Part 17

On the voyage to England direct, I thought he would have been starved to death; for we were boarded by pirates, who took almost all our provisions away, of course including our live stock, and if it had not been for the numerous parrots in the vessel, Sai must have met with a melancholy death. Some died daily as we came into colder climates, and he was allowed one each day. It was just enough to keep him from starving, and this sometimes made him seize it so ravenously, that he did not give himself time to pluck off the feathers; these in process of time formed a hard substance within the intestines, which made him very ill, he refused even his small portion of food, and I thought would have died; but I made some pills of calomel, butter, and flour, and put them very far down his throat, while his particular attendant, one of the cabin boys, held his jaws open. The boy slept in the cage with him all night; and the next morning, I administered a further dose, which effected his cure.

Having, after a long absence from England, no accommodation for such an inmate, we, as speedily as possible, sought a home for him. He was presented to the duchess of York, who boarded him at Exeter Change, till she herself was going to Oatlands. I visited him more than once; and it was only by stratagem that I could get away without his following me. One morning the duchess called and played with him, when he appeared to be in perfect health. In the evening, when her coachman went to fetch him, he was dead, and his malady said to be inflammation of the lungs.

The Panther is considered as a sacred animal on the Gold Coast; and the priests demand a fine for each one that is killed; consequently, they and leopards (if there be any difference) are numerous, and occasionally commit much mischief. They leap over high walls, or stockades, and take away the sheep and goats kept within, leaping back with them in their mouths. They come into the streets of the towns or villages at night, where I have often seen them jumping about, and chasing each other. Our chief surgeon had a house on the outskirts of the forest, that he might enjoy more room than he could have in barracks; and one night, while sleeping there, he thought he heard his servant boys (who generally remained all night in the verandah) dancing outside his bed-room door. He called to them to be quiet, and for a minute or two the noise ceased; as this happened several times, he rose, took a large stick, opened his door a little way, in order to punish them, when, instead of his sable attendants, he saw two large panthers performing their own dance; and it is scarcely necessary to say, that he quickly closed his door, and tolerated the nuisance.

A woman at Annamaboo was very much scarred on one arm and shoulder, in consequence of a panther having sprung upon her when her child was at her back, and she was carrying a pitcher of water. The pitcher fell, and she made so vigorous an attack upon his eyes, that he became bewildered, and retreated. This is not the only instance I have heard of wild and ferocious animals being driven away by blows on this part.

A little girl of fourteen, who was to have been my maid as soon as she was old enough, was not as fortunate as her neighbour; she being attacked by a panther who sprang upon her through an open window, in a room where she was sleeping by herself. Her cries brought her family round her, and the beast made his escape as he had entered, but having once tasted blood there, he was sure to return, and a trap was made which caught him the ensuing night; the fine was paid, and the skin was given to me. The poor child had a piece of her scalp taken off, a triangular morsel had been bitten from her shoulder; and her throat had a gash on each side of her windpipe. All these wounds appeared as if they had been cut with a knife; none of them were mortal, but she had not strength to encounter the weakness they engendered. Her father brought her in a canoe to head-quarters for the attendance of an English surgeon, but she expired as she was carried ashore.

A party of us had gone to St. Mary's near the mouth of the river Gambia; and in the evening a bright moonlight induced us to take a walk. It was not very prudent; but we started, the commandant, a quaker lady and myself, to the outskirts of the forest. My female companion after we had advanced some distance, began to think of danger, and I, in mischief, rustled among the branches of the thicket in order to alarm her still more. We proceeded as far as a spring under a huge Baobab, where we stood for some time, till the monkeys began to pelt us from the tree over our heads. A slight movement in the bushes also seemed to say it was time to depart; and then, expatiating on our own fool-hardiness, we went on, and reached home in safety. The next morning we were informed, that an enormous leopard had been caught in a trap close to the spring, half an hour after we had been there, and his footsteps had been traced upon mine in the sand. We never could understand, humanly speaking, what saved us, unless it were the long white plumes which waved from the hat of the commandant. These traps are generally pitfalls, baited, too often, with a live kid, whose cries entice the beast of prey.

The Jaguar is the leopard of America, and is also very destructive at times; hunger, however, is the prompter; and Baron Humboldt relates a story of a native woman, whose children used to play daily with one which came from the forest close by. She discovered it in consequence of the cry of one of the children, who received a scratch in play from their companion, who was a little too rough. Had he required a supper, the wound would probably have been more than a scratch. D'Azara, however, says, he is a very ferocious animal; causing great destruction among horses and asses. He is extremely fond of eggs, and goes to the shores frequented by turtles, and digs them out of the sand.

Two of the early settlers in the western states of America, a man and his wife closed their wooden hut, and went to pay a visit at a distance, leaving a freshly killed piece of venison hanging inside.

The gable end of this house was not boarded up as high as the roof, but a large aperture was left for light and air. By taking an enormous leap, a hungry jaguar, attracted by the smell of the venison, had entered the hut, and devoured part of it; he was disturbed by the return of the owners, and took his departure. The venison was removed: the husband went away the night after to a distance, and left his wife alone in the hut. She had not been long in bed before she heard the jaguar leap in at the open gable; there was no door between her room and that in which he had entered, and she knew not how to protect herself. She, however, screamed as loudly as she could, and made all the violent noises she could think of, which served to frighten him away at that time; but she knew he would come again, and she must be prepared for him. She tried to make a large fire; but the wood was expended. She thought of rolling herself up in the bed clothes; but these would be torn off. The idea of getting under the low bedstead suggested itself, but she felt sure a paw would be stretched forth which would drag her out: her husband had taken all their fire-arms. At last, as she heard the jaguar this time scrambling up the end of the house, she, in despair, got into a large store chest, the lid of which closed with a spring. Scarcely was she within it, and had dragged the lid down, inserting her fingers between it and the side of the chest, when the jaguar discovered where she was; he smelt round the chest, tried to get his head in through the crack, but fortunately he could not raise the lid; he found her fingers and began to lick them; she felt them bleed, but did not dare to move them, for fear she should be suffocated. At length the jaguar leaped on to the lid, and his weight, pressing down the lid, fractured these fingers. Still she could not move, he smelt round again, he pulled, he leaped on and off, till, at last, getting tired of his vain efforts, he went away. The poor woman lay there till daybreak, and then only, feeling safe from her enemy, she went as fast as her strength would let her to the nearest neighbour's, a distance of two miles, where she procured help for her wounded fingers, which were long getting well. On his return, her husband found a male and female jaguar in the forest close by, with their cubs; and all were destroyed.

As proof that these animals are as soon startled as the tiger, we are told of an Indian, who saw a fierce-looking jaguar standing directly in his path, at a distance of ten paces. At first he was extremely puzzled to know what to do; but a sudden impulse prompted him to take off his broad brimmed hat, make a low bow, and say, "A very good morning to you, Sir;" and to his surprise, the jaguar turned round, and walked leisurely away.

A very beautiful Ounce lived in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes, in Paris, which became extremely tame; and Mdlle. Cuvier and I used very often to go and take him a walk, leading him from his den to a small space surrounded by high stakes: he required no other confinement to ensure his obedience, than twisting our hands in the loose skin of his neck, and he never failed at all times to recognise us with pleasure if we went into his vicinity.

The Cheetah is gentle and affectionate, and successfully trained for hunting.

CATS.

Cats are diminished examples of the feline race; but their fur is longer than that of others, and they bear a greater resemblance to leopards than to lions. The idea of majesty is not connected with them, but they are celebrated for grace, elegance, suppleness, and insidiousness. There is yet a wild species in existence, which inhabits the mountainous and wooded districts of the northern part of England, and also Scotland, where it used formerly to be very abundant. It is scarcely necessary to give a description, even of the untamed species, so well known are the general characters of these animals. It will be quite sufficient to say, that the head of the latter is triangular, the soles of the feet of the male are always black, their tails are bushy, they spring furiously upon whoever approaches, and utter unearthly cries. Mr. St. John, when walking up to his knees in heather, over broken ground, came suddenly upon a wild cat. She rushed out between his legs, every hair standing up. He cut a good sized stick; and three Skye terriers gave chase till she took refuge in a corner, spitting and growling. On trying to dislodge her, she flew at Mr. St. John's face, over the dog's heads; but he struck her while in the air, and she fell among the dogs, who soon dispatched her, even though they say, that a wild-cat has twelve instead of nine lives. If one be taken, those in the neighbourhood are sure to be also secured, as they will all, in the manner of foxes, assemble round the body of their relation.

Domestic cats often run away to the woods and subsist on their own hunting; but these are not to be taken for the real wild cat. The female of the latter is the smaller of the two, and retires into the fissures of rocks, or takes possession of some large bird's nest, when she is about to have young ones. They are found all through Germany, Russia, Hungary, and the North of Asia, where their fur is much more valued than it is here, probably on account of the length and quality of the hair.

Our house cats are, by most naturalists, supposed not to have descended from the above wild species. Professor Temminck ascribes their origin to the Nubian cat, found in that country by M. Rueppell, but Mr. Bell differs from him.

Cats were numerous in Egypt, where they were much prized, and honoured with being embalmed. In Abyssinia they form part of a marriage dowry, for fear the mice should eat up the other portions. Nevertheless, it will be perhaps more like the truth if we give our cats an Asiatic origin. When they run wild, Mr. St. John says, they are often irreclaimable, and do incredible mischief. There are instances, however, of their returning to their homes bringing game with them. One known to the above gentleman, used every winter evening to bring in a woodcock; another brought back rabbits and hares; the latter was constantly caught in traps, which accident did not cure him of his wanderings, and he never struggled, but sat quietly till some one came and effected his release.

All cats sleep slightly, raise their back, bristle up their hair, and swell up their tail when angry. Those which have been domesticated are very inquisitive concerning things rather than persons; smell, and inspect a new piece of furniture several times; are attached to houses, and are extremely fond of scents, especially certain kinds emanating from plants. They seldom eat the rats which they kill, although they devour mice. If they should swallow a shrew, which is very rare, they almost immediately reject it. They will sit hour after hour watching at the mouth of a hole, and after seizing their prey, bring it to their favourites in the house to show their prowess, and strut about with a great air of self-satisfaction. They generally have a great dislike to water; but they have been known to surmount this when they could catch a fish, for which species of food they have a great preference. The accusation that they play with you one minute, and scratch you the next, is too true: the change is not an act of treachery, but arises from excitement.

I know not whence it is derived; but for centuries cats have been connected with superstition and sorcery. They have always been regarded as attendants upon witches; and witches themselves have been said to borrow their shapes when on their mysterious expeditions. I was once told, that Lord Cochrane was accompanied by a favourite black cat in a cruise through the northern seas. The weather had been most unpropitious; no day had passed without some untoward circumstance, and the sailors were not slow in attributing the whole to the influence of the black cat on board. This came to Lord Cochrane's ears, and knowing that any attempt to reason his men out of so absurd a notion was perfectly useless, he offered to sacrifice this object of his regard, and have her thrown overboard. This, however, far from creating any satisfaction, only alarmed the men still more; they were sure that the tempests she would then raise would be much worse than any they had yet encountered; and they implored his lordship to let her remain unmolested. "There was no help, and they could only hope, if she were not affronted, they might, at the end of their time, reach England in safety."

Black cats were always more especially connected with superstitious feelings, and I was once accosted by a peasant's wife, who, with a phial in her hand to contain it, requested I would give her a few drops of blood from the tail of my black kitten; not only to bring luck to her hearth, but to keep pestilence from her doors. Even lately, a working woman told me not to turn a stray black cat from my house; for, if I did, I should never have any prosperity afterwards. Captain Brown tells us that on Hallowe'en, it was usual in Scotland for families to tie up their cat, in order to preserve it from being used as a pony by the witches that night. Those who neglected this precaution, ran the risk of seeing their cat scampering through the fields, with a witch on its back, on the high road to Norway. A black cat was commonly sacrificed by the ancients to Hecate, or among the Scandinavians to Frea, the northern Hecate. A black cat, sent with a prayer-book and a bag of sand into a new house, so as to precede the proprietor in possession, was formerly deemed essential to ensure prosperity to the person changing his abode. To steal a black cat, and bury it alive, is in the Irish Highlands, considered as a specific for a disorder in cattle, termed "blacklegs," which otherwise proves fatal.

There is yet another peculiar feeling respecting cats—namely, the strange antipathy which some persons entertain towards them, and is equally unassailable with that of superstition. Of course, in many instances, illness and weak indulgence, have greatly increased it, but in some cases, it has been, unconsciously harboured, and in others unconquerable. A friend of mine told me, that through life this feeling had accompanied him, in spite of every endeavour made to eradicate it. When a little boy he awoke one night, with that trembling and cold perspiration which always assailed him when a cat was in his vicinity; and, screaming for help, he intreated the servant who entered to take away the cat which was in the room. The man searched, but found no traces of puss. His young master still persisted she was there, but a renewed search proved equally unavailing, nor could he compose himself to rest unless the servant remained in the room till he was asleep. This accomplished, the man left him, and a second time my friend awoke in the same manner, with the same appeals for assistance. They were obeyed; he himself joined in the search, and he dragged out a cat from the close stove (for it was in Germany) which had taken refuge there, and been wholly unperceived by the man servant. This gentleman's daughter inherited the same antipathy, and neither the tenderest feelings towards other "dumb creatures," or the strongest efforts of a mind of unusual strength, could subdue the uncomfortable and distressing sensation which thrilled through her when a cat was in her presence.

Where every house has a cat, many two, where every female cat, at least twice in each year, brings forth a litter of from three to five kittens, which are not all drowned, some idea may be formed of the untellable number of cats in London; but it is only the dwellers in what is called a quiet out-of-the-way street in the metropolis, who can form any notion of the noise and caterwaulings of this part of the population. All cats, on first taking possession with their owners, of a house, are obliged to enter into an alliance, offensive and defensive, with the older inhabitants of the neighbourhood. In some instances the amicable arrangements, though less noisy, are the most troublesome, of which I was convinced in one of my dwellings. The back overlooked a number of gardens, some of which were large, and to enjoy these sufficiently, a small, leaded terrace was thrown out from the back drawing-room window. Here all the cats of all the gardens, the street, and the opposite square, used to hold their conversazione; and I presume, that my cats were particularly amiable, for often, if the drawing-room window had been left open during our absence, we found a select few, perhaps five or six, sitting within its precincts, as if in friendly talk.

Every cat that comes to a new area in London, appears to me to be obliged to fight till he gains undisturbed possession of it; at least so it has been the case with my cats. A very fine, bold, powerful tabby, did this twice with perfect success; but after repeated combats, although victorious, the struggle made him fierce and occasionally sullen. Another who was a very beautiful creature, but much weaker, used to come in with his handsome ears slit, his cheeks swollen, his fur torn off, his frolic and vivacity gone; and he sat crouching by the fire all day. At night he was roused by the fierce defiance of his enemies; and the contest continued till he died from his exertions.