On entering the plain, wherever you turn your eyes you will see nothing
but roebucks, exactly like European ones. Those which inhabit the plains
are of a chesnut colour, but brighter; those which live in the woods, of
a darker chesnut, but both are marked with white spots. When young they
are easily tamed at home. I once nourished a little fawn, only a few
days old, brought me by an Indian, on cow's milk, and reared it in my
own apartment. When grown older, it went daily into the plain to pasture
along with the cows, which are milked in the court-yard, but returned to
my room of its own accord. When he found it shut he signified his
arrival by knocking against the door with his feet, often in the middle
of the night. He followed me, whether walking or riding, like a dog. He
beheld a crowd of dogs running after him without alarm, and often put
them to flight by stamping on the ground with his feet. By tinkling a
collar of bells which I placed round his neck, he frightened all the
dogs, and deceived them into thinking him some strange and formidable
animal. He fed upon meat, bread, roots, and grass, but a sheet of paper
was quite a treat to him, and sweeter than honey to his taste. The
collar, which many months before I had fitted to his neck, beginning to
squeeze him as he grew older, I endeavoured to loosen it; when the
little animal, imagining that I did it with the intent of causing his
death, and believing me to be his enemy, took to flight, and wandered up
and down the more distant plains, without revisiting me for a month. He
was often seen by the Indians. At length I directed my attention towards
recalling and reconciling him. Allured by a sheet of paper, which I
showed him from a distance, he approached me, though with a trembling
foot, and being presented at intervals with fresh sheets of paper,
followed me to the house, unmindful of his terror and offence, and ever
after remained, as long as he lived, with the utmost fidelity in my
house. He would often fight with mules for half an hour together,
affording a spectacle worthy to be seen and applauded by the assembled
Indians; for resting on his fore-feet, he kicked the head of the mule
every now and then with his hinder ones, and whilst his antagonist with
bites and kicks endeavoured to render like for like, the fawn, by
leaping backwards and forwards with incredible celerity, eluded the
threats and anger of the enraged beast. After obtaining so many
victories, to the astonishment and applause of the whole town, engaging
in the plain with an untamed mule, his back was broken by the kicks of
his adversary, which occasioned his death, at two years of age, when,
being a male, he had very large horns. You will scarce believe how we
grieved for his death. I still have in my possession a music-book bound
with his skin.