Produced by David Garcia and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was
produced from scanned images of public domain material
from the Google Print project.)
[Illustration: BEARS AND BROTHERS.]
THE
ADVENTURES OF A BEAR
AND
A GREAT BEAR TOO
By ALFRED ELWES
WITH NINE ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRISON WEIR.
LONDON:
ADDEY AND CO. 21 OLD BOND STREET.
MDCCCLIII.
LONDON:
Printed by G. BARCLAY, Castle St. Leicester Sq.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
AT HOME 1
UPON HIS TRAVELS 10
TOWN LIFE 19
PROSPERITY 35
REVERSES 44
PROGRESS 56
DOWN HILL 66
AT REST 74
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
BEARS AND BROTHERS 8
A CLOSE EMBRACE 17
MAKING AN IMPRESSION 31
A VERY GREAT BEAR 43
THREE THROWS A-PENNY 54
SELLING THE NATIVES 63
CHEAP HARMONY 69
THE LAST LEAD 83
TAILPIECE 84
AT HOME.
Yes, it is an "at home" to which I am going to introduce you; but not
the at-home that many of you--I hope _all_ of you--have learnt to love,
but the at-home of a bear. No carpeted rooms, no warm curtains, no
glowing fireside, no pictures, no sofas, no tables, no chairs; no music,
no books; no agreeable, cosy chat; no anything half so pleasant: but
soft moss or snow, spreading trees, skies with ever-changing, tinted
clouds, some fun, some rough romps, a good deal of growling, and now and
then a fight. With these points of difference, you may believe the
_at-home_ of a bear is not quite so agreeable a matter as the at-home of
a young gentleman or lady; yet I have no doubt Master Bruin is much more
at his ease in it than he would find himself if he were compelled to
conform to the usages of human society, and behave as a gentleman ought
to do.
But there is a quality that is quite as necessary to adorn one home as
the other, without which the most delightful mansion and the warmest
cavern can never be happy, and with which the simplest cottage and the
meanest den may be truly blest; and that one quality is, good temper. Of
what avail are comforts, or even luxuries, when there is no seasoning of
good temper to enjoy them with? How many deficiencies can there not be
overlooked, when good temper is present to cover them with a veil?
Perhaps you have not yet learnt what a valuable treasure this good
temper is; when you have read the history of my bear, you will be better
able to form an opinion.
I cannot tell you when this bear was born, nor am I quite sure where;
bears are born in so many parts of the world now, that it becomes very
difficult to determine what country heard their first growl, and they
never think to preserve a memorandum of the circumstance. Let it suffice
that our bear was born, that he had a mamma and papa, and some brothers
and sisters; that he lived in a cavern surrounded by trees and bushes;
that he was always a big lump of a bear, invariably wore a brown coat,
and was often out of temper, or rather, was always _in_ temper, only
that temper was a very bad one.
No doubt his parents would have been very willing to cure this terrible
defect, if they had known how; but the fact is, they seemed always too
much absorbed in their own thoughts to attend much to their family. Old
Mr. Bruin would sit in his corner by the hour together sucking his paw;
and his partner, Mrs. Bruin, would sit in her corner sucking her paw;
whilst the little ones, or big ones, for they were growing up fast,
would make themselves into balls and roll about the ground, or bite one
another's ears by way of a joke, or climb up the neighbouring trees to
admire the prospect, and then slip down again, to the imminent
destruction of their clothes; not that a rent or two would have grieved
their mother very much, for she was a great deal too old, and too
ignorant besides, to think of mending them. In all these sports Master
Bruin, the eldest, was ever the foremost; but as certain as he joined in
the romps, so surely were uproar and fighting the consequence. The
reason was clear enough; his temper was so disagreeable, that although
he was quite ready to play off his jokes on others, he could never bear
to receive them in return; and being, besides, very fierce and strong,
he came at length to be considered as the most unbearable bear that the
forest had known for many generations, and in his own family was looked
on as quite a bug-bear.
Now I privately think, that if a good oaken stick had been applied to
his shoulders, or any other sensitive part of his body, whenever he
displayed these fits of spleen, the exercise would have had a very
beneficial effect on his disposition; but his father, on such occasions,
only uttered his opinion in so low a growl that it was impossible to
make out what he said, and then sucked his paw more vigorously than
ever; and his mother was much too tender-hearted to think of mending his
manners in so rude a way: so Master Bruin grew apace, until his brothers
and sisters were wicked enough to wish he might some day go out for a
walk and forget to come home again, or that he might be persuaded by a
kind friend to emigrate, without going through the ceremony of taking
leave of his family.
It began to be conjectured that some such event had occurred when, for
three whole days, he never made his appearance. The respectable family
of the Bruins were puzzled, but calm, notwithstanding, at this unusual
absence; it evidently made them thoughtful, though it was impossible to
guess what they thought about: if one could form an idea from the
attitudes of the different members, each of whom sat in a corner sucking
his right paw and his left paw alternately--it was a family habit, you
must know--I should say their thoughts were too deep for expression; but
before their meditations were converted from uncertainty into mourning,
the object of them made his appearance at the entrance of the cavern,
with his coat torn, limping in his gait, and with an ugly wound in his
head, looking altogether as disconsolate a brute as you can well
conceive. He did not condescend to say where he had been, nor what he
had been doing; perhaps no one made the inquiry: but it was very evident
he had been doing no good, and had got his reward accordingly. If,
however, this great bear's ill temper was remarkable before, judge what
it must have been with such a sore head!
The experience of mankind has led to the opinion, that there are few
more disagreeable beings in creation than ill-nurtured bears,--bears
that have been ill-licked,--those great, fierce, sullen, cross-grained
and ill-tempered beasts, that are, unhappily, to be found in every part
of this various world; but when all these unhandsome qualities are found
in one individual of the species, and that one happens to have a sore
head into the bargain, it is easy to believe the _at home_ which he
honours or dishonours with his presence can neither be very quiet nor
particularly comfortable.
Habit makes many things supportable which at first would seem beyond our
powers of endurance. Mr. and Mrs. B., and, indeed, all the other B.'s,
male and female, had got so used to the tyranny of this ill-tempered
animal, that they put up with his moroseness almost without a growl; but
there is a limit to sufferance, beyond which neither men nor bears can
travel, and that boundary was at last attained with the B.'s. As what I
am now about to relate is, however, rather an important fact in my
biography, I must inform you how the matter occurred, and what were the
circumstances which led to it.
You are, perhaps, aware that bears, being of rather an indolent
disposition, are not accustomed to hoard up a store of provision for
their wants in winter, but prefer--in their own country, at
least--sleeping through the short dreary days and long bitter nights,
and thus avoid the necessity of taking food for some weeks, although
they grow very thin during their lengthened slumbers. I forget what this
time is called in bears' language, but we give it the name of
hybernation. Now it happened that Mrs. Bruin had taken it into her head
to lay by this winter a nice little stock, which she very carefully
buried at a short distance from the mouth of the cavern, when she felt
the usual drowsiness of the season coming on, and having covered the
spot with a heap of dead leaves that she might know it again when she
woke up, she crawled into bed, and turning her back to her old partner,
who was already in a comfortable state of forgetfulness, went fast
asleep.
The whole family rather overslept themselves, for the sun was quite
brilliant when they awoke, and it was very evident that they had been
dozing away for some months. The ill-tempered bear was the first on his
legs, and kicking his two nearest brothers as he got up, just to hint to
them that he was awake again, he opened his mouth to its whole
extent--and a very great extent it was, too--and stretching his limbs
one after another, and giving himself a hearty shake instead of washing,
shaving, and combing, he scuffled to the entrance of the cavern and
sniffed at the fresh air. He sniffed and sniffed, and the more he
sniffed, the more certainly did his nose whisper that there was
something else besides fresh air which he was inhaling. The smell of the
fresh air, too, or the _something else_, caused him a tremendous
appetite, which was every moment becoming greater; and then it entered
his bearish brain that where there was a smell there must be something
to occasion it. Whereupon, following that great nose of his--and he
could not have had a better guide--he scuffled out of the cavern and
down the path, till he reached a little mound of earth and leaves,
where, the odour being strongest, he squatted down. With his great paws
he soon demolished the entrance to his mamma's larder, and lost no time
in pulling out some of the dainties it contained, which, without more
ado, he set about devouring. Meanwhile his brothers, who had been
aroused by the affectionate conduct of the eldest, were by this time
also wide awake, and had quite as good appetites as Bruin himself; and
though on ordinary occasions they stood in great awe of that most
ill-tempered brute, it must be admitted that this was an
_extra_-ordinary occasion, and they acted accordingly. Just fancy being
months without anything to eat, and having appetites fierce enough to
devour one another!
So they rushed to the spot where Bruin was making so excellent a meal,
and without any other apology than a short grunt or two, they seized
upon some of the hidden treasures, and with little ceremony crammed them
into their hungry jaws. Bruin was thunderstruck! Never before had they
ever presumed to dip their paws into his dish, and now they were
actually before his face, converting the most delicate morsels to their
own use, and, as it were, taking the food out of his very mouth! After
an internal struggle of a few seconds, during which it seemed doubtful
whether his emotions or his greediness in filling his jaws so full would
choke him, he uttered a savage growl, and, with one stroke of his huge
paw, felled his younger brother to the ground. Then turning to the
second, he flew at him like a fury, and seemed resolved to make him
share a similar fate; but the other, who was not wanting in courage, and
who was strengthened by the idea that there was something still in the
larder worth fighting for, and which he would certainly lose if he ran
away, warded off his blows, and, by careful management, now dodging, now
striking, kept his brother at bay, and avoided coming to such close
quarters as to subject himself to Bruin's hug: for he knew, if he once
felt that embrace, there was not much chance of his having any appetite
left with which to complete his half-finished breakfast.
The noise of the combat had now, however, roused the family. Mrs. B. was
the first to make her appearance, and she was soon followed by the rest.
Explanations ensued, although the facts of the case were sufficiently
clear, and Bruin's character was well known. Old Ursus Major drew
himself up, and, for once in his life, assumed a dignified demeanour.
The ill-tempered bear stood abashed before his parents, although he
moved his head to and fro in an obstinate manner, as though rejecting
all interference.
It is a pity I cannot relate to you what was said upon this occasion,
for Old Bruin is reported to have made a very eloquent discourse on the
horrible effects of ill-temper and greediness; and good advice is worth
having, whether uttered by a bear or any other animal. Suffice it, that
after lecturing his son on the enormity of his offences,--which probably
he was himself partly the cause of, through not punishing many of his
previous errors,--he bid him quit for ever his paternal roof, and seek
his fortune elsewhere; cautioning him at the same time, that if he ever
expected to get through the world with credit to his name, and even
comfort to his person, he must be honest, good-tempered, and forbearing.
Bruin took this advice in most ungracious part; and without exchanging a
word with any of the family, although it was evident his poor old mother
longed to hug him in her arms, he growled out some unintelligible words,
and set forth upon his travels.
UPON HIS TRAVELS.
There is no denying that when Bruin had got clear of the old familiar
path, and lost sight of the dwelling where he had hitherto spent his
days, he felt most particularly uncomfortable; and if he had had the
power of recalling the past, he would, in his present state of feeling,
no doubt have done so. For the first time in his life, the sense of his
ill-temper struck him in all its ugliness; and as he sat down on a huge
tree which was lying across his road, he looked such a picture of
disconsolateness, that it was evident he would have felt great relief if
he could have shed some tears. Alas, how much does Bruin's condition
remind us of little scenes among ourselves! We give way to our bad
tempers and our selfishness; we make ourselves disagreeable, and our
friends unhappy; we quarrel, if we do not actually fight; and when we
meet the reward of our waywardness, and find ourselves abandoned by
those who would have loved us had we acted differently, we then moan
over our fate, and bitterly regret what we might have avoided. Alas,
poor human nature! alas, poor bear!
I am truly sorry to observe that no act of repentance followed Bruin's
sense of desolation. His first feeling of sorrow over, he felt indignant
that he should have been so treated; but, more than that, as he was
still hungry, he felt regret at being denied a closer search into his
old mother's larder.
Whilst engaged in his various reflections he happened to cast his eyes
up to a neighbouring hollow tree, where, at some height from the ground,
a number of bees were flying in and out a great hole, with all the
bustle and buzzing usual to those busy people. Now, it is well known
that bears are mightily fond of honey, and will run great risks in order
to obtain this dainty, and Bruin was very far from being an exception to
his tribe. He was too ignorant to reflect that it was a great deal too
early in the season to hope for any store, but, consulting only his own
inclinations, he lost no time in climbing up the tree; and when he had
reached the spot where the now angry bees were hurrying to and fro more
vigorously than ever, he thrust his great paw into a hole with the hope
of drawing forth a famous booty. But the indignant insects now came out
in a swarm, and attacked him with the utmost fury; three of them settled
on his nose, and pricked him most unmercifully; a dozen or two planted
themselves on a great patch behind, where his trousers were worn thin;
and a whole troop fastened on to the sore place in his head--for it was
not quite healed up--and so stung him, that, roaring with pain and rage,
he threw himself, rather than descended, from the tree, and went flying
through the wood to get rid of his determined little enemies: they stuck
fast, however, to their points of attack, nor did Bruin get clear of his
tormentors till he dashed himself into a pool of water and buried his
head for a moment or two under the surface.
It was with some degree of trepidation that he raised his nose above
water and peeped about him; the bees were all gone, so he crawled out of
the mud, and after an angry shake or two, for his coat was quite wet, he
resumed his journey.
Bruin now travelled on till noon; and what with hunger and his long
walk, you may believe his temper was not improved. A rustling noise on
the left, accompanied every now and then with a short, contented kind of
grunt, attracted his attention, and looking through some brambles, he
descried in an open space a very large boar, with two most formidable
tusks protruding from his jaws, busily engaged in rooting up the ground,
from which he had extracted a curious variety of roots and other
edibles, the sight of which made Bruin's mouth water. For the first time
in his life he felt the necessity of civility; for though he had never
made any personal acquaintance with the tribe to which the animal
before him belonged, there were many tales current in his family of
their ferocity when provoked; and the few reasoning powers he possessed
were sufficient to assure him, that not even his rough paws or burly
strength would secure him from those glistening tusks if directed
angrily against him. So Bruin resolved to try and be civil; and with
this determination walked into the stranger's domain, and accosted him
in as polite a way as his rude nature would permit him to assume.
The animal, who was known in his neighbourhood as Wylde Boare, Esquire,
on account of the extent of his property, received Bruin's advances with
great caution, for he was naturally of a suspicious temper, his bright
reddish eyes twinkling in a very unpleasant manner; perceiving, however,
that his unexpected visitor was but a mere youngster, and that he looked
very hungry and tired, he grunted out a surly sort of welcome, and,
jerking his snout in the direction of the heap of provisions, bade him
squat down and make a meal. Bruin did not wait for a second invitation,
but, stretching out his huge legs, picked up the fresh vegetables, which
he thrust into his capacious jaws with every appearance of relish.
When his repast came to an end--and this did not happen till there was
an end of the food--he wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, and
looked at the boar; and the boar, who had said nothing during the
disappearance of the fruits of his morning's work, but had contented
himself with uttering a grunt or two, looked at Bruin. At length he
observed,----
"Hurgh, you have a famous appetite!"
"Ah," answered the bear, "and so would you, if you had not eaten
anything for the last few weeks!"
After a pause:----
"Hurgh, hurgh!" said Mr. Boare, in a guttural voice; "I never tried; but
a big fellow like you ought to be able to get through a deal of work."
"Perhaps so," observed the surly bear; "but I don't intend to make the
experiment."
After another pause:----
"Hurgh, an idle fellow, I'm afraid!" said Mr. Boare, half aside; "and
not quite so civil as before his breakfast." Then he exclaimed aloud,
"I suppose you will make no objection to help me dig up some more food,
seeing that you have made away with my dinner, hurgh?"
"Who do you take me for?" said the ungrateful beast, springing to his
legs, and eyeing his entertainer with one of his furious looks.
"Who do I take you for, hurgh, you graceless cub?" exclaimed Mr. Boare,
in a rage, for he was rather hasty in his manner, and his red eyes
twinkled, and his back began to get up in a way which showed his
agitation; "who do I take you for? Why, I did take you for one who would
be at least thankful for food given you when almost starving: but I now
perceive you are only an ugly lump of a bear. Out of my sight this
instant, or, from want of my own dinner, which you have devoured, I
shall, perchance, make a meal of you!--hurgh, hurgh!"
As he said these words the bristles on his back started up so furiously,
and his tusks glistened so horridly in a little ray of sunlight, which
was peeping in to see what was the matter, that Master Bruin felt
thoroughly frightened, and made a precipitate retreat, turning round at
every few steps to observe whether he were followed, and if it would be
necessary to take refuge in one of the trees; but Wylde Boare, Esq. only
grunted out his favourite expression, which, in this case, was mixed
with a great deal of contempt, and recommenced digging for his dinner as
if nothing had occurred to disturb his usual contented state of mind.
Bruin now travelled on till he reached a stream, which came bounding
through this part of the wood at a very rapid pace, and making a
terrible fuss because sundry large stones in the middle of its course
rather impeded its progress. The noise it made, and the anger it showed,
seemed to please our sulky bear mightily, so he sat down on the bank
with his toes in the water to enjoy the spectacle. The scene was a very
striking one, and was fitted to charm the most indifferent eye; and
Bruin, bear as he was, could not help being attracted by it. Whatever
his meditations, however, it was not destined that he should pursue them
long without interruption; for his quick ear soon detected the sharp,
quick bark of several dogs--a sound that was carried along by a breeze
which swept by him at intervals. He raised his head with his huge nose
in the air to sniff out any possible danger, and did not seem at all
pleased with the result of his observations; for he drew first one foot
and then the other out of the water, and raised himself to his full
height. As he did so, a more than usual commotion in the stream drew his
attention, when he perceived the round head of a large otter appear
above the surface, whilst two bright eyes gave a hasty look all round.
On observing Bruin, the head immediately disappeared, and at the same
moment a whole pack of terriers, in hot haste, came sweeping round a
bank hard by, but stopped short on finding themselves in presence of
such a formidable creature.
Bruin perceived that he had made an impression, and his usual insolence
returned; for he had at first been startled, and he attributed the pause
of the terriers to fear, when, in fact, it was only the result of
surprise. If he had been a little better physiognomist, he would have
observed a certain air of determination about the little fellows, which
sufficiently showed that it was prudence or a sense of duty which stayed
them, and not a lack of courage: they had been sent out to procure an
otter, and they were now deliberating among themselves whether it
would be wise to spend their time in quarrelling with a bear.
[Illustration: A CLOSE EMBRACE.]
After a short consultation, one who appeared to have the guidance of the
pack uttered a decided little bark, and turning a little aside,
endeavoured to pass between Bruin and the stream, but sufficiently near
to show that he was not afraid to come into contact with him, followed
by his companions. This evidently contemptuous mode of treating him,
aroused all our ill-tempered hero's bad humour; so, without considering
the consequences of the action, he raised his big paw and knocked the
leader down. The sturdy little fellows wanted no further provocation; as
if influenced by a single will, they turned upon him, and attacked him
in front, flank, and rear, with an impetuosity which was at first
irresistible, because unexpected. Finding that those behind him were his
greatest and most successful tormentors, he very prudently sat himself
down, crushing one or two of them in his descent; then springing to his
legs, and as he did so catching several more in his arms, he hugged them
till they had no more breath in their bodies, when he dropped them, and
took up a fresh supply. One of the pack, however, more alert than his
fellows, sprang up and seized him by the nose, making his teeth meet in
that prominent feature, and caused Bruin such intense pain, that,
forgetting all his strategy, he tried to beat down his determined little
foe with his paws, and ran off howling in a most terrific manner,
pursued by the remainder of the pack, who bit at his hind legs, tore his
already ragged coat till it hung in ribbons; and when Bruin, who, having
at length got rid of the bold little fellow that had fastened to his
nose, climbed up a tree, they stood yelping at the foot of it, till
evening had completely set in, when they slowly retired.
And what were our ill-natured hero's thoughts, as he sat upon an
elevated branch, and gently rubbed his wounded snout? Why, unfortunately
for his own happiness, he laid the blame of his mishap on any one or any
thing, rather than the right being or circumstance. It was the otter's
fault, or the dogs' fault--those dogs were always so quarrelsome; or it
was his father's fault in driving him away from home: in fact, every one
was in error rather than himself and his own disagreeable disposition.
And here we may observe, that they are such characters as Bruin who
bring disrepute on a whole tribe; for we are too apt to form our
opinions of a nation by the few individuals we may happen to fall in
with, although, probably, no conclusions can be falser. Let us,
therefore, be careful ere we form our judgments, and let us not believe
that all Bruin's kindred and compatriots were sulky and ill-tempered
because he himself was such a disagreeable lump of a bear.
TOWN LIFE.
Bruin woke up next morning with so uncomfortable a feeling of soreness
from the rough treatment he had received, that it was with some
difficulty he was enabled to move his heavy limbs; and he found sitting
so unpleasant a posture, that he lay stretched across two or three
branches for several hours, and in a very ill-humour, indeed, watched
the activity displayed beneath and around him. Now a stealthy fox, upon
some foraging expedition, would come creeping along, his foot-fall
scarcely heard on the withered leaves and dead branches; now a timid
mouse would leap nimbly by, and, at the least signal of danger, would
disappear as if by enchantment; then a frolicsome squirrel, vaulting as
fearlessly from bough to bough as if he were not fifty feet from the
ground, would arouse him for a minute from his sulky mood, and light up
his fierce eye with an expression of interest which it was very clear
had no higher source than a hope that the little tumbler might fall down
and break his neck, for daring to be in such a good humour. But the
birds, above all, excited his anger; for seeing them flying about gaily
in the sun, which tinged the tops of the trees so gloriously, Bruin
actually growled with indignation--a sound which nearly caused that
accident to Master Squirrel that our ungracious hero had desired for
him, so terribly was he frightened.
A few days thus spent sufficiently recovered him to render him capable
of moving, when he descended from his temporary hospital, and, with the
aid of a thick staff, which he had provided himself for the purpose, set
off once more, supplying his wants in the way of food with such edibles
as fell in his way, a bear not being remarkably particular concerning
its quality or kind. One only thought now possessed him,--that of
quitting the wooded ground where his life had hitherto been passed, and
reaching one of those spots where, as he had heard his parents relate,
animals of various kinds congregate together, and live in habitations
raised by their own ingenuity; in fact, a city.
"At least," he thought, "if what I have heard of such places be true,
and that merit of every kind is certain there to meet its reward, and be
properly appreciated, I shall stand a better chance than my neighbours."
With this reflection, he shuffled on a little quicker; and the reader,
who has been thus allowed a private view of his motives, will observe
that modesty was not among Bruin's list of virtues.
After a day's march, with sundry restings by the way--for he was not in
good travelling order--he reached the outskirts of the wood; and when he
got beyond it, he stood still to mark the prospect, which was, in sooth,
a very charming one, and the more striking to him as being so entirely
novel. As he stood on a rising ground, the scene lay beneath; and the
sun, which was nearing the horizon, darted his level beams through a
gentle mist that was beginning to rise from the valley, and made a
wondrous golden haze, shedding beauty over every object within its
influence. A silvery brook ran from some distant hills, and, after
numerous windings, spread into a broad pond; then narrowing again, with
an abrupt fall or two, which made its pace the faster, it ran
noiselessly through some green meadows, where cattle and horses were
grazing, then made a bend into the wood, where it was lost to view.
Bruin's quick eye scarcely, however, watched its course, for his whole
attention was rivetted on what to him was of more interest,--the city to
which his weary steps were directed. It stood upon the margin of the
rivulet, just before its waters expanded into the little lake, and
seemed to occupy a considerable extent of ground. It was neither
handsomely nor regularly built, yet it had an imposing effect as a
whole, and in Bruin's eyes seemed to need nothing in the way of
architecture. Its inhabitants, I may observe in passing, were
principally descendants of canine tribes, with a few pussies, who, for
some worldly advantage, had overcome their prejudices to such society;
and a flock or two of birds: as the latter, however, were of a volatile
disposition, and were constantly on the move, they resided principally
in the higher portions of the city, so that they might come and go
without interfering with the steadier habits of the animal population.
Several horses and black cattle resided in the environs, but, with the
exception of a donkey or two, rarely entered the town, for they found
few inducements in the noisy streets to compensate them for the charm
and tranquillity of a rural life.
After contemplating the scene for some time, Bruin slowly descended the
hill, his confidence in his own powers somewhat weakened now he was in
sight of the spot where they were to be called into action; one reason
for this slight depression of his spirits arising, probably, from his
ignorance of the dwellers in the great city, for the intelligence just
communicated to the reader was at that time totally unknown to him. The
strange appearance, also, of every creature he now met, contributed to
abash him; for every one who had any pretensions to respectability wore
over the coats with which nature had provided them, clothes of a cut
that looked wonderful in the eyes of the untutored Bruin. His own aspect
was, meanwhile, not less odd in the opinion of the more civilised
animals. His untrimmed hair and beard, his ragged coat, his queer gait,
and the unrestrained gape of wonder with which he stared around him,
were sufficient to excite the attention of the most indifferent, and it
was with a tolerably large train at his heels that he reached the
entrance to the principal street. Here crowds of well-dressed dogs, both
male and female (the latter always well-attended), were walking about or
idling the time away; town-bred puppies, with insolent stare, were
lounging at every turn, their delicate paws proving how little they were
used to labour. On one side Bruin observed a gracefully-proportioned
white cat, veiled, gliding demurely along, whilst a strong tabby, her
nurse, purred behind, with three little kittens in her arms, mewing to
their hearts' content; and on the other several huge mastiffs, stalking
gravely in a row, like policemen in our London streets going to their
beats, the animals to which they have been compared being bound on a
similar errand.
These various sights proved to Bruin that there must be a different
agency at work to that which existed in his native forest. He was wise
enough to perceive that mere animal force was not likely to succeed
here, or hold the same position as it did in the land where he was born
and had spent his earlier years. The appearances of wealth on one hand,
the evidences of a soldier-like discipline and order on the other,
convinced him that this was no place to vent his ill-humour by an
exhibition of brute strength, for that it was sure to meet more than its
match; whilst the uncertainty of the punishment which would attend such
outbreak, provided it were indulged in, made him resolve, at least, to
put a curb upon his public conduct. This was the first great step in
Bruin's education; a step, alas! merely taught him by his fears. Had it
sprung from higher sources, there would have been a chance of its doing
permanent good; but what solid benefit can be reckoned on or attained
which arises from such a motive?
The attention that the rough stranger from a distant country met with
from the civilised population of Caneville (for that, or something like
it, was the name of the city), was beginning to be rather irksome to
him. Every lady-dog, as she passed him, seemed anxious to allow him
plenty of room; the three kittens in arms, at sight of him set up a
chorus of cries, which their nurse tried in vain to appease; a mastiff,
who was on guard on the opposite side of the way, seemed very much
inclined to interfere for the preservation of public peace; whilst a
couple of puppies, touched off in the extreme of the then prevailing
fashion at Caneville, turned up their noses and their tails in a way
which seemed to render it perfectly marvellous how they kept upon their
legs. All this was sufficiently irritating, even to the most
good-natured of beings, and Bruin found it especially hard to bear; he
was assisted, however, in his prudential resolution to abstain from any
outward exhibition of wrath by a sound which was as new to his ear as it
was exciting to his feelings. It came from the upper end of the street,
where a crowd had assembled; and as every one in his neighbourhood
seemed to think the amusement it promised would be of a more interesting
kind than baiting a bear, and had hastened in the direction whence it
proceeded, Bruin thought he could not do better than follow their
example.
On reaching the spot, his great height enabled him to get a view of what
was going on; and as he pressed forward, the animals with which he came
in contact gladly made way at his approach, so that in a few seconds he
stood in the front row of a large circle, the centre of which was
occupied by a fat, overgrown pig, with an astonishingly long snout, and
a couple of rings through it by way of ornament; two equally long ears,
that had evidently been submitted to some curious operation, for they
were slit in various places, and hung down from his head like uncombed
locks of hair; and a pair of very sharp little eyes, which seemed to
have the unpleasant power of piercing right through you, if in their
incessant wanderings they chanced to catch a look from your own. It was
very evident that this animal, who was quite a _savant_, or, as we
should say, a learned pig, enjoyed a high reputation in the community of
Caneville, where he had been settled some time; and whenever, as now, he
chose to make an outdoor exhibition of himself and his powers, he was
certain of a very full audience.
Behind him stood a punchy little bull-dog, with an inflamed
countenance, evidently caused by too close application to a mouth-organ,
arranged in such a way as to be at a convenient distance from his
capacious muzzle; and before him was a drum, an article on which Bruin
looked with a curious and most ludicrous expression of physiognomy. As
he was now in the foremost van, he gradually edged near and nearer to
the object of his attraction, whilst the learned beast was making
preparations for a grand display; and just as Bruin had reached the
place where the drummer had taken his stand, Herr Schwein (so was he
called) gave orders for a flourish of music by way of opening the
performance. But how describe the effect which the sound produced on our
bear? At the first stroke of the stick on the drum, he leaped from the
ground as if he had been shot; then giving utterance to a prolonged
howl, he began dancing about in a way which would have been irresistibly
funny, if the audience had not been too frightened to stop and witness
it. As it happened, a general panic seized the multitude, and off went
good part of the population of Caneville, howling, screaming, and
yelping to their various homes, where they, of course, each gave a
different version of the story. The learned pig alone, and his faithful
Tom, who would not run away for any body, were the only creatures who
stood their ground; the former, because he had travelled much and was
acquainted with the peculiarities of bears; and the latter, partly for
the reason just given, and in part because he was so fixed to the drum
that to go away without it was impossible; and to go away with it,
without previous packing, would have been equally difficult, so he stood
his ground and watched the proceedings.
On the ceasing of the music and dispersing of the crowd our hero also
stood still, as much surprised as any of the former spectators at the
effect he had produced; and then feeling still more sensibly the effects
of his fatigues, he sat down panting and exhausted. The pig, who had
been quietly watching him, and had evidently been revolving some
interesting thoughts in his contemplative brain, shortly after rose, and
gathering up the things which were to have figured in his evening's
performance, and assisting to pack the drum comfortably on Tom's back,
beckoned to the bear, and waddled gently off in an opposite direction of
the city to that where Bruin had entered. Our interesting brute
hesitated a moment; but being nudged by Tom, who uttered at the same
time a word or two of encouragement, which, to render intelligible, may
be translated by "Come along, stupid!" he mechanically followed this
fast young dog, and they all reached the pig's habitation just as
evening was falling.
After the bear had been regaled with a most hearty supper--for pigs, it
may be remarked by the way, are famous caterers--his learned host
unfolded to him his plans. He explained the nature of his own
avocations; how that he had supported himself, and saved a nice little
store besides, through telling the fortunes and relating the age of the
lady-dogs and doglets of Caneville; and how he performed sundry
conjuring tricks, which, though easy enough when found out, had earned
for him an astonishing reputation among the simple animals of the city,
who never _had_ penetrated the secret. He explained, besides, that there
were many more he could perform if his figure were more slim and his
movements as active as they had been some years ago, before time, by
increasing his rotundity, had lessened the ease of his motions; but that
if Bruin would undertake to learn them, his fortune was as good as made:
for he, Herr Schwein, would not only teach him all he knew, but would
reward him with half the profits derived from his performance, when he
should have mastered his studies. This proposal so jumped with Bruin's
humour, that he consented without further solicitation, and it was
agreed that his engagement should commence from the following day.
With the morning's sun did our hero's lessons begin; and as Nature had
not added stupidity to his various weaknesses, he made really rapid
progress. But poor Piggy found it dreadfully hard work, and more than
once repented his bargain; for though reflection and circumstances had
made him a philosopher, and travelling had taught him experience, it
required all his philosophy and his utmost skill to support the weight
of Bruin's unhandsome temper and prevent an utter breach between them.
Pride, however, and a natural wish to reap the harvest which he had sown
at the cost of so much pains and labour, induced him to persevere, and
the day at length arrived when Bruin was to make his next appearance in
public. Since the first evening of his arrival he had kept strictly
within his employer's grounds, and had familiarised his mind with the
mouth-organ and the drum. But now the sun had risen that was to shine on
him again abroad; he felt considerably elated; the idea of sporting a
handsome pair of silk drawers, and a medal with a ribbon round his neck,
and a silver anklet, contributing not a little to produce the feeling.
The pig, who knew the value of notoriety in such cases, had, from early
morning, kept Tom parading the streets with a large placard over his
shoulders, announcing
THE ARRIVAL
OF A
DISTINGUISHED FOREIGNER!
ENGAGED BY HERR SCHWEIN AT A RUINOUS EXPENSE!!
FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF REPRESENTATIONS,
TO PERFORM
HIS EXTRAORDINARY AND INTENSELY INTERESTING FEATS
BEFORE THE
HIGHLY-DISCRIMINATING PUBLIC
OF CANEVILLE!!!
The highly-discriminating being thus prepared, assembled in the great
square, the place chosen for the exhibition, long before the appointed
hour. The ladies were arranged in the foremost rank, with a politeness
that was perfectly edifying, whilst knots of fashionable dogs and cats
got as near as possible to the reigning favourites; curs of inferior
degree occupied the outermost ranks, and a bird or two got gallery
places above the heads of the animal spectators. It was when expectation
was raised to that pitch which usually finds vent in the most discordant
cries, that Bruin, carrying a bag, followed by Tom with the drum, made
his appearance,--a sight which caused universal approbation. Some
praised his evident strength, others admired his dress, and some again
criticised his figure; but when he drew out from his bag a quantity of
singular objects, and Tom struck up an extraordinary extempore air with
variations on the pipes, accompanied by sundry vicious blows on the
drum, public curiosity was strained to the utmost.
[Illustration: MAKING AN IMPRESSION.]
When the music ceased, Bruin imperatively waved the spectators back, and
the performance began. He handled a pair of knives in a way which made
the beholders tremble; for those implements were swallowed and appeared
again at the tips of his paws or the end of his nose, without doing him
any injury, and they were forced into his arms and drawn furiously
across his throat without causing the slightest wound; and then they
were tucked into his waistband, and after sundry contortions and leaps,
and affected attitudes, they were pulled from out his capacious jaws,
where they had stuck fast, to the wonder and delight of the spectators.
Then he took up three balls of polished brass, which seemed too heavy
for any fashionable puppy present to lift, and commenced a wonderful
series of exploits with them. Now they leaped a great height into the
air, one after another, with a rapidity which made the crowd's eyes
water; then they ran over his shoulders, and down his back, and between
his legs, and over his shoulders again in a continuous stream; and then
they went bumping over every projecting part of his body, leaping here,
jumping there, now on the top of his head, now on the tip of his nose,
and never falling to the ground, and always going this game with such
wondrous swiftness, as though there were thirty balls instead of three.
But the feat which pleased them most, and which may be called the
crowning effort of the display, was when Bruin balanced a short stick on
his forehead with a pewter plate on the top of it, which, by some
mysterious agency, was made to spin round and round, and dazzle the
optics of the crowd as it glittered in the sun. At this marvellous sight
there was a burst of admiration! Tom blew at his pipes and hammered at
his drum with the utmost energy. Two well-dressed young dogs, who had
been paying particular attention to a tall young lady with a long
sentimental nose, over which a veil dropped gracefully (she was
evidently one of the aristocratic greyhound family), gaped with wonder
as they stared at the whirling pewter; the young lady herself looked on
with a gaze where surprise and admiration were singularly mingled; and
the curs, who are less accustomed to restrain their feelings, gave vent
to them in vigorous howls. The success was, indeed, complete; and when
Tom went round with the plate, a rich harvest amply repaid the pains
which had been bestowed on the rehearsals.
PROSPERITY.
Herr Schwein, that very learned pig, who had stationed himself in an
unobserved corner of the throng, in order that he might witness the
behaviour of his pupil, was delighted, though not astonished, at his
success, and gave vent to his feelings in as marked a manner as a
philosopher and an animal of his peculiar temperament could be expected
to betray. He even went so far as to beg Bruin to embrace him--an
experiment he was not likely to desire repeated, for that malicious
beast gave him so severe a squeeze, as to cause him an indigestion for
several days after. Piggy's calculations, and the joy which he built on
them, would not have been of so solid a kind, if he had known a little
more of Bruin's disposition; but, though an animal of experience and
knowledge of the world, he was in this case too blinded by his pride to
form his usually correct judgment. He only considered what the bear owed
to him in the way of gratitude for clothing, feeding, and civilising; he
grunted with satisfaction as he revolved in his thoughts the goodly
treasure which Bruin might be the means of his acquiring; for,
philosopher and animal of the world as he was, he had not been able to
divest himself of two grand vices,--gluttony and avarice. The former
belonged to his tribe, the latter to himself; and though at first sight
they would seem in contradiction with each other, he managed somehow to
permit, in his own proper person, that both should have equal sway; and
the older he grew, the larger and firmer-rooted did these two passions
become. He was getting also so unwieldy, that indolence was, to a
certain extent, forced upon him; and this was another powerful
consideration which induced him to look on the accession of Bruin as a
real benefit.
Unhappy, however, the lot of that animal who should repose any degree of
confidence in good to be derived from such a temper and disposition! As
day by day developed some new feature which helped to betray a character
singularly unamiable and unattractive, so day by day did Herr Schwein's
habitation resound with growls and grunts of anger, where formerly
reigned the completest calm. Bruin's performances also lacking novelty,
began to pall upon the public taste; and though Tom trudged about with
his placards more vigorously than ever, and wore the soles of his poor
paws thin with the exercise, the novelty was dying out, and the
fashionable puppies began to be witty in their whispered remarks upon
the person of the bearer. The bear had got a great deal too lazy to
learn any fresh exploits; and the pig, indeed, was almost too much out
of spirits to teach them. Besides this, Bruin had acquired habits of
rather an expensive kind, to indulge which required a good deal of
money; and, as Herr Schwein suspected that his due half of the now
diminished receipts was withheld from him, quarrels not unnaturally
ensued.
These various annoyances produced a great change in poor Piggy, who,
perhaps, felt more deeply the overthrow of his pet projects, than the
actual loss his bargain had entailed on him; though the loss itself was
not trifling, for Bruin's enormous appetite, which he indulged to a
frightful extent, went considerably beyond the income that his
diminished exertions produced, and there was a chance, as matters stood,
that this resource would soon fail altogether. It is not surprising,
then, if the Herr should contemplate breaking off his engagement, and
terminating at once the difficulties which seemed to threaten him, by
turning the great bear adrift upon the world. But a stronger power than
a pig's was about to settle the question, a power to which all animals
are equally amenable: and thus was it brought into action.