Anecdotes of Animals Part 6

XLVI

THE GOAT

A gentleman who had taken an active part in the rebellion of 1715, after the battle of Preston escaped into the West Highlands, where a lady, a near relative, gave him a hiding-place. A faithful servant conducted him to the mouth of a cave and gave him an abundant store of food. The fugitive crept in at a low opening, dragging his stores along. When he reached a wider and higher place, he found some obstacle before him. He drew his dirk, but unwilling to strike, lest he might take the life of a companion in hiding, he stooped down, and found a goat with her kid stretched on the ground. He soon saw that the animal was in great pain, and feeling her body and limbs, found that her leg was broken. He bound it up with his garter, and offered her a share of the bread beside him; but she put out her tongue, as if to tell him that her mouth was parched with thirst. He gave her water, which she drank readily, and then ate some bread. After midnight he ventured out of the cave. All was still.

He plucked an armful of gra.s.s and cut some tender twigs, which the goat accepted with signs of great joy and thankfulness. The prisoner took a great deal of comfort in having a living creature in his dungeon, and he caressed and fed her tenderly. The man who was trusted to bring him supplies fell sick; and when another tried to enter the cavern, the goat furiously opposed him, presenting her horns in all directions, till the fugitive, hearing a disturbance, came forward. The new attendant gave the watchword, and so the prisoner knew he was all right. He spoke to the goat, and she obeyed him, and allowed the servant to enter. The gentleman was sure that had a band of soldiers attacked the cavern, his grateful patient would have died in his defense.

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XLVII

FOX CHASING

During a fox hunt, Reynard, being hard pressed, had to take refuge up the chimney of a hot house. He was followed by one of the hounds, who, pa.s.sing through a flue nearly fifty feet in length, came out at the top of the chimney, but in some way missed Reynard in its dark recesses. By this time a number of people were collected at the top of the chimney.

They let down a terrier, who, holding fast by his brush, soon drove him out.

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XLVIII

THE RIGHTS OF HOSPITALITY

A native Moor who went to hunt the lion, having gone far into the forest, happened to meet with two lion's cubs that came to caress him.

The hunter stopped with the little animals, and waiting for the coming of the father or mother, took out his breakfast and gave them a part.

The lioness arrived unseen by the huntsman, so that he had not time, or perhaps wanted the courage to take his gun. After having for some time looked at the man that was thus feasting her young, the lioness went away, and soon afterward returned, bearing with her a sheep, which she laid at the huntsman's feet.

The Moor, thus become one of the family, took this occasion of making a good meal, skinned the sheep, made a fire, and then roasted a part, giving the entrails to the young. The lion in his turn came also; and, as if respecting the rights of hospitality, he showed no tokens whatever of ferocity. Their guest the next day, having finished his provisions, returned, and resolved never more to kill any of those animals, the n.o.ble generosity of which he had so fully proven. He stroked and caressed the cubs at taking leave of them, and the mother and father went with him till he was safely out of the forest.

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XLIX

A SLY COUPLE

A gentleman in the county of Stirling kept a greyhound and a pointer, and being fond of coursing, the pointer was accustomed to find the hares, and the greyhound to catch them. When the season was over, it was found that the dogs were in the habit of going out by themselves, and killing hares for their own amus.e.m.e.nt. To prevent this, a large iron ring was fastened to the pointer's neck by a leather collar, and allowed to hang down so as to prevent the dog from running or jumping over ditches and d.y.k.es. The animals, however, continued to stroll out into the fields together; and one day the gentleman, suspecting that they were up to some sort of mischief, decided to watch them. To his surprise, he found that the moment when they thought no one was looking at them, the greyhound took up the iron ring in his mouth, and carrying it, they set off to the hills, and began to search for hares as usual.

They were followed, and it was discovered that whenever the pointer scented the hare, the ring was dropped, and the greyhound stood ready to pounce upon the poor little creature the moment the other drove her from her form, but that he always came back to help his friend after he had caught his prey.

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L

OSTRICH RIDING

A gentleman tells how, during the time he was living at Podor, a French factory on the banks of the river Niger, there were two ostriches, though young, of gigantic size, which afforded him a very remarkable sight. "They were," he says, "so tame that two little blacks mounted both together on the back of the largest. No sooner did he feel their weight, than he began to run as fast as possible, and carried them several times round the village, as it was impossible to stop him otherwise than by putting something in the path. This sight pleased me so much, that I was anxious to have it repeated, and to try their strength, directed a full-grown negro to mount the smaller and the two boys the larger. This burden did not seem at all too much for their strength. At first they went at a fairly sharp trot, but when they became heated a little, they expanded their wings as though to catch the wind, and moved with such fleetness that they scarcely seemed to touch the ground. Most people have, at one time or another, seen a partridge run; and therefore know that there is no man whatever able to keep up with it; and it is easy to imagine, that if this bird had a longer step, its speed would be much greater. The ostrich moves much like the partridge, with this advantage; and I am satisfied that those I am speaking of, would have distanced the fleetest racehorses that were ever bred in England. It is true they would not hold out as long as a horse; but they would undoubtedly go over a given s.p.a.ce in less time. I have often seen this performance, and it gives one an idea of the wonderful strength of an ostrich, and shows of what use it might be, did we but know how to break and manage it as we do a horse."

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LI

RETRIBUTION

A fawn that was drinking in a park, was suddenly pounced upon by one of the swans, that pulled the animal into the water, and held it under till it was drowned. This cruel deed was noticed by the other deer in the park, and did not go long unrevenged; for shortly after this the very swan, which had never till this time been molested by the deer, was singled out when on land one day, and furiously attacked by the herd, which closed around the cruel swan, and soon killed it.

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LII

AN ELEPHANT'S REVENGE

Persons who have the care of elephants have often noticed that they know very well when any one is making fun of them, and that they very often revenge themselves when they have an opportunity. A painter wished to draw an elephant in the menagerie at Paris, and wanted to get the animal in a ridiculous att.i.tude, which was with his trunk lifted up and his mouth open.

To make the elephant keep this position, an attendant threw fruit and nuts into the open mouth, but sometimes he only pretended to throw them.

This made the animal very angry, and as if knowing that the painter rather than his servant was the one to blame, he finally turned to him and dashed a quant.i.ty of water from his trunk over the paper on which the painter was sketching his portrait.

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LIII

STRANGE PLAYMATES

A little girl about three years of age was noticed for a number of days going a considerable distance from the house with a piece of bread her mother had given her. This attracted the attention of the mother, who asked the father to follow the child, and find out what she did with the bread. On coming to the child, he found her busy at work feeding several snakes of the species of rattlesnakes called yellow heads. He quickly took her away, went to the house for his gun, and returning, killed two of them at one shot, and another a few days afterward. The child called these snakes as you would call chickens, and when her father told her if she let them come so near her, they would bite her, she replied, "No, they won't bite. They only eat the bread I give them."