +and have been spreading out sideways and all ways, into stout, +round solid balls ever since, close white flesh throughout, inside; +and not orange, but red without." + +"White, he means," shouted another. + +"Red, I call it," repeated the first. "But no matter; certainly not +orange!" + +And "Certainly not orange!" cried they all. + +"So," continued the first speaker, "we are quite concerned to hear +you ramble on about growing longer and longer, and strongly advise +you to keep your own counsel, and not mention it to any one else. +We are friends, you know, and can be trusted; but you really must +leave off wasting your powers and energy in the dark inside of the +ground, out of everybody's sight and knowledge. Come to the +surface, and make the most of it, as we do, and then you'll be a +credit to your friends. Roll yourself up into a firm round ball as +fast as you can. You won't find it hard if you once begin. You have +only to--" + +"Let me put in a word first," interrupted one of the long-tailed +Radishes in the same bed; "for it is of no use to go out of one +extreme into another, which you are on the high road to do if you +are disposed to take Mr. Roundhead's advice; who, by the way, ought +to be ashamed of forcing his very peculiar views upon his +neighbours. Just look at us. We always strike moderately down, so +we know it's the right thing to do, and that solid round balls are +the most unnatural and useless things in the world. But, on the +other hand, my dear friend, we have learnt where to stop, and a +great secret it is, but one I fear you know nothing about at +present; so the sooner you make yourself acquainted with it the +better. There's a limit to everything but folly--even to striking +deep into the soil. And as to the soil being better so very far +down, nobody can believe it; for why should it be? The great art is +to make the most of what is at hand, as we do. Time enough to go +into the depths when you have used up what is so much easier got +at. The man who gathered some of us yesterday, called out, 'These +are just right.' So I leave you to judge whether some other people +we know of must not be wrong." + +"You rather overwhelm me, I own," mused the Carrot; "though it's +remarkable you counsellors should not agree among yourselves. Is it +possible, however, that I have been making a great mistake all my +life? What lost time to look back upon! Yet a ball;--no, no, not a +ball! I don't think I could grow into a solid round ball were I to +try for ever!" + +"Not having tried, how can you tell?" whispered the Turnip-Radish +persuasively. "But you never will, if you listen to our +old-fashioned friend next door, who has been halting between two +opinions all his life:--will neither make an honest fat lump of it, +as I do, nor plunge down and taper with you. But nothing can be +done without an effort: certainly no change." + +"That is true," murmured the Carrot, rather sadly; "but I am too +old for further efforts myself. Mistake or no mistake, my fate is +fixed. I am too far down to get up again, that's certain; but some +of the young ones may try. Do you hear, dears? Some of you stop +short, if you can, and grow out sideways and all ways, into stout, +round, solid balls." + +"Oh, nonsense about round balls!" cried the long-tailed Radish in +disgust; "what will the world come to, if this folly goes on! +Listen to me, youngsters, I beg. Go to a moderate depth, and be +content; and if you want something to do, throw out a few fibres +for amusement. You're firm enough without them, I know, but the +employment will pass away time." + +"There are strange delusions abroad just now," remarked the Onions +to each other; "do you hear all this talk about shape and way of +growth? and everybody in the dark on the subject, though they seem +to be quite unconscious of the fact themselves. That fellow +chattered about solid balls, as if there was no such thing as +bulbs, growing layer upon layer, and coat over coat, at all. Of +course the very long orange gentleman, with his tapering root, is +the most wrong of the whole party; but I doubt if Mr. Roundhead is +much wiser when he speaks of close white flesh inside, and red (of +all ridiculous nonsense) without. Where are their flaky skins, I +should like to know? Who is ever to peel them, I wonder? Poor +things! I can't think how they got into such ways. How tough and +obstinate they must be! I wish we lived nearer. We would teach them +a little better than that, and show them what to do." + +"_I_ have lived near you long enough," grumbled a deep-red +Beet in the next bed; "and you have never taught me; neither shall +you, if I can help it. A pretty instructor you would be, who think +it ridiculous to be red! I suppose you can't grow red yourself, and +so abuse the colour out of spite. Now I flatter myself I am red +inside as well as out, so I suppose I am more ridiculous than your +friend who contrives to keep himself white within, according to his +own account; but I doubt the fact. There, there! it is a folly to +be angry; so I say no more, except this: get red as fast as you +can. You live in the same soil that I do, and ought to be able." + +"Oh, don't call it red!" exclaimed a golden Beet, who was of a +gentle turn of mind; "it is but a pale tint after all, and surely +rather amber than red; and perhaps that was what the long-tailed +orange gentleman meant." + +"Perhaps it was; for perhaps he calls red orange, as you call it +amber," answered the redder Beet; "anyhow he has rather more sense +than our neighbour here, with his layer upon layer, and coat over +coat, and flaky skin over all. Think of wasting time in such +fiddle-faddle proceedings! Grow a good honest fleshy substance, and +have done with it, and let people see you know what life is capable +of. I always look at results. It is something to get such a body as +I do out of the surrounding soil. That is living to some purpose, I +consider. Nobody makes more of their opportunities than I do, I +flatter myself, or has more to show for their pains; and a great +future must be in store." + +"Do you hear them? oh! do you hear them?" whispered the Cress to +her neighbour the Mustard (there had been several crops, and this +was one of the last); "do you hear how they all talk together of +their growth, and their roots, and their bulbs, and size, and +colour, and shape? It makes me quite unhappy, for I am doing +nothing like that myself--nothing, nothing, though I live in the +same soil! What is to be done? What do _you_ do? Do you grow +great white solid balls, or long, orange tapering roots, or thick +red flesh, or bulbs with layer upon layer, and coat over coat? Some +of them talked of just throwing out a few fibres as a mere +amusement to pass away time; and this is all I ever do for +business. There will never be a great future in store for me. Do +speak to me, but whisper what you say, for I shame to be heard or +thought of." + +"I grow only fibres, too," groaned the Mustard in reply; "but I +would spread every way and all ways if I could--downwards and +upwards, and sideways and all ways, like the rest. I wish I had +never been sown. Better never be sown and grown, than sown and +grown to such trifling purpose! We are wretched indeed. But there +must be injustice somewhere. The soil must give them what it +refuses to us." + +"Or we are weak and helpless, and cannot take in what it offers," +suggested the Cress. "Alas! that we should have been sown only to +be useless and unhappy!" + +And they wept the evening through. But they alone were not unhappy. +The Carrot had become uneasy, and could follow his natural tastes +no longer in comfort, for thinking that he ought to be a solid +round ball, white inside, and red without. The Onion had sore +misgivings that the Beet might be right after all, and a good +honest mass of red flesh be more worth labouring for, than the pale +coat-within-coat growth in which he had indulged. It did seem a +waste of trouble, a fiddle-faddle plan of life, he feared. Perhaps +he had not gone down far enough in the soil. Some one talked of +growing fibres for amusement--he had certainly not come to that; +they were necessary to his support; he couldn't hold fast without +them. Other people were more independent than he was, then; perhaps +wiser,--alas! + +And yet the Beet himself was not quite easy; for talk as he would, +what he had called fiddle-faddle seemed ingenious when he thought +it over, and he would like to have persuaded himself that he grew +layer upon layer, too. But it wouldn't do. + +Perhaps, in fact, the bold little Turnip-Radishes alone, from their +solid, substantial growth, were the only ones free from misgivings, +and believed that everybody ought to do as they did themselves. + +What a disturbance there was, to be sure! And it got worse and +worse, and they called on the winds and fleeting clouds, the sun, +and moon, and stars above their heads, to stay their course awhile, +and declare who was right and who was wrong; who was using, who +abusing his gifts and powers; who was making most, who least, of +the life and opportunities they all enjoyed; whose system was the +one the rest must all strive to follow--the one only right. + +But they called and asked in vain; till one evening, the clouds +which had been gathering over the garden for days began to come +down in rain, and sank swiftly into the ground, where it had been +needed for long. Whereupon there was a general cry, "Here comes a +messenger; now we shall hear!" as if they thought no one could have +any business in the world but to settle their disputes. + +So out came the old inquiries again:--who was right--who was +wrong--who had got hold of the true secret? But the Cress made no +inquiry at all, only shook with fright under the rain; for, thought +she, the hour of my shame and degradation is come: poor useless +creature that I am, I shall never more hold up my head! + +As to the Carrot, into whose well-dug bed the rain found easiest +entrance, and sank deepest, he held forth in most eloquent style +upon the whole affair; how it was started, and what he had said; +how much he had once hoped; how much he now feared. + +Now, the Rain-drops did not care to answer in a hurry; but as they +came dropping gently down, they murmured, "Peace, peace, peace!" +all over the beds. + +And truly they seemed to bring peace with them as they fell, so +that a calm sank all around, and then the murmur proceeded:--"Poor +little atoms in a boundless kingdom--each one of you bearing a part +towards its fulness of perfection, each one of you endowed with +gifts and powers especially your own, each one of you good after +its kind--how came these cruel misgivings and heart-burnings among +you? Are the tops of the mountains wrong because they cannot grow +corn like the valleys? Are the valleys wrong because they cannot +soar into the skies? Does the brook flow in vain because it cannot +spread out like the sea? Is the sea only right because its waters +only are salt? Each good after its kind, each bearing a part in the +full perfection of the kingdom which is boundless, the plan which +is harmony--peace, peace, peace upon all!" + +Nor was it broken again. Only once or twice, that year, when the +Carrots were gathered, there came up the strangest growths--thick +distorted lumps, that had never struck properly down. + +The gardener wondered, and was vexed, for he prided himself on the +digging of the carrot-bed. "Anything that had had any sense might +have gone down into it, he was sure," he said. And he was not far +wrong; but you see the Carrot had had no sense when he began to +speculate, and tried to be something he was not intended to be. + +Yet the poor clumsy thing was not quite useless after all. For, +just as the gardener was about to fling it angrily away, he +recollected that the cook might use it for soup, though it could +not be served up at table--such a shape as it was!... + +And this was exactly what she did. + + + +THE WIND AND THE FLOWERS + +By Mrs. Alfred Gatty + +"What a fuss is made about you, my dear little friends!" murmured +the Wind, one day, to the flowers in a pretty villa garden. "I am +really quite surprised at your submitting so patiently and meekly +to all the troublesome things that are done to you! I have been +watching your friend the gardener for some time to-day; and now +that he is gone at last, I am quite curious to hear what you think +and feel about your unnatural bringing up." + +"_Is_ it unnatural?" inquired a beautiful Convolvulus Major, +from the top of a tapering fir-pole, up which she had crept, and +from which her velvet flowers hung suspended like purple gems. + +"I smile at your question," was the answer of the Wind. "You surely +cannot suppose that in a natural state you would be forced to climb +regularly up one tall bare stick such as I see you upon now. Oh +dear, no! Your cousin, the wild Convolvulus, whom I left in the +fields this morning, does no such thing, I assure you. She runs +along and climbs about, just as the whim takes her. Sometimes +she takes a turn upon the ground; sometimes she enters a +hedge, and plays at bo-peep with the birds in the thorn and +nut-trees--twisting here, curling there, and at last, perhaps, +coming out at the top, and overhanging the edge with a canopy of +green leaves and pretty white flowers. A very different sort of +life from yours, with a gardener always after you, trimming you in +one place, fastening up a stray tendril in another, and fidgeting +you all along--a sort of perpetual 'mustn't go here'--'mustn't go +there.' Poor thing! I quite feel for you! Still I must say you make +me smile; for you look so proud and self-conscious of beauty all +the time, that one would think you did not know in what a +ridiculous and dependent position you are placed." + +Now the Convolvulus was quite abashed by the words of the Wind, for +she was conscious of feeling very conceited that morning, in +consequence of having heard the gardener say something very +flattering about her beauty; so she hung down her rich bell-flowers +rather lower than usual, and made no reply. + +But the Carnation put in her word: "What you say about the +Convolvulus may be true enough, but it cannot apply to _me_. I +am not aware that I have any poor relations in this country, and I +myself certainly require all the care that is bestowed upon me. +This climate is both too cold and too damp for me. My young plants +require heat, or they would not live; and the pots we are kept in +protect us from those cruel wire-worms who delight to destroy our +roots." + +"Oh!" cried the Wind, "our friend the Carnation is quite profound +and learned in her remarks, and I admit the justice of all she says +about damp and cold, and wire-worms; but,"--and here the Wind gave +a low-toned whistle, as he took a turn round the flower-bed--"but +what I maintain, my dear, is, that when you are once strong enough +and old enough to be placed in the soil, those gardeners ought to +let you grow and flourish as nature prompts, and as you would do +were you left alone. But no! they must always be clipping, and +trimming, and twisting up every leaf that strays aside out of the +trim pattern they have chosen for you to grow in. Why not allow +your silver tufts to luxuriate in a natural manner? Why must every +single flower betied up by its delicate neck to a stick, the +moment it begins to open? Really, with your natural grace and +beauty, I think you might be trusted to yourself a little more!" + +And the Carnation began to think so, too; and her colour turned +deeper as a feeling of indignation arose within her at the childish +treatment to which she had been subjected. "With my natural grace +and beauty," repeated she to herself, "they might certainly trust +me to myself a little more!" + +Still the Rose Tree stood out that there must be some great +advantages in a gardener's care, for she could not pretend to be +ignorant of her own superiority to all her wild relations in the +woods. What a difference in size, in colour and in fragrance! + +Then the Wind assured the Rose he never meant to dispute the +advantage of her living in a rich-soiled garden; only there was a +natural way of growing, even in a garden; and he thought it a +great shame for the gardeners to force the Rose Tree into an +_un_natural way, curtailing all the energies of her nature. +What could be more outrageous, for example, than to see one rose +growing in the shape of a bush on the top of the stem of another? +"Think of all the pruning necessary," cried he, "to keep the poor +thing in the round shape so much admired! And what is the matter +with the beautiful straggling branches, that they are to be cut +off as fast as they appear? Why not allow the healthy Rose Tree +its free and glorious growth? Can it be _too_ large or _too_ +luxuriant? Can its flowers be _too_ numerous? Oh, Rose Tree, +you know your own surpassing merits too well to make you think this +possible!" + +And so she did, and a new light seemed to dawn upon her as she +recollected the spring and autumnal prunings she regularly +underwent, and the quantities of little branches that were yearly +cut from her sides, and carried away in a wheel-barrow. "It is a +cruel and a monstrous system, I fear," said she. + +Then the Wind took another frolic round the garden, and made up to +the large white Lily, into whose refined ear he whispered a doubt +as to the necessity or advantage of her thick powerful stem being +propped up against a stupid, ugly stick! He really grieved to see +it! Did that lovely creature suppose that Nature, who had done so +much for her that the fame of her beauty extended throughout the +world, had yet left her so weak and feeble that she could not +support herself in the position most calculated to give her ease +and pleasure? "Always this tying up and restraint!" pursued the +Wind, with an angry puff. "Perhaps I am prejudiced; but as to be +deprived of freedom would be to me absolute death, so my soul +revolts from every shape and phase of slavery!" + +"Not more than mine does!" cried the proud white Lily, leaning as +heavily as she could against the strip of matting that tied her to +her stick. But it was of no use--she could not get free; and the +Wind only shook his sides and laughed spitefully as he left her, +and then rambled away to talk the same shallow philosophy to the +Honeysuckle that was trained up against a wall. Indeed, not a +flower escaped his mischievous suggestions. He murmured among them +all--laughed the trim cut Box-edges to scorn--maliciously hoped the +Sweet Peas enjoyed growing in a circle, and running up a quantity +of crooked sticks--and told the flowers, generally, that he should +report their unheard-of submission and meek obedience wherever he +went. + +Then the white Lily called out to him in great wrath, and told him +he mistook their characters altogether. They only submitted to +these degrading restraints because they could not help themselves; +but if he would lend them his powerful aid, they might free +themselves from at least a part of the unnatural bonds which +enthralled them. + +To which the wicked Wind, seeing that his temptations had +succeeded, replied, in great glee, that he would do his best; and +so he went away, chuckling at the discontent he had caused. + +All that night the pretty silly flowers bewailed their slavish +condition, and longed for release and freedom: and at last they +began to be afraid that the Wind had only been jesting with them, +and that he would never come to help them, as he had promised. +However, they were mistaken; for, at the edge of the dawn, there +began to be a sighing and a moaning in the distant woods, and by +the time the sun was up, the clouds were driving fast along the +sky, and the trees were bending about in all directions; for the +Wind had returned,--only now he had come in his roughest and +wildest mood,--knocking over everything before him. "Now is your +time, pretty flowers!" shouted he, as he approached the garden; and +"Now is our time!" echoed the flowers tremulously, as, with a sort +of fearful pleasure, they awaited his approach. + +He managed the affair very cleverly, it must be confessed. Making a +sort of eddying circuit round the garden, he knocked over the +Convolvulus-pole, tore the strips from the stick that held up the +white Lily, loosed all the Carnation flowers from their fastenings, +broke the Rose Tree down, and levelled the Sweet Peas to the +ground. In short, in one half-hour he desolated the pretty garden; +and when his work was accomplished, he flew off. + +Meanwhile, how fared it with the flowers? The Wind was scarcely +gone before a sudden and heavy rain followed, so that all was +confusion for some time. But towards the evening the weather +cleared up, and our friends began to look around them. The white +Lily still stood somewhat upright, though no friendly pole +supported her juicy stem; but, alas! it was only by a painful +effort she could hold herself in that position. The Wind and the +weight of rain had bent her forward once, beyond her strength, and +there was a slight crack in one part of the stalk, which told that +she must soon double over and trail upon the ground. The +Convolvulus fared still worse. The garden beds sloped towards the +south; and when our friend was laid on the earth--her pole having +fallen--her lovely flowers were choked up by the wet soil which +drained towards her. She felt the muddy weight as it soaked into +her beautiful velvet bells, and could have cried for grief: she +could never free herself from this nuisance. Oh that she were once +more climbing up the friendly fir-pole! The Honeysuckle escaped no +better; and the Carnation was ready to die of vexation, at finding +that her coveted freedom had levelled her to the dirt. + +Before the day closed, the gardener came whistling from his farm +work, to look over his pretty charges. He expected to see a few +drooping flowers, and to find that one or two fastenings had given +way. But for the sight that awaited him he was not prepared at all. +Struck dumb with astonishment, he never spoke at first, but kept +lifting up the heads of the trailing, dirtied flowers in +succession. Then at last he broke out into words of absolute +sorrow:--"And to think of my mistress and the young lady coming +home so soon, and that nothing can be done to these poor things for +a fortnight, because of the corn harvest! It's all over with them, +I fear;" and the gardener went his way. Alas! what he said was +true; and before many days had passed, the shattered Carnations +were rotted with lying in the wet and dirt on the ground. The white +Lily was languishing discoloured on its broken stalk; the +Convolvulus flowers could no longer be recognized, they were so +coated over with mud stains; the Honeysuckle was trailing along +among battered Sweet Peas, who never could succeed in shaking the +soil from their fragrant heads; and though the Rose Tree had sent +out a few straggling branches, she soon discovered that they were +far too weak to bear flowers--nay, almost to support themselves--so +that they added neither to her beauty nor her comfort. Weeds +meanwhile sprang up, and a dreary confusion reigned in the once +orderly and brilliant little garden. + +At length, one day before the fortnight was over, the house-dog was +heard to bark his noisy welcome, and servants bustled to and fro. +The mistress had returned; and the young lady was with her, and +hurried at once to her favourite garden. She came bounding towards +the well-known spot with a song of joyous delight; but, on reaching +it, suddenly stopped short, and in a minute after burst into a +flood of tears! Presently, with sorrowing steps, she bent her way +round the flower-beds, weeping afresh at every one she looked at; +and then she sat down upon the lawn, and hid her face in her hands. +In this position she remained, until a gentle hand was laid upon +her shoulder. + +"This is a sad sight, indeed, my darling," said her mother's voice. + +"I am not thinking about the garden, mamma," replied the young +girl, without lifting up her face; "we can plant new flowers, and +tie up even some of these afresh. I am thinking that now, at last, +I understand what you say about the necessity of training, and +restraint, and culture, for us as well as for flowers. The Wind has +torn away these poor things from their fastenings, and they are +growing wild whichever way they please; and I might perhaps once +have argued, that if it were their _natural_ way of growing it +must therefore be the best. But I cannot say so, now I see the +result. They are doing whatever they like, unrestrained; and the +end is,--my beautiful garden is turned into a wilderness." + + + +PHIL'S ADVENTURES AMONG THE ANIMALS + + + _Phil, the little seven year old boy + who makes the acquaintance of different + animals in these stories, had an attack + of brain fever at the orphanage, where + he had been taken after the death of + his father and mother. It was while he + was ill, and the matron and boys were + hunting for him, that he thought he + wandered away and, under the guidance + of Mother Nature, made the acquaintance + of a lot of new friends._ + + + +AT HOME WITH THE BEAVERS + +By Lillian M. Gask + +The air was as warm as summer, and the murmur of the big brown +velvet Bee that hovered over a purple flower made Phil think of the +garden at home. A tiny Humming-Bird, gleaming against the willows +like a spot of fire, flashed quickly past him, and lingered for a +moment on a swaying branch; she had travelled nearly four thousand +miles on those small wings of hers to reach her summer quarters, +and even now was not at her journey's end. + +Phil turned his head to look at her, and as he did so he found to +his great joy that his stiff white collar had disappeared. So, too, +had the drab serge suit and the clumsy hob-nailed boots that had +hurt him so. Instead, he wore a single garment of some soft brown, +the colour of earth, girdled by a broad green belt that felt like +velvet. His feet were bare, and as he buried them in the thick +grass on which he lay, he sighed with pleasure. + +"Good morning," remarked someone in rather hoarse tones close at +his elbow, and one of the quaint animals he had seen the night +before shuffled awkwardly towards him with what was evidently +intended for a pleasant smile. "Mother Beaver," Nature had called +her, he remembered, and he had a dim idea that she had offered to +take him under her care until he knew his way about the forests. He +sat up now so that he might see her better, for in the daylight she +looked stranger still. Her body, nearly three feet long, was +covered with glossy hair; her tail was paddle-shaped and smooth, +while her strong white tusks would have given her quite a fierce +expression but for her twinkling eyes. These were very bright and +most inquisitive, as if she found him quite as curious as he did +her. + +"Good morning," she repeated with friendly emphasis, as Phil tried +in vain to think of something to say. "Where are your manners, +young man? Haven't you learnt yet that it isn't polite to stare?" + +"I beg your pardon," said Phil, smiling shyly at her. "I never knew +that animals could speak until last night, and it's rather +startling at first, you know. Do you mind telling me where I am?" + +"In North America, on the banks of one of its swiftest rivers," she +returned, proudly. "You are coming to school with me, I hear. I +hope you are quick and industrious--we have too many idlers +already, and there's any amount of work to be done before the +autumn." + +"I dare say you're as bright as any, if the truth were told. Can you +swim?" + +Phil nodded joyfully; an old sailor had taught him during a long +happy summer he had spent by the sea, and had been quite proud of +his pupil. + +"Not that it would matter if you had never learnt," said Mother +Beaver, struck by a sudden thought, "for Nature has made you an +exception to all her rules. What is an exception? Well, you must +wait until Father Beaver comes if you want it properly explained, +but it means that while you are Nature's guest you will be able to +do all those things that a small boy _wouldn't_ be able to do +in the usual way; such as breathe under water, for instance, as you +will in a moment, when you come to my winter home. You will change +your size, too, without knowing anything about it, just when and +where it is most convenient, so that you can sit in nests, or run +down burrows, as easily as the creatures to which they belong. And +you'll never feel hungry, unless there is something near that you +can eat, or thirsty, unless you are within easy distance of a +stream. In short, my dear, Nature has been particularly kind to you +for this one year; after that you'll be just an ordinary boy +again." + +Phil was rather bewildered; it sounded much too wonderful to be +true, but Mother Beaver, seemed quite in earnest. + +"Are you ready?" she said. "Then follow me. We're going to my +winter lodge, where my young ones are still waiting for me. Their +father and I only left it this morning to look round, for spring +comes suddenly here in the north, and a day or two ago it was quite +cold. The flowers are in bloom, the Bees say, before they have time +to notice their buds, and the trees spread out their leaves in a +single night. The winter has only just gone." + +Phil followed her to the water's edge through clumps of rushes, and +saw before him a cluster of dome-shaped houses, like giant +thimbles, in the centre of the stream. Many were some feet above +the surface of the water; they were covered with a smooth coating +of hard mud, and so far as he could see they had no entrance. + +"Did you make those?" he asked, as she led him on to the dam, so +that he might get a better view of them. He was amazed that such an +insignificant creature as the beaver could build such fortresses. + +"Of course we did," she answered in matter-of-fact tones. +"Yes--they took a long time, but we worked together, and worked +with a will. The walls, you'll notice, are more than six feet +thick. They have to be very strong," she added mysteriously. Phil +wanted to ask her why, but she seemed so troubled that he said "How +do you get in?" instead. + +"Take a header and see," she told him, splashing from the dam and +diving straight down, with Phil behind her, until they reached the +deep projection, or "angle" as it is called, beneath which lay the +entrance to her own particular home. It was very near the bed of +the river, where the frost would not be likely to reach even in +bitter weather. + +"Here we are!" she cried, shaking the water off her tail as she +scrambled through. Phil noticed that she was as agile in the water +as she was clumsy on land, and that two toes on each foot were +webbed. + +Inside the winter house were three young Beavers, all very wide +awake and covered with brown and glossy fur. Their three little +beds were nicely arranged along the side of the wall, while two +vacant ones, somewhat larger, and belonging to Father and Mother +Beaver, were on the other side. The centre of the chamber was left +free to move about in, and was so beautifully clean that Phil was +sure Mother Beaver would be as particular about muddy boots as the +matron at school. He was very glad he had left his behind him--bare +feet were much more comfortable. + +"Yes, my children," Mother Beaver was saying, as she patted each +affectionately, "the time has come for us to go to the woods. Your +father is exploring now, so that he may know where you can find the +juiciest roots, and how far it is safe to venture. He will meet us +before dusk." + +She busied herself in smoothing their fur, while they stared hard +at Phil. Under their shining chestnut hair was a thick soft coat of +greyish brown, and Mother Beaver seemed very anxious that this +should lie quite flat. + +"They're very thin," she said, regretfully, "but then it has been a +long winter, and our larder is nearly empty. We live on bark +entirely when we are down here," she explained to Phil, as she made +sure that all was straight before she left. "We find it very +nourishing and tasty, though you might think it dry. Before the +frosts come we lop off branches of willows and other trees, and +sink them under layers of stones close to our houses. Last fall we +laid in a larger supply than usual, for we knew the spring would be +late in coming; but our neighbours had such enormous appetites that +it soon went. Our neighbours? Yes--they live on the other side of +our lodge; but we don't visit--it isn't our way." + +With a last look round she left the winter house, and though Phil +swam more quickly than he had ever done before, she and her young +ones were first on the river bank. + +"But we're good friends," she went on (Phil shook himself as she +had done, and noticed with pleasure that his brown coat was dry in +a moment), "and always work together in building or repairing our +dams and houses. That's why they call us 'Social' Beavers. Some +cousins of ours (there are not many of them, I believe) live quite +alone." + +The young Beavers had a fine time of it that bright spring day. +Phil found them most amusing play fellows, for when they had +satisfied their hunger on succulent roots and tender shoots they +were quite ready for any game that he suggested. They were all in +the highest spirits when Father Beaver came on the scene. + +He was thinner than any of them, and much more serious. Phil was +inclined to be frightened of him at first, but soon found him as +kindly as the rest. He smoothed Phil's hair for him as if he were a +son of his own, and asked to look at his teeth. + +"H'm," he remarked thoughtfully. "They won't be much use for +felling trees, but I daresay you can help us in other ways. We must +set to work in the early summer," he continued, turning to Mother +Beaver, "for there is a lot of rebuilding to be done this fall." + +"Rebuilding?" echoed Phil. He had loved his bricks, and to make +castles in the sand; building those dome-shaped houses must be +great fun. + +"Certainly," replied Father Beaver. "Our dam must be enlarged, and +a new lodge put up. We shall want all the help we can get. Later +on, when we have got up our strength, we must begin to cut those +saplings." + +Phil was feeling rather tired, so, while the young Beavers started +another game, he sat with their parents, trying to understand what +they meant when they spoke of "IT." + +"I feel sure IT is somewhere about," said Father Beaver moodily. "I +came across ITS traces two or three miles away." + +Mother Beaver sighed. "There is no use in borrowing trouble," she +said. "We must just keep a sharp look-out, and get our work done +quickly. I'm glad now that we made those extra holes in the bank, +though it did seem rather unnecessary at the time." + +"Those holes, my son," said Father Beaver, in answer to Phil's +inquiry, "lead to the deep tunnels in which we take refuge when we +are pursued by our enemies. There we are comparatively safe, but in +the open country or in the woods, owing to our clumsy movements on +land, we are at their mercy." + +His voice was gloomy, and it made Phil sad to think that such +gentle animals as beavers had enemies. + +"If they catch you, do they swing you up high, and make you all +sick and giddy?" he asked, with a vivid recollection of the terrors +of the barn. + +"Worse," said the Beaver, shortly. "The hunters trap and kill us +for our valuable fur, and IT--the Wolverene--actually eats us! This +is why we go to so much trouble to make our houses secure, so that +when the frost has hardened the thick layer of mud which we place +each fall over the thatch of stones and driftwood, neither teeth +nor claws can penetrate the hard surface." + +Mother Beaver had shuffled off to her young ones, who were making +up for the short commons of the winter by eating all the green +shoots that came in their way. Their father, settling himself +comfortably in the shelter of a low bush, invited Phil to sit +beside him and have a chat. + +"You want to learn our ways," he said, looking at him indulgently. +"They are easy to understand, for though we are more skilled in +building, perhaps, than other creatures, it is chiefly for our +industry that we are noted. Nature has taught us to think ahead and +provide for the future. I suppose you know what 'thinking ahead' +means?" + +"Not ezzactly," said Phil honestly, with a longing look at the +young Beavers. The smallest of them appeared to have rolled himself +into a round ball, and Phil couldn't help thinking what first-rate +bats the others' broad tails would make. + +The Beaver drew back his wandering attention with a light flap of +his tail. + +"One thing at a time," he counselled. "If I take the trouble to +talk to you, the least you can do is to listen.... About +looking ahead. If you had 'looked ahead' and learnt your geography +the other day, instead of making paper boats in preparation time, +you would have known that a continent wasn't 'a piece of land +surrounded by water' and they wouldn't have called you--" + +"Don't say it!" Phil entreated, and Father Beaver laughed and +changed the subject. + +"The Social Beavers to which we belong," he said, "live in small +colonies, and work together for the general good. A certain number +of us, whom hunters call 'the Idlers,' refuse to help at all, and +are satisfied to live in tunnels instead of houses. These are +usually sorry for their idleness when it is too late, for they are +often captured by fur hunters, who know where to look for them, and +easily dig them out. That is, if IT does not find them first." + +"IT?" questioned Phil, snuggling closer to Father Beaver and +speaking in an awed whisper. + +"The Wolverene," he amended. "My wife cannot bear the sound of his +name when she is weak from fasting, so we call him 'IT' at this time +of the year. He carried off our eldest daughter last summer. She +was proud and wilful, and would not stay by her mother's side.... +She had a lovely tail." + +"Don't you think we should be settling in for the night?" asked +Mother Beaver, bustling back to them with a delicate green bough, +from which she had stripped the leaves, as a titbit for Phil. She +was surprised to hear that he was not hungry, until he reminded her +how early that afternoon a dapper Bee in a velvet coat had invited +him to a feast of honey. The Queen of the Fairies might have envied +him that meal, so exquisite were the flower-cups in which he found +it. + +"Of course, if you prefer honey to fresh bark," she said +disappointedly. To please her Phil nibbled one end of the bough, +and found it very bitter. He was thankful when her thoughts were +distracted to her young ones, whose coats had to be nicely smoothed +before they went to bed. Ere long they were all curled up under the +thorny branches of a wild brier. Phil crept in between them, and +was soon asleep, while the two old Beavers watched in turn to see +that all was well. + +The next few weeks were a delightful holiday for Phil. Day after +day he roamed the woods with the gentle Beavers, making friends +with the Bees and Squirrels, and finding out their haunts. +Sometimes he caught brief glimpses of other creatures, who glanced +at him shyly and scampered off. He learnt to keep a sharp look out +for the dreaded Wolverene, and was so curious to see him that he +almost hoped that he might come. Nature had promised that nothing +should harm him, and he would protect the Beavers. + +Father Beaver devoted many hours to his young visitor. He told him +much about woodcraft, and how Nature protected some of her weakest +creatures against their foes by giving them the shape and colour of +their surroundings. The little brown twig on the bough before them, +he pointed out, was in reality a Caterpillar which Birds would have +devoured long since if he had attracted their attention. The small +dead leaf among the vines was a gorgeous Butterfly when he unfolded +his wings, the under sides of which were a dingy brown. + +"You will find this wherever you go," said Father Beaver, "Nature +always protects her own." + +"How does she protect you and me?" Phil asked him curiously, only +half understanding. + +"By giving us our wits," said the Beaver simply. "If you don't use +them it is not her fault. When you grow up strong, and wise, and +fearless, you will be able to protect others as well as yourself. +As for us, it was she who first taught us how to build. But for her +we should be at the mercy of the Wolverene all through the winter, +when he is fierce with hunger, and very strong. There is the Wild +Cat, too. Sometimes we hear her tearing at our roof, and snarling +with rage. It is a horrible sound to listen to on a still dark +night." + +"Why didn't you stay in England? There are no Wild Cats or +Wolverenes in the woods at home--only Birds and Rabbits, and +harmless creatures such as those." + +Father Beaver gnawed a strip of bark from a young birch tree before +he answered. "The Wolverene is not our worst enemy," he said +slowly. "Beavers were driven from your shores by Man. Yes--" as +Phil gave a little start of surprise--"we used to build in many of +your streams and rivers; in Wales we were well known, and I have +heard that in the time of Hoel-dda, the great Welsh lawgiver, one +hundred and twenty pence--then a very large sum--was offered for +each Beaver's skin. You see we were much thought of even in those +days, though I must say I wish it had been for something else than +for our fur. We are still to be found along some of the large +rivers of Europe, such as the Rhone and Danube, and in many lakes; +but the Rhone Beavers are solitary animals and do not build houses, +dwelling instead in burrows, which go far down into the earth." + +"Do those hunters you spoke of often come after you, Father +Beaver?" + +"Yes, my son," said the Beaver sorrowfully, "for our fur is in +greater demand than ever. In the winter, which is the 'hunting +season,' they do their best to force our houses with heavy weapons, +and if we take to the water beneath the ice, and swim to our +tunnels in the river side, they sound the ice above the banks with +an iron chisel, which tells their practised ears the exact spot +where our holes are to be found. Then they dig us out--and that is +the end of us." + +"I'm _very_ sorry, dear Beaver," Phil whispered, stroking the +shining fur that brought such trouble on its possessors. "I'll tell +them all when I leave the woods how cruel it is to hunt you, and +p'raps they won't any more." + +Father Beaver smiled mournfully. "There's always the Wolverene," he +said. "His other name is the Glutton. It just exactly suits him, +for he can eat more at a sitting than any other creature of his +size. How does he look? Something like a small bear, with thick +coarse hair of blackish brown. Until he shows his double row of +glistening teeth, you would never guess how ferocious he could be. +His muzzle, as far as his eyebrows, and his large paws (they are so +large that his trail is sometimes mistaken for that of a bear) are +the colour of ebony. His horrible claws are as white as milk, and +the natives use them for necklaces. I wish they had them all," he +finished with a deep sigh. "I can't help thinking he'll pounce on +us some day soon." + +But nothing was seen of the Wolverene as time went on, and Father +Beaver became quite gay. His coat filled out, and grew more glossy +than ever; he would be "a portly old gentleman" before long, Mother +Beaver told him; and at this he began to talk of tree-felling, for +he did not like the idea of losing his figure. + +"There is a time for work and a time for play," said Mother Beaver, +looking smilingly at her young ones. "The time for work has not +come yet, though it will soon be here. Let them play in the +sunshine yet awhile." + + + +TWO ENEMIES OF THE BEAVERS + +By Lillian M. Gask + +Father Beaver had left his family to its own devices for some time; +he had been exploring the winding river, and diving under +waterfalls in sheer delight at his own strength. He was full grown +now, and fond as he was of his little wife and children, the +roaming instinct was strong. The morning he rejoined them he was in +great form. + +"What have you been doing with yourself?" inquired Mother Beaver, +eyeing him suspiciously, when she had told him all her news. The +glossy fur at the back of his neck bore marks of recent bites, and +there was an ugly tear in one of his ears. + +Father Beaver looked at the sky. + +"There is a lovely maple tree not far from here," he said, as if he +had not heard her question. "I girdled it on my way back just now, +and you'll find plenty of syrup oozing from it if you go there +to-morrow." + +The young Beavers sniffed eagerly, but Mother Beaver was not to be +put off. + +"You have met the Otter," she cried, her eyes growing very big, +"and you've been fighting." + +Father Beaver chuckled. "Last summer," he said, turning to Phil, "I +was only two years old, and that Otter punished me so severely that +but for Mother Beaver there, who came to my rescue in the nick of +time, I should have been done for. But now--well, he will never +trouble me again!" + +Phil looked at him with a new reverence. The Otter, he knew, was a +fierce foe to Beavers, with whom he disputed the lordship of the +river; that Father Beaver should have conquered him single handed +filled him with awe. + +"Let us hear all about it!" cried Mother Beaver, coming quite close +to him. But he brushed her aside good-humouredly, and spoke of +other things. + +"The Night Wind says that the frosts will come early this fall," he +remarked, "and we are well into the summer now. There is a fine +plantation of willows on the river-bank, only waiting for us to +fell them. We will get to work at once. I shall be downright glad +to begin." + +"So shall we all," said Mother Beaver heartily. "Holiday-making is +well enough for a while, but if we did not use our teeth on +something harder than soft bark and lily roots, they would soon +grow dull." + +"Yours are as bright as the gleam of the moon on the water, my +love," said Father Beaver with a glance of admiration; and Mother +Beaver gave him an affectionate push, which was as near to a hug as +she could go. + +When they reached the group of trees that Father Beaver had planned +to attack first, other Beavers belonging to the colony were already +at work. These nodded kindly to Phil, but were too much absorbed in +what they were at to take much notice of him. Mother Beaver was +deputed to see what he could do, while the young Beavers were given +a first lesson by their proud father. + +Choosing a stout young sapling very close to the bank, Mother +Beaver gnawed round it with her sharp, chisel-like teeth, taking +care to bite most deeply on the side nearest the water, so that it +might fall towards the stream and be quickly floated. In a very few +moments it toppled over, cut clean through, and Mother Beaver +looked round for another. + +"We'll try that big one over there," she cried, with an approving +glance at her young ones, who were hard at work on some slender +willows. Phil hesitated and flushed, for he did not know how to +begin. Mother Beaver touched him pityingly with her small forepaw. + +"I forgot your teeth were so small and weak, my dear. It's not your +fault, so you need not be ashamed. When I have felled the tree, you +shall drag it down to the bank. That will be a great help, and +leave us free for felling." + +The tree took much longer to fell than the sapling had done, for +the trunk was nearly as thick as a man's body. Phil was immensely +interested to see how Mother Beaver set about her task; he had +guessed from the first that she was remarkably clever, but now he +was quite sure of it. + +First of all she made a deep cut through the bark which circled the +trunk as far from the ground as she could conveniently reach. Some +three or four inches lower she cut a second ring, and then, slowly +and surely, dug out the wood from between, splinter by splinter, +with those sharp teeth of hers. + +The day wore on, and still she worked. Father Beaver offered to +help her; each time he came she sent him back. It was growing dusk; +Phil saw that now the trunk of the tree between the cuts went in +like a lady's waist. Each time that Mother Beaver drew out a +splinter this "waist" became more slender still; a very little +further, and the tree would have been cut right through, but Mother +Beaver knew when to stop. + +"Come away," she cried quickly to Phil; "at the next gust of wind +that tree will fall, and only foolish creatures run knowingly into +danger. I should be crushed beneath it if I drew out another +splinter. Some of our family have already met their deaths that +way; they were too impulsive, and did not stop to think." + +The Night Wind came singing through the forest, and the branches of +the big tree quivered; with a low groan it crashed to earth, and +Phil found that it took all his new strength to drag the heavy mass +down to the bank. + +"I s'pose you'll all take a rest now," he said persuasively, for he +was longing to hear about Father Beaver's encounter with the Otter, +and thought that he would not mind trying some of that maple syrup +himself. But the Beavers were only just getting into their work, as +they told him gaily, though he, of course, might take a nap. + +They were still at it when he awoke next morning. + +"We shall go on until not a tree on this spot is left standing," +Mother Beaver declared, cheerfully; and he quite believed her. + +By the afternoon his arms began to ache, and the Beavers had found +him so useful that one of the elders of the colony had remarked +that he should have nothing to say against it if he wished to stay +with them altogether. Phil thought this very kind of him; but, much +as he liked the Beavers, there were many other animals that he +wanted to meet. Perhaps Mother Beaver guessed something of this, +for she told him pleasantly to go off to the woods. + +"You'll work all the better to-morrow," she said; and Father Beaver +flapped his tail by way of dismissal. + +As neither she nor their father would hear of the young Beavers +taking a holiday too, Phil wandered off by himself into the depths +of the forest, where the beautiful golden sunlight, which had much +ado to force its way through the thick leaves, was making long +ladders on the moss. Some small red berries, quite sweet and +tasting like strawberry cream, drew him further and further in; a +Squirrel threw him a nut and turned aside, as if too lazy to play, +and a drowsy Bee mistook his yellow head for honey, much to her own +dismay. Phil felt uncommonly drowsy himself, in spite of his long +night's rest, and was thinking of taking forty winks when a gentle +rustle in the branches made him look up quickly. It was the +Wolverene. + +For a moment Phil thought that he must be mistaken; surely that +benign looking animal, so very like his own brown bear, could not +be the Beaver's voracious enemy? He was patting the boughs as a +playful kitten might have done, and rolling himself over with +surprising ease. His small brown eyes gazed at Phil good-naturedly, +as if to read his thoughts. + +"I don't look such a desperate character, do I?" he asked +complacently. "My wife--I must really introduce you to her--thinks +I am quite a fine fellow, and my two young sons adore me. I'll take +you home to supper, and you shall see them. They are barely ten +days old." + +Phil was very curious to see the young Wolverenes, but somehow he +did not think it would be fair to the Beavers to be on such +friendly terms with an animal that ate them. So he thanked him most +politely and said he must be going on. + +The Wolverene left off his playful patting of the branches and +showed his teeth in an ugly smile. + +"All right," he said resentfully. "I know what that means, of +course. The Beavers have been setting you against me, just as I +thought. They had better look out, for I have only been waiting +until they grew a bit fatter. That 'Father Beaver' of yours will +make me a remarkably good supper. Give him my love if you happen to +see him." + +He leapt as he spoke from the upper branch of one tree to the lower +branch of another, a distance of some twenty feet, and disappeared. +A low chuckle came from the ground close by, and Phil was delighted +to see a small brown Rabbit, exactly like those that had played in +the woods at home, sitting up on his hind legs. He was shaking with +laughter, and his comical little nose was wrinkled up until it +nearly met his eyes. + +"Good for you!" he cried. "That Wolverene is a terror--I know him +well. He would question and cross-question you about the Beavers +until you were nearly addled, and then he would persuade them that +you had been telling tales. Mischievous creatures such as he are +best left alone, even if you are sure they cannot harm you. He is +as much hated by Sable and Marten hunters as he is by all of us, +for he has such a wonderful sense of smell that he scents out the +stores of provisions they hide in case of need, and wastes all that +he does not eat. He makes their traps useless, too--but that isn't +to save the Sables, but because he wants the bait. The only +creatures that can get the better of him are the Grizzlies; when +they come down from the mountains they make a meal of him." + +Not until the Rabbit had talked himself out of breath had Phil a +chance of asking him the shortest way back to the river. + +"Won't you let us give you a shake-down for the night?" he said by +way of answer. "Our burrow is large enough to take you in, and I +could tell you many stories of these woods." + +"I'll come some other time, if you don't mind," said Phil. "I +should like to find the Beavers now, and put them on their guard." + +"Quite so!" agreed the Rabbit. "I shouldn't be surprised if that +old rascal paid them a visit to-night. He'll guess their +whereabouts from the trees they have cut down, and will try to +punish you through them." + +Phil hurried back as quickly as his legs could carry him, not even +stopping to look at the splendid Birds that fluttered amongst the +vines. A gorgeous Butterfly, spotted with crimson and purple, +offered his services as a guide, but it was almost dusk before Phil +reached the little colony of Beavers. + +They were still working away, as busily as ever. Although he had +only been gone a few hours, they had done wonders; more than half +of the group of trees they had chosen were already down, for they +had "worked together, and worked with a will," as Mother Beaver had +said. + +Phil's news was received with much concern, and Father Beaver +hastily summoned a conference. All Beavers under a year old were at +once dismissed from work, and commanded to wait by the entrances to +the tunnels beneath the banks, so that in case of surprise they +might be under cover, and Phil was posted as sentinel while the +elder Beavers finished felling the trees they had already begun. +This done, they decided to leave them where they were for the +present, and to make for the other side of the river. + +Father Beaver was the last to cross; as he dived from the bank +there was a stealthy tread among the rushes, and the gleaming eyes +of the Wolverene followed him through the water. But for Phil's +warning there would have been at least one Beaver less that night. + +It was some days before the busy little animals began their work +again, for they knew that the Wolverene might still be on the watch +for them, and have crossed the river himself. So they "lay very +low," as Father Beaver put it, keeping to the thick undergrowth of +the brushwood, or playing hide-and-seek with their young ones in +the deeply tunnelled banks. Phil soon found that though each tunnel +had a separate entrance, they all led to the same spot, within easy +reach of the winter houses. He was never tired of admiring these, +but Father Beaver brushed his praise aside, so far as they were +concerned. + +"Come and look at our dam," he said. "It's a very fine one, though +perhaps I ought not to say so." The dam stretched quite two-thirds +across the river, and was curved, somewhat in the shape of a half +crescent. + +"That is because the current here is very rapid," explained the +Beaver, "and an arch is stronger than a straight line, as your own +bridge builders know. If the current were gentle, our dam would be +straight, and this would give us much less trouble. But a rapid +current is very useful, for if we have to go any distance for our +building materials, it brings them quickly down to us, without any +special effort on our part." + +"So that was why we carried all the trees that you had felled quite +close to the river bank?" + +"Exactly. When we are ready to build we shall push all those into +the current, and some of us will be waiting by our dam to stop them +as they float past. See how the branches of the willow are +sprouting!" + +They had reached the dam by this time; it seemed to Phil like a +thick hedgerow on a solid bank, for not only were the willow +branches in full leaf, but the poplars and birches, used to repair +it from time to time, had taken root also. + +"If the snow on the mountains melts too rapidly, and flows down to +the river in torrents, the water behind our dam is still quite +calm, and our houses, built in its shelter, are undisturbed. We +must always have a deep body of water in which to build our lodges; +so when we take a fancy to some small river or creek in which the +water is likely to be drained off at any time, Nature teaches us to +build our dam right across the river, in order that we may prevent +this." + +"How do you start building the dam?" asked Phil. + +"If we are going to build a straight one, we guide two of the +largest trees that we have felled to the spot we have chosen, +placing them side by side, and leaving a space between. If some of +their branches make them lie too high for our purpose, we nibble +these off, working under water quite easily, and coming up every +few minutes to breathe. (No--not more often than that, I assure +you. Nature has arranged this for us, so that we can more easily +escape our enemies.) These branches we place vertically in front of +the big logs, adding other branches and small trees in the same +way. Most of our wood, however, we lay crosswise, and almost +horizontally. The spaces in between are filled with mud and stones, +which we mix together to form a kind of cement. We bring the mud in +tiny handfuls, holding it under our throats by means of our +forepaws, and often making as many as a thousand journeys backward +and forward from the bank before we have enough. We always build by +night, you know, and for a long time no man could say just how we +worked. Perhaps the Night Wind told in the end." + +"How do you manage when you want your dam to be curved, as this one +is?" asked Phil. + +"Then we use smaller logs in the same way, shaping the dam as we +work. You would not believe the strength of ours, unless you saw +how it stood the shock of the floating ice as it came pounding +against it at the end of the winter. Our houses we build in much +the same way, but more roughly." + +"I think they're wonderful," said Phil respectfully, and Father +Beaver, trying not to look too pleased, moved his flat tail and +cried "Tut, tut!" + +"The Night Wind told me a wonderful story the other day--that some +eight or nine years ago an Englishman took some Social Beavers to a +beautiful valley in his park in England, setting them free by the +banks of a stream, where the trees grew thickly down to the very +edge of the water, just as they do here. These Beavers, she says, +set to work at once to build a dam across the stream, making a deep +wide pool six times as large as the original brook, and six times +as deep at the lower end." + +"I wonder if it is true?" mused Phil + +"I believe anything that the Night Wind tells me," said Father +Beaver, thoughtfully. "She talks to us often when the sun goes +down; sometimes she is merry, and sometimes sad, but always what +she says is true. She brings the scent of the hunters in time to +warn us that they are on our track; she knows when the frosts are +coming, and when it is safe for us to leave our winter houses and +take to the woods. For Nature often sends us messages through her. +Of what are you thinking? Eh?" + +Phil's thoughts had been wandering, and the Beaver's sharp eyes had +found him out. + +"I was thinking about that Otter," he said, truthfully. "I want to +know how an Otter looks." + +"Oh! That just depends where you happen to be when you see him. If +you are on land, he seems to be a slender animal some three feet or +so in length, covered with close brown fur, and with a broad and +flattened head, and a thick, tapering tail; if you see him in the +water, diving after the fish on which he feeds, he looks like a +flash of lightning! For the water clings to the long shining hairs +which lie over his close coat, and he glides through the stream so +quickly that your eye can scarcely follow him. He is a brave +creature; he will fight to the death when he is attacked--and a +brave enemy should be honoured, even in death." + +"How did you kill him, Father Beaver? Do tell me--I have been +wanting to know all day." + +"_I_ didn't kill him at all, my son," Father Beaver replied +serenely. "He had fastened on me with his sharp teeth before I knew +that he was near, and I was doing my best to get free of him when +another Otter, a rival of his, seized him from behind and dragged +him off to fight him on his own account. I retired to a safe +distance and watched the battle. It lasted until one was killed +outright and the other mortally wounded. They will never trouble +our waters more." + +"Oh," said Phil. He was rather disappointed that the Beaver had not +killed his enemy in single combat; Father Beaver seemed quite +satisfied, however. + +"There are so many of her creatures that Nature wishes you to make +friends with," he went on as he took another admiring look at his +dam, "that I don't suppose you will be allowed to stay with us much +longer. But before you leave this part of the country, you must +certainly pay a visit to the Ondatras, or Musk Rats. We don't care +for them as neighbours, for they are apt to make holes in our dams, +but they are quite well-meaning and intelligent. They build much as +we do, though their work is not so lasting. And because they are +gentle and very timid, Nature made them, you'll see, the colour of +mud, so that when they are curled up and at rest on the bank of a +stream, they are often mistaken for; small mounds of earth. There +is a colony of Ondatras in a shallow creek some miles away. You +will see them at their best at night, for they are sleepy during +the day time." + +All the time he had been speaking, Father Beaver had been looking +up and down the banks for traces of the Wolverene. The Birds called +"Good-night" to each other from the glowing maples; the crimson +lights of the sunset fell over the river, and the new moon hung her +shining crescent on the top of a giant fir. + +"I think all's safe," said Father Beaver; and the work of +tree-felling began again. + + + +THE SQUIRREL'S STORY + +By Lillian M. Gask + +That very same evening Phil made his way to the home of the Musk +Rats, or Ondatras. As he neared the creek the Beaver had pointed +out to him, he saw a number of animals the size of big rats, with +tails that were almost as long as their bodies, swimming hither and +thither, and leaving trails of silver behind them. Others stood +motionless upon the bank; so still were they that it was only their +sparkling eyes that showed they were alive, until with a sudden +plunge, they dived after their companions, striking their long +tails smartly on the water as the Beavers did, and reappearing from +beneath the broad green leaves of the water lilies on the other +side. + +Phil watched them silently for a time. They were like school boys, +he thought, and he wondered what game they were playing. Sometimes +a Musk Rat would lie quite flat on the surface of the stream, as if +he were a floating leaf from some giant tree; in a moment he would +be all life again, and, darting after his playmates, would race +them round the creek. + +"I think it would be very nice to be a Musk Rat," said Phil aloud, +moving a little nearer the bank. In a second the creek was +empty--not a single Ondatra was to be seen. Phil felt so +disappointed that he was almost inclined to cry. + +The water still rippled in the moonlight; all was still. + +Presently a small brown head peeped out of a hole in the bank. Phil +did not stir; he was afraid to breathe lest he might frighten the +little thing away. + +"Who is it?" cried a timid voice. + +"A friend!" said Phil. And more small heads peeped at him +questioningly. + +"I am the Lady Ondatra," she cried, "and you are indeed most +welcome. Will you join in our sports? The water is very smooth +to-night, and as warm as milk." + +Phil was nothing both. He was the same size now as they were, and +could dive with the best of them; it was delightful to float on the +surface of the water and watch the clouds chasing each other over +the deep blue vault of the sky. The cry of the Night Owl came +dreamily from the woods; a prowling Puma roared hungrily to his +mate, but the pond of the Musk Rats was a happy playground, and +they the merriest of comrades. + +The hours flew by and the moonlight faded; the tips of the far off +mountains were tinged with pink, and a Bird in the distance raised +his morning song. + +"It is time to go!" cried the Lady Ondatra to Phil; "come with me; +I will show you my nest." + +Phil found that it was exactly as the Beaver had told him, and that +he could follow the Lady Ondatra quite easily through the winding +tunnels, or branched canals, which had their entrances under the +water. The one through which the Ondatra led him sloped upward +gradually for quite a long distance; it ended in a wide chamber in +which there were three other openings. The centre of it was nearly +filled by a luxurious couch of water-lily leaves and sedges, where, +curled up snugly and fast asleep, four baby Ondatras lay with their +faces hidden. They were like little Beavers, Phil thought, and just +about the size of full-grown mice. + +Their mother spoke in a hushed whisper lest she should disturb +them. + +"I'm glad that you think we are pleasant creatures," She said. "We +do harm to no one, and live on roots and leaves, perfectly happy if +we are but let alone. We dread the fall--it is then that the +hunters most often come, though sometimes they visit us in the +spring. Ah me!" + +"Are they after you, too?" cried Phil compassionately. "You are so +small that I shouldn't have thought your skins would be much good +to them!" + +"Our fur, which is used in making hats, is highly esteemed," said +the Lady Ondatra stiffly, "and our flesh, though musky, of such +excellent flavour that the natives prefer us to Wild Duck." + +Phil guessed that she was hurt, and did his best to soothe her by +admiring her babies. No mother could have resisted this. + +"Tell me all about the hunters--that is, if you don't mind," he +said with diffidence, when they had quite made friends. + +The Lady Ondatra did not mind. She seemed to take a fearful joy in +describing the perils she had escaped, though she knew quite well +that when the summer was over she might have to go through them all +again. + +"Sometimes they take us in traps," she said, "which they arrange so +that in our struggles for freedom we are jerked into the water and +drowned, for we cannot live without air for any length of time. The +nature of our abode depends entirely upon the soil, and we do not +always build. The Ondatras who make their homes altogether in +burrows, they capture by stopping up all their air holes except +one, and seizing them when they come up to breathe. When we live in +marshy places we build winter houses, just as the Beavers do, +though ours are not so strong, and less than three feet high above +the surface of the swamp. When the ice freezes over them we make +breathing holes in it, and protect these from the frost by a +covering of mud. If the frost is so hard that our holes cannot be +kept open, we die from suffocation." + +"But you are safe from the hunters in your winter houses?" + +The slender tail of the Lady Ondatra quivered as she drew closer to +her babies. + +"There were five of us last fall," she said, "and we lived in a +snug little house on the marsh. Our beds were beautiful--so soft +and dry--and we had all the food that we should need. We had +settled ourselves for a happy winter when a long cruel spear +crashed through our roof and wounded three of us. The walls of our +house were rudely torn away, and I and my mate only escaped because +the hunter lost his balance and stumbled into the mud. Fortunately, +our summer tunnels were not yet blocked with snow and so cut off +from us, or even then we could not have escaped him." + +The baby Ondatras stirred uneasily in their sleep as if they were +dreaming of dangers to come, and their mother patted them gently. +With a whisper of thanks Phil said good-bye, and crept through the +branching passages up to the earth again. + +Early as it was, the Squirrels were already chattering to +themselves as they scampered amongst the trees. A little black +fellow, with a bushy tail that spread itself out like a beautiful +feathery fan for some six or eight inches at the tip, dropped +lightly down in front of Phil. His ebony fur was as fine as +thistle-down; Phil was not surprised to hear that his name was +"Feathertail." + +"When are you coming to pay _us_ a visit?" the little creature +asked in jealous tones. "I have a fair, green nest in the fork of a +top-most branch, and a lovely wife and three young babies, with +skins as soft as silk." + +"I couldn't climb high enough!" Phil said regretfully. He had been +"a regular duffer" at climbing at school, and the bigger boys had +often dragged him up a fairly tall tree and left him there, +clinging helplessly to the boughs, until they were tired of jeering +at him. He shivered now as he thought of it; then squared his +shoulders. His grey eyes flashed; he would not say "I can't" again. + +"I'll do it somehow!" he cried. The Black Squirrel ran off to give +notice of his visit, and Phil fixed, his whole mind upon climbing +that tree. + +"Press your knees against it, and use your hands," whispered a +voice in his ear. "That's right,--now swing yourself round and take +hold of the branch above you. So! You're getting on famously. Well +done!" + +Phil knew that it was Nature who spoke to him, and he felt so proud +of her praises that he almost forgot the Squirrels. But three small +heads, and a larger one, which belonged to a very proud mother, +peeped over the nest to welcome him, and Feathertail waited beside +it. Phil laughed to think of his doubts as to whether the branch +would bear him; slender as it was it barely stirred beneath his +weight. + +The baby Squirrels were charming little things; he sat in the nest +with them, and laughed with glee as the Wind rocked it to and fro, +while Feathertail told him how it was only this spring that he had +come to these woods. + +"Their mother and I used to live in those heights you see in the +distance there, under that rosy cloud. But the Grey Squirrels came, +and drove us out--we couldn't stand the noise they made, and their +rough ways frightened us. So Nature told us about this wood, and +here we feel quite safe." + +"So do I," said Phil, stroking the prettiest baby Squirrel gently. +"What a jolly little chap this is. I wish I could take him home +with me when I go back--I s'pose I'll have to go back some day," he +finished with a sigh. + +The mother Squirrel fluffed out her fur in wild alarm, and +Feathertail darted forward ready to protect his family. + +"How could you suggest such a thing?" he asked indignantly, when +Phil had managed to convince him that he meant no harm. "It is bad +enough for an ordinary Squirrel to be taken away from his forest +home and shut in a small cramped prison, but for us it means almost +certain death, for we cannot stand captivity.... A cousin of +mine--'twas the Wind that told me--was caught by some travellers +and put in a tiny cage where she had scarcely room to turn. Of +course she died, and they 'couldn't think why'! I wonder if they +knew how cruel they were?" + +His bright little eyes were clouded with grief, and it was not +until he had raced to the top of a neighbouring tree and back again +that he felt better. Even then he looked uneasy when Phil fondled +his babies; as to the mother Squirrel, since that unfortunate +remark of his, she had been clearly anxious to get rid of him. + +"We will go to the stream," said Feathertail, when he saw that her +anxiety was getting too much for her. Phil longed to ask if the +baby Squirrels might come as well, but wisely refrained. He was +sorry to leave that cosy nest on the waving branch; next time he +came, he thought, he would be careful what he said. + +The stream to which Feathertail led him was bordered by drooping +ferns; it was so clear that it might have been a lady's mirror but +for the tiny wavelets rippling from side to side. + +"Don't you hear it singing as it trickles over the stone?" asked +Feathertail. "It is the same song that the Wind sings, only more +low and sweet.... Listen!" + +Phil could hear nothing but the rustling of the leaves about them, +and the soft flow of the sparkling water; but perhaps his ears were +not so keen. + +The Black Squirrel sat on the edge of the bank, and dipping his +nose well under the surface of the stream, drank deeply and long. +Then he placed himself jauntily on his hind feet, and washed his +face with his forepaws, splashing them in the stream from time to +time as if he thoroughly enjoyed it. + +"We are the only Black Squirrels in the world," he said with +melancholy pleasure. "We find our homes in the woods and heights of +North America, and even here we are becoming more rare, for the Red +and Grey Squirrels drive us from our haunts, and hunters trap us +for our fur." + +A cry from the bushes--the indignant protest of a Scarlet Tanager, +that had been robbed by his mate of a fine fat insect--made +Feathertail dart away. Phil waited in vain for his return. + +"He has gone for good--that was quite enough to frighten him," +remarked a little clucking voice that reminded Phil of the cry of a +fluffy yellow chicken; and the daintiest little Squirrel he had yet +seen whisked out from the brushwood and sat beside him. It was the +Hackee, or Chipping Squirrel, and many a time Phil had seen him +running in and out among the bushes; for the Hackee lives on the +ground. + +Now that he saw him closely, Phil noticed the beauty of the seven +stripes that ran across his brownish-grey and orange fur. Five of +these were jet-black, and two were white, tinged with flecks of +yellow; the fur on his throat and underneath him was the colour of +pure snow, and his forehead flamed with brilliant orange. He seemed +on the best of terms with himself and all the world, and his small +black eyes were full of fun and humour. + +"Did Feathertail offer you any breakfast?" he asked, hopping close +to Phil. + +"No." + +"I thought he wouldn't. He doesn't keep such stores as we do. Come +with me." + +His movements were so rapid that Phil almost lost sight of him +before he gained the stump of the hollow tree which was, so to +speak, his hall. Out of this hollow led several tunnels, down one +of which the Hackee disappeared. Phil ran after him as quickly as +he could, and with all his haste, admired the way in which his host +had formed his winding gallery. Up and down it led them, through +twists and turns that would have puzzled most Squirrels, let alone +a boy, until they reached a large snug nest made of dry moss and +grasses. It was empty, but still quite warm. + +"Those young ones of mine ought to have been up and out more than +an hour ago, lazy little creatures!" chuckled the Hackee. "I tell +their mother that if they are not more independent before the new +brood comes, she will have her hands full." + +Diving into another gallery, the Hackee came to a full stop. Phil's +eyes were scarcely yet used to "seeing in the dark," but he saw at +length that they were standing before a heap of nuts, with grain in +plenty, and many acorns; the Hackee had more than provided for his +wants. + +"We stay in these cosy burrows all through the winter snows," he +said, "and only come out when the warm sunshine tells us that +spring is here. To do this in comfort we work very hard in the fall +to fill our storehouses with nuts and grain. This is only one of +them--we have others in different places. Help yourself, and take +as many nuts as you like," he went on hospitably. "Here--sit in +this corner, and I will crack them for you." + +But Phil preferred to crack his own nuts; his teeth, though the +Beavers scorned them, were strong enough for this, he thought. They +tasted like beaked hazel nuts, but where were the beaks? The Hackee +laughed at his bewilderment. + +"We carry home nuts in our cheek pouches, four at a time (Why four? +Because five would be one too many, of course!), and we are much +too sensible, as you might have guessed, to hurt ourselves by those +sharp points. We bite them off tidily before we push them into our +mouths with our fore-paws, as you will see if you watch us one day. +It is fine to be a ground Squirrel, and much safer than living in +trees. Down here we are safe from all our enemies--or almost all," +he added in a whisper. Then his expression changed, and his sharp +ears pointed forward. + +"Hark!" he cried. + +"_Chip-munk-chip-munk!_" The call was echoed through the +galleries, and the Hackee's merry eyes were full of anger. + +"How dare he come here!" he cried, "and calling me in that familiar +way too! I'll let him know who is master in this burrow!" + +The second Hackee came joyously down the passage, heedless of +offence. + +"Hallo," he cried, looking at Phil, "whom have we got here? That +Nature child? To be sure. I--" + +But Hackee the First interrupted him. + +"You have no business to come down here uninvited," he said, +fiercely. "I would have you know--" + +Before he could finish, the other had flown at him. Their slender +tails--Phil was not at all astonished when he heard afterwards that +these sometimes were snapped across in battle--whirled round like +Catherine wheels; two small furry bodies darted backward and +forward; gleaming white teeth tried to take savage bites at soft +pink noses. It was a wonder that the Hackees found room to turn as +they did in that narrow tunnel. + +Phil tried in vain to come between them; they pushed him aside as +if he were a bundle of grass, and in a second were at each other +again. He was afraid that, like the Otters, they would fight to the +death. + +But the pugnacious Hackees' rage was spent as suddenly as it had +arisen. While Phil imagined they were only gathering their breath +for another attack, they had both calmed down. + +"I've just been showing him round," said Hackee the First, twisting +his tail in Phil's direction. + +"Seems a nice boy," said Hackee the Second, feeling Phil's nose +anxiously. "I thought I might have bitten it off just now when you +got in my way," he said to Phil with much relief, finding it was +still there. "Never come between fighting creatures, boy--it's a +thankless task." + +Phil was quite sure that if he had been his usual size the Hackee +would not have chucked him under the chin in that off-hand way, but +he did not mind a bit. They were all three sitting before the +storehouse, the best of friends, when both chipping Squirrels +sprang to their feet in terrified accord, standing for a second as +if paralysed with fear. For their keen sense of smell had told them +of the approach of the one enemy they dreaded--the soft-footed, +silent Stoat. + +Now came the use of those twists and turns of the winding passages. +Swift as were the movements of the Stoat, he was on strange ground, +while the Hackees knew every inch of it. His savage eyes looked +like vengeful green fire to Phil, who waited for him in the centre +of the gallery, hoping to bar his way. But the Stoat passed by him +as if he were not there, and Phil listened with dread for the +strangled cry which would mean that one of the Hackees had met his +doom. None came; the Stoat had missed a turn in the winding tunnel, +and the flying Hackees reached the hollow tree in safety. Once +there, it was easy to dive down another burrow and so baffle +pursuit, but they were two very frightened Squirrels when at last +they stopped for breath. + + + +A DEN IN THE ROCKS + +By Lillian M. Gask + +The sun, like some mighty king in a fairy tale with a great gold +crown, and flowing robes of pearl and rose colour, had long since +risen above the mountain. A mist of heat hung over the valley, and +the giant fir trees at the edge of the wood were like sentinels +guarding a wonderland. + +Down one of these, from which the bark had been completely +stripped, came a singular animal with rough hair, and a short tail +thickly set with quills. On seeing Phil, who had just left the home +of the Squirrels, he rapped his tail smartly against a tree, almost +dropping to the ground with fright. He recovered his balance just +in time. + +"I suppose you are that child of Nature's," he remarked, gruffly, +"I am the Urson, the only Porcupine you'll find in North America, +and I eat bark because I like it. Why do I take it from the top of +the tree first? Because I prefer to work my way down. Why haven't I +more quills if I am a Porcupine? If you use your eyes, you'll see +that I am studded all over with them, though my hair is so thick +and long that they are not particularly noticeable. How fond you +are of questions! Is there anything more you want to know? I'm just +going home." + +"Couldn't you stay a little while, Mr. Urson? You look so--so +interesting, and I should like to talk to you!" + +The Urson showed his orange teeth in a sudden smile, and rubbed +himself against Phil's arm as al friendly cat might have done. In +spite of his crop of thick dark hair he was rather prickly, and +Phil hoped that he would not want to sit on his lap. + +"You're a bright little fellow," declared the Urson; "I can't think +why they called you 'stupid.' Did you put out your quills and fight +them?" + +"No,--o," Phil acknowledged reluctantly. "I--I--ran away." + +"Bad thing to do as a rule, though it hasn't turned out badly for +you. When you go back, you must stand up to the boys if they tease +you, and show them you have some spirit. Don't get in a temper, you +know; but hold your own." + +Phil thought it was all very well for a Porcupine full of quills to +talk so bravely; for a small boy it was quite different. + +"Not at all," said the Urson, as if he had spoken his thoughts +aloud. "They would leave you alone if you did not let them see you +were so frightened. I am nervous myself, but I can keep a dog twice +my own size at bay; if he comes too near I turn my; back and give +him a taste of my tail, and a mouthful of quills into the bargain." + +"Ah, but I haven't a tail, you see!" said Phil, and the Urson +remarked that as that was the case he must learn to do without. +Yawning at intervals, he told Phil how his great-great-grandfather +("a most distinguished inhabitant of this forest") had defended +himself single-handed against the attack of an American Indian, +coming off victorious in the fight, though leaving half his tail +quills in the native's hands. + +"And he used them to decorate his squaw's front hair!" said the +Urson with disgust. The very thought of it made him so angry that +he erected all his own quills until he was as completely protected +as a knight in armour. + +In a moment or two his anger subsided. "Would you like to see my +home?" he asked, mindful of the fact that he, in common with all +the other creatures of the wood, had been told by Nature to be kind +to Phil. He did not seem too pleased when Phil said "Yes," for he +was a most devoted father, and had heard before now of a human +being taking a liking to a young Porcupine, and carrying him off to +tame and bring up as his own. He grunted to himself under his +breath as he went along, but Phil thought this was just his way. + +The Urson's den was some distance off, in the midst of a cluster of +rocks that had fallen to the valley from the mountain side. To +reach it they had to cross the wood, and the Urson's progress was +almost a royal one, for all the small wood things moved away at his +approach. He walked deliberately, as if the woods belonged to him, +and made no effort to subdue the rustling of his quills through the +long grass. A hungry-looking Weasel with malicious eyes glared at +him furtively, but came no nearer; he had "tried conclusions" with +an Urson once, and would not venture again. A sharp-nosed Fox +licked his longing lips and turned his head aside, while further on +a greyish-brown animal huddled upon the lower branch of a spreading +tree stretched out a savage paw, and drew it back. Those slender +quills were painful things when they pierced the tender places +between one's claws, and no delicious morsel behind the spears +could make up for a swollen mouth that would be sore and smarting +for days--so sore that its owner, unable to eat, might die from +sheer starvation. So the Porcupine passed under the tree in safety, +dawdling on purpose as he caught sight of the crouching figure +above him. + +"That's 'Peeshoo'--the Lynx," he laughed as they moved on. "She +would make a grab at me if she dared, but she's afraid. You would +not think to look at her, would you, that a blow from a stick would +kill her at once? Yet so it is. That is because she is a coward at +heart, for all her fierceness." + +A snarl of rage from "Peeshoo" told Phil that she had overheard. + +"She always snarls when I move out of her reach, though she dare +not touch me," said the Urson, making himself into a bristling ball +of defiance as he heard the sound. "I do that to remind her what +she would have to face," he explained to Phil. "There's nothing +like letting one's enemies see that one is ready for them. 'Don't +attack, but always be ready to defend yourself; this is my motto, +and a good one it is." + +They were out of the wood soon and in the valley. The entrance that +led to the Urson's den was so narrow that he had to make his quills +lie very flat in order to creep through, but Phil, as it always +happened, was just the right size. He was speedily introduced to +Mrs. Urson and to "my small son." + +The baby Porcupine was in reality anything but "small"; Phil found +out afterwards that of all wild things he was the largest in +proportion to the size of his parents. A big furry bundle of silky +brown, his quills not yet having pushed their way through his thick +hair, Phil thought him very comfortable to nurse, and Mrs. Urson +was as pleased with his admiration of her offspring as the Lady +Ondatra had been. His father, however, was inclined to be testy. + +"He's just an ordinary young Porcupine," he said; "no more, no +less. Don't put nonsense into his head, please--his mother is ready +enough to do that." + +Feeling rather uncomfortable on her account, Phil turned to Mrs. +Porcupine, who did not seem in the least disturbed by her lord's +reproaches. + +"He wants a little change of air, poor dear," she said to Phil in a +confidential whisper. "I expect he'll be leaving me soon--I know +the signs." + +The Urson caught her whisper, and his sharp little face grew sad. + +"We've been very good friends," he said, looking round at her +wistfully, "and it's a nice child; but there's something beyond +these woods which is calling--calling. I don't think that I can +stay much longer." + +His mate moved close to him and touched his, nose with hers. + +"You'll come back when the summer is over," she said, "and you will +find us here." + +"Shall I?" returned the Urson, doubtfully, more to himself than +her. They had forgotten Phil, who was rather in the way. He was +glad when the Mother Porcupine came back to the present, and asked +him to try some fine spruce bark. + +"I wish I could give you buckwheat," she remarked, "for it might be +more to your taste. You're not hungry? That's very strange. We +always are--when we're awake!" She finished her sentence with a +wide yawn, and Phil took this as a hint that she wanted to go to +sleep--which was indeed the case. He refused her kind offer of a +bed for the day, and the Urson then insisted upon showing him a +short cut through the wood. On the way he grew quite talkative. + +"That's a Bee-tree," he said, as they passed a big maple with a +hollow trunk. "The Bees may thank me that the Bears have not robbed +them of their wealth long before now. That crooked branch, just +half-way up, is a favourite resting-place of mine, and I allow no +trespassing. If a Bear appears and begins to climb with the idea of +scooping out honey from the entrance some feet higher, I go to meet +him; Bears have tender noses, and don't care for quills. So they +growl a bit and go down more quickly than they came up ... I +wouldn't part with my quills for the strongest teeth in the world." + +"Your own teeth seem a very good size," said Phil, taking a look at +them. + +"They're not so bad," said the Urson, modestly. "But I use them +chiefly for stripping bark from the trees. As weapons of defence +they would not serve me, for if I tried to bite I should expose my +throat and nose, which are the unprotected parts of my body. If +ever you see me asleep, you will notice that I hide my head between +my forepaws; never expose your weak spot, you know!" + +They had come to an open space, and the sun shone down upon them +with glowing ardour; the Urson thought of his cool dark den, and +hastily wished Phil "good-bye." + +"There's 'Peeshoo' again," he said. "Have a chat with her if you +like, but don't tell her where I live, or about my son. He's too +young to show fight yet. Good day to you." + +He walked off in that precise, deliberate way of his, but Phil was +not to be left alone. The Lynx that he had caught sight of on the +branch of the tree some time ago had been awaiting her opportunity, +and came running towards him with a series of noiseless bounds. Her +back was arched, and her feet outspread; she was not unlike a +long-bodied and heavily-built cat, Phil thought, though her +peculiar erect ears, tipped by an upright tuft of coarse black +bristles, proclaimed her at once as the Lynx of North America, of +which the Beavers had already told him. Her powerful feet were +furnished with large white claws, almost hidden in her thick fur; +her face was round, and her eyes as sharp and piercing as those of +all her kind. She reached Phil's side as silently as if she were +shod with velvet, and greeted him as if she had not seen him +before. + +"Come and sit by me, you lonely little fellow," she purred. +"No--you needn't be frightened. ('I wasn't,' said Phil.) The only +creatures that are afraid of me are the Hares and Foxes, and if I +didn't eat them they would soon overrun the whole place; I do it +out of kindness, you know." + +She had seated herself on the ground as she was speaking, and made +a soft and comfortable heap of fur. But Phil, though he, too, felt +sleepy in the warm sunshine, was both to do as she suggested and +use her back as a cushion. + +"I've been very unjustly blamed," she began in a plaintive voice, +when she had asked him what colour he thought her eyes, and whether +he considered her fur becoming. "Settlers say that I am in the +habit of dropping from trees on to the backs of Deer, and tearing +their throats. They must mistake the Puma for me,--isn't it too +bad?" + +"Much too bad," agreed Phil, though he wondered a little if she +were as innocent as she would have him believe. It was only +politeness that kept him beside her, for he wanted to play with the +Squirrels, who were much more to his liking. He could see one now +beckoning to him from a great maple, as if he was very anxious to +tell him something that he had heard. With a great effort Phil +turned his attention to "Peeshoo"; she was talking of the +Wolverene, which he could see that she did not love. + +"He was so abominably greedy," she said, "and Wanted our share as +well as his own. Quite early this morning he was after one of my +Hares; it was a remarkably active little creature, and soon left +him in the lurch. He caught a Rabbit or two and a few Birds, and +might have been satisfied with those. But no--he wanted something +larger, and ventured so near the mountains that a Grizzly Bear, who +had strolled down to see what these woods were like, found him +nosing about his breakfast, which he had just killed. What he said +to the Grizzly I don't know, but it couldn't have pleased him, for +with a single blow of his heavy paw the great Bear struck him down. +That Wolverene will never try to rob me of my Hares again!" + +"Was he _quite_ killed?" Phil asked her anxiously, and +"Peeshoo" smiled an ugly smile that showed her teeth and made Phil +draw away from her. + +"Don't you know yet what the paw of a big Grizzly is, child? It +would kill a man, let alone an animal like the Wolverene. I keep +out of the way of the Grizzlies myself--I find it wiser, and so +will you." + +But Phil knew well that even a Grizzly would not harm him, and he +had always been fond of Bears. Some day he would go and see them; +they were brave creatures, at any rate, and could tell him much +that he longed to know. + +"Peeshoo" talked on, but he scarcely heard her. So the Wolverene +had been killed himself, instead of killing the Beavers, and for +the present at least they would be safe. How glad Father Beaver +would be, he thought; it was good news this time that he had to +tell him, and as soon as he could get rid of "Peeshoo" he would +hasten back to the colony. He did not mention the Beavers to her, +for he thought it quite possible that she might eat other small +animals besides Foxes and Hares; and he was learning to be very +careful not to injure his friends. + +When "Peeshoo's" hunger grew stronger than her interest in her +companion, Phil and she parted company. Phil went straight to the +river, and followed its course until he came to the Beavers' +dome-shaped houses. Of the Beavers themselves there was no sign. + +"I'll explore one of their tunnels," thought Phil. He dived into +the river, using his right leg instead of a tail to splash the +water as the Beavers did, and soon found a Beaver's hole. + +"Anyone at home?" he sang out gaily, as he ran through the tunnel's +twists and turns. + +"We're here!" cried Mother Beaver from its innermost recesses; and +there Phil found her with her young ones, looking most forlorn. + +"What is the matter?" he asked, for he had never seen her so +distressed. She was shaking all over as she told him, and her voice +was broken with sobs. + +The night before, it seemed, almost immediately after Phil had left +them, the Wolverene had made an unexpected attack. All had seemed +safe, and the Beavers had for a moment relaxed their guard. +Dropping from the branches of a tree into their very midst, the +Wolverene had pounced on a plump young Beaver just then engaged in +felling a willow sapling; in spite of his struggles there had been +no chance for him, and the Wolverene had eaten him then and there. +Not content with this, he had taken his stand upon the river bank, +intent on further prey. The young Beavers were trembling still, and +even the bravest of their elders were afraid to venture out from +their retreat. + +When Mother Beaver heard what had happened to the Wolverene in the +early morning, she could scarcely contain herself for joy, and +Father Beaver, who had sought his family in vain in the winter +houses, where many of the colony had taken refuge, would have +embraced Phil had he known how. He straightway planned a wonderful +new dam that should put the old one to shame; and the number of +trees the Beavers felled that night was simply marvellous. Nowhere +along the river banks were more contented creatures than they; and +many a timid wood thing, unknown to them, shared their thanksgiving +that the Wolverene was dead. + +Father Beaver was interested to learn from Phil of the Hackees' +narrow escape. + +"We have all our foes," he said, "and must fight them as best we +can, with our wits or our teeth, the weapons Nature has given us. +That Stoat you saw will perhaps be trapped this winter; his +brownish coat will turn pure white when the snow comes, and he will +be called an 'Ermine' instead of a 'Stoat'; and then the hunters +will be after him." + +"Then the Ermine and the Stoat are the same creature?" cried Phil +in amazement. + +"The very same," said Father Beaver, "and Ermine fur is more +valuable than our own. All sorts of traps will be set for him, for +as his coat will be the same colour as the snow, it will be almost +impossible for the fur hunters to take him in any other way." + +"I wonder _why_ his fur turns white in winter?" Phil said, +thoughtfully. + +Father Beaver looked thoughtful too. "It is said to keep him much +warmer than if it were dark," he remarked: "But I should think that +it is so that he may not readily be seen against the snow. Perhaps +that is Nature's way of taking care of him. We are all her +children. But these are things that neither you nor I can +understand." + + + +SHIPS OF THE DESERT + +By Lillian M. Gask + +"I wonder where I shall find a Camel," said Phil to himself. Not +even the Arab Horses, far-famed and lovely as they were, could for +him compare in interest with the "ships of the desert," without +whose aid, Nature had told him the burning sands would be more +impassable than tractless seas. He had seen a Camel once in a +travelling menagerie; a depressed and shaggy Camel, with dim, +lack-lustre eyes and a rough coat. He wondered if the Camels in +Arabia would look like that. + +There was no breeze now, and the thin blue smoke that rose above +the chimneys of the distant houses hung lazily in the sky. Phil had +walked far since he left the mountain, and although a tawny +Butterfly with an oblique white bar across the tip of her forewings +had stayed her flight in passing, it had only been to wish him a +pleasant journey. The sands of the desert plains stretched far to +left and right in the broiling sunshine, looking like tracts of +gold. Phil's eyes were dazzled by the glare; he sought the shade of +a palm tree and leant against its slender trunk. + +Presently he became aware that something was watching him from a +sandy bank not far away. It was a Lizard--surely the queerest +Lizard that Nature had ever made. His body was covered with shining +scales, like those of most of his kindred, but his fat tail, ringed +with thorn-like spines, was very curious, and his big teeth, set +far apart in his funny mouth, were too large for his small round +head. + +He gazed at Phil in quizzical amusement, and asked him what he +wanted in Arabia. + +"To see a Camel," Phil replied, and the Lizard gave a dry little +chuckle. + +"You will have to go down to the plains for that," he said, "and +the wind will blow the sand into your eyes. Better stay here with +me. The shade is pleasant, and dates are sweet." + +Phil shook his head. + +"I have come a long way to see the Camel," he persisted. "Have I +far to go before I shall find him?" + +The Thorny-tailed Lizard--for this was he--blinked several times +before he spoke again. + +"Not far for you," he said at last, "for Nature has given you +invisible wings to your feet. Before you go have a look at my +burrow. It is a simple little affair, but very comfortable, and +when I tuck my head and body inside it I am quite safe. If the +Arabs, who find me as dainty eating as they do Locusts, try to pull +me out by my tail, it comes off in their hands, and I grow another. +He! he! he!" + +The Lizard was quite a character in his way, and Phil spent a +pleasant half-hour with him. His burrow, though only a deep long +hole in the sand-bank, was very cosy, and Mrs. Thorny-tail was most +intelligent. She had a great deal to say to Phil about a demure Red +Locust who showed some inclination, to bite him as he bade her +farewell at the entrance to the burrow. + +"He belongs to the same family as the Grasshoppers," she remarked, +as, much discomfited at what she said to him, the Locust flew away. +"But instead of leaping through the air as they do, he uses his +strong wings, which carry him very far." + +"He scarcely looks large enough to do all the harm they say," said +Phil, who had heard of him from the Butterfly. "I should have +thought him quite a harmless creature if I had not known." + +"A swarm of his family can make a green land desolate," returned +the Lizard. "Small things can do much mischief, as you will learn +when you grow older. There is nothing safe from Locusts. They have +even been known in the Strait of Ormuz to settle on a ship, and, by +devouring the sails and cordage, oblige the captain to stay his +course. What? You are still thinking about your Camels? Well, ask +for 'Maherry' when you reach the Arabs' dwellings. He is the +fleetest Heirie in Arabia." + +"Is a 'Heirie' the same as a Camel?" Phil inquired. But the +Thorny-tailed Lizard had already tucked her head into her burrow, +and soon was lost to sight. + +A Weaver Bird fluttered from the palm tree in a state of wild +alarm. + +"There's a Viper under that stone," she cried, "Do send him off. He +makes my heart beat so that I can scarcely hear myself twitter." + +Phil turned it over, and a Snake wriggled away as if he had no wish +that Phil should see his face. The Weaver Bird thanked Phil with +many words. + +"He has been watching me all the morning," she said, "with those +dreadful eyes of his. I am thankful that he has gone, though my +young ones have flown now, and my mind is at peace. Won't you stay +and look at my nest? We made it all ourselves, I and my mate, and +it is quite worth seeing." + +It hung from a fairly high branch, and could only be reached by +means of a long narrow entrance, most elaborately woven of grass +and twigs, somewhat in the shape of an old-fashioned netted purse. +This, she told him, was to keep away poisonous Snakes and +mischievous Monkeys, who would otherwise have helped themselves to +her eggs, or feasted upon her fledglings. + +"We had to keep a sharp look out, their father and I," she added, +putting her small black head pensively on one side as she thought +of the troubles of married life, "for Birds have many enemies here. +Sometimes we hang our nests from the boughs of trees on the bank of +a stream or river, but then there are Water Rats as well as Snakes, +and it is wonderful how far they can jump." + +And on she chattered, giving Phil her history from the day of her +birth, and confiding to him how grieved her mate had been in spring +because he could not sing. + +"But when we began to build our nest," she went on happily, "he was +too busy to think about such nonsense, and there is no good in +crying for what you cannot have! If you will wait a little while +you will see him. Are you going far?--'To find Maherry?' Why, you +are almost there. Just go straight on until you come to a house +with a white mark over the lintel. He lives in the shed beside it." + +Following her directions, Phil steered his course by the blue smoke +that he had seen in the distance, and presently found the house +that she had described. It was roughly built and very old; it +looked as if it had been there for centuries. The door of the shed +was open, and Phil slipped quietly in. A slender Camel, resting on +the ground in a kneeling position, looked solemnly up at him from +beneath his long thick lashes, and waited for him to speak. + +"Are you Maherry?" he said, touching the reddish-grey coat that for +all its thickness was as soft as silk. + +"I am Maherry," the Camel answered, stirring a little so that Phil +might find room beside him on his couch of date leaves. "I have +just come a long journey across the desert, and my limbs are weary, +or I would rise." + +"Why do they call you the Heirie? You look just like the one-humped +Camel I saw in my picture book, and he was a Dromedary." + +Maherry raised his head. + +"I am sometimes called that too. Dromedaries or Heiries are one and +the same animal. Heiries are more slenderly built and far more +fleet than ordinary Camels, whether they are one-humped and +Arabian, or Bactrian, with two humps. To an Arab 'Fleet as the +Heirie' means 'fleet as the wind.' We are the Camels of Oman, and +can travel through the desert without stopping for several days and +nights. Thus we reach the end of our journeys quickly, and our +masters cry: 'It is well!' In days of old the Arabs said: 'When +thou shalt meet a Heirie and say to the rider 'Peace be between +us,' ere he shall have answered 'There is peace between us,' he +will be far off, for his swiftness is like the wind.'" + +"Are they kind to you, these masters of yours, Maherry?" + +The Heirie laughed softly. + +"Ay," he said, "or we should not serve them half so well. The +service of love is swifter than the service of fear; the Turks, who +treat their Camels more as you do the Ass in England, find them +neither so willing nor so tractable, though all Camels are by +nature patient, and strong to endure. Here in Arabia a young Camel +is fondled as if it were a baby. 'A child is born to us,' cry our +master's family; and silver charms are hung on our heads and about +our necks, while we are encouraged to take our first steps by music +and song." + +The Heirie paused. The tinkling of bells came softly through the +open door, and Phil, looking eagerly round it, saw a long +procession of Camels wending its way through the town. They were +heavily laden, and trod as if they were very tired. As they reached +an open space behind the market their masters called a halt. + +"It is four o'clock, and the end of one stage of their journey," +said Maherry. "Go you and watch them; and do not give too much heed +if they dispute with each other when they are unloaded. It is the +end of the day, and their burdens were heavy." + +Phil drew the door of the Heirie's shed quickly behind him, and +hastened through the market place, where another time he would have +wished to linger. Pink and white sweetmeats were spread out +temptingly; luscious black figs, and grapes and peaches covered the +low stalls; sweet-smelling spices and aromatic herbs made the air +fragrant, and dark-skinned Arabs showed weapons and ornaments, +cunningly wrought in precious metals. But it was only the Camels +Phil wanted to see just then, and he did not stop until he had +reached them. + +They were much larger than the Heirie; most of them were brown, but +some light grey, and one, who bore the heaviest load of all, a +snowy white. His master called him "Aleppo," and chided him gently +for his weariness. Phil made himself known to him as he knelt to be +unloaded, throwing the weight of his body on the thick elastic pads +that Nature had given him on his broad chest and on each elbow and +knee of his fore-limbs. These elastic cushions, Phil saw, were on +the front of his hind knees too, and smaller ones upon his hocks. + +"This is so that in kneeling, our natural position of rest, +wherever the weight of our bodies is thrown, our shins are +protected," said Aleppo. "I am hungry and thirsty now, but +presently we will talk." + +The unloading of the Camels took some time. As they were released +from their burdens they rose to their feet again, and the way in +which some of them scuffled and kicked their neighbours reminded +Phil of Maherry's words. It was strange to see them wrestling +together, now and then giving each other an apparently savage bite, +and Phil was glad when the Arabs brought them their evening +meal--date leaves and thorny shrubs, with leaves and branches of +the tamarisk tree, and some dry black beans that looked as hard as +stones. But the Camels, kneeling round the baggage, scrunched them +thankfully, their strong teeth making this an easy matter, and drew +in leaves and branches with their cleft lips. Ere long Aleppo, +declaring himself refreshed, suggested that Phil should come close +beside him, so that they could talk more easily. + +As Phil leant comfortably against his hump he was struck with its +ungainliness, and asked: + +"Don't you wish you hadn't a hump, Aleppo?" + +Aleppo nearly upset him by the sudden start he gave. + +"Why, my hump is my greatest treasure," he replied. "But for that, +I should have often dropped from starvation when provisions ran +short in the desert. When a Camel once falls it seldom rises to its +feet again, and the Vultures claim it as their own. The first thing +an Arab does when he is starting on a journey is to look to his +animal's hump, for without the nourishment stored up for him in +this, the Camel would often be in a bad way. Once our humps are +exhausted, it takes three or four months of rest and good feeding +to bring them up again." + +"But _how_ do you 'feed' on them, Aleppo?" + +"We absorb the fat of which they are composed into our system," +said Aleppo, "just as, in colder regions of the earth, the Bears, +during their long winter sleep live on the thick layer of fat +stored up for them during the autumn beneath their skins." + +"Is there water in your hump, too?" asked Phil. "I often used to +wonder when I heard about you how you can go as many days without +it as they say you do when you are crossing the desert." + +"No," said Aleppo, with a wide grin. "We hold our stores of water +in what you might call a 'reservoir' of deep honeycomb cells inside +our paunch. These cells hold altogether as much as six quarts of +fluid, and when we have taken a long drink the mouth of each cell +contracts, so that the water is prevented from mixing with our +food. + +"Some Camels can go longer without drinking than others. This is +because they can dilate these cells, and so carry a larger supply +of water. It is said"--his voice became very mournful, and he +stopped scrunching the dry jeans--"that rather than die of thirst +the Arabs have been known to kill us in the wilderness, that they +might steal the water yet remaining in our cells! But I can +scarcely, believe it!" + +Phil was deeply impressed. + +"Is there any other animal in the world so wonderfully made as you +are?" he asked. + +Aleppo looked at him with a kind smile, for he, in common with +every living creature, was glad to be appreciated. + +"There are many just as wonderful in their own way," he said, "but +the only other animal I know of who has this 'reservoir' inside him +is the Llama. In the mountainous regions of Chili and Peru he fills +our place as servant to man." + +Phil waited to hear more, but Aleppo was trapped in thought. + +The dusk had gathered; the sellers from the market place had gone +away, and as the brilliant stars flamed in the heavens one by one, +a hush fell over the scene. Suddenly Aleppo raised his head; from +afar off came the jangling of many bells, the sound of flutes and +flageolets, of the beating of drums and of shouts of exultation. + +"It is a caravan of pilgrims," said Aleppo, "on their way to the +Holy City, where, enthroned upon a Camel, Mohammed gave the law. +The pilgrims travel by night; they started only a few hours since, +and this is not one of their halting places, so you will see them +pass." + +The cavalcade came nearer. Phil could see now the lighted torches +that the pilgrims waved; their yellow flames lit up the scene, and +shone on the silver trappings of the foremost Camels. Streamers of +coloured silk floated above their heads or trailed behind them; the +saddles of the Heiries were of the richest velvet, purple and blue, +and necklaces of coral and amber hung below their bridles. The +swarthy faces of their riders shone with fervour as they played +their flutes, or sang their hymns of praise, and the satin-skinned +Arab Horses, who formed a minor part of the cavalcade, pranced and +curveted as the torch light gleamed on their polished sides. + +"Poor things," said Aleppo with a pitying look. "When the fierce +rays of the sun stream down upon them, and their hoofs sink deeply +into the shifting sands, they will suffer tortures. Many die on +these pilgrimages before the journey is half over, for Nature has +not fitted them, as she has us, to cross the desert." + +"Tell me about them!" entreated Phil, as the beautiful creatures +still came on, their eyes flashing with pride of race, and every +line of their slender bodies a thing of beauty. + +"They are famous all the world over," said Aleppo; "so famous that +it is difficult now for even an Arab Sheik to increase his stud. To +be accounted of pure lineage, an Arab Horse must belong to one of +the five breeds which are said to be descended from King Solomon's +favourite mares! Their pedigrees are written in parchment; they are +contained in the little pouches their masters hang round their +necks. Arab Horses do not know the meaning of a blow, and because +they have never been roughly treated they are as gentle as they are +brave. They neither jib nor rear, and in spite of their small size +are full of fire and courage." + +The Arab Horses passed, and yet the cavalcade streamed on. Now +there were Camels again, still more resplendent in their trappings +than those that had gone before. Embroideries of gold and silver +bedecked their saddles, and glittered beneath the robes of flowing +white which are the Arabs' native dress. One pure grey Heirie was +decked with ostrich feathers, and had his bridle studded with +rubies and emeralds, and gleaming topaz. His master was the Emir +Hadgi, the commander of the pilgrimage. + +"I once took part in a pilgrimage myself," said Aleppo +reflectively, when the last of the cavalcade was out of sight. +"Even for me, trained as I was to go long distances, it was a hard +struggle to endure to the end. There was a terrible sand storm, and +water failed; the wells, when we reached them, were all dried up, +and but few of the pilgrims survived." + +Aleppo paused. He was thinking of the strange fascination of the +desert in spite of all its terrors, and of the wonderful pictures +he had seen in the desert sky that men called "mirages." They were +of shady groves and flowing rivers, and many a time had Aleppo seen +them as he pressed on through the sands, with head held high, so +that he might scan the horizon for the longed-for oasis. He turned +to speak of these to Phil; but his little companion, he saw, had +meantime drifted off to dreamland. + + + + + +SOME ANIMAL STORIES + + + +THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT + +By Beatrix Potter + +Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names +were--Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. + +They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of +a very big fir-tree. + +"Now, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit, one morning, "you may go +into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's +garden; your father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by +Mrs. McGregor. Now run along, and don't get into mischief. I am +going out." + +Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went +through the wood to the baker's. She bought a loaf of brown bread +and five currant buns. + +Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went +down the lane to gather blackberries; but Peter, who was very +naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden, and squeezed +under the gate. First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; +and then he ate some radishes; and then, feeling rather sick, he +went to look for some parsley. + +But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. +McGregor! + +Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young +cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and +calling out, "Stop thief!" + +Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the +garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. + +He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe +among the potatoes. After losing them, he ran on four legs and went +faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had +not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the +large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass +buttons, quite new. Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big +tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly Sparrows, who +flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself. + +Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop upon +the top of Peter; but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his +jacket behind him, and rushed into the tool-shed, and jumped into a +can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not +had so much water in it. + +Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the +tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot. He began to turn +them over carefully, looking under each. + +Presently Peter sneezed--"Kertyschoo!" Mr. McGregor was after him +in no time, and tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of +a window, upsetting three plants. The window was too small for Mr. +McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to +his work. + +Peter sat down, to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with +fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was +very damp with sitting in that can. + +After a time he began to wander about, going lippity--lippity--not +very fast, and looking all round. He found a door in a wall; but it +was locked, and there was no room for a fat little Rabbit to +squeeze underneath. + +An old Mouse was running in and out over the stone door-step, +carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her +the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that +she could not answer. She only shook her head at him. Peter began +to cry. + +Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he +became more and more puzzled. Presently, he came to a pond where +Mr. McGregor filled his water-cans. A white Cat was staring at some +Gold-fish; she sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of +her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go +away without speaking to her, he had heard about Cats from his +cousin, little Benjamin Bunny. + +He went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to +him, he heard the noise of a hoe--scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, +scritch. Peter scuttered underneath the bushes. But presently, as +nothing happened, he came out, and climbed upon a wheelbarrow, and +peeped over. The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. +His back was turned towards Peter, and beyond him was the gate! + +Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow, and started +running as fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some +black-currant bushes. + +Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not +care. He slipped underneath the gate, and was safe at last in the +wood outside the garden. + +Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a +scare-crow to frighten the Blackbirds. + +Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home +to the big fir-tree. + +He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the +floor of the rabbit-hole, and shut his eyes. His mother was busy +cooking; she wondered what he had done with his clothes. It was the +second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a +fortnight! + +I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. + +His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave +a dose of it to Peter! + +"One tablespoonful to be taken at bed-time." + +But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and +blackberries, for supper. + + + +LIONS AND TIGERS + +Anonymous + +The Lioness was wide awake, but two of the little Lion Cubs were +rather sleepy. The third one however, who had perched himself on +his mother's back, was quite livety: he had not had quite so much +for dinner as the others. + +"Mother," he began, "what do all these two-legged things come and +look at us for? And why have they got such funny skins? Do they +ever have anything to eat, mother--bones, and things like that?" + +"Don't purr so loudly, my dear," said the Lioness, or you'll wake +your brother and sister. These two-legged things are people--the +big ones are called men and women, and the little ones are boys and +girls. They don't do us any harm; indeed, some of them are very +kind to us--they give us our dinner, and clean straw in our houses, +and help to make us comfortable. They do their best, poor things, +so you mustn't growl at them." + +"Look, mother," said the Lion Cub, "that small thing with the white +skin has thrown something into our house! What does she think we +shall do with it?" + +"Don't take any notice of her, my dear." said the Lioness, blinking +her eyes at the little girl (who was "the small thing with the +white skin"); "it's only something that they call bread--she +thinks that we shall eat it. But it's really only fit for elephants +or bears; _we_ don't eat stuff like that. I tasted it once, I +remember, but that was a long time ago, when I was very, very +hungry, and glad to get anything I could." + +"When was that, mother?" said the baby Lion. "Do tell me about it." + +"Ah, I didn't always live in a house like this, my dear," replied +the Lioness. "I was born far away from here, in a place called +Africa, and I was quite grown-up before I saw a man at all. We used +to live very happily there in my young days--though it wasn't such +an easy life as that we have now. There was no one to bring you +your dinner regularly every day; no, you had to catch your dinner +first and then eat it, and sometimes we had to go a long time with +nothing but a very small antelope or perhaps a bird or two." + +The Lion Cub's eyes opened wide with astonishment. + +"What is Africa like, mother?" he said. "Did anyone else live +there?" + +"Dear me, yes," answered the Lioness. "All sorts of creatures. +There were antelopes and snakes, and several of our own relations, +and hosts of others besides." + +The Lion Cub thought for a little while. Then he said, "Why did you +come here, then, mother?" + +The Lioness growled slightly. From the next cage there came a loud +roar, waking the two sleeping Lion Cubs, and startling the other so +much that he tumbled off his mother's back. + +"Ho, ho, ho!" said a deep voice. "I remember! It seemed such a nice +fat young calf, didn't it?" It was the big Lion next door. The +Lioness seemed quite vexed; she had not known that the Lion was +listening. But he had been, and now he seemed to be in a very good +humor, and went on purring and talking to himself, but the little +Lion Cubs could easily hear what he was saying, and paid the +greatest attention. + +"Yes," he went on, "and it _was_ a nice fat young calf, too; I +saw it first, and I remember thinking that it would make such a +fine dinner for us both. I never dreamed that there were hunters +about, and it was a trap to catch us; of course I was quite young +in those days. But it was a trap, and we were both caught." + +"I needn't have been caught," growled the Lioness from the back of +her cage, "if I hadn't come to see what you were doing." + +"Ah, well," said the Lion. "We were both of us deceived. And then +they put us into small, strong cages and took us over the great big +water and brought us here. I often think of the days when we were +free, but we get along very well here, don't we? It's no use making +a fuss about what you can't help, and really these two-legged +creatures are very amusing." + +"Yes," said the Lioness, still with a little growl in her voice, +"but one needn't pretend that one wouldn't rather be free. Those +pumas, now, are always saying how much better it is always to live +in a cage." + +The Lion shook his mane scornfully. "Pumas!" he said. "Who would +take any notice of what a puma would say? They call themselves +'friends of man!' They're only friendly because they daren't be +anything else." + +"Do they come from Africa, too, mother?" said the Lion Cub. + +"No, they live in America, my dear," replied the Lioness. "But +come, it's time we went out into the garden at the back of the +house. You must have a little fresh air." So saying, she stalked +through the little door at the back of the cage and went out, +followed by her Cubs, into the open space beyond. + +"Good afternoon," said a lazy, sleepy voice from the other side of +the bars. "It's quite a fine day, isn't it?" + +The three little Cubs all turned with a start. There was the Tiger, +stretched out in the sun, looking at them with a sleepy sort of +smile. + +Of course, it wasn't a garden really, it was just a large open-air +cage, but there were rocks and trees dotted about all over it, and +it certainly looked very pleasant in the warm afternoon sunshine. + +He was a very handsome fellow, was the Tiger, and he evidently knew +it, too. The Lioness greeted him pleasantly, and said with a purr +as she stretched herself out on the ground, "These young people of +mine were just asking me all sorts of questions; perhaps you can +tell them something interesting that has happened to you?" + +"Ee-yow!" yawned the Tiger. + +"Do, please," begged the little Lion Cubs, poking their noses +against the bars. "Do you come from Africa, too?" added the first +one. + +"No," answered the Tiger, "I come from India. I used to live in the +jungle." + +"And were you caught in a trap, too?" said the eager little Lion +Cub. + +"Gr-r-r-!" said the Tiger, suddenly beginning to growl. "There he +goes!" It was an Elephant, which was slowly walking along in the +distance with a number of children on his back. The Tiger looked +after him with a very angry look in his eyes, and not until he was +quite out of sight did he become quiet again. Then he said to the +Lioness, "Excuse me, but I never see that fellow without thinking +how it was one of his relations that helped to capture me. Ah, I +shall never forget it. I wasn't full-grown then, and I used to +live with my father and mother and my young brother in a cosy +little home in the jungle. Most of the men-creatures who lived +near us over there were brown, you know, not white like the ones +we see over here. My father was getting old, and food had become +very scarce. One night my father paid a visit to one of the +men-creatures' villages and brought us home a goat, and the next +night he brought us a sheep. It seemed very easy to get food that +way, but the men-creatures didn't like it, I suppose." + +"Oh, sir," said the smallest Lion Cub, "please tell me, did you +ever eat a man?" + +The Tiger smiled. "No," he said, "I never did, but my father--". + +"Don't you think we'd better get on with the story?" put in the +Lioness. + +"Well," said the Tiger, "one day there was a dreadful +noise--shouting and banging of drums and all sorts of things, and +crowds of the brown men came into the jungle, waking us up out of +our afternoon nap. We were very much startled at first, but my +father told us not to be afraid, and said he would look after us. +Presently we saw one of those wretched elephants coming along, and, +would you believe it, he had actually allowed some of the white men +to get into a sort of castle on his back, where they could shoot at +us in safety! Of course, it was no good. My poor father was killed, +and so was my mother; they captured me, and I was brought here over +the water, and here I have been ever since." + +The Tiger stretched himself out at full length and yawned again; he +seemed to be quite tired by his long speech. + +"Don't you ever want to be back again in the jungle?" said one of +the Lion Cubs. + +"Well," said the Tiger, "sometimes, when it's cold and damp and +foggy, I do. But it's fairly comfortable here, on the whole. Now, I +must wash myself." And he began to lick his coat, just as a cat +does, and the Lion Cubs, seeing that there was nothing more to be +got out of him, that afternoon, started a game between themselves. + + + +APES AND MONKEYS + +Anonymous + +"Who was it that pulled my tail?" said the cross old Monkey sitting +in the corner of the cage. "I won't have my tail pulled, do you +hear? If any one pulls my tail again, I'll--" + +"Well, what will you do, Crosspatch?" said a small brown Monkey. +"Do tell us; we should like to know." And he threw a nut-shell at +the cross old Monkey, hitting him on the nose and making him +crosser than ever. + +"Ill complain to the keeper," said the old Monkey. "I'll steal all +your dinners. I'll--I'll--I'll do something dreadful to you." + +"Oh, go along," said the little brown Monkey. "Let's have a game at +Touch Tails. You're 'he'!" And he gave a hard tug at the cross old +Monkey's tail, then darted away up to the top of the cage, with the +old one after him and a number of other small Monkeys after +_him_, giving a pull at his tail every now and then, till he +didn't know which one to attack first, and finally gave it up as a +bad job, and retired to his corner again, jabbering away to himself +as to what he would do, while all the others danced about with +delight and swung to and fro on the ropes, chuckling with +enjoyment. + +"What a noise those Monkeys do make, to be sure!" said the +Chimpanzee to the Orang-Utangs. "I really think something should be +done to stop them." + +"Here comes some of these little men-things!" said one of the +Orang-Utangs. "What queer things they are! Are they really +relations of ours, do you suppose?" + +"I don't know," replied the Chimpanzee, "but I must say they are +very poor relations, if they are. Whatever do they put on all those +ridiculous things for?" + +"Yes," said the eldest Orang-Utang. "And what very short arms they +have! I don't believe they'd be any good at swinging about on +trees, do you?" + +"I'm sure they wouldn't," answered the Chimpanzee. "And then their +feet! Do you know they can't use their feet at all for holding on +to anything as we can? Isn't it silly? They're so ashamed of them +that they cover them up in things they call boots; it must be very +uncomfortable." + +"Have you noticed what they do with nuts?" said the smallest +Orang-Utang. "There was a boy here once who wanted to eat a nut, +and he was going to crack it in the ordinary way, when his mother +said to him, 'Don't do that, my dear, you'll spoil your teeth!' +Just fancy!" + +"Ah, but have you ever seen one of the very small men-things?" said +the Chimpanzee. "The things they call 'long-clothes babies'! They +are the most absurd creatures you ever saw in your life. They are +covered with white things (which must get dreadfully in the way), +and they can't do a single thing for themselves. They can't walk, +and they can't talk, and they don't eat fruits--they just lie +still, and sometimes they feebly kick about and wave their funny +little arms, and the strange part of it is that their mothers and +fathers seem quite proud of them. I'm very glad we're not like +that." + +"So am I," said the Orang-Utangs. "But why do these men-things wear +such a lot of things over their skins?" said the eldest. + +"Oh, they don't know any better," said the Chimpanzee. "You know +they are not nearly so strong as we are." + +"Ah, but they're very artful, some of them," said the eldest +Orang-Utang. "I should think if they were caught young, you might +be able to teach them to do quite a lot of tricks." + +"I dare say," replied the Chimpanzee. "Only I expect it would take +a lot of trouble and time." + +"I'm glad I'm not a man-thing," said the youngest Orang-Utang. "It +must be horrid to have to wear clothes." + +"There are those Monkeys again," said the Chimpanzee. "I wonder +what they are doing now. They are always up to some game or other. +I declare they are nearly as foolish as men." + +The Monkeys seemed to be all running after each other, fighting and +squabbling, and grabbing at lettuce and pieces of banana, and +making grimaces at each other, and scolding away until the +Chimpanzee could scarcely hear the sound of its own voice. + +"Oh, no," said the small Orang-Utang, who was a kind-hearted little +fellow, "they are very foolish, but I shouldn't say they were as +bad as that!" + +"Well, no, perhaps not," said the Chimpanzee. + + + +THE HIPPOPOTAMUS AND THE RHINOCEROS + +Anonymous + +"Ugh!" grunted the big Hippopotamus. "I think I shall have a bath. +Oh, dear me, I feel so sleepy!" And he opened his mouth and gave a +tremendous yawn. + +"Well!" said a deep, gruff voice from the other side of the +railings. "Well! If I had a mouth as large and as ugly as that I +would keep it shut, at any rate." + +It was the Rhinoceros, next door. The Hippopotamus and he didn't +get on very well together; indeed, they were always quarreling, so +that it was just as well that there were bars between them. + +The Hippopotamus turned round angrily. "Ugly?" he said. "Who are +you calling ugly? I am sure I'm just as pretty as you are, with +that great horn sticking out of your nose. I don't think it looks +at all nice." + +"H'm!" said the Rhinoceros. "I don't care if it doesn't. It's been +very useful to me, all the same." + +"Well," returned the Hippopotamus, "and so has my mouth, so there! +If it had been any smaller, I shouldn't have been able to get it +round, for it was rather a large boat." + +"Whatever are you talking about?" demanded the Rhinoceros. "Look +here! Let's stop quarreling for a bit, and you shall tell me your +story and I'll tell you mine. Fire away!" + +"Ah, that's just what the men did," said the Hippopotamus. "We were +all swimming in the river, when they came down in their boat. It +was what they call a canoe (so the Flamingoes told me), and most of +the men in it were black; but there was one white man who had a +curious stick in his hand, which he every now and then would point +at some bird or animal, and then he made tire come out of the +stick, and the bird or animal generally got hurt. + +"I lay in the water watching them, when, all at once, the white man +pointed his stick at my brother, and before you could say +'crocodile,' my brother was floating away down the stream with a +bullet in his head. The men in the boat paddled away after him, but +that was more than I could stand, so I went after them. I saw the +white man point his stick at me, but I dived in time and came up +just beside them; then it was that my mouth came in so handy. I +just opened it quite wide and then I closed it again, and, well, +somehow the boat was upset and the men were all kicking about in +the water, splashing and shouting and making no end of a fuss. But +I let them go that time, I only wanted to give them a lesson. Now, +it's your turn. How did your horn come in useful?" + +"Oh, my adventure was on land, of course," said the Rhinoceros, who +had been much interested in the Hippo's story. "I was snoozing, one +afternoon, at home, when I heard a curious noise, and I saw some of +those black men you talked about, followed by a white one on a +horse. Well, before I had time to do or say anything, the white man +pointed his gun at me (that's what they call the stick that the +fire comes out of), and the next moment I felt a bullet knock +against my side. Of course, it didn't hurt me--that's the advantage +of having a skin like mine; but it made me very angry. So I just +got up and ran at the gentleman of the horse; he was very much +surprised, and so was the horse, especially when I gave him a prod +with this horn of mine. He turned right round and galloped away as +fast as he could go, with the black men after him. Of course, I +didn't take the trouble to run after them. But, you see, my horn +does come in useful sometimes." + +"Ugh!" grunted the Hippopotamus. "I suppose it does. But it isn't +pretty, all the same." + +"Well, anyway it's better than your mouth," replied the Rhinoceros, +getting angry again. + +"But I can swim!" said the Hippopotamus. + +"But you haven't got such a tough skin as I have," replied the +Rhinoceros. And they went on quarreling until the keeper came with +their dinner. + + + +THE GIRAFFE + +Anonymous + +I am a Giraffe and my name is Daisy. I come from a hot country a +long way off, called Africa; I am quite grown up now and shall not +get any bigger. Don't you think I am big enough as I am? I do. +There is no other animal which is as tall as I am; I am taller than +the Elephant or the Camel, but of course I am not as strong as the +Elephant is. + +You need not be at all afraid of me, because I will not hurt you. +No, thank you, I do not want to eat you up at all; I should not +like to eat little boys and girls; indeed, I don't think I could if +I tried, and I am sure I do not want to try. I eat leaves and grass +and hay and things like that; I can reach the leaves of the trees +because I have such a long neck. + +One day a lady came to see me here and she had some very +nice-looking green things on the top of her head, and I thought +that I would like to eat them as they looked so nice; so I just +bent my head over the top of the bars of my cage and took a bite at +them. But they were not at all nice, really, and the lady made such +a fuss! She thought I was going to eat her up, I believe. I heard +afterwards that the things I had eaten were the flowers on her hat, +and they were not real flowers at all. I don't think people ought +to have such things in their hats if they don't want us to eat +them. Of course, I thought the lady had brought them on purpose for +me, so I didn't see why I shouldn't eat them. But I don't think +that lady will come quite close to my cage again. + +I lived here alone for quite a long time, because they would not +get a playmate for me. You see, there are not nearly so many of my +family now as there used to be, and then we don't like traveling +over the sea at all. But now I have a playmate and he is a very +nice little chap; of course he is not as fine and big as I am, but +he will grow up in time and I shall be very glad to have some +company. I can really run quite fast when I have room, but here +there isn't room enough; and I don't very much mind, because I'm +quite content to walk about gently, thank you. And then I have to +take great care of my health, you know, because I'm rather delicate +and not like the Ostrich, who seems to be able to eat almost +anything. Why, he tells me that he is very fond of rusty nails, and +as for pennies he considers them most delicious. It's a very funny +sort of taste, I think. No, it's no good for you to offer me nuts, +thank you, because I couldn't crack them. + +My horns, were you asking about? We all have horns, both gentlemen +and lady Giraffes, but they are always quite small, like mine. +They're not much use to us, you know, for when we want to fight any +one we use our feet--we can give very strong kicks with our +fore-feet, if we like. But, on the whole, we don't like fighting; +we find that it's much safer to run away--you see, we can run so +fast that there are not many creatures who can catch us. + +I am, as I have said, very particular about my food, and I don't +like thorns or thistles, so when I come across a plant with prickly +thorns on it, I carefully pick off the leaves with my tongue and +leave the thorns behind. I don't believe you could do that with +your tongue, but mine is a very useful tongue, and I shouldn't like +to change it with anybody. I sometimes find it rather awkward to +get anything on the ground, which is just between my front feet; I +have to put my legs very wide apart, and then bend down my neck, +like this. I suppose it does look rather funny, so I don't mind if +you do laugh at me. But then, you know, you look just as funny to +me, with your very small legs and no neck at all to speak of, and +no horns and no tail; I sometimes wonder how you can get on at all. + +I come of a very old family, you know; I believe that you men have +known about me for a very long time. + +If you will excuse me now, I think I will go in, as I am rather +afraid of catching cold; it wouldn't do for me to get a sore throat +or a stiff neck, would it? Good-by I I'm so pleased to have met +you. + + + +PARROTS + +Anonymous + +Outside the Parrot-house there was a terrible noise; a screaming, +squawking, shouting, and crying, just as if the whole place were on +fire, or every Parrot were being killed. + +The Macaws were sitting on their little perches out in the open +air. They were very proud of themselves, for they greatly enjoyed +being outside on a sunny, warm day; it was much better than being +in a cage, inside the house. They were all very fine birds; some +had blue heads and yellow bodies and green tails; others had red +heads and yellow tails; there were one or two who were quite white, +but they each one thought that he was a very fine fellow, and they +all shouted and screamed and squawked at the top of their voices. + +And what was it all about? The greatest noise seemed to be going on +round one perch, where a big Macaw, with a blue and green head, was +talking very loud and very fast to a group of other birds close by, +and he seemed to be very angry about something. In one claw he held +a large apple, and if you had been near enough, you would have seen +that some one had evidently taken a big bite out of it. This was +what was making all the bother. Mr. Green-and-Blue-Head kept +shouting out: "Who bit my apple? Who bit my apple? I won't have it! +I won't stand it! It's too bad! It was all right this morning! I +believe it was you that did it!" (this was said to a white +Cockatoo). "Oh, you bad, wicked bird! What will become of you? Oh, +you bad thing! Go along, do! Who bit my apple?" + +But the white Cockatoo began to scream at once. "'Oh, I didn't!" he +said. "How dare you say such a thing? Bite your apple, indeed! I +wouldn't do it. Don't call me names, because I won't have it. I'll +peck you, you bad bird! Who are you telling to get along? Bite your +apple, indeed! Squaw-aw-aw-aw-awk-k-k!" + +Then a little, green Love Bird began to try to make peace. "It +doesn't matter very much, does it, Mr. Macaw?" she said. "It's not +a very big bite, though, of course, it must be very vexing. But I'm +sure Mr. Cockatoo didn't do it, if he says he didn't. But, please, +don't let us have any pecking. You'll find out, sometime, who did +it, I dare say." + +"Oh, that's all very well for you," returned the Macaw, "but it +isn't your apple. Who bit my apple? Who bit my apple? You'd better +tell me, at once, whoever it was, and then, perhaps, I shan't be +quite so angry." + +"Oh, do be quiet about your apple," put in another Macaw, with a +bright, red head. "Who cares about your apple? Why don't you enjoy +yourself out in the sun? I declare it quite makes me think of my +young days, sitting out here." + +"Apple? Apple? Who said apple?" shouted another bird from the end +of the row. "Give me a bit! Give poor Polly a bit! Poor old Polly! +Pretty Poll! Give me a bit; don't be greedy! Who's got the apple?" + +Then four or five others all began at once: "No, no, I want a bit! +I asked first! I want some, too! Over here! No, here you are! This +way with the apple! Hurry up! Be quick! Where's that apple?" + +Just then a lady and a little girl and a little boy came along past +where the Parrots were sitting. Instantly all the birds began to +chatter and scream louder than ever. + +"Look, look at them!" they called out. "Did you ever see anything +so absurd? Where are their feathers? What ridiculous beaks! I don't +believe they could crack nuts, if they tried ever so hard. They +haven't got any wings. Oh, how funny! Ha, ha, ha! Go away, do, you +ugly creatures!" + +The little girl and boy and the lady didn't understand what they +were saying, of course. But the lady said: "Come along quickly, +children, and let us get past these noisy birds; they quite give me +a headache with their screaming." + +"Well, did you ever!" said the Parrots. "Calling us noisy birds! +I'm sure we're not noisy. They haven't got green heads and red +tails; I don't see what they think so much of themselves for! Well, +I'm glad they've gone! If they'd come near me, I'd have given them +a bite! Silly things! Squawk-k-k!" + +The Macaw with the apple was still very sad. No one took any notice +of him, and no one would tell him who had bitten his precious +apple. All at once, it slipped out of his claw and fell on to the +ground. He tried to reach it, but the chain which tied him to his +perch was not long enough, and he couldn't get it. All the other +Parrots began to scream with laughter at him; they danced up and +down and flapped their wings and shouted, and made more noise than +ever. Then some Sparrows flew down and began to peck at the apple, +and this made the Macaw angrier than ever. + +"H'm!" said one little Sparrow, looking up at the Macaw, with a +twinkle in his eye; "quite a good apple! I wonder that you threw it +away. Who's been biting it?" + +The Macaw screamed and scolded, but it was no good. If he hadn't +talked so much, he might have eaten his apple in peace. Now, he had +lost it altogether. + +And he never found out who bit his apple. + + + +RAB AND HIS FRIENDS + +By John Brown, M.D. + +Four and thirty years ago, Bob Ainslie and I were coming up +Infirmary street from the high school, our heads together, and our +arms intertwisted, as only lovers and boys know how or why. + +When we got to the top of the street, and turned north, we espied a +crowd at the Tron-church. "A dog fight!" shouted Bob, and was off; +and so was I, both of us all but praying that it might not be over +before we got up! And is not this boy nature! and human nature, +too? and don't we all wish a house on fire not to be out before we +see it? Dogs like fighting; old Isaac says they "delight" in it, +and for the best of all reasons; and boys are not cruel because +they like to see the fight. They see three of the great cardinal +virtues of dog or man--courage, endurance, and skill--in intense +action. This is very different from a love of making dogs fight, +and enjoying, and aggravating, and making gain by their pluck. A +boy--be he ever so fond himself of fighting, if he be a good boy, +hates and despises all this, but he would have run off with Bob and +me fast enough; it is a natural, and a not wicked, interest that +all boys and men have in witnessing intense energy in action. + +Does any curious and finely-ignorant woman wish to know how Bob's +eye at a glance announced a dog-fight to his brain? He did not, he +could not see the dogs fighting; it was a flash of an inference, a +rapid induction. The crowd round a couple of dogs fighting, is a +crowd masculine mainly, with an occasional active, compassionate +woman, fluttering wildly round the outside, and using her tongue +and her hands freely upon the men, as so many "brutes"; it is a +crowd annular, compact and mobile; a crowd centripetal, having its +eyes and its heads all bent downward and inward, to one common +focus. + +Well, Bob and I are up, and find it is not over; a small +thoroughbred, white bull-terrier, is busy throttling a large +shepherd's dog, unaccustomed to war, but not to be trifled with. +They are hard at it; the scientific little fellow doing his work in +great style, his pastoral enemy fighting wildly, but with the +sharpest of teeth and a great courage. Science and breeding, +however, soon had their own; the Game Chicken, as the premature Bob +called him, working his way up, took his final grip of poor +Yarrow's throat--and he lay gasping and done for. His master, a +brown, handsome, big young shepherd from Tweedsmuir, would have +liked to have knocked down any man, would "drink up Esil, or eat a +crocodile," for that part, if he had a chance; it was no use +kicking the little dog; that would only make him hold the closer. +Many were the means shouted out in mouthfuls, of the best possible +ways of ending it. "Water!" but there was none near, and many cried +for it who might have got it from the well at Blackfriars Wynd. +"Bite the tail!" and a large, vague, benevolent, middle aged man, +more desirous than wise, with some struggle got the bushy end of +Yarrow's tail into his ample mouth, and bit it with all his might. +This was more than enough for the much-enduring, much-perspiring +shepherd, who, with a gleam of joy over his broad visage, delivered +a terrific facer upon our large, vague, benevolent, middle-aged +friend--who went down like a shot. + +Still the Chicken holds; death not far off. "Snuff! a pinch of +snuff!" observed a calm, highly-dressed young buck, with an +eye-glass in his eye. "Snuff, indeed!" growled the angry crowd, +affronted and glaring. "Snuff! a pinch of snuff!" again observes +the buck, but with more urgency; whereupon were produced several +open boxes, and from a mull which may have been at Culloden, he +took a pinch, knelt down, and presented it to the nose of the +Chicken. The laws of physiology and of snuff take their course; the +Chicken sneezes, and Yarrow is free. + +The young pastoral giant stalks off with Yarrow in his +arms--comforting him. + +But the bull-terrier's blood is up, and his soul unsatisfied; he +grips the first dog he meets, and discovering she is not a dog, in +Homeric phrase, he makes a brief sort of _amende_, and is off. +The boys, with Bob and me at their head, are after him; down Niddry +street he goes, bent on mischief; up the Cowgate like an arrow--Bob +and I, and our small men, panting behind. + +There, under the single arch of the South bridge is a huge mastiff, +sauntering down the middle of the causeway, as if with his hands in +his pockets; he is old, gray, brindled, as big as a little Highland +bull, and has the Shakespearian dewlaps shaking as he goes. + +The Chicken makes straight at him, and fastens on his throat. +To our astonishment, the great creature does nothing but stand +still, hold himself up, and roar--yes, roar; a long, serious, +remonstrative roar. How is this? Bob and I are up to them. _He is +muzzled!_ The bailies had proclaimed a general muzzling, and his +master, studying strength and economy mainly, had encompassed his +huge jaws in a home-made apparatus, constructed out of the leather +of some ancient breechin. His mouth was open as far as it could; +his lips curled up in rage--a sort of terrible grin; his teeth +gleaming, ready, from out the darkness; the strap across his mouth +tense as a bowstring; his whole frame stiff with indignation and +surprise; his roar asking us all round, "Did you ever see the like +of this?" + +He looked a statue of anger and astonishment, done in Aberdeen +granite. + +We soon had a crowd; the Chicken held on. "A knife!" cried Bob; and +a cobbler gave him his knife; you know the kind of knife, worn away +obliquely to a point, and always keen. I put its edge to the tense +leather; it ran before it; and then!--one sudden jerk of that +enormous head, a sort of dirty mist about his mouth, no noise, and +the bright and fierce little fellow is dropped, limp, and dead. A +solemn pause; this was more than any of us had bargained for. I +turned the little fellow over, and saw he was quite dead; the +mastiff had taken him by the small of the back, like a rat, and +broken it. + +He looked down at his victim appeased, ashamed and amazed; snuffed +him all over, stared at him, and taking a sudden thought, turned +round and trotted off. Bob took the dead dog up, and said, "John, +we'll bury him after tea." "Yes," said I, and was off after the +mastiff. He made up the Cowgate at a rapid swing; he had forgotten +some engagement. He turned up the Candlemaker Row, and stopped at +the Harrow Inn. + +There was a carrier's cart ready to start, and a keen, thin, +impatient, black-a-vised little man, his hand at his gray horse's +head looking about angrily for something. "Rab, ye thief!" said he, +aiming a kick at my great friend, who drew cringing up, and +avoiding the heavy shoe with more agility than dignity, and +watching his master's eye, slunk dismayed under the cart--his ears +down, and as much as he had of tail down, too. + +What a man this must be--thought I--to whom my tremendous hero +turns tail! The carrier saw the muzzle hanging, cut and useless, +from his neck, and I eagerly told him the story which Bob and I +always thought, and still think, Homer, or King David, or Sir +Walter, alone were worthy to rehearse. The severe little man was +mitigated, and condescended to say, "Rab, ma man, puir Rabbie" +--whereupon the stump of a tail rose up, the ears were cocked, the +eyes filled, and were comforted; the two friends were reconciled. +"Hupp!" and a stroke of the whip were given to Jess; and off went +the three. + +Bob and I buried the Game Chicken that night (we had not much of a +tea) in the back-green of his house in Melville street, No. 17, +with considerable gravity and silence; and being at the time in the +Iliad, and, like all boys, Trojans, we called him Hector of course. + + * * * * * + +Six years have passed--a long time for a boy and a dog: Bob Ainslie +is off to the wars; I am a medical student, and clerk at Minto +House Hospital. + +Rab I saw almost every week, on the Wednesday; and we had much +pleasant intimacy. I found the way to his heart by frequent +scratching of his huge head, and an occasional bone. When I did not +notice him he would plant himself straight before me, and stand +wagging that bud of a tail, and looking up, with his head a little +to the one side. His master I occasionally saw; he used to call me +"Maister John," but was laconic as any Spartan. + +One fine October afternoon, I was leaving the hospital, when I saw +the large gate open, and in walked Rab with that great and easy +saunter of his. He looked as if taking general possession of the +place; like the Duke of Wellington entering a subdued city, +satiated with victory and peace. After him came Jess, now white +from age, with her cart; and in it a woman, carefully wrapped +up--the carrier leading the horse anxiously, and looking back. When +he saw me, James (for his name was James Noble) made a curt and +grotesque "boo," and said, "Maister John, this is the mistress; +she's got a trouble in her breest--some kind of an income we're +thinkin'." + +By this time I saw the woman's face; she was sitting on a sack +filled with straw, her husband's plaid round her, and his big-coat, +with its large white metal buttons, over her feet. + +I never saw a more unforgettable face--pale, serious, +_lonely_, delicate, sweet, without being at all what we call +fine. She looked sixty, and had on a mutch, white as snow, with its +black ribbon; her silvery, smooth hair setting off her dark-gray +eyes--eyes such as one sees only twice or thrice in a lifetime, +full of suffering, full also of the overcoming of it; her eyebrows +black and delicate, and her mouth firm, patient, and contented, +which few mouths ever are. + +As I have said, I never saw a more beautiful countenance, or a more +subdued or settled quiet. "Ailie," said James, "this is Maister +John, the young doctor; Rab's freend, ye ken. We often speak aboot +you, doctor." She smiled, and made a movement, but said nothing; +and prepared to come down, putting her plaid aside and rising. Had +Solomon, in all his glory, been handing down the Queen of Sheba at +his palace gate, he could not have done it more daintily, more +tenderly, more like a gentleman, than did James the Howgate +carrier, when he lifted down Ailie, his wife. + +The contrast of his small, swarthy, weather-beaten, keen, worldly +face to hers--pale, subdued, and beautiful--was something +wonderful. Rab looked on concerned and puzzled, but ready for +anything that might turn up--were it to strangle the nurse, the +porter, or even me. Ailie and he seemed great friends. + +"As I was sayin', she's got a kind o' trouble in her breest, doctor; +wull ye tak' a look at it?" We walked into the consulting-room, +all four; Rab grim and comic, willing to be happy and confidential +if cause could be shown, willing also to be the reverse on the same +terms. Ailie sat down, undid her open gown and her lawn handkerchief +round her neck, and, without a word, showed me her right breast. +I looked at and examined it carefully, she and James watching me, +and Rab eying all three. What could I say? There it was that had +once been so soft, so shapely, so white, so gracious and bountiful, +so "full of all blessed conditions"--hard as a stone, a centre of +horrid pain, making that pale face, with its gray, lucid, reasonable +eyes, and its sweet resolved mouth, express the full measure of +suffering overcome. Why was that gentle, modest, sweet woman, +clean and lovable, condemned by God to bear such a burden? + +I got her away to bed. "May Rab and me bide?" said James. +"_You_ may; and Rab, if he will behave himself." "I'se warrant +he's do that, doctor;" and in slunk the faithful beast. I wish you +could have seen him. There are no such dogs now. He belonged to a +lost tribe. As I have said, he was brindled, and gray like Rubislaw +granite; his hair short, hard, and close, like a lion's; his body +thickset, like a little bull--a sort of compressed Hercules of a +dog. He must have been ninety pounds' weight, at the least; he had +a large blunt head; his muzzle black as night, his mouth blacker +than any night, a tooth or two--being all he had--gleaming out of +his jaws of darkness. His head was scarred with the records of old +wounds, a sort of series of fields of battle all over it; one eye +out, one ear cropped as close as was Archbishop Leighton's +father's; the remaining eye had the power of two; and above it, and +in constant communication with it, was a tattered rag of an ear, +which was forever unfurling itself, like an old flag; and then that +bud of a tail, about one inch long, if it could in any sense be +said to be long, being as broad as long--the mobility, the +instantaneousness of that bud were very funny and surprising, and +its expressive twinklings and winkings, the intercommunications +between the eye, the ear, and it, were of the oddest and swiftest. + +Rab had the dignity and simplicity of great size; and having fought +his way all along the road to absolute supremacy, he was as mighty +in his own line as Julius Caesar or the Duke of Wellington, and had +the gravity of all great fighters. + +You must have often observed the likeness of certain men to certain +animals, and of certain dogs to men. Now, I never looked at Rab +without thinking of the great Baptist preacher, Andrew Fuller. The +same large, heavy, menacing, combative, sombre, honest countenance, +the same deep inevitable eye, the same look--as of thunder asleep, +but ready--neither a dog nor a man to be trifled with. + +Next day, my master, the surgeon, examined Ailie. There was no +doubt it must kill her, and soon. It could be removed--it might +never return--it would give her speedy relief--she should have it +done. She curtsied, looked at James, and said, "When?" "To-morrow," +said the kind surgeon--a man of few words. She and James and Rab +and I retired. I noticed that he and she spoke a little, but seemed +to anticipate everything in each other. The following day at noon, +the students came in, hurrying up the great stair. At the first +landing-place, on a small well-known blackboard, was a bit of paper +fastened by wafers and many remains of old wafers beside it. On the +paper were the words--"An operation to-day. J. B., _Clerk_" + +Up ran the youths, eager to secure good places; in they crowded, +full of interest and talk. "What's the case? Which side is it?" + +Don't think them heartless; they are neither better nor worse than +you or I; they get over their professional horrors, and into their +proper work', and in them pity--as an _emotion_, ending in +itself or at best in tears and a long-drawn breath, lessens, while +pity as a _motive_, is quickened, and gains power and purpose. +It is well for poor human nature that it is so. + +The operating theatre is crowded; much talk and fun, and all the +cordiality and stir of youth. The surgeon with his staff of +assistants is there. In comes Ailie; one look at her quiets and +abates the eager students. The beautiful old woman is too much for +them. They sit down, and are dumb, and gaze at her. These rough +boys feel the power of her presence. She walks in quickly, but +without haste; dressed in her mutch, her neckerchief, her white +dimity short-gown, her black bombazine petticoat, showing her white +worsted stockings and her carpet-shoes. Behind her was James with +Rab. James sat down in the distance, and took that huge and noble +head between his knees. Rab looked perplexed and dangerous; forever +cocking his ear and dropping it as fast. + +Ailie stepped up on a seat, and laid herself on the table, as her +friend the surgeon told her; arranged herself, gave a rapid look at +James, shut her eyes, rested herself on me, and took my hand. The +operation was at once begun; it was necessarily slow; and +chloroform--one of God's best gifts to his suffering children--was +then unknown. The surgeon did his work. The pale face showed its +pain, but was still and silent. Rab's soul was working within him; +he saw that something strange was going on--blood flowing from his +mistress, and she suffering; his ragged ear was up, and +importunate; he growled and gave now and then a sharp impatient +yelp; he would have liked to have done something to that man. But +James had him firm, and gave him a _glower_ (Scotch word--a +hard stare) from time to time, and an intimation of a possible +kick;--all the better for James, it kept his eye and his mind off +Ailie. + +It is over; she is dressed, steps gently and decently down from the +table, looks for James; then turning to the surgeon and the +students, she curtsies--and in a low, clear voice, begs their +pardon if she has behaved ill. The students--all of us--wept like +children; the surgeon wrapped her up carefully--and resting on James +and me, Ailie went to her room, Rab following. We put her to bed. +James took off his heavy shoes, crammed with tackets, heel-capt and +toe-capt, and put them carefully under the table, saying, "Maister +John, I'm for nane o' yer strynge nurse bodies for Ailie. I'll be +her nurse, and I'll gang aboot on my stockin' soles as canny as +pussy." And so he did; and handy and clever, and swift and tender +as any woman, was that horny-handed, snell, peremptory little man. +Everything she got he gave her; he seldom slept; and often I saw +his small, shrewd eyes out of the darkness, fixed on her. As +before, they spoke little. + +Rab behaved well, never moving, showing us how meek and gentle he +could be, and occasionally, in his sleep, letting us know that he +was demolishing some adversary. He took a walk with me every day, +generally to the Candlemaker Row; but he was sombre and mild; +declined doing battle, though some fit cases offered, and indeed +submitted to sundry indignities; and was always very ready to turn +and came faster back, and trotted up the stair with much lightness, +and went straight to that door. + +Jess, the mare, had been sent, with her weatherworn cart, to +Howgate, and had doubtless her own dim and placid meditations and +confusions, on the absence of her master and Rab, and her unnatural +freedom from the road and her cart. + +For some days Ailie did well. The wound healed "by the first +intention"; for as James said, "Oor Ailie's skin's ower clean to +beil." The students came in quiet and anxious, and surrounded her +bed. She said she liked to see their young, honest faces. The +surgeon dressed her, and spoke to her in his own short, kind way, +pitying her through his eyes, Rab and James outside the circle--Rab +being now reconciled, and even cordial, and having made up his mind +that as yet nobody required worrying, but as you may suppose +_semper paratus_. + +So far well; but four days after the operation my patient had a +sudden and long shivering, a "groosin'," as she called it. I saw +her soon after; her eyes were too bright, her cheek colored; she +was restless, and ashamed of being so; the balance was lost; +mischief had begun. On looking at the wound, a blush of red told +the secret; her pulse was rapid, her breathing anxious and quick, +she wasn't herself, as she said, and was vexed at her restlessness. +We tried what we could, James did everything, was everywhere; never +in the way, never out of it. Rab subsided under the table into a +dark place, and was motionless, all but his eye, which followed +every one. Ailie got worse; began to wander in her mind, gently; +was more demonstrative in her ways to James, rapid in her +questions, and sharp at times. He was vexed, and said, "She was +never that way afore; no, never." For a time she knew her head was +wrong, and was always asking our pardon--the dear, gentle old +woman; then delirium set in strong, without pause. Her brain gave +way, and then came that terrible spectacle. + + "The intellectual power, through words and things, + Went sounding on its dim and perilous way;" + +she sang bits of old songs and psalms, stopping suddenly, mingling +the Psalms of David, and the diviner words of his Son and Lord, +with homely odds and ends and scraps of ballads. + +Nothing more touching, or in a sense more strangely beautiful, did +I ever witness. Her tremulous, rapid, affectionate, eager, Scotch +voice--the swift, aimless, bewildered mind, the baffled utterance, +the bright and perilous eye; some wild words, some household cares, +something for James, the names of the dead, Rab called rapidly and +in a "fremyt" (querulous, trembling) voice, and he starting up, +surprised, and slinking off as if he were to blame somehow, or had +been dreaming he heard. Many eager questions and beseechings which +James and I could make nothing of, and on which she seemed to set +her all, and then sink back ununderstood. It was very sad, but +better than many things that are not called sad. James hovered +about, put out and miserable, but active and exact as ever; read to +her, when there was a lull, short bits from the Psalms, prose and +metre, chanting the latter in his own rude and serious way, showing +great knowledge of the fit words, bearing up like a man, and +doating over her as his "ain Ailie." "Ailie, ma woman!" "Ma ain +bonnie wee dawtie!" + +The end was drawing on: the golden bowl was breaking; the silver +cord was fast being loosed--that _animula blandula, vagula, +hospes, comesque_ (dear fleeting life, a sojourner and companion) +was about to flee. The body and the soul--companions for sixty +years--were being sundered, and taking leave. She was walking, +alone, through the valley of that shadow, into which one day we +must all enter--and yet she was not alone, for we know whose rod +and staff were comforting her. + +One night she had fallen quiet, and as we hoped, asleep; her eyes +were shut. We put down the gas and sat watching her. Suddenly she +sat up in bed and taking a bedgown which was lying on it rolled up, +she held it eagerly to her breast--to the right side. We could see +her eyes bright with surpassing tenderness and joy, bending over +this bundle of clothes. She held it as a woman holds her suckling +child; opening out her nightgown impatiently, and holding it close, +and brooding over it, and murmuring foolish little words, as one +whom his mother comforteth, and who sucks and is satisfied. It was +pitiful and strange to see her wasting dying look, keen and yet +vague--her immense love. + +"Preserve me!" groaned James, giving away. And then she rocked back +and forward, as if to make it sleep, hushing it, and wasting on it +her infinite fondness. "Wae's me, doctor; I declare she's thinkin' +it's that bairn." "What bairn?" + +"The only bairn we ever had; our wee Mysie, and she's in the +Kingdom, forty years and mair." It was plainly true: the pain in +the breast telling its urgent story to a bewildered, ruined brain, +was misread and mistaken; it suggested to her the uneasiness of a +breast full of milk, and then the child; and so again once more +they were together, and she had her ain wee Mysie in her bosom. + +This was the close. She sank rapidly: the delirium left her; but, +as she whispered, she was "clean silly"; it was the lightening +before the final darkness. After having for some time lain +still--her eyes shut, she said, "James!" He came close to her, and +lifting up her calm, clear, beautiful eyes, she gave him a long +look, turned to me kindly but shortly, looked for Rab but could not +see him, then turned to her husband again, as if she would never +leave off looking, shut her eyes and composed herself. She lay for +some time breathing quick, and passed away so gently, that when we +thought she was gone, James, in his old-fashioned way, held the +mirror to her face. After a long pause, one small spot of dimness +was breathed out; it vanished away, and never returned, leaving the +blank clear darkness of the mirror without a stain. "What is your +life? it is even a vapor, which appeareth for a little time, and +then vanisheth away." + +Rab all this time had been full awake and motionless; he came +forward beside us; Ailie's hand, which James had held, was hanging +down; it was soaked with his tears; Rab licked it all over +carefully, looked at her, and returned to his place under the +table. + +James and I sat, I don't know how long, but for some time--saying +nothing: he started up abruptly, and with some noise went to the +table, and putting his right, fore and middle fingers each into a +shoe, pulled them out, and put them on, breaking one of the leather +latchets, and muttering in anger, "I never did the like o' that +afore." + +I believe he never did; nor after either. "Rab!" he said roughly, +and pointing with his thumb to the bottom of the bed. Rab leaped +up, and settled himself; his head and eye to the dead face. +"Maister John, ye'll wait for me," said the carrier, and +disappeared in the darkness, thundering downstairs in his heavy +shoes. I ran to a front window: there he was, already round the +house, and out at the gate fleeing like a shadow. + +I was afraid about him, and yet not afraid; so I sat down beside +Rab, and being wearied, fell asleep. I awoke from a sudden noise +outside. It was November, and there had been a heavy fall of snow. +Rab was _in statu quo_ (in the same place); he heard the +noise, too, and plainly knew it, but never moved. I looked out, and +there, at the gate, in the dim morning--for the sun was not up--was +Jess and the cart--a cloud of steam rising from the old mare. I did +not see James; he was already at the door, and came up to the +stairs, and met me. It was less than three hours since he left, and +he must have posted out--who knows how--to Howgate, full nine miles +off; yoked Jess, and driven her astonished into town. He had an +armful of blankets, and was streaming with perspiration. He nodded +to me, spread out on the floor two pairs of clean old blankets, +having at their corners "A. G., 1794," in large letters in red +worsted. These were the initials of Alison Grame, and James may +have looked in at her from without--himself unseen but not +unthought of--when he was "wat, wat and weary," and after having +walked many a mile over the hills, may have seen her sitting, while +"a' the lave were sleepin';" and by the firelight working her name +on the blankets, for her ain James' bed. + +He motioned Rab down, and taking his wife in his arms, laid her in +the blankets, and wapped her carefully and firmly up, leaving the +face uncovered; and then lifting her, he nodded again sharply to +me, and with a resolved but utterly miserable face, strode along +the passage, and downstairs, followed by Rab. I followed with a +light; but he didn't need it. I went out, holding stupidly the +candle in my hand in the calm frosty air; we were soon at the gate. +I could have helped him, but I saw he was not to be meddled with, +and he was strong, and did not need it. He laid her down as +tenderly, as safely, as he had lifted her out ten days before--as +tenderly as when he had her first in his arms when she was only "A. +G."--sorted her, leaving that beautiful sealed face open to the +heavens; and then taking Jess by the head, he moved away. He did +not notice me, neither did Rab, who presided behind the cart. + +I stood till they passed through the long shadow of the College, +and turned up Nicholson street. I heard the solitary cart sound +through the streets, and die away and come again; and I returned, +thinking of that company going up Libberton Brae, then along Roslin +Muir, the morning light touching the Pentlands and making them +on-looking ghosts; then down the hill through Auchindinny woods, +past "haunted Woodhouselee"; and as daybreak came sweeping up the +bleak Lammermuirs, and fell on his own door, the company would +stop, and James would take the key, and lift Ailie up again, laying +her on her own bed, and, having put Jess up, would return with Rab +and shut the door. + +James buried his wife, with his neighbors mourning, Rab inspecting +the solemnity from a distance. It was snow, and that black ragged +hole would look strange in the midst of the swelling spotless +cushion of white. James looked after everything; then rather +suddenly fell ill, and took to bed; was insensible when the doctor +came, and soon died. A sort of low fever was prevailing in the +village, and his want of sleep, his exhaustion, and his misery, +made him apt to take it. The grave was not difficult to reopen. A +fresh fall of snow had again made all things white and smooth; Rab +once more looked on, and slunk home to the stable. + +And what of Rab? I asked for him next week of the new carrier who +got the goodwill of James's business, and was now master of Jess +and her cart. "How's Rab?" He put me off, and said rather rudely, +"What's _your_ business wi' the dowg?" I was not to be so put +off. "Where's Rab?" He, getting confused and red, and intermeddling +with his hair, said, "'Deed sir, Rab's died." "Dead! what did he +die of?" "Weel, sir," said he, getting redder, "he didna exactly +dee; he was killed. I had to brain him wi' a rack-pin; there was +nae doing wi' him. He lay in the treviss wi' the mear, and wadna +come oot. I tempit him wi' the kail and meat, but he wad tak +naething, and keepit me frae feedin' the beast, and he was aye gur +gurrin', and grup gruppin' me by the legs. I was laith to make awa +wi' the old dowg, his like wasne atween this and Thornhill--but, +'deed, sir, I could do naething else." I believed him. Fit end for +Rab, quick and complete. His teeth and his friends gone, why should +he keep the peace and be civil? + + + +A RIDE WITH A MAD HORSE A FREIGHT-CAR + +By W.H.H. Murray + +It was at the battle of Malvern Hill--a battle where the carnage +was more frightful, as it seems to me, than in any this side of the +Alleghanies during the whole war--that my story must begin. I was +then serving as Major in the --th Massachusetts Regiment--the +old--th, as we used to call it--and a bloody time the boys had of +it too. About 2 P.M. we had been sent out to skirmish along the +edge of the wood in which, as our generals suspected, the Rebs lay +massing for a charge across the slope, upon the crest of which our +army was posted. We had barely entered the underbrush when we met +the heavy formations of Magruder in the very act of charging. Of +course, our thin line of skirmishers was no impediment to those +onrushing masses. They were on us and over us before we could get +out of the way. I do not think that half of those running, +screaming masses of men ever knew that they had passed over the +remnants of as plucky a regiment as ever came out of the old Bay +State. But many of the boys had good reason to remember that +afternoon at the base of Malvern Hill, and I among the number: for +when the last line of Rebs had passed over me, I was left among the +bushes with the breath nearly trampled out of me and an ugly +bayonet-gash through my thigh; and mighty little consolation it for +me at that moment to see the fellow who ran me through lying stark +dead at my side, with a bullet-hole in his head, his shock of +coarse black hair matted with blood, and his stony eyes looking +into mine. Well, I bandaged up my limb the best I might and started +to crawl away, for our batteries had opened, and the grape and +canister that came hurtling down the slope passed but a few feet +over my head. It was slow and painful work, as you can imagine, but +at last, by dint of perseverance, I had dragged myself away to the +left of the direct range of the batteries, and, creeping to the +verge of the wood, looked off over the green slope. I understood by +the crash and roar of the guns, the yells and cheers of the men, +and that hoarse murmur which those who have been in battle know, +but which I cannot describe in words, that there was hot work going +on out there; but never have I seen, no, not in that three days' +desperate _melee_ at the Wilderness, nor at that terrific +repulse we had at Cold Harbor, such absolute slaughter as I saw +that afternoon on the green slope of Malvern Hill. The guns of the +entire army were massed on the crest, and thirty thousand of our +infantry lay, musket in hand, in front. For eight hundred yards the +hill sank in easy declension to the wood, and across this smooth +expanse the Rebs must charge to reach our lines. It was nothing +short of downright insanity to order men to charge that hill; and +so his generals told Lee, but he would not listen to reason that +day, and so he sent regiment after regiment, and brigade after +brigade, and division after division, to certain death. Talk about +Grant's disregard of human life, his effort at Cold Harbor--and I +ought to know, for I got a Minie in my shoulder that day--was +hopeful and easy work to what Lee laid on Hill's and Magruder's +divisions at Malvern. It was at the close of the second charge, +when the yelling mass reeled back from before the blaze of those +sixty guns and thirty thousand rifles, even as they began to break +and fly backward toward the woods, that I saw from the spot where I +lay a riderless horse break out of the confused and flying mass, +and, with mane and tail erect and spreading nostril, come dashing +obliquely down the slope. Over fallen steeds and heaps of the dead +she leaped with a motion as airy as that of the flying fox when, +fresh and unjaded, he leads away from the hounds, whose sudden cry +has broken him off from hunting mice amid the bogs of the meadow. +So this riderless horse came vaulting along. Now from my earliest +boyhood I have had what horsemen call a 'weakness' for horses. Only +give me a colt of wild, irregular temper and fierce blood to tame, +and I am perfectly happy. Never did lash of mine, singing with +cruel sound through the air, fall on such a colt's soft hide. Never +did yell or kick send his hot blood from heart to head deluging his +sensitive brain with fiery currents, driving him into frenzy or +blinding him with fear; but touches, soft and gentle as a woman's, +caressing words, and oats given from the open palm, and unfailing +kindness, were the means I used to 'subjugate' him. Sweet +subjugation, both to him who subdues and to him who yields! The +wild, unmannerly, and unmanageable colt, the fear of horsemen the +country round, finding in you not an enemy, but a friend, receiving +his daily food from you, and all those little 'nothings' which go +as far with a horse as a woman, to win and retain affection, grows +to look upon you as his protector and friend, and testifies in +countless ways his fondness for you. So when I saw this horse, with +action so free and motion so graceful, amid that storm of bullets, +my heart involuntarily went out to her, and my feelings rose higher +and higher at every leap she took from amid the whirlwind of fire +and lead. And as she plunged at last over a little hillock out of +range and came careering toward me as only a riderless horse might +come, her head flung wildly from side to side, her nostrils widely +spread, her flank and shoulders flecked with foam, her eye +dilating, I forgot my wound and all the wild roar of battle, and, +lifting myself involuntarily to a sitting posture as she swept +grandly by, gave her a ringing cheer. + +"Perhaps in the sound of a human voice of happy mood amid the awful +din she recognized a resemblance to the voice of him whose blood +moistened her shoulders and was even yet dripping from saddle and +housings. Be that as it may, no sooner had my voice sounded than +she flung her head with a proud upward movement into the air, +swerved sharply to the left, neighed as she might to a master at +morning from her stall, and came trotting directly up to where I +lay, and, pausing, looked down upon me as it were in compassion. I +spoke again, and stretched out my hand caressingly. She pricked her +ears, took a step forward and lowered her nose until it came in +contact with my palm. Never did I fondle anything more tenderly, +never did I see an animal which seemed to so court and appreciate +human tenderness as that beautiful mare. I say 'beautiful.' No +other word might describe her. Never will her image fade from my +memory while memory lasts. + +"In weight she might have turned, when well conditioned, nine +hundred and fifty pounds. In color she was a dark chestnut, with a +velvety depth and soft look about the hair indescribably rich and +elegant. Many a time have I heard ladies dispute the shade and hue +of her plush-like coat as they ran their white, jeweled fingers +through her silken hair. Her body was round in the barrel and +perfectly symmetrical. She was wide in the haunches, without +projection of the hip bones, upon which the shorter ribs seemed to +lap. High in the withers as she was, the line of her back and neck +perfectly curved, while her deep, oblique shoulders and long, +thick forearm, ridgy with swelling sinews, suggested the perfection +of stride and power. Her knees across the pan were wide, the +cannon-bone below them short and thin; the pasterns long and +sloping; her hoofs round, dark, shiny, and well set on. Her +mane was a shade darker than her coat, fine and thin, as a +thoroughbred's always is whose blood is without taint or cross. Her +ear was thin, sharply pointed, delicately curved, nearly black +around the borders, and as tremulous as the leaves of an aspen. Her +neck rose from the withers to the head in perfect curvature, hard, +devoid of fat, and well cut up under the chops. Her nostrils were +full, very full, and thin almost as parchment. The eyes, from which +tears might fall or fire flash, were well brought out, soft as a +gazelle's, almost human in their intelligence, while over the small +bony head, over neck and shoulders, yea, over the whole body and +clean down to the hoofs, the veins stood out as if the skin were +but tissue-paper against which the warm blood pressed, and which it +might at any moment burst asunder. 'A perfect animal,' I said to +myself as I lay looking her over--'an animal which might have been +born from the wind and the sunshine, so cheerful and so swift she +seems; an animal which a man would present as his choicest gift to +the woman he loved, and yet one which that woman, wife or +lady-love, would give him to ride when honor and life depended on +bottom and speed.' + +"All that afternoon the beautiful mare stood over me, while away to +the right of us the hoarse tide of battle flowed and ebbed. What +charm, what delusion of memory held her there? Was my face to her +as the face of her dead master, sleeping a sleep from which not +even the wildest roar of battle, no, nor her cheerful neigh at +morning, would ever wake him? Or is there in animals some instinct, +answering to our intuition, only more potent, which tells them whom +to trust and whom to avoid? I know not, and yet some such sense +they may have, they must have; or else why should this mare so +fearlessly attach herself to me? By what process of reason or +instinct I know not, but there she chose me for her master; for +when some of my men at dusk came searching, and found me, and, +laying me on a stretcher, started toward our lines, the mare, +uncompelled, of her own free will, followed at my side; and all +through that stormy night of wind and rain, as my men struggled +along through the mud and mire toward Harrison's Landing, the mare +followed, and ever after, until she died, was with me, and was +mine, and I, so far as man might be, was hers. I named her Gulnare. + +"As quickly as my wound permitted, I was transported to Washington, +whither I took the mare with me. Her fondness for me grew daily, +and soon became so marked as to cause universal comment. I had her +boarded while in Washington at the corner of--Street and--Avenue. +The groom had instructions to lead her around to the window against +which was my bed, at the hospital, twice every day, so that by +opening the sash I might reach out my hand and pet her. But the +second day, no sooner had she reached the street, than she broke +suddenly from the groom and dashed away at full speed. I was lying, +bolstered up in bed, reading, when I heard the rush of flying feet, +and in an instant, with a loud, joyful neigh, she checked herself +in front of my window. And when the nurse lifted the sash, the +beautiful creature thrust her head through the aperture, and rubbed +her nose against my shoulder like a dog. I am not ashamed to say +that I put both my arms around her neck, and, burying my face in +her silken mane, kissed her again and again. Wounded, weak, and +away from home, with only strangers to wait upon me, and scant +service at that, the affection of this lovely creature for me, so +tender and touching, seemed almost human, and my heart went out to +her beyond any power of expression, as to the only being, of all +the thousands around me, who thought of me and loved me. Shortly +after her appearance at my window, the groom, who had divined where +he should find her, came into the yard. But she would not allow him +to come near her, much less touch her. If he tried to approach she +would lash out at him with her heels most spitefully, and then, +laying back her ears and opening her mouth savagely, would make a +short dash at him, and, as the terrified African disappeared around +the corner of the hospital, she would wheel, and, with a face +bright as a happy child's, come trotting to the window for me to +pet her. I shouted to the groom to go back to the stable, for I had +no doubt but that she would return to her stall when I closed the +window. Rejoiced at the permission, he departed. After some thirty +minutes, the last ten of which she was standing with her slim, +delicate head in my lap, while I braided her foretop and combed out +her silken mane, I lifted her head, and, patting her softly on +either cheek, told her that she must 'go.' I gently pushed her head +out of the window and closed it, and then, holding up my hand, with +the palm turned toward her, charged her, making the appropriate +motion, to 'go away right straight back to her stable.' For a +moment she stood looking steadily at me, with an indescribable +expression of hesitation and surprise in her clear, liquid eyes, +and then, turning lingeringly, walked slowly out of the yard. + +"Twice a day for nearly a month, while I lay in the hospital, did +Gulnare visit me. At the appointed hour the groom would slip her +headstall, and, without a word of command, she would dart out of +the stable, and, with her long, leopard-like lope, go sweeping down +the street and come dashing into the hospital yard, checking +herself with the same glad neigh at my window; nor did she ever +once fail, at the closing of the sash, to return directly to her +stall. The groom informed me that every morning and evening, when +the hour of her visit drew near, she would begin to chafe and +worry, and, by pawing and pulling at the halter, advertise him that +it was time for her to be released. + +"But of all exhibitions of happiness, either by beast or man, hers +was the most positive on that afternoon when, racing into the yard, +she found me leaning on a crutch outside the hospital building. The +whole corps of nurses came to the doors, and all the poor fellows +that could move themselves--for Gulnare had become a universal +favorite, and the boys looked for her daily visits nearly, if not +quite, as ardently as I did--crawled to the windows to see her. +What gladness was expressed in every movement! She would come +prancing toward me, head and tail erect, and, pausing, rub her head +against my shoulder, while I patted her glossy neck; then suddenly, +with a sidewise spring, she would break away, and with her long +tail elevated until her magnificent brush, fine and silken as the +golden hair of a blonde, fell in a great spray on either flank, +and, her head curved to its proudest arch, pace around me with that +high action and springing step peculiar to the thoroughbred. Then +like a flash, dropping her brush and laying back her ears and +stretching her nose straight out, she would speed away with that +quick, nervous, low-lying action which marks the rush of racers, +when side by side and nose to nose lapping each other, with the +roar of cheers on either hand and along the seats above them, they +come straining up the home stretch. Returning from one of these +arrowy flights, she would come curvetting back, now pacing sidewise +as on parade, now dashing her hind feet high into the air, and anon +vaulting up and springing through the air, with legs well under +her, as if in the act of taking a five-barred gate, and finally +would approach and stand happy in her reward--my caress. + +"The war, at last, was over, Gulnare and I were in at the death +with Sheridan at the Five Forks. Together we had shared the pageant +at Richmond and Washington, and never had I seen her in better +spirits than on that day at the capital. It was a sight indeed to +see her as she came down Pennsylvania Avenue. If the triumphant +procession had been all in her honor and mine, she could not have +moved with greater grace and pride. With dilating eye and tremulous +ear, ceaselessly champing her bit, her heated blood bringing out +the magnificent lacework of veins over her entire body, now and +then pausing, and with a snort gathering herself back upon her +haunches as for a mighty leap, while she shook the froth from her +bits, she moved with a high, prancing step down the magnificent +street, the admired of all beholders. Cheer after cheer was given, +huzza after huzza rang out over her head from roofs and balcony, +bouquet after bouquet was launched by fair and enthusiastic +admirers before her; and yet, amid the crash and swell of music, +the cheering and tumult, so gentle and manageable was she, that, +though I could feel her frame creep and tremble under me as she +moved through that whirlwind of excitement, no check or curb was +needed, and the bridle-lines--the same she wore when she came to me +at Malvern Hill--lay unlifted on the pommel of the saddle. Never +before had I seen her so grandly herself. Never before had the fire +and energy, the grace and gentleness, of her blood so revealed +themselves. This was the day and the event she needed. And all the +royalty of her ancestral breed--a race of equine kings--flowing as +without taint or cross from him that was the pride and wealth of +the whole tribe of desert rangers, expressed itself in her. I need +not say that I shared her mood. I sympathized in her every step. I +entered into all her royal humors. I patted her neck and spoke +loving and cheerful words to her. I called her my beauty, my pride, +my pet. And did she not understand me? Every word! Else why that +listening ear turned back to catch my softest whisper; why the +responsive quiver through the frame, and the low, happy neigh? +'Well,' I exclaimed, as I leaped from her back at the close of the +review--alas! that words spoken in lightest mood should portend so +much!--'well, Gulnare, if you should die, your life has had its +triumph. The nation itself, through its admiring capital, has paid +tribute to your beauty, and death can never rob you of your fame.' +And I patted her moist neck and foam-flecked shoulders, while the +grooms were busy with head and loins. + +"That night our brigade made its bivouac just over Long Bridge, +almost on the identical spot where four years before I had camped +my company of three months' volunteers. With what experiences of +march and battle were those four years filled! For three of these +years Gulnare had been my constant companion. With me she had +shared my tent, and not rarely my rations, for in appetite she was +truly human, and my steward always counted her as one of our 'mess.' +Twice had she been wounded--once at Fredericksburg, through the +thigh; and once at Cold Harbor, where a piece of shell tore away a +part of her scalp. So completely did it stun her, that for some +moments I thought her dead, but to my great joy she shortly +recovered her senses. I had the wound carefully dressed by our +brigade surgeon, from whose care she came in a month with the edges +of the wound so nicely united that the eye could with difficulty +detect the scar. This night, as usual, she lay at my side, her head +almost touching mine. Never before, unless when on a raid and in +face of the enemy, had I seen her so uneasy. Her movements during +the night compelled wakefulness on my part. The sky was cloudless, +and in the dim light I lay and watched her. Now she would stretch +herself at full length, and rub her head on the ground. Then she +would start up, and, sitting on her haunches, like a dog, lift one +foreleg and paw her neck and ears. Anon she would rise to her feet +and shake herself, walk off a few rods, return and lie down again +by my side. I did not know what to make of it, unless the +excitement of the day had been too much for her sensitive nerves. I +spoke to her kindly and petted her. In response she would rub her +nose against me, and lick my hand with her tongue--a peculiar habit +of hers--like a dog. As I was passing my hand over her head, I +discovered that it was hot, and the thought of the old wound +flashed into my mind, with a momentary fear that something might be +wrong about her brain, but after thinking it over I dismissed it as +incredible. Still I was alarmed. I knew that something was amiss, +and I rejoiced at the thought that I should soon be at home where +she could have quiet, and, if need be, the best of nursing. At +length the morning dawned, and the mare and I took our last meal +together on Southern soil--the last we ever took together. The +brigade was formed in line for the last time, and as I rode down +the front to review the boys she moved with all her old battle +grace and power. Only now and then, by a shake of the head, was I +reminded of her actions during the night. I said a few words of +farewell to the men whom I had led so often to battle, with whom I +had shared perils not a few, and by whom, as I had reason to think, +I was loved, and then gave, with a voice slightly unsteady, the +last order they would ever receive from me: 'Brigade, Attention, +Ready to break ranks, _Break Ranks_.' The order was obeyed. +But ere they scattered, moved by a common impulse, they gave first +three cheers for me, and then, with the same heartiness and even +more power, three cheers for Gulnare. And she, standing there, +looking with her bright, cheerful countenance full at the men, +pawing with her forefeet, alternately, the ground, seemed to +understand the compliment; for no sooner had the cheering died away +than she arched her neck to its proudest curve, lifted her thin, +delicate head into the air, and gave a short, joyful neigh. + +"My arrangements for transporting her had been made by a friend the +day before. A large, roomy car had been secured, its floor strewn +with bright clean straw, a bucket and a bag of oats provided, and +everything done for her comfort. The car was to be attached to the +through express, in consideration of fifty dollars extra, which I +gladly paid, because of the greater rapidity with which it enabled +me to make my journey. As the brigade broke up into groups, I +glanced at my watch and saw that I had barely time to reach the +cars before they started. I shook the reins upon her neck, and with +a plunge, startled at the energy of my signal, away she flew. What +a stride she had! What an elastic spring! She touched and left the +earth as if her limbs were of spiral wire. When I reached the car +my friend was standing in front of it, the gang-plank was ready, I +leaped from the saddle, and, running up the plank into the car, +whistled to her; and she, timid and hesitating, yet unwilling to be +separated from me, crept slowly and cautiously up the steep incline +and stood beside me. Inside I found a complete suit of flannel +clothes with a blanket and, better than all, a lunch-basket. My +friend explained that he had bought the clothes as he came down to +the depot, thinking, as he said, 'that they would be much better +than your regimentals,' and suggested that I doff the one and don +the other. To this I assented the more readily as I reflected that +I would have to pass one night at least in the car, with no better +bed than the straw under my feet. I had barely time to undress +before the cars were coupled and started. I tossed the clothes to +my friend with the injunction to pack them in my trunk and express +them on to me, and waved him my adieu. I arrayed myself in the +nice, cool flannel and looked around. The thoughtfulness of my +friend had anticipated every want. An old cane-seated chair stood +in one corner. The lunch-basket was large and well supplied. Amid +the oats I found a dozen oranges, some bananas, and a package of +real Havana cigars. How I called down blessings on his thoughtful +head as I took the chair and, lighting one of the fine-flavored +_figaros_, gazed out on the fields past which we were gliding, +yet wet with morning dew. As I sat dreamily admiring the beauty +before me, Gulnare came and, resting her head upon my shoulder, +seemed to share my mood. As I stroked her fine-haired, satin-like +nose, recollection quickened and memories of our companionship in +perils thronged into my mind. I rode again that midnight ride to +Knoxville, when Burnside lay intrenched, desperately holding his +own, waiting for news from Chattanooga of which I was the bearer, +chosen by Grant himself because of the reputation of my mare. What +riding that was! We started, ten riders of us in all, each with the +same message. I parted company the first hour out with all save +one, an iron-gray stallion of Messenger blood. Jack Murdock rode +him, who learned his horsemanship from buffalo and Indian hunting +on the plains--not a bad school to graduate from. Ten miles out of +Knoxville the gray, his flanks dripping with Wood, plunged up +abreast of the mare's shoulders and fell dead; and Gulnare and I +passed through the lines alone. _I had ridden the terrible race +without whip or spur._ With what scenes of blood and flight she +would ever he associated! And then I thought of home, unvisited for +four long years--that home I left a stripling, but to which I was +returning a bronzed and brawny man. I thought of mother and +Bob--how they would admire her!--of old Ben, the family groom, and +of that one who shall be nameless, whose picture I had so often +shown to Gulnare as the likeness of her future mistress; had they +not all heard of her, my beautiful mare, she who came to me from +the smoke and whirlwind, my battle-gift? How they would pat her +soft, smooth sides, and tie her mane with ribbons, and feed her +with all sweet things from open and caressing palm! And then I +thought of one who might come after her to bear her name and repeat +at least some portion of her beauty--a horse honored and renowned +the country through, because of the transmission of the mother's +fame. + +"About three o'clock in the afternoon a change came over Gulnare. I +had fallen asleep upon the straw, and she had come and awakened me +with a touch of her nose. The moment I started up I saw that +something was the matter. Her eyes were dull and heavy. Never +before had I seen the light go out of them. The rocking of the car +as it went jumping and vibrating along seemed to irritate the car. +Touching it, I found that the skin over the brain was hot as fire. +Her breathing grew rapidly louder and louder. Each breath was drawn +with a kind of gasping effort. The lids with their silken fringe +drooped wearily over the lustreless eyes. The head sank lower and +lower, until the nose almost touched the floor. The ears, naturally +so lively and erect, hung limp and widely apart. The body was cold +and senseless. A pinch elicited no motion. Even my voice was at +last unheeded. To word and touch there came, for the first time in +all our intercourse, no response. I knew as the symptoms spread +what was the matter. The signs bore all one way. She was in the +first stages of phrenitis, or inflammation of the brain. In other +words, _my beautiful mare was going mad._ + +"I was well versed in the anatomy of the horse. Loving horses from +my very childhood, there was little in veterinary practice with +which I was not familiar. Instinctively, as soon as the symptoms +had developed themselves, and I saw under what frightful disorder +Gulnare was laboring, I put my hand into my pocket for my knife, in +order to open a vein. _There was no knife there._ Friends, I +have met with many surprises. More than once in battle and scout +have I been nigh death; but never did my blood desert my veins and +settle so around the heart, never did such a sickening sensation +possess me, as when, standing in that car with my beautiful mare +before me marked with those horrible symptoms, I made that +discovery. My knife, my sword, my pistols even, were with my suit +in the care of my friend, two hundred miles away. Hastily, and with +trembling fingers, I searched my clothes, the lunch-basket, my +linen; not even a pin could I find. I shoved open the sliding door, +and swung my hat and shouted, hoping to attract some brakeman's +attention. The train was thundering along at full speed, and none +saw or heard me. I knew her stupor would not last long. A slight +quivering of the lip, an occasional spasm running through the +frame, told me too plainly that the stage of frenzy would soon +begin. 'My God,' I exclaimed in despair, as I shut the door and +turned toward her, 'must I see you die, Gulnare, when the opening +of a vein would save you? Have you borne me, my pet, through all +these years of peril, the icy chill of winter, the heat and torment +of summer, and all the thronging dangers of a hundred bloody +battles, only to die torn by fierce agonies, when so near a +peaceful home?' + +"But little time was given me to mourn. My life was soon to be in +peril, and I must summon up the utmost power of eye and limb to +escape the violence of my frenzied mare. Did you ever see a mad +horse when his madness is on him? Take your stand with me in that +car, and you shall see what suffering a dumb creature can endure +before it dies. In no malady does a horse suffer more than in +phrenitis, or inflammation of the brain. Possibly in severe cases +of colic, probably in rabies in its fiercest form, the pain is +equally intense. These three are the most agonizing of all the +diseases to which the noblest of animals is exposed. Had my pistols +been with me, I should then and there, with whatever strength +Heaven granted, have taken my companion's life, that she might be +spared the suffering which was so soon to rack and wring her +sensitive frame. A horse laboring under an attack of phrenitis is +as violent as a horse can be. He is not ferocious as is one in a +fit of rabies. He may kill his master, but he does it without +design. There is in him no desire of mischief for its own sake, no +cruel cunning, no stratagem and malice. A rabid horse is conscious +in every act and motion. He recognizes the man he destroys. There +is in him an insane _desire to kill._ Not so with the phrenetic +horse. He is unconscious in his violence. He sees and recognizes +no one. There is no method of purpose in his madness. He kills +without knowing it. + +"I knew what was coming. I could not jump out, that would be +certain death. I must abide in the car, and take my chance of life. +The car was fortunately high, long, and roomy. I took my position +in front of my horse, watchful, and ready to spring. Suddenly her +lids, which had been closed, came open with a snap, as if an +electric shock had passed through her, and the eyes, wild in their +brightness, stared directly at me. And what eyes they were! The +membrane grew red and redder until it was of the color of blood, +standing out in frightful contrast with the transparency of the +cornea. The pupil gradually dilated until it seemed about to burst +out of the socket. The nostrils, which had been sunken and +motionless, quivered, swelled, and glowed. The respiration became +short, quick and gasping. The limp and dripping ears stiffened and +stood erect, pricked sharply forward, as if to catch the slightest +sound. Spasms, as the car swerved and vibrated, ran along her +frame. More horrid than all, the lips slowly contracted, and the +white, sharp-edged teeth stood uncovered, giving an indescribable +look of ferocity to the partially opened mouth. The car suddenly +reeled as it dashed around a curve, swaying her almost off her +feet, and as a contortion shook her, she recovered herself, and +rearing upward as high as the car permitted, plunged directly at +me. I was expecting the movement, and dodged. Then followed +exhibitions of pain which I pray God I may never see again. Time +and again did she dash herself upon the floor, and roll over and +over, lashing out with her feet in all directions. Pausing a +moment, she would stretch her body to its extreme length, and, +lying upon her side, pound the floor with her head as if it were a +maul. Then like a flash she would leap to her feet, and whirl round +and round until from very giddiness she would stagger and fall. She +would lay hold of the straw with her teeth, and shake it as a dog +shakes a struggling woodchuck; then dashing it from her mouth, she +would seize hold of her own sides, and rend herself. Springing up, +she would rush against the end of the car, falling all in a heap +from the violence of the concussion. For some fifteen minutes +without intermission the frenzy lasted. I was nearly exhausted. My +efforts to avoid her mad rushes, the terrible tension of my nervous +system produced by the spectacle of such exquisite and prolonged +suffering, were weakening me beyond what I should have thought it +possible an hour before for anything to weaken me. In fact, I felt +my strength leaving me. A terror such as I had never yet felt was +taking possession of my mind. I sickened at the sight before me, +and at the thought of agonies yet to come. 'My God I exclaimed, +'must I be killed by my own horse in this miserable car!' Even as I +spoke the end came. The mare raised herself until her shoulders +touched the roof, then dashed her body upon the floor with a +violence which threatened the stout frame beneath her. I leaned, +panting and exhausted, against the side of the car. Gulnare did not +stir. She lay motionless, her breath coming and going in lessening +respirations. I tottered toward her, and as I stood above her, my +ear detected a low gurgling sound. I cannot describe the feeling +that followed. Joy and grief contended within me. I knew the +meaning of that sound. Gulnare, in her frenzied violence, had +broken a blood-vessel, and was bleeding internally. Pain and life +were passing away together. I knelt down by her side. I laid my +head upon her shoulders, and sobbed aloud. Her body moved a little +beneath me. I crawled forward, and lifted her beautiful head into +my lap. O, for one more sign of recognition before she died! I +smoothed the tangled masses of her mane. I wiped, with a fragment +of my coat, torn in the struggle, the blood which oozed from her +nostril. I called her by name. My desire was granted. In a moment +Gulnare opened her eyes. The redness of frenzy had passed out of +them. She saw and recognized me. I spoke again. Her eye lighted a +moment with the old and intelligent look of love. Her ear moved. +Her nostril quivered slightly as she strove to neigh. The effort +was in vain. Her love was greater than her strength. She moved her +head a little, as if she would be nearer me, looked once more with +her clear eyes into my face, breathed a long breath, straightened +her shapely limbs, and died. And there, holding the head of my dead +mare in my lap, while the great warm tears fell one after another +down my cheeks, I sat until the sun went down, the shadows darkened +in the car, and night drew her mantle, colored like my grief, over +the world." + + + +A-HUNTING OF THE DEER + +By Charles Dudley Warner + +The pleasurable excitement of a deer-hunt has never, I believe, +been regarded from the deer's point of view. I happen to be in a +position, by reason of a lucky Adirondack experience, to present it +in that light. + +Early on the morning of the 23d of August, 1877, a doe was feeding +on Basin Mountain. The night had been warm and showery, and the +morning opened in an undecided way. The wind was southerly: it is +what the deer call a dog-wind, having come to know quite well the +meaning of "a southerly wind and a cloudy sky." The sole companion +of the doe was her only child, a charming little fawn, whose brown +coat was beginning to be mottled with the beautiful spots which +make this young creature as lovely as the gazelle. The buck, its +father, had been that night on a long tramp across the mountain to +Clear Pond, and had not yet returned. + +The doe was feeding, daintily cropping the tender leaves of the +young shoots, and turning from time to time to regard her +offspring. The fawn had taken his morning meal, and now lay curled +up on a bed of moss, watching contentedly, with his large, +soft-brown eyes, every movement of his mother. The great eyes +followed her with an alert entreaty; and, if the mother stepped a +pace or two further away in feeding, the fawn made a half-movement, +as if to rise and follow her. You see, she was his sole dependence +in all the world. But he was quickly reassured when she turned her +gaze on him; and if, in alarm, he uttered a plaintive cry, she +bounded to him at once, and, with every demonstration of affection, +licked his mottled skin till it shone again. + +It was a pretty picture--maternal love on the one part, and happy +trust on the other. The doe was a beauty, and would have been so +considered anywhere, as graceful and winning a creature as the sun +that day shone on--slender limbs, not too heavy flanks, round body, +and aristocratic head, with small ears, and luminous, intelligent, +affectionate eyes. How alert, supple, free, she was! What untaught +grace in every movement! What a charming pose when she lifted her +head, and turned it to regard her child! You would have had a +companion-picture, if you had seen, as I saw that morning, a baby +kicking about among the dry pine-needles on a ledge above the +Ausable, in the valley below, while its young mother sat near, with +an easel before her, touching in the color of a reluctant +landscape, giving a quick look at the sky and the outline of the +Twin Mountains, and bestowing every third glance upon the laughing +boy-art in its infancy. + +The doe lifted her head a little with a quick motion, and turned +her ear to the south. Had she heard something? Probably it was only +the south wind in the balsams. There was silence all about in the +forest. If the doe had heard anything it was one of the distant +noises of the world. There are in the woods occasional moanings, +premonitions of change, which are inaudible to the dull ears of +men, but which, I have no doubt, the forest-folk hear and +understand. If the doe's suspicions were excited for an instant, +they were gone as soon. + +But suddenly she started, head erect, eyes dilated, a tremor in her +limbs. She took a step; she turned her head to the south; she +listened intently. There was a sound--a distant, prolonged note, +bell-toned, pervading the woods, shaking the air in smooth +vibrations. It was repeated. The doe had no doubt now. She shook +like the sensitive mimosa when a footstep approaches. It was the +baying of a hound! It was far off--at the foot of the mountain. +Time enough to fly; time enough to put miles between her and the +hound, before he should come upon her fresh trail; time enough to +escape away through the dense forest and hide in the recesses of +Panther Gorge; yes, time enough. But there was the fawn. The cry of +the hound was repeated, more distinct this time. The mother +instinctively bounded away a few paces. The fawn started up with an +anxious bleat. The doe turned; she came back; she couldn't leave +it. She bent over it, and licked it, and seemed to say, "Come, my +child; we are pursued; we must go." She walked away toward the +west, and the little thing skipped after her. It was slow going for +the slender legs, over the fallen logs, and through the rasping +bushes. The doe bounded in advance, and waited; the fawn scrambled +after her, slipping and tumbling along, very groggy yet on its +legs, and whining a good deal because its mother kept always moving +away from it. + +Shortly came a sound that threw the doe into a panic of terror--a +short, sharp yelp, followed by a prolonged howl, caught up and +re-echoed by other bayings along the mountain-side. The doe knew +what that meant. One hound had caught her trail, and the whole pack +responded to the "view-halloo." The danger was certain now; it was +near. She could not crawl on in this way; the dogs would soon be +upon them. She turned again for flight: the fawn, scrambling after +her, tumbled over, and bleated piteously. The baying, now +emphasized by the yelp of certainty, came nearer. Flight with the +fawn was impossible. The doe returned ajad stood by it, head erect, +and nostrils distended. She stood perfectly still, but trembling. +Perhaps she was thinking. The fawn took advantage of the situation, +and began to draw his luncheon ration. The doe seemed to have made +up her mind. She let him finish. The fawn, having taken all he +wanted, lay down contentedly, and the doe licked him for a moment. +Then, with the swiftness of a bird, she dashed away, and in a +moment was lost in the forest. She went in the direction of the +hounds. + +According to all human calculations, she was going into the jaws of +death. So she was: all human calculations are selfish. She kept +straight on, hearing the baying every moment more distinctly. She +descended the slope of the mountain until she reached the more open +forest of hard-wood. It was freer going here, and the cry of the +pack echoed more resoundingly in the great spaces. She was going +due east, when (judging by the sound, the hounds were not far off, +though they were still hidden by a ridge) she turned away toward +the north, and kept on at a good pace. In five minutes more she +heard the sharp, exultant yelp of discovery, and then the +deep-mouthed howl of pursuit. The hounds had struck her trail where +she turned, and the fawn was safe. + +The doe was in good running condition, the ground was not bad, and +she felt the exhilaration of the chase. For the moment, fear left +her, and she bounded on with the exaltation of triumph. For a +quarter of an hour she went on at a slapping pace, clearing the +moose-bushes with bound after bound, flying over the fallen logs, +pausing neither for brook nor ravine. The baying of the hounds grew +fainter behind her. But she struck a bad piece of going, a +dead-wood slash. It was marvellous to see her skim over it, leaping +among its intricacies, and not breaking her slender legs. No other +living animal could do it. But it was killing work. She began to +pant fearfully; she lost ground. The baying of the hounds was +nearer. She climbed the hard-wood hill at a slower gait: but, once +on more level, free ground, her breath came back to her, and she +stretched away with new courage, and maybe a sort of contempt for +her heavy pursuers. + +After running at a high speed perhaps half a mile further it +occurred to her that it would be safe now to turn to the west, and, +by a wide circuit, seek her fawn. But, at the moment, she heard a +sound that chilled her heart. It was the cry of a hound to the west +of her. The crafty brute had made the circuit of the slash, and cut +off her retreat. There was nothing to do but to keep on; and on she +went, still to the north, with the noise of the pack behind her. In +five minutes more she had passed into a hillside clearing. Cows and +young steers were grazing there. She heard a tinkle of bells. Below +her, down the mountain-slope, were other clearings, broken by +patches of woods. Fences intervened; and a mile or two down lay the +valley, the shining Ausable, and the peaceful farmhouses. That way +also her hereditary enemies were. Not a merciful heart in all that +lovely valley. She hesitated; it was only for an instant. She must +cross the Slidebrook Valley if possible, and gain the mountain +opposite. + +The hunted doe went down "the open," clearing the fences +splendidly, flying along the stony path. It was a beautiful sight. +But consider what a shot it was! If the deer, now, could only have +been caught! No doubt there were tender-hearted people in the +valley who would have spared her life, shut her up in a stable, and +petted her. + +The doe went on; she left the saw-mill on John's Brook to her +right; she turned into a wood-path. As she approached Slide Brook, +she saw a boy standing by a tree with a raised rifle. The dogs were +not in sight, but she could hear them coming down the hill. There +was no time for hesitation. With a tremendous burst of speed she +cleared the stream, and, as she touched the bank, heard the "ping" +of a rifle bullet in the air above her. The cruel sound gave wings +to the poor thing. In a moment more she was in the opening: she +leaped into the travelled road. Which way? Below her in the wood +was a load of hay: a man and a boy, with pitchforks in their hands, +were running toward her. She turned south, and flew along the +street. The town was up. Women and children ran to the doors and +windows; men snatched their rifles; shots were fired; at the big +boarding-houses, the summer boarders, who never have anything to +do, came out and cheered; a camp-stool was thrown from a veranda. +Some young fellows shooting at a mark in the meadow saw the flying +deer, and popped away at her: but they were accustomed to a mark +that stood still. It was all so sudden! There were twenty people +who were just going to shoot her when the doe leaped the road +fence, and went away across a marsh toward the foot-hills. It was a +fearful gantlet to run. But nobody except the deer considered it in +that light. Everybody told what he was just going to do! everybody +who had seen the performance was a kind of hero-everybody except +the deer. + +The courage of the panting fugitive was not gone: she was game to +the tip of her high-bred ears. But the fearful pace at which she +had just been going told on her. Her legs trembled, and her heart +beat like a trip-hammer. She slowed her speed perforce, but still +fled industriously up the right bank of the stream. When she had +gone a couple of miles, and the dogs were evidently gaining again, +she crossed the broad, deep brook, climbed the steep, left bank, +and fled on in the direction of the Mount Marcy trail. The fording +of the river threw the hounds off for a time. She knew, by their +uncertain yelping up and down the opposite bank, that she had a +little respite; she used it, however, to push on until the baying +was faint in her ears; and then she dropped, exhausted, upon the +ground. + +This rest, brief as it was, saved her life. Roused again by the +baying pack, she leaped forward with better speed, though without +that keen feeling of exhilarating flight that she had in the +morning. It was still a race for life; but the odds were in her +favor, she thought. She did not appreciate the dogged persistence +of the hounds, nor had any inspiration told her that the race is +not to the swift. She was a little confused in her mind where to +go; but an instinct kept her course to the left, and consequently +further away from her fawn. Going now slower, and now faster, as +the pursuit seemed more distant or nearer, she kept to the +southwest, crossed the stream again, left Panther Gorge on her +right, and ran on by Haystack and Skylight in the direction of the +Upper Ausable Pond. I do not know her exact course through this +maze of mountains, swamps, ravines, and frightful wildernesses. I +only know that the poor thing worked her way along painfully, with +sinking heart and unsteady limbs, lying down "dead-beat" at +intervals, and then spurred on by the cry of the remorseless dogs, +until, late in the afternoon, she staggered down the shoulder of a +Bartlett, and stood upon the shore of the lake. If she could put +that piece of water between her and her pursuers, she would be +safe. Had she strength to swim it? + +At her first step into the water she saw a sight that sent her back +with a bound. There was a boat midlake; two men were in it. One was +rowing: the other had a gun in his hand. They were looking toward +her: they had seen her. (She did not know that they had heard the +baying of hounds on the mountains, and had been lying in wait for +her an hour.) What should she do? The hounds were drawing near. No +escape that way, even if she could still run. With only a moment's +hesitation she plunged into the lake, and struck obliquely across. +Her tired legs could not propel the tired body rapidly. She saw the +boat headed for her. She turned toward the centre of the lake. The +boat turned. She could hear the rattle of the oar-locks. It was +gaining on her. Then there was a silence. Then there was a splash +of the water just ahead of her, followed by a roar round the lake, +the words "Confound it all!" and a rattle of the oars again. The +doe saw the boat nearing her. She turned irresolutely to the shore +whence she came: the dogs were lapping the water, and howling +there. She turned again to the centre of the lake. + +The brave, pretty creature was quite exhausted now. In a moment +more, with a rush of water, the boat was on her, and the man at the +oars had leaned over and caught her by the tail. + +"Knock her on the head with that paddle!" he shouted to the +gentleman in the stern. + +The gentleman _was_ a gentleman, with a kind, smooth-shaven +face, and might have been a minister of some sort of everlasting +gospel. He took the paddle in his hand. Just then the doe turned +her head, and looked at him with her great, appealing eyes. + +"I can't do it! my soul, I can't do it!" and he dropped the paddle. +"Oh, let her go!" + +"Oh, no!" was the only response of the guide as he slung the deer +round, whipped out his hunting-knife, and made a pass that severed +her jugular. + +The buck returned about the middle of the afternoon. The fawn was +bleating piteously, hungry and lonesome. The buck was surprised. He +looked about in the forest. He took a circuit and came back. His +doe was nowhere to be seen. He looked down at the fawn in a +helpless sort of way. The fawn appealed for his supper. The buck +had nothing whatever to give his child--nothing but his sympathy. If +he said anything, this is what he said: "I'm the head of this +family; but, really, this is a novel case. I've nothing whatever +for you. I don't know what to do. I've the feelings of a father; +but you can't live on _them_. Let us travel." + +The buck walked away: the little one toddled after him. They +disappeared in the forest. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Junior Classics Volume 8 +by Selected and arranged by William Patten + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE JUNIOR CLASSICS VOLUME 8 *** + +This file should be named 8075.txt or 8075.zip + +Produced by Charles Franks, Robert Prince, +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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