One morning, as we were engaged in giving the last finish to our
staircase, we were alarmed at hearing at a distance strange, sharp,
prolonged sounds, like the roars of a wild beast, but mingled with an
unaccountable hissing. Our dogs erected their ears, and prepared for
deadly combat. I assembled my family; we then ascended our tree, closing
the lower door, loaded our guns, and looked anxiously round, but nothing
appeared. I armed my dogs with their porcupine coats of mail and
collars, and left them below to take care of our animals.
The horrible howlings seemed to approach nearer to us; at length, Fritz,
who was leaning forward to listen as attentively as he could, threw down
his gun, and bursting into a loud laugh, cried out, “It is our fugitive,
the ass, come back to us, and singing his song of joy on his return!” We
listened, and were sure he was right, and could not but feel a little
vexation at being put into such a fright by a donkey. Soon after, we had
the pleasure of seeing him appear among the trees; and, what was still
better, he was accompanied by another animal of his own species, but
infinitely more beautiful. I knew it at once to be the onagra, or wild
ass, a most important capture, if we could make it; though all
naturalists have declared it impossible to tame this elegant creature,
yet I determined to make the attempt.
I went down with Fritz, exhorting his brothers to remain quiet, and I
consulted with my privy counsellor on the means of taking our prize. I
also prepared, as quickly as possible, a long cord with a noose, kept
open by a slight stick, which would fall out as soon as the animal’s
head entered, while any attempt to escape would only draw the noose
closer; the end of this cord was tied to the root of a tree. I took then
a piece of bamboo, about two feet long, and splitting it up, tied it
firmly at one end, to form a pair of pincers for the nose of the animal.
In the mean time, the two animals had approached nearer, our old Grizzle
apparently doing the honours to his visitor, and both grazing very
comfortably.
By degrees we advanced softly to them, concealed by the trees; Fritz
carrying the lasso, and I the pincers. The onagra, as soon as he got
sight of Fritz, who was before me, raised his head, and started back,
evidently only in surprise, as it was probably the first man the
creature had seen. Fritz remained still, and the animal resumed his
browsing. Fritz went up to our old servant, and offered him a handful of
oats mixed with salt; the ass came directly to eat its favourite treat;
its companion followed, raised its head, snuffed the air, and came so
near, that Fritz adroitly threw the noose over its head. The terrified
animal attempted to fly, but that drew the cord so tight as almost to
stop his respiration, and he lay down, his tongue hanging out. I
hastened up and relaxed the cord, lest he should be strangled. I threw
the halter of the ass round his neck, and placed the split cane over
his nose, tying it firmly below with a string. I subdued this wild
animal by the means that blacksmiths use the first time they shoe a
horse. I then took off the noose, and tied the halter by two long cords
to the roots of two separate trees, and left him to recover himself.
In the mean time, the rest of the family had collected to admire this
noble animal, whose graceful and elegant form, so superior to that of
the ass, raises it almost to the dignity of a horse. After a while it
rose, and stamped furiously with its feet, trying to release itself; but
the pain in its nose obliged it to lie down again. Then my eldest son
and I, approaching gently, took the two cords, and led or dragged it
between two roots very near to each other, to which we tied the cords so
short, that it had little power to move, and could not escape. We took
care our own donkey should not stray again, by tying his fore-feet
loosely, and putting on him a new halter, and left him near the onagra.
I continued, with a patience I had never had in Europe, to use every
means I could think of with our new guest, and at the end of a month he
was so far subdued, that I ventured to begin his education. This was a
long and difficult task. We placed some burdens on his back; but the
obedience necessary before we could mount him, it seemed impossible to
instil into him. At last, I recollected the method they use in America
to tame the wild horses, and I resolved to try it. In spite of the
bounds and kicks of the furious animal, I leaped on his back, and
seizing one of his long ears between my teeth, I bit it till the blood
came. In a moment he reared himself almost erect on his hind-feet,
remained for a while stiff and motionless, then came down on his
fore-feet slowly, I still holding on his ear. At last I ventured to
release him; he made some leaps, but soon subsided into a sort of trot,
I having previously placed loose cords on his fore legs. From that time
we were his masters; my sons mounted him one after another; they gave
him the name of Lightfoot, and never animal deserved his name better. As
a precaution, we kept the cords on his legs for some time; and as he
never would submit to the bit, we used a snaffle, by which we obtained
power over his head, guiding him by a stick, with which we struck the
right or left ear, as we wished him to go.
During this time, our poultry-yard was increased by three broods of
chickens. We had at least forty of these little creatures chirping and
pecking about, the pride of their good mistress’s heart. Part of these
were kept at home, to supply the table, and part she allowed to colonize
in the woods, where we could find them when we wanted them. “These,” she
said, “are of more use than your monkeys, jackals, and eagles, who do
nothing but eat, and would not be worth eating themselves, if we were in
need.” However, she allowed there was some use in the buffalo, who
carried burdens, and Lightfoot, who carried her sons so well. The fowls,
which cost us little for food, would be always ready, she said, either
to supply us with eggs or chickens, when the rainy season came on—the
winter of this climate.
This reminded me that the approach of that dreary season permitted me no
longer to defer a very necessary work for the protection of our
animals. This was to construct, under the roots of the trees, covered
houses for them. We began by making a kind of roof above the vaulted
roots of our tree. We used bamboo canes for this purpose; the longer and
stouter were used for the supports, like columns, the slighter ones
bound together closely formed the roof. The intervals we filled up with
moss and clay, and spread over the whole a coating of tar. The roof was
so firm, that it formed a platform, which we surrounded with a railing;
and thus we had a balcony, and a pleasant promenade. By the aid of some
boards nailed to the roots, we made several divisions in the interior,
each little enclosure being appropriated to some useful purpose; and
thus, stables, poultry-houses, dairy, larder, hay-house, store-room,
&c., besides our dining-room, were all united under one roof. This
occupied us some time, as it was necessary to fill our store-room before
the bad weather came; and our cart was constantly employed in bringing
useful stores.
One evening, as we were bringing home a load of potatoes on our cart,
drawn by the ass, the cow, and the buffalo, I saw the cart was not yet
full; I therefore sent home the two younger boys with their mother, and
went on with Fritz and Ernest to the oak wood, to collect a sack of
sweet acorns—Fritz mounted on his onagra, Ernest followed by his
monkey, and I carrying the bag. On arriving at the wood, we tied
Lightfoot to a tree, and all three began to gather the dropped acorns,
when we were startled by the cries of birds, and a loud flapping of
wings, and we concluded that a brisk combat was going on between Master
Knips and the tenants of the thickets, from whence the noise came.
Ernest went softly to see what was the matter, and we soon heard him
calling out, “Be quick! a fine heath-fowl’s nest, full of eggs! Knips
wants to suck them, and the mother is beating him.”
Fritz ran up, and secured the two beautiful birds, who fluttered, and
cried out furiously, and returned, followed by Ernest, carrying a large
nest filled with eggs. The monkey had served us well on this occasion;
for the nest was so hidden by a bush with long leaves, of which Ernest
held his hand full, that, but for the instinct of the animal, we could
never have discovered it. Ernest was overjoyed to carry the nest and
eggs for his dear mamma, and the long, pointed leaves he intended for
Francis, to serve as little toy-swords.
We set out on our return, placing the sack of acorns behind Fritz on
Lightfoot; Ernest carried the two fowls, and I charged myself with the
care of the eggs, which I covered up, as I found they were warm, and I
hoped to get the mother to resume her brooding when we got to Falcon’s
Nest. We were all delighted with the good news we should have to carry
home, and Fritz, anxious to be first, struck his charger with a bunch of
the pointed leaves he had taken from Ernest: this terrified the animal
so much, that he took the bit in his teeth, and flew out of sight like
an arrow. We followed, in some uneasiness, but found him safe. Master
Lightfoot had stopped of himself when he reached his stable. My wife
placed the valuable eggs under a sitting hen, the true mother refusing
to fulfil her office. She was then put into the cage of the poor
parrot, and hung in our dining-room, to accustom her to society. In a
few days the eggs were hatched, and the poultry-yard had an increase of
fifteen little strangers, who fed greedily on bruised acorns, and soon
became as tame as any of our fowls, though I plucked the large feathers
out of their wings when they were full-grown, lest their wild nature
should tempt them to quit us.
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