Illustrative Anecdotes of the Animal Kingdom Part 13

These were of all colors--some milk-white, some jet-black; others were sorrel, and bay, and cream color; and many were of an iron-gray. Their manes were profuse, and hanging in the wildest confusion over their faces and necks, while their long tails swept the ground."

The Camanches and other tribes of Indians capture great numbers of wild horses. The process is described by Catlin as follows: "The Indian, when he starts for a wild horse, mounts one of the fleetest he can get, and, coiling his la.s.so under his arm, which consists of a thong of cowhide ten or fifteen yards long, with a noose at the end of it, he starts under 'full whip' till he can enter the drove, when he soon gets the noose over the neck of one of them. He then dismounts, leaving his own horse, and runs as fast as he can, letting the la.s.so pa.s.s out gradually and carefully through his hands, until the horse falls for want of breath, and lies helpless on the ground. The Indian then advances slowly towards his head, keeping the la.s.so tight upon his neck, until he fastens a pair of hobbles on his two fore feet, and also loosens the la.s.so, and moves it round the under jaws; by which he gets great power over the affrighted animal, which is constantly rearing and plunging. He then advances, hand over hand, towards the horse's nose, and places one hand over his eyes; he then breathes in his nostrils, when he soon becomes conquered and docile, and allows himself to be led or ridden to the camp."

It appears that horses are subject to a kind of panic, which in the western prairies is called _stampede_. The instances of this frenzy, as described by travellers, sometimes present the most terrific spectacles. Mr. Kendall, in his "Narrative," gives us the following lively sketch:--

"As there was no wood about our camping-ground, some half a dozen men pushed on in search of it. One of them had a wild, half-broken Mexican horse, naturally vicious, and with difficulty mastered. His rider found a small, dry tree, cut it down with a hatchet, and very imprudently made it fast to his horse's tail by means of a rope. The animal took it unkindly from the first, and dragged his strange load with evident symptoms of fright; but when within a few hundred yards of the camp, he commenced pitching, and finally set off into a gallop, with the cause of all his uneasiness and fear still fast to his tail. His course was directly for the camp; and, as he sped along the prairie, it was evident that our horses were stricken with a panic at his approach. At first they would p.r.i.c.k up their ears, snort, and trot majestically about in circles; then they would dash off at the top of their speed, and no human power could arrest their mad career.

"'A stampede!' shouted some of the old campaigners,--a stampede! Look out for your horses, or you'll never see them again,' was heard on every side. Fortunately for us, the more intractable horses had been not only staked, but hobbled, before the panic became general, and were secured with little difficulty; else we might have lost half of them.

Frequent instances have occurred where a worthless horse has occasioned the loss of hundreds of valuable animals.

"Nothing can exceed the grandeur of the scene when a large _cavallada_, or drove of horses, takes a 'scare.' Old, weather-beaten, time-worn, and broken-down steeds--horses that have nearly given out from hard work and old age--will at once be transformed into wild and prancing colts. With heads erect, tails and manes streaming in the air, eyes lit up, and darting beams of fright,--old and jaded hacks will be seen prancing and careering about with all the buoyancy which characterizes the action of young colts. Then some one of the drove, more frightened than the rest, will dash off in a straight line, the rest scampering after him, and apparently gaining fresh fear at every jump. The throng will then sweep along the plain with a noise which may be likened to something between a tornado and an earthquake; and as well might feeble man attempt to arrest the earthquake as the stampede."

THE PONY.

This is a variety of the horse--its small stature being the result of the climate in which it is bred. The most remarkable kinds are produced in Wales, the Highlands of Scotland, and the Shetland Isles.

_Miscellaneous Anecdotes._--One afternoon in September, a gentleman in England, mounted on a favorite old shooting pony, had beaten for game all day without meeting with any success, when, on a sudden, to his great astonishment, his pony stopped short, and he could not persuade him to move, either by whip or spur. He desired his keeper to go forward. He did. A covey of fifteen partridges rose. They were, of course, killed by the astonished sportsman. The pony had been accustomed to carry his master for many years on shooting expeditions, and had, no doubt, acquired a knowledge of the scent of birds.

A little girl, the daughter of a gentleman in Warwickshire, England, playing one day on the banks of a ca.n.a.l which ran through the grounds, had the misfortune to fall in, and in all probability would have been drowned, had not a little pony, which was grazing near, and which had been kept by the family many years, plunged into the stream, and, taking the child up by her clothes, brought her safely to sh.o.r.e without the slightest injury.

A gentleman was some time since presented with a Shetland pony, which was only seven hands in height, and very docile and beautiful. He was anxious to convey his present home as soon as possible, but, being at a considerable distance, he was at a loss how to do so easily. The friend who presented it to him said, "Can you not convey him home in your chaise?" He accordingly made the experiment. The pony was lifted into the bottom of the gig, and covered up with the boot--some bits of bread being given him, to keep him quiet. He lay quite peaceably till his master had reached his place of destination; thus exhibiting the novel spectacle of a horse riding in a gig.

A pony mare belonging to Mr. Evans, of Montgomeryshire, England, had a colt, and they both grazed in a field adjoining the River Severn. One day, the pony made her appearance in front of the house, making a clattering with her feet, and other noises, to attract attention.

Observing this, a person went out, and the pony immediately galloped off. Mr. Evans desired he should be followed. On reaching the field, the pony was found looking into the river, where the colt was drowned.

THE a.s.s.

When the a.s.s is brought into comparison with the horse, in respect to external form, every thing appears to be in favor of the latter animal.

The a.s.s is inferior to the horse in size, less sprightly in its motions, its head is heavy, and it stoops in its gait. The horse generally moves with its head erect, looks freely abroad on the skies and earth, with an eye expressive of lively emotions. The a.s.s is seen trudging slowly along, as if sensible of the hopelessness of a cessation from toil; and, full of melancholy thoughts, its leaden eye is fixed on the ground. Yet its shape and its habits, in its state of servitude, present something that is pleasing, though, on the whole, they are somewhat untoward and ungainly.

_Miscellaneous Anecdotes._--The a.s.s is far from being incapable of understanding the nature of the employments in which he is engaged, or disobedient to the commands of his master. An a.s.s was employed, at Carisbrook, in the Isle of Wight, in drawing water by a large wheel from a deep well, supposed to have been sunk by the Romans. When his keeper wanted water, he would call the a.s.s by his name, saying, "I want water; get into the wheel;" which wish the a.s.s immediately complied with; and there can be no doubt but that he knew the precise number of times necessary for the wheel to revolve upon its axis in order to complete his labor; for every time he brought the bucket to the surface of the well, he stopped and turned round his head to observe the moment when his master laid hold of the bucket to draw it towards him, because he had then a nice motion to make either slightly forward or backward, as the situation of the bucket might require.

In 1816, an a.s.s belonging to Captain Dundas was shipped on board the Ister, bound from Gibraltar to Malta. The vessel struck on a sand-bank off the Point de Gat, and the a.s.s was thrown overboard into a sea which was so stormy that a boat that soon after left the ship was lost. In the course of a few days, when the gates of Gibraltar were opened in the morning, the guard was surprised by the same a.s.s, which had so recently been removed, presenting itself for admittance. On entering, it proceeded immediately to the stable which it had formerly occupied.

The a.s.s had not only swam to the sh.o.r.e, but found its own way from Point de Gat to Gibraltar, a distance of more than two hundred miles, through a mountainous and intricate country intersected by streams, which it had never pa.s.sed before, but which it had now crossed so expeditiously that it must have gone by a route leading the most directly to Gibraltar.

A few years ago, at Swalwell, England, a man set his bull-dog to attack an a.s.s, that for a while gallantly defended itself with its heels, which it was agile enough to keep presented to the dog. Suddenly turning round on its adversary, it caught it with its teeth, in such a manner that the dog was unable to retaliate. It then dragged the a.s.sailant to the River Derwent, into which it plunged it overhead, and lying down upon it, kept it in the water till it was drowned.

Though the a.s.s is frequently the subject of ill treatment, yet it seems to be an animal not without affection for its master, which in many cases we may suppose to be returned by kindness and care on his part. A pleasing instance to this effect we have in the following anecdote: "An old man, who some time ago sold vegetables in London, had an a.s.s which carried his baskets from door to door. He frequently gave the poor industrious creature a handful of hay, or some pieces of bread or greens, by way of refreshment and reward. The old man had no need of any goad for the animal, and seldom, indeed, had he to lift up his hand to drive it on. His kind treatment was one day remarked to him, and he was asked whether the beast was not apt to be stubborn. 'Ah!' he said, 'it is of no use to be cruel; and as for stubbornness, I cannot complain, for he is ready to do any thing or go any where. I bred him myself. He is sometimes skittish and playful, and once ran away from me: you will hardly believe it, but there were more than fifty people after him, attempting in vain to stop him; yet he turned back of himself, and never stopped till he ran his head kindly into my bosom.'"

The following is a pleasing anecdote of the sagacity of the a.s.s, and the attachment displayed by the animal to his master. Thomas Brown travelled in England as a pedler, having an a.s.s the partner of his trade. From suffering under paralysis, he was in the habit of a.s.sisting himself on the road by keeping hold of the crupper of the saddle, or more frequently the _tail_ of the a.s.s. During a severe winter some years ago, whilst on one of his journeys, the old man and his a.s.s were suddenly plunged into a wreath of snow. There they lay far from help, and ready to perish.

At last, after a severe struggle, the poor a.s.s got out; but, finding his unfortunate master absent, he eyed the snow-bank some time with a wistful look, and at last forced his way through it to where his master lay, when, placing his body in such a position as to allow him to lay a firm hold on his tail, the honest pedler was enabled to grasp it, and was actually dragged out by the faithful beast to a place of safety!

THE ZEBRA.

The zebra possesses some of the characteristics of the horse;--smaller in size, it strongly resembles it in the shape of its body, its head, its limbs, and its hoofs. It moves in the same paces, with a similar activity and swiftness. But it discovers none of that docility which has rendered the services of the horse so invaluable to man. On the contrary, it is proverbially untamable; it is ever the most wild even among those ferocious animals which are ranged in the menagerie, and it preserves in its countenance the resolute determination never to submit.

In the year 1803, General Dundas brought a female zebra from the Cape of Good Hope, which was deposited in the Tower, and there showed less than the usual impatience of subordination. The person who had accompanied her home, and attended her there, would sometimes spring on her back, and proceed thus for about two hundred yards, when she would become restive, and oblige him to dismount. She was very irritable, and would kick at her keeper. One day she seized him with her teeth, threw him down, and showed an intention to destroy him, which he disappointed by rapidly extricating himself. She generally kicked in all directions with her feet, and had a propensity to seize with her teeth whatever offended her. Strangers she would not allow to approach her, unless the keeper held her fast by the head, and even then she was very p.r.o.ne to kick.

The most docile zebra on record was burnt at the Lyceum, near Exeter 'Change. This animal allowed its keeper to use great familiarities with it,--to put children on its back, without discovering any resentment.

On one occasion, a person rode it from the Lyceum to Pimlico. It had been bred in Portugal, and was the offspring of parents half reclaimed.

The zebra of the plain differs from the other species in having the ground color of the body white, the mane alternately striped with black and white, and the tail of a yellowish white. A specimen of this animal was a few years since in the Tower of London, where it was brought to a degree of tameness seldom reached by the other variety. It ran peaceably about the Tower, with a man by its side, whom it did not attempt to leave except for the purpose of breaking off to the canteen, where it was sometimes regaled with a gla.s.s of ale, a liquor for which it discovered a considerable fondness.

ORDER IX.

RUMINANTIA,

RUMINATING ANIMALS--THOSE THAT CHEW THE CUD.

THE CAMEL.

Of this quadruped there are two species, the dromedary, and the Bactrian camel, which has two hunches on the back. It has been used from the earliest ages, and is one of the most useful of all the animals over which the inhabitants of Asia and Africa have acquired dominion. These continents are intersected by vast tracts of burning sand, the seats of desolation and drought; but by means of the camel, the most dreary wastes are traversed. The camel's great strength, and astonishing powers of abstinence both from food and drink, render it truly invaluable in these inhospitable countries. Denon tells us that, in crossing the Arabian Desert, a single feed of beans is all their food for a day. Their usual meal is a few dates, or some small b.a.l.l.s of barleymeal, or, occasionally, the dry and th.o.r.n.y plants they meet with, at remote intervals, during their progress across the desert. With these scanty meals, the contented creature will lie down to rest amid the scorching sands, without exhibiting either exhaustion or a desire for better fare. Well may the Arab call the camel "the ship of the desert!"

Mr. McFarlane says, "I have been told that the Arabs will kiss their camels, in grat.i.tude and affection, after a journey across the deserts.

I never saw the Turks, either of Asia Minor or Roumelia, carry their kindness so far as this; but I have frequently seen them pat their camels when the day's work was done, and talk to them on their journey, as if to cheer them. The camels appeared to me quite as sensible to favor and gentle treatment as is a well-bred horse. I have seen them curve and twist their long, lithe necks as their driver approached, and often put down their tranquil heads toward his shoulder. Near Smyrna, and at Magnesia and Sardes, I have occasionally seen a camel follow his master like a pet dog, and go down on his knees before him, as if inviting him to mount. I never saw a Turk ill-use the useful, gentle, amiable quadruped; but I have frequently seen him give it a portion of his own dinner, when, in unfavorable places, it had nothing but chopped straw to eat. I have sometimes seen the _devidjis_, on a hot day, or in pa.s.sing a dry district, spirt a little water in the camels' nostrils; they pretend it refreshes them."

The same writer says that, upon his first camel adventure, he was so taken by surprise by the creature's singular rising behind, that he was thrown over his head, to the infinite amus.e.m.e.nt of the Turks, who were laughing at his inexperience. "I was made acquainted with this peculiarity of the animal's movement, in a striking manner, the first time I mounted a camel out of curiosity. I ought to have known better--and, indeed, did know better; but when he was about to rise, from old habits a.s.sociated with the horse, I expected he would throw out his fore legs, and I threw myself forward accordingly--when up sprang his hind legs, and clean I went over his ears, to the great delight of the devidjis."

The following interesting story of the sufferings of a caravan, from thirst, is related by Burckhardt: "In the month of August, a small caravan prepared to set out from Berber to Daraou. They consisted of five merchants and about thirty slaves, with a proportionate number of camels. Afraid of the robber Naym, who at that time was in the habit of waylaying travellers about the wells of Nedjeym, and who had constant intelligence of the departure of every caravan from Berber, they determined to take a more easterly road, by the well of Owareyk. They had hired an Ababde guide, who conducted them in safety to that place, but who lost his way from thence northward, the route being little frequented. After five days' march in the mountains, their stock of water was exhausted, nor did they know where they were. They resolved, therefore, to direct their course towards the setting sun, hoping thus to reach the Nile. After experiencing two days' thirst, fifteen slaves and one of the merchants died: another of them, an Ababde, who had ten camels with him, thinking that the animals might know better than their masters where water was to be found, desired his comrades to tie him fast upon the saddle of his strongest camel, that he might not fall down from weakness; and thus he parted from them, permitting his camels to take their own way; but neither the man nor his camels were ever heard of afterwards. On the eighth day after leaving Owareyk, the survivors came in sight of the mountains of Shigre, which they immediately recognized; but their strength was quite exhausted, and neither men nor beasts were able to move any farther. Lying down under a rock, they sent two of their servants, with the two strongest remaining camels, in search of water. Before these two men could reach the mountain, one of them dropped off his camel, deprived of speech, and able only to move his hands to his comrade, as a sign that he desired to be left to his fate. The survivor then continued his route; but such was the effect of thirst upon him, that his eyes grew dim, and he lost the road, though he had often travelled over it before, and had been perfectly acquainted with it. Having wandered about for a long time, he alighted under the shade of a tree, and tied the camel to one of its branches; the beast, however, smelt the water, (as the Arabs express it,) and, wearied as it was, broke its halter, and set off galloping in the direction of the spring, which, as afterwards appeared, was at half an hour's distance. The man, well understanding the camel's action, endeavored to follow its footsteps, but could only move a few yards; he fell exhausted on the ground, and was about to breathe his last, when Providence led that way, from a neighboring encampment, a Bisharye Bedouin, who, by throwing water upon the man's face, restored him to his senses. They then went hastily together to the water, filled their skins, and, returning to the caravan, had the good fortune to find the sufferers still alive. The Bisharye received a slave for his trouble."

DEER.

Of this genus there are many species, as the elk, moose, stag, fallow-deer, reindeer, &c. They are characterized by timidity, a love of retirement in the solitudes of the forest, a general capacity for domestication, and great swiftness of foot.

The MOOSE.--In the immense forests of North America, this animal is hunted by the Indians with such relentless perseverance, that all its instincts are called forth for the preservation of its existence.

Tanner tells us that, "in the most violent storm, when the wind, the thunder, and the falling timber, are making the loudest and most incessant roar, if a man, either with his foot or hand, breaks the smallest dry limb in the forest, the moose will hear it; and though he does not always run, he ceases eating, and gives all his attention to the sounds he may hear, and he does not relax this till after three or four hours of the keenest vigilance."

The AMERICAN ELK.--This stately creature is easily domesticated, and will then come at the call of his master, follow him to a distance from home, and return with him quietly. Although of a gentle disposition, instances have occurred of its turning upon its pursuers. A wounded one was once known to turn and face a hunter in the woods of Canada; the man was found next day pounded to a jelly, his bones being broken to pieces; the deer, having exhausted its fury, was found dead by his side.

The RED DEER.--The stag is said to love music, and to show great delight at hearing any one sing. If a person happens to whistle, or call some one at a distance, the creature stops short, and gazes upon the stranger with a kind of silent admiration; and if he perceives neither fire-arms nor dogs, he slowly approaches him with apparent unconcern. He seems highly delighted with the sound of the shepherd's pipe. Playford says, "Travelling some years since, I met, on the road near Royston, a herd of about twenty bucks, following a bagpipe and violin. While the music continued, they proceeded; when it ceased, they all stood still."

Brown tells us the following story: "As Captain Smith, of the Bengal Native Infantry, was out in the country with a shooting party, very early in the morning, they observed a tiger steal out of a jungle in pursuit of a herd of deer. Having selected one as his object, it was quickly deserted by the herd. The tiger advanced with such amazing swiftness that the stag in vain attempted to escape, and, at the moment the gentleman expected to see the fatal spring, the deer gallantly faced his enemy, and for some minutes kept him at bay; and it was not till after three attacks that the tiger succeeded in securing his prey.

He was supposed to have been considerably injured by the horns of the stag, as, on the advance of Captain Smith, he abandoned the carca.s.s, having only sucked the blood from the throat."

The following circ.u.mstances are mentioned by Delacroix: "When I was at Compiegne," says he, "my friends took me to a German who exhibited a wonderful stag. As soon as we had taken our seats in a large room, the stag was introduced. He was of an elegant form and majestic stature, his aspect at once animated and gentle. The first trick he performed was, to make a profound obeisance to the company, as he entered, by bowing his head; after which he paid his respects to each individual of us in the same manner. He next carried about a small stick in his mouth, to each end of which a small wax taper was attached. He was then blindfolded, and, at the beat of a drum, fell upon his knees, and laid his head upon the ground. As soon as the word _pardon_ was p.r.o.nounced, he instantly sprang upon his feet. Dice were thrown upon the head of a drum, and he told the numbers that were cast up, by bowing his head so many times. He discharged a pistol, by drawing with his teeth a string that was tied to the trigger. He fired a small cannon by means of a match that was fastened to his right foot, without showing any signs of fear. He leaped several times, with the greatest agility, through a hoop, which his master held at a man's height from the ground.

At length the exhibition was closed with his eating a handful of oats from the head of a drum, which a person was beating the whole time with the utmost violence. Almost every trick was performed with as much steadiness as it could have been accomplished by the best-trained dog."

At Wonersh, near Guildford, the seat of Lord Grantley, a fawn was drinking in the lake, when one of the swans suddenly flew upon it, and pulled the poor animal into the water, where it held it under till it was drowned. This act of atrocity was noticed by the other deer in the park, and they took care to revenge it the first opportunity. A few days after, this swan, happening to be on land, was surrounded and attacked by the whole herd, and presently killed. Before this time, they were never known to molest the swans.

The VIRGINIA DEER.--A young gentleman, in Bath, Virginia, killed two large bucks, the horns of which were so interlocked that they could not disengage themselves. There is no doubt that they had had a combat; and, from observations made by the sportsman, he supposed them to have been in that condition several days. The horns were so securely fastened that, he could not separate them without breaking off one of the p.r.o.ngs. The bucks were killed at two shots, and the one which escaped the first ball carried the other a hundred yards before he met his death.