Citation
Friendship of animals

Material Information

Title:
Friendship of animals
Series Title:
Animal life readers
Creator:
Carrington, Edith
Weir, Harrison, 1824-1906 ( Illustrator )
George Bell & Sons ( Publisher )
C. Whittingham and Co. ( printer )
Chiswick Press ( printer )
Place of Publication:
London
Publisher:
George Bell and Sons
Manufacturer:
Chiswick Press ; Charles Whittingham and Co.
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
180 p. : ill. ; 18 cm.

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Animals -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Human-animal relationships -- Juvenile fiction ( lcsh )
Children's stories ( lcsh )
Children's stories -- 1896 ( lcsh )
Readers -- 1896 ( rbgenr )
Prize books (Provenance) -- 1896 ( rbprov )
Hand-colored illustrations -- 1896 ( local )
Bldn -- 1896
Genre:
Children's stories
Readers ( rbgenr )
Prize books (Provenance) ( rbprov )
Hand-colored illustrations ( local )
novel ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
England -- London
Target Audience:
juvenile ( marctarget )

Notes

General Note:
Animal life readers edited by Edith Carrington and Ernest Bell, with pictures by Harrison Weir and others.
General Note:
Baldwin Library copy: some illustrations are hand-colored and hand drawn; probably by young owner.
Statement of Responsibility:
by Edith Carrington ; illustrated by Harrison Weir.

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida
Holding Location:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
Resource Identifier:
026622223 ( ALEPH )
ALG3679 ( NOTIS )
233648357 ( OCLC )

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Full Text




4) STR

Be
pe: ages

Kos Bie eee oy Gue

Areiqry umpreg oy, |

se DEG

epHOLy
3
Agsioarun),









ANIMAL LIFE READERS
: EDITED BY
EDITH CARRINGTON anp ERNEST BELL
WITH PICTURES BY
HARRISON WEIR

AND OTHERS



ANIMAL LIFE READERS.

STAND.

I. Our Old Friends. Roverand his Friends,
By Epirn Carrine- and other Tales.
ton. Illus. by Har- Illus. by Harrison WEIR.
Rison WEIR. 8d. 8d.

Il. Tame and Wild. Dick and his Cat, and
By Epira Carrine- other Tales. Illus. by
ton. Illus. by Har- F. M. Coopzr. 10d.
RIsON WEIR. 10d.



Il. From ManyLands. History of the Robins.
By Epirg Carrine- Illus. by Hargison WEIR.
ton. Illus. by Har- 1s.

RIsoN WEIR. Is.



IV. Man’s Helpers. By The Animals on Strike,

Epitn CarRiIneron. and other Tales. Illus.
Illus. by Harrison by F. M. Coorzr. Is.
WErR. Is.



V. Nature’s Wonders. Featherland. By Mav-

By Epitra Carpine- VILLE Fenn. Illus. by F.
ton. Illus. by Har- W. Key and A. C.Gounp.
Rison WEIR. Is. Is.



VI. The Friendship of Tuppy, the Life of a
Animals. By Epira Donkey. Illus. by Har-
CaRRINGTON. Tllus. RIsON WEIR: Is.
1s.



VII. Ages Ago. ByEpirxs Poor Blossom, the
CaRRINGTON. Story of a Horse.
[ Preparing. Illus. 1s. [Lmmediately.



FRIENDSHIP OF ANIMALS.





AN OLD SOLDIER.



Friendship of Animals

BY

EDITH CARRINGTON

AUTHOR OF ‘ MAN’S HELPERS,” ‘‘ NATURE’S WONDERS,” “gue
DOG, HIS RIGHTS AND WRONGS,” ETC., ETC.

\ a ¢ 4
wry), \ eal
} YoY Sere
*\ \ Cvs
ONE fee
vei jaa
; a

ILLUSTRATED BY HARRISON“WETR

LONDON
GEORGE BELL AND SONS
YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN
. 1896



Published by Messrs. Bell for the Humanitarian League.



PREFACE.

THE object of this little volume is to show to what a
great extent animals are capable of possessing, and
calling forth in others, the many noble qualities implied
in the word “ friendship.”

The habit we fall into of measuring different beings
by different standards is surely an unfortunate one for

“animals. Unselfish devotion, ready sympathy, patient
endurance, unquestioning trust and lasting affection,
are valued amongst the highest virtues when found in
man, but in the animals we are too-apt to take them
for granted, and to overlook their deep significance
and value.

Numerous beautiful instances of the friendship be-
tween men and animals are recorded, and those given
in this book must be taken only as types. In presence
of the wonderful power shown by those animals who
come into friendly relation with man, in adopting and
even surpassing the attributes of their human asso-
ciates, it'can only be regarded as a serious indictment
against him that almost every species of wild animal
flees at his approach, and sees in him only its most
implacable enemy.

The volume concludes with a brief mention of some



vi PREFACE.

of the most prominent workers for the more just and
sympathetic treatment of animals.

The best thanks of the editors are due to Mrs.:
Suckling for her kindness in supplying valuable in-
formation, and to Mr. Colam, of the R.S.P.C.A., for his
ready permission to allow both literary extracts and
illustrations to be taken from the pages of “ The
Animal World.”

E. B.
CONTENTS:
: PAGE
BIER Wiis ae ORE NED S ENP tases ese mee eye ese coe I
WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL FRIENDS easy,
GREAT WRITERS AND ANIMALS . . . . . IOI

WORKERS ON BEHALF OF ANIMALS. . < . 155



ye\t

THE FRIENDSHIP OF ANIMALS.



TRUE FRIENDSHIP,

IT is not easy to define what the word “ friend” means,
for it is a very elastic word, and means very different
things for different people. Yet those who have a true
friend understand its meaning well enough. Some
folks have a habit of calling their acquaintances, their
comrades or their connections “ friends.” This is quite
a mistake, because among them all there may not be
one who would be found faithful through poverty and
riches, in sickness and health alike, and whose devotion
would bear any trial. Others there are who think
those their friends from whom they have received
world] y benefit, or at whose hands they hope to gain
something.

But the essence of true friendship is that it should be
disinterested ; we love our friend not for what he gives
us, but for what he is. A true friend is one who desires
our highest good, is not afraid to rebuke us‘when we
do wrong, is proud and glad when we do right, sees

B



2 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

that we are capable of lofty things, and grieves when
we do ourselves injustice.

Such a friend as this understands our nature, his
dislike for our faults does not shake his love for our-
selves. Happy is the man, woman, boy or girl who has
friends like these! They are a rare gift, and life has
nothing better to give. Speaking of this noble and
sacred human friendship, Emerson says, “I awoke
this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends,
the old andthe new. Shall I not call God the Beauti-
ful, Who daily showeth Himself soto me in His Gifts ?
—My friends have come to me unsought, The great
God gave them to me.” But though it is not everyone
who is blessed with a perfect human friendship, there
are certain humble friends—equally the gift of God—
whose sincere affection we all may have.

The dog’s passionate devotion, strong as death, has
been the blessing of many a lonely life. He almost
seems to have been created to fill a great blank in this
world,—to become the friend of the friendless, the
consoler of those on whom men turn their backs,

The cat is not far behind him, if at all, in powers of
brightening human life, though her sphere and qualifi-
cations are different from his. Both these animals,
dear and beautiful, delight to make our dwellings their
own, while outside a host of gentle, docile and intelligent
creatures labour for us and contribute to our comfort.

Horses, sheep, cattle, poultry, all tend to make life
in the country less solitary as well as less laborious
and hard. Besides these, a multitude of lovely free
creatures, swift-winged birds, innocent and harmless



TRUE FRIENDSHIP 3

wild animals, brilliant, gay or industrious insects give
~a charm to out-door life.
Each and all of these are our friends, if we will deign
to treat them as such. But if we would have real
friends among these wondrous creatures we must learn
to understand them, and to make a careful study of
their requirements. We cannot hope to make and to
keep a human friend without knowledge of his
character, his wants, his nature; neither can we make
and keep animal friends unless we learn much of their
needs, their dispositions, their joys and pains. There-
fore he is a false and not a true friend of animals who
keeps them wrongly, feeds them badly, treats them in
any way unfairly. Many people profess to be “very
| fond of” birds, or fishes, or of squirrels and dormice,
or other free wild animals, and then when you go into
their rooms you see these unfortunate little beings
boxed up in cages or dying slowly in an aquarium.

This is an odd way of showing fondness! What
should we say of a friend who shut us up in prison?
| We should call him a jailer, a treacherous enemy. No,
self-denial is the foundation of all friendship and love,
‘nobody is truly fond of creatures who makes them
prisoners, however much he may wish to have them
near him.

|
KINDNESS IS THE BEST CHAIN.

ANIMALS are capable of feeling friendship, and very
| disinterested friendship too, not only for ourselves but
foreach other. They sorely need a friend, and it is a
great, though a very common cruelty to isolate any



4 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

creature and keep him quite alone, without sympathy
either of men or his fellow beasts.

Either we should ourselves be the friend of any
animal we keep, and allow him some of our company,
or he should have an animal comrade. Dogs, horses,
and other domestic creatures, though they must of
course depend on us for food, daily show that they
love us for what we are, not for what we give them.

And by the odd friendships which they form among
themselves, animals show that they enjoy each other’s
society as well as that of man, quite apart from any
solid advantage which they reap from it. Mr. Angell,
of America, than whom no truer friend of animals ever
breathed, tells a funny little story of how he picked up
a friend or two in the course of a solitary walk.

He says “I was walking once when I met a fine-
looking dog. . I talked to him pleasantly for a minute
or two, as I usually do, and he seemed to conclude
that I was a friend,and followed me. Presently we
passed a house, and another dog came out, and, after
comparing notes with the first dog, he also followed me.

After walking some distance, I looked around and
found that a good-sized pig had joined the dogs. I
kept on considerably further, and they all followed. I
then turned back to the house where the last dog came
from and asked the man if he could explain the matter.

He said that his dog was the friend of the dog that
first followed me, and that his dog and his pig were such
fast friends that it was impossible to keep them apart.
Unless the pen was very high, the pig would jump over
to be with the dog.” Here was a chain of friendships !






6 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

The first dog followed Mr. Angell for love of him,
the second dog followed for love of the first, and the pig
brought up the rear out of sincere affection for dog
number two. When loving kindness can weave a bond
so quickly and well, what a pity to use any other chain !
Asa rule, animals living together learn to love each
other, no matter how different their natures are, and
they contrive to talk in some mysterious way. Pro-
fessor Romanes tells of a cat who rushed upstairs to
fetch the cook, mewing and trying to drag her down
into the kitchen. Puss was evidently in a terrible state
of mind, so the servant made haste to follow her. On
reaching the kitchen she found a parrot, with whom
Puss was on very friendly terms, accidentally fixed by
the feet in a big bowl of dough which she had set
before the fire to rise.

Poor Poll was struggling and screaming violently, it
was as bad for her as it would have been for a man
stuck ina bog. She was already up to her knees, and
had she not been rescued by her faithful and shrewd
friend Pussy, she would soon have been smothered.

FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN ANIMALS.

Docs have been known to form strong friendships
with other dogs, horses, or geese, and cats with small
birds, rabbits and rats. A fine dog belonging to the
famous Mr. De la Rue, of London, afforded protection
in his kennel to a hen. It appears that foxes, who
were allowed to prow! at will about the estate, in
order that cruel sportsmen might hunt them to death,



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 7

had made sad havoc at the farm where this dog
lived.

One hen determined to secure her property against
the robbers, so she marched boldly into the dog’s
kennel and laid an egg in one corner, advertising the
useful deed by the usual cackling noise. The dog
was not at all offended at the liberty taken with his
house, but on the contrary seemed quite proud of the
confidence placed in him.

Day after day the hen continued to lay her eggs
there, and the dog as regularly brought them out,
carrying them most carefully so as not to break the
shells. He deposited them as near the farm house as
he could, and the housekeeper always rewarded him
for his honesty and cleverness.

A pretty little Skye terrier named “ Duckie,” once
made herself the champion of a hen and her family,
who were placed under a coop upon the lawn. Her
mistress said jokingly, “You must take care of the
little chickens, Duckie,” and from that moment Duckie
mounted guard over them.

Nothing would induce her to leave the coop; she
remained by it all day long, pursuing the chickens
when they strayed, and hunting them back to their
mother. Evidently she had counted them, for she
always knew when one was absent. One dark evening
a chick escaped into a thicket of laurels, and in her
zeal to bring the truant safely home, Duckie squeezed
her too tightly between her pretty white teeth.

The chicken died. After this Duckie’s penitence
and grief were most touching. She was terribly



8 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

ashamed of herself and felt in sad disgrace. The next
morning when she came in to prayers, as her habit
was, some one said “Oh! Duckie, where is the poor
little chicken ?”
This reproach was too much for Duckie’s feelings.
Down went her tail between her legs, and she walked
out of the room. Tender-hearted little doggie! She
never hurt a chicken again, but was their careful
protector till they were able to take care of themselves.
I was once at a farm house where a sick hen was
placed near the fire ina basket. At once a little
terrier dog took her under his care, though he was a
fierce little fellow, and a terror to strangers. He licked
her feathery face, growled at every person or animal
who offered to touch her, and allowed her to take his
own food, though he made it a point of honour never
to touch anything given to her. My own collie dog
at the same time struck up a friendship with a young
lamb, who was being brought up by hand in the
kitchen. She looked on with a benevolent sort of in-
terest, while the lamb was sucking milk out of a teapot,
and the pair would then lie down together on the hearth-
rug, the snowy wool of the lamb making a fine contrast
with her dog-friend’s coat of black satin and gold.
When a pair of horses who have long worked
together are parted by death, the survivor often pines
after his lost friend. More than one horse has been
known to refuse food and die from sorrow in this way.
These facts show us that we must include friendship
under the needs of an animal, if we wish to make him

truly happy.



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 9

Much ill-temper, vice, sullenness, and stupidity in
animals comes from being misunderstood and denied
companionship. Men and women grow stupid and
morose under solitary confinement,—how much more
then must animals do so, whom Nature framed for
free intercourse with each other, and who have no
resources against melancholy ?

Let us seek, then, to know the animals with whom
we hold fellowship, that we may be true and not false
friends to them. They will like us better than other
friends, but when we have not time or opportunity to
associate with them, we must give them friends of
their own kind.

A CAT AND DOG LIFE.

WE are accustomed to talk about “a cat and dog life,”
meaning one of perpetual squabbles or even worse
disagreements. But this saying, like many others of
the same class, is based on error. No better friends
can there be that cats and dogs who have been
brought up together.

Even when a cat and dog, strange to one another,
find that they must reside under the same roof, they
will soon become first-rate friends. They have enough
common sense to see that it is for their mutual comfort
to dwell together in harmony, and will very soon learn
to agree.

The fact :is that human interference: often makes
animals unfriendly to each other. Most puppy dogs
seem to feel no hostility by nature towards cats,



Io TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

though the cat, from the very earliest age, will show
fight on the approach of any dog. Before a kitten can
see, she will make a ridiculous and puny attempt to
arch her back and hiss in a whisper if she smells a
dog, though he may be big enough to swallow her like
a pill. At this her good-tempered shaggy, smooth, or
curly enemy merely wags his tail, and appears to
smile. These hostile demonstrations on pussy’s part
proceed from pure fright; the kittens leave them off
directly they have learnt by experience that the dog
does them no harm.

A little stray kitten which I found in the road and
brought home, would always creep into the kennel of
a big collie dog and sleep curled up on his back.
Nothing would induce the two to part.

All our dogs had been brought up to be friendly
with cats, but I did not expect so much courage on
the kitten’s side. In the morning, Lassie, the collie,
would give a lazy yawn and stretch, taking care not to
disturb the little kitten, instead of bounding out of the
kennel directly she heard my step.

She would seem to say “I can’t get up! She is on
my back,—a poor little baby of whom I must be very
careful.” It takes some time to establish a friendship
between a full-grown cat and a dog, but it can be done
with patience. As a rule the dog is glad enough to
make overtures to puss, and seems quite apologetic
when she rejects them, going away with a sort of look
which means “There! never mind, she will come
round in time. I can’t expect her to take all at once
to a clumsy fellow like me.” He will not revenge



le i

TRUE FRIENDSHIP. II

himself when scratched and clawed by her, because his
-noble heart bids him respect one less strong than
himself, even though she should be more spiteful.



A COMFORTABLE BED.

The cat and dog belonging to a clever German
named Wenzel, who wrote a book on the language



12 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

of animals, were strongly attached to one another.
Whenever the dog had anything nice given to him he
shared it with the cat. One day the master wished to
see whether puss would be equally mindful of her
absent dog comrade.

So he gave the cat a share of his own dinner while
the dog was out. Puss greatly enjoyed the feast, and
finished it, apparently without a thought of the dog.
When he had himself done, M. Wenzel put away
some meat which was left into the cupboard, without
locking the door, and then went away leaving the cat
in the passage.

But puss, who had noticed where the remains of
the meal had been put, was not so forgetful of her
four-legged companion as she had seemed. Going in
search of him, she mewed very loud in a peculiar way
which meant “Come along! See what I have got for
you.” She conducted him to the door of the room in
which the meat was, where they both waited till
somebody chanced to open it.

Then the cat led the dog to the cupboard, contrived
to open the doors, and pushing the meat off the plate
towards him, offered it as a compensation for his loss.
The wife of M. Wenzel, who watched this scene, re-
ported it to her husband on his return.

OUR FRIEND THE HORSE.

THE education of our friend the horse ought to be in
some respects like that ofa child. His lessons must be
made pleasant to him, and then he will learn easily



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 13

and remember long.. Few creatures have better me-
mories than the horse, both for people and places.
He never forgets the way to any place to which he
has once been, and he bears in mind both injuries and
benefits.

Anyone who has been in the habit of driving a.
horse must have noticed how well he recollects houses
before which he has once waited; and thinks he ought
to stop there again. I once saw a village carrier, who
was very good to his old horse, struggling angrily with
him at the corner of the road.

“What is this?” I said to the man, “Why, John, I
never saw you quarrelling with your horse before!”
“Please, Ma’am,” said the carrier, “He w7// go round
the village before he goes home, and I have no parcels
to deliver to-night.” The horse thought that the man
was neglecting his duty, and was determined at any
rate to do his own.

A French doctor was in the habit of visiting his
patients in the morning, upon horseback, after which
his son mounted the same horse in order to take round
the medicines prescribed. This sensible horse needed
no guidance, but always stopped of his own accord
before every door at which his master had called in
the morning.

At another time a soldier on his way from one place
to another lost himself in the open country. The
night was drawing in, snow lay on the ground, and it
was too dark for the traveller to read the words upon
the sign post which stood where two ways met.

The man felt sure that one road was the right



14 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

turning, but his horse was equally certain” that the |
other was the proper way. The animal was so certain |
of knowing best, that his rider tried in vain for a}
quarter of an hour before he could make him take the |

other. This was the more strange because the horse |
was deliberately turning his back upon his own stable |

by choosing the track he persisted in.

Even after fairly starting the horse seemed ill at
ease the whole way, and kept looking behind him.
He trotted slower and slower the farther they went.
At last the pair came to a village where the master
was able to ask the way. Sure enough the horse’s
memory was better than his rider’s. The man had
put the animal on a false track.

Sometimes this good memory on the part of the
horse tells tales of his master’s habits. Many a horse
obstinately refuses to pass a public house where his
master is a frequent visitor, and should he become a
teetotaler, will reproach him with his old bad habits,
by lingering around the old haunts. A horse named
Jack, whose master was rather too fond of his glass,
once grew tired of waiting outside while the man
wasted his time within the bar.

Thrusting his head in at the open door, Jack took
his master’s collar between his teeth, and in a very
gentle manner drew him out and obliged him to
resume his work.

On the other hand should the horse possess a
virtuous master, the same truth holds good. A horse
belonging to the good and illustrious Polish patriot,
Kosciusco, bore silent testimony to his master’s be-



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 15

nevolent nature. Wishing to do a kindness to an
invalid and at the same time to escape his thanks,























Kosciusco sent a young man on the errand upon his
own horse.
On returning to give an account of himself, the



16 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

messenger smilingly said “Next time you lend tne |
your horse I wish you would lend me your purse |
too.” |

“Why, then?” asked Kosciusco.

“Because, directly he sees a poor man, no matter
whether he is galloping or not, he stops short, and
nothing will make him go on again till the needy
individual has received something. Only judge of my
embarrassment! I had not a penny in my pocket.
There was nothing for it but to make a pretence of
giving money. All the way along the road I was
continually making charitable gestures!”

HOW TO TREAT A HORSE,

THOSE who are in the habit of ill-treating their horses
cannot keep their cruelty a secret, the horse will betray
them. If he is in good condition, willing and good-
tempered, he speaks well for his master, but if he looks
wretched, and is sullen and vicious, he speaks ill of
him.

The first point to be remembered in dealing with a
horse is never to lose your temper with him. This is
a wise rule for all who have control of other living
creatures, whether children, servants, animals, or under-
lings of any kind whatever,—for if you cannot govern
yourself how can you hope to govern others ?

Remember that your voice has a great power over
animals. Harsh angry tones, coarse shouts and bad
language terrify a horse and make him morose and
stupid. He will need no other guide but your voice



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 17

"if you use it well and do not spoil his temper and
intelligence by blows and cruel jerkings at the rein.
The stable in which a horse is kept should be light,
well-ventilated and drained. To be kept in total
4 _ darkness and then suddenly brought out into a blaze
_ of light often makes horses blind. And a damp, ill-
' ventilated stable causes rheumatism, colds, coughs,
4 glanders, and other diseases.
| If possible, you should have the stall at least six
| feet wide and nine feet long, so that the horse can turn
') round or lie down comfortably. Have the floor level,
/as standing on a slope will strain his legs. In loading,
consider well the distance to be travelled. Also the
nature of the ground.
' A load which a horse can draw easily on level
> ground becomes too heavy for him up a hill. Terrible
_ cruelty to horses arises because they are loaded by
persons who do not know the hilly nature of the road
which they must travel. Great injury is done not only
_ to the horse, but to the owner’s pocket thereby. Wise

| owners of horses will never overload them. It is better





to divide the load and go twice.
_ If your load is heavy let the horse stop often,
“especially when pulling up hill. The shafts should be
propped up and a stone put behind the wheel unless
the cart can be drawn across the road. It is of no use
to stop, unless proper time is allowed for the horse to
get his breath. Otherwise the stop with the effort to
"start again too soon does more harm than good.
_ Should your horse meet with an accident or fall ill,
consult a proper horse doctor at once, and do not allow
i Cc



18 TRUE. FRIENDSHIP.

anybody to give him drugs. Never allow anybody to
tease or tickle your horse, as vicious habits are thus
easily induced. Keep the harness soft and clean,
especially the inside of the collar and saddle. If the
perspiration is allowed to dry in, it will cause irritation
and produce galls. Many a horse is punished for
“jibbing,” or refusing to draw his load, when in reality
he is no rebel,
; but is merely}
suffering froma
tight — collar.
Pressing on his
windpipe, it half
suffocates him
as he pulls.
The collar
“| should fit close:
el ly, with suffi-|
cient. space at
the bottom to
admit your
hand. A collar
obstructs breathing if too small, while one too large
will cramp the shoulders, draw them into an un
natural position, and prevent the blood from. cit:
culating. Do not buckle the girth too tight, and
never permit the farrier to weaken a horse’s foot
by cutting away the wall. of the hoof, the frog, of
the sole. Shoes should be removed or changed
every three or four weeks. No horse must ever be
allowed to stand in dirty stables, as the gases











A GOOD NOSEBAG,



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 19

arising from manure will taint his food and irritate
his lungs as well as his eyes.

Many diseases of the feet are brought on by unclean
stables. The breath of the animal makes his hay
unwholesome, it should not be kept above the stall.
The horse should be cleaned outside the stable if
possible ; when done inside, the dust fouls the crib and
makes him loathe his food.

Horses feed naturally on the ground, and a hay-
rack over his head is not recommended. But a nose-
bag, out of which he can eat without tossing it into
the air or groping in vain for the oats is good. Such a
one has been invented, it is tied to his neck by the
bottom, instead of hanging its uncomfortable weight
from his head. It is called “ eo s patent nose-
bag,” and is a great boon.

IF A HORSE COULD SPEAK

he would say, “ Please, my good master, don’t forget
to give me a nice grooming when I come home tired
out ; you cannot think how much better I shall work
next day if you will rub my legs well with your hand,
and bandage them up. And just look closely at my
hoofs to see if any stone or nail is fixed there, which
I cannot get out myself. My hoofs want cleaning
too, with a brush, or they are sure to get sore and
make me lame. I want a clean bed as well as you do,
though straw will do well enough for me. If it is
very cold, cover me with a rug, or perhaps I shall
wake with a cough and bad pains.



20 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

“When you use the curry-comb do not scrape me
hard—some of us with fine skins cannot bear to be
combed at all, we like a good hard brush better, it
will make our coats glossy as silk. Why do you put
things called blinkers close to our eyes? They bother
us a good deal.



I CANNOT PULL WITH THIS ON.

“A horse I once met told me that these horrid
blinkers were put for the first time on a horse which
was wall-eyed, by a nobleman who was his master, so
that folks should not see the ugly-looking defect. After
that, other people stuck blinkers on their horses too,
whether they were blind of one eye or not, just that
they might be like the nobleman, They thought the



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 21

blinkers a good place for painting the ornaments they
call ‘ coats-of-arms ’ upon.

“Tt makes us frightened to have our eyes covered up,
and often the blinkers tease us by rubbing our eye-
lashes and flapping about. But there is a worse thing
than blinkers, a strap which you put round our necks



NOW THAT IS COMFORTABLE.

called the bearing rein. I only wish you could feel
it yourself, that’s all, then I am sure you would never
put it on a horse again. :

“ Sometimes I see men pulling little trucks up a hill,
and I notice that they push their heads out in front of
them as they go. I wonder how they would manage
if a tight leather strap tied their heads back? Oh,



22 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

the pain and misery are dreadful to bear! Besides
this, it makes one look ugly.

“ Another word—please recollect that though we are
big creatures our stomachs are small in proportion to
our size. We get hungry faster than a dog or cat
does, and we ought to have a little feed often. You
see when we are out in the fields we eat all day, yet
never get too much.

“Tf you take us to work for you, pray let us have
food enough, or we shall get ill, weak, and worn out
before our time. Horses want more nourishing food
when they are working. Grass or hay does very well
at other times, but we like oats best after a hard day’s
toil, or, better still, a nice warm mash.

“We want a little water and food about every two
hours when on our tedious journeys up and down hill,
or along the dreary roads drawing loads for men. I
often wonder what you can want with so many things!
A horse wants only a few. Please try and give us the
little we ask.

“] think that men and boys do not know how easily
frightened we are. If they did they would speak
gently and never beat us. Nearly all the faults we
have come from fear—it is fear that makes us shy,
fear that makes us jib, fear that now and then
makes us ill-tempered, though, as a rule, we are so
gentle.

“Tf you would tell us kindly when we ought to stop
and when we ought to go on, we would do it, but how
can we tell what you want if you whip us for every-
thing? If I am hit for standing still, and then hit



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 23.

“for going on, how can I possibly tell what I am to
do? Iam not stupid. Speak to me, and I shall learn
without your tugging at my bridle or flogging me.”



THE POWER OF KINDNESS.

; THE wonderful horse tamer, Mr. Rarey, used neither
_ whip, stick, nor any other means of punishment to
| bring refractory horses into submission. The most
remarkable case of subduing a savage horse by the
power of kindness was shown when the celebrated
“Cruiser,” belonging to Lord Colchester, was rendered
_ docile as a lamb by Mr. Rarey.

| This horse was so vicious, and showed such a
:



terrible temper, that the care of him was too dangerous
an office for any man to undertake. For days no
one dared approach his stall. He was fed through a
long funnel. On one occasion he seized an iron bar
and tore it in two with his teeth!

There was, no doubt, some hidden reason for the
ferocity of Cruiser. The fury of an animal generally
proceeds from some unsatisfied want, and this is
especially the case where they are kept in confinement.
Mr. Rarey knew all about the horse, yet felt so sure
of taming him that he undertook to pay one hundred
pounds if not successful.

The grooms and stable men smiled at each other
when they heard of this. “Cruiser is more than a
match for him,” they all said. However, the trial of
strength came on between the horse and the man. It
was a dangerous moment for Mr. Rarey. Twice the



24 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

horse flew at him like a tiger, with a savage cry, and
it was as much as Mr. Rarey could do to keep out of |
reach of his teeth.

After many attempts, Cruiser’s head was fastened |
to the rack. And then for twenty minutes he raged |
like a mad creature. So fearful was the frenzy of the |
animal that Lord Colchester called out to the horse |
tamer, “ Don’t peril your life, Mr. Rarey, never mind |
the hundred pounds!”

But Mr. Rarey had a firm will, one of the great |
secrets of managing animals; he also possessed great _
patience, another necessity if creatures are to be well
ruled. He persevered, and Lord Colchester states, |
“in three hours Mr. Rarey and myself mounted him,
though he had not been ridden for nearly three
years!”

Another gentleman who witnessed this almost
magical effectof power combined with gentleness wrote,
“A few days ago Cruiser was a frantic savage; now
he is without a bridle, following Mr. Rarey like a dog ;
stopping or trotting just as he is told. Every trace of
savage life has left his eye, and he enjoys being
fondled.” It is by studying the nature of the horse in
his wild state that we find some clue to this mystery,
Elephants, horses, swine, and many other creatures
live in herds while roaming at liberty, under the
charge of a leader of their own species. If by any
chance one animal becomes separated from the rest,
he becomes gloomy, morose, and at last savage and
dangerous.

A solitary elephant is fierce, and pursues men, so is



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 25

a solitary wild boar. The horse partakes of the nature
of other wild animals who live in tribes. When he is
taken from the prairies and forced to work, man be-
comes his leader; and the horse submits, because he
acknowledges his chieftain in man. Cruiser, and others
like him, high-spirited and sensitive, need a master or
captain both gentle and strong. When once they find
such an one they obey him like a dog, but the man must
first prove himself worthy, or the horse will not obey.
By brute force, blows, kicks, and bad words no man .
will ever master the horse. He is far stronger than
the mightiest man who ever lived, and can give harder
blows and more fearful kicks, though he cannot use
bad language. If it comes to a battle between a
spirited horse and a man, the horse will conquer,
unless the man proves his superiority in some better
way than violence.

Until this fierce animal met Mr. Rarey he had.
found no chieftain, and was terrified and enraged at
being shut up and left to himself. It is most likely
that all his faults had been made worse instead of
better by this, though from a colt he had been hard
to manage.

Had Mr. Rarey attempted to treat Cruiser as the
horse wished at first to treat him, he would have been
a dead man in five minutes. He showed instead that
he was in some ways stronger than a horse, because
wiser, more patient, more long-suffering, more merciful,
and with power that did not depend on muscles.
Animals are quick to see this greatness in the race
above them, Though they cannot understand it, they



26 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

know that somehow man’s mzxd will conquer their
bodies, though his muscles are weaker than theirs.

It is seldom that a horse so fierce as Cruiser is
found, but the same rule applies to all horses. Kind-
ness, with firm, persevering patience and gentleness,
will do anything with them : brutality will do nothing.
Cruelty to horses is folly, because it is not only useless
but harmful. It harms the body of the horse and
wears him out more than any amount of hard work,
but it hurts the soul of the man, who shows it far
more.

THE HORSE’S LITTLE COUSIN.

THE more we treat donkeys like horses, the more like
horses they will be. Their race is one with that of
the horse; insize, the ass, when well treated, approaches
him, for in Spain donkeys reach a height of fourteen
hands, or even more.

That the donkey will exist without comforts, which
are necessary to the horse, is no reason why he should
have none. He wants grooming, proper food, a clean,
dry bed, and change of food like his fine, big cousin..
It is because he gets none of these things that Neddy
droops his long ears, hangs his head, turns morose, a
little bit sulky sometimes, and will do no more work
than he can help.

But will any living creature work under such miser-
able conditions? The best and wisest man or boy
who ever lived would turn sullen if he had to bear half
what a donkey does. The ass shows his sense in





HOMEWARD BOUND.



28 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

declining to be cheerful and energetic when he is
starved, overloaded, badly housed or not sheltered at
all, and never cleaned.

Those who treat donkeys well find a great advantage
in it. A good meal before starting to work in the
morning, a little corn at least once in the day, and a
second feed at night of roots, hay, or oats are the
smallest allowance on which a donkey can be expected
to earn his master’s living.

Water must be clean, or the ass turns up his nose
at it. He is among the cleanest of creatures, never
has any fleas on him, and detests mud and dirt of any
sort. He enjoys grooming as much as a horse does,
and needs it as much. If used well, the donkey will
be a good servant for thirty, forty, or even fifty years,
but he seldom lives for a quarter of that time in this
country. Though he is the poor man’s friend, being
cheaper to keep than the horse, and costing less to
buy, the donkey meets with such disgraceful return
for his helpfulness that his life is over or he is worn
out at about the age of twelve, in nine cases out of ten.

One great cause.of the ill-usage of the ass in this
country is the silly habit of turning him into a joke.
People must be hard up for something to laugh at
when they can find a jest in any animal’s sufferings.
Far from being an object of contempt, the ass is a
clever animal, more so than the horse, and more so
sometimes than the fools who jeer at him.

An amusing sight was till lately to be seen on
a great bridge in the heart of Bristol, where a man
stood every night selling hot potatoes from a little



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 29

cart drawn by a donkey. All day long the busy
throng pass and repass this bridge, and the trade is
good.

Not till midnight, when the crowds melted away, did
the man and his patient little Neddy think it time for
going home to seek their own supper. One night I
happened to be coming home late after a concert, and
was waiting for a tramcar on the bridge. The little
cart stood close to me, but the man was talking toa
policeman on the other side of the road.

Presently the big bell from a church clock near began
to toll twelve, and all at once I noticed a change in the
donkey’s ears. He took no particular notice at the
first toll of the bell, nor at the second, but when seven
or eight strokes had fallen, his ears began slowly
to rise.

“ Nine! ten!”—the ears pricked themselves eagerly ;
“Eleven!”—they stood bolt upright—“ Twelve!”
Before the sound had finished vibrating, off rattled the
little cart as hard as it could pelt, and I saw Neddy
no more. .The man ran laughing after it.

Neddy could hear ten o'clock strike, or eleven,
without moving a muscle, but twelve meant stable and
carrots, and he was off like a shot. He had learnt to
count without going to school. Certainly the folk
who treat so sensible a creature as this like some
stupid wooden doll or a sack of flour, and try to govern
him by blows, are far more senseless than he is.



30 TRUE. FRIENDSHIP.

THE DONKEY’S FRIEND,

LORD SHAFTESBURY, one of the best men who ever
lived, and one who did more to promote the proper
treatment of animals than any nobleman before him,
was proud to be called “the donkey’s friend.” When
his attention had once been called to the sad condition
of costermongers’ donkeys in the east end of London,
the earl never rested till he had done something to
ameliorate their lot.

He rightly thought that the best way to make the
men take a pride in the donkeys, instead of beating
and ill-using them, or keeping the poor creatures on
short commons, was to zv¢erest the costermongers in
the animals they drove. He held meetings, gave
addresses, and offered rewards for the best groomed,
' finest,strongest, and most comfortable looking donkeys.

The measure proved a complete success: the men
had, in many cases, been thoughtless rather than
brutal, and had fallen into an error which many people
commit, namely, that of fancying animals to be so
different from themselves as to be beyond the reach
of sympathy and the rule of love.

The working men highly appreciated Lord Shaftes-
_ bury’s efforts on behalf of themselves and their donkeys,
for they felt that in becoming less a brutal tyrant a
man becomes more worthy of being human. As a
tribute of gratitude and good-fellowship, the coster-
mongers of London presented the good earl with a
living token of their regard. This was nothing less





A DONKEY’S GRAVE.



32 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

than a “ moke,” a very handsome fellow indeed, and
also a barrow for him to draw. There can, we know,
be no greater compliment paid us by any body of
men than a desire on their part that we should be
their comrades. Lord Shaftesbury was delighted that
the costermongers should wish to treat him as one of
themselves.

In the justice room at his residence of St. Giles; the
barrow was always kept, and he would never part with
it. From the favourite “moke” he was forced to part,
for. after a peaceful life spent in drawing the lawn-
mower of his noble owner, this lucky animal passed
away to the land of happy creatures.

As if to show his pleasure in being surnamed the
“friend” of that humble race, this good-hearted peer
conferred upon the costermonger’s gift his own title.
Though the “moke” had always gone by the name of
“Coster Jack” he was re-named “ Shaftesbury.” And
when he died the earl caused him to be buried in his
own estate with the following epitaph :

“TO COSTER JACK..

“Friend of the poor !—no higher name is thine,
Shaftesbury, thou noblest of an ancient line.
Friend of the poor! Lie buried in this grave,
Thou humble beast his brother ‘costers’ gave !
For Christ, who in His hour of triumph sate

On a young ass, thy form hath consecrate,

And bid us ponder how God’s work may join

Both man and beast to God in sympathy Divine!”



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 33

WHAT A DOG WANTS.

FOREMOST among our animal friends comes the dog,
who loves us for our own sakes, no matter whether we
are rich or poor, old. or young, ugly or handsome, good




NR
"il






ENJOYING THE AIR.

“or bad. If we wish to be true and not false friends to
him in return, we must find out what he needs and
make sure that he has it. -

There are three great-wants that the dog feels, when
D



34 TRUE. FRIENDSHIP.

kept by us, and as he cannot ask in our words, we
must attend to them without waiting for him to plead >
for himself. The first great want is proper food, the
second is proper housing, and the third is exercise.

“Every dog ought to have as much as he can eat of
wholesome food once a day, though for some dogs it
is better to give food twice. The dinner or supper
should consist of a mixture of meat, vegetables, and
meal of some kind. Hé ought not to have raw meat,
and bones should be given sparingly.

When meat is bought fora dog the coarsest parts
are best, but no horse flesh should ever be offered him.
Lumps of cold potatoe or green stuff are not food for
a dog, but if carefully cut up and mixed with a little
gravy and: dripping, with a few shreds of meat, he
will think them a feast.

Dog biscuit is not good for an entire diet ; it is no
better for a dog-than dry ship biscuit would be for a
man, all the year round. The bits of dry meat in
these biscuits do him no good, and are often of a very
bad kind. It is far better to give oatmeal or any fresh
food, though dog biscuit may be better than nothing.

It is a capital plan to keep a pot for the dog, into
which may be thrown any waste bits from the kitchen.
When boiled together he will relish pieces which he
would disdain otherwise, and he likes a flavour of
meat in his supper. We must not forget that naturally
he is a flesh-eating animal, and cannot be comfortable
without any flesh at all. Sheep’s paunch, ox cheek,
or any odd bits bought cheap will do well if nicely
cooked and mixed up with vegetables and meal.



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 35

Liver is good now and then, about once a week.
Fresh water should always be kept within reach of
every dog, at all times. As to his house, he ought
never to be put into a damp kennel. Four bricks
should be placed so as to keep it above the ground,
and a few pieces of board nailed together to make a
wooden platform ought to be placed outside for him
to lie on when the weather is close.

The kennel ought to be well washed and painted
inside with turps once a fortnight at least, the ground
or paved yard round it should be well washed, and if
a little carbolic acid be mixed with the water, it is all
the better for his health and that of the household
near which he lives. If dogs sleep indoors, a mat, or
straw bed, must be given them.

In his kennel the dog ought to have a clean thick
bed of straw or pine shavings, changed as often as
possible. The door of it should be turned away from
the wind in winter, and in summer it should be shaded
from the heat. For this reason it is best to make a
dog’s house movable.

In very cold weather a flap or curtain must be
nailed over the opening in such a way as to let down
when wanted. Dogs suffer much from rheumatism
and cold, and need protection. Bathing is not good
for dogs except in very hot weather, and it is always
bad unless the dog can be perfectly dried before lying
down again. It is better for him to go without his
bath than to get ill from damp. As he does not
perspire through his skin, but through his tongue only,
he does not need washing as much as some people



36 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

think. A good combing and brushing each day will
keep his coat in better order than soap and water,
which only roughens it and makes it dirtier in the
end.

Lastly, exercise is life toa dog. It is cruel to the
last degree to keep him chained up all day ; those who
do it show great ignorance, or else barbarous neglect.
It is seldom necessary to chain a dog at all, he is so
obedient, docile, and willing to please. But if he
must now and then be tied up, it should be for as
short a time as possible.

Too much exercise is bad for a dog, and it is a very
cruel fashion to make him run after the master he
loves, when the man is mounted on a bicycle, or is
driving. On his own legs a man cannot go too far
for a dog, but on wheels he overtaxes his four-footed
companion. It is sad indeed to see a dog tied under
a cart, or panting along behind a carriage or bicycle,
dead beat, yet not daring to stop for fear of being
dragged along or left hopelessly behind.

The muzzle is a cruel torment to this noble creature,
and it is to be hoped that before long the law will
forbid its use instead of compelling it. Our friend the
dog wants these few simple things to keep him in
health, and besides his bodily wants he has others.

Underneath his coat, whether rough or smooth, the
dog has a heart which is full of affection, and he is
most unhappy unless he finds someone to love. The
want of a human friend is one of the deepest feelings
which he knows, and it is the greatest possible mis-
take to treat him as if he cared for nothing but eating



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 37

and drinking. When he learns to do so it is because
he has found nothing better to care for.

He is more like a very little child than anything
else, though he surpasses any child in unselfishness,
devotion, aad power to serve those whom he loves.
We must think of his short life of about twelve years
as that of a person, who, though not able to think as
wisely as we do, or to talk our language, can love more
truly, and can speak well enough in his own way.

A LIVING MONUMENT.

ANYONE walking through the old Churchyard of Grey-
friars, Edinburgh, some five and twenty years ago,
would have seen a strange and pathetic sight. Many
a costly mass of carved stone or polished marble,
covered with words of eulogy, marked the places where
rich and great people slept ; but upon the green grass
which covered the nameless resting-place of a poor
man there cee ?

It looked like the effigy of a dog, einmiecl wrought
in dusky stone, so as to look like life——and yet it
breathed, it stirred, while now and then a piteous sigh
or half-smothered whine broke from it. This was a
living monument ;—the sleeper’s only friend, a true-
hearted little terrier who could not bear to be parted
from. him.

And lying there, the small shaggy rough-coated
Scotch doggie spoke better things for his dead friend
lying below, than any pompous speeches cut on sense-
less blocks of stone. He gave silent witness to his



38 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

master’s kindness ; he told a tale of love which passes
beyond the grave into that land where pain and part-
ing are no more,

The heart of little Bobby was with the friend he
loved still. What memory! What self-denial! What
devotion! The creature forgot all other wants, all
other woes, all other cares in the one all-absorbing
desire to stay where he had seen the beloved form
disappear. ;

Who knows but that his dim brain nourished some
hope that his master would wake and come up to
him again-some day? If any such notion passed
through his mind, and if little faithful Bobby looked
forward to meeting his friend once more, surely by
this time his longing is gratified, and the same strong
patient love which drew him to linger on his mas-
ter’s grave has drawn the two together again now
elsewhere.

An aged man, James Brown, whose duty. it was
to take charge of the cemetery, remembered well
the day when a humble artisan, named Grey, was
brought to lie there, and noticed that Bobby was
foremost among the mourners. Next morning James
found him lying on the grave, and as his orders were
that “No dogs were to be admitted” he drove him
out.

But the next day Bobby was there again. What
did he care for printed notices about dogs, stuck outside
the gate? It was cold and wet,—and Bobby was seen
by James in a shivering and forlorn plight. The old
man took pity on him and fed him,



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 39

Poor Bobby, thus encouraged in his desire to keep
near the grave, now lay upon it in peace. For fourteen
long years he kept his solemn watch, never leaving











the sacred spot for long. A benevolent man, Sergeant
Scott, R.E., allowed Bobby his board for a length of
time, and for nine years he was fed by Mr. Trail, the
kindly keeper of a restaurant close by.



40 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

At this shop, Bobby appeared regularly for his
dinner, being guided by the midday gun from the
castle. But at last the same mysterious message
which had fetched his master so far away, and which
sooner or later must still the pulse of every heart,
whether of man or beast, came to Bobby too.

Bobby died, as his master had done before him ;
and as men thought no shame to bury him in Christian
ground, consecrated to the dust of loftier though less
faithful beings, perhaps some unseen guide thought no
scorn of showing Bobby’s little spirit the way his
master had gone. The Bible speaks of “ the spirit of
the beast” as having a future,—though its destiny is
hidden.

Among the many visitors who had heard the fame
of Bobby’s long watch, and came to see the mute
sentinel at his post, was the Baroness Burdett-Coutts,
an ardent lover of animals. She caused a beautiful
drinking fountain of granite to be erected in the
streets of Edinburgh, to the memory of Bobby.

Many a weary wayfarer, on two legs or four, passes
refreshed after quenching his thirst at its flowing
waters,—so Bobby has not lived in vain. At the top
of the ornamental column sits Bobby himself, cut
out of granite, looking much as he did in life, and
bidding all passers by, for his sake, to cherish his
race, ' .

Professor Blackie wrote a Greek inscription for
Bobby’s memorial, which when translated runs thus:
“This monument was erected by a noble lady, the
Baroness Burdett-Coutts, to the memory of Greyfriars



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 4I

Bobby,a faithful and affectionate littledog who followed
the remains of his beloved master to the Churchyard
in the year 1858 and became a constant visitor to the
grave, refusing to be separated from the spot until he
died in the year 1872.”

BILL, THE FIRE-ESCAPE DOG.

IT is a remarkable feature in the character of the dog
that he will often attach himself to masses of men,
without picking out any particular individual as his
special master. When he is a regimental dog he
appears to know the regiment of his own corps, and to
respect the flag.

And he has sometimes been known to adopt the
policemen of a certain station, or a ship’s crew, or a
fire brigade, in the same manner, as his own associates.
This shows no small degree of intelligent watchfulness
on his part, for he must have grasped in his own mind
the fact that these people, all dressed alike, act in
concert, and form one body.

Perhaps some lingering memory, handed down from
the time when his ancestors, the wolves, hunted to-
gether in packs under a leader, may assist him in
coming to this sage conclusion. Among the band of
noble heroes who have charge of fire-escapes, and who
are ever ready to peril their lives to save those of
others, was a man named Samuel Wood.

He saved nearly one hundred men, women and
children ; much of Wood’s success, however, was due



42 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

to his wonderful little dog “ Bill,” around whose neck
the parishioners of Whitechapel placed a silver collar,
with an inscription in his praise as a token that during
nine years he filled the important post of “ Fire-escape
dog.”

As Bill’s master was forced to keep watch all night,
that being the time when fires most frequently break
out, he slept by day, and the dog slumbered close to
his bed. He never thought of leaving this place till it
was time for them both to go to the station. Bill was
sure not to let his master sleep too long. How he
knew the time was a mystery, but he did.

When the fire-escape was wheeled out of the White-
chapel churchyard at nine o'clock, Bill was promptly
at his post. Though very quiet at other times, he
began to bark furiously when he heard the alarm of
fire raised. Wood had no occasion to sound his rattle,
for all the policemen around knew the voice of Bill
and hurried up to help.

If the cry of “Fire!” were raised when but few
people were at hand, Bill would rush to the coffee-
houses and taverns near, push open the doors, and
give his well-known bark, as if to say, “Come along!
Why don’t you help?” After this no man among
them stayed behind at his ease; he would have been
ashamed to be less charitable than a dog.

In the dark nights a lantern was lighted, and Bill
at once seized hold of it and ran in front of his master
to show him the way. When the ladder was erected,
Bill was at the top before Wood could get half-way
up! He jumped into the rooms, and amid thick





SAVING PUSS.



AA TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

smoke and rolling flames ran from room to room
helping his master to find and bring out the terrified
inmates.

Once the fire burned so rapidly, and the smoke in
the room became so dense, that Wood and another
man were unable to find their way out. They feared
that death was certain. Bill at once seemed to com-
prehend the danger in which his kind friend was
placed, and the faithful creature began to bark.

Half suffocated, Wood and his comrade knew that
this was a signal meaning “ Follow me!” They at
once crawled after the dog as well as they were able,
and ina few moments reached a window, guided by
him. Their lives were saved! and all was Bill’s
doing. What an amount of sense and affection, besides
presence of mind, such an act shows! A man could
not have behaved more prudently and well.

But Bill’s benevolence did not end here. One night
a poor little kitten was found on the stairs of a house
which was on fire. He immediately drove Pussy
down from stair to stair until she reached the door,
where she was tenderly cared for by a very kind-
hearted policeman.

Many were the pains which this noble dog bore in
the execution of his duty: once he was injured by
falling into a tub of scalding water, thrice he was run
over in the hurly-burly, and finally he met his death
from being seriously hurt while at the post of honour
and of danger. ,

In spite of the most affectionate nursing, Bill was
lost to the fireman, his master, who doubtless made a



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 45

keepsake of his collar, with its halting verse written
by some humble poet who loved the wearer :

“T am the fire-escape man’s dog, my name is Bill,
When ‘fire’ is called, I am never still,

1 bark for my master, all danger I brave,

To bring the ‘ escape’ human life to save.”

A LITTLE HOUSE FRIEND.

THE famous Chateaubriand said, when ,an old man:
“IT would willingly make myself the advocate of _
certain works of God which are in disgrace with men.
In the first line would figure the ass and the cat.”
Though poor puss is not made to slave for us, she is .
certainly made to bear much needless suffering, and
she sorely needs a champion.

Because she can catch mice, it is supposed that she
needs no other food; and because she loves liberty
and it is her nature to roam abroad in the dark,
people deprive her of shelter through the bitter,
freezing nights; because she attaches herself to the
place in which she dwells, her owners conclude that
she wants nothing better than bare walls and a floor
to love.

Thus, being treated like a wild beast instead of a
tame creature, is it any wonder that she loses half the
intelligence, affection, and cleverness of which she is
capable? Very different as her nature is from that of
the dog, these two chief animal comrades of ours are
alike in one point.



46 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

The better you treat them the more loving, faithful,
and sensible they will be. The cat requires regular
meals like the dog ; why should she be able to live on
air, any more than he? She cannot always catch
mice, and if she does they are not good food for
her in a domestic state.

It is cruel to turn poor pussy out at night against
her will, but equally cruel to confine her should she
express an urgent wish to go out. If you train her
to come in at a fixed hour for her supper, she will
soon learn to be as punctual as any other member of
the family, in spite of the song that says, ‘“ Cats don’t
know when it’s half-past eight !”

The best food for puss is a mixture of meat, meal,
and vegetables, and a highly civilized cat, rightly
brought up from kittenhood, will like nothing better
than a portion from his master’s table. Warm meat,
however, should not be given. The lumps of offal
called “cat’s meat” are very bad for pussy, and if any
raw meat is given her it should be lean beef cut up
small and mixed with a little cooked vegetable.

Grass is medicine for cats, and they must have
access to it. No two cats have appetites alike; many
a cat will purr over a feast of boiled potatoes, another
will enjoy a helping of milk pudding. Many prefer
milk with soaked bread; others will not touch this,
but like dry biscuit or bread, and the milk separate.
A few cats prefer water to milk at all times, and when
ill, most cats turn from milk. Fresh and clean water
then should be always within reach of every cat.

A puss of my acquaintance, who belongs to an old



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 47

blind woman, has pretty ways of coaxing her for any
special dainty which he knows to be in the house.
This tabby is perfectly aware that his mistress cannot
see, and so, when he wishes to talk to her, he wastes
no time on arching his back, rubbing against the legs
of her chair, or begging with the usual graceful wiles
of his race.

He always jumps at once on to her lap, and gives
her a very gentle nip with his teeth. When there is a
plum-pudding in the cupboard, Tabby never gives
the old woman any peace till he has had his share.
He pulls her skirts, takes her dress into his mouth,
or goes on giving her hand little bites till she gives him
some. To the old dame’s husband, who can see well,
this puss behaves quite differently. He never nibbles
his master, but treats him as an ordinary member
of society.

SIR EMERSON TENNANT’S “ TOM.”

SOMETIMES silly people will speak sneeringly of cats
as “old women’s pets.” This way of talking is doubly
foolish, because, neither cats nor aged women have
anything contemptible about them. We must all be
old women, or else old men, one day, unless we die
first, and, as a rule, old folk are wiser, better, kinder,
and more worthy of respect than youngsters.

We ought to mock neither at animals nor human
beings. Tennyson truly says that

“ Mockery is the fume af little hearts.”



48 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

But besides being silly, it is false to say that cats
are fit companions for elderly and feeble persons only.

Many brave and wise men, poets, heroes, and states-
men, have preferred cats to dogs as comrades. Cardinal
Wolsey, when Chancellor of England, always had his
favourite cat sitting on a chair beside him, while he
held his audiences. Tasso, the Italian poet, addressed
one of his most charming sonnets to his cat, and our
English poet Cowper often wrote of them.

The celebrated traveller, Sir Emerson Tennant, had
a “Tom,” who was almost like a child of the house.
Tom was a splendid silky fellow, jet black, with
magnificent whiskers and a finely shaped head, which
he carried in a fearless, upright manner. He had a
head upon his shoulders, figuratively as well as literally,
for he was far too wise a cat to make a fuss about
any such trifle as a railway journey.

It is the greatest possible mistake to fancy that
domestic cats “like places better than people.” They
do so only when they have had no particular notice
taken of them by any particular person, and thus
have formed no special attachment. We ourselves
should learn to grow fond of the rooms in which we
have always lived, if we had nothing better to love,
and, indeed, lonely people often do this.

Every summer as the time drew near for his master’s
family to travel away for their seaside holiday, Tom
exhibited a remarkable uneasiness, restlessly straying
into empty rooms, examining boxes, running to the
front door at the servant’s heels, and taking an interest
in all cabs, .



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 49

Once or twice he even had to be caught and brought
back from one of these vehicles, into which he had
jumped under the impression that his human belong-
ings were going away in it, while he would be left



GOING TO THE SEASIDE.

behind. At last Tom’s hamper was brought out, and
then his mind was set at rest.

He then knew that he was going to accompany the
party, and strutted gravely round and round his
basket, while seriously consulting the standers-by with

K



50 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

his large intelligent eyes. Tom always behaved very
well in the train, but when once in the country he
became quite another cat from the quiet personage
that he was at home. “Why shouldn’t I have a
change and some fun like the rest ?” he seems to have
thought, for Tom would disappear for many days at a
time, seldom putting in an appearance during his
whole stay, except when he brought a young leveret
in his mouth, as a present, let us say. Yet no sooner
did the time approach for going home than Tom
would again be on the look-out, and in due course
would return to London as he had come, where he
would again become a respectable and sober house-cat.

Tom’s feelings were very easily hurt, and if any
slight were put upon him, he would look reproachfully
into the offender’s face, and then retire downstairs to
his friends in the kitchen. No coaxing would appease
him till several hours had passed, when he would
forgive and forget.

Though his master was often urged to send Tom to
cat shows, and assured that he would win a first prize,
Sir Emerson would never consent. He would not
subject his favourite to so painful an ordeal for the
sake of money or fame. Although they may not be
subjected to actual ill-usage at these places, animals at
shows suffer much from fright, confinement, the absence
of familiar faces, and the presence-of staring crowds.

Tom never broke anything in his life, though he
was very inquisitive about new things, and would jump
upon the tables laden with costly crockery, glass, and
ornaments, picking his way carefully to smell at any



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. ST

fresh article placed there. His mistress would smile
while Tom thus seemed to endanger her treasures, and
say, “we never frighten him, he does no harm.”

There lies the grand secret of managing puss, of teach-
ing him, and making the best of his fine nature. We
must never frighten him. Those who make puss afraid,
make him timid, cautious, sly, and unloving. And
then they blame the cat, instead of blaming themselves.

In proportion as puss is treated well or ill, she
becomes either crafty or frank. She is a timid animal,
but timidity is not a vice, it merely shows a sensitive
temperament. To be sensitive is often the sign of a
high, not of a low nature ; and to treat timid creatures
roughly, is to make them cowardly and cringing, not
noble and trustworthy.

Tom was a regular attendant at the breakfast table,
and was usually the first to present himself there.
After the meal was over, he would adjourn to the sofa
and curl himself up to sleep. From his dusky hue,
he was then in danger of not being seen, and his kind
master would often put aside the letters he was
reading, rise from the table and place a white envelope
on Tom’s glossy back.

This was to act as a sort of flag, showing that he
was there, lest somebody should sit down on Tom and
hurt him. Every day as the dinner hour approached,
Tom would be ready on the spot, looking as if he had
brushed and washed himself first. He would stand
patiently till everybody was seated, and then take his
accustomed chair beside his master to receive his
portion of fish.



52 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

THE MOTHER AND HER LITTLE ONES.

Dr. Goon, author of an interesting work called “ The
Book of Nature,” gives a touching account of how his
favourite cat announced to him the death of her kitten.
Between this cat and her master a firm friendship had
existed, and puss had always been in the habit of
taking her seat quietly at his elbow on the writing
table, where she sat patiently hour after hour.

She became at length less constant in her attendance,
having a kitten to take care of. One morning pussy
came as usual, but instead of sitting down; she began
rubbing her furry sides against her master’s hand and
pen as if to say, “You must please not write one
word more till you. have listened to me!” What
she wished to communicate was a matter of grave
importance to pussy as her master might have guessed
from the earnest way in which she repeated her speech
over and over again, in the only way possible to her.
With a sort of timid patience she persevered till her
friend stopped his writing in order to look at her
peculiar gestures.

As soon as she had made him attend, she leaped
down from the table and ran to the door with a look
of great uneasiness. When it was opened for her,
puss did not run out, but gazed earnestly up into her
friend’s face as though she wished him-to follow, or
had something she would fain tell.

As her master did not understand, and was very
busy at the time, he shut the door, leaving puss



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 53

outside to go where she liked. In less than an hour,
however, she had again forced an entrance into the

Ae
Hi



A SORROWFUL MOTHER.

room and drawn close to him. This time she did not
mount on the table, but began rubbing against his feet.
On moving them they struck against something,



54 TRUE’ FRIENDSHIP.

and looking down the master: saw with grief and
astonishment the dead body of her little kitten,
covered with cinder-dust, though he had supposed it
to be alive and well. He then guessed what the poor
mother had tried so long and earnestly to say. She
had suddenly lost the nurseling she doted on, and was
resolved to acquaint her master with this great sorrow.

Doubtless she wished him to share her trouble, and
perhaps imagined that he could bring life back to her
baby, or at least find out how it had all happened.
Finding him too dull to comprehend the expressive
signs by which she had asked him to follow her to the
cinder-heap, where her darling lay, she took the great
labour of fetching it to lay at his feet, from a
considerable distance, toiling up many stairs.

The kind master took the poor little dead kitten in
his hand, and followed by puss went downstairs to
enquire into the cause of its death, which was all that
he could do for her now. He found that the little
creature had been killed by an accident for which
nobody was much to blame.

The yearnings of the affectionate mother were
soothed now that she had got her master to divide her
sorrow with her. She gradually took comfort and
resumed her former station at his side. This story is
enough to show how carefully we should deal with the
animals which we keep when they become mothers.

It is impossible that all the puppies and kittens
which are born should be permitted to grow up ; happy
homes could not be found for all, nor sufficient food.
It is far kinder and wiser to kill them mercifully while



TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 55

very young, than to let them grow up to be starving
outcasts.

But if one child can be left to the proud, loving
mother, and there is a prospect of a good home for it,
this will be far better for her health as well as her
happiness. Neither kittens nor puppies must be
taken from the mother directly they are born, they
must be left some hours till they have sucked her
milk away, or she will suffer much in body and perhaps
be very ill indeed.

Her teats will require to be gently rubbed when her
family is removed, with a little sweet oil or fresh butter,
and she must be kept warm, and fed well. A clean
bed, even if it is nothing better than — paper, is
absolutely essential to cats and dogs, if they are to be
kept comfortable and in health.

Care must be taken when the little ones are drowned
that clean water is used; soapy stuff inflicts extra
pain. It is best to sew them into a strong bag with
a heavy stone inside to act as a weight and keep them
well under the surface.

Though the spark of life is casily extinguished in
creatures that are newly born, their death should
never be a lingering one. A painless death may be
contrived for these feeble beings by placing them
under a bell-glass, with a few pennyworth of chloro-
form on a sponge or tuft of cotton wool. The glass
may be made air-tight by pressing its rim into loose
sand or earth, rather than placing it on a smooth
surface.

When stupefied, they may be left under water for a



56 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

while to make sure that they do not revive. In
whatever way the death of her little ones is arranged
all should be done out of the mother’s sight, and
without her knowledge. It is a pitiful sight to see her
forlornly seeking to restore life to the dead bodies of
her dear little ones, as she will often try to do if she
can find them. As the feelings of animals are much
like our own, we should not trifle with what seems
sacred,—the love of a mother,—even when that mother
cannot tell her grief in words.

Some boys once took from a cat her only kitten,
and, after playing with the little creature for a long
time, were so cruel as to fling it into a milldam. But
the poor mother, who had watched her little one
anxiously from afar, plunged into the water, bravely
struck out and swam to it, and safely brought it
ashore. Her motherly love was stronger than her
dread of water, or fear of death. Do you not think
that the cowardly lads must have slunk home feeling
very much ashamed of themselves? The cat had
shown herself to be nobler than they were.



WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL
FRIENDS.

KIND-HEARTED GENERALS.

UNTIL the world grows wise enough to settle its
quarrels.in some more sensible and less cruel way, war
will remain a necessity, for the protection of rights,
and for the defence of the weak against the strong.
For no other reasons can it be excused. And so long
as war is needful, warriors must exist.

It is, however, a pleasant thing to know that even the
horrible trade of war cannot stamp out from the brave
soldier's heart that tenderness and compassion for the
helpless, which is the test of true manhood. The
difference between a truly brave soldier and a coward,
is that the former, after victory, will do all that he can
to help his foe, while the latter will enjoy the needless
infliction of pain.

We shall find that all really great warriors have been
gentle to women, to children, and to animals ; in short,
they have delighted to fight for the weak, but have
never taken pleasure in oppressing them. General
Garibaldi, the famous Italian hero, once showed his



58 WARRIORS AND THEIR

feeling that poor animals in distress had a claim on
his kindness as well as human beings.

One dark night he met a shepherd wandering among
the Alps, in great trouble. He had lost one of his
sheep among the hills, not far from the camp of the
General. Garibaldi bade the man be of good cheer,
for he would send a party of soldiers out to search for
the sheep, lest she should perish amid the ice and snow.

This was accordingly done, and four or five men
started on the crrand. Next morning when the soldiers
came to their General’s tent to tell him that they could
not find the sheep, they saw her lying comfortably in
a corner, covered up with his cloak! He had himself
gone out among the snow- drifts instead of going to
bed, had found the sheep, and brought her home.

One day, General Grant, that brave American soldier
who was admired and loved by all, was strolling beside
a wharf. He saw there a man who was beating a mule
in a very cruel manner, as it was dragging a heavy load
of stores for the army.

Walking up to the driver, he said, “My man, you
stop beating that mule.”

The driver, who did not know that the grave, quiet-
looking little man, dressed in a plain blouse, was the
General, answered roughly, “ Are you cee this mule
or am |?”

And again he struck the poor creature so ea that
he winced. The wretched animal’s sides were heaving,
his legs trembled, and his tongue was hanging from
his mouth. “ Well,” said the General, “I think that I
have power to stop your cruelty to. that creature.”



~ ANIMAL FRIENDS. 59

Then, turning to an officer who was near, the General
ordered him to take the driver into custody at once,
and to shut him up for twenty-four hours.

The news of the man’s punishment spread through
the whole American army, and when it became known
that the General cared for the welfare of his beasts as
well as for that of the men, they all treated their
animals better than they had ever done before.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON AND THE TOAD.

ENGLISH boys will never tire of hearing about the
Duke of Wellington, who saved Europe from the
tyranny of Napoleon. He was not only one of the
finest soldiers who ever lived, but he was wise in
counsel as well as brave in action.

One day the Duke, as he was going for a walk, found
a little boy weeping bitterly over a toad, beside the
hedge. The grand old hero was kind and tender, he
could not pass a child in grief, without trying to soothe
his sorrow. So he stopped to ask what was the matter.
While he did so, the toad sat quite still, and looked
hard at the Duke, out of his beautiful bright eyes,
without moving a muscle of his warty, wrinkled back.
He would no doubt have liked to tell the Duke his
own story, but as he could not, the lad spoke for both.
He said that he was going away to school next day, and
would be obliged to leave the toad behind, for it would
not be happy shut up in a box and carried away to
live indoors. It was his pet, and he had come out into
the field every day to feed and play with it. The two



60 WARRIORS AND THEIR

were great friends, and the toad would dart out his
long sticky tongue to eat the insects and slugs which
the boy found for him.

Now the lad was sobbing because he feared that
some wicked boys might stone his toad, or that some
other harm would happen to him, after his protector
was gone. The Duke comforted the boy, and told
him not to mind, for that he himself would take care
of the poor toad when his young comrade was gone.

And he did not forget his promise. A short time
afterwards a letter reached the school where the boy
was. On opening it he found words to this effect:
“Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington begs to
inform William Harris that his toad is alive and well.”
The heart of “The Iron Duke” was as soft as that of
the boy.

ANIMALS AFLOAT.

THE life of a sailor, though sometimes full of excite-
ment and danger, is often dull enough for weeks
together. This is why they enjoy telling stories—
“spinning yarns,” as they call it. It is also the reason
why they are so®fond of animals as pets on board.
Thése brave Jack Tars must leave their homes behind,
many of them their wives and dear little children also.
They feel the need of somebody to fill the blank, some
gentle creature to love and cherish; something to
keep them from growing rough, hard and selfish.
Animals are of great benefit to men in these ways—
for they are like little children who never grow up.



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 61

The warships of ten nations stretched for miles in
double column on the Hudson River, at New York, a



DINNER TIME,

short time ago. Every one of the forty men-of-war
had a pet animal of some sort, who lived in clover, and



62 WARRIORS AND THEIR

was the delight of the sailors. Animals aboard ship
have a free run of the vessel, but they usually live in
the fore-castle with the men.

For a reason which everyone will understand, nearly
all of them like the cook better than any other man
among the crew! On board the United States
dynamite cruiser “ Vesuvius” a happy family may be
found. It consists of a very fat hen, a cock, and a
black cat, who dwell together in peace.

For two years a big black cat has filled a large place
in the affections of the sailors on board the “ Kearsage.”
Jim, as he is named, went with the ship to South
America. “ That cat,” said the Captain, “will do more
to keep the men contented than anything I can do.
The mere fact that Jim, as they call him, has per-
mission to go where he likes, delights the men. They
have trained him, and during their leisure moments
they watch his antics with pleasure.”

Billy, a goat, was the pet of the “ Galena” for nearly
two years. During that time, he never left the ship.
When the vessel was in port the men would take it in
turns to get fresh grass and clover for the goat.

A pair of rats have had the run of a third ship for
some time. The smaller of the two rats always shows
great fear of one of the officers, and will crouch in a
dark corner whenever he draws near. It is good
friends with all the rest.

“You ought to see the rats run a race on the main
deck,” said an old sailor. “We get them into trim by
offering them a small piece of cheese, and then taking
a larger piece forward. Two of the boys hold the rats,



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 63

and at the word “go” they get under way, and go
scampering down. The first rat who reaches the
cheese gets it.”

As a ship was leaving port, one of the sailors, a
malicious man, who had a grudge against the ship’s
pet cat, or wished to vex the other sailors, seized puss
and threw her upon the pier. It was too late for pussy
to regain her place. In her distress at seeing the ship
move slowly away, she ran in a frantic manner up and
down the dock, crying so loudly as to make herself
heard above the bustle and noise of the place.

At last she could bear it no longer. The ship’s
side was now fifty feet away, when puss suddenly
made up her mind, and springing from the pier,
struck out boldly for her floating home. She made
for a ladder which still hung from the side. In a
moment or two she was clinging to the lowest step,
but not able to raise herself from the water.

A cheer went up from the crowd on shore at her
gallant deed, and a sailor who now saw her from on
board, dropped down the ladder, took the half-drowned
cat in his arms, and landed her safely on deck. From
that time she was the pride of the navy.

A ‘cock was the pet of the boys on board the
“Charlestown”. until lately. He was trained to crow
every time that the ship’s bell struck, and he did his
duty most lustily. The simple-hearted men of the
Russian ships are well provided with pets. On the
“Jean Bart” there is a very gentle ram, and also a
pretty lamb about four months old,



64 WARRIORS AND THEIR

*

A FAITHFUL STANDARD-BEARER.

A BEAUTIFUL story is told of an old elephant, who,
on the Indian plains, held the standard round which
the host was to rally. At the beginning of the fight
he lost his master. Before he fell, the man’s last
word to him had been a command to halt. While
the battle closed around him, the obédient creature
stood firm as a rock, with the precious flag upon his
huge back.

Hotter and fiercer grew the conflict, but he never
stirred a foot, faithful to the word which the dead
lips had spoken. Meanwhile, the soldiers belonging
to his master’s nation, drew courage from seeing their
standard still steady, and could not believe that they
would be beaten, though numbers were against them.

Again and again they rallied round their colours,
while, amid the din of battle the silent standard-
bearer strained his ears to catch the sound of that
voice he would never hear again. Weary and terri-
fied, he was still true to his trust, and would seek no
relief till bidden by the tones he loved so well.

At last the tide of battle left the field deserted, the
conquerors swept on in pursuit of the flying foe. The
steadfastness of the elephant had gained the victory
for his dead master’s side. But the creature, like a
rock, stood there, the dead and dying all around him,
the flag still waving in its place.

For three days and nights he stood on the spot

where he had been told to “halt.” No bribe nor



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 65

threat could move him. Then they sent to a village
one hundred miles away, and brought the mahout’s
little son. The noble hero seemed to remember how
his driver had sometimes sent this little child to drive
him in his own stead, and at once he paced quietly
and slowly away, all his shattered trappings clanging
as he went, like the clash of armour. Strong as a lion,
faithful as a dog, docile as a horse, and truer than
most human beings, was not this splendid beast a
pattern ?

WAR-HORSES.

PERHAPS no horses are braver and more clever than
those used in war. Having once been taught his
duties as a soldier, the war-horse never forgets them,
but seems filled with the spirit of a warrior for the
rest of his life. It is perfectly marvellous how the
horse, who is so timid an animal, can learn to bear
the dreadful sounds and sights of a battle without
becoming wild with terror.

Yet though by nature the horse starts at the least
sound and runs away on catching sight of a bit of
paper fluttering along in front of the wind, he will go
with his master among rolling guns, and not only
endure the clashing of military music and the waving
of flags, but seems to enjoy it all, so long as his rider
is there.

It is a great disgrace to England that her worn-out
army horses should be sold, in old age and weakness,
for any small price they will fetch. Surely after

F



66 WARRIORS AND THEIR

fighting our battles we could afford to let them have
a painless death, instead of selling them into slavery.
But even when thus cast off by the ungrateful
country which they have served so well, the war-horse
remembers his past service, and shows his love of it.

An old, jaded war-horse was once bought by an
Irish farmer, who was in the habit of mounting his
daughter on him and sending her to Dublin with
milk. One day she reached the town just at the
moment when the troopers were relieving guard.
The aged warrior-steed, hearing the old familiar
sound of the trumpets, began to arch his once hand-
some neck, and to paw the ground with his weary
limbs, stiff from age and drudgery.

At last he became so excited at the music he loved
that he forgot his present life of hardship and fatigue.
He made his way into the castle yard in spite of all
that the girl could do, and took his place among
the other horses, rider, milk pails and all.

At another time a baker who was carrying loaves
round the town was amazed to find that the old and
usually spiritless horse he rode was suddenly seized
with a sort of fury on hearing the sound of a military
band, played during a great review in one of the
London parks. He insisted on galloping to the place
where the soldiers were drawn up, and in going
through all that they did, with the unwilling baker on
his back.

At one time the horses of a dragoon regiment were
sent to graze in a field, when a fearful thunderstorm
came on without any warning. All at once the horses



ANIMAT, FRIENDS. 67

were seen to collect into a body, forming themselves
into a line with the greatest care and exactness. They
thought that the thunder was the booming of distant
cannon, and while the lightning flashed around them
they stood perfectly motionless, waiting for some
signal to rush on the foe. It was a sight at once
remarkable and grand.

BALACLAVA JACK.

THE famous Charge of the Light Brigade, at Bala-
clava, made sad havoc amongst the horses as well as
the brave men who did their duty there. One of the
officers present, says, that his own gallant regiment
was a mere wreck, and speaking of one of the horses,
he adds, “Old Jack’s rider was killed, but no one
knew what had become of the horse.

“Jack was a favourite, he was such a_ steady,
sensible old fellow, always ready for duty, and never
shamming sickness, as I have known other troop
horses do. Then he knew his. drill quite as well, if
not better than the captain of his troop. Very soon
after that battle where Jack lost his rider, and his
troop lost Jack, we changed our camp, and in a few
days more, again struck and removed to another
Spot.

“Death wounds and sickness had robbed the regi-
ment of all its best officers, so I was ordered to give
up for a time the work in which I was engaged, and
take command till someone else was sent to fill the
place. A few nights after I rejoined—bitterly cold



68 WARRIORS AND THEIR

nights they were, too—we were roused by the cry,
‘Turn out at once; the enemy is upon us!’

“ Then there was the usual scurry, looking for over-
alls that got pulled on wrong side foremost, and
boots that refused to be pulled on anyhow. As soon
as possible, the regiment—that is, all that was left of
it—was mounted, and we were peering through the
murky darkness to discover the enemy.

“We could hear the hoofs of the enemy’s horses as
they tore up the side of the hill on which we were
encamped, nearer and nearer to us still, until they
were within a few yards of us. Then we could see
that the horses had no riders. What could it mean?

“The mystery was soon explained by an Irish trooper
who called out, ‘What ho! here is Old Jack back
again!’

“The old fellow was taken prisoner by the enemy at
Balaclava, and’ disliking captivity, he seized the first
chance of escape, broke his halter, took to his heels,
and was followed, horselike, by all the Russian chargers
near him. A rare gain those same Russian horses
were to us!

“They were all gray, but we exchanged them with
the artillery next day for animals of a more suitable
colour. We had now thirty remounts, through Old
Jack’s fidelity to his standard. The gallant old fellow
was covered with mud and foam when he forced him--
self into the ranks of the troop that night.

“He must have gone first to the ground where the
corps was encamped on the morning of the battle,
and then tracked the different changes of the regiment



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 69

until he gave us that sudden alarm, and brought with
him such welcome companions.

“Tt is pleasant to add that Old Jack escaped all
the dangers of war, returned home, and, I have been
told, ended his days at Windsor, as Her Majesty the
Queen directed that he should not be sold when
‘unfit for further service.’” '

FAVOURITES OF THE REGIMENTS.

It has always been a favourite custom in the army to
have some pet animal belonging to a regiment, and
various are the creatures chosen for this purpose. A
tame deer used to march in front of the 42nd
Highlanders, and he was a great pet among the
soldiers. This deer was very fond of biscuit, but he
would not touch it if anyone had breathed upon it.
He showed signs of anger if any person passed
between the band and the main body of the regiment,
which seemed as if he had some idea of being loyal to
his own ranks. A dog belonging to a naval officer
who sometimes dined with the same regiment at Malta,
was named Peter, and this dog became so fond of the
men that his master made Peter a present to them.
Both the dog and the deer then often marched with

' Marshal Turenne had a horse, who was called, according
to his colour, “The Piebald.”. When his master fell and the
remaining officers were at a loss how to rejoin the main army,
the soldiers cried with one voice, ‘‘ Put the Piebald at our head !
we will go wherever he leads the way.”



7O WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL FRIENDS.

the band. One day while he was grazing near the
barracks, a cat bristled up her back at the deer, and
the timid animal was so frightened that he sprang
over a precipice and was killed on the spot. Peter, who
happened to be near, ran into the barracks barking and
howling most piteously to break the news of his
friend’s death.

Poor Peter’s end was a sad one too. One of the
officers had often ill-used him, and one day Peter
snarled at this man. The cruel officer ordered the dog
to be shot by a detachment of the men who loved him
so fondly, and who regretted his sad fate as long as
they lived.

Stags and deer have been attached to many other
regiments. The Irish Fusiliers keep a deer, and the
42nd Highlanders had a very celebrated one. French
as well as English soldiers delight in animals, and the
Zouaves of the Imperial French Guard were very
proud of a dog called Moustache.

He was a poodle, and had the half of his body and
the whole of his tail shaved bare. His hair quite hid
his eyes, and his moustaches stuck out two or three
inches beyond his cheeks. He always attended drill
with his battalion, and went through the exercises with
the soldiers. He shouldered an imaginary musket,
and knew how to parry and thrust with an imaginary
sword. .

At the battle of Solferino, Moustache succeeded
in making prisoner a fugitive Austrian soldier, and for
this service he was decorated with the order of the
Legion of Honour. Moustache died some time ago,





EADING THE

ERS H

DEER OF THE 42ND HIGHLAND

REGIMENT,



72 WARRIORS AND THEIR

and was buried by his mourning comrades who never
could praise too much or speak too often of his
bravery and gentleness.

SANDY, WHO WON A CRIMEAN MEDAL.

SANDY was the property of an officer in the Royal
Engineers, At the age of one year, he went to
Gibraltar, and made several raids into Spain. When
the war in the East broke out, he went thither with
his master and the men of the corps.

He was with them at Malta, Constantinople, and
Varna, and made himself of great use, as the guardian
of his master’s tent, against the thievish natives. He
also helped the men on their foraging expeditions.
From Varna he went along the line of coast to the
different ports occupied by the Turkish army. Though
dogs are hated and despised by the Turks, Sandy
managed to make friends with them.

This he did by saving oars, coats, and other things
which were washed overboard by the heavy seas, in
going to and from the vessels of war in open boats.
In short, Sandy made himself generally useful to
everybody he met. After this Sandy was present at
the battle of Inkerman, where he received a bayonet
wound which caused him to limp on three legs for
some weeks. Ill health now forced his master to
return home.

But Sandy was so well taken care of by some of his
brother officers that to the great delight of his master,
who never thought to see him again, the dog trotted



ANIMAL FRIENDs. 73

into his room a few months afterwards. Sandy always
marched at the head of the men. He was well up in
the bugle calls, especially those for breakfast, dinner
and supper, at which meals he never failed to put in
an appearance. |

When Sir John Burgoyne went down to Chatham to
present the men with their Crimean medals, Sandy was
decorated at his master’s expense with a special medal,
hung round his neck with a blue ribbon, and this
medal he always wore on drill parade. Attached to
the Fusiliers was a dog named Bob, who greatly
distinguished himself during the Crimean war. On
the heights of Alma he trotted gaily among the
trampled vines, and chased the spent shots as they
rolled down the hill. He was present also at Inker-
man, but, alas! at the close of the battle, was run over
and killed by the wheels of a gun carriage.

ANOTHER CRIMEAN HERO.

ONE cold night in the winter of 1852, the sentry
posted in the grounds of St. James’s Palace heard a
great noise outside the palace walls. It seemed like
a sharp struggle between two persons, while blows like
those produced on the body of a man or animal by a
heavy stick were mingled with other sounds.

Above all, the constant barking of a dog was to be
heard, which by degrees dropped to a doleful howl, and
then became a moan. Next the sentry heard the deep
thud of a body falling within the palace grounds, and
a sad wail like that of a deserted child fell on his ears.



74 WARRIORS AND THEIR

Running to the spot whence the sound came, the
sentry found a poor dog lying in the snow, and
bleeding from many wounds. “Poor thing!” ex-
claimed the kind-hearted man, “it shall never be said
that Jock Anderson refused to succour a poor dumb
creature in distress. Come, get on your legs, old man,
and we will find a place for thee.”

The poor dog licked the rough hands of the man
gratefully, and tried hard to walk towards the sentry
box. At this moment the gates of the palace grounds
were thrown open, and a light like a distant star
twinkled dimly through the darkness.

It was the three o’clock “Rounds,” and the sentry
was a long way from his post. “I am in for it now,”
said the sentry to himself ; “ but never mind,” he added,
speaking to the dog, “I will not desert you, old fellow.”

The sergeant of the party, who walked in advance
of the patrol, stamped his feet hard upon the frozen
snow as he drew near the sentry box in order to
attract the sentry’s attention. The sentry’s duty was
to challenge the armed party with a stamp of his foot,
instead of the usual “ Who goes there?”

This silent plan of challenging was adopted close to
the Palace to avoid disturbing its Royal inmates. No
reply being returned, the “Rounds” went right up to
the box. “There is no sentry here!” said the officer,
in a tone of surprise, as the drummer boy held up the
lantern.

“Here I am, sergeant!” cried the generous and
humane soldier, and he appeared leading the poor
wounded dog along at a slow pace. “This poor



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 75

doggie has been thrown over the wall by some cruel
wretches, and his cries were so pitiful that I could not
leave him to die there in the cold and the snow.”

“Am I to understand that you left your post,
contrary to orders, that you might attend to that dog ?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the sentry, as he brought his
musket to his shoulder ; “I did do that very thing, and
I hope your honour will excuse me for rescuing a
poor half-murdered doggie from death! Indeed, I
thought it was a child at first.”

The officer’s heart was touched, and he turned to
consult the sergeant, whose heart was of a different sort.
He drew himself up stiffly. “This man, having left
his post contrary to strict orders, sir, should be relieved
from his post and marched back a prisoner to the
guard-room,” was all that he would say.

“Very well, then,” said the officer ; “ let it be done.”

Meanwhile the dog, still bleeding, limped painfully
behind the men. On reaching the guard-room the
disarmed sentinel was further deprived of his boots
and dismissed to his bed. He sat down by the fire,
however, and hardly had he done so, when the dog
dragged himself up to the feet of his friend, and
showed signs of delight. The ill-natured sergeant
again played the tyrant. “Turn that dog out,
drummer!” said he; “turn that dog out!”

But the officer, who had been pleased at the scene,
and who disliked the punishment of the sentry for his
kindness, had followed. Stepping forward, he now
said that the poor dog must be well cared for, instead
of being turned out.



76 WARRIORS AND THEIR

“God bless you, sir!” cried the disgraced sentry,
with tears in his eyes, as he patted the dog’s head.
Soon he made a bed for him with his own great coat,
taken off for the purpose. Food was given him, and
water, which he needed more.

“T will see the colonel about this matter in the
morning,” said the kindly officer, and went out.

As soon as both he and the sergeant were gone, the
soldiers crowded round to do all they could for the
dog. One fetched a sponge to bathe his wounds, and
others picked him out dainty bits from the well-
spread tables, as he did not seem inclined to eat what
was first set before him.

It was a fine sight to see Jack, for so they named
him, doing all that he could to show his gratitude for
the kindness shown him. The colonel, who was a
good and merciful man, promised to overlook Jock
Anderson’s offence if he would undertake never to
leave his post again unless ordered. So Jock returned
to his duties as if nothing had happened.

REGIMENTAL JACK,

As he now began to be called, soon improved under
this treatment, and though he was always faithful to
his first friend, the sentry who risked so much for him,
he was the pet of all the rest. The battalion to
which Jack belonged was ordered to the Crimea, and
while there Jack saved someone from drowning. It
was the very officer who had once saved him!

While bathing, this officer was seized with cramp,



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 77

and Jack, who was being washed close by, outstripped
all other swimmers, seized the officer by the hair of his



AN ANXIOUS TIME.

head and held him above water till other help came.
He could never be coaxed into a friendship with the



78 WARRIORS AND THEIR

sergeant who had been harsh towards his friend, the
sentry, but always growled furiously at his approach.

Jack could not bear the Turks. Nobody could tell
why, but he would always play pranks upon the
Ottoman soldiers when he could, catching hold of
them by their trousers, and twisting them round till
the Turk would beg for mercy. At one time, it was
thought that the Turks had enticed Jack away and
killed him, for he could not be found.

His fellow-soldiers became very anxious about him
and at last the matter was taken up by a superior
officer, who sent the drum-major, with Jock Anderson,
now a corporal, and two drummers, to go out on a
searching expedition. After seeking in vain for a long
while, they heard the low wolf-like bark of some
Turkish dogs, and followed it through a gap into a
wood. ,

Here they saw a curious sight. About twenty or
thirty Turkish dogs were sitting in a circle, in the
middle of which they held a single dog prisoner,
This was no other than Regimental Jack, who, after a
brave defence, had been obliged to give up his liberty.
What could one dog, even a Briton, do against thirty
Turks at once?

It seemed that the Turkish dogs had shared their
masters’ dislike for Jack, and were taking up the
quarrel.

“Halt, draw swords!” cried Corporal Anderson.

At the sound, poor Jack, who had given himself -up
for lost, glanced round and hailed the party with a
bark of delight. Then, inspired by new courage at



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 79

his master’s presence, he made a savage dash at his
foes, broke through their ranks, and soon reached the
soldiers.

Uttering a fearful how] the other dogs rushed after
Jack, and were close at his heels, when “ Charge!”
cried the drum-major.

The shout which the men raised made the Turkish
dogs think better of it. The little party leaped boldly
among the furious pack, and soon put them to flight.

JACK AT THE BATTLE OF ALMA.

BuT it was when the troops of the allied armies landed
at the Crimea that Jack’s adventures began in real
earnest. It was at the battle of the Alma, when the
brigade of Guards was drawing within range of the
Russian guns, that Jack, together with a friendly dog
of whom we have spoken before, caused great merri-
ment by acting as if the spent cannon-balls were toys
for his amusement.

The two dogs chased them, but this was not: all
that Jack did. He saved the life of his master, Jock
Anderson. This brave soldier was attacked by three
Russians at once, and Jack, who was looking on at
this cowardly proceeding, had the spirit of a true
Englishman, who scorns to set three upon one, and
loves fair play. Anderson killed one of the men who
were trying to take him prisoner, and began struggling
with the second.

While he was doing so the third Russian levelled
his musket at Anderson. In another moment he



80 WARRIORS AND THEIR

would have been a dead man, but Jack, who had
watched the affair intently, now rushed forward, sprang
fiercely upon his master’s enemy, and seizing him by
the arm, forced him to drop his weapon.

At the same moment Anderson overpowered his
second assailant, and took the third man prisoner. It
was now that the conquering colours were firmly
planted upon the hard-won heights, and Regimental
Jack took his place at the foot of that proud standard.
Richly did he deserve a place among the heroes of
that day. He had forgotten his own safety to think
of that of his master.

But Jack’s services were not yet over. Jock Ander-
son was now made a sergeant, and was told off with a
party to help in the sad office of burying the dead.
Before starting, however, he thought ofa plan. Calling
Jack to him, he led the dog to the nearest hospital,
and procuring a canteen full of refreshing drink, he
strapped it to the dog’s neck.

“Brave dog!” said he, patting him gently, “ you
have saved my life to-day, now go and save the lives
of others. See, Jack, see!” and he pointed to the
fainting men who lay strewn upon the ground. “Good
dog, go!”

The poor dog gave his master a look which told
plainly that he understood what was wanted, and then
he went from one prostrate form to another, and after
licking the face for a moment to try and revive life,
went on to the next. Now and then Jack came to _
the face of a friend, and then he would wag his tail
and try over and over again to rouse the quiet sleeper,



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 81

or to cheer the wounded men by his caresses. Must
he not have wondered in his doggish heart why men
did such cruel deeds to each other ?

Many poor dying fellows were glad that day to get
a drink out of Jack’s canteen, and when it was empty
he ran back to get it filled again. He never left this
work of mercy till night set in, when nearly all the
wounded had been cared for.

At Inkerman Jack was wounded in the foot, having
turned out -to follow his regiment into the field.
Plenty of Russian soldiers that morning felt a British
dog’s teeth meet in their flesh! But a great trouble
befell Jack that day—his dear master fell to rise no
more! Though wounded himself, Jack took no notice
of his own hurt, but sat beside his friend’s body in
dumb grief till it was buried. Then a comrade of
Anderson’s carried the faithful creature away in his
arms ; but the spirit of the dog was broken, he haunted
the mound on Cathcart’s Hill where Anderson lay,
and was most unwillingly led homewards when the
Guards returned.

At Aldershot Jack had the honour of being in-
troduced to the Queen, who took great notice of
him, and Her Majesty again saw Jack trotting
proudly behind his battalion at a review in Hyde
Park.

To the dog's collar of silver were attached the
Crimean and Turkish medals, with the Victoria Cross
and Legion of Honour decorations in miniature. Not
long did this brave fellow survive his beloved master.
He was found dead in the snow, with no outward

G



82 : WARRIORS AND THEIR

marks to show how he died. Perhaps it was better
for poor Jack than to linger long in pain, and he had
earned his discharge well.

SAVED BY A SPANIEL.

More than three hundred years ago the famous
“William the Silent,’ Prince of Orange, so named
because he spoke so seldom, ‘was called to defend his
country from the Spaniards, who wished to conquer
Holland and to change its religion. One dark night,
when the armies were within a short distance of each
other, the invading host tried to surprise the Dutch
camp.

In the darkness, a small party of them stole quietly
along and passed the Dutch sentries, who, tired out
by the previous day’s fighting, had sunk down to rest.
In the tent of William all was still, but a little spaniel
who lay at the prince’s feet slept with one ear open.

Presently the dog raised his head and growled, for
he heard something stirring outside, and felt himself
in duty bound to speak up.

When the noise grew louder and drew nearer he
jumped up and began to bark and whine, but the
worn-out prince did not wake. What could the
doggie do more? Ina great state of excitement he
went close to the slumberer’s face, licked it, and by
barking his loudest at length roused him. William at
once guessed that something was wrong.

He sprang up hastily and mounted his horse, who
always stood ready saddled by his tent, and unseen



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 83

by the Spaniards through the thick gloom galloped
safely away.



A TIMELY WARNING.

who had saved his life by a timely warning, William
the Silent ever afterwards kept one of his race as a
personal attendant, and when at last he slept to wake



84 WARRIORS AND THEIR

no more on earth, the marble figure of his small pro-
tector was carved upon his tomb in the church in
Holland which holds his remains.

SOLDIERS’ PETS.

THE Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers have a
custom which the soldiers value very much on account
of its being very ancient. It is that of passing in
review headed bya goat with gilded horns and bedecked
with flowers. Every first of March, being St. David's
Day, the officers give a banquet to all their Welsh
friends. After the cloth is taken away, the health of
the Prince of Wales is drunk, the band meanwhile
playing a national Welsh tune. While this is going
on, the goat is led three times round the table, covered
with rich trappings, and with a drummer boy seated
on his back.

Master Billy, the goat, does not always behave as
well as he ought, for he is too full of his fun. At
Boston, while taking his part in the banquet, he became
so merry that he sprang up from the floor. The leap
was so high that the little drummer boy found himself
dropped upon the table.

Bounding over the heads of some of the officers,
Billy then ran to the barracks with all his trappings
on, to the great joy of all the soldiers there. When
this fine fellow died, Her Majesty directed that two of
the finest goats from a flock in Windsor Park, the gift
of the Shah of Persia, should be presented to the
regiment instead of their lost pet.



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 85

Both battalions of the regiment have a goat who
always accompanies them wherever they go, and when
a goat dies the colonel of the regiment asks the Queen
for another from her own park, which is always gra-
ciously given. The goat belonging to the first battalion
was once very fond of going to the mess room, and
knocking at the door with his horns. He knew well
enough where meals were served, and, swaying his
head from side to side, would go on making a noise
till somebody gave him a treat. He knew that he
was sure of a kind reception.

The favourite feast of this goat was a funny tit-bit :
mustard spread on toast, or salt sprinkled over a slice
of bread. If anybody pushed this goat, or playfully
struck him from behind, he never thought of turning
round to find who did it, but went straight for the first
innocent person in front of him.

This trick was a great delight to the soldiers, who,
when the regiment was waiting to fall in, would give
the goat a poke with a rifle, and aim him, so to speak,
at one of their comrades, who was least thinking about
him. The goat would soon roll the man over, to the
uproarious delight of all present.

This rough pet of the soldiers knew his own strength
and his friends knew it too. One day when it was
raining hard the goat took possession of the sentry
box, that he might keep his coat dry. There was
no room for two, so the sentry was forced to wait out-
side under a wall rather than try his chance of being
able to turn his horned companion out.

Billy was very wilful sometimes, and nobody could



86 WARRIORS AND THEIR

make him do things against his wish. On one occasion
the goat refused to march along at the head of his
column. For some reason, best known to himself, he
turned round and went straight through the lines of
men. He repeated this gambol three times, and every-
body laughed except those who were rolling on the
ground.

A GOAT’S TEMPERANCE LECTURE.

ONE of the long line of goats which have always headed
this regiment went with it to Barbados in 1843, where
his knowing ways made a great impression on the
black men of the country. He too was called Billy,
and knew how to bear himself like a soldier. Billy
kept at his place at the head of the drums, witha grave
aspect and behaved so much like his human fellow-
soldiers, that the dusky folk used to say, “Him got
sense, same as white man!”

At drill parade and roll-call Billy was always to the
fore. He seemed to take as much pridein the regiment
as the men themselves, and when they had time to
romp with him, he made a splendid playfellow. Well
fed, well housed, well cared for in all ways, Billy was
the happiest of goats—the more so because he was
among the human beings whom he loved.

Billy had not only the right of entry to the mess
room while the men were dining, but was always
welcome to a share of what he liked from their hands.
One evening it happened that Corporal Price, in a
spirit of thoughtless mischief, proposed that Billy



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 87

should have a taste of the liquids as well as of the
solids on the table.
He accordingly held out his cup, and Billy, after



PRACTICAL TEETOTALISM.

sniffing at it in a suspicious manner for an instant or
two, soon lapped up the contents. At once soldier
after soldier wanted to give poor Billy a drink, and at
last the great earthen pot holding the beer was put on
the floor and he was told to help himself.



88 WARRIORS AND THEIR

Billy was nothing loath, he drank very greedily, till
he could drink no more. Alas! what had been a
pleasure to Billy the night before, was a bitter punish-
ment to him in the morning! For the first time since
he joined his regiment Billy was absent at roll-call.
Nothing would tempt him to leave the stable where
he lay miserably stretched on his straw bed.

A second day found Billy again a deserter—a second
evening mess without Billy was more than the men
could put up with. Corporai Price was ordered to
bring the deserter before a court-martial of the men’s
mess. It was with great difficulty that he persuaded
Billy to get out of bed. On reaching the door of the
mess room, he could not be made to cross its threshold,
till dragged in by main force.

A cheer greeted his presence among the men once
more,—but how changed was Billy’s appearance! His
glossy coat had a forlorn and unkempt look, his head
once proud and erect, hung down in a sorry manner.

“Come, Billy, take a drink!” said the sergeant at
the head of the table.

The words seemed to rouse Billy. He lifted his
head, his eye lighted up, his fore-hoof beat the floor.
Then, with a snort and a bound Billy butted full
against the great vessel which contained the men’s
evening allowance of beer, breaking it into a thousand
pieces, and deluging not only the table, but the
men who sat near. Having inflicted this unwished-
for bath as a sign of his displeasure, Billy, with his
head once more lifted on high stalked out of the
room,



ANIMAL FRIENDS. 89

“Really, sir”’ said the corporal who had tempted
the goat to break his pledge, “ Billy’s was the best blue
ribbon lecture that was ever given us.”

THE HEROINE OF TEL-EL-KEBIR.

SiR ARCHIBALD ALISON deserves high praise for the
gallantry with which he led the Highland Brigade at
Tel-el-Kebir, and all the world has talked of hiscourage.
But somehow nobody says anything about Private
Juno, whose conduct was equally honourable. And who
was Private Juno?

Well, her actions will speak for her. She rushed
bravely at the entrenchments, taking the post of danger
at the head of the Highlanders, and displaying a cool-
ness and courage in face of the enemy which ought to
have won for her a pension. She cared no more for
the bullets than if they had been hailstones.

Whether she really did tackle the enemy or not is not
known, except to Juno’s self and to the foe. But even
if her teeth did not meet in any Egyption leg, her war-
like looks must have spread terror among the rebel
ranks, The timid enemy had an idea that Sir Garnet
Wolseley kept two thousand bloodhounds for purposes
of vengeance, and perhaps they fancied that she was
one of them.

At any rate they did not wait for the other one
thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine of her supposed
canine comrades, but bolted for their lives while Private
Juno snapped merrily at their heels. As the wave of
war rolled forward, this dog covered herself with glory



Full Text

4) STR

Be
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Agsioarun),



ANIMAL LIFE READERS
: EDITED BY
EDITH CARRINGTON anp ERNEST BELL
WITH PICTURES BY
HARRISON WEIR

AND OTHERS
ANIMAL LIFE READERS.

STAND.

I. Our Old Friends. Roverand his Friends,
By Epirn Carrine- and other Tales.
ton. Illus. by Har- Illus. by Harrison WEIR.
Rison WEIR. 8d. 8d.

Il. Tame and Wild. Dick and his Cat, and
By Epira Carrine- other Tales. Illus. by
ton. Illus. by Har- F. M. Coopzr. 10d.
RIsON WEIR. 10d.



Il. From ManyLands. History of the Robins.
By Epirg Carrine- Illus. by Hargison WEIR.
ton. Illus. by Har- 1s.

RIsoN WEIR. Is.



IV. Man’s Helpers. By The Animals on Strike,

Epitn CarRiIneron. and other Tales. Illus.
Illus. by Harrison by F. M. Coorzr. Is.
WErR. Is.



V. Nature’s Wonders. Featherland. By Mav-

By Epitra Carpine- VILLE Fenn. Illus. by F.
ton. Illus. by Har- W. Key and A. C.Gounp.
Rison WEIR. Is. Is.



VI. The Friendship of Tuppy, the Life of a
Animals. By Epira Donkey. Illus. by Har-
CaRRINGTON. Tllus. RIsON WEIR: Is.
1s.



VII. Ages Ago. ByEpirxs Poor Blossom, the
CaRRINGTON. Story of a Horse.
[ Preparing. Illus. 1s. [Lmmediately.
FRIENDSHIP OF ANIMALS.


AN OLD SOLDIER.
Friendship of Animals

BY

EDITH CARRINGTON

AUTHOR OF ‘ MAN’S HELPERS,” ‘‘ NATURE’S WONDERS,” “gue
DOG, HIS RIGHTS AND WRONGS,” ETC., ETC.

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; a

ILLUSTRATED BY HARRISON“WETR

LONDON
GEORGE BELL AND SONS
YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN
. 1896
Published by Messrs. Bell for the Humanitarian League.
PREFACE.

THE object of this little volume is to show to what a
great extent animals are capable of possessing, and
calling forth in others, the many noble qualities implied
in the word “ friendship.”

The habit we fall into of measuring different beings
by different standards is surely an unfortunate one for

“animals. Unselfish devotion, ready sympathy, patient
endurance, unquestioning trust and lasting affection,
are valued amongst the highest virtues when found in
man, but in the animals we are too-apt to take them
for granted, and to overlook their deep significance
and value.

Numerous beautiful instances of the friendship be-
tween men and animals are recorded, and those given
in this book must be taken only as types. In presence
of the wonderful power shown by those animals who
come into friendly relation with man, in adopting and
even surpassing the attributes of their human asso-
ciates, it'can only be regarded as a serious indictment
against him that almost every species of wild animal
flees at his approach, and sees in him only its most
implacable enemy.

The volume concludes with a brief mention of some
vi PREFACE.

of the most prominent workers for the more just and
sympathetic treatment of animals.

The best thanks of the editors are due to Mrs.:
Suckling for her kindness in supplying valuable in-
formation, and to Mr. Colam, of the R.S.P.C.A., for his
ready permission to allow both literary extracts and
illustrations to be taken from the pages of “ The
Animal World.”

E. B.
CONTENTS:
: PAGE
BIER Wiis ae ORE NED S ENP tases ese mee eye ese coe I
WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL FRIENDS easy,
GREAT WRITERS AND ANIMALS . . . . . IOI

WORKERS ON BEHALF OF ANIMALS. . < . 155
ye\t

THE FRIENDSHIP OF ANIMALS.



TRUE FRIENDSHIP,

IT is not easy to define what the word “ friend” means,
for it is a very elastic word, and means very different
things for different people. Yet those who have a true
friend understand its meaning well enough. Some
folks have a habit of calling their acquaintances, their
comrades or their connections “ friends.” This is quite
a mistake, because among them all there may not be
one who would be found faithful through poverty and
riches, in sickness and health alike, and whose devotion
would bear any trial. Others there are who think
those their friends from whom they have received
world] y benefit, or at whose hands they hope to gain
something.

But the essence of true friendship is that it should be
disinterested ; we love our friend not for what he gives
us, but for what he is. A true friend is one who desires
our highest good, is not afraid to rebuke us‘when we
do wrong, is proud and glad when we do right, sees

B
2 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

that we are capable of lofty things, and grieves when
we do ourselves injustice.

Such a friend as this understands our nature, his
dislike for our faults does not shake his love for our-
selves. Happy is the man, woman, boy or girl who has
friends like these! They are a rare gift, and life has
nothing better to give. Speaking of this noble and
sacred human friendship, Emerson says, “I awoke
this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends,
the old andthe new. Shall I not call God the Beauti-
ful, Who daily showeth Himself soto me in His Gifts ?
—My friends have come to me unsought, The great
God gave them to me.” But though it is not everyone
who is blessed with a perfect human friendship, there
are certain humble friends—equally the gift of God—
whose sincere affection we all may have.

The dog’s passionate devotion, strong as death, has
been the blessing of many a lonely life. He almost
seems to have been created to fill a great blank in this
world,—to become the friend of the friendless, the
consoler of those on whom men turn their backs,

The cat is not far behind him, if at all, in powers of
brightening human life, though her sphere and qualifi-
cations are different from his. Both these animals,
dear and beautiful, delight to make our dwellings their
own, while outside a host of gentle, docile and intelligent
creatures labour for us and contribute to our comfort.

Horses, sheep, cattle, poultry, all tend to make life
in the country less solitary as well as less laborious
and hard. Besides these, a multitude of lovely free
creatures, swift-winged birds, innocent and harmless
TRUE FRIENDSHIP 3

wild animals, brilliant, gay or industrious insects give
~a charm to out-door life.
Each and all of these are our friends, if we will deign
to treat them as such. But if we would have real
friends among these wondrous creatures we must learn
to understand them, and to make a careful study of
their requirements. We cannot hope to make and to
keep a human friend without knowledge of his
character, his wants, his nature; neither can we make
and keep animal friends unless we learn much of their
needs, their dispositions, their joys and pains. There-
fore he is a false and not a true friend of animals who
keeps them wrongly, feeds them badly, treats them in
any way unfairly. Many people profess to be “very
| fond of” birds, or fishes, or of squirrels and dormice,
or other free wild animals, and then when you go into
their rooms you see these unfortunate little beings
boxed up in cages or dying slowly in an aquarium.

This is an odd way of showing fondness! What
should we say of a friend who shut us up in prison?
| We should call him a jailer, a treacherous enemy. No,
self-denial is the foundation of all friendship and love,
‘nobody is truly fond of creatures who makes them
prisoners, however much he may wish to have them
near him.

|
KINDNESS IS THE BEST CHAIN.

ANIMALS are capable of feeling friendship, and very
| disinterested friendship too, not only for ourselves but
foreach other. They sorely need a friend, and it is a
great, though a very common cruelty to isolate any
4 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

creature and keep him quite alone, without sympathy
either of men or his fellow beasts.

Either we should ourselves be the friend of any
animal we keep, and allow him some of our company,
or he should have an animal comrade. Dogs, horses,
and other domestic creatures, though they must of
course depend on us for food, daily show that they
love us for what we are, not for what we give them.

And by the odd friendships which they form among
themselves, animals show that they enjoy each other’s
society as well as that of man, quite apart from any
solid advantage which they reap from it. Mr. Angell,
of America, than whom no truer friend of animals ever
breathed, tells a funny little story of how he picked up
a friend or two in the course of a solitary walk.

He says “I was walking once when I met a fine-
looking dog. . I talked to him pleasantly for a minute
or two, as I usually do, and he seemed to conclude
that I was a friend,and followed me. Presently we
passed a house, and another dog came out, and, after
comparing notes with the first dog, he also followed me.

After walking some distance, I looked around and
found that a good-sized pig had joined the dogs. I
kept on considerably further, and they all followed. I
then turned back to the house where the last dog came
from and asked the man if he could explain the matter.

He said that his dog was the friend of the dog that
first followed me, and that his dog and his pig were such
fast friends that it was impossible to keep them apart.
Unless the pen was very high, the pig would jump over
to be with the dog.” Here was a chain of friendships !
6 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

The first dog followed Mr. Angell for love of him,
the second dog followed for love of the first, and the pig
brought up the rear out of sincere affection for dog
number two. When loving kindness can weave a bond
so quickly and well, what a pity to use any other chain !
Asa rule, animals living together learn to love each
other, no matter how different their natures are, and
they contrive to talk in some mysterious way. Pro-
fessor Romanes tells of a cat who rushed upstairs to
fetch the cook, mewing and trying to drag her down
into the kitchen. Puss was evidently in a terrible state
of mind, so the servant made haste to follow her. On
reaching the kitchen she found a parrot, with whom
Puss was on very friendly terms, accidentally fixed by
the feet in a big bowl of dough which she had set
before the fire to rise.

Poor Poll was struggling and screaming violently, it
was as bad for her as it would have been for a man
stuck ina bog. She was already up to her knees, and
had she not been rescued by her faithful and shrewd
friend Pussy, she would soon have been smothered.

FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN ANIMALS.

Docs have been known to form strong friendships
with other dogs, horses, or geese, and cats with small
birds, rabbits and rats. A fine dog belonging to the
famous Mr. De la Rue, of London, afforded protection
in his kennel to a hen. It appears that foxes, who
were allowed to prow! at will about the estate, in
order that cruel sportsmen might hunt them to death,
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 7

had made sad havoc at the farm where this dog
lived.

One hen determined to secure her property against
the robbers, so she marched boldly into the dog’s
kennel and laid an egg in one corner, advertising the
useful deed by the usual cackling noise. The dog
was not at all offended at the liberty taken with his
house, but on the contrary seemed quite proud of the
confidence placed in him.

Day after day the hen continued to lay her eggs
there, and the dog as regularly brought them out,
carrying them most carefully so as not to break the
shells. He deposited them as near the farm house as
he could, and the housekeeper always rewarded him
for his honesty and cleverness.

A pretty little Skye terrier named “ Duckie,” once
made herself the champion of a hen and her family,
who were placed under a coop upon the lawn. Her
mistress said jokingly, “You must take care of the
little chickens, Duckie,” and from that moment Duckie
mounted guard over them.

Nothing would induce her to leave the coop; she
remained by it all day long, pursuing the chickens
when they strayed, and hunting them back to their
mother. Evidently she had counted them, for she
always knew when one was absent. One dark evening
a chick escaped into a thicket of laurels, and in her
zeal to bring the truant safely home, Duckie squeezed
her too tightly between her pretty white teeth.

The chicken died. After this Duckie’s penitence
and grief were most touching. She was terribly
8 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

ashamed of herself and felt in sad disgrace. The next
morning when she came in to prayers, as her habit
was, some one said “Oh! Duckie, where is the poor
little chicken ?”
This reproach was too much for Duckie’s feelings.
Down went her tail between her legs, and she walked
out of the room. Tender-hearted little doggie! She
never hurt a chicken again, but was their careful
protector till they were able to take care of themselves.
I was once at a farm house where a sick hen was
placed near the fire ina basket. At once a little
terrier dog took her under his care, though he was a
fierce little fellow, and a terror to strangers. He licked
her feathery face, growled at every person or animal
who offered to touch her, and allowed her to take his
own food, though he made it a point of honour never
to touch anything given to her. My own collie dog
at the same time struck up a friendship with a young
lamb, who was being brought up by hand in the
kitchen. She looked on with a benevolent sort of in-
terest, while the lamb was sucking milk out of a teapot,
and the pair would then lie down together on the hearth-
rug, the snowy wool of the lamb making a fine contrast
with her dog-friend’s coat of black satin and gold.
When a pair of horses who have long worked
together are parted by death, the survivor often pines
after his lost friend. More than one horse has been
known to refuse food and die from sorrow in this way.
These facts show us that we must include friendship
under the needs of an animal, if we wish to make him

truly happy.
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 9

Much ill-temper, vice, sullenness, and stupidity in
animals comes from being misunderstood and denied
companionship. Men and women grow stupid and
morose under solitary confinement,—how much more
then must animals do so, whom Nature framed for
free intercourse with each other, and who have no
resources against melancholy ?

Let us seek, then, to know the animals with whom
we hold fellowship, that we may be true and not false
friends to them. They will like us better than other
friends, but when we have not time or opportunity to
associate with them, we must give them friends of
their own kind.

A CAT AND DOG LIFE.

WE are accustomed to talk about “a cat and dog life,”
meaning one of perpetual squabbles or even worse
disagreements. But this saying, like many others of
the same class, is based on error. No better friends
can there be that cats and dogs who have been
brought up together.

Even when a cat and dog, strange to one another,
find that they must reside under the same roof, they
will soon become first-rate friends. They have enough
common sense to see that it is for their mutual comfort
to dwell together in harmony, and will very soon learn
to agree.

The fact :is that human interference: often makes
animals unfriendly to each other. Most puppy dogs
seem to feel no hostility by nature towards cats,
Io TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

though the cat, from the very earliest age, will show
fight on the approach of any dog. Before a kitten can
see, she will make a ridiculous and puny attempt to
arch her back and hiss in a whisper if she smells a
dog, though he may be big enough to swallow her like
a pill. At this her good-tempered shaggy, smooth, or
curly enemy merely wags his tail, and appears to
smile. These hostile demonstrations on pussy’s part
proceed from pure fright; the kittens leave them off
directly they have learnt by experience that the dog
does them no harm.

A little stray kitten which I found in the road and
brought home, would always creep into the kennel of
a big collie dog and sleep curled up on his back.
Nothing would induce the two to part.

All our dogs had been brought up to be friendly
with cats, but I did not expect so much courage on
the kitten’s side. In the morning, Lassie, the collie,
would give a lazy yawn and stretch, taking care not to
disturb the little kitten, instead of bounding out of the
kennel directly she heard my step.

She would seem to say “I can’t get up! She is on
my back,—a poor little baby of whom I must be very
careful.” It takes some time to establish a friendship
between a full-grown cat and a dog, but it can be done
with patience. As a rule the dog is glad enough to
make overtures to puss, and seems quite apologetic
when she rejects them, going away with a sort of look
which means “There! never mind, she will come
round in time. I can’t expect her to take all at once
to a clumsy fellow like me.” He will not revenge
le i

TRUE FRIENDSHIP. II

himself when scratched and clawed by her, because his
-noble heart bids him respect one less strong than
himself, even though she should be more spiteful.



A COMFORTABLE BED.

The cat and dog belonging to a clever German
named Wenzel, who wrote a book on the language
12 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

of animals, were strongly attached to one another.
Whenever the dog had anything nice given to him he
shared it with the cat. One day the master wished to
see whether puss would be equally mindful of her
absent dog comrade.

So he gave the cat a share of his own dinner while
the dog was out. Puss greatly enjoyed the feast, and
finished it, apparently without a thought of the dog.
When he had himself done, M. Wenzel put away
some meat which was left into the cupboard, without
locking the door, and then went away leaving the cat
in the passage.

But puss, who had noticed where the remains of
the meal had been put, was not so forgetful of her
four-legged companion as she had seemed. Going in
search of him, she mewed very loud in a peculiar way
which meant “Come along! See what I have got for
you.” She conducted him to the door of the room in
which the meat was, where they both waited till
somebody chanced to open it.

Then the cat led the dog to the cupboard, contrived
to open the doors, and pushing the meat off the plate
towards him, offered it as a compensation for his loss.
The wife of M. Wenzel, who watched this scene, re-
ported it to her husband on his return.

OUR FRIEND THE HORSE.

THE education of our friend the horse ought to be in
some respects like that ofa child. His lessons must be
made pleasant to him, and then he will learn easily
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 13

and remember long.. Few creatures have better me-
mories than the horse, both for people and places.
He never forgets the way to any place to which he
has once been, and he bears in mind both injuries and
benefits.

Anyone who has been in the habit of driving a.
horse must have noticed how well he recollects houses
before which he has once waited; and thinks he ought
to stop there again. I once saw a village carrier, who
was very good to his old horse, struggling angrily with
him at the corner of the road.

“What is this?” I said to the man, “Why, John, I
never saw you quarrelling with your horse before!”
“Please, Ma’am,” said the carrier, “He w7// go round
the village before he goes home, and I have no parcels
to deliver to-night.” The horse thought that the man
was neglecting his duty, and was determined at any
rate to do his own.

A French doctor was in the habit of visiting his
patients in the morning, upon horseback, after which
his son mounted the same horse in order to take round
the medicines prescribed. This sensible horse needed
no guidance, but always stopped of his own accord
before every door at which his master had called in
the morning.

At another time a soldier on his way from one place
to another lost himself in the open country. The
night was drawing in, snow lay on the ground, and it
was too dark for the traveller to read the words upon
the sign post which stood where two ways met.

The man felt sure that one road was the right
14 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

turning, but his horse was equally certain” that the |
other was the proper way. The animal was so certain |
of knowing best, that his rider tried in vain for a}
quarter of an hour before he could make him take the |

other. This was the more strange because the horse |
was deliberately turning his back upon his own stable |

by choosing the track he persisted in.

Even after fairly starting the horse seemed ill at
ease the whole way, and kept looking behind him.
He trotted slower and slower the farther they went.
At last the pair came to a village where the master
was able to ask the way. Sure enough the horse’s
memory was better than his rider’s. The man had
put the animal on a false track.

Sometimes this good memory on the part of the
horse tells tales of his master’s habits. Many a horse
obstinately refuses to pass a public house where his
master is a frequent visitor, and should he become a
teetotaler, will reproach him with his old bad habits,
by lingering around the old haunts. A horse named
Jack, whose master was rather too fond of his glass,
once grew tired of waiting outside while the man
wasted his time within the bar.

Thrusting his head in at the open door, Jack took
his master’s collar between his teeth, and in a very
gentle manner drew him out and obliged him to
resume his work.

On the other hand should the horse possess a
virtuous master, the same truth holds good. A horse
belonging to the good and illustrious Polish patriot,
Kosciusco, bore silent testimony to his master’s be-
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 15

nevolent nature. Wishing to do a kindness to an
invalid and at the same time to escape his thanks,























Kosciusco sent a young man on the errand upon his
own horse.
On returning to give an account of himself, the
16 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

messenger smilingly said “Next time you lend tne |
your horse I wish you would lend me your purse |
too.” |

“Why, then?” asked Kosciusco.

“Because, directly he sees a poor man, no matter
whether he is galloping or not, he stops short, and
nothing will make him go on again till the needy
individual has received something. Only judge of my
embarrassment! I had not a penny in my pocket.
There was nothing for it but to make a pretence of
giving money. All the way along the road I was
continually making charitable gestures!”

HOW TO TREAT A HORSE,

THOSE who are in the habit of ill-treating their horses
cannot keep their cruelty a secret, the horse will betray
them. If he is in good condition, willing and good-
tempered, he speaks well for his master, but if he looks
wretched, and is sullen and vicious, he speaks ill of
him.

The first point to be remembered in dealing with a
horse is never to lose your temper with him. This is
a wise rule for all who have control of other living
creatures, whether children, servants, animals, or under-
lings of any kind whatever,—for if you cannot govern
yourself how can you hope to govern others ?

Remember that your voice has a great power over
animals. Harsh angry tones, coarse shouts and bad
language terrify a horse and make him morose and
stupid. He will need no other guide but your voice
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 17

"if you use it well and do not spoil his temper and
intelligence by blows and cruel jerkings at the rein.
The stable in which a horse is kept should be light,
well-ventilated and drained. To be kept in total
4 _ darkness and then suddenly brought out into a blaze
_ of light often makes horses blind. And a damp, ill-
' ventilated stable causes rheumatism, colds, coughs,
4 glanders, and other diseases.
| If possible, you should have the stall at least six
| feet wide and nine feet long, so that the horse can turn
') round or lie down comfortably. Have the floor level,
/as standing on a slope will strain his legs. In loading,
consider well the distance to be travelled. Also the
nature of the ground.
' A load which a horse can draw easily on level
> ground becomes too heavy for him up a hill. Terrible
_ cruelty to horses arises because they are loaded by
persons who do not know the hilly nature of the road
which they must travel. Great injury is done not only
_ to the horse, but to the owner’s pocket thereby. Wise

| owners of horses will never overload them. It is better





to divide the load and go twice.
_ If your load is heavy let the horse stop often,
“especially when pulling up hill. The shafts should be
propped up and a stone put behind the wheel unless
the cart can be drawn across the road. It is of no use
to stop, unless proper time is allowed for the horse to
get his breath. Otherwise the stop with the effort to
"start again too soon does more harm than good.
_ Should your horse meet with an accident or fall ill,
consult a proper horse doctor at once, and do not allow
i Cc
18 TRUE. FRIENDSHIP.

anybody to give him drugs. Never allow anybody to
tease or tickle your horse, as vicious habits are thus
easily induced. Keep the harness soft and clean,
especially the inside of the collar and saddle. If the
perspiration is allowed to dry in, it will cause irritation
and produce galls. Many a horse is punished for
“jibbing,” or refusing to draw his load, when in reality
he is no rebel,
; but is merely}
suffering froma
tight — collar.
Pressing on his
windpipe, it half
suffocates him
as he pulls.
The collar
“| should fit close:
el ly, with suffi-|
cient. space at
the bottom to
admit your
hand. A collar
obstructs breathing if too small, while one too large
will cramp the shoulders, draw them into an un
natural position, and prevent the blood from. cit:
culating. Do not buckle the girth too tight, and
never permit the farrier to weaken a horse’s foot
by cutting away the wall. of the hoof, the frog, of
the sole. Shoes should be removed or changed
every three or four weeks. No horse must ever be
allowed to stand in dirty stables, as the gases











A GOOD NOSEBAG,
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 19

arising from manure will taint his food and irritate
his lungs as well as his eyes.

Many diseases of the feet are brought on by unclean
stables. The breath of the animal makes his hay
unwholesome, it should not be kept above the stall.
The horse should be cleaned outside the stable if
possible ; when done inside, the dust fouls the crib and
makes him loathe his food.

Horses feed naturally on the ground, and a hay-
rack over his head is not recommended. But a nose-
bag, out of which he can eat without tossing it into
the air or groping in vain for the oats is good. Such a
one has been invented, it is tied to his neck by the
bottom, instead of hanging its uncomfortable weight
from his head. It is called “ eo s patent nose-
bag,” and is a great boon.

IF A HORSE COULD SPEAK

he would say, “ Please, my good master, don’t forget
to give me a nice grooming when I come home tired
out ; you cannot think how much better I shall work
next day if you will rub my legs well with your hand,
and bandage them up. And just look closely at my
hoofs to see if any stone or nail is fixed there, which
I cannot get out myself. My hoofs want cleaning
too, with a brush, or they are sure to get sore and
make me lame. I want a clean bed as well as you do,
though straw will do well enough for me. If it is
very cold, cover me with a rug, or perhaps I shall
wake with a cough and bad pains.
20 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

“When you use the curry-comb do not scrape me
hard—some of us with fine skins cannot bear to be
combed at all, we like a good hard brush better, it
will make our coats glossy as silk. Why do you put
things called blinkers close to our eyes? They bother
us a good deal.



I CANNOT PULL WITH THIS ON.

“A horse I once met told me that these horrid
blinkers were put for the first time on a horse which
was wall-eyed, by a nobleman who was his master, so
that folks should not see the ugly-looking defect. After
that, other people stuck blinkers on their horses too,
whether they were blind of one eye or not, just that
they might be like the nobleman, They thought the
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 21

blinkers a good place for painting the ornaments they
call ‘ coats-of-arms ’ upon.

“Tt makes us frightened to have our eyes covered up,
and often the blinkers tease us by rubbing our eye-
lashes and flapping about. But there is a worse thing
than blinkers, a strap which you put round our necks



NOW THAT IS COMFORTABLE.

called the bearing rein. I only wish you could feel
it yourself, that’s all, then I am sure you would never
put it on a horse again. :

“ Sometimes I see men pulling little trucks up a hill,
and I notice that they push their heads out in front of
them as they go. I wonder how they would manage
if a tight leather strap tied their heads back? Oh,
22 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

the pain and misery are dreadful to bear! Besides
this, it makes one look ugly.

“ Another word—please recollect that though we are
big creatures our stomachs are small in proportion to
our size. We get hungry faster than a dog or cat
does, and we ought to have a little feed often. You
see when we are out in the fields we eat all day, yet
never get too much.

“Tf you take us to work for you, pray let us have
food enough, or we shall get ill, weak, and worn out
before our time. Horses want more nourishing food
when they are working. Grass or hay does very well
at other times, but we like oats best after a hard day’s
toil, or, better still, a nice warm mash.

“We want a little water and food about every two
hours when on our tedious journeys up and down hill,
or along the dreary roads drawing loads for men. I
often wonder what you can want with so many things!
A horse wants only a few. Please try and give us the
little we ask.

“] think that men and boys do not know how easily
frightened we are. If they did they would speak
gently and never beat us. Nearly all the faults we
have come from fear—it is fear that makes us shy,
fear that makes us jib, fear that now and then
makes us ill-tempered, though, as a rule, we are so
gentle.

“Tf you would tell us kindly when we ought to stop
and when we ought to go on, we would do it, but how
can we tell what you want if you whip us for every-
thing? If I am hit for standing still, and then hit
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 23.

“for going on, how can I possibly tell what I am to
do? Iam not stupid. Speak to me, and I shall learn
without your tugging at my bridle or flogging me.”



THE POWER OF KINDNESS.

; THE wonderful horse tamer, Mr. Rarey, used neither
_ whip, stick, nor any other means of punishment to
| bring refractory horses into submission. The most
remarkable case of subduing a savage horse by the
power of kindness was shown when the celebrated
“Cruiser,” belonging to Lord Colchester, was rendered
_ docile as a lamb by Mr. Rarey.

| This horse was so vicious, and showed such a
:



terrible temper, that the care of him was too dangerous
an office for any man to undertake. For days no
one dared approach his stall. He was fed through a
long funnel. On one occasion he seized an iron bar
and tore it in two with his teeth!

There was, no doubt, some hidden reason for the
ferocity of Cruiser. The fury of an animal generally
proceeds from some unsatisfied want, and this is
especially the case where they are kept in confinement.
Mr. Rarey knew all about the horse, yet felt so sure
of taming him that he undertook to pay one hundred
pounds if not successful.

The grooms and stable men smiled at each other
when they heard of this. “Cruiser is more than a
match for him,” they all said. However, the trial of
strength came on between the horse and the man. It
was a dangerous moment for Mr. Rarey. Twice the
24 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

horse flew at him like a tiger, with a savage cry, and
it was as much as Mr. Rarey could do to keep out of |
reach of his teeth.

After many attempts, Cruiser’s head was fastened |
to the rack. And then for twenty minutes he raged |
like a mad creature. So fearful was the frenzy of the |
animal that Lord Colchester called out to the horse |
tamer, “ Don’t peril your life, Mr. Rarey, never mind |
the hundred pounds!”

But Mr. Rarey had a firm will, one of the great |
secrets of managing animals; he also possessed great _
patience, another necessity if creatures are to be well
ruled. He persevered, and Lord Colchester states, |
“in three hours Mr. Rarey and myself mounted him,
though he had not been ridden for nearly three
years!”

Another gentleman who witnessed this almost
magical effectof power combined with gentleness wrote,
“A few days ago Cruiser was a frantic savage; now
he is without a bridle, following Mr. Rarey like a dog ;
stopping or trotting just as he is told. Every trace of
savage life has left his eye, and he enjoys being
fondled.” It is by studying the nature of the horse in
his wild state that we find some clue to this mystery,
Elephants, horses, swine, and many other creatures
live in herds while roaming at liberty, under the
charge of a leader of their own species. If by any
chance one animal becomes separated from the rest,
he becomes gloomy, morose, and at last savage and
dangerous.

A solitary elephant is fierce, and pursues men, so is
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 25

a solitary wild boar. The horse partakes of the nature
of other wild animals who live in tribes. When he is
taken from the prairies and forced to work, man be-
comes his leader; and the horse submits, because he
acknowledges his chieftain in man. Cruiser, and others
like him, high-spirited and sensitive, need a master or
captain both gentle and strong. When once they find
such an one they obey him like a dog, but the man must
first prove himself worthy, or the horse will not obey.
By brute force, blows, kicks, and bad words no man .
will ever master the horse. He is far stronger than
the mightiest man who ever lived, and can give harder
blows and more fearful kicks, though he cannot use
bad language. If it comes to a battle between a
spirited horse and a man, the horse will conquer,
unless the man proves his superiority in some better
way than violence.

Until this fierce animal met Mr. Rarey he had.
found no chieftain, and was terrified and enraged at
being shut up and left to himself. It is most likely
that all his faults had been made worse instead of
better by this, though from a colt he had been hard
to manage.

Had Mr. Rarey attempted to treat Cruiser as the
horse wished at first to treat him, he would have been
a dead man in five minutes. He showed instead that
he was in some ways stronger than a horse, because
wiser, more patient, more long-suffering, more merciful,
and with power that did not depend on muscles.
Animals are quick to see this greatness in the race
above them, Though they cannot understand it, they
26 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

know that somehow man’s mzxd will conquer their
bodies, though his muscles are weaker than theirs.

It is seldom that a horse so fierce as Cruiser is
found, but the same rule applies to all horses. Kind-
ness, with firm, persevering patience and gentleness,
will do anything with them : brutality will do nothing.
Cruelty to horses is folly, because it is not only useless
but harmful. It harms the body of the horse and
wears him out more than any amount of hard work,
but it hurts the soul of the man, who shows it far
more.

THE HORSE’S LITTLE COUSIN.

THE more we treat donkeys like horses, the more like
horses they will be. Their race is one with that of
the horse; insize, the ass, when well treated, approaches
him, for in Spain donkeys reach a height of fourteen
hands, or even more.

That the donkey will exist without comforts, which
are necessary to the horse, is no reason why he should
have none. He wants grooming, proper food, a clean,
dry bed, and change of food like his fine, big cousin..
It is because he gets none of these things that Neddy
droops his long ears, hangs his head, turns morose, a
little bit sulky sometimes, and will do no more work
than he can help.

But will any living creature work under such miser-
able conditions? The best and wisest man or boy
who ever lived would turn sullen if he had to bear half
what a donkey does. The ass shows his sense in


HOMEWARD BOUND.
28 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

declining to be cheerful and energetic when he is
starved, overloaded, badly housed or not sheltered at
all, and never cleaned.

Those who treat donkeys well find a great advantage
in it. A good meal before starting to work in the
morning, a little corn at least once in the day, and a
second feed at night of roots, hay, or oats are the
smallest allowance on which a donkey can be expected
to earn his master’s living.

Water must be clean, or the ass turns up his nose
at it. He is among the cleanest of creatures, never
has any fleas on him, and detests mud and dirt of any
sort. He enjoys grooming as much as a horse does,
and needs it as much. If used well, the donkey will
be a good servant for thirty, forty, or even fifty years,
but he seldom lives for a quarter of that time in this
country. Though he is the poor man’s friend, being
cheaper to keep than the horse, and costing less to
buy, the donkey meets with such disgraceful return
for his helpfulness that his life is over or he is worn
out at about the age of twelve, in nine cases out of ten.

One great cause.of the ill-usage of the ass in this
country is the silly habit of turning him into a joke.
People must be hard up for something to laugh at
when they can find a jest in any animal’s sufferings.
Far from being an object of contempt, the ass is a
clever animal, more so than the horse, and more so
sometimes than the fools who jeer at him.

An amusing sight was till lately to be seen on
a great bridge in the heart of Bristol, where a man
stood every night selling hot potatoes from a little
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 29

cart drawn by a donkey. All day long the busy
throng pass and repass this bridge, and the trade is
good.

Not till midnight, when the crowds melted away, did
the man and his patient little Neddy think it time for
going home to seek their own supper. One night I
happened to be coming home late after a concert, and
was waiting for a tramcar on the bridge. The little
cart stood close to me, but the man was talking toa
policeman on the other side of the road.

Presently the big bell from a church clock near began
to toll twelve, and all at once I noticed a change in the
donkey’s ears. He took no particular notice at the
first toll of the bell, nor at the second, but when seven
or eight strokes had fallen, his ears began slowly
to rise.

“ Nine! ten!”—the ears pricked themselves eagerly ;
“Eleven!”—they stood bolt upright—“ Twelve!”
Before the sound had finished vibrating, off rattled the
little cart as hard as it could pelt, and I saw Neddy
no more. .The man ran laughing after it.

Neddy could hear ten o'clock strike, or eleven,
without moving a muscle, but twelve meant stable and
carrots, and he was off like a shot. He had learnt to
count without going to school. Certainly the folk
who treat so sensible a creature as this like some
stupid wooden doll or a sack of flour, and try to govern
him by blows, are far more senseless than he is.
30 TRUE. FRIENDSHIP.

THE DONKEY’S FRIEND,

LORD SHAFTESBURY, one of the best men who ever
lived, and one who did more to promote the proper
treatment of animals than any nobleman before him,
was proud to be called “the donkey’s friend.” When
his attention had once been called to the sad condition
of costermongers’ donkeys in the east end of London,
the earl never rested till he had done something to
ameliorate their lot.

He rightly thought that the best way to make the
men take a pride in the donkeys, instead of beating
and ill-using them, or keeping the poor creatures on
short commons, was to zv¢erest the costermongers in
the animals they drove. He held meetings, gave
addresses, and offered rewards for the best groomed,
' finest,strongest, and most comfortable looking donkeys.

The measure proved a complete success: the men
had, in many cases, been thoughtless rather than
brutal, and had fallen into an error which many people
commit, namely, that of fancying animals to be so
different from themselves as to be beyond the reach
of sympathy and the rule of love.

The working men highly appreciated Lord Shaftes-
_ bury’s efforts on behalf of themselves and their donkeys,
for they felt that in becoming less a brutal tyrant a
man becomes more worthy of being human. As a
tribute of gratitude and good-fellowship, the coster-
mongers of London presented the good earl with a
living token of their regard. This was nothing less


A DONKEY’S GRAVE.
32 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

than a “ moke,” a very handsome fellow indeed, and
also a barrow for him to draw. There can, we know,
be no greater compliment paid us by any body of
men than a desire on their part that we should be
their comrades. Lord Shaftesbury was delighted that
the costermongers should wish to treat him as one of
themselves.

In the justice room at his residence of St. Giles; the
barrow was always kept, and he would never part with
it. From the favourite “moke” he was forced to part,
for. after a peaceful life spent in drawing the lawn-
mower of his noble owner, this lucky animal passed
away to the land of happy creatures.

As if to show his pleasure in being surnamed the
“friend” of that humble race, this good-hearted peer
conferred upon the costermonger’s gift his own title.
Though the “moke” had always gone by the name of
“Coster Jack” he was re-named “ Shaftesbury.” And
when he died the earl caused him to be buried in his
own estate with the following epitaph :

“TO COSTER JACK..

“Friend of the poor !—no higher name is thine,
Shaftesbury, thou noblest of an ancient line.
Friend of the poor! Lie buried in this grave,
Thou humble beast his brother ‘costers’ gave !
For Christ, who in His hour of triumph sate

On a young ass, thy form hath consecrate,

And bid us ponder how God’s work may join

Both man and beast to God in sympathy Divine!”
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 33

WHAT A DOG WANTS.

FOREMOST among our animal friends comes the dog,
who loves us for our own sakes, no matter whether we
are rich or poor, old. or young, ugly or handsome, good




NR
"il






ENJOYING THE AIR.

“or bad. If we wish to be true and not false friends to
him in return, we must find out what he needs and
make sure that he has it. -

There are three great-wants that the dog feels, when
D
34 TRUE. FRIENDSHIP.

kept by us, and as he cannot ask in our words, we
must attend to them without waiting for him to plead >
for himself. The first great want is proper food, the
second is proper housing, and the third is exercise.

“Every dog ought to have as much as he can eat of
wholesome food once a day, though for some dogs it
is better to give food twice. The dinner or supper
should consist of a mixture of meat, vegetables, and
meal of some kind. Hé ought not to have raw meat,
and bones should be given sparingly.

When meat is bought fora dog the coarsest parts
are best, but no horse flesh should ever be offered him.
Lumps of cold potatoe or green stuff are not food for
a dog, but if carefully cut up and mixed with a little
gravy and: dripping, with a few shreds of meat, he
will think them a feast.

Dog biscuit is not good for an entire diet ; it is no
better for a dog-than dry ship biscuit would be for a
man, all the year round. The bits of dry meat in
these biscuits do him no good, and are often of a very
bad kind. It is far better to give oatmeal or any fresh
food, though dog biscuit may be better than nothing.

It is a capital plan to keep a pot for the dog, into
which may be thrown any waste bits from the kitchen.
When boiled together he will relish pieces which he
would disdain otherwise, and he likes a flavour of
meat in his supper. We must not forget that naturally
he is a flesh-eating animal, and cannot be comfortable
without any flesh at all. Sheep’s paunch, ox cheek,
or any odd bits bought cheap will do well if nicely
cooked and mixed up with vegetables and meal.
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 35

Liver is good now and then, about once a week.
Fresh water should always be kept within reach of
every dog, at all times. As to his house, he ought
never to be put into a damp kennel. Four bricks
should be placed so as to keep it above the ground,
and a few pieces of board nailed together to make a
wooden platform ought to be placed outside for him
to lie on when the weather is close.

The kennel ought to be well washed and painted
inside with turps once a fortnight at least, the ground
or paved yard round it should be well washed, and if
a little carbolic acid be mixed with the water, it is all
the better for his health and that of the household
near which he lives. If dogs sleep indoors, a mat, or
straw bed, must be given them.

In his kennel the dog ought to have a clean thick
bed of straw or pine shavings, changed as often as
possible. The door of it should be turned away from
the wind in winter, and in summer it should be shaded
from the heat. For this reason it is best to make a
dog’s house movable.

In very cold weather a flap or curtain must be
nailed over the opening in such a way as to let down
when wanted. Dogs suffer much from rheumatism
and cold, and need protection. Bathing is not good
for dogs except in very hot weather, and it is always
bad unless the dog can be perfectly dried before lying
down again. It is better for him to go without his
bath than to get ill from damp. As he does not
perspire through his skin, but through his tongue only,
he does not need washing as much as some people
36 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

think. A good combing and brushing each day will
keep his coat in better order than soap and water,
which only roughens it and makes it dirtier in the
end.

Lastly, exercise is life toa dog. It is cruel to the
last degree to keep him chained up all day ; those who
do it show great ignorance, or else barbarous neglect.
It is seldom necessary to chain a dog at all, he is so
obedient, docile, and willing to please. But if he
must now and then be tied up, it should be for as
short a time as possible.

Too much exercise is bad for a dog, and it is a very
cruel fashion to make him run after the master he
loves, when the man is mounted on a bicycle, or is
driving. On his own legs a man cannot go too far
for a dog, but on wheels he overtaxes his four-footed
companion. It is sad indeed to see a dog tied under
a cart, or panting along behind a carriage or bicycle,
dead beat, yet not daring to stop for fear of being
dragged along or left hopelessly behind.

The muzzle is a cruel torment to this noble creature,
and it is to be hoped that before long the law will
forbid its use instead of compelling it. Our friend the
dog wants these few simple things to keep him in
health, and besides his bodily wants he has others.

Underneath his coat, whether rough or smooth, the
dog has a heart which is full of affection, and he is
most unhappy unless he finds someone to love. The
want of a human friend is one of the deepest feelings
which he knows, and it is the greatest possible mis-
take to treat him as if he cared for nothing but eating
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 37

and drinking. When he learns to do so it is because
he has found nothing better to care for.

He is more like a very little child than anything
else, though he surpasses any child in unselfishness,
devotion, aad power to serve those whom he loves.
We must think of his short life of about twelve years
as that of a person, who, though not able to think as
wisely as we do, or to talk our language, can love more
truly, and can speak well enough in his own way.

A LIVING MONUMENT.

ANYONE walking through the old Churchyard of Grey-
friars, Edinburgh, some five and twenty years ago,
would have seen a strange and pathetic sight. Many
a costly mass of carved stone or polished marble,
covered with words of eulogy, marked the places where
rich and great people slept ; but upon the green grass
which covered the nameless resting-place of a poor
man there cee ?

It looked like the effigy of a dog, einmiecl wrought
in dusky stone, so as to look like life——and yet it
breathed, it stirred, while now and then a piteous sigh
or half-smothered whine broke from it. This was a
living monument ;—the sleeper’s only friend, a true-
hearted little terrier who could not bear to be parted
from. him.

And lying there, the small shaggy rough-coated
Scotch doggie spoke better things for his dead friend
lying below, than any pompous speeches cut on sense-
less blocks of stone. He gave silent witness to his
38 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

master’s kindness ; he told a tale of love which passes
beyond the grave into that land where pain and part-
ing are no more,

The heart of little Bobby was with the friend he
loved still. What memory! What self-denial! What
devotion! The creature forgot all other wants, all
other woes, all other cares in the one all-absorbing
desire to stay where he had seen the beloved form
disappear. ;

Who knows but that his dim brain nourished some
hope that his master would wake and come up to
him again-some day? If any such notion passed
through his mind, and if little faithful Bobby looked
forward to meeting his friend once more, surely by
this time his longing is gratified, and the same strong
patient love which drew him to linger on his mas-
ter’s grave has drawn the two together again now
elsewhere.

An aged man, James Brown, whose duty. it was
to take charge of the cemetery, remembered well
the day when a humble artisan, named Grey, was
brought to lie there, and noticed that Bobby was
foremost among the mourners. Next morning James
found him lying on the grave, and as his orders were
that “No dogs were to be admitted” he drove him
out.

But the next day Bobby was there again. What
did he care for printed notices about dogs, stuck outside
the gate? It was cold and wet,—and Bobby was seen
by James in a shivering and forlorn plight. The old
man took pity on him and fed him,
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 39

Poor Bobby, thus encouraged in his desire to keep
near the grave, now lay upon it in peace. For fourteen
long years he kept his solemn watch, never leaving











the sacred spot for long. A benevolent man, Sergeant
Scott, R.E., allowed Bobby his board for a length of
time, and for nine years he was fed by Mr. Trail, the
kindly keeper of a restaurant close by.
40 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

At this shop, Bobby appeared regularly for his
dinner, being guided by the midday gun from the
castle. But at last the same mysterious message
which had fetched his master so far away, and which
sooner or later must still the pulse of every heart,
whether of man or beast, came to Bobby too.

Bobby died, as his master had done before him ;
and as men thought no shame to bury him in Christian
ground, consecrated to the dust of loftier though less
faithful beings, perhaps some unseen guide thought no
scorn of showing Bobby’s little spirit the way his
master had gone. The Bible speaks of “ the spirit of
the beast” as having a future,—though its destiny is
hidden.

Among the many visitors who had heard the fame
of Bobby’s long watch, and came to see the mute
sentinel at his post, was the Baroness Burdett-Coutts,
an ardent lover of animals. She caused a beautiful
drinking fountain of granite to be erected in the
streets of Edinburgh, to the memory of Bobby.

Many a weary wayfarer, on two legs or four, passes
refreshed after quenching his thirst at its flowing
waters,—so Bobby has not lived in vain. At the top
of the ornamental column sits Bobby himself, cut
out of granite, looking much as he did in life, and
bidding all passers by, for his sake, to cherish his
race, ' .

Professor Blackie wrote a Greek inscription for
Bobby’s memorial, which when translated runs thus:
“This monument was erected by a noble lady, the
Baroness Burdett-Coutts, to the memory of Greyfriars
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 4I

Bobby,a faithful and affectionate littledog who followed
the remains of his beloved master to the Churchyard
in the year 1858 and became a constant visitor to the
grave, refusing to be separated from the spot until he
died in the year 1872.”

BILL, THE FIRE-ESCAPE DOG.

IT is a remarkable feature in the character of the dog
that he will often attach himself to masses of men,
without picking out any particular individual as his
special master. When he is a regimental dog he
appears to know the regiment of his own corps, and to
respect the flag.

And he has sometimes been known to adopt the
policemen of a certain station, or a ship’s crew, or a
fire brigade, in the same manner, as his own associates.
This shows no small degree of intelligent watchfulness
on his part, for he must have grasped in his own mind
the fact that these people, all dressed alike, act in
concert, and form one body.

Perhaps some lingering memory, handed down from
the time when his ancestors, the wolves, hunted to-
gether in packs under a leader, may assist him in
coming to this sage conclusion. Among the band of
noble heroes who have charge of fire-escapes, and who
are ever ready to peril their lives to save those of
others, was a man named Samuel Wood.

He saved nearly one hundred men, women and
children ; much of Wood’s success, however, was due
42 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

to his wonderful little dog “ Bill,” around whose neck
the parishioners of Whitechapel placed a silver collar,
with an inscription in his praise as a token that during
nine years he filled the important post of “ Fire-escape
dog.”

As Bill’s master was forced to keep watch all night,
that being the time when fires most frequently break
out, he slept by day, and the dog slumbered close to
his bed. He never thought of leaving this place till it
was time for them both to go to the station. Bill was
sure not to let his master sleep too long. How he
knew the time was a mystery, but he did.

When the fire-escape was wheeled out of the White-
chapel churchyard at nine o'clock, Bill was promptly
at his post. Though very quiet at other times, he
began to bark furiously when he heard the alarm of
fire raised. Wood had no occasion to sound his rattle,
for all the policemen around knew the voice of Bill
and hurried up to help.

If the cry of “Fire!” were raised when but few
people were at hand, Bill would rush to the coffee-
houses and taverns near, push open the doors, and
give his well-known bark, as if to say, “Come along!
Why don’t you help?” After this no man among
them stayed behind at his ease; he would have been
ashamed to be less charitable than a dog.

In the dark nights a lantern was lighted, and Bill
at once seized hold of it and ran in front of his master
to show him the way. When the ladder was erected,
Bill was at the top before Wood could get half-way
up! He jumped into the rooms, and amid thick


SAVING PUSS.
AA TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

smoke and rolling flames ran from room to room
helping his master to find and bring out the terrified
inmates.

Once the fire burned so rapidly, and the smoke in
the room became so dense, that Wood and another
man were unable to find their way out. They feared
that death was certain. Bill at once seemed to com-
prehend the danger in which his kind friend was
placed, and the faithful creature began to bark.

Half suffocated, Wood and his comrade knew that
this was a signal meaning “ Follow me!” They at
once crawled after the dog as well as they were able,
and ina few moments reached a window, guided by
him. Their lives were saved! and all was Bill’s
doing. What an amount of sense and affection, besides
presence of mind, such an act shows! A man could
not have behaved more prudently and well.

But Bill’s benevolence did not end here. One night
a poor little kitten was found on the stairs of a house
which was on fire. He immediately drove Pussy
down from stair to stair until she reached the door,
where she was tenderly cared for by a very kind-
hearted policeman.

Many were the pains which this noble dog bore in
the execution of his duty: once he was injured by
falling into a tub of scalding water, thrice he was run
over in the hurly-burly, and finally he met his death
from being seriously hurt while at the post of honour
and of danger. ,

In spite of the most affectionate nursing, Bill was
lost to the fireman, his master, who doubtless made a
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 45

keepsake of his collar, with its halting verse written
by some humble poet who loved the wearer :

“T am the fire-escape man’s dog, my name is Bill,
When ‘fire’ is called, I am never still,

1 bark for my master, all danger I brave,

To bring the ‘ escape’ human life to save.”

A LITTLE HOUSE FRIEND.

THE famous Chateaubriand said, when ,an old man:
“IT would willingly make myself the advocate of _
certain works of God which are in disgrace with men.
In the first line would figure the ass and the cat.”
Though poor puss is not made to slave for us, she is .
certainly made to bear much needless suffering, and
she sorely needs a champion.

Because she can catch mice, it is supposed that she
needs no other food; and because she loves liberty
and it is her nature to roam abroad in the dark,
people deprive her of shelter through the bitter,
freezing nights; because she attaches herself to the
place in which she dwells, her owners conclude that
she wants nothing better than bare walls and a floor
to love.

Thus, being treated like a wild beast instead of a
tame creature, is it any wonder that she loses half the
intelligence, affection, and cleverness of which she is
capable? Very different as her nature is from that of
the dog, these two chief animal comrades of ours are
alike in one point.
46 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

The better you treat them the more loving, faithful,
and sensible they will be. The cat requires regular
meals like the dog ; why should she be able to live on
air, any more than he? She cannot always catch
mice, and if she does they are not good food for
her in a domestic state.

It is cruel to turn poor pussy out at night against
her will, but equally cruel to confine her should she
express an urgent wish to go out. If you train her
to come in at a fixed hour for her supper, she will
soon learn to be as punctual as any other member of
the family, in spite of the song that says, ‘“ Cats don’t
know when it’s half-past eight !”

The best food for puss is a mixture of meat, meal,
and vegetables, and a highly civilized cat, rightly
brought up from kittenhood, will like nothing better
than a portion from his master’s table. Warm meat,
however, should not be given. The lumps of offal
called “cat’s meat” are very bad for pussy, and if any
raw meat is given her it should be lean beef cut up
small and mixed with a little cooked vegetable.

Grass is medicine for cats, and they must have
access to it. No two cats have appetites alike; many
a cat will purr over a feast of boiled potatoes, another
will enjoy a helping of milk pudding. Many prefer
milk with soaked bread; others will not touch this,
but like dry biscuit or bread, and the milk separate.
A few cats prefer water to milk at all times, and when
ill, most cats turn from milk. Fresh and clean water
then should be always within reach of every cat.

A puss of my acquaintance, who belongs to an old
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 47

blind woman, has pretty ways of coaxing her for any
special dainty which he knows to be in the house.
This tabby is perfectly aware that his mistress cannot
see, and so, when he wishes to talk to her, he wastes
no time on arching his back, rubbing against the legs
of her chair, or begging with the usual graceful wiles
of his race.

He always jumps at once on to her lap, and gives
her a very gentle nip with his teeth. When there is a
plum-pudding in the cupboard, Tabby never gives
the old woman any peace till he has had his share.
He pulls her skirts, takes her dress into his mouth,
or goes on giving her hand little bites till she gives him
some. To the old dame’s husband, who can see well,
this puss behaves quite differently. He never nibbles
his master, but treats him as an ordinary member
of society.

SIR EMERSON TENNANT’S “ TOM.”

SOMETIMES silly people will speak sneeringly of cats
as “old women’s pets.” This way of talking is doubly
foolish, because, neither cats nor aged women have
anything contemptible about them. We must all be
old women, or else old men, one day, unless we die
first, and, as a rule, old folk are wiser, better, kinder,
and more worthy of respect than youngsters.

We ought to mock neither at animals nor human
beings. Tennyson truly says that

“ Mockery is the fume af little hearts.”
48 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

But besides being silly, it is false to say that cats
are fit companions for elderly and feeble persons only.

Many brave and wise men, poets, heroes, and states-
men, have preferred cats to dogs as comrades. Cardinal
Wolsey, when Chancellor of England, always had his
favourite cat sitting on a chair beside him, while he
held his audiences. Tasso, the Italian poet, addressed
one of his most charming sonnets to his cat, and our
English poet Cowper often wrote of them.

The celebrated traveller, Sir Emerson Tennant, had
a “Tom,” who was almost like a child of the house.
Tom was a splendid silky fellow, jet black, with
magnificent whiskers and a finely shaped head, which
he carried in a fearless, upright manner. He had a
head upon his shoulders, figuratively as well as literally,
for he was far too wise a cat to make a fuss about
any such trifle as a railway journey.

It is the greatest possible mistake to fancy that
domestic cats “like places better than people.” They
do so only when they have had no particular notice
taken of them by any particular person, and thus
have formed no special attachment. We ourselves
should learn to grow fond of the rooms in which we
have always lived, if we had nothing better to love,
and, indeed, lonely people often do this.

Every summer as the time drew near for his master’s
family to travel away for their seaside holiday, Tom
exhibited a remarkable uneasiness, restlessly straying
into empty rooms, examining boxes, running to the
front door at the servant’s heels, and taking an interest
in all cabs, .
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 49

Once or twice he even had to be caught and brought
back from one of these vehicles, into which he had
jumped under the impression that his human belong-
ings were going away in it, while he would be left



GOING TO THE SEASIDE.

behind. At last Tom’s hamper was brought out, and
then his mind was set at rest.

He then knew that he was going to accompany the
party, and strutted gravely round and round his
basket, while seriously consulting the standers-by with

K
50 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

his large intelligent eyes. Tom always behaved very
well in the train, but when once in the country he
became quite another cat from the quiet personage
that he was at home. “Why shouldn’t I have a
change and some fun like the rest ?” he seems to have
thought, for Tom would disappear for many days at a
time, seldom putting in an appearance during his
whole stay, except when he brought a young leveret
in his mouth, as a present, let us say. Yet no sooner
did the time approach for going home than Tom
would again be on the look-out, and in due course
would return to London as he had come, where he
would again become a respectable and sober house-cat.

Tom’s feelings were very easily hurt, and if any
slight were put upon him, he would look reproachfully
into the offender’s face, and then retire downstairs to
his friends in the kitchen. No coaxing would appease
him till several hours had passed, when he would
forgive and forget.

Though his master was often urged to send Tom to
cat shows, and assured that he would win a first prize,
Sir Emerson would never consent. He would not
subject his favourite to so painful an ordeal for the
sake of money or fame. Although they may not be
subjected to actual ill-usage at these places, animals at
shows suffer much from fright, confinement, the absence
of familiar faces, and the presence-of staring crowds.

Tom never broke anything in his life, though he
was very inquisitive about new things, and would jump
upon the tables laden with costly crockery, glass, and
ornaments, picking his way carefully to smell at any
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. ST

fresh article placed there. His mistress would smile
while Tom thus seemed to endanger her treasures, and
say, “we never frighten him, he does no harm.”

There lies the grand secret of managing puss, of teach-
ing him, and making the best of his fine nature. We
must never frighten him. Those who make puss afraid,
make him timid, cautious, sly, and unloving. And
then they blame the cat, instead of blaming themselves.

In proportion as puss is treated well or ill, she
becomes either crafty or frank. She is a timid animal,
but timidity is not a vice, it merely shows a sensitive
temperament. To be sensitive is often the sign of a
high, not of a low nature ; and to treat timid creatures
roughly, is to make them cowardly and cringing, not
noble and trustworthy.

Tom was a regular attendant at the breakfast table,
and was usually the first to present himself there.
After the meal was over, he would adjourn to the sofa
and curl himself up to sleep. From his dusky hue,
he was then in danger of not being seen, and his kind
master would often put aside the letters he was
reading, rise from the table and place a white envelope
on Tom’s glossy back.

This was to act as a sort of flag, showing that he
was there, lest somebody should sit down on Tom and
hurt him. Every day as the dinner hour approached,
Tom would be ready on the spot, looking as if he had
brushed and washed himself first. He would stand
patiently till everybody was seated, and then take his
accustomed chair beside his master to receive his
portion of fish.
52 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

THE MOTHER AND HER LITTLE ONES.

Dr. Goon, author of an interesting work called “ The
Book of Nature,” gives a touching account of how his
favourite cat announced to him the death of her kitten.
Between this cat and her master a firm friendship had
existed, and puss had always been in the habit of
taking her seat quietly at his elbow on the writing
table, where she sat patiently hour after hour.

She became at length less constant in her attendance,
having a kitten to take care of. One morning pussy
came as usual, but instead of sitting down; she began
rubbing her furry sides against her master’s hand and
pen as if to say, “You must please not write one
word more till you. have listened to me!” What
she wished to communicate was a matter of grave
importance to pussy as her master might have guessed
from the earnest way in which she repeated her speech
over and over again, in the only way possible to her.
With a sort of timid patience she persevered till her
friend stopped his writing in order to look at her
peculiar gestures.

As soon as she had made him attend, she leaped
down from the table and ran to the door with a look
of great uneasiness. When it was opened for her,
puss did not run out, but gazed earnestly up into her
friend’s face as though she wished him-to follow, or
had something she would fain tell.

As her master did not understand, and was very
busy at the time, he shut the door, leaving puss
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 53

outside to go where she liked. In less than an hour,
however, she had again forced an entrance into the

Ae
Hi



A SORROWFUL MOTHER.

room and drawn close to him. This time she did not
mount on the table, but began rubbing against his feet.
On moving them they struck against something,
54 TRUE’ FRIENDSHIP.

and looking down the master: saw with grief and
astonishment the dead body of her little kitten,
covered with cinder-dust, though he had supposed it
to be alive and well. He then guessed what the poor
mother had tried so long and earnestly to say. She
had suddenly lost the nurseling she doted on, and was
resolved to acquaint her master with this great sorrow.

Doubtless she wished him to share her trouble, and
perhaps imagined that he could bring life back to her
baby, or at least find out how it had all happened.
Finding him too dull to comprehend the expressive
signs by which she had asked him to follow her to the
cinder-heap, where her darling lay, she took the great
labour of fetching it to lay at his feet, from a
considerable distance, toiling up many stairs.

The kind master took the poor little dead kitten in
his hand, and followed by puss went downstairs to
enquire into the cause of its death, which was all that
he could do for her now. He found that the little
creature had been killed by an accident for which
nobody was much to blame.

The yearnings of the affectionate mother were
soothed now that she had got her master to divide her
sorrow with her. She gradually took comfort and
resumed her former station at his side. This story is
enough to show how carefully we should deal with the
animals which we keep when they become mothers.

It is impossible that all the puppies and kittens
which are born should be permitted to grow up ; happy
homes could not be found for all, nor sufficient food.
It is far kinder and wiser to kill them mercifully while
TRUE FRIENDSHIP. 55

very young, than to let them grow up to be starving
outcasts.

But if one child can be left to the proud, loving
mother, and there is a prospect of a good home for it,
this will be far better for her health as well as her
happiness. Neither kittens nor puppies must be
taken from the mother directly they are born, they
must be left some hours till they have sucked her
milk away, or she will suffer much in body and perhaps
be very ill indeed.

Her teats will require to be gently rubbed when her
family is removed, with a little sweet oil or fresh butter,
and she must be kept warm, and fed well. A clean
bed, even if it is nothing better than — paper, is
absolutely essential to cats and dogs, if they are to be
kept comfortable and in health.

Care must be taken when the little ones are drowned
that clean water is used; soapy stuff inflicts extra
pain. It is best to sew them into a strong bag with
a heavy stone inside to act as a weight and keep them
well under the surface.

Though the spark of life is casily extinguished in
creatures that are newly born, their death should
never be a lingering one. A painless death may be
contrived for these feeble beings by placing them
under a bell-glass, with a few pennyworth of chloro-
form on a sponge or tuft of cotton wool. The glass
may be made air-tight by pressing its rim into loose
sand or earth, rather than placing it on a smooth
surface.

When stupefied, they may be left under water for a
56 TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

while to make sure that they do not revive. In
whatever way the death of her little ones is arranged
all should be done out of the mother’s sight, and
without her knowledge. It is a pitiful sight to see her
forlornly seeking to restore life to the dead bodies of
her dear little ones, as she will often try to do if she
can find them. As the feelings of animals are much
like our own, we should not trifle with what seems
sacred,—the love of a mother,—even when that mother
cannot tell her grief in words.

Some boys once took from a cat her only kitten,
and, after playing with the little creature for a long
time, were so cruel as to fling it into a milldam. But
the poor mother, who had watched her little one
anxiously from afar, plunged into the water, bravely
struck out and swam to it, and safely brought it
ashore. Her motherly love was stronger than her
dread of water, or fear of death. Do you not think
that the cowardly lads must have slunk home feeling
very much ashamed of themselves? The cat had
shown herself to be nobler than they were.
WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL
FRIENDS.

KIND-HEARTED GENERALS.

UNTIL the world grows wise enough to settle its
quarrels.in some more sensible and less cruel way, war
will remain a necessity, for the protection of rights,
and for the defence of the weak against the strong.
For no other reasons can it be excused. And so long
as war is needful, warriors must exist.

It is, however, a pleasant thing to know that even the
horrible trade of war cannot stamp out from the brave
soldier's heart that tenderness and compassion for the
helpless, which is the test of true manhood. The
difference between a truly brave soldier and a coward,
is that the former, after victory, will do all that he can
to help his foe, while the latter will enjoy the needless
infliction of pain.

We shall find that all really great warriors have been
gentle to women, to children, and to animals ; in short,
they have delighted to fight for the weak, but have
never taken pleasure in oppressing them. General
Garibaldi, the famous Italian hero, once showed his
58 WARRIORS AND THEIR

feeling that poor animals in distress had a claim on
his kindness as well as human beings.

One dark night he met a shepherd wandering among
the Alps, in great trouble. He had lost one of his
sheep among the hills, not far from the camp of the
General. Garibaldi bade the man be of good cheer,
for he would send a party of soldiers out to search for
the sheep, lest she should perish amid the ice and snow.

This was accordingly done, and four or five men
started on the crrand. Next morning when the soldiers
came to their General’s tent to tell him that they could
not find the sheep, they saw her lying comfortably in
a corner, covered up with his cloak! He had himself
gone out among the snow- drifts instead of going to
bed, had found the sheep, and brought her home.

One day, General Grant, that brave American soldier
who was admired and loved by all, was strolling beside
a wharf. He saw there a man who was beating a mule
in a very cruel manner, as it was dragging a heavy load
of stores for the army.

Walking up to the driver, he said, “My man, you
stop beating that mule.”

The driver, who did not know that the grave, quiet-
looking little man, dressed in a plain blouse, was the
General, answered roughly, “ Are you cee this mule
or am |?”

And again he struck the poor creature so ea that
he winced. The wretched animal’s sides were heaving,
his legs trembled, and his tongue was hanging from
his mouth. “ Well,” said the General, “I think that I
have power to stop your cruelty to. that creature.”
~ ANIMAL FRIENDS. 59

Then, turning to an officer who was near, the General
ordered him to take the driver into custody at once,
and to shut him up for twenty-four hours.

The news of the man’s punishment spread through
the whole American army, and when it became known
that the General cared for the welfare of his beasts as
well as for that of the men, they all treated their
animals better than they had ever done before.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON AND THE TOAD.

ENGLISH boys will never tire of hearing about the
Duke of Wellington, who saved Europe from the
tyranny of Napoleon. He was not only one of the
finest soldiers who ever lived, but he was wise in
counsel as well as brave in action.

One day the Duke, as he was going for a walk, found
a little boy weeping bitterly over a toad, beside the
hedge. The grand old hero was kind and tender, he
could not pass a child in grief, without trying to soothe
his sorrow. So he stopped to ask what was the matter.
While he did so, the toad sat quite still, and looked
hard at the Duke, out of his beautiful bright eyes,
without moving a muscle of his warty, wrinkled back.
He would no doubt have liked to tell the Duke his
own story, but as he could not, the lad spoke for both.
He said that he was going away to school next day, and
would be obliged to leave the toad behind, for it would
not be happy shut up in a box and carried away to
live indoors. It was his pet, and he had come out into
the field every day to feed and play with it. The two
60 WARRIORS AND THEIR

were great friends, and the toad would dart out his
long sticky tongue to eat the insects and slugs which
the boy found for him.

Now the lad was sobbing because he feared that
some wicked boys might stone his toad, or that some
other harm would happen to him, after his protector
was gone. The Duke comforted the boy, and told
him not to mind, for that he himself would take care
of the poor toad when his young comrade was gone.

And he did not forget his promise. A short time
afterwards a letter reached the school where the boy
was. On opening it he found words to this effect:
“Field-Marshal the Duke of Wellington begs to
inform William Harris that his toad is alive and well.”
The heart of “The Iron Duke” was as soft as that of
the boy.

ANIMALS AFLOAT.

THE life of a sailor, though sometimes full of excite-
ment and danger, is often dull enough for weeks
together. This is why they enjoy telling stories—
“spinning yarns,” as they call it. It is also the reason
why they are so®fond of animals as pets on board.
Thése brave Jack Tars must leave their homes behind,
many of them their wives and dear little children also.
They feel the need of somebody to fill the blank, some
gentle creature to love and cherish; something to
keep them from growing rough, hard and selfish.
Animals are of great benefit to men in these ways—
for they are like little children who never grow up.
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 61

The warships of ten nations stretched for miles in
double column on the Hudson River, at New York, a



DINNER TIME,

short time ago. Every one of the forty men-of-war
had a pet animal of some sort, who lived in clover, and
62 WARRIORS AND THEIR

was the delight of the sailors. Animals aboard ship
have a free run of the vessel, but they usually live in
the fore-castle with the men.

For a reason which everyone will understand, nearly
all of them like the cook better than any other man
among the crew! On board the United States
dynamite cruiser “ Vesuvius” a happy family may be
found. It consists of a very fat hen, a cock, and a
black cat, who dwell together in peace.

For two years a big black cat has filled a large place
in the affections of the sailors on board the “ Kearsage.”
Jim, as he is named, went with the ship to South
America. “ That cat,” said the Captain, “will do more
to keep the men contented than anything I can do.
The mere fact that Jim, as they call him, has per-
mission to go where he likes, delights the men. They
have trained him, and during their leisure moments
they watch his antics with pleasure.”

Billy, a goat, was the pet of the “ Galena” for nearly
two years. During that time, he never left the ship.
When the vessel was in port the men would take it in
turns to get fresh grass and clover for the goat.

A pair of rats have had the run of a third ship for
some time. The smaller of the two rats always shows
great fear of one of the officers, and will crouch in a
dark corner whenever he draws near. It is good
friends with all the rest.

“You ought to see the rats run a race on the main
deck,” said an old sailor. “We get them into trim by
offering them a small piece of cheese, and then taking
a larger piece forward. Two of the boys hold the rats,
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 63

and at the word “go” they get under way, and go
scampering down. The first rat who reaches the
cheese gets it.”

As a ship was leaving port, one of the sailors, a
malicious man, who had a grudge against the ship’s
pet cat, or wished to vex the other sailors, seized puss
and threw her upon the pier. It was too late for pussy
to regain her place. In her distress at seeing the ship
move slowly away, she ran in a frantic manner up and
down the dock, crying so loudly as to make herself
heard above the bustle and noise of the place.

At last she could bear it no longer. The ship’s
side was now fifty feet away, when puss suddenly
made up her mind, and springing from the pier,
struck out boldly for her floating home. She made
for a ladder which still hung from the side. In a
moment or two she was clinging to the lowest step,
but not able to raise herself from the water.

A cheer went up from the crowd on shore at her
gallant deed, and a sailor who now saw her from on
board, dropped down the ladder, took the half-drowned
cat in his arms, and landed her safely on deck. From
that time she was the pride of the navy.

A ‘cock was the pet of the boys on board the
“Charlestown”. until lately. He was trained to crow
every time that the ship’s bell struck, and he did his
duty most lustily. The simple-hearted men of the
Russian ships are well provided with pets. On the
“Jean Bart” there is a very gentle ram, and also a
pretty lamb about four months old,
64 WARRIORS AND THEIR

*

A FAITHFUL STANDARD-BEARER.

A BEAUTIFUL story is told of an old elephant, who,
on the Indian plains, held the standard round which
the host was to rally. At the beginning of the fight
he lost his master. Before he fell, the man’s last
word to him had been a command to halt. While
the battle closed around him, the obédient creature
stood firm as a rock, with the precious flag upon his
huge back.

Hotter and fiercer grew the conflict, but he never
stirred a foot, faithful to the word which the dead
lips had spoken. Meanwhile, the soldiers belonging
to his master’s nation, drew courage from seeing their
standard still steady, and could not believe that they
would be beaten, though numbers were against them.

Again and again they rallied round their colours,
while, amid the din of battle the silent standard-
bearer strained his ears to catch the sound of that
voice he would never hear again. Weary and terri-
fied, he was still true to his trust, and would seek no
relief till bidden by the tones he loved so well.

At last the tide of battle left the field deserted, the
conquerors swept on in pursuit of the flying foe. The
steadfastness of the elephant had gained the victory
for his dead master’s side. But the creature, like a
rock, stood there, the dead and dying all around him,
the flag still waving in its place.

For three days and nights he stood on the spot

where he had been told to “halt.” No bribe nor
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 65

threat could move him. Then they sent to a village
one hundred miles away, and brought the mahout’s
little son. The noble hero seemed to remember how
his driver had sometimes sent this little child to drive
him in his own stead, and at once he paced quietly
and slowly away, all his shattered trappings clanging
as he went, like the clash of armour. Strong as a lion,
faithful as a dog, docile as a horse, and truer than
most human beings, was not this splendid beast a
pattern ?

WAR-HORSES.

PERHAPS no horses are braver and more clever than
those used in war. Having once been taught his
duties as a soldier, the war-horse never forgets them,
but seems filled with the spirit of a warrior for the
rest of his life. It is perfectly marvellous how the
horse, who is so timid an animal, can learn to bear
the dreadful sounds and sights of a battle without
becoming wild with terror.

Yet though by nature the horse starts at the least
sound and runs away on catching sight of a bit of
paper fluttering along in front of the wind, he will go
with his master among rolling guns, and not only
endure the clashing of military music and the waving
of flags, but seems to enjoy it all, so long as his rider
is there.

It is a great disgrace to England that her worn-out
army horses should be sold, in old age and weakness,
for any small price they will fetch. Surely after

F
66 WARRIORS AND THEIR

fighting our battles we could afford to let them have
a painless death, instead of selling them into slavery.
But even when thus cast off by the ungrateful
country which they have served so well, the war-horse
remembers his past service, and shows his love of it.

An old, jaded war-horse was once bought by an
Irish farmer, who was in the habit of mounting his
daughter on him and sending her to Dublin with
milk. One day she reached the town just at the
moment when the troopers were relieving guard.
The aged warrior-steed, hearing the old familiar
sound of the trumpets, began to arch his once hand-
some neck, and to paw the ground with his weary
limbs, stiff from age and drudgery.

At last he became so excited at the music he loved
that he forgot his present life of hardship and fatigue.
He made his way into the castle yard in spite of all
that the girl could do, and took his place among
the other horses, rider, milk pails and all.

At another time a baker who was carrying loaves
round the town was amazed to find that the old and
usually spiritless horse he rode was suddenly seized
with a sort of fury on hearing the sound of a military
band, played during a great review in one of the
London parks. He insisted on galloping to the place
where the soldiers were drawn up, and in going
through all that they did, with the unwilling baker on
his back.

At one time the horses of a dragoon regiment were
sent to graze in a field, when a fearful thunderstorm
came on without any warning. All at once the horses
ANIMAT, FRIENDS. 67

were seen to collect into a body, forming themselves
into a line with the greatest care and exactness. They
thought that the thunder was the booming of distant
cannon, and while the lightning flashed around them
they stood perfectly motionless, waiting for some
signal to rush on the foe. It was a sight at once
remarkable and grand.

BALACLAVA JACK.

THE famous Charge of the Light Brigade, at Bala-
clava, made sad havoc amongst the horses as well as
the brave men who did their duty there. One of the
officers present, says, that his own gallant regiment
was a mere wreck, and speaking of one of the horses,
he adds, “Old Jack’s rider was killed, but no one
knew what had become of the horse.

“Jack was a favourite, he was such a_ steady,
sensible old fellow, always ready for duty, and never
shamming sickness, as I have known other troop
horses do. Then he knew his. drill quite as well, if
not better than the captain of his troop. Very soon
after that battle where Jack lost his rider, and his
troop lost Jack, we changed our camp, and in a few
days more, again struck and removed to another
Spot.

“Death wounds and sickness had robbed the regi-
ment of all its best officers, so I was ordered to give
up for a time the work in which I was engaged, and
take command till someone else was sent to fill the
place. A few nights after I rejoined—bitterly cold
68 WARRIORS AND THEIR

nights they were, too—we were roused by the cry,
‘Turn out at once; the enemy is upon us!’

“ Then there was the usual scurry, looking for over-
alls that got pulled on wrong side foremost, and
boots that refused to be pulled on anyhow. As soon
as possible, the regiment—that is, all that was left of
it—was mounted, and we were peering through the
murky darkness to discover the enemy.

“We could hear the hoofs of the enemy’s horses as
they tore up the side of the hill on which we were
encamped, nearer and nearer to us still, until they
were within a few yards of us. Then we could see
that the horses had no riders. What could it mean?

“The mystery was soon explained by an Irish trooper
who called out, ‘What ho! here is Old Jack back
again!’

“The old fellow was taken prisoner by the enemy at
Balaclava, and’ disliking captivity, he seized the first
chance of escape, broke his halter, took to his heels,
and was followed, horselike, by all the Russian chargers
near him. A rare gain those same Russian horses
were to us!

“They were all gray, but we exchanged them with
the artillery next day for animals of a more suitable
colour. We had now thirty remounts, through Old
Jack’s fidelity to his standard. The gallant old fellow
was covered with mud and foam when he forced him--
self into the ranks of the troop that night.

“He must have gone first to the ground where the
corps was encamped on the morning of the battle,
and then tracked the different changes of the regiment
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 69

until he gave us that sudden alarm, and brought with
him such welcome companions.

“Tt is pleasant to add that Old Jack escaped all
the dangers of war, returned home, and, I have been
told, ended his days at Windsor, as Her Majesty the
Queen directed that he should not be sold when
‘unfit for further service.’” '

FAVOURITES OF THE REGIMENTS.

It has always been a favourite custom in the army to
have some pet animal belonging to a regiment, and
various are the creatures chosen for this purpose. A
tame deer used to march in front of the 42nd
Highlanders, and he was a great pet among the
soldiers. This deer was very fond of biscuit, but he
would not touch it if anyone had breathed upon it.
He showed signs of anger if any person passed
between the band and the main body of the regiment,
which seemed as if he had some idea of being loyal to
his own ranks. A dog belonging to a naval officer
who sometimes dined with the same regiment at Malta,
was named Peter, and this dog became so fond of the
men that his master made Peter a present to them.
Both the dog and the deer then often marched with

' Marshal Turenne had a horse, who was called, according
to his colour, “The Piebald.”. When his master fell and the
remaining officers were at a loss how to rejoin the main army,
the soldiers cried with one voice, ‘‘ Put the Piebald at our head !
we will go wherever he leads the way.”
7O WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL FRIENDS.

the band. One day while he was grazing near the
barracks, a cat bristled up her back at the deer, and
the timid animal was so frightened that he sprang
over a precipice and was killed on the spot. Peter, who
happened to be near, ran into the barracks barking and
howling most piteously to break the news of his
friend’s death.

Poor Peter’s end was a sad one too. One of the
officers had often ill-used him, and one day Peter
snarled at this man. The cruel officer ordered the dog
to be shot by a detachment of the men who loved him
so fondly, and who regretted his sad fate as long as
they lived.

Stags and deer have been attached to many other
regiments. The Irish Fusiliers keep a deer, and the
42nd Highlanders had a very celebrated one. French
as well as English soldiers delight in animals, and the
Zouaves of the Imperial French Guard were very
proud of a dog called Moustache.

He was a poodle, and had the half of his body and
the whole of his tail shaved bare. His hair quite hid
his eyes, and his moustaches stuck out two or three
inches beyond his cheeks. He always attended drill
with his battalion, and went through the exercises with
the soldiers. He shouldered an imaginary musket,
and knew how to parry and thrust with an imaginary
sword. .

At the battle of Solferino, Moustache succeeded
in making prisoner a fugitive Austrian soldier, and for
this service he was decorated with the order of the
Legion of Honour. Moustache died some time ago,


EADING THE

ERS H

DEER OF THE 42ND HIGHLAND

REGIMENT,
72 WARRIORS AND THEIR

and was buried by his mourning comrades who never
could praise too much or speak too often of his
bravery and gentleness.

SANDY, WHO WON A CRIMEAN MEDAL.

SANDY was the property of an officer in the Royal
Engineers, At the age of one year, he went to
Gibraltar, and made several raids into Spain. When
the war in the East broke out, he went thither with
his master and the men of the corps.

He was with them at Malta, Constantinople, and
Varna, and made himself of great use, as the guardian
of his master’s tent, against the thievish natives. He
also helped the men on their foraging expeditions.
From Varna he went along the line of coast to the
different ports occupied by the Turkish army. Though
dogs are hated and despised by the Turks, Sandy
managed to make friends with them.

This he did by saving oars, coats, and other things
which were washed overboard by the heavy seas, in
going to and from the vessels of war in open boats.
In short, Sandy made himself generally useful to
everybody he met. After this Sandy was present at
the battle of Inkerman, where he received a bayonet
wound which caused him to limp on three legs for
some weeks. Ill health now forced his master to
return home.

But Sandy was so well taken care of by some of his
brother officers that to the great delight of his master,
who never thought to see him again, the dog trotted
ANIMAL FRIENDs. 73

into his room a few months afterwards. Sandy always
marched at the head of the men. He was well up in
the bugle calls, especially those for breakfast, dinner
and supper, at which meals he never failed to put in
an appearance. |

When Sir John Burgoyne went down to Chatham to
present the men with their Crimean medals, Sandy was
decorated at his master’s expense with a special medal,
hung round his neck with a blue ribbon, and this
medal he always wore on drill parade. Attached to
the Fusiliers was a dog named Bob, who greatly
distinguished himself during the Crimean war. On
the heights of Alma he trotted gaily among the
trampled vines, and chased the spent shots as they
rolled down the hill. He was present also at Inker-
man, but, alas! at the close of the battle, was run over
and killed by the wheels of a gun carriage.

ANOTHER CRIMEAN HERO.

ONE cold night in the winter of 1852, the sentry
posted in the grounds of St. James’s Palace heard a
great noise outside the palace walls. It seemed like
a sharp struggle between two persons, while blows like
those produced on the body of a man or animal by a
heavy stick were mingled with other sounds.

Above all, the constant barking of a dog was to be
heard, which by degrees dropped to a doleful howl, and
then became a moan. Next the sentry heard the deep
thud of a body falling within the palace grounds, and
a sad wail like that of a deserted child fell on his ears.
74 WARRIORS AND THEIR

Running to the spot whence the sound came, the
sentry found a poor dog lying in the snow, and
bleeding from many wounds. “Poor thing!” ex-
claimed the kind-hearted man, “it shall never be said
that Jock Anderson refused to succour a poor dumb
creature in distress. Come, get on your legs, old man,
and we will find a place for thee.”

The poor dog licked the rough hands of the man
gratefully, and tried hard to walk towards the sentry
box. At this moment the gates of the palace grounds
were thrown open, and a light like a distant star
twinkled dimly through the darkness.

It was the three o’clock “Rounds,” and the sentry
was a long way from his post. “I am in for it now,”
said the sentry to himself ; “ but never mind,” he added,
speaking to the dog, “I will not desert you, old fellow.”

The sergeant of the party, who walked in advance
of the patrol, stamped his feet hard upon the frozen
snow as he drew near the sentry box in order to
attract the sentry’s attention. The sentry’s duty was
to challenge the armed party with a stamp of his foot,
instead of the usual “ Who goes there?”

This silent plan of challenging was adopted close to
the Palace to avoid disturbing its Royal inmates. No
reply being returned, the “Rounds” went right up to
the box. “There is no sentry here!” said the officer,
in a tone of surprise, as the drummer boy held up the
lantern.

“Here I am, sergeant!” cried the generous and
humane soldier, and he appeared leading the poor
wounded dog along at a slow pace. “This poor
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 75

doggie has been thrown over the wall by some cruel
wretches, and his cries were so pitiful that I could not
leave him to die there in the cold and the snow.”

“Am I to understand that you left your post,
contrary to orders, that you might attend to that dog ?”

“Yes, sir,” replied the sentry, as he brought his
musket to his shoulder ; “I did do that very thing, and
I hope your honour will excuse me for rescuing a
poor half-murdered doggie from death! Indeed, I
thought it was a child at first.”

The officer’s heart was touched, and he turned to
consult the sergeant, whose heart was of a different sort.
He drew himself up stiffly. “This man, having left
his post contrary to strict orders, sir, should be relieved
from his post and marched back a prisoner to the
guard-room,” was all that he would say.

“Very well, then,” said the officer ; “ let it be done.”

Meanwhile the dog, still bleeding, limped painfully
behind the men. On reaching the guard-room the
disarmed sentinel was further deprived of his boots
and dismissed to his bed. He sat down by the fire,
however, and hardly had he done so, when the dog
dragged himself up to the feet of his friend, and
showed signs of delight. The ill-natured sergeant
again played the tyrant. “Turn that dog out,
drummer!” said he; “turn that dog out!”

But the officer, who had been pleased at the scene,
and who disliked the punishment of the sentry for his
kindness, had followed. Stepping forward, he now
said that the poor dog must be well cared for, instead
of being turned out.
76 WARRIORS AND THEIR

“God bless you, sir!” cried the disgraced sentry,
with tears in his eyes, as he patted the dog’s head.
Soon he made a bed for him with his own great coat,
taken off for the purpose. Food was given him, and
water, which he needed more.

“T will see the colonel about this matter in the
morning,” said the kindly officer, and went out.

As soon as both he and the sergeant were gone, the
soldiers crowded round to do all they could for the
dog. One fetched a sponge to bathe his wounds, and
others picked him out dainty bits from the well-
spread tables, as he did not seem inclined to eat what
was first set before him.

It was a fine sight to see Jack, for so they named
him, doing all that he could to show his gratitude for
the kindness shown him. The colonel, who was a
good and merciful man, promised to overlook Jock
Anderson’s offence if he would undertake never to
leave his post again unless ordered. So Jock returned
to his duties as if nothing had happened.

REGIMENTAL JACK,

As he now began to be called, soon improved under
this treatment, and though he was always faithful to
his first friend, the sentry who risked so much for him,
he was the pet of all the rest. The battalion to
which Jack belonged was ordered to the Crimea, and
while there Jack saved someone from drowning. It
was the very officer who had once saved him!

While bathing, this officer was seized with cramp,
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 77

and Jack, who was being washed close by, outstripped
all other swimmers, seized the officer by the hair of his



AN ANXIOUS TIME.

head and held him above water till other help came.
He could never be coaxed into a friendship with the
78 WARRIORS AND THEIR

sergeant who had been harsh towards his friend, the
sentry, but always growled furiously at his approach.

Jack could not bear the Turks. Nobody could tell
why, but he would always play pranks upon the
Ottoman soldiers when he could, catching hold of
them by their trousers, and twisting them round till
the Turk would beg for mercy. At one time, it was
thought that the Turks had enticed Jack away and
killed him, for he could not be found.

His fellow-soldiers became very anxious about him
and at last the matter was taken up by a superior
officer, who sent the drum-major, with Jock Anderson,
now a corporal, and two drummers, to go out on a
searching expedition. After seeking in vain for a long
while, they heard the low wolf-like bark of some
Turkish dogs, and followed it through a gap into a
wood. ,

Here they saw a curious sight. About twenty or
thirty Turkish dogs were sitting in a circle, in the
middle of which they held a single dog prisoner,
This was no other than Regimental Jack, who, after a
brave defence, had been obliged to give up his liberty.
What could one dog, even a Briton, do against thirty
Turks at once?

It seemed that the Turkish dogs had shared their
masters’ dislike for Jack, and were taking up the
quarrel.

“Halt, draw swords!” cried Corporal Anderson.

At the sound, poor Jack, who had given himself -up
for lost, glanced round and hailed the party with a
bark of delight. Then, inspired by new courage at
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 79

his master’s presence, he made a savage dash at his
foes, broke through their ranks, and soon reached the
soldiers.

Uttering a fearful how] the other dogs rushed after
Jack, and were close at his heels, when “ Charge!”
cried the drum-major.

The shout which the men raised made the Turkish
dogs think better of it. The little party leaped boldly
among the furious pack, and soon put them to flight.

JACK AT THE BATTLE OF ALMA.

BuT it was when the troops of the allied armies landed
at the Crimea that Jack’s adventures began in real
earnest. It was at the battle of the Alma, when the
brigade of Guards was drawing within range of the
Russian guns, that Jack, together with a friendly dog
of whom we have spoken before, caused great merri-
ment by acting as if the spent cannon-balls were toys
for his amusement.

The two dogs chased them, but this was not: all
that Jack did. He saved the life of his master, Jock
Anderson. This brave soldier was attacked by three
Russians at once, and Jack, who was looking on at
this cowardly proceeding, had the spirit of a true
Englishman, who scorns to set three upon one, and
loves fair play. Anderson killed one of the men who
were trying to take him prisoner, and began struggling
with the second.

While he was doing so the third Russian levelled
his musket at Anderson. In another moment he
80 WARRIORS AND THEIR

would have been a dead man, but Jack, who had
watched the affair intently, now rushed forward, sprang
fiercely upon his master’s enemy, and seizing him by
the arm, forced him to drop his weapon.

At the same moment Anderson overpowered his
second assailant, and took the third man prisoner. It
was now that the conquering colours were firmly
planted upon the hard-won heights, and Regimental
Jack took his place at the foot of that proud standard.
Richly did he deserve a place among the heroes of
that day. He had forgotten his own safety to think
of that of his master.

But Jack’s services were not yet over. Jock Ander-
son was now made a sergeant, and was told off with a
party to help in the sad office of burying the dead.
Before starting, however, he thought ofa plan. Calling
Jack to him, he led the dog to the nearest hospital,
and procuring a canteen full of refreshing drink, he
strapped it to the dog’s neck.

“Brave dog!” said he, patting him gently, “ you
have saved my life to-day, now go and save the lives
of others. See, Jack, see!” and he pointed to the
fainting men who lay strewn upon the ground. “Good
dog, go!”

The poor dog gave his master a look which told
plainly that he understood what was wanted, and then
he went from one prostrate form to another, and after
licking the face for a moment to try and revive life,
went on to the next. Now and then Jack came to _
the face of a friend, and then he would wag his tail
and try over and over again to rouse the quiet sleeper,
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 81

or to cheer the wounded men by his caresses. Must
he not have wondered in his doggish heart why men
did such cruel deeds to each other ?

Many poor dying fellows were glad that day to get
a drink out of Jack’s canteen, and when it was empty
he ran back to get it filled again. He never left this
work of mercy till night set in, when nearly all the
wounded had been cared for.

At Inkerman Jack was wounded in the foot, having
turned out -to follow his regiment into the field.
Plenty of Russian soldiers that morning felt a British
dog’s teeth meet in their flesh! But a great trouble
befell Jack that day—his dear master fell to rise no
more! Though wounded himself, Jack took no notice
of his own hurt, but sat beside his friend’s body in
dumb grief till it was buried. Then a comrade of
Anderson’s carried the faithful creature away in his
arms ; but the spirit of the dog was broken, he haunted
the mound on Cathcart’s Hill where Anderson lay,
and was most unwillingly led homewards when the
Guards returned.

At Aldershot Jack had the honour of being in-
troduced to the Queen, who took great notice of
him, and Her Majesty again saw Jack trotting
proudly behind his battalion at a review in Hyde
Park.

To the dog's collar of silver were attached the
Crimean and Turkish medals, with the Victoria Cross
and Legion of Honour decorations in miniature. Not
long did this brave fellow survive his beloved master.
He was found dead in the snow, with no outward

G
82 : WARRIORS AND THEIR

marks to show how he died. Perhaps it was better
for poor Jack than to linger long in pain, and he had
earned his discharge well.

SAVED BY A SPANIEL.

More than three hundred years ago the famous
“William the Silent,’ Prince of Orange, so named
because he spoke so seldom, ‘was called to defend his
country from the Spaniards, who wished to conquer
Holland and to change its religion. One dark night,
when the armies were within a short distance of each
other, the invading host tried to surprise the Dutch
camp.

In the darkness, a small party of them stole quietly
along and passed the Dutch sentries, who, tired out
by the previous day’s fighting, had sunk down to rest.
In the tent of William all was still, but a little spaniel
who lay at the prince’s feet slept with one ear open.

Presently the dog raised his head and growled, for
he heard something stirring outside, and felt himself
in duty bound to speak up.

When the noise grew louder and drew nearer he
jumped up and began to bark and whine, but the
worn-out prince did not wake. What could the
doggie do more? Ina great state of excitement he
went close to the slumberer’s face, licked it, and by
barking his loudest at length roused him. William at
once guessed that something was wrong.

He sprang up hastily and mounted his horse, who
always stood ready saddled by his tent, and unseen
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 83

by the Spaniards through the thick gloom galloped
safely away.



A TIMELY WARNING.

who had saved his life by a timely warning, William
the Silent ever afterwards kept one of his race as a
personal attendant, and when at last he slept to wake
84 WARRIORS AND THEIR

no more on earth, the marble figure of his small pro-
tector was carved upon his tomb in the church in
Holland which holds his remains.

SOLDIERS’ PETS.

THE Royal Regiment of Welsh Fusiliers have a
custom which the soldiers value very much on account
of its being very ancient. It is that of passing in
review headed bya goat with gilded horns and bedecked
with flowers. Every first of March, being St. David's
Day, the officers give a banquet to all their Welsh
friends. After the cloth is taken away, the health of
the Prince of Wales is drunk, the band meanwhile
playing a national Welsh tune. While this is going
on, the goat is led three times round the table, covered
with rich trappings, and with a drummer boy seated
on his back.

Master Billy, the goat, does not always behave as
well as he ought, for he is too full of his fun. At
Boston, while taking his part in the banquet, he became
so merry that he sprang up from the floor. The leap
was so high that the little drummer boy found himself
dropped upon the table.

Bounding over the heads of some of the officers,
Billy then ran to the barracks with all his trappings
on, to the great joy of all the soldiers there. When
this fine fellow died, Her Majesty directed that two of
the finest goats from a flock in Windsor Park, the gift
of the Shah of Persia, should be presented to the
regiment instead of their lost pet.
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 85

Both battalions of the regiment have a goat who
always accompanies them wherever they go, and when
a goat dies the colonel of the regiment asks the Queen
for another from her own park, which is always gra-
ciously given. The goat belonging to the first battalion
was once very fond of going to the mess room, and
knocking at the door with his horns. He knew well
enough where meals were served, and, swaying his
head from side to side, would go on making a noise
till somebody gave him a treat. He knew that he
was sure of a kind reception.

The favourite feast of this goat was a funny tit-bit :
mustard spread on toast, or salt sprinkled over a slice
of bread. If anybody pushed this goat, or playfully
struck him from behind, he never thought of turning
round to find who did it, but went straight for the first
innocent person in front of him.

This trick was a great delight to the soldiers, who,
when the regiment was waiting to fall in, would give
the goat a poke with a rifle, and aim him, so to speak,
at one of their comrades, who was least thinking about
him. The goat would soon roll the man over, to the
uproarious delight of all present.

This rough pet of the soldiers knew his own strength
and his friends knew it too. One day when it was
raining hard the goat took possession of the sentry
box, that he might keep his coat dry. There was
no room for two, so the sentry was forced to wait out-
side under a wall rather than try his chance of being
able to turn his horned companion out.

Billy was very wilful sometimes, and nobody could
86 WARRIORS AND THEIR

make him do things against his wish. On one occasion
the goat refused to march along at the head of his
column. For some reason, best known to himself, he
turned round and went straight through the lines of
men. He repeated this gambol three times, and every-
body laughed except those who were rolling on the
ground.

A GOAT’S TEMPERANCE LECTURE.

ONE of the long line of goats which have always headed
this regiment went with it to Barbados in 1843, where
his knowing ways made a great impression on the
black men of the country. He too was called Billy,
and knew how to bear himself like a soldier. Billy
kept at his place at the head of the drums, witha grave
aspect and behaved so much like his human fellow-
soldiers, that the dusky folk used to say, “Him got
sense, same as white man!”

At drill parade and roll-call Billy was always to the
fore. He seemed to take as much pridein the regiment
as the men themselves, and when they had time to
romp with him, he made a splendid playfellow. Well
fed, well housed, well cared for in all ways, Billy was
the happiest of goats—the more so because he was
among the human beings whom he loved.

Billy had not only the right of entry to the mess
room while the men were dining, but was always
welcome to a share of what he liked from their hands.
One evening it happened that Corporal Price, in a
spirit of thoughtless mischief, proposed that Billy
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 87

should have a taste of the liquids as well as of the
solids on the table.
He accordingly held out his cup, and Billy, after



PRACTICAL TEETOTALISM.

sniffing at it in a suspicious manner for an instant or
two, soon lapped up the contents. At once soldier
after soldier wanted to give poor Billy a drink, and at
last the great earthen pot holding the beer was put on
the floor and he was told to help himself.
88 WARRIORS AND THEIR

Billy was nothing loath, he drank very greedily, till
he could drink no more. Alas! what had been a
pleasure to Billy the night before, was a bitter punish-
ment to him in the morning! For the first time since
he joined his regiment Billy was absent at roll-call.
Nothing would tempt him to leave the stable where
he lay miserably stretched on his straw bed.

A second day found Billy again a deserter—a second
evening mess without Billy was more than the men
could put up with. Corporai Price was ordered to
bring the deserter before a court-martial of the men’s
mess. It was with great difficulty that he persuaded
Billy to get out of bed. On reaching the door of the
mess room, he could not be made to cross its threshold,
till dragged in by main force.

A cheer greeted his presence among the men once
more,—but how changed was Billy’s appearance! His
glossy coat had a forlorn and unkempt look, his head
once proud and erect, hung down in a sorry manner.

“Come, Billy, take a drink!” said the sergeant at
the head of the table.

The words seemed to rouse Billy. He lifted his
head, his eye lighted up, his fore-hoof beat the floor.
Then, with a snort and a bound Billy butted full
against the great vessel which contained the men’s
evening allowance of beer, breaking it into a thousand
pieces, and deluging not only the table, but the
men who sat near. Having inflicted this unwished-
for bath as a sign of his displeasure, Billy, with his
head once more lifted on high stalked out of the
room,
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 89

“Really, sir”’ said the corporal who had tempted
the goat to break his pledge, “ Billy’s was the best blue
ribbon lecture that was ever given us.”

THE HEROINE OF TEL-EL-KEBIR.

SiR ARCHIBALD ALISON deserves high praise for the
gallantry with which he led the Highland Brigade at
Tel-el-Kebir, and all the world has talked of hiscourage.
But somehow nobody says anything about Private
Juno, whose conduct was equally honourable. And who
was Private Juno?

Well, her actions will speak for her. She rushed
bravely at the entrenchments, taking the post of danger
at the head of the Highlanders, and displaying a cool-
ness and courage in face of the enemy which ought to
have won for her a pension. She cared no more for
the bullets than if they had been hailstones.

Whether she really did tackle the enemy or not is not
known, except to Juno’s self and to the foe. But even
if her teeth did not meet in any Egyption leg, her war-
like looks must have spread terror among the rebel
ranks, The timid enemy had an idea that Sir Garnet
Wolseley kept two thousand bloodhounds for purposes
of vengeance, and perhaps they fancied that she was
one of them.

At any rate they did not wait for the other one
thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine of her supposed
canine comrades, but bolted for their lives while Private
Juno snapped merrily at their heels. As the wave of
war rolled forward, this dog covered herself with glory
gO WARRIORS AND THEIR

by refusing to turn her back to the foe, till, its whole
force being spent, the Egyptian army melted away.

This was the gallant action which endeared Private
Juno to the Gordon Highlanders for ever, though, as
she had long been the pet of the regiment, she had
been very dear to them before. Juno was a native of
Ireland, like Sir Garnet Wolseley, and at Aldershot
she completed her military education by regularly
attending at all field-days and flying columns.

Her value as a member of the British army being
fully recognized, she was invited to accompany the
regiment to Malta, where she lived in barracks. Her
master left the service, but Juno still preferred her
country to any private considerations. So she became
the chum of a certain gallant sergeant, and remained
in the service, sharing his dinner.

Thus it came to pass that, when the regiment was
ordered to Egypt, everybody said that Juno must go
too. Had she been left behind most likely she would
have pined away on missing her warrior friends, for
the dear old dog was as affectionate and faithful as
she was brave.

‘Another dog, Maiwand Bobby, of the 66th went with
his regiment to Afghanistan, where he took part with
the men in the long, trying campaign called the Afghan
war. He was present with the 66th in their numerous
engagements, including the unequal but desperately
fought battle of Maiwand, from which he drew his
name (July 27th, 1880).

He was severely w ounded during the action by a
shell from the enemy’s guns, but he recovered, and
ANIMAL FRIENDS. QI

managed to crawl back to Kandahar, a distance of
fifty or sixty miles, chiefly over a barren and waterless
track of country. Brave dumb hero!

On reaching the camp of his fellow-soldiers, he
found that it was in possession of the Afghan army,
as were also the surrounding heights. Preparations
were being made for a siege. During the siege the
citadel was held by the British for five weeks, till
relieved by Sir F. Roberts.

During this time Bobby was obliged to remain
between two fires, until September Ist, when he
was set free and restored to ‘his friend the sergeant.
On his return to England Bobby was presented to
the Queen at Osborne House, where he was photo-
graphed by Her Majesty’s special desire.

After facing all the perils of war, poor Bobby met
his death in the street, being accidentally run over by
acar. He is now stuffed, and stands in the library
belonging to his regiment, the men of which subscribed
to have their favourite thus preserved as a memorial.

POOR OLD CHARLIE.

CHARLIE was born at Camp Shorncliffe, in 1859. At
first sight there was nothing to admire very much in
the smooth-haired sandy coat of this little terrier.
But when you looked closer into his wise weather-
beaten little face, a respect for him seemed to grow,
In early life he learned to ride on horseback, a habit
which was afterwards very useful to him.

It was when a puppy that Charlie began his riding
92 WARRIORS AND THEIR

lessons. He used to sleep in the stables on a bed of
hay, and liked this place better than any other. When
he felt cold, this little doggie would creep close to one
of the horses, and lie down at his feet. As soon as he
saw a good chance, Charlie would thence creep on to
the big companion’s back and lie snugly there all
night.

In 1862 he followed his master, who was a common
soldier, to the Ascot Races, and was lost in the crowd.
But he traced his master’s horse back to Aldershot, and
two days afterwards was found lying as usual in the
stable, very footsore and worn out by his wanderings.

In November, 1863, the Maori war broke out, and
the battalion was ordered to New Zealand. Loath to
leave Charlie behind, though it was against rules to
take him, his master smuggled the little dog on board
the troopship in a haversack. The voyage was long
and tedious for the small four-footed traveller. He
could not eat the rations provided for the men, but
lived on soaked biscuit and water.

As the weather was bitterly cold, a small coat was
made for him out of a blanket; his bed was the foot
of a hammock. On reaching New Zealand, half the
battalion was formed into light cavalry. Little Charlie
now began to show what a fine soldier he was, and
how full of courage and ardour.

One morning the squadron went out as usual to
exercise, being of course fully armed and equipped, as
it was war time. It was not intended that Charlie
should go too, but he had no notion of being left
behind.
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 93

He contrived to sneak behind the soldiers for some
time without being seen. At length his master caught
sight of Charlie toiling painfully along, and panting
as he tried to keep up with the horses. Taking him up,
the soldier hid Charlie under his sheepskin, hoping to
succeed in carrying him safely back to the camp.

On their road they came to General Cameron’s
camp, which, to their surprise, they found to be sur-
rounded by the wild and fierce Maories. Not a
moment was to be lost, in a few seconds the handful
of Englishmen would have been destroyed. The
new-coming squadron formed in line, and the order
to “Charge!” was given. During the scene of con-
fusion and carnage which ensued, the short bark of a
dog, in a state of intense excitement, was heard.

It was the voice of Charlie, wha, still on horseback
with his master, mingled in the thickest of the fight,
and seemed to be greatly enjoying himself. The
Maories were quickly scattered, the camp saved, and
the gallant little soldier-dog escaped unhurt. The
men were delighted with his pluck, but the officer in
command was angry at the soldier’s having brought
Charlie into action. The dog was sent away and
placed with another squadron of the battalion, who
were employed in transport duties.

These new friends of his were obliged to turn out
at all hours, both by day and night, but Charlie was
always ready to go with them. His sagacity was so
great that he knew every horse in the regiment who
was willing to carry him, and would run up and down
beside the ranks till he found out the right one. Then
O4 WARRIORS AND THEIR

he would trot patiently beside him till the rider took
him up and placed him on horseback.

Lying comfortably across the loins of the horse,
Charlie would stick on as tight as the rest of the
party, no -matter how fast the horse was going.
Indeed, the greater the speed the more he seemed
to like his ride.

CHARLIE’S NARROW ESCAPES,

MoRE than once Charlie had a narrow escape, besides
those on the field of battle.

At one time the barracks at Auckland had become
so overrun with dogs that an order was issued for
their destruction. Charlie was on the point of sharing
the same fate as his luckless brethren, but, on account
of his services, the adjutant gave leave that his life
should be spared.

Not only was Charlie allowed to live, but this officer
knowing how fond the’men were of him, gave him a
present of a handsome collar, on which his name and
that of the regiment to which he belonged were in-
scribed. After this, Charlie’s right to go with his
regiment was never disputed, and when the battalion
went up country, he went too, and often made himself
very useful by giving an alarm on the approach of
anyone near the outposts.

In June, 1867, Charlie came home with the regi-
ment, and on landing at Woolwich he received a
hearty welcome from all who had known him at
home. The men were presented with a medal for
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 95

their gallantry in New Zealand, but they were not
satisfied till Charlie had one too. They said that he
deserved it as much as they did. The armourer was
therefore requested to strike one for him.

His decoration has twice been the means of restoring
Charlie to his friends, once when he was lost on the
march from Woolwich to Croydon, and once on
Baddesley Common, whence he was brought to Romsey
and placed under the protection of the police. But
though kindly treated at the police station, Charlie
felt it was no place for a military hero, and he was
soon returned to his owner.

On Charlie’s collar were twelve clasps, and the
names of four battles at which he was present were
written there, besides the words in Maori language,
meaning, “I am poor Old Charlie.” A wound in the
leg, which Charlie was rather proud of showing, was
thought by some of his friends to have been a glorious
scar received in war.

But it seems that Charlie, like some other heroes,
had his little weaknesses, and that once when he felt
more hungry than honest, he robbed a hen roost.
The farmer to whom it belonged caught him in the
act, and threw a hatchet at Charlie that he might save
the lives of his fowls. At any rate, this is whispered
of him among those who perhaps after all are mis-
taken.

To the last, though he was growing infirm, Charlie
kept all his wits about him. He always knew the
sound of the dinner trumpet, and was not behindhand
in appearing at the sergeants’ mess. In 1870, like
96 WARRIORS AND THEIR

many of his superior officers, Charlie was obliged to
join the Transport Branch of the Control Department,
since then his brave little spirit has fled for ever, and
his body sleeps under the green turf.

“LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE.”

A VISITOR who will take the trouble of climbing those
steep heights which are crowned by Edinburgh Castle
will be rewarded by a grand panoramic view. On
attaining the Esplanade, a memorial cross will be
noticed. It was raised to the memory of the officers
and soldiers of the 78th Highlanders who fell in the
Indian Mutiny. All honour to them! These nobie
warriors laid down their lives to defend helpless women
and children, who were in jeopardy, and far from
home. Nobody doubts that a glorious and everlasting
reward awaits them.

But amid the almost bewildering scene, which
spreads its wealth of pompous memorials of past
history, and its records of modern human. skill,
bravery, and commercial prosperity around this
fortress, the eye rests on one small triangular bit of
ground,—evidently set apart for a special purpose.
It is a small graveyard, and who are its unconscious
occupants? More soldiers, perhaps, who have died in
their country’s service and merit our grateful recogni-
tion? True; but these were four-footed heroes. A
painted board in the middle of this small inclosure
bears the inscription “ Soldiers’ Dogs’ Cemetery.”

It is a tranquil place, though situated in the imidst
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 97

of a great city’s roar. Very touching in their simpli-
city are the tokens which mark where each little
slumberer, once so active and restless, now lies so













































































































































































































































































































































































oa EDINBURGH TOWN AND CASTLE,

still! No churchyard filled with flourishing epitaphs

in fulsome adulation of deceased human virtues can

vie in pathos with this tiny nook of earth, where men
H
98 WARRIORS AND THEIR

with rugged natures, gentle at the core, have laid their
friends to sleep. Friends they were indeed, though
four-footed, rough maybe on the outside even as their
masters, but with feelings true and tender and deep as
their own.

We can conjure up the funeral scene: the digging
of that very short and narrow grave, by the sorrowing
biped survivor, the shovelling in of the clods, which
cannot have been done without a sense of fellow-
feeling, since some day even lordly man himself must
sleep in the dust. A sympathizing comrade or two
may have stood by, and many must have watched
the scene with interest from the neighbouring Bomb
Battery.

Then, after paying the last respects to one so:like
yet so widely different from themselves, the mourners
departed, not without a feeling that a blank had been
made in life. The tombstones in the dogs’ cemetery
are diverse. One of them consists of an old broken
school slate, with the wooden frame removed and the
brief record traced “In Memory of Punch, who fol-
lowed the 7oth Highlanders.” Another runs: “In
Memory of ‘ Pat’ who followed the 72nd Highlanders
in Peace and War for ten Years. Died March 1888.
Has been laid to rest.”

A third moss-grown stone bears but one legible
word, “ Topsy,” a fourth memorializes “ Lou,” a “ boy’s
pet.” Don, Flora, Little Tim, and Marief, are all
recorded, the names of the regiments which they
followed with dates being appended. “Charlie” was
another “boy’s pet” possibly belonging to one of the.
ANIMAL FRIENDS. 99

soldiers’ youngsters. But the central tombstone with
its motto, “Let sleeping dogs lie,” cut upon red
granite, is the most conspicuous there.

Why should we shrink from the idea that this is
indeed a CEMETERY,—a temporary sleeping place, as
the name indicates, and that elsewhere the trusty and
true spirits, which once animated that slumbering dust
are alive and happy? Nothing in the Word of God,
nothing in reason, nothing in Nature, forbids the
thought ; nothing contradicts it but the arrogance
of man, who would fain forbid his lower brethren
immortality in the next world, even as he denies them
rights in this.

Can it be that the faithful and loving spirit melts
into nothing, while the once gay and_ graceful
form moulders into dust? This seems improbable if
not impossible. Science teaches that no atom of the
solid body is lost, though it can be changed into new
forms of endless variety, passing into the daisies and
grass that cover the sod, enriching the subsoil which is
to feed the roots of trees—floating into the breeze in
the form of air.

_ The same mysterious power which scattered these
particles can gather them, and this will be the case.
we believe, with our own bodies one day.

Then it is likely that the spirit, a Divine spark,
which looked out through the honest eyes of a dog,
and made his little heart beat with such fidelity,
should be treated more wastefully than its mantle of
flesh? That would look like throwing away the
kernel and cherishing the husk; an act unworthy of
the all-wise Creator.
100 WARRIORS AND THEIR ANIMAL FRIENDS.

Surely we may hope to meet our pets again! Our
own belief in a future life may be based on surer
grounds than that of humbler animals, yet we are all
members of one great family, and children of the same
Father.

“God will never quench His spark Divine
Whether in some glorious orb it shine

Or lighten up a spaniel’s tender gaze

Who leads his poor blind master through the maze
Of this dark world.”


GREAT WRITERS AND ANIMALS.
A WAVE OF MERCY.

WiTu the beginning of the present century a very
wonderful movement began, not-in this country alone,
but throughout the worl It seems that- at. last the
eyes of men and women are being opened tothe needs
as well as to the nature of animals, and their ‘hearts
touched by the terrible sufferings which they endure.

Though from the. very earliest times people have
found in natural history a subject worthy of deepest
study, as Plutarch did some threescore years after
Christ, until recently few have spoken of the lower
creatures as having any rzg/ts—any claim upon the
human race in return for all they do to promote our
welfare. With the exception of eastern sacred writ-
ings, little notice was taken in literature of animals.

Very early in the present century, Jeremy Bentham
set boldly forth what was then a new truth to most
of his readers. He foresaw that a day would come
“when the rest of the animal creation would acquire
those rights which could never have been withheld
from them but by the hand of tyranny.”
102 GREAT WRITERS

“One day may come,” he says, “when people will
recognize that the number of legs, the hardness of the
skin, the length of the spine, are not sufficient reasons
for handing over a sensitive being to the caprice of
a tormentor.” He points out that no other great
difference can be shown between the lower animals
and ourselves, except that they cannot speak as we
do. ,

“But a full-grown horse or dog,” he adds, “ is beyond
comparison a more rational as well as a more con-
versable animal than an infant of a day, a week, or
even a month old. But suppose it otherwise, what
would it matter? The question is not ‘Can they
reason?’ nor ‘Can they speak?’ but, ‘Can they
suffer ??”

Since his death, many others, brave,. active, and
outspoken, have come forward to help onward by
their lives as well as by their writings, the dawn. of
that happy day foreseen by him, when man shall
cease to play the tyrant over God’s works. Among
these teachers Thoreau made people see the beauty of
a harmless woodland life by leading one himself, side
by side with innocent creatures, loving them as his
brothers and sisters.

Women have fought in this battle against cruelty
with more courage than men, and among them one
who may well be called the “Joan of Arc” of the
Mercy Movement, so clearly does she feel her cause
to be inspired, so self-devoted, valiant, and successful
has she been. Much of her work was accomplished
by the help of that great and good philanthropist,
AND ANIMALS. 103

Lord Shaftesbury, “the friend of all the friendless
under the sun.”

Miss Frances Power Cobbe gave herself heart and
soul to the defence of animals, not because she loved
them more than human beings, but because she could
not bear to see men acting wickedly towards them,
nor to hear the groans of their helpless victims.

To know that men oppressed animals seemed to
her just and loving soul like standing by to watch a
big coward bullying a little child. She could not
endure it without interfering and taking the part of
the weak against the strong, as she had often done
before, when rescuing women and children from their
oppressors.

In the account of her life, written by herself, Miss
Cobbe says: “It is not the four legs nor the silky or
shaggy coat of a dog which should prevent us from
discerning his inner nature of thought and love ; limited
thought, it is true, but unlimited love.

“That he is dumb, is to me only another claim (as
it would be in a human child) on my consideration.
But I should be very sorry indeed to say or think, like
Byron, when my dog dies, that I ‘had but one true
friend and here he lies’ As regards the children,
indeed, I have always been fond of those which came
in my way. And if the tenth commandment had gone
on to forbid one’s coveting one’s neighbour's chz/d, |
am not sure that I should not have to plead guilty to
breaking it many times.”
104. GREAT WRITERS

DOGS AND THEIR FAVOURITE AUTHORS.

“IN my old home,” writes Miss Cobbe, “I possessed
a dear Pomeranian dog, of whom I was very fond, who,
being lame, used constantly to ensconce herself, though
forbidden by my father, in my mother’s carriage under
the seat.

“ She never showed her little pointed nose till we had
got so far from home that she knew no one would put
her down on the road. Then she would peer out,
and lie against my mother’s dress, and be fondled.
Another dog, whom I sent away at one year old to
live in the country, was returned to me eight years
afterwards old and diseased. The poor beast knew
me again after a few moments’ eager examination, and
uttered an actual scream of joy when I called her by
name, exhibiting every token of tender affection for
me ever afterwards.”

We cannot wonder that Miss Cobke’s dog loved
her ; the wonder lies, as she afterwards points out, in
the memory of this creature. Eight years in the life
of a dog are almost equal to the difference between
sixteen and sixty in a human being. The story
touchingly shows how long the attachment of these
faithful creatures will last.

Though Miss Cobbe wrote on other subjects as well,
her pen has done more than any other to help animals,
and her example will, perhaps, do as much. When a
girl she was fond of fishing, but gave it up because
she thought that “ the poor fishes were happy in their
AND ANIMALS. 105

way, that we did not in the least need or indeed often
use them for food, and that she must no longer take
pleasure in giving pain to any creature of God.”

Besides those who have chosen to write of animals
as a special subject, it appears that of late the creatures
have crept, more or less, among the leaves of all
books. There is hardly a single great writer of the
present age who has not considered the groups of
characters in his or her books imperfect without some
delightful dog, clever horse, cat, donkey, or bird—a
character which is as perfectly drawn as the human
ones.

In Hans Andersen’s stories he makes animals talk,
and very wisely they do it too. Mrs. Gatty, Mrs.
Ewing, and others followed suit. In the books of Sir
Walter Scott the same custom of introducing animals
prevails, and throughout one little gem of a volume
Charles Dickens cheers us by the trill of a cricket, a
tiny hero of the romance.

Of the poets who have taken animals as their theme
of late years time fails to speak. Lord Tennyson
could enter into the sorrows and joys of the little
hedge-birds, and knew from the voices of linnets
whether their small hearts felt merry or not.

“ And one is glad, her note is gay
For now her little ones have ranged,
And one is sad her note is changed
Because her brood is stolen away.”

Tennyson, when on a visit to Miss Cobbe, bade her
go bravely on as she had begun, and “ fight the good
106 GREAT WRITERS

fight ;” by which he meant the warfare against cruelty
in which she was engaged. After his death it was
sad to hear the wail of three dogs, a collie, a Scotch
terrier, and a Russian wolf-hound, constant com-
panions and friends of the poet.

They waited in vain for his call; the familiar foot-
step would never more cross the empty hall. They
lifted up their voices and wept. But of all the beau-
tiful words recently spoken about animals, those of
Robert Browning deserve to be our motto, for if
written in every heart they would shield the helpless
for ever against unmercifulness :

“GOD MADE ALL THE CREATURES; AND GAVE THEM
OUR LOVE AND OUR FEAR

TO GIVE SIGN WE AND THEY ARE HIS CHILDREN,
ONE FAMILY HERE.”

FROM “DOGS WHOM I HAVE MET.”
BY FRANCES POWER COBBE.

THE dog who really loves his master delights in mere

-propinquity, likes to lie down on the floor resting

against his feet, better than on a cushion a yard away,
and after a warm interchange of carresses for two or
three minutes asks no more, and subsides into perfect
contentment. That a short tender touch of the dog’s
tongue to hand or face corresponds exactly, as an ex-
pression of his feelings, to our kisses of affection, there
can be no sort of doubt. All dogs kiss the people they
AND ANIMALS. 107

love in this way by instinct, and sometimes have curious
little individual fancies about the way they do it. My
own dog, as a tiny puppy, took a fancy thus to kiss or
bite my ear ; and being stolen and lost for nine weeks,



“HAJJIN,” ONE OF MISS COBBE’S DOGS.

while too young to remember me, this propensity
enabled me to identify her most satisfactorily on her
restoration.

The scene was exceedingly exciting. The Claimant,
for whom a large reward had just been paid, stood in
108 GREAT WRITERS

the middle of the Court, while various witnesses entered
their depositions. The first said it was the very image
of the lost puppy, only grown much more stout. The
second swore that she had cut a lock of hair behind
the ears, and showed the place where, apparently, the
hair had not yet fully grown. The third deposed that
the Claimant had proved that she knew the way at once
to her old kennel and to the kitchen. The fourth
witness—most valuable of all as probably inaccessible
to bribery—was the old cat, who recognized the dog
distinctly, while the new cat set up his back unhesitat-
ingly at an utter stranger. But witnesses on the other
side gave different testimony. One remarked that the
original puppy had a black nose, whereas the nose of
this dog was indisputably mottled. Another doubted
that the delicate young silky-haired creature we had
known, could ever have developed into the present
rather loutish individual. A third vehemently disputed
the test of the shaven lock of hair, which, it was urged,
certainly did not show signs of having ever been cut.
All this time the Claimant made no sign. She did not
seem to know her mistress to whom she had been
exceedingly attached, but still looked doubtfully from
. one person to another. Impatient to decide the case I
observed “I do not think it is my dog, but if it be,
she will remember her old trick.” Singular to say the
memory of the young creature, which my appearance
and voice had failed to recall came back in a moment,
and, in a rapture of recognition she immediately caught
the lobe of my ear, and gave the identical little gentle
bite she had been wont to do two months ago, and
AND ANIMALS. 109

which she never gave to anybody else. After this all
doubts vanished for ever, and Yama resumed her place
in the affections of the family.

There are a few men who feel only for themselves.
There are many who feel only for their own families
and friends. Then come those who feel only for their
own class, their towns-folk or fellow-country men.
Of recent years, since the interests of men and women
seemed to be distinguished from one another, it has
become apparent that there are thousands who cannot
thoroughly sympathize with the wants, sufferings and
wrongs of the opposite sex. Lastly, the power of feel-
ing for animals, realizing their wants and making their
pains our own, is one which is most irregularly shown
by human beings. A Timon might have it, and a
Howard be devoid of it. A rough shepherd’s heart
may overflow with it, and that of a distinguished man
of science may be-——and alas !-too often is—as utterly
without it as the nether mill-stone. One thing I think
must be clear, till a man has learned to feel for all his
sentient fellow-creatures, whether in human form, or
in that of bird or beast, of his own class and sex, and
country or of another—he has not yet ascended the
first step towards true civilization nor applied the the
first lesson from the love of God.

THOREAU: AND HOW HE LIVED.

HENRY David THOREAU was the second son of a
French emigrant, and was born at Concord, Massa-
chusetts, in the year 1817. Though sent to Harvard
IIo GREAT WRITERS

University, the best college in America, he did not
greatly distinguish himself as a scholar. Neither did
he take kindly to the profession of a schoolmaster,
which he gave up after trying it a short time.

Thoreau next turned his attention to the trade of
his father, who was a maker of lead pencils. After
obtaining a certificate for making a better pencil at a
lower price than any yet in the market, Thoreau grew
tired of this work also. He said that he did not wish
to do the same thing over and over again, and he
seemed not to care for the wealth which he might
have reaped.

From a very early age Thoreau loved to be alone in
the fields, and his idea of a happy life was oneof freedom
from the worry, toil, and cares which the merchant or
citizen must undergo. From time to time he worked
as a land surveyor. His keen powers of observation,
his love of outdoor life, and the ease with which his
well-trained eye measured distances, helped him much
in this occupation.

In 1849 Thoreau published his first book, an
account of a voyage which he made with his brother
John on the Concord and Merrimac rivers. These
young men made the boat which carried them, with
their own hands. It cost them a week’s labour, and
was fifteen feet long by three feet and a half wide at
the broadest part.

It was loaded with potatoes and melons grown by
themselves. This was to furnish the frugal diet of the
brothers. The lower part of the craft was painted
green, and the border was blue, the two colours were
- AND ANIMALS. 111

meant to show that it was partly a creature of the
water, partly of the air.

Speaking of his boat, Thoreau says, “ If rightly made,
a boat should be a sort of amphibious animal, a creature
of two elements, related by one half of its structure to
some swift and shapely fish, and by the other to some
strong-winged and graceful bird.

“ The fish shows where there should be the greatest
breadth of beam and depth in the hold, its fins direct
where to set the oars, and the tail gives some hint for
the form and position of the rudder. The bird shows
how to rig and trim the sails, and what form to give
the prow that it may balance the boat and divide the
air and water best.”

After spending six years without any settled occu-
pation, taking great delight ina thrifty open-air life,
making trips on foot and carrying his own simple
baggage, Thoreau at length came for awhile to an
anchorage. “Near the end of March, 1845,” he says,
“T borrowed an axe and went down to the woods by
Walden ponds, nearest to where I intended to build
my house. I began to cut down some tall, arrowy
pines, still in their youth, fit for timber.”

Soon he contrived to raise a comfortable wooden
hut, and to furnish it neatly. Here he lived a retired
life for two years and two months, maturing his
thoughts and perfecting himself in the art of writing.
I12 GREAT WRITERS ANID ANIMALS.

FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURS.

HIs neighbours were the wild birds and harmless
forest animals, all of whom he greeted as friends, and
not one of whom suffered harm from him. Speaking
of his only companions, Thoreau says, “ The hares were
very familiar. One had her form under my house all
the winter, separated from me only by the flooring. She
startled me each morning by her hasty departure when
I began to stir——thump, thump, thump! striking her
head against the floor timbers in her hurry. They used
to come round my door at dusk to nibble the potato
parings which I had thrown out, and were so nearly
the colour of the ground, that they could hardly be
distinguished from it while sitting still.”

Squirrels and mice disputed with Thoreau for his
store of nuts. “When I was building,” he says, “one
of these mice had his nest underneath the house, and
before I had laid the second floor and swept out the
shavings, would come out regularly at lunch time and
pick up the crumbs at my feet.

“ He probably had never seen a man before, and he
soon became quite familiar, and would run over my
shoes and my clothes. As I leaned with my elbow on
the bench one day, it ran up my clothes and along my
sleeve, and round and round the paper which held my
dinner, while I held the latter close and played at bo-
peep with him. ©

“When at last I held a piece of cheese between my ©
thumb and finger he came and nibbled it, sitting in my






















































































































































































































































































































































































A PARTRIDGE FAMILY,
I
II4 GREAT WRITERS

hand, and afterwards cleaned his face and paws like a
fly and walked away.”

In a shed built against his house, the phoebe, an
American wild bird built ; and a robin chose the pine
tree which grew against its walls for her home. “In
june,” writes Thoreau, “the partridge which is so shy
a bird, led her brood past my windows from the woods
in the rear, to the front of my house, clucking and
calling to them like a hen.

“Tn all her behaviour the partridge proves herself to
be the hen of the woods. The young disappear on
your approach, at a signal from their mother, as if a
whirlwind had swept them away. They sé exactly
resemble the dried leaves and twigs that many a
traveller has placed his foot in the midst of a brood.
He has heard the whirr of the old bird as she flew
off, and her anxious calls, and even seen her trail her
wings to attract his notice, without suspecting their
neighbourhood.”

While at Walden, Thoreau lived on the simplest
fare, using chiefly bread of his own making. He
rarely ate animal food of any sort for years, or even
tasted tea and coffee. “Not because of any ill effects
I have traced to them,” he adds, “but because they
were not agreeable to my imagination. It appeared
more beautiful to live low and fare hard.”

Being obliged to do his own house-work, Thoreau
greatly disliked the cooking of meat. He complains
“The practical objection to animal food was its un-
cleanness. When I had caught, cleaned, and cooked
and eaten my fish, they seemed not to have fed me.
AND ANIMALS. 115

It was unnecessary and cost more than it came to. A
little bread or a few potatoes would have done as well,
with less trouble and filth.”

It is easy to understand that Thoreau did not like
to take the lives of his dear friends, the wild birds and
animals, for his food. The very fishes in the stream
seemed to trust him. Sometimes he would surprise a
human comrade with whom he was boating, by thrust-
ing his hand softly into the water and tenderly drawing
out a large bright fish, which would nestle in his hand
as if it knew him well. This fish, as Thoreau explains,
was the bream, which defends its nest so closely that
it may be thus lifted from the water. ~

The great secret by which Thoreau made the
“beasts of the field to be at peace with him” was his
loving patience. He would sit still as a stone for hours
to watch what they did while alive, instead of wanting
to eat or stuff their dead bodies. His reward was the
affection of all living creatures whom he met. Never
since the days of St. Francis of Assisi has any man
been so beloved by animals. But we must not fancy
that Thoreau was wanting in love to his fellow-men
because he left their society. No, he lived a lonely life
because he wished for time to think. Also he desired
to prove that a man may be healthy and happy with-
out luxuries.

By his sojourn in the woods Thoreau proved that it
may be a pleasure to earn a living with one’s own
hands, if one is content with simplicity. After leaving
Walden, Thoreau lived in his father’s house in the
village of Concord for the last fifteen years of his life,
116 GREAT WRITERS

devoting himself not only to a close study of nature,
but also to his oppressed human brothers and sisters.

Hand in hand with his friend John Brown, who laid
down his life in the noble cause of setting the American
negro slaves free, Thoreau did his best to forward that
grand work, and died in 1862, the same year that
liberty was proclaimed forthe African race.

SIR WALTER SCOTT.

WHEN we have read a book which deeply interests us
it is natural to give a thought to the person who has
taken so much pains and trouble to write it. Very
pleasant would it be, for instance, to have taken a peep
at Sir Walter Scott in his study at Abbotsford.

There sat the brave and gentle novelist who, perhaps,
has given more amusement, instruction, and pleasure
to the English public than any other writer, working
hard for future generations. Like most men who have
done much, and become famous by their labours, Sir
Walter was an early riser.

He had usually accomplished the greater part of
his day’s work before other people had thought of
getting out of bed. This sensible habit left him the
healthy, sunny, midday hours for the out-door exercise
which kept him well and strong, in spite of the lame-
ness which might have been an excuse for playing the
invalid.

Whether engaged in writing, or taking his walk or
ride, Scott was never alone, though often solitary so
far as human fellowship went. Whether in the study
AND ANIMALS. 117

or in the field he loved the restful companionship of
animals, soothing because silent, and affectionate
without being any interruption to thought.

Washington Irving, a great friend of Scott’s, gives
an account of a morning spent with him which is
almost as good as having taken a ramble with Sir
Walter and his dogs. He says that each time that he
sallied forth with Scott, every dog in the place turned
out to attend them.

First there was the old stag-hound, Maida, a noble
animal, and Hamlet, the black greyhound, a wild and
thoughtless youngster not yet arrived at years of
discretion. Then there was a beautiful setter, with
soft silken ears and mild eyes. Besides hese: there
was a small terrier.

This little fellow was in the habit of sulking ina
garret after he had been punished for any misdeed,
and nothing but the sound of the kitchen chopper at
work would draw him out. When in front of the
house, they were joined, too, by an ancient greyhound,
who came from the kitchen wagging his tail.

He was cheered by Scott as an old friend and
comrade. During the walk, Sir Walter would often
stop talking to Irving that he might address the dogs,
who seemed to understand all he said. Maida behaved
with a gravity which became his age and size, and
seemed to feel that he ought to look dignified.

As he jogged along, a little way in front, the young
dogs would frisk about him, leap on his neck, worry
at his ears, and try to tease him into a gambol. The
old dog would not notice this for a long time, but
118 GREAT WRITERS AND ANIMALS.

kept trotting on with a solemn air as if to rebuke the
impertinence of his young companions.

At length he would make a sudden turn, seize one
of them, and tumble him in the dust, giving a look as
if to say, “ You see, gentlemen, I cannot help giving
way to this nonsense.” After this he would resume
his gravity and jog on as before. Scott was much
amused at these little scenes.

He would say, “I make no doubt that when Maida
is alone with these young dogs he throws gravity aside
and plays the boy as much as any of them. But he is
ashamed to do so in our company, and seems to say,
“ Have done with your nonsense. What will the laird
and that other gentleman think of me if I give way
to such foolery ?”

SIR WALTER’S WISEST -DOG.

“THE wisest dog I ever had,” said Sir Walter Scott,
“was what is called a bull terrier. I taught him to
understand a great many words, insomuch that I am
positive the communication between the canine race
and ours might be greatly enlarged. Camp once bit
the baker who was bringing bread to the family.

“JT beat him and explained the enormity of his
offence. After that to the last moment of his life, he
never heard the least allusion to the story, in whatever
voice or tone it was mentioned, without getting up
and retiring into the darkest corner of the room with
great appearance of distress.

“Then, if you said, ‘The baker was well paid,’ or,















































































































































120 GREAT WRITERS

‘The baker was not hurt after all, Camp came forth
from his hiding-place, capered, barked, and rejoiced.”
Scott adds, “ When Camp became old, and was unable
to accompany his master in his rides, he would still
go out to meet him on his return if he was made to
understand by what road he was coming.

“The servant, while laying the cloth for dinner,
would say to the dog, ‘Camp, my good fellow, the
sheriff's coming home by the ford, or ‘ down the hill,
and the poor animal would immediately go forth to
welcome his master, advancing as far and as fast as
he was able in the direction pointed out by the words
spoken.”

It was not long after, that poor old Camp, becoming
too stiff and weak to follow his master, took a long
farewell of him. The faithful creature was buried by
moonlight in a little garden behind the house where
Scott was then living, just opposite the window where
he sat to write.

A daughter of Sir Walter says that the whole family
stood in tears about the grave, as her father himself
smoothed down the turf over poor Camp, with the
saddest expression she had ever seen on his face. He
had been engaged to dine with some neighbours that
evening, but stayed at home instead.

The reason which he gave for not joining the party
was that he was mourning the “death of a dear old
friend.”

After showing so great a tenderness of heart, we shall
not feel surprised to hear that when forced by mis-
fortune to give up, for a time, his life at Abbotsford,
AND ANIMALS. 121 |

Scott’s chief sorrow was the partine from his dogs.
Trouble overtook him from the failure of a great house
of business, and in his old age Scott found himself a
comparatively poor man.

He made a fine and manly effort to pay the debts
thrust upon him by this accident, and resolved that
nobody should suffer from his losses. In spite of the
illness which began to creep upon him, he worked
harder than ever to prevent dishonour or disgrace
from falling on his name or on those dear to him.

His lament over the sad necessity which drove him
to leave his simple neighbours is very touching. It
was not animals alone whom Scott befriended, but the
poor, the weak, and all who needed his help. He
writes, “There will be sad hearts at Darwick, and in
the cottages of Abbotsford. I have half resolved
never to see the place again.

“ How could I tread my hall with such a diminished
crest? How live a poor, indebted life where once
I was the wealthy and honoured? My dogs will wait
for me in vain. It is foolish, but the thoughts of
parting from these dumb creatures have moved me
more than any of the painful recollections which I
have put down. Poor things! I must get them kind
masters. There may be yet those who, loving me,
may love my dog because it has been mine. I must
end these gloomy forebodings, or I shall lose the tone
of mind with which men should meet distress. I feel
my dogs’ feet upon my knees—I hear them whining
and seeking me everywhere—this is nonsense. But it
is what they would do, could they know how things
might be.”
, 122 GREAT WRITERS

Fs SCOTT’S KINDNESS.

THERE are many who have read the novels of Scott
until they know them almost by heart, and those who
do so must see that he had always his own dog-friends
in his mind. The portraits which he has drawn
of dogs in his books must have been copied in
words, though not in colours, from his familiar canine
comrades.

The noble Bevis in “Woodstock,” the splendid
hound of Sir Kenneth in “The Talisman,” Wolf in
“The Abbot,” and the true-hearted little Wasp in
“Rob Roy,” all thesedog-heroes were doubtless sketched
from the life. His dogs formed part of his life, and he
could not keep them out of his books. Though he did
not write down exactly what his own dog-friends did,
he chronicled what they might have done.

But dogs were not the only animals whom Scott
loved. All through his books, one may read the care
which he bestowed on his own horse, by the way in
which he makes all the good characters in his pages
attend to the wants of the animals who carry them,
often putting their needs before human wants.

Even of pussy Scott has a word to say, “Cats are
a mysterious kind of folk,” he thinks, “ There is more
passing in their minds than we are aware of.” Of his
horse Daisy, he said much the same thing, “ These
creatures have thoughts of their own which we can
never penetrate.”

On one occasion, a little pig which had been petted
AND ANIMALS. 123

by Scott, presented himself when he was going for a
ride, and offered to accompany him! His horse Daisy,
though a very spirited creature, seemed to know that
his master was lame, and would always stand perfectly
still while he mounted.

Once Scott went abroad and did not return for
some weeks. When he did so, he wore different
clothes. The horse was brought to the door, “but,”
to use Scott’s own words, “instead of showing in his
usual way that he was pleased to see his master, he
looked askance at me.

“ And when I tried to put my foot in the stirrup, he
reared bolt upright, and I fell to the ground rather
awkwardly. I tried twice or thrice with the same
result. At last it struck me that he might have taken
some capricious dislike to my dress.” With this idea
in his mind, Sir Walter sent for Tom Perdoe, the
servant to whom he always handed over his old
clothes.

He wished to try whether the sight of the familiar
white hat and green jacket, which he had discarded
for a different suit, would have any effect on the
horse. Daisy allowed Tom to back him with all
manner of gentleness. He seemed to know his
master’s old garments.

But the horse would not take to Scott again with
his changed appearance. A neighbour suggested
that Daisy thought himself ill-used at his master’s long
absence, which he could not forgive.

One thing we must notice with regard to the admi-
ration and love which Scott showed for animals. It
124 GREAT WRITERS

was based on a careful study of their natures which
ended in finding out the truth, and was not a mere
whim or caprice. The following beautiful passage
will show that in caring for the creatures, Scott
acknowledged them as a Divine work, and saw that
they were “ very good.”

“The Almighty,” says he, “Who gave the dog to be
the companion of our pleasures and our toils, has in-
vested him with a nature noble and incapable of de-
ceit. He forgets neither friend nor foe, remembers with
accuracy both benefit and injury. He has a share of
man’s intelligence, but no share of man’s falsehood.

“You may bribe a soldier to slay a man with his
sword, but you cannot make a dog tear his benefactor,
He is the friend of man, save when men justly incurs
enmity.” After a somewhat painful and tedious time,
during which Scott keenly felt the failure of his
powers, though he always made a sturdy effort to
bear up, he died peacefully at his old home at
Abbotsford, aged sixty-one years.

Though shadows had for a time darkened his day,
its sunset was calm and bright. His last words were
like himself—they showed that he still thought of
others more than of himself. “Do not disturb them,”
he said to those who would have roused the household
to bid him good-bye, “ Poor souls! they were up all
last night.”

Then with a blessing on his lips for those he was
leaving, this great and good man passed away to his
rest, a happy example to all who knew him. His
thirty-two immortal books are his best monument.
AND ANIMALS. 125

CHARLES DICKENS.

THIS kind and clever author deserves to be as popular
as he is, for he has given us, in his books, a complete
storehouse of amusement. How many dull, weary
hours have his writings beguiled, for what a vast
number of people ; the men, women, and children, who
live between the covers of his books seem to come
out and talk with us.

They make us laugh, and offer us a share of their
joys and sorrows like old friends. We feel that the
world would be a poorer place without Mr. Pickwick,
Sam Weller, and Captain Cuttle, who had the best
_ watch ever known, provided that you put it back half
an hour in the morning, and about another quarter
towards the afternoon.

But though it is a fine work to provide harmless fun
for young folks, and for their hard-worked and care-
worn elders, the novels of Charles Dickens have done
much more than that. Under all the mirth and merry-
making there lies an earnest purpose.

Dickens had the sorrowful as well as the comic side
of human nature in his mind—the desolate and
oppressed found in him a brave and tender champion,
At the troubles of poor little Oliver Twist, ragged
homeless “ Jo” who was moved on till at last he moved
into a better world, and at the unnaturally burdened
childhood of little Nell; we cannot smile.

And at dear old Trotty Veck, Ham, or Peggotty, we
scarcely know whether to laugh or cry, so funny are
126 GREAT WRITERS

they, yet so true and pathetic. At any rate we
cannot help loving them while we laugh. Dickens
had the woes of little children, aged people, the
sick and the poor always before him—and by the
masterly way in which he brought their needs
before the unthinking, he caused many abuses to be
amended.

From a little child to a domestic animal it is but a
short step, and those who love the one well usually
love the other. In several of his most famous books,
Dickens speaks most beautifully of dogs and horses.
In “Our Mutual Friend” is a capital little scene
between a knowing donkey and his driver—“a hoarse
gentleman with a carrot for a whip.”

A stranger, Mr. Silas Wegg, stumps up on a wooden
leg, and asks to be directed to a certain house, the
name of which had lately been changed. To this the
driver replies, “Eddard and me is going by Az, Jump
in.” The “hoarse gentleman” then draws Mr. Wegg’s
attention to the “third person in company” thus:
“Now, you look at Eddard’s ears.”

Mr. Wegg looks accordingly, and sees that they
remain unmoved when Edward is told to “cut away”
to the new address, though they prick themselves to
their utmost and “ Eddard” rattles off pell-mell to the
right house when he is asked to go to the house by
its old title.

To show him how well Edward knows the owner of
the aforesaid house, the driver again requests Mr.
Wegg to “keep an eye on his ears” while this person’s
name is spoken. At the sound of it, Edward shows
AND ANIMALS. - 127

his delight by causing his head to disappear, and his
hind hoofs to flourish in the air.

The donkey condescends to set down Mr. Wegg
at the correct door, after which his late driver, with
a wave of the carrot, says: “Supper, Eddard!” On
this, the hind hoofs, the truck and Edward “all seem
to fly into the air together,” so quickly does the animal
take the hint and vanish in the fog.

WHAT THE ANIMALS THOUGHT ABOUT.

IN describing the dreary old mansion of Chesney Wold
(in Bleak House), Dickens does not forget to give a
charming picture of the animal life which surrounds it
during a dull season, while the family are away. He
thinks that the horses, dogs, and other creatures have
their fancies, which help them to pass the time.

The aged hunters imagine a good run with the
hounds, so do the sleeping dogs; while their human
helpers know nothing about their dreams. In the
stables under the turret, where the pigeons perch so
often that they seem to be consulting the clock all
day long, the old roan remembers, as he turns his eyes
to the grated window, that it was once framed with
green leaves.

“ The grey, whose place is opposite the door, and who
with an impatient rattle of his halter, pricks his ears
and turns his head so wistfully when it is opened and
to whom the opener says, ‘Woa, grey, steady! No-
body wants you to-day,’ may know it as well as the
man,
128 GREAT WRITERS

“The whole-half-dozen, stabled together, may pass
the long wet hours when the door is shut in livelier
communication than is held in the servants’ hall, and
may even beguile the time by improving the pony in
the loose box in the corner. In the same way the
rabbits, with their self-betraying tails, frisking in and
out of holes at roots of trees may bé lively with the
remembrance of breezy days when their ears were
blown about, and there were sweet young plants to
gnaw.

“The turkey in the poultry-yard, always troubled
with a class grievance, (probably Christmas,) may be
reminiscent of that summer morning, wrongfully taken
from him, when he got into the lane among the felled
trees, where there was a barn and barley.

“The discontented goose, who stoops to pass under
the old gateway, twenty feet high, may gabble out, if
we only knew it, a waddling preference for weather
when the gateway casts its shadow on the ground.”

DICKENS AND HIS DOGS.

IN “Dombey and Son,” Dickens sketches the character
of Diogenes, who was the favourite of his poor little
hero Paul. Diogenes “had never in his life received
a friend into his confidence before.” Not long before
his own death, little Paul touchingly begs that Diogenes
may not be forgotten, and after he is gone his sister
Florence takes him as her own faithful, though rough
pet.

“Though Diogenes was as ridiculous a dog as one
AND ANIMALS. 129

could meet with on a summer’s day, a blundering, ill-
favoured, clumsy, bullet-headed dog, continually acting
on a wrong idea that there was an enemy in the neigh-
bourhood, whom it was meritorious to bark at ;—
though he was far from good tempered, he certainly
was not clever, and had hair all over his eyes, and a
comic nose, and an inconsistent tail and a gruff voice,
he was dearer to Florence than the most valuable and
beautiful of his kind.”

“Come then, Di, dear Di!” says Biiorence: when
Di was brought home to her. “ Make friends with

{

your new mistress. Let us love each other, Di!
fondling at the same time his shaggy head. And Di,
the rough and gruff, as if his hairy hide were pervious
to the tear that dropped upon it and his dog’s heart
melted as it fell, put his nose up to her face and swore
fidelity.”

The death of Dora’s spaniel in “ David Copperfield ”
is equally well and tenderly told, and the dog of Bill
Sikes who, though his master was a ruffian, chooses
to share his fate, is another sample of the knowledge
of dog nature which Dickens had.

He was very fond of his own dogs, whom he would
take for a walk or swim daily. One of a pair of New-
foundlands which he had was named Bumble, and
this name was given him from the pompous and beadle-
like air, with which he would mount guard over the
yard “when he was an absolute infant.”

One day, as these two dogs were swimming in the
Mersey, Bumble got among some floating timber on
the river, and became frightened. Don who was his

K
130 GREAT WRITERS

father, and who was standing on the bank carelessly
shaking the wet from his curls, suddenly saw that
something was wrong.

With a bound he went in and brought Bumble out
by the ear. “ The scientific way in which he towed him
along was charming,” says Dickens. After his long
absence in America the dogs of Dickens knew him
again, and as soon as they caught sight of him,
lifted up their heads to have their ears pulled; “an
attention” he says, “which they received from no one
else.”

“At his country house, Gad’s Hill, Kent, Dickens had
a pet cat, Williamina, who, when her first batch of
kittens were born, insisted on bringing her six babies
into his library. This, Dickens said he really could
not allow; but on her coming six times through his
open window, and placing each time a. kitten at his
feet with a most beseeching look, he let the mother
have her way.

One of these smal! pussies was deaf, and when homes
were found for the rest, this one was kept. The name
of “the master’s cat” and no other, was always given
her. “The master ” loved this soft, silent comrade, and
she sat always close to him while he wrote, or followed
him in the garden like a dog?

One evening as Dickens was reading, with the cat
close by upon the table, the candle, which was close to
his shoulder, suddenly went out. Doubting whether
or not “the cat did it” he went on with his reading,
after lighting it again, giving her an affectionate and
playful pat as he did so.
AND ANIMALS. 131

But again he noticed something which came between
himself and the light, and this time he saw that puss
deliberately put her paw on the candle, glancing at
the same time in a pleading way towards her master.

i inl



‘‘NO MORE WORK TO-NIGHT.”

This time Dickens guessed what she wanted. Pussy
thought she had sat still long enough, and she
wanted a game with him. It was a wise suggestion.
Dickens shut his book and romped with her till
bedtime.
GREAT WRITERS

Ww
N

HANS ANDERSEN.

THE father of Hans Andersen was a poor man—so
poor that with his own hands he made the cradle in
which his son, afterwards so famous, was laid a weak
and wailing infant. It was cut out of an old wooden
bench, once used at a funeral.

When this humble but respectable shoemaker died,
the mother of Hans married again, and as his step-
father took no interest in his education, Hans, feeling
a great desire to become an actor, set out from his
birthplace, Odense, in Funen, to reach Copenhagen,
the capital of his native country.

Telling the story of his own wonderful adventures,
Andersen begins, “My life is a lovely story, happy
and full of incident. The history of my life will say
to the world as it says to me, ‘ There is a loving God
Who directs all things for the best.” The lad Hans
was without friends and almost penniless when he
landed on the shore of Zealand, on his way to Copen-

hagen.
He was but fourteen when he thus faced the battle
of life. “I then felt how truly alone and forlorn I

was,” he relates, “and that I had no one except God
in heaven to depend upon. As soon as I set foot on
the beach I stepped behind a shed, and falling down
on my knees besought of God to help and guide me
aright.”

A time of hardship, disappointment, and almost of
beggary awaited Andersen. For a while he went
AND ANIMALS. 133

from door to door, trying without success to find some
one to take him by the hand. The wish of his heart,
to go on the stage, was denied him, for his voice failed.

But this misfortune was a blessing in disguise. He
turned his attention to writing, and produced, among
other works of inferior value, the fascinating fairy
tales which have never yet found their equal. The
close of his life was indeed brilliant, after a somewhat
cloudy beginning.

On his seventieth birthday his native town of Odense
was illuminated in honour of the illustrious writer,
once. the poor and despised boy, Hans Andersen.
The King of Denmark sent him a message of
congratulation. What pleased Andersen best of
all was that troops of children danced around the
chair in which he sat in state, singing songs in his
praise.

Yet there is no sunshine without shadow on this
earth ; it is thus that Andersen speaks of the crowning
moment of his long life. “ How happy I was—and
yet—up to Heaven’s height man dares not exalt him-
self. I suffered from a dreadful toothache, which, with
the heat and excitement I was in, became unbearable,
but I read a fairy story for my little friends.”

His fairy tales were translated into fifteen languages
as a remembrance of the day. When he died, the
same year, his funeral was attended by the royal
family of Denmark, and the children of the whole
world bewailed the loss of a friend. Full of wit as well
as of pathos and poetry, the tales of Andersen have
done much to uplift and dignify the cause of animals,
134 GREAT WRITERS

He learnt the grand secret that there is no living
creature, no matter how lowly, whose life is not a
romance.

The following tiny tale from

“WHAT THE MOON SAW”

will show the tender and simple sweetness of Ander-
sen’s style.

“T was looking down yesterday,” said the moon, on
a small court-yard, sheltered on all sides by houses.
There I saw a clucking hen with eleven chickens
running about the yard, and a pretty little girl spring-
ing and jumping after them.

“The hen clucked, and spread her wings in terror
over her little brood. Then the child’s father came
out and scolded her, and I glided away and thought
no more of the matter. But this evening, only a few
minutes ago, I looked again into the court-yard.

“Everything was quiet. But presently the little girl
came out again, stepped lightly across to the hen-
house, pushed back the bolt, and slipped in among
the hens and chickens. They cried out loudly, and
came fluttering down from their perches as the little
one ran after them.

“T saw it all plainly through the wall. I was angry
with the naughty child, and felt quite glad when her
father came and scolded her more severely than he did
yesterday, as he held her fast by the arm; she hung
down her head and her blue eyes were full of large
tears. ‘What are you doing here?’ he asked,
AND ANIMALS. 135

“She wept and said, ‘I wanted to kiss the hen, and
beg her pardon for frightening her yesterday, but I
did not like to tell you so.’

“Then the father kissed the innocent child’s fore-
head, and [ kissed her on the mouth and eyes.”

MRS. GATTY.

A LITTLE Sunday-school girl, on being asked what a
“ parable” was, once gave the true and pretty answer,
that it was “an earthly story with a heavenly mean-
ing.” Mrs. Gatty, one of our most thoughtful and
elegant modern writers, saw in the beauteous sights
of Nature many an earthly story with a heavenly
meaning.

A great admirer of Hans Andersen, during whose
lifetime she lived and wrote, dying two ‘years before
him, Mrs. Gatty was wont to say that “in his hands
any bit of common twine turned into a golden cord.”
By this she meant that Andersen could form the
thread of his stories out of what might seem the
coarsest material, glorifying it by the light of his own
mind.

Mrs. Gatty’s “Parables from Nature” closely resemble
his stories. It was not the least useful part of Ander-
sen’s mission to the world that he taught other writers
to find lofty meanings in lowly things, and Mrs. Gatty
was quick to learn from him, though she added much
to her pages from the rich storehouse of her own
brain and heart.

It is impossible to say how much deep thinkers, with
136 GREAT WRITERS

kind feelings like Andersen and Mrs. Gatty, have
done for the “lower brethren.” In showing the many
lessons which may be learnt from the lives of beasts,
birds, and even creeping things, they have made them
in some sort our teachers, earning for animals our
respect as well as our love.

Perhaps the favourite of all her Parables is that
which Mrs. Gatty has named “A Lesson of Faith.”
In this she very beautifully shadows forth our own
great change after the sleep of death, by the story of
a caterpillar ‘and its marvellous transformations before
becoming a butterfly.

A LESSON OF FAITH.

“LET me hire you as a nurse for my poor children,”
said a butterfly to a quiet caterpillar, who was strolling
along a cabbage leaf in her odd lumbering way. “See
these little eggs,” continued the butterfly, “I don’t
know how long it will be before they come to life, and
I feel very sick and poorly.

“If I should die, who will take care of my baby
butterflies when I am gone? Will you, kind, mild,
green caterpillar? But you must mind what you give
them to eat, caterpillar !—they cannot, of course, live
on your rough food. You must give them early dew
and honey from the flowers.

“And you must let them fly about only a little way
at first, for, of course one can’t expect them to use
their wings properly all at once. Dear me! It isa sad
pity you cannot fly yourself. But I have no time to
AND ANIMALS. 137

look for another nurse now, so you will do your best
I hope.

“Dear dear! I cannot think what made me come
and lay my eggs on a cabbage leaf! What a place for
young butterflies to be born upon! Still, you will be
kind, will you not, to the poor little ones? Here, take
this gold dust from my wings as a reward. Oh, how
dizzy I am, caterpillar, you will remember about the
food.” And, with these words, the butterfly drooped
her wings and died. And the green caterpillar, who
had not had the opportunity of even saying yes or no
to the request, was left standing alone by the side of
the butterfly’s eggs.

“ A pretty nurse she has chosen indeed, poor lady !”
exclaimed she, “and a pretty business I have in hand!
Why, her senses must have left her or she never would

_have asked a poor crawling creature like me to bring
up her dainty little ones! Much they’ll mind me, truly,
when they feel the gay wings on their backs and can
fly away out of my sight whenever they choose!

“ Ah, how silly some people are, in spite of their
painted clothes, and the gold dust on their wings!”
However, the poor butterfly was dead, and there lay
the eggs on the cabbage leaf, and the green caterpillar
had a kind heart, so she resolved to do her best.

But she got no sleep that night, she was very anxious.
She made her back quite ache with walking all night
round her young charges, for fear any harm should
happen to them, and in the morning, said she to her-
self, “Two heads are better than one. I will consult
some wise animal upon the matter and get advice,
138 GREAT WRITERS

“ How should a poor crawling creature like me know
- what to do without asking my betters?” But still there
was a difficulty ;—whom should the caterpillar consult ?
There was the shaggy dog who sometimes came into
the garden. But he was so rough! He would most
likely whisk all the eggs off the cabbage leaf with one
brush of his tail if she called him to talk to her, and
then she should never forgive herself.

There was the Tom cat, to be sure, who would
sometimes sit at the foot of the apple tree, basking
himself and warming his fur in the sunshine, but he
was so selfish and indifferent !—there was no hope for
his giving himself the trouble to think about butterflies’
eggs.

“T wonder which is the wisest of all the animals I
know?” sighed the caterpillar in great distress, and
then she thought and thought till she thought of the
lark, and she fancied that because he went up so high,
and nobody knew where he went to, he must be very
clever and know a great deal.

For, to go up very high (which she could never do),
was the caterpillar’s idea of perfect glory.

THE LARK’S GOOD NEWS.

Now in the neighbouring corn-field there lived a lark,
and the caterpillar sent a message to him to beg him
to come and talk to her, and when he came she told
him all her difficulties, and asked him what she was
to do to feed and rear the little creatures so different
from herself,
AND ANIMALS. 139

“ Perhaps you will be able to inquire and hear some-*
thing about it next time you go up high,” said the
caterpillar timidly. The lark said “ Perhaps he should,”
but he did not satisfy her curiosity any further. Soon
afterwards however, he went singing upwards into the
bright blue sky.

By degrees his voice died away in the distance, till
the green caterpillar could not hear a sound. It is
nothing to say she could not see him, for, poor thing
she could never see far at any time, and indeed had a
difficulty in looking upwards at all, even when she
reared herself up most carefully as she did now.

But it was of no use, so she dropped upon her legs
again, and resumed her walk round the butterfly’s eggs,
nibbling a bit of the cabbage leaf now and then as she
moved along. “Whata time the lark has been gone!”
she cried at last, “I wonder where he is just now.”

“ He must have flown up higher than usual this time,
I do think! How I should like to know where it is that
he goes to, and what he hears in that curious blue sky !
He always sings in going up and coming down, but
he never lets any secrets out. He is very, very close!”

And the caterpillar took another turn round the
butterfly’s eggs. At last the lark’s voice began to be
heard again. The caterpillar almost jumped for joy,
and it was not long before she saw her friend descend
with hushed note to the cabbage bed.

“ News, news, glorious news, friend caterpillar,” sang
the lark. “ But the worst of it is you won’t believe me.”

“T believe everything I am told,” said the caterpillar
hastily.
140 GREAT WRITERS

« “Well then, first of all I will tell you what these
little creatures are to eat.” And the lark nodded his
beak towards the eggs. “ What do you think it is to
be? Guess!”

“Dew and the honey out of flowers, I am afraid,”
sighed the caterpillar.
“No such thing, old lady, something simpler than
that. Something that you can get at quite easily.”
“TI can get at nothing quite easily but cabbage
leaves,” murmured the caterpillar in distress.
“Excellent, my good friend,” cried the lark exult-
ingly, you have found it out. You are to feed them
with cabbage leaves.” “ Never!” cried the caterpillar
indignantly, “it was their dying mother’s last request
that I should do no such thing! ”

“Their dying mother knew nothing aboutthe matter,”
persisted the lark. “ But why do you ask me and then
disbelieve what I say?” You have neither faith nor
trust.”

“Oh, I believe Suns I am told,” said the
caterpillar.

“ Nay, but you do not,” replied the lark, “ you won't
even believe me about the food, and that is but a
beginning of what I have to tell you. Why, caterpillar,
what do you think those little eggs will turn out to be?”

“ Butterflies, of course,” said the caterpillar.

“ Caterpillars !” sang the lark, “and you'll find it out
in time.’ And the lark flew away, for he did not
want to stay and contest the point with his friend.

“T thought the lark had been wise and kind,” ob-
served the mild, green caterpillar, once more beginning
AND ANIMALS. 141

to walk round the eggs, “but I find he is foolish and
saucy instead. Perhaps he went up Zoo high this time.

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SHE TOLD HIM HER DIFFICULTIES.

It is a pity when people who soar so high are silly and
rude nevertheless! I still wonder whom he sees and
what he does up yonder.”
142 GREAT WRITERS

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE EGGS.

“T WOULD tell you if you would
believe me,” sang the lark, de-
scending once more.

“T believe everything that I
am told,” reiterated the cater-
pillar, with as grave a face as if
it were a fact.

“Then PIl tell you something
else,” cried the lark, “for the
best of my news remains be-
hind. One day you will be a butterfly yourself.”

“Wretched bird!” exclaimed the caterpillar, “you
jest with my inferiority—now you are cruel as well
as foolish. Go away! I will ask your advice no
more.”

“T told you you would not believe me,” cried the
lark, nettled in his turn.

“T believe everything I am told,’ persisted the
caterpillar, “ that is, everything that is reasonable to
believe. But to tell me about butterflies’ eggs turning
to caterpillars, and that caterpillars leave off crawling,
and get wings, and become butterflies—lark! you are
too wise to believe such nonsense yourself, for you
know it is impossible.”

“J know no such thing,” said the lark warmly.
“ Whether I hover over the corn-fields of the earth, or
go up into the sky, I see so many wonderful things
that I know no reason why there should not be more.



mater ex =
AND ANIMALS. 143

Oh, caterpillar, it is because you crawl—because you
never go beyond your cabbage leaf, that you call any-
thing impossible!”

“Nonsense!” shouted the caterpillar, “I know what’s
possible, and what’s not possible, according to my
experience and capacity, as well as you do. Look at
my long green body and these endless legs, and then
talk to me about having wings and a feathery coat—
Fool!”

“And fool you! you would-be-wise caterpillar
cried the indignant lark, “ Fool, to attempt to reason
about what you cannot understand! Do you not hear
how my song swells with rejoicing as I soar upwards
to the mysterious wonder-world above ? Oh, caterpillar,
what comes to you from thence receive as I do, upon
trust!”

“ That is what you call

“ Faith!” interrupted the lark.

“ How am I to learn faith?” asked the caterpillar.

At that moment she felt something at her side.
She looked round—eight or ten little green caterpillars
were moving about, and had already made a show of
a hole in the cabbage leaf. They had broken from
the butterfly’s eggs! Shame and amazement filled
our green friend’s heart, but joy soon followed, for as
the first wonder was possible the second might be so
too.

“Teach me your lesson, lark!” she would say ; and
the lark sang to her of the wonders of the earth below
and of the heaven above. And the caterpillar talked
all the rest of her life to her relations of the time when

|»

»



,»
144 GREAT WRITERS

she should be a butterfly, but none of them believed
her.
She nevertheless had learnt the lark’s lesson of faith,
and when she was going into her chrysalis grave, she
said, “I shall be a butterfly some day !”

But her relatives thought her head was wandering,
and they said, “ Poor thing!” And when she was a
butterfly, and was going to die again, she said: “I
have known many wonders—I have faith—I can trust
even now for what shall come next!”

LIFE OF MRS. EWING.

IT is not at all surprising, that a daughter of Mrs.
Gatty should inherit her great talent for writing.
Though the many exquisite stories which Mrs. Ewing
wrote are different in style and character from those
of her gifted mother, they are equally the delight of
young folks and grown-up people.

While still a child, Mrs. Ewing was fond of making
up stories which she told to children younger than
herself, and which they never tired of hearing. Though
her little listeners would call again and again for more,
she was always able to go on with a new tale as fast as
the old one was done.

As she became a woman, this power of keeping
others amused and happy became much stronger, till
with her pen she could charm not only. the little ones
of a single nursery, but please the girls, boys—yes,
and the grown-up people too, of a whole generation.

The great love which she felt for animals as well as
AND ANIMALS. 145

children shows itself very plainly in all Mrs. Ewing’s
books ; indeed, there seems to be few living creatures
of whom she had not some kind thing to say. In her
pages animals appear as important as any of the other
heroes and heroines. ,

But it was not by her books alone, but in her daily
life also, that she showed her regard for them. It
was said by Colonel Ewing that his wife would often
pause as she passed the wretched and dirty shops
where poor wild birds were sold in cages, and long
that she might buy the whole collection, to set them
free !

Her kind heart grieved to see their misery, which
could not be relieved in this way ; for to give their
keepers money was but to encourage them to catch
and cage more prisoners. Throughout her life
dogs were her chief pets, and of these a beautiful
golden collie named “Rufus” was one of the
favourites.

This fine fellow was at once the delight and the
plague of his kind lady’s life, for he was full of fun
and mischief. Among other naughty tricks which
Rufus had taught himself was how to pull down his
mistress’s long hair by taking out the pins with his
teeth. It pleased him much to choose the most
inconvenient times for making it come tumbling down
about her ears.

From an account written by a sister of Mrs. Ewing,
who of all others must have known her nature best,
we learn much of its sweetness. Even as a very little
girl she always seemed to think of the pleasure. of

L
146 GREAT WRITERS

others before her own. This spirit she kept to
the end.

During her long and very painful illness, in the
lodgings at Bath where she afterwards died, the only
thing which the patient sufferer could see through her
window was a high wall covered with ivy. In this
a lot of sparrows and starlings were building their
nests.

“ As the sunlight fell on the leaves and the little
birds popped in and out,” writes her sister, “she enjoyed
watching them at work, and declared that the wall
looked like a fine Japanese picture. She made us
keep bread crumbs on the window sill, together with
bits of cotton wool*and hair, so that the birds might
come and fetch supplies of food and materials for
their nests.”

As her end drew near, the gentle authoress was
greatly cheered by the enthusiastic letters which
poured in from those who admired her lovely stories.
When her sister said, “I wonder such things do not
turn your head,” the invalid replied with touching
humility, “I don’t think praise really hurts me,
because when I read my own writings over and over
again, they often seem to me such ‘bosh.’

“ And then, too, you know I lead such a useless life,
and there is so little I can do, it is a great pleasure to
know I may have done some good.” On the May 13th,
1884, this graceful and poetical writer was called to
her rest.

Mrs. Ewing was the only person who thought. her
writings “bosh.” She made the world a richer and a
AND ANIMALS. 147

better place by the labours of her forty-three years,
which will last long after her life has been forgotten,
for they will have taken root in human hearts, and
made them more loving and merciful.

WHO BURIED COCK ROBIN?

AMONG Mrs. Ewing’s many charming stories, none is
prettier than “Brothers of Pity,” of which a solitary
little boy is the hero. This little lad, being a lonely
child, was in the habit of dipping into the grave books
in his godfather’s library, where he was allowed to
play so long as he did not make a noise— which
however he often did, as you may suppose.

In one big book, called “ Religious Orders,” he read
about a band of good men who, without receiving pay,
made it their business to do deeds of mercy, such as
tending the sick, and dying, and burying the dead who
were without friends. They always worked with their
faces covered, and wrapped themselves up so as not
to be recognized, thanked, or praised.

These benevolent men were named “ Brothers of
Pity.” The little boy admired this conduct so much
that he made himself a cloak out of black calico,
bought a penny mask at the village shop, and
determined to play at being a “Brother of Pity”
himself.

Armed with a small spade he set out, and it was
not long before he found plenty of work. Once a
poor cat who had died of want and ill-usage, obtained
a decent burial at his hands, and there was no lack
148 GREAT WRITERS

of other small creatures—a mole, lots of frogs, and
others who had “died without friends in the
hedges.”

Mrs. Ewing makes her small hero speak for himself
thus: “One summer evening I went by myself after
tea, into a steep little field at the back of our house,
with an old stone quarry at the top, on the ledges of
which, where the earth had settled, I used to play at
making gardens. And there, lying on a bit of stony
ground, half on the stones, and half on the grass, was
a dead robin redbreast.

“JT love robins very much, and it was not because I
wanted one to die, but because I thought that if one
did die, I should so like to bury him, that I had wished
to find a dead robin ever since I became a Brother of
Pity. . It was rather late, but it wanted nearly an
hour to my usual bedtime, so I thought I would go
home at once for my spade, and dress, and bier, and
for some roses.

“For I had resolved to bury this (my first robin red-
breast) in a grave lined with rose leaves, and to give
him a wreath of forget-me-nots. Just as I was going
I heard a loud buzz above my head, and something
hit me in the face. It was a beetle whirring about in
the air.

“ And as I turned to leave poor robin, the beetle sat
down on him, on the middle of his red breast, and by
still hearing the buzzing, I found that another beetle.
was whirling and whirring just over my head in the
air. I like beetles (especially flying watchmen), so I
said, just for fun, ‘You’ve got on your black things,
AND ANIMALS. 149

and if you'll take care of the body till I get my spade
you shall be Brothers of Pity.’

“JT ran home and I need not have gone indoors at all,
for I keep my cloak and my spade and the bier in
the summer-house, but the bits of wood were in the
nursery cupboard, so, after I had got some really good
roses, and was quite ready, I ran upstairs, and there to
my great vexation, Nurse met me and said I was to
go to bed.

SOME QUIET SEXTONS.

“JT THOUGHT it was very hard, because it had been a
very hot day, and I had had to go a long walk in the
heat of the sun, along the old coaching-road with
Nurse, and it seemed so provoking now it was cool
and the moon rising, that I should have to go to bed.

“Especially as Nurse was sending me earlier than
usual, Fecause she wanted to go out herself, and I
knew it. I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn’t. Every
time I opened my eyes the moonlight was more and
more like daylight through the white blind. At last
I thought that I must have really been to sleep without
knowing it and that it must be morning.

“So I got out of bed and went to the window and
peeped—but it was still moonlight, only moonlight as
bright as day—and I saw Nurse and two of the maids
just going through the upper gate into the park. In one
moment I made up my mind. Nurse had only put
me to bed to get me out of the way.

“T did not mean to trouble her, but I was determined
150 GREAT WRITERS

not to lose the chance of being a Brother of Pity toa
robin redbreast. I dressed myself as well as I could,
got out unobserved, and made my way to the summer-
house. Things look a little paler by moonlight, other-
wise I could see my way quite well.

“]T put on my cloak, took my spade and the handle
of the bier in my right hand, and holding the mask
over my face with my left, I made my way to the
quarry field. It was a lovely night, and as I strolled
along I thought with myself, that the ground where
robin lay was too stony for my spade, and that I must
move him a little lower where some soft earth bordered
one side of the quarry.

“ T was as certain as I had ever been of anything that
I did not think about this till then, but when I got to
the quarry the body was gone from the place where I
had found it; and when I looked lower down on the
bit of soft earth, there lay robin just in the place
where I was settling in my mind that I would bury
him!

“T could not believe my eyes through the holes in my
mask, so I pulled it off, but there was no doubt about
the fact. There he lay; and round him, when I
looked closer, I saw a ridge like a rampart of earth,
which framed him neatly and evenly, as if he were
already half-way into his grave.

“The moonlight was as clear as day, there was no
mistake as to what I saw, and whilst I was looking the
body of the bird began to sink by little jerks, as if
some one were pulling it from below. When first it
moved I thought that poor robin could not be dead
AND ANIMALS. 151

after all, and that he was coming to life again like the
flying watchman.

“ But I soon saw that he was not, and that some one
was pulling him down into a grave. When I felt quite
sure of this, when I had rubbed my eyes to clear them,



BURYING BEETLES AT WORK.

and pulled the lashes to see if I was awake, I was so
horribly frightened, that with my mask in one hand,
and the handle of my bier in the other, I ran home as
fast as my legs would carry me, leaving the roses and
the cross and the blue velvet pall behind me in the

quarry.
152 GREAT WRITERS

“Nurse was still out, and I crept back to bed with-
out detection, where I dreamed of invisible grave-
diggers all the night. I did not feel quite so much
afraid by daylight, but I was not a bit less puzzled as
to how Cock Robin had been moved from the stony
place to the soft earth, and who dug his grave.

“TI could not ask Nurse about it, for I should have
had to tell her I had been out; but godfather Gilpin
never tells tales of me, and he knows everything, so I
went to him. The more I thought of it the more I
saw that the only way was to tell him everything, for
if you tell only parts of things you sometimes find
yourself telling lies before you know where you are.

“So I put on my cloak and my mask, and took the
shovel and bier into the study and sat down on the
little footstool I always wait on when ‘godfather
Gilpin is in the middle of reading, and keeps his
head down to show that he does not want to be
disturbed.

“When he had shut up his book and looked at me
he burst out laughing. I meant to have asked him
why, but I was so busy afterwards that I forgot: I
suppose it was the nose, for it had got rather broken
when I fell down as I was burying the old drake that
Neptune killed.

“But he was very kind to me, and I told him all
about my being a Brother of Pity, and how I wanted
to bury a robin, and how I had found one, and how
he frightened me by burying himself.
AND ANIMALS. 153

WHAT GODFATHER GILPIN THOUGHT.

“« SOME other Brother of Pity must have got hold of
him,’ said my godfather, laughing, ‘and he must have
got Jack the Giant Killer’s cloak of darkness for “zs
dress, so that you did not see him.’ ‘There was
nobody there, I earnestly answered, shaking my
mask as I thought of the lonely moonlight; ‘nothing
but two beetles, and I said that if they would take
care of him they might be Brothers of Pity.’

“«They tock you at your word,’ said my godfather ;
‘take off your mask, which distracts me, and I will tell
you who buried Cock Robin.’ I knew when godfather
Gilpin was really telling me things —without thinking of
something else, I mean—and I listened with all my ears.

“«The beetles whom you very properly admitted
into your brotherhood, said my godfather, ‘were
sextons, or burying-beetles, as they are sometimes
called. They bury animals of all sizes in a surprisingly
short space of time. If two of them cannot conduct
the funeral they summon others.

“‘They carry the body if necessary to suitable
ground ; with their flat heads (for the sexton-beetle
does not carry a spade) they dig trench below trench
all round the body they are committing to the earth,
after which they creep under it and pull it down, and
they shovel away once more and so on, till it is deep
enough in, and then they push the earth over it and
tread it and pat it down neatly.’

“«Then it was the beetles who were burying the
robin redbreast ?’ I gasped.
154 GREAT WRITERS AND ANIMALS.

“<*T suspect so,’ said godfather Gilpin, ‘but we will
go and see.’

“He actually knocked down a book in his hurry to
get his hat, and when I helped him to pick it up and
said, ‘Why, godfather, you’re as bad. as I was about
Taylors Sermons,’ he said, ‘I am an old fool, my
dear, I used to be very fond of insects before I settled
down to the work I am at now, and it excites me to
go out into the fields again,’

“T never had a nicer walk, for he showed me lots of
things I had never noticed before we got to the quarry
field, and then I took him straight to the place where
the bit of soft earth was, and there was nothing to be
seen, and the earth was quite smooth and tidy.

“But when he poked with his stick the ground was
very soft, and after he had poked a little we saw some
nut-brown feathers, and we knew it was Robin’s grave.
And I said, ‘Oh, don’t poke any more, please, I wanted
to bury him with rose leaves, but the beetles were
dressed in black and I gave them leave.

“‘And I think I'll put a cross over him, because I
don’t think it’s untrue to show that he was buried by
the Brothers of Pity.’

“Godfather Gilpin quite agreed with me, and we
made a nice mound (for I had brought my spade with
me) and put the best kind of cross, and afterwards I
made a wreath of forget-me-nots to hang on it.

“THe was the only robin redbreast I have found since
I became a Brother of Pity, and that was how it was
not I who buried him after all.”
WORKERS ON BEHALF OF
ANIMALS.

IN the oiden time, Plutarch, who was born fifty years
after Christ, gave utterance to some beautiful thoughts
about animals. It is interesting to notice that he
begins a fine passage on duty to dumb creatures by
pointing out the cruelty of selling aged slaves.

This, he says, is done “on account of a mean and
ungenerous spirit,” which permits masters to get rid
of them “like so many beasts of burden when they grow °
old.” “The obligations of law and equity,” Plutarch
adds, “reach only to mankind ;” for in his day the
time was not ripe either for making laws against
slavery or in protection of animals.

“But,” he continues, “kindness and beneficence
should be extended to every living creature ;” these
virtues “flow from the breast of a well-natured man
as streams that issue from a living fountain. A good
man will take care of his horses and dogs not only
while they are young, but when old and past service.
Thus, the people of Athens, when they had finished
the temple called Hetacompedon, set at liberty the
beasts of burden that had been chiefly employed in
156 WORKERS ON BEHALF

the work, suffering them to pasture at large, free from
any other service. It is said that one of them after-
wards came of his own accord to work, and putting
himself at the head of the labouring cattle, marched
before them to the citadel.

“This pleased the people, and they made a decree
that he should be kept at the public charge as long as
he lived. The graves of Cymon’s mares, with whom
he thrice conquered at the Olympic games, are still to
be seen near his own tomb. Many have shown
particular marks of regard in burying the dogs which
they had cherished and been fond of.

“And, among the rest, Xantippus of old whose dog
swam by the side of his galley to Salamis, when the
Athenians were forced to abandon their city, and was
afterwards buried by him upon a promontory which, to
this day, is called the ‘Dog’s Grave. We certainly
ought not to treat living creatures like shoes or house-
hold goods which, when worn out with use, we throw
away.

“ Were it only to learn benevolence to human kind,
we should be merciful to other creatures.” Since the
time when Plutarch, in his famous “ Lives” of eminent
men, thought animals worthy of his attention also,
what a change has come about! Slowly, inch by inch,
the spirit of mercy has gained ground as the ripples
of the tide encroach upon the beach.

First the hideous trade in human flesh and blood
became a horror of the past, in all civilized lands,
though not till eighteen hundred years after Plutarch
was born. And what about those other poor slaves
OF ANIMALS. Tey

who groan but cannot complain by words however
heavy their burdens may be?

The same spirit which raised up Wilberforce and
others, who, like him, fought for the freedom of our
negro brothers and sisters, enslaved because they had
black skins instead of white, and were not able to
defend themselves, has been working in the hearts of
many an earnest man and woman since.

Stirred by the spirit of love, justice, and mercy,
champions have been raised up for those other
brethren, a little lower still in some ways. The thought
has arisen, have we the right to oppress amy living
creatures because they are helpless, to ill-use them
because their skins are hairy instead of smooth, to
torture them because they cannot speak our language,
though they are eloquent in their own? Not by words
only, but by dint of sheer hard work, have these
thinkers obtained of late years laws for the protection
of animals, and established societies to put such laws
into practice. Men like Lord Erskine and Richard
Martin, who gained their point after long and bitter
strife, have been followed by men and women too
numerous for mention, who toiled nobly in the
same cause. What they sowed in tears we reap in
joy.

It is fast becoming a glory instead of a shame to
stand up for the innocent, dear, and beautiful creatures
against their cruel tyrants. It is becoming easier
every day for those who would fain learn the proper
treatment of animals, todo so. Clergymen are preach-
ing kindness to animals from the pulpit, it is taught
158 WORKERS ON BEHALF

in schools, scores of books are written for no other
purpose.

The world begins to see that as of yore the spirit
of God “moved upon the face of the waters,” and in
ruffling them gave birth to every living thing, so it is
His Spirit which is now moving human hearts, and
melting them into tenderness towards everything that
‘He made.

BRAVE RICHARD MARTIN.

AN interesting sight it must have been when Richard
Martin, a handsome, earnest, brave-looking man, rose
to address the House of Commons in the year 1822.
Until thirteen years before, Members of Parliament
had been accustomed to meet in order to discuss the
rights of human beings only, and to frame laws for
the welfare of men and women alone.

Now they were again asked to do what Lord
Erskine had proposed in 1809 ; namely, to make laws
for the protection of creatures more pitiably in need
of it than the poorest man, and more urgently in want
of succour than the feeblest woman or child. Hitherto
all such attempts had been made in vain.

Regardless of the scoffs, laughter, and jeers with
which those present were not ashamed to greet his
noble effort, Martin refused to be silenced. It was
not likely that his listeners would receive any Bill
brought before them for the protection of animals
with favour. Most of these gentlemen were sporting
men, and those who find pleasure in hunting wild
OF ANIMALS. 159

animals to death, regardless of their sufferings, are
not likely to view the case of any animal at all in a
proper light, though sportsmen often pretend to be
very fond of all creatures. ..

Martin’s fellow-members of Parliament did not wish
for any check upon what they thought proper to do
with their own dogs and horses, and they foresaw that,
sooner or later, such a step would lead to the pro-
tection of all animals—the hunted fox and hare as
well as the dogs and horses used in the chase.

In spite of the hoots and cock-crowings, and other
insulting noises, Martin refused to be cried down till
he had said his say. He pleaded that Old England,
the glorious and free, ought to stand up for her four-
footed children, those who could not speak nor claim
their own rights, as valiantly as she had always done
for others in distress.

It cost Richard Martin much to face that room-full
of jeering men and to propose his new scheme. Once
he came boldly forward a step or two, and looking
towards one man who taunted him by crying “ Hare,
hare,” instead of the usual “ Hear, hear,” asked who
had dared to do so. After this he heard no more
attempts at wit.

Many a soldier would rather face the enemy’s guns,
than a little ridicule from his friends; it sometimes
wants more courage to speak than to fight. But the
cause was good, his heart was strong, and, being
righteous, his plea prospered. For being nicknamed
“Humanity Dick” by a few foolish fellows, whose
names are now forgotten, Martin cared little,
160 WORKERS ON B EHALF

Should his own memory fade, his deeds would live,
he thought, but one may be sure that the desire of
glory was not his motive. Unlike the selfish desire
which prompts the warrior to be careless how many
lives are sacrificed, so long as money, land, or fame
is gained, Martin’s pure and lofty purpose was to do
good for its own sake. Though the bitter ridicule
must have fallen painfully upon his genial nature, he
had a rich reward. Nothing could have repaid him
better than to see the law in force for which he had
struggled. The scruples of his brother members gave
way. It was put before them that men greatly in-
jured themselves by being cruel.

This argument touched them more than any picture
of the sufferings of the animals themselves would have
done. It was pointed out that the brutalities which
daily took place in the streets were a disgrace to a
civilized land, as also were the bull-baitings and cock-
fightings which Lord Erskine had already condemned.
A statute called “ Martin’s Act,” was passed, and its
framer had the satisfaction of himself bringing the first
case of cruelty to an animal ever tried in this country,
before the magistrate.

THE ASS AS A WITNESS.

THE case of a poor donkey, who had been dreadfully
ill-treated, was the beginning of many thousands which
have since come into English Courts of Justice. But
the magistrate declared that he could not convict
unless the beast were brought into Court,
OF ANIMALS. 161

Neddy therefore pleaded his own cause, and by his
sorrowful looks accused the master against whom he
could speak no word. Bill Burns, the donkey’s owner,
was a costermonger who had worked his unfortunate
donkey hard on scanty fare, while he was covered
with wounds, made by wicked blows.

The creature’s half-starved and wretched condition
forced the magistrate to inflict a fine on Burns, which
was a warning to him that henceforth he could not do
just as he liked with the donkey. But the whole
Court treated the affair as a joke, although there was
not much to laugh at, one would think, in the misery
of a tortured animal.

Not satisfied with making game of the noble Richard
Martin, people who disliked his fine and _ spirited
defence of dumb creatures pretended that he was
wanting in proper affection to his fellow men. They
falsely accused him of utter indifference to the suffer-
ings of his own kind, while he became the champion
of inferior creatures.

Never was a greater untruth told, but there has
scarcely been one great friend of animals against whom
the same groundless charge has not been brought.
Though before any law was passed to punish cruelty
to animals, Martin would often chastise with his own
hand those who ill-treated them ; he was equally willing
to take the part of his own species.

His daughter, writing to clear his memory from this
calumny, says “No portraits could succeed in pro-
ducing a living likeness of him, because they must fail
to convey that expression which gave its peculiar

M
162 WORKERS ON BEHALF

character to his face and to his whole demeanour, the
expression I so love to recall.

“T believe I must coin a word and call it ‘fatherliness,
the impress of the kindly nature which in its over-
flowings of benevolence would seek to envelop every
poor waif and stray of human kind, and every created
thing which could feel and suffer, under his protecting
arm.”

She goes on to tell how, when Martin was at an
evening party, he picked out a poor and neglected
governess, to whose comfort and pleasure he devoted
himself, rather than to that of the rich, young, and
happy. He spent the evening in trying to amuse her,
instead of letting her sit alone in a corner. .

At another time he found a poor boy lying on the
ramparts of a French town, in a dying state, with a
bottle of laudanum beside him. Martin took this lad
to his own home, and was thenceforth his friend till
death. He laboured hard to abolish the law which
meted out death as a punishment for forgery, and also
tried to obtain for prisoners the benefit of a lawyer to
defend them.

. These latter efforts were in vain. At eighty he was
as ready to help all who were in need as he had been
at eighteen, men, women, and animals alike. And he
was never discouraged by the ingratitude with which
his benefits were too often received.

Richard Martin was too unselfish to care for earthly
reward, too manly to be cast down by failure, and too
patient to be out of heart at not reaping at once the
good seed he had sown. Speaking of his own per-
OF ANIMALS. 163

severance in well doing, he said, “Have you ever
watched a mason daubing a wall? A good deal falls
to the ground, but some of it will stick.”

These words ought to be graven in the hearts of all
workers in a good cause, and especially are they
encouraging for all who labour to protect animals.
We must not hope for reward, or glory, or fame, or
even long to see the fruits of our deeds. The harvest
may never come in our life-time.

If we look for rapid results we shall most certainly
become tired, and our courage will fail.

Animals cannot repay us for what we do; they are
like the poor who cannot recompense us. As a rule
they do not even know that we are benefiting them.
A good deed done for an animal is a secret between
the doer and that great Maker of all creatures.

He notes the fall of a sparrow and lets no act pass
without His notice, whether bad or good. Martin’s life
and work were the foundation stone of a great system
of protection for animals—great, but not perfect. It
will perfect itself year by year till it is complete.

The sportsmen who would fain have prevented him
from protecting domestic animals, in a fright lest
their own debasing pleasures should one day be
condemned by the same rule, were far-seeing men.
The day must surely dawn when fox-hunting, pigeon
shooting, hare coursing, and kindred amusements will
be swept away as bull-baiting has been.

Englishmen will find less savage ways of getting
exercise or passing time, and England will protect her
harmless wild animals, as well as her domestic
164 WORKERS ON BEHALF OF ANIMALS.

creatures. Not long ago a boy was charged before the
magistrate with cruelly setting two dogs to worry a
cat.
He was fined, but before paying, his father stepped
forward and said, “Sir, I think it is rather hard that
my son should be fined for setting dogs to worry a cat
when gentlemen may set their dogs to worry hares as
often as they like.”

The magistrate said nothing, for there was much
truth and wisdom in what the man had stated. It is
to be hoped that one day a timid puss in the fields
will be saved from dying a long-drawn death of terror,
pain, and fatigue, to pass away the idle hours of men,
and be protected as well as puss by the fireside.

A NOBLE SOCIETY.

IT is easy to see that laws would be of litttle use to
animals unless somebody enforced them. Human
beings can appeal to the laws for protection, not so
the lower creatures. No sooner had Richard Martin
been successful in getting laws made, than a body of
kind-hearted men and women undertook to see that
the poor animals reaped the benefit intended for them.

To the Reverend Arthur Browne, an earnest and
devoted friend of animals, with a few others, belongs
the honour of having founded that splendid band of
workers now known as. the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the labours of
which have set an example to the whole world.

The first meeting of this Society was held in a
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105, JERMYN STREET, LONDON
166 WORKERS ON BEHALF

somewhat obscure place, on June 24th, 1824, when
Richard Martin was present. In 1874 the Jubilee
Meeting of the Society was held in the Royal Albert .
Hall; for it had grown from being a dwarf, into a
mighty giant.

At that meeting, Mr. Colam, the Secretary, pointed
out the enormous change for the better which had
been wrought in the condition of animals during one
half century. From the Society’s birth, in that small
coffee room in St. Martin’s Lane, to the moment when
its supporters met in that grand hall, because no lesser
place would hold them, immense good had been done.

“Fifty years ago,” Mr. Colam said, “animals were
subjected to the worst forms of cruelty in the streets,
and hardly anyone seemed to care. Those who had
dared to take their part, and who had been the pioneers
of the cause, were met with scorn and abuse, instead
of praise.

“Now,” he added, “the magnificent building was filled
with the friends of animals, numbering among them
messengers from -many foreign societies of the same
kind as their own, who had travelled far in order to be
present at their Jubilee. The Queen on her throne
was their friend and gracious helper, the whole nation
thought well of their work.

“So rich was the blessing which had rested on their
labour of love,” Mr. Colam ended by saying, “ that their
heartfelt gratitude was due to the Father of all
mercies.” Since then the Royal Society has gone on
from good to better, growing stronger, spreading its
branches wider, and steadily though surely bringing
OF ANIMALS. 167

nearer that happy hour when goodness and kindness
shall cover the earth, “as the waters cover the sea.”

' Among its members are some of the noblest names
in the peerage, and the Queen’s daughters, with their
own hands, distribute prizes to those school-children
who have written the best essays on kindness to
animals. It was indeed a marvellous change since the
day when Lord Erskine, the first person of any note
who ever spoke in Parliament about the rights of.
animals, could not make himself heard !

When Lord Chancellor, Thomas Erskine used
always to bring to the Bar with him his favourite dog,
who behaved as gravely as any Judge. As there was
then no law to defend animals, this brave and gentle
lord, who could not bear to see them ill-used, used to
take their part in his own way.

On one occasion he met a ruffian on Hampstead
Heath, savagely beating a wretched horse. Lord
Erskine strode indignantly up and tried first what
reasoning would do, But the man insolently replied,
“Can’t I do what I like with my own ?”

“Yes,” replied Lord Erskine, “and so can I. This
stick is my own!” And he gave the scamp a good
thrashing.

HOW TO USE THE LAW.

IT is a great comfort to think that nowadays, thanks
to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, nobody need take the law into his own
hands. The Society employs able, active, and clever
168 WORKERS ON BEHALF

men as its officers, and it is their duty as well as their
pleasure, as the name of the Society tells, “to prevent
cruelty.”

: They do not hunger to shut men up in prison, or
to make them pay fines; yet they wish to stop the
suffering of animals. As this cannot be done without
punishing their owners in order to teach them better,
the Society prosecutes the cruel or thoughtless masters.

These officers act as a special police force, to defend
the most helpless members of the community—its
hardworking and oppressed animals. Their business
it is to step between the tyrant and his slave, to bring
a merciful death to old and worn-out creatures, to see
that food and water are provided for over-driven and
weary beasts when travelling.

These and a hundred other deeds of mercy are
done by the R.S.P.C.A. through its inspectors, in short
they take the part of the weak against the strong
wherever they find that cowardly abuse is going on.
And right manfully do these men perform their merci-
ful task, often putting both life and limb in peril.

We must not think that Mr. Colam, who is the chief
captain over this little army, does nothing but make
fine speeches. One day, having heard that a sort of
bull fight was going on in a place of public amusement,
Mr. Colam took his seat quietly among the spectators.

He suspected that the Spaniards, who had brought
the base and horrible show to this country, where such
wicked things are forbidden, were throwing barbed
darts at the bulls, though they pretended that all was
done painlessly. After a little while, Mr. Colam saw
OF ANIMALS. 169

them thrust an arrow into the flesh of one bull, in
order to madden and make him savage with pain.

In one instant he sprang into the ring, without think-
ing of the risk which he ran. He called to the
Spaniards that the fight must be stopped. They were
furious, and the low mob took their part. This brave
man was forced to fight his way through a howling
crowd who were ready to tear him piecemeal for
spoiling their odious sport.

But he cared little for that, so long as he could stop
the cruelty. He secured the barbed dart, which he
meant to show the magistrate as a proof of the
dreadful cruelty practised in the show. He was suc-
cessful. The case was tried, the Spaniards fined, and
ordered to exhibit their disgusting and brutal sights
here no more.

As for the champion who had taken the part of the
unfortunate bulls, he must have felt that lightness of
heart after a good action which is better than any
weight of gold.

On seeing cases of cruelty in the street or in any
other place, a note should be taken of the time when,
and the place where the cruelty occurred. If the
cruelty be connected with cab, cart or omnibus horses,
the name or number written on the vehicle should be
taken. In the case of cattle, sheep, pigs or other
animals, a short description should be written down of
what happened, the name and address of the offender,
with that of some respectable witness should also be
secured.

These particulars should be given by letter or word
‘170 WORKERS ON’ BEHALF

of mouth to the inspector or secretary at the nearest

office belonging to the Society. Should there be none

at hand, the details should be forwarded by post

addressed to “ The Secretary, R.S.P.C.A., 105, Jermyn

Street, London.” The matter will then be attended to.

Any letter of this sort must contain the right name

and address of the sender, or it will not receive any
notice. The Society will take the trouble of prosecu-

ting, and will not mention the name of any writer

who wishes to keep it secret.

It is our duty to take this small trouble, and we
ought never to pass a creature in distress because we
shrink from making a little effort. If each person who
saw an animal cruelly used, were to remonstrate,
threaten, or bring the tormentor to justice, cruelty
would soon cease. When we learn that 7,000 people
are annually fined or imprisoned for ill-treating
animals, we cannot be thankful enough that appeal
can be made to such a Society.

Its one hundred and twenty officers have plenty to
do. Each one of us can do a little to assist their
efforts by checking cruelty whenever we see it. Be-
sides the many foreign sccieties which have sprung up
in imitation of our own, there are upwards of 250
branches, or societies of which it is the parent, through-
out this country.

The cases of cruelty which come most often into
Court are those in which horses, donkeys, sheep, goats,
dogs, poultry, and cats have been ill-used. Some of
them are too terrible to be mentioned here. In short,
the Society can protect by law all domestic animals,
OF ANIMALS. 171

though as yet they have no power to punish those who
ill-treat wild animals—which seems a great pity.

During a short portion of the year, indeed, (between
March the first and August the first), it is illegal to
catch or kill most kinds of wild birds. The period of
time during which they are protected by law may be
lengthened in any place by the Home Secretary.

A law also provides that the taking of wild birds’
eggs may be made a punishable offence by-consent of
the same authority, in all parts of Great Britain. Some
day we must hope that English law will defend all
harmless creatures at all times of the year alike,
whether they are wild or tame.

THE “LITTLE ANIMAL.”

In America, New Zealand, Australia, and in almost
every part of Europe, societies now exist for the pre-
vention of cruelty to animals. Daily they are grow-
ing larger, and before long there will be no corner of
this earth where mercy to the helpless is not taught.

The Society of New York was founded in 1866, and
it was the parent tree from which many branches
have stretched their kindly shelter over animals
throughout the whole territory. An interesting story
is told with regard to this Society, showing how false
is the accusation that friends of animals are careless
of human beings.

The tale proves that the human race finds its
reward in being merciful to animals, for kindness to
the lower creatures always leads to better treatment
172 WORKERS ON BEHALF

of the suffering and weak among our own race. In
the year 1875, the New York Society for the Preven-
tion of Cruelty to Children was first planned, and the
scheme for protecting little helpless children was
suggested by that for befriending animals.

A kind lady was one day sitting at the bedside of a
dying women, in one of the most wretched houses of
New York. Some of these houses were built for rich
people but are now occupied by the poor, a whole
family or often two or three families huddling into a
single room.

After trying in every possible way to relieve the
poor invalid’s sufferings, the lady said, “Is there any-
thing more I can do for you?”

“No,” replied the sick woman ; “ you can do nothing
for me—you have done everything. But in the next
room to this there lives a woman who has a child,
which she leaves alone every morning without giving
her anything to eat. And when this woman comes
home at night she punishes the child soa severely that
her shrieks and cries distress me.”

The lady listened to these words as to a sacred
message. Accepting them as a last charge, she at
once determined to see what she could do for the ill-
used little one in the next room. She went first to
the police, but they said, “No; we cannot interfere
between parents and children—this cruelty, too, goes
on inside a house: we have not the right to enter.
You must take up the case yourself.”

She went away disappointed but still bent on her
errand of mercy. This good and earnest lady then
OF ANIMALS. 173

sought counsel of her own lawyer, but he told her that
she would only waste time and money on minding
other folks’ business, that thare were thousands of
cases in New York just as bad, and, in short, he
would have nothing to do with it.

The lady could not feel that it was “no business of
hers.” To take the part of all oppressed creatures is
everybody’s business. She was not going to give up
her business of standing up for the weak. Well, what
did she do next? A bright idea suddenly came into
her head. She went to Mr. Bergh, President of the New
York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

She told Mr. Bergh that there was a poor little
animal suffering from unkind treatment in such and
such a house. At once his sympathies were touched.
After making him give a solemn promise to interfere
on behalf of the “little animal,” she then told him
that it was a child.

Fie replied, “ Well, you have done this very cleverly,
and I will not go back from my word.” His Society
succeeded in taking the poor little one from her cruel
mother and placing her in a happy home. The
magistrate praised Mr. Bergh highly for his conduct.
After this, cases of cruelty to children poured in upon
the Society.

At last Mr. Bergh was forced to say, “I must be
just in this matter. People have trusted their money
to me to be spent on dumb animals, not on human
beings. I will, however, help to form a New York
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.”
In due time this was done, and the movement spread
rapidly in America.
174. WORKERS ON BEHALF OF ANIMALS.

HOW MERCY SPREADS.

BuT the good work of protecting children from ill-
treatment did not end in America. After several
branch societies had been established there, a gentle-
man, Mr. Agnew, crossed the Atlantic to interview
them, and carry back the news with him. On his
return he spoke first to the Member of Parliament for
Liverpool.

Afterwards Mr. Agnew had an interview with Mr.
Colam, Secretary to the Royal Society for the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Animals, and the latter entered
most heartily into the spirit of the undertaking.
Several members of the R.S.P.C.A. joined Mr. Agnew
in making an effort: “Form a society,” they said,
“and we will help you.”

The Mayor of Liverpool promised to hold a town’s
meeting, and the society was formed. What they
had done in Liverpool was reported in London, and
again Mr. Agnew, Mr. Colam, the Rev. B. Waugh, and
other members of the R.S.P.C.A., founded in London a
society for protecting children, like that in Liverpool.

The Lord Mayor lent his aid, and Mr. Colam invited
Mr. Agnew to deliver the first speech at the annual
public meeting of the R.S.P.C.A., in the year 1884.
Mr. Agnew spoke thus to the younger part of his
audience :

“J want just to point this out to you, children!
Some of you are very often tempted to do a bad
thing, and try to cover your fault by telling a lie,




ET.PERS,

YOUNG H
176 WORKERS: ON BEHALF

and perhaps another, to escape detection.. Well, .
assuredly as one bad act leads to another, so does
one good act lead to another good act.

“England was the first to form a society for the pre-
vention of cruelty to animals. New York followed
her example. Another good act followed this, for
New York was induced to found a Society for the
Protection of Children. Their example was followed
at Liverpool.

“Now I hope and feel persuaded that these good
acts will not fail to have their good influence on
London, Birmingham, Newcastle, and other large.
towns.” Since these words were spoken they have
come true. We have now a National Society which
does, for poor little ill-used children, whatthe R.S.P.C.A.
does for animals.

Nothing can show more plainly than the birth of
this Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, that
justice shown to animals springs from the same root
as justice shown to human beings. The spirit of
loving-kindness is like sunshine, which brightens all
things alike, and the spirit of cruelty is like a pesti-
lence, which blights and destroys whatever comes in
its way.

To be truly kind to our human brothers and sisters,
while at the same time we are cruel to animals, is not
possible for long. Cruelty nourished in the heart will
break out sooner or later, and will not stop to ask
whether its victim be human or not.

In the same way, the spirit of mercy which is drawn
out and increased by kindness to animals, will enlarge
OF ANIMALS. 177

the heart till it overflows towards all who need it.
Tenderness to speechless creatures leads to tenderness
towards men, women, and children, and barbarity or
neglect of animals ends in indifference and brutality
towards mankind.

BANDS OF MERCY.

IN labouring to prevent cruelty to animals, societies
formed for that purpose use other and gentler means
than punishing the cruel. They wish to make the
human family grow more gentle, believing that the
reason why men and women are cruel, is often be-
cause they were never taught kindness when young.

Young people are invited by these societies to join
together into what are called “ Bands of Mercy.” It is
always both pleasanter and easier to work with com-
rades than alone, besides, “union is- strength.” A
bundle of sticks cannot easily be broken, though
separately every stick can be snapped by a slight
effort.

The first of these bands was started by Mrs. Catherine
Smithies, who, one wet and dreary night, twenty
years ago, sallied forth to entertain a number of boys
and girls, assembled to hear Archdeacon Sinclair, Mr.
Colam and Mr. Sawyer speak about animals and their
needs. Mr. Smithies asked all present to join in a
promise never to be cruel, but always kind.

Just as a tiny acorn is the cradle of a great oak,
this hour’s work, done by one old lady who had come
out in the bitter cold to do good, has had a mighty

N
178 WORKERS ON BEHALF

result. Nobody can tell what far-reaching good may
come from one small effort. Bands of Mercy were
quickly formed throughout this land, for the idea
spread like wildfire.

Children flocked to the meetings and gladly took
the simple pledge required of them, which ran thus:
“ We agree to be kind to animals, and to do all in our
power to protect them from cruelty, and to promote
their humane treatment.” Bands of Mercy have been
growing ever since. Soon there will be no town nor
village in this country where its younger inhabitants
are not banded together to defend instead of to tor-
ment dumb creatures. How much better men and
women they will become than others who spend time
in teasing and tormenting dogs, cats, and other harm-
less animals, stoning frogs and birds, stealing nests
and eggs, and behaving like cowards!

We shall have more heroes and heroines in those
who are trained from childhood to stand up for the
weak, while our judges and jurymen will find less to
do. Nothing is easier than to form a Band of Mercy,
and the best way to begin is by writing to the secre-
tary, R.S.P.C.A., at 105, Jermyn Street, London, for a
little book Gntitled “Information,” giving ae for its
formation and management.

The great American friend of animals, Mr. Angell,
heard the fame of our English Bands of Mercy, and
established similar Bands in his own country, and
soon there were some thousands of them, numbering
about one million members in America alone.

Mr. Angell, addressing a great public school in
OF ANIMALS. 179

Boston, gives an amusing account of what a valiant
little Band of Mercy boy did. “A few days ago,” he
said, “a man was kicking his horse out in the street,
and I saw this little fellow walk out of a door into the
street. He went right up to the man, and stood up
as straight as a crowbar, and said: ‘I say! you stop
kicking that horse!’ Well, the man looked round to
see where the big voice came from, and saw this
little midget, and then went on kicking the horse
again.

“Then the little chap walked off a few feet, and
picked up a stick about as big round as his little wrist.
Then he came back and stood before the man just as
straight as before, and held up his stick. ‘ Now,’ said
he, ‘if you don’t stop kicking that horse, I'll give you
the awfullest walloping you ever had in your life.’
—and the man did stop.”

Now, what could make a big man afraid of a little
child? Something inside him told the full-grown
coward that the small hero was right while he himself
was wrong. A righteous cause makes a strong arm,
the old story of Jack the Giant-Killer is meant to
teach us that.

Then let nobody say, “I am too young, or too
weak, or too poor, to be of use.” Be brave, be merciful,
and you will find it altogether wonderful how much
you will find todo. Remember that no good work
has ever been begun on this earth without being
at first laughed and mocked at by the majority of
people.

There is hardly any great cause for which its first
WORKERS ON BEHALF OF ANIMALS.

fighters have not had to suffer. But the pain of
bearing ridicule or even worse things, soon passes
away, while the glorious reward of having fought the

good fight remains for ever.

180

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