The Junior Classics, Volume 8: Animal and Nature Stories
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 8: Animal and Nature Stories
Children's literature
This was repeated several times, the lizard's keen eyes always
fixed on the face of the intruder.
Presently the digger's foot was approached, and evidently approved
of for its warmth. After a retreat to the rock a farther advance
was made, this time to the knee of the stranger, to whose face the
two brilliant little eyes were still enquiringly directed. Before
the half-hour's rest was over the left arm of the smoker had been
mounted, his neck rounded, and the right arm descended, the
venturesome journey ended by the lizard squatting contentedly on
the back of his new-found friend's right hand. Confidence had thus
been established between the two, but not to the extent of capture,
for on the gold-seeker attempting to place his left hand over his
new acquaintance, he scuttled away to his rock with almost
inconceivable quickness. The digger's smoke over, he returned to
his work in the hole, leaving his blouse where he had sat.
When the work of the day was finished the tired gold-seeker mounted
to the surface and, taking up his blouse, was about to march to his
camp, three miles away, when, to his great surprise, he discovered
his little four-footed friend lying hidden in the fold of the
garment. He carried him gently in the blouse to the camp, and
there, with the usual courage and confidence of his race, the
little reptile quickly adapted himself to his new surroundings in
the digger's tent. He was carefully fed, kept warm at night, and
soon began to like his new quarters with the gold-seekers. In
return for much affectionate attention he was, in a few days, quite
at home with all the party.
On the walk to camp he had made his home in his master's serge
blouse, running up the arm of the loose garment or round the full
front above the tight waistband, as fancy took him, and enjoying
the warmth of his master's body. It was very interesting and
amusing to see him poke his little head out between the buttons, or
through a buttonhole of the blouse at intervals to ask, with
glittering eye and jerky movement, for an occasional fly from his
master's hand caught on the shafts or cover of the cart.
When the camp was pitched for the night, Master Lizard would employ
himself by making the most inquisitive scrutiny and inspection of
the immediate surroundings within and without the tent. He made
himself acquainted with every stone, tuft, stump, or hole, within
what he considered his domain, eventually retiring with the sun to
the blanket on his master's bed, where he invariably slept.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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