The Project Gutenberg EBook of Horse Stories, by Thomas W. Knox
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Title: Horse Stories
And Stories of Other Animals
Author: Thomas W. Knox
Release Date: May 2, 2016 [EBook #51949]
Last Updated: March 15, 2018
Last Updated: November 8, 2016
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HORSE STORIES ***
Produced by David Widger from page images generously
provided by Google Books
He rejoiced in the ambitious name of Bonaparte, being familiarly called
'Boney,' which latter name described him very nearly, for he was a
monster, standing over thirty inches high at the shoulder. In markings and
make-up he is said to have closely resembled Landseer's 'Distinguished
Member of the Humane Society.' He was remarkable for his intelligence as
well as his unvarying good temper and was a prime favorite with young and
old in the then little city, especially among children, toward whom he, in
common with most members of his race, exhibited great affection and
devotion.
“Among those who bear this noble animal in affectionate remembrance, many
stories are still told illustrating his unusual sagacity and reasoning
powers. The possession of this latter faculty by dogs is, I know, doubted
by many, who ascribe all evidence of it to 'instinct,' whatever that may
be besides reason, but that it does exist and manifests itself by the same
processes that it does in the human animal, every true lover of a good dog
religiously believes and mantains.
“The following incident will serve to illustrate 'Boney's' thinking'
faculty, and I may say, parenthetically, that the facts herein given are
thoroughly vouched for by those who remember the circumstances in detail.
My father was, at that time, engaged in a banking office located, on the
Court-house Square. In those more honest times bank robbery had not
reached its present degree of refined skill, and it was the habit of his
associate and himself, on going to dinner at mid-day, simply to turn the
key in the safe, leaving the bank open, with no other guard than 'Boney,'
who remained on duty until their return.
“One day, during this noon hour, two well known business men and customers
of the bank chanced to meet on the side-walk in front of the office. They
had some business transaction, in which one wished to pay the other a
considerable sum of money. It was proposed to step into the bank, where,
outside of the counter, was a table with, chairs for the convenience of
customers, and there complete the transaction, which was accordingly done.
While one of the gentlemen was engaged in writing a receipt, the other
produced a large package of bank bills and proceeded to count out the
required sum. 'Boney' got up from where he was lying, and, knowing both of
the gentlemen, came over to where they were sitting, wagging his huge
brush in friendly recognition and stood watching their proceedings. When
the first gentleman had finished counting the bills, he pushed them across
the table to the second, saying 'There, I think you will find that right.'
At that moment the dog lifted his huge paw and laid it squarely on the
pile of bills. There was no demonstration of unfriendliness on his part,
but a quiet air of such firm determination that neither gentleman felt
inclined to meddle further with the money. In vain they coaxed and ordered
him to 'Go lie down, sir!' and there the three sat for nearly an hour. At
the end of that time, to the infinite relief of at least two of the trio,
my father came in, and as soon as he reached the table, 'Boney' took down
his paw as quietly as he had placed it there and went back to his
accustomed rug. The money was paid and receipt passed without any farther
attention on his part, and the gentlemen departed, their annoyance at the
awkward delay in their affairs entirely cancelled by their admiration for
the dog's sagacity.
“Now I do not presume to infer that 'Boney' really knew the value of the
money, as such, but he did understand that it was a commodity which was
not allowed to change hands in that office except in the presence of some
duly authorized representative of the bank. I think any one, who accepts
the fact, will be prepared to believe that the dog recognized his duty, as
he understood it, to firmly insist that no money should be transferred
until the return of some duly accredited and responsible party.”
A donkey will follow a kind master or mistress just like a dog, and he
fully equals the horse in showing his appreciation of kind treatment.”
Gen. John A. Dix owned a donkey that lived to the age of forty-two years,
and endeared himself to his master and the members of the family by his
docility and almost human intelligence.
The little creature was, after the death of the general, domiciled at the
family country seat, West Hampton, Long Island, where almost luxurious
accommodations were provided for his comfort; but old age, and the absence
of those who, in days gone by, patted his shaggy coat, and the sound of
whose voices he would recognize and greet, no doubt tended to hasten
physical ailments, which necessitated the request that an officer of the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals should put an end to the
suffering of an endeared and most affectionate animal who, although he
outlived his master and mistress, at last succumbed to the inevitable. He
was buried near where the waves of Long Island Sound wash the sandy shore
of West Hampton, and a mound of green sod marks the spot where lies the
body of the humble friend of the honored soldier, who issued the famous
patriotic mandate: “If any one attempts to haul down the American flag,
shoot him on the spot.”
“Does the mule equal the horse or donkey in intelligence?” George asked.
They further told him that their neighbors had said it was not safe to
give up check-reins altogether on all kinds of horses, and asked if such
was the case.
“That is quite true,” Mr. Graham answered, “and I'm glad the subject was
mentioned. There are some horses that it would be dangerous to drive
without some kind of a check-rein; very fresh, unruly or vicious horses
require something to prevent their getting their heads down and running
away, but the rein should always be so loose that when a horse has his
head in proper position the snaffle-bit will hang down from the corners of
the mouth instead of being drawn up into the cheeks.
“Mr. Sidney says,” continued Mr. Graham, “that the object of a check-rein
should be to divide the weight with the driver's hands so that when the
horse drops his head below a certain point the weight of his mouth will
come on the check-rein instead of upon the driver's hands. It also
prevents horses, when standing still, from rubbing their heads against
each other or against the pole where the bit is liable to be caught and
cause an accident. Properly fitted, the check-rein does no harm and may be
the means of preventing runaways, but unless it is slack when the horse
has his head in a natural position it is not properly fitted. If a horse
naturally carries his head down, like a pig, he is not suited for a
carriage anyway, and should be employed solely as a working horse.”
There is no need for the spurs to be sharp; in fact they had better be
blunt, as the chances of injuring the horse are thus diminished.”
George asked how he could teach Major to follow him when he got off to
walk a short distance, as frequently happens.
“For instruction on that point,” said Mr. Graham, “I will refer you to Mr.
Rarey's book, where very clear instructions are to be found. They are
copied on page 298 of 'The Book of the Horse.'”
George hunted up the paragraph and read as follows:
“Provide yourself with a gig-whip and three or four carrots cut in slices.
Lead the horse out in either a halter or a common watering-bridle. A
closed barn or riding school is the best place for all instruction,
because there is then nothing to distract the horse's attention, but a
quiet lane will do as well. Begin by fondling your horse, talking to him
in horse-language, and giving him one or two bits of carrot, for which, if
he has not been fed recently, he will be eager, and begin to push his nose
into your hand for more. Then commence by leading him forward and backward
with one hand, holding the gig-whip trailing behind you with the other,
calling to him by name, if he has one, all the time, as thus:—Come—come
along, come along, old fellow, touching him up gently or sharply, as the
case may be, on his hindquarters, with the point of the gig-lash to drive
him forward, and fondling or rewarding him as he comes to your hand. He
will soon learn to press forward to avoid the flick of the whip behind,
and to come to your shoulder to be caressed and rewarded. Instead of
flying from you, he will learn to seek safety by your side, and follow you
anywhere.”
“The whip has something to do with the instruction,” George remarked, as
he read the foregoing paragraph to Charley.
“Yes,” said the latter, “but you see there are more carrots and caresses
than whips. Here's something about the use, or rather the misuse, of the
whip which I have just found in Our Animal Friends. The writer
appears to know what he wants to say.”
“The whip is the parent of stubbornness in a high-spirited animal, while
gentleness will win obedience, and at the same time attach the animal to
us. It is the easiest thing imaginable to win the affection of animals,
and especially horses. An apple, a potato, or a few lumps of sugar, given
from the hand now and then, will cause the horse to prick up his ears at
the sound of his owner's footstep, not with fear, but with a low whinnying
note of pleasure. The confidence of the noblest beast thus gained, will
lead him to obey the slightest intelligent tone of voice or indication of
the bit. There is no such thing as balkiness to be found in a horse thus
treated; he shows a desire to obey, whereas a few lashes of the whip,
smartly applied, if he be a horse worth having, will arouse in him a
spirit of retaliation and stubbornness that may cost the owner hours of
trouble, and possibly danger, to life and limb. Horses are made gentle by
kindness. They believe in the 'master' they love, and his voice will calm
them in a moment of fear, or induce them to struggle forward, even when
overladen, and when a whip would be sure to bring them to a stubborn
standstill.
“No man knows the true value of his horse until he has won his regard and
confidence, as it were. The whip will never know this. A kind hand and
gentle voice will act like magic. Thus we have known women who could
handle and drive horses that would almost invariably show vicious traits
in the hands of a male driver.”
“And here's a good story,” said George, “which is copied from the Cornhill
Magazine:
“'All horses have their fancies, and know perfectly well whom they have to
deal with. I am just now exercised with Whitefeet. One day I found her in
the drawing-room. To reach it she had walked into the house by the front
entrance, and after traveling a corridor some forty feet long, had passed
through three door-ways. There she was, examining furniture, smelling
knick-knacks, and looking out of the window. I expected a scene, since she
was as good as wild, having never been made acquainted with saddle, bridle
or shoe. Yet she behaved like a young lady, not only daintily walking
about among chairs and tables without damage, but exhibiting solitary
self-consciousness, especially when she came to look at herself in the
mirror. This she did with much interest, getting first one side of her
face and then the other into the most appreciable position. It seemed to
me that she smiled. When she had gazed her fill I said. 'Now come out, my
dear.' Then she put her warm, velvety nose into the hollow of my uplifted
hand and followed me, as I walked backward like a courtier into the
paddock. And yet a professional breaker had found her hard to manage. She
was evidently too refined for him, and resented his coarse manners. Horses
show deliberate resentment. Years ago we had two piebalds, Marquis and
Tag. I have a portrait, but knew them not, as they lived before I was
born. You might—it was so related to me when a boy by my elders—call
Tag anything but a 'blackguard.' Tradition says that an incredulous guest,
having been told this, one evening after dinner, went up by himself to
Tag, before breakfast the next morning, and quietly said: 'Tag, you are a
blackguard.' He was thankful to get into the house with only half his coat
torn off his back. Tag flew at him, open-mouthed, at once.'”
“The intelligence of horses in England is not monopolized by the high bred
ones,” said Charley after listening to the account of White-feet in the
parlor. “Here's what an Englishman says of the London omnibus horses!—
“'I like riding on an omnibus; it is the best way to see London, and I
often sit by a 'bus driver's side to the end of his stage and back. So I
see a good deal of the 'bus horse, and I find in him an animal who well
repays watching. Most people know that he understands the conductor's
bell; but few know how well he understands it. The London 'bus driver is a
very Jehu, but his cattle need very little driving. I see them stop when
the bell rings, and I see them start when it rings again, even when it
does so within two seconds. Yet, when the 'bus is in full roll, and the
conductor rings twice, to show the driver that he is 'full inside,' the
horses know the double ring and never pause in their stride. Again, the
'bus horse knows the policeman's signal. I am driving down Oxford Street.
At the corner of Bond Street, an old lady wants to cross the road. The
policeman holds up his white-gloved hand and the horses stop,
automatically, not pulled up by Jehu. The lady safely across, the
policeman jerks his thumb forward, and the horses start again. A heavy
dray is in front. Without sign from Jehu, the horses swerve to right and
circumvent it. I sometimes think the conductor might drive by merely
pulling his bellcord, and so save the driver's wages. Further, these
sagacious beasts know all their stoppings; they know the import of the cue
'higher up,' and they know the clatter of the released brake. Observe,
too, how skilfully the 'bus-horse picks out the dryer portion of the wet
and slippery wood pavings. And see him cleverly skate down Waterloo Place,
after a shower of rain or water-carts, with heavy 'bus behind him. What
other animal could do the like?'”
The Society's protest had its effect, and those who clipped their horses
after that had the humanity to provide them with blankets.
“'Glanders and farcy, those contagious diseases, incurable in man as well
as in beast, are not by any means as prevalent as they once were. And this
is owing to the work of the Society in compelling people to keep their
stables in good condition. Those diseases are the result of neglect, bad
food, and damp, ill-ventilated stables.
“'Through the efforts of the Society an element of humanity has been
introduced into the treatment of the cattle sent to New York for
slaughter. The treatment these poor creatures got at one time was simply
barbarous. We have officers at all the stock yards and abattoirs, and they
make it their business to see that the animals are properly fed and cared
for, and that their quarters are kept in a cleanly, healthy condition. A
great reform has been consummated, too, by the Society, in the method of
transporting live stock.
“'And speaking of live stock, reminds me of an incident that happened in
the early days of the Society. Mr. Bergh—and how we all will miss
him now that he is gone—was going through Chambers Street one day,
when he saw two men leading a cow and her calf. The calf was literally
skin and bones. There was a rope about the cow's neck and another about
the calf's. The cow's udder was fearfully distended with the milk within
it, and the calf made continual efforts to get at it, but the man pulled
the poor little thing away. Well, Mr. Bergh stopped the man, took the rope
from the calf's neck, and the moment he did so the famished thing made a
dash for that distended udder and drank its fill. The men protested, but
Mr. Bergh was inexorable, and he stood there during twenty minutes, the
center of a crowd of five hundred people, while the poor calf got the
first good square meal of its life.
“'Dog fights and cock fights—brutal, cruel, demoralizing exhibitions—were
quite a feature of metroplitan life at one time, but are, happily,
becoming more and more rare. People who like that so-called 'sport,' to
indulge their propensity are now found to sneak off like so many thieves
or felons to some stable or loft in the country, and there have their
'fun' in the constant fear of interruption by Mr. Bergh or of the police.
“'The Society, at one time, had great trouble with the street railroad
companies, which persisted in driving lame, crippled, sick and disabled
animals; in salting their tracks and overloading their cars to a fearful
degree. But there has been a marked reform in all these particulars, and I
think I can say the car horses of the city to-day are in very good
condition.
“There can be no doubt that the twenty-two years of the Society's
existence have been fraught with great good to the animals that minister
to the needs of man. Our Society has grown to enormous proportions, and
has branches in every State and city, and almost every town and village,
in the country. Since its organization the Society in New York has
prosecuted 13,850 cases in the courts, suspended 35,108 disabled animals
from work, humanely destroyed 24,099 horses disabled past recovery, and
removed 4444 disabled horses from the streets in its ambulances. Last year
the Society prosecuted 797 cases of cruelty in the courts, suspended 3456
disabled animals from work, destroyed 2546 disabled horses, destroyed 1102
small animals disabled past recovery, removed 522 disabled horses from the
streets in ambulances, and received and investigated 3773 complaints.
“It must not be supposed that the existence of so many cases of cruelty
indicates an increase in the cruel treatment of animals; the large figure
is rather due to the greater facilities the Society now possesses for the
detection of such offences.
“Our paid officers are of course limited in number, but every humane
person in New York can be said to be a detective of the Society. We
receive a great many complaints, investigate them thoroughly, and then
report to the complainants the result of such investigations. People write
to tell us a certain man is in the habit of beating his horse or of
feeding swill to his cows, or that a dog is dying in a vacant lot up-town,
or that boys are in the habit of stoning birds in a certain locality. All
these things we look into, and when we catch the guilty parties practicing
the cruelty complained of we arrest and prosecute them. With all these
aids it is clear the work of the Society has been very much simplified and
more thorough, but it can be much more so by a further cooperation of the
public. That we look for and hope to obtain.”
Our young friends agreed that Mr. Bergh had done a great work which should
be commemorated by a monument in his honor. “Magnificent monuments have
been erected to men far less deserving than he,” said Charley. “If the
animals whom he befriended could contribute, many thousands of dollars
would be subscribed at once. All the more noble was his philanthropy,
because the objects of it could never know their benefactor.”
Charley and George were not long in possession of their horses before they
discovered that quite an attachment had been formed between Cobweb and
Rover, which was followed by a similar friendship between Major and Dash.
Whenever the horses were taken out for exercise the dogs accompanied them
and seemed to enjoy the run very much. At night the dogs slept in the
stalls with the horses, coiling up under the manger while the steeds were
standing, but nestling down among their feet or close to their bodies when
they were lying down.
“That's nothing remarkable,” said Mr. Graham, when the boys told him of
the equine and canine friendships.
“Dogs and horses are very often mutually attached and sometimes are able
to be of service to each other.”
“How is that?” Charley asked.
“There is a story told of an English gentleman who had a fine hunting
horse, which was so fond of a greyhound that he was always uneasy when the
latter was out of sight. The gentleman used to call at the stable to have
the dog take a walk with him, and when he did so the horse always looked
after him and neighed uneasily. When the dog returned to the stable he
always ran immediately to the horse and licked his nose, the horse
returning the greeting by rubbing the dog's back.”
“One day when the groom had taken the horse out for exercise the dog
followed, and during the promenade he was attacked by a larger dog which
threw him down and was rapidly getting the best of the encounter.
Thereupon the horse threw back his ears, and in spite of the efforts of
the groom to restrain him, he rushed at the strange dog and seized him
with his teeth. He took a good grip of the dog's back that made him quit
his hold on the greyhound, and then he shook him till the skin gave way.
Under these circumstances the strange canine was not disposed to renew the
attack on the greyhound, but ran off as fast as his wounds would permit.
As he did so the horse pranced about very proudly, and was evidently quite
happy at being of service to his smaller friend.”
“I've read,” said Charley, “about a horse and cat that were great friends,
the cat generally sleeping in the horse's manger. When the horse was going
to have his oats, he used to take the cat very gently by the skin on her
back, just as cats pick up their kittens, and lift her into the next
stall, so that she wouldn't be in his way while he was eating his food.
How he learned that cats should be lifted in that way was a mystery, but
he certainly did it so that he never hurt her in the least. She seemed to
understand it perfectly, and whenever he put her out of the manger she
stayed away till he had eaten his oats. He always liked to have her about
him, and she frequently climbed on his back and seemed perfectly at home
there.”
“Here's a story,” said George, “about a race between a colt and a
locomotive, and according to the account, it was a lively race. It was
printed in the Pittsburgh Despatch, and here it is:
“'Information comes of a remarkable and exciting race between an express
train, on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, and a three-year-old colt one
day last week. The colt belongs to Vince Carpenter, at Limestone Station,
in Carter County, Kentucky. When the express train arrived at Limestone,
on the day in question, the colt stepped on the track in front of the
engine, and when the train started the colt started also, keeping some
distance ahead of the engine until a large trestle was reached at the next
stopping-point, a distance of five and a quarter miles from Limestone. The
colt started over the trestle, but fell down, and the race came to an end.
The engine stopped, a rope was attached to the colt and it was removed
from the track.
“'In the race of five and a quarter miles, which was reported to have been
made in the short time of thirteen minutes, the colt jumped several cow
gaps, crossed numerous small trestles, and ran around one or two
bridges.'”
Several feline anecdotes were related, and then the further consideration
of the topic was postponed until the next evening, when Mr. Webb formed
one of the party. Henry Johnson happened in during the course of the
evening and contributed his share to the general fund of entertainment.
“Cats are among the earliest animals domesticated by man,” said Mr.
Graham, “but possibly they are ante-dated by the horse and dog. We find
these three animals appearing on the sculptures and paintings of the
ancient Egyptians, by whom cats were held in the highest reverence.
Temples were erected in their honor, their bodies were mummified after
death, sacrifices and devotions were offered up to them, and it was
customary for a family to shave off its eyebrows whenever a cat died in
its house.”
“Superstitions concerning cats have descended to the present time,” Mr.
Webb remarked, when Mr. Graham paused. “In the Middle Ages, they were
supposed to be the familiars of witches, and a black cat was an object of
dread rather than of veneration, as it was supposed to be the embodiment
of Satan. Sailors formerly had a dread of cats on shipboard, as a sign of
ill-luck, and to a considerable extent this belief continues among them
to-day. Many people predict rain when they see a cat washing its face, and
a cat-call on a housetop is by some persons held to be a sign of death. It
was a current belief in the Middle Ages that a cat had nine lives, and the
saying is a common one how. The prevalence of this belief has been the
cause of a great many cruelties inflicted on this graceful animal.
“Cats do not usually attach themselves to persons,” continued Mr. Webb,
“their preference being rather for places than individuals. This
preference gave rise to the belief, which was endorsed by Buffon and other
naturalists, that the cat is incapable of affection, and retains in its
domesticated state its savage ferocity, which is merely disguised by
cunning and restrained by selfishness. But there are many stories told, on
perfectly good authority, to illustrate the affection of cats for their
owners and friends, though it is proper to say that instances of personal
affection are far less numerous in the cat than in the dog.”
There is, however, an interesting point which it would be well to have
cleared up. Are cats susceptible to music? Without being able to affirm
positively, I believe they are. When my cat was little, it several times
seemed to us that it found a real pleasure in listening to some air of a
pleasing cadence. For example, the waltz from Faust, provided it was sung
by a very high and pure voice. We even thought that music caused it to
assume almost a sentimental air. It is unnecessary to say that my cat,
like all others, is very susceptible to caresses, and, for I must confess
its faults, to flattery. In general, cats are less intelligent than dogs,
but, by care and attention, their intelligence can be highly developed. I
am sorry that I have not sufficient time, or I should undertake the
education of my cat by a system of cards, as proposed by Lubbock.”
“Speaking of sailors' superstitions about cats,” said Mr. Webb, “a lady
told me not long ago that she bought a Persian cat in Calcutta and brought
it home on a sailing ship. Every time they were becalmed the sailors would
try to get her cat and throw it overboard, for they think that doing so
would raise a wind.
“This is an old superstition of the mariner. It would be hard to say how
it originated, but it is probable that it was originally intended as a
sacrifice to Neptune, the god of the sea; as on land the gods were
propitiated by the offerings of the devout, so Jack sought to calm the sea
god's fury by offering him a cat. The old sailor, even in this meaning of
the word 'cat's-paw.' It is simply a quaint idea of the marine, who sees
in the sudden and peculiar zephyr that ruffles the water, a resemblance to
the frolics of the cat. Does pussy jump around good-humoredly there will
be a good breeze and fair. But when she arches her back and swells her
tail, then look out, for her scowling look will be as a calm to the storm
it foreshadows, and the flashes from her eyes but as sparks to the blue
streaks of zig-zag lightning which will certainly soon illuminate the
sky.”
“I've a story about an intelligent cat that belonged to a doctor,” said
Charley. “I found it in the Tribune; it is dated at Deposit, and
signed O. T. Bundy.”
All listened while Charley read the following:
“My cat, which we knew by the name of 'Peter,' was a sufferer from a large
abscess on the lower jaw, directly underneath. I attempted to lance it,
with what proved to be a broken pointed instrument. He cried while the
attempt was being made, but did not run away from me, advanced age,
regards the cat as a veritable weather gauge. The old landsman is often
puzzled to account for some of the strange sea terms, and questions are
often asked as to the although I did not hold him, or try to. Of course I
failed to introduce the instrument into the sore, and showed what I held
in my hand. I then took a sharp lance from the case and showed it to him.
He came up directly to me and raised his head in such a way that the sore
was exposed, and held it in this position until I had completely opened
the abscess and withdrawn the lance, not crying or offering to go away
from me. Now the blunt tool was torture, and it gave him no relief, yet he
must have thought from my talk and manner that relief was intended, or he
would never have held still for the second trial.”
“Here's a story about a steamboat cat,” said George, “which was written by
somebody for the New Orleans Pickayune.”
“In July the steamer. Golden Rule arrived here from Cincinnati. A
little common gray cat lived on the boat, that had been left at Bayou
Sara, by accident. She had stepped on the wharf boat and had not returned
in time. The officers on the Golden Rule felt sorry to lose her,
for she had left three little kittens behind, who missed their mother
sadly. But, to the surprise of all, the next boat that arrived down
brought puss as a passenger or stowaway. She remained on board in her new
quarters till near midnight, then made her way to the Golden Rule.
One day in October, the cat's owner was surprised by the action of his
pet. The animal was walking slowly about one of the trees, stopping every
minute or two to gaze up at the apples on the boughs. After completing its
tour of inspection, the cat climbed the tree, and slowly made its way out
on a limb toward what was probably the ripest and largest apple of several
bushels of fruit on the trees. When it reached its goal, the animal made
several attempts to break the stem with its teeth, and finally succeeded.
It had taken care to bite off a bit of the stem long enough to be securely
held, and with its prize in its mouth the cat began its descent. Once on
the ground, the apple was carried to a porch and laid by the side of a
door opening into the house. The exploit was frequently repeated by Mr.
Baldwin's sagacious puss, and the side of the porch was usually lined with
apples.
“Did anybody ever hear,” said Charley, “of the cat that shared its dinner
with its master?”
Nobody had heard of this wonderful cat, thereupon Charley read the
following from the Manchester Times:
“A member of the Zoological Society says: I once had a cat who always sat
up to the dinner-table with me and had his napkin round his neck, and his
plate and some fish. He used his paw, of course, but he was very
particular, and behaved with extraordinary decorum. When he had finished
his fish I sometimes gave him a piece of mine. One day he was not to be
found when the dinner bell rang, so we began without him. Just as the
plates were put round for the entrée, puss came rushing upstairs and
sprang into his chair with two mice in his mouth. Before he could be
stopped he dropped a mouse on to his own plate, and then one on to mine.
He divided his dinner with me as I had divided mine with him.”
There was a laugh all around over this amusing incident, and when it
subsided, George asked what became of the mouse which the cat put on its
master's plate. History seemed to be silent on that point, but whether the
youth supposed the dainty was or was not devoured by the gentleman, we
will not inquire. The subject was not discussed, as the attention of the
party was next turned to a cat that put out a fire. The incident happened
in Monongahela, Pa., and was as follows:
A family went out to a meeting, leaving Master Tom, a favorite cat, in
sole occupation of the house.
On their return the cat's actions led to an examination, when his feet
were found to be blistered. The sitting-room served to explain matters. A
live coal had been thrown out and set the carpet on fire. Puss had
evidently clawed out the fire for a considerable distance about the spot
burned, leaving nothing but a center of ends, charred and frizzled. All
the circumstances indicated that the cat had put out the fire.
“Cats are very fond of valerian,” said Mr. Graham, “and I have heard of a
woman in St. Thomas who turned this fact to practical use.”
“How was that?” queried Mr. Webb.
“She detected the odor of sewer gas in her parlor,” was the reply, “and as
the landlord from whom she leased the house would not believe in the
existence of the gas, she hit upon a device to convince him. She first
poured a quantity of valerian down the pipe of one of the basins in the
upper story. The odor of valerian presently filled the parlor below.
Procuring two cats she turned them loose in the parlor. They immediately
evinced delight at the odor, and ran to an adjoining closet where it was
strongest. They finally jumped upon a shelf in the closet, and there, by
their contentment, showed that they had traced the odor to its source. The
householder sent for a plumber, who, removing the lath and plaster,
discovered a leak in the pipe which communicated with the sewer.”
The time came at last when Dan could repay this kindness; and he did so.
One cold winter night all had gone upstairs to bed, and were sleeping
soundly. Dan was cosily rolled up on his nice warm mat behind the kitchen
stove, when all at once the room became very light. Dan awoke; and what
should he see but the broom, which had been left standing a little too
near the stove, all on fire. In a few moments the house would have been
ablaze, but Dan thought of his master; so away he trotted upstairs to his
room.
“Dan called with a very loud voice, 'Mew, mew, mew'; but his master did
not hear him. Then he said, 'Mew, mew, mew,' still louder; but that did
not awake him. Then he jumped upon the bed, pulling back the bed-clothes
with his paw, and gently struck his master in the face. This aroused the
sleepy boy, and he very soon learned the meaning of Dan's strange actions.
He jumped out of bed, ran downstairs, and put out the fire before it had
got under very great headway. The story was told afterward in the local
newspaper and Dan became a hero in the place where he lived.”
A few more cat stories were told in spite of the lateness of the hour, and
it was agreed in conclusion that cats greatly resemble dogs, horses and
children, too, in being influenced by their surroundings, training and
teaching. A child taught to be cruel, or to lie and steal in early life,
is not likely to be a good or useful member of society. Horses and dogs
are made vicious by bad treatment or gentle by kindness, and a cat's
conduct will depend very largely upon its surroundings and education.
Suppose we talk about another animal of those countries, the monkey.”
“If you mean that the monkey belongs exclusively in Africa and Asia as the
elephant does,” said Harry, “you're wrong. The monkey is found there, it
is true, but he is also found in America and Europe.”
“I know he's found in America,” replied George, “but didn't know that he
lived in Europe in a wild state. The only European monkeys I ever heard of
were in captivity.”
“You're not far wrong, though,” Harry answered with a slight, laugh, “as
there's only one place in Europe where monkeys run wild and that is on the
Rock of Gibraltar.”
“The men who argue that we are descended from monkeys ought to know of the
performance of the Gibralter apes.”
“Not only in actions but in structure,” said Mr. Graham, “does the monkey
bear a resemblance to man. Several naturalists have regarded the monkey as
only an inferior form of the human race and have so classified him. The
celebrated naturalist Linnæus placed man with monkeys in his order of
Primates or first animals. He made his genus Homo consist of human
beings (Homo sapiens), of chimpanzees (Homo Troglodytes), of
orang outangs (Homo satyrus), and the Gibbons Homo lar.”
“Was his classification accepted by the other naturalists?” one of the
youths asked.
“By some, but by no means by all,” was the reply.
“There was aloud protest against it, not by the monkeys, who didn't
trouble their heads on the subject, but learned men and others who felt
that the dignity of the human race had been affronted. As time went on the
opinions of Linnæus fell more and more into disfavor, and the present
classification places man in a distinct genus, that of Bimana
(two-handed) while the whole tribe of monkeys, apes and the like, are
classed as Quadrumana (four-handed.)
“It must be admitted,” continued Mr. Graham, “that from a purely
anatomical point of view, the monkey has a close resemblance to man. He
can stand upright, has a nude face, his eyes are directed forward, his
internal organs are very much the same, and he is subject to many diseases
of which man is the victim. But although he can walk upright he does so
with difficulty; his forelegs or arms are much longer than the human arm,
in proportion to the rest of the body, and although he has the same organs
in his throat he has not the power of speech. Though his hand is shaped
like the human one in a general way, it is far from being as perfect; the
fingers do not act separately like those of man and the thumb is short and
unwieldy and does not oppose each of the fingers, or only very imperfectly
so.”
“I have read somewhere,” said Harry, “that the highest intellect shown by
the monkey is lower than that of the most degraded savage. Monkeys are not
afraid of fire, but no monkey ever rose to the intelligence of producing
it by rubbing two sticks together as is done by the lowest of savages.”
“You are right,” said Mr. Graham. “The observation you refer to was made
by a French philosopher, Joseph de Maistre. There are other points in
which we can show a wide gulf between man and the quadrumana, but we will
drop them for the present.”
At this moment an exclamation from George turned attention in his
direction.
“Here's something for us to see,” said George, as he held up a newspaper
on which he had rested his eye for a moment, while listening to the
remarks of Mr. Graham.
“What is it?” Harry asked.
“A monkey show,” was the reply, “a theatrical performance by trained
monkeys, or rather a pantomime, as the animals cannot be expected to talk
as human actors do.”
It was agreed at once that the monkey performance was something to be
seen, and accordingly arrangements were made for attending it. Mr. Graham
explained to the youths that while these performances were comparatively
rare in America they were an old established institution in Europe.
“Germany and Italy,” said he, “are famous for them, and in some of the
German and Italian cities there are monkey theaters where performances are
given by quadrumana throughout the entire year. They are assisted by dogs
and ponies, and altogether the show is very funny and interesting.”
The exhibition which our friends attended was managed by Mr. Brockmann, a
famous monkey-trainer of Vienna, who thought it would be a good
speculation to bring his troupe to America. Among the members of his
four-handed company were Kullman, the elegant circus rider; the fat and
lovesick Lottie; Anthony, a gentleman not to be joked with with impunity;
Jack, a little dandy; and George, the clown of the company, who was said
to create any amount of fun by his queer antics.
They like to play all sorts of tricks with the keepers who are dressing
them. One of them amuses himself by tearing his brand new trousers into
shreds, and when he has fully succeeded in doing so, he gives vent to his
delight by loud screams. Another takes pleasure in pulling off the vest
which the keeper has had the greatest difficulty in buttoning on him, and
grins at the unfortunate man with truly fiendish delight. A third
absolutely refuses to put his tiny little hand into the sleeves, although
the keeper holds the armhole in the most inviting manner before him. The
little rascal pretends not to be able to find it, pushing his hands in
every direction but the right one. If the keeper at last loses his
patience and pushes the arm by force into the sleeve, the indignant artist
feels insulted, and replies with a ringing slap in the keeper's face.
“At last the operation of dressing has been performed. The little artists
sit quietly on their stools, not a little proud of their gay costumes.
They grin and wink at each other, and munch with great delight nuts and
almonds and other delicacies with which they are rewarded. Lottie is
particularly vain and proud of her pretty costume. With great complacency
she pulls her dress, arranges her coiffure, pushes her hat from one side
to the other to see which is most becoming, and keeps on a continual
flirtation with the gentlemen of the company. Dainty little Jack, for whom
these demonstrations of love are intended, seems to trouble himself very
little about his coquetish mistress. He sits quietly in a corner enjoying
the draughts from a small bottle of mild beer, of which he is particularly
fond, taking very great care that not a drop of the precious liquor is
spilled on his snowy white jacket and apron, which as cook is his
professional costume. Jack is possessed of a most versatile talent. With
equal skill and elegance he appears now as a cook, then as a coachman, or
a circus rider and athlete. Besides this, he has assumed for his own
pleasure the function of picking up the various articles that lie
scattered on the stage after the performance and conveying them swiftly
behind the scenes.”
While waiting for the performance to begin, Harry read the following
account of a reporter's interview with Mr. Brockmann, the manager of the
monkey troupe. The reporter asked about the system of training, and in
reply to the question the manager said: “I cannot tell everything, as I
have certain methods which I do not want to make generally known. For
forty years my father and I have given exhibitions of trained animals, and
in that time we have naturally learned much of their habits and
dispositions. The great thing, however, is to gain command of an animal's
entire attention. Once this is obtained, all the rest is comparatively
easy. When a monkey's training begins he is restless, his eyes wander all
over the room, and his attention is never for more than a minute
concentrated on any one thing. I have to teach him to forget everything
else and watch me. He must learn to keep his eyes on mine. If any one in
the audience will watch the monkeys when they are doing important acts, he
will see that they never take their eyes off me. It is a singular thing
that, while dogs and ponies look larger on the stage than they really are,
monkeys appear very much smaller when dressed up. I have a little monkey
who is an even better tightrope performer than the one now exhibited, but
he would look so small that the audience would scarcely be able to see his
feats. My animals are very fond of me. The rewards you see me give them on
the stage are almonds and raisins.”
The reporter had an opportunity of witnessing a display of the monkeys'
affection for Mr. Brockman, when he made his first appearance for the day
in their dressing-room. He went the rounds and spoke a word or two to
each. Some kissed him, others climbed up and put their arms around his
neck, and each exhibited the utmost impatience till his turn for
recognition came.
“What monkeys are the easiest to train?” inquired the reporter.
“Mandrills and baboons, though they are perhaps a little more delicate
than the other kinds.
Still my father had one for thirty years. The oldest performer in the
present troupe is a blue-faced mandrill, whom I have had for twelve years.
He is very good-tempered and will not reject any attentions you may feel
inclined to show him. As a general rule, when a monkey holds out his hand
encouragingly it is safest to give him a wide berth, and one who is
chattering to himself is nearly always in a bad temper.”
“How often do you feed them, and what, is their favorite food?”
“When they are performing twice they get four light meals a day, milk,
fruit, and potatoes being their principal diet. We keep their cages very
clean, but they look after their own toilets and we do not wash them.”
“What animals do you find possess the most intelligence, monkeys, dogs or
horses?”
“There are clever and stupid specimens of each, but I don't think there is
any great difference in general intelligence. The great difficulty with
all of them is to get undivided attention.”
Other monkeys stand on their heads, walk tight-ropes with balancing rods,
turn somersaults, and do acts on the flying trapeze.”
On the way home from the theater the conversation about monkeys was
continued, and the youths made mental note of several matters on which
they desired information. Harry expressed his disappointment at the
absence of tails on the performing monkeys, a circumstance which has
already been explained. The youth said he had expected to see the
creatures suspending themselves by the tail from the ropes where they were
to walk or balance themselves; he thought it would have added materially
to the interest of the performance, and wondered if the monkey trainers of
Asia or Africa could not do better in this line than did Mr. Brockmann.
“As to that,” replied Mr. Graham, “I am in very great doubt or rather in
no doubt at all. No Asiatic or African monkey can suspend himself by the
tail, no matter how long that appendage may be.”
“Do you mean,” said Harry, “that none of the old world monkeys have
prehensile tails?”
“Exactly so,” was the reply. “The only monkeys that can use the tail as a
fifth hand, or for clinging to branches of trees, are found in America,
and never in the old world unless they have been carried there from this
country. But do not understand that all the American monkeys have
prehensile tails; some of them have the tail wonderfully developed and
useful, while others cannot hold on with it, and several varieties have
almost no tails at all. A naturalist who lived four years in South America
says that in that time he saw twenty-one varieties of monkey, seven of
them having prehensile and fourteen of them non-prehensile tails. The
Asiatic monkey does not seem to be aware that the tail can be made of any
use, but the liveliest of the American monkeys employ it for picking up
objects and for support while swinging among the trees. And we may further
say that the monkeys of the old world are unlike those of the new, none of
the varieties that exist on one side of the Atlantic being found on the
other.
“The largest of the American monkeys is far below the largest of his
Asiatic or African cousins in the matter of size. While several members of
the baboon family are five feet in height, and a large gorilla is said to
be six feet or very nearly when standing erect, the largest of the
American monkeys, if we leave his long tail out of calculation, does not
exceed three feet. He belongs in South America, and is known as the
Howler, and he can howl louder than twenty men if the stories of travelers
are to be believed. The noise he makes is so terrific, that many a
traveler has been frightened by it and has thought that all the wild
beasts of the woods had assembled close at hand, and were about to devour
everybody and everything within their neighborhood. One monkey gives a
howl, and when he is tired he signals to the rest tried to ascertain
accurately how far the sound could be heard. Judging the distance by the
time it took him to reach the tree where the monkeys were, he thought two
miles not an over estimate; when the sound came across a lake unimpeded by
trees it was easily audible a good three miles.”
George asked if these animals kept up their howling when in captivity?
“They all shout in chorus. After a while they stop, and then the solitary
one starts up again. And in this way the unearthly chorus is kept up from
midnight till sunrise; sometimes they begin at the close of day and keep
it up all night, making it quite impossible for a traveler to sleep within
a mile of them.”
Other varieties of South American monkeys were more tractable, Mr Graham
further explained, and he specially mentioned the little spider monkey and
a sapajou as amusing and affectionate.
“Some of these American monkeys,” Mr Graham continued, “show a great deal
of intelligence, bordering upon reason. A naturalist who studied them in
Brazil says that when one of them received an egg for the first time he
broke it clumsily and lost half the contents, but so, he handled it with
the greatest care. Lumps of sugar were occasionally given to him wrapped
in paper; one day a live wasp was put in the paper with the sugar, so that
when the monkey tore it open he was stung. After that he always held the
paper to his ear and listened intently to detect any movement within.”
“Haven't I read,” said Harry, “about monkeys organizing raids upon
orchards and gardens in a very systematic manner, just as boys or men
might do?”
“Quite likely you have,” was the reply, “for such things are by no means
uncommon. Monkeys are gregarious animals and hunt in the second time he
only broke the top and lost nothing. Ever after that when he received an
egg he gently broke the top by hitting it against a hard substance, and
then picked off the fragments of the shell with his fingers. After cutting
himself once with a sharp tool he would not for some time touch it again,
and when he finally did troops; these troops generally have their chiefs,
whom they obey implicity, and there would seem to be some mode of
communication among them by which orders are issued and understood.
“The monkeys of Northern Africa come down from their places of concealment
in the forest and rob the gardens of the people, carrying off the fruit by
wholesale. Sentinels are posted to give warning in case of danger, then
one of the troop climbs over the fence followed by another and another.
They form a line from the wall to the tree which is to be robbed, and as
fast as the fruit is plucked it is passed from one to another with the
greatest rapidity. Those at the farther end of the line and outside of the
garden wall, load themselves with all they can carry and then move away;
as soon as the fruit has been stripped from the tree, or at the slightest
note of alarm, the whole line scrambles off and is out of reach in a
moment.”
Meanwhile several of the comadrejas—engineers, no doubt—ran
along the bank, examining the trees on both sides.
“At length they all collected around a tall cotton-wood tree that grew
over the narrowest part of the stream, and twenty or thirty of them
scampered up its trunk.
“On reaching a high point, the foremost, a strong fellow, ran out upon a
limb, and taking several turns of his tail around it, slipped off and hung
head downwards. The next on the limb, also a stout one, climbed down the
body of the first, and whipping his tail tightly round the neck and
forearm of the latter, dropped off in his turn, and hung, head down. The
third repeated the maneuver upon the second, and the fourth upon the
third, and so on, until the last one upon the string rested his forepaws
upon the ground.
“The living chain now commenced swinging backward and forward, like the
pendulum of a clock. The motion was slight at first, but gradually
increased, the lowermost monkey striking his hands violently on the earth
as he passed the tangent of the oscillating curve. Several others upon the
limbs above aided the movement.
“This continued until the monkey at the end of the chain was thrown among
the branches of a tree on the opposite bank. Here, after two or three
vibrations, he clutched a limb and held fast. This movement was executed
adroitly, just at the culminating point of the oscillation, in order to
save the intermediate links from the violence of a too sudden jerk.
“The chain was fast at both ends, forming a complete suspension bridge,
over which the whole troop, to the number of four or five hundred, passed
with the rapidity of thought.
“The troop was now on the other side, but how were the animals forming the
bridge to get themselves over? This was the question which suggested
itself. Manifestly by number one letting go his tail. But then the point
d'appui on the other side was much lower down, and number one, with half a
dozen of his neighbors, would be dashed against the opposite bank, or
soused into the water.
“Here, then, was a problem, and we waited with some curiosity for its
solution. It was soon solved. A monkey was now seen attaching his tail to
the lowest on the bridge, another girded him in a similar manner, and
another and so on until a dozen more were added to the string. These last
were all powerful fellows, and running up a high limb, they lifted the
bridge into a position almost horizontal.
“Then a scream from the last monkey of the new formation warned the
tail-end that all was ready, and the next moment the whole chain was swung
over, and landed safely on the opposite bank. The lowermost links now
dropped off like a melting candle, while the higher ones leaped on the
branches and came down by the trunk. The whole troop then scampered off
into the chapparal and disappeared.”
A cup of milk would then be given him to aid the digestion of more solid
food.”
“These meals were prepared punctually four times a day, a custom which has
become of a second nature to the chimpanzee and continues to the present
time. The first meal was in the morning, and a lunch followed about ten
o'clock; between one and two he was given his dinner, and his supper hour
was at five, after which he invariably indicated a desire to retire to his
blanket and dispose of himself for the night. The lunch in the morning and
the supper were often varied with fruit, an orange or a banana, which was
first carefully prepared by peeling. Otherwise his diet was quite plain;
all sweetmeats, candies and dainties being positively prohibited.
“During the fall of 1884, his weight, increasing at more than a pound a
month, reached forty pounds. His height and strength developed
proportionately. The coat of hair that had begun to appear upon his body
was black and glossy. It was brushed daily, an operation which he seemed
to enjoy; about the head, where it grew longer, a natural inclination was
discovered to part in the center, and for better effect the hair was
brushed down over his forehead and kept trimmed and banged, imparting a
more civilized appearance when he was presented to visitors.
“On being permitted to view himself in a glass, Crowley expressed his
entire approbation of this fashion. He displayed much vanity and did not
soon tire of admiring himself. When he grasped a policeman's club that was
in the room and paraded up and down with it for a cane, his appearance was
striking. The natural stoop of his shoulders became profoundly English,
and taken in conjunction with the cane, so thick and heavy in proportion
to Crowley's figure, the resemblance was most perfect.
“He was quite conscious of his increasing importance, and took great
pleasure in receiving visitors. He submitted to the cleaning of his nails
and the scrubbing of his teeth, but the washing of his hands and face was
always extremely distasteful to him. He never became entirely reconciled
to that practice, and after he became older he discarded it almost
entirely.
“A small chair and a table of solid oak were made for him, both articles
being sufficiently heavy to withstand an outburst of animal spirits that
he sometimes indulged in after a meal. For the same reason his dishes were
of the heavy ware used in down-town restaurants. He had previously learned
to drink from a cup and sip his milk with a spoon. Now he was instructed
in the use of knife and fork, and in the absence of meat or other solid
food, he carved into slices the bananas and other fruits given him, and
conveyed these slices to his mouth on the fork.
“One admirer sent him a napkin enclosed in a plated silver ring. The ring
was engraved, 'Remus Crowley, Esq.,' and a corner of the napkin had also
the name embroidered on it. After inspecting both with grave deliberation,
he grunted his appreciation, and proceeded to thrust the napkin into his
mouth. Much patient persevering was required to impress upon him the
importance of laying the napkin on one knee, or of folding it over his
chest while eating, and that its function was to keep his mouth and chin
clean, but repeated instructions at last instilled these precepts on his
mind.
“The chimpanzees are keen, observant animals, and Crowley inherited the
full gifts of his race. Little that transpired around him escaped his
attention, while his understanding was not less ready and intelligent. In
a few days he learned to lock and unlock the doors of the room in which he
lived, and to hide the key which was used to lock him in the apartment.
More care was needed with him than for a child of live years. If he could
not express himself intelligently in speech. He was neither deaf nor dumb,
and he had a vocabulary of his own made up of gutteral monosyllables,
which his attendant professes to understand quite well, though to the
uninitiated it is more than Greek or Sanscrit.”
The monkeys are particularly fond of these crabs, which live in deep holes
in the sand, but spend much of their time on the outside of their holes,
where they run and hop about. They range in size from that of a silver
dollar to that of our edible crabs. Their claws are not large, but have a
grip that is vise-like. The monkeys make daily raids on the haunts of
these crabs, and occasionally succeed—by creeping stealthily to
within a few feet of a group of them and then springing down upon them—in
capturing one. Usually, however, the crabs are so wary that while the
monkey is in the air during his spring toward them they have separated and
disappeared into the ground. The monkey finding himself too slow to make a
capture, then resorts to a bit of strategy to secure a dinner; he backs
himself up to a hole into which a crab has disappeared, and sitting down,
thrusts his long tail into the hole. The crab seizes the end of the tail
the moment it approaches near enough. Any one who may have been fortunate
enough to hide himself in the bushes unobserved by the monkey making a
raid, will have a hard time to restrain his laughter when the critical
moment of contact between the crab's claw and the monkey's tail is
reached. There is a look of comical suspense on the monkey's face as he
thrusts his tail in the hole. When the crab closes on the tail the look of
suspense departs. The monkey gives an involuntary start, and then settles
on his haunches while he closes his teeth together with a determined air,
and eventually, springing forward, out comes the tail from the hole with
the crab dangling to it, and the monkey is soon proceeding with his meal.”
“Here's another story,” said George, “which is old but good: 'A Spanish
mule-driver once invested his scant earnings, purchasing a number of red
woolen caps, which form the crown of the turban worn throughout Turkey and
Africa, and set out to make his fortune in the interior.
He started before sunrise, and, when the heat of the day came on, lay down
to sleep beneath a tree in a wood. Taking off his hat he opened his
valise, and, putting on a red cap, was soon asleep.
“'When the sun was low in the horizon he awoke, and to his horror, saw the
trees tilled with monkeys in red raps. They had seen the Spaniard put on
the red cap before going to sleep, and followed his example. The poor
Spaniard, with all the gesticulation peculiar to his country, stamped his
foot in anger, and tearing off his red cap threw it on the ground, when—blessed
and unexpected result—all the monkeys followed his example. He
picked up his caps and moved on.'”
“Here's a story from a St Louis newspaper,” said Harry, “about an incident
that must have been very funny:
“'Yesterday was a good day for the monkeys at the Fair grounds, and they
liked it. They frisked about in the sunshine, and cut their antics with an
abandon that showed them to be bubbling over with fun and mischief. There
is one that by some amusing peculiarities becomes an immediate favorite
with every spectator. A gentleman in the crowd yesterday happened to have
a small pocket-mirror, and just for sport passed it to the favorite. The
monkey's behavior, on seeing his face reflected in the glass, kept the
crowd in a roar of laughter for nearly an hour. The monkey of course
failed to recognize the reflection of himself, and took it for another
monkey, and his anxiety to get hold of that monkey was what made the fun.
He would look behind the glass, and feel for it in such a comical way
while he was looking in the glass, that one could not help laughing. While
the glass was close to his eye he gradually bent over, casually, and
noticing that the evanescent monkey was on his back apparently he dropped
the glass and made a sudden grab for him. When he didn't get him he looked
surprised and commenced looking under the straw to see what had become of
him. He was then seized with a luminous idea. He picked up the glass and
ran to the topmost branch of the dead tree that is erected in the cage,
and climbing to the extreme end, again looked in the glass. It seemed he
reasoned that in such a position the monkey could not get away. He felt
for it, grabbed at it, and tried all sorts of strategy to capture it,
notwithstanding repeated failures.'”
That the monkey can be a hero is shown by a story which George found in Our
Animal Friends, credited to The Children's Treasury.
“A nobleman had a favorite monkey, a large orang-outang.
This monkey was very much attached to his master and to the baby boy who
was the pet of the whole family. One day, a fire suddenly broke out in the
house, and everybody was running here and there to put it out, while the
little boy in the nursery was almost forgotten; and, when they thought of
him, the staircase was all in flames. What could be done?
“As they were looking up and wondering, a large hairy hand and arm opened
the window: and presently the monkey appeared with the baby in his arms,
and carefully climbed down over the porch, and brought the child safely to
his nurse. Nobody else could have done it; for a man cannot climb like a
monkey and is not nearly so strong.
“You may imagine how the faithful creature was praised and petted after
that. This is a true story, and the child who was saved was the young
Marquis of Kildare.”
She is bright and a general favorite. Her father keeps a Jersey cow, which
has a calf. The calf and little Dillie have formed a mutual affection.
“In the adjoining lot to Mr. Welsh is a mineral well, which has a low
opening, and a child can stand and look over it. A few days ago Dillie and
her calf were playing near the well when the little girl went too near.
She crawled up and was looking over, when the calf came up and held onto
her dress with his teeth. She lost her balance and fell over in the mouth
of the well. The calf held on to the child's clothes while she was
suspended in the air over the water. If the animal had let go the dress,
the child would have been drowned. The child was rescued by a servant, and
the calf was happy.”
“That's a very pretty story,” said George; “and I have a good one to go
with it.” Thereupon he read something which he said was from The
Greenville (N. C.) Reflector.
“An amusing incident occurred at the home of Mr. S. M. Jones, near Bethel,
recently. Among his cattle was a calf that seemed to possess a very great
dislike to being roped at milking time and always made quite an objection.
One morning Mrs. Jones went out to attend the milking, and upon looking in
the accustomed place for the rope failed to find it. While the search for
it was going on the calf thought, perhaps, to get more than his share of
the milk, but something seemed to interfere with the imbibing process, and
his peculiar actions attracted attention to him, whereupon it was
discovered that the calf had swallowed the rope, but failed to make a
complete job of it, as the noose was hanging from one corner of his mouth.
The noose was laid hold of and a steady pull brought the rope to light.
The calf is sufficiently amused and doesn't swallow any more ropes to
evade being tied.”
“Isn't it unusual for calves or any of their relatives to display as much
intelligence as we have in these two stories?” one of the boys asked.
“Decidedly unusual,” was the reply, “and that's the reason why these
performances have been placed on record. But the fact is,” the gentleman
continued, “that the ox is not as stupid a creature as is generally
supposed. He is patient and slow, and for this reason the conclusion has
been arrived at that he is correspondingly dull. The naturalists tell us
that some of the tribes of South Africa trust to oxen to care for their
flocks, and that the sagacious animals perform their duties in a manner
worthy of the highest praise. They are quick to discover the approach of
danger, and if the flocks are attacked by wild animals the oxen show a
great deal of bravery in defending their charges. But while brave, they
are prudent, and will not take any needless risk. When night approaches
they drive the flocks to the camp or village, and if any of the sheep are
inclined to straggle. The watchful guardians prod them in no gentle manner
with their horns and make them understand that they are liable to severe
punishment.
alt="191 " width="100%" />
“The South African oxen are not only used for teaming purposes like oxen
in other parts of the world, but they are excellent for carrying burdens
on their backs. African hunters tell how they have used oxen in this way.
Andersson, a famous hunter in South Africa, had an ox that he rode more
than two thousand miles, and for ordinary traveling preferred him to a
horse. When it came to pursuing wild animals, and especially to escape
from a furious elephant or lion, he found a great advantage in the
superior speed of the horse. His plan was to ride the ox while traveling
and reserve his horse for hunting expeditions.
“There are many varieties of bovidae,” said Mr. Graham, “as this
family is called, and these varieties have certain subdivisions. The most
remarkable are the American bison, commonly called the buffalo, the
European bison or aurochs, the yak of Tartary, and the musk ox of the
extreme parts of North America. The greatest intelligence of the bovine
family is displayed by the wild animals, for the reason that they have
been obliged to depend entirely on themselves, while the domestic species
have the protection and care of their owners on whom they rely. A domestic
ox or cow, when in trouble, will seek the aid of his master when it is
possible to do so.
“I was reading not long ago,” said Harry, “of a cow that came from the
pasture one afternoon, and called the attention of some of the men about
the place in a way which told very plainly that help was wanted. She
repeatedly tried to induce somebody to follow her; when she finally
succeeded she trotted off and led the way to a clump of trees, where
another cow had become entangled in such a manner that she could not free
herself without assistance. When the prisoner was liberated both she and
the cow that had gone for help fairly danced about the man, and showed in
every way in their power how grateful they were to him. They licked his
hands with their rough tongues, caressed him with their noses, and when he
returned to the barn they trotted along, one on each side of him until he
reached the gate. Then they went back to to pasture and resumed their
grazing.”
“Many stories of the same kind have been told about domestic cattle, all
of them showing the reliance that these good-natured animals place upon
man.
The time when they were first domesticated is unknown; the Egyptians had
their herds of oxen and cows, and some naturalists think the ox was a
domestic animal while the dog and cat were still in a wild state, in other
words it was the earliest animal which submitted to the control of man.
Centuries of domestication have made him the patient and gentle animal
that he is, but he retains enough of his original instincts to be made
wild again without much difficulty. A herd of cattle turned loose and
allowed to run free for a single season are half wild at the end of it,
and very difficult to manage. A few seasons make them fully so, and the
calves that grow to maturity without any association with man seem to have
lost everything that came from centuries of domestic ancestors. The wild
cattle of South America are descended from tame ones and the same may be
said of wild cattle in most parts of the world.”
George asked if the buffalo of America was anything like that of the old
world. He said he had read about the differences between them but couldn't
remember what they were.
“The name of buffalo,” said Mr. Graham, “is improperly applied to the
bison, whose scientific name is Bison Americanus. The American
bison is rapidly becoming extinct, and it is quite probable that there
will not be one of these animals alive at the end of the present century.
Fifty years ago there were countless millions of these animals, and as
recently as twenty-five years ago vast herds of them roamed the western
prairies from Texas to the Saskatchewan.
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