which he would amuse himself climbing up the trees in order to search
for game, of which he was remarkably fond. Sometimes he discovered
honey in the crevices of rocks, or in hollow trees, but when he found
nothing, when fatigue and exercise had whetted his appetite, and when
he began to be seriously oppressed with hunger, a scene took place
which appeared to me exceedingly comic. When he could not find game or
honey, he searched for roots, and ate them with relish, especially one
of a particular species, which, unfortunately for me, I found excellent
and very refreshing, and which I wanted greatly to partake of. But
Kees was very cunning. When he found any of this root, if I was not
near him to claim my part, he made great haste to devour it, having
his eyes directed all the time towards me. By the distance I had to go
before I could approach him he judged of the time that he had to eat it
alone, and I indeed arrived too late. Sometimes, however, when he was
deceived in his calculation, and when I came upon him sooner than he
expected, he instantly endeavoured to conceal the morsels from me; but
by means of a blow well applied I compelled him to restore the theft;
and in my turn becoming master of the envied prey, he was obliged to
receive laws from the offended party. Kees entertained no rancour or
hatred, and I easily made him comprehend how detestable was that base
selfishness of which he had set me an example. To tear up these roots
Kees employed an ingenious method, which afforded me much amusement.
He laid hold of the tuft of leaves with his teeth, and pressing his
four paws firmly against the earth, and drawing his head backwards, the
root generally followed. When this method did not succeed, he seized
the tuft as before, as close to the earth as he could, then throwing
his heels over his head, the root always yielded to the jerk he gave
it. In our marches, when he found himself tired, he got upon the back
of one of my Dogs, which had the complaisance to carry him for whole
hours together. One only, which was larger and stronger than the rest,
ought to have served him for this purpose; but the cunning animal well
knew how to avoid this drudgery. The moment he perceived Kees on his
shoulders, he remained motionless, and suffered the caravan to pass on,
without ever stirring from the spot. The timorous Kees still persisted;
but as soon as he began to lose sight of us he was obliged to dismount,
and both he and the Dog ran with all their might to overtake us. For
fear of being surprised, the Dog dexterously suffered him to get before
him, and watched him with great attention. In short, he had acquired an
ascendency over my whole pack, for which he was perhaps indebted to the
superiority of his instinct; for among animals, as among men, address
often gets the better of strength. While at his meals Kees could not
endure guests; if any of the Dogs approached too near him at that time,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account