to a joyous, deafening shout. The old gunner sprang to his feet, and gazed off on the water, and the first thing that met his view was the huge carcass of the shark, floating on his back—a mangled, lifeless mass. 13. In a few moments, the boat reached the daring swimmers, and, greatly frightened, they were brought on board. The old man clasped his boy in his arms, and then, overcome by the powerful excitement, he leaned upon a gun for support. I have seen men in all the degrees of excitement and suspense, but never have I seen three human beings more overcome by thrilling emotions than in that startling moment when they first knew the effect of our gunner's shot. Anon. Adapted, LXV. ANECDOTES OF MONKEYS. eq-ui-ta'-tion, horsemanship; Reiten; Reitkunst. le-git-i-mate, real; wirklich. in-ter'-ro-gate, to question; to ask; fragen. ap-pre'-ci-ate, to value; würdigen; schäßen. o-rig'-i-nate, to bring into existence; ins Leben rufen. mor'-sel, a bite; Bissen. em-bold-en, to encourage; kühn machen. de-mean'-or, behavior; Verhalten. cov'-et, to long for; begehren. ex-ul-ta'-tion, triumph; Frohlocken. de-nude', to make naked; entblößen. 1. The desire for equitation seems to be naturally implanted in the monkey mind. Not long ago, a gentleman who rather prided himself on a very fine stud of hunters found that the horses did not appear properly refreshed by their nightly rest. 2. One of the grooms, on being desired to keep a strict watch, discovered that a tame monkey belonging to the house was accustomed to ride on the horses' back almost all night, preventing them from taking sufficient rest. 3. His master, on discovering his passion for riding, and being averse to killing the monkey on account of his horsemanship, succeeded in curing him effectually of his love for horses. 4. The next time that the hounds met, he had the monkey put into a full hunting suit and secured by a strap to the saddle of his most spirited hunter, and took him away to the meet. 5. When the fox was found, the horse pricked up his ears at the well-known sound, and started off at once. The chase happened to be a particularly long and severe one, the monkey of course from his light weight being far ahead of the legitimate huntsmen. 6. A countryman, who was coming from the direction which the fox had taken, was interrogated by some of the sportsmen who had been thrown out as to the position of the hunt, and told them that the fox was looking tired, but that none of the huntsmen was near, except a little gentleman in a yellow jacket, who took his leaps beautifully. 7. Sure enough, Master Jacko was in at the death, but did not by any means appreciate the honor. After the fox had been killed, there was a long ride home again, by the end of which time the monkey seemed thoroughly wearied out. After the experience that he had of a day's hunting, he was never known to mount a horse again. 8. Now, whence did the phrase "plucking a crow" originate? Surely from the conduct of a monkey. The animal in question was accustomed to reside at the end of a chain, the other extremity of which was attached to an iron ring passing round a tall pole, up and down which it easily played, so that the monkey might amuse himself by climbing up and down the pole. Of course, there was at the summit of the pole what the sailors call a "truck,’ i. e. a cheese-shaped piece of wood, which prevented the monkey from drawing the ring over the top of the pole; and on this truck, the monkey usually sat. 9. His daily food was always supplied in a pan placed near the foot of the pole. A colony of crows soon discovered the constant supply of food, and as they could fly faster than the rightful owner could slide down the pole, they generally carried off the greater part of the provisions before he reached the pan. 10. This state of things continued for some time, until, at last, the poor monkey became quite desperate; and, after long deliberation, hit upon a plan for keeping his dinner to himself. 11. One day, the pan was put down as usual, and the crows commenced their habitual attack. The monkey thereupon began to slide down the pole by slow degrees, as if he were very ill. When he reached the ground, he commenced rolling about, as if in great agony, taking great care to get nearer to the pan at each struggle. When, at last, he succeeded in reaching it, he lay down as if he were completely worn out. 12. By this time, only one solitary morsel was left in the dish, round which the crows were circling, partly in fear, partly in hope. Emboldened by the quiet demeanor of the monkey, one crow, more daring or more hungry than the rest, made a bold dash at the plate. 13. Scarcely had its beak reached the coveted prize, when the arm of the monkey was stretched out with a swiftness that the bird had by no means calculated on, the crow seized by the neck, and the monkey completely restored to health. Still grasping the crow by the neck, its captor deliberately ascended the pole, and took his accustomed seat. 14. Placing the offending bird between his knees, and chattering defiance at his winged foes, whose notes of exultation were now changed to screams of terror, he slowly and carefully plucked the bird, feather by feather, until it was entirely stripped. After grinning and chattering at the unfortunate bird for a few minutes longer, he flung it high into the air among its screaming comrades. 15. Of course the denuded crow fell to the ground with a violence that immediately put an end to the small amount of vitality that had survived the plucking process. Ever after this incident, the monkey was permitted to enjoy his dinner in peace and quietness. Selected. LXVI. THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT. ob-ser-va'-tion, act of taking notice; Beobachtung. mar-vel, wonder; Wunder. scope, reach (of observation); Bereich (der Beobachtung). 1. It was six men of Indostan, To learning much inclined, (Though all of them were blind,) That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. 2. The first approached the elephant, 3. The second, feeling of the tusk, Cried: "Ho! what have we here, So very round, and smooth, and sharp? Is very like a spear!" 4. The third approached the animal, The squirming trunk within his hands, "I see," quoth he, "the elephant Is very like a snake!" 5. The fourth reached out his eager hand, And fell about the knee: "What most this wondrous beast is like, Is very plain," quoth he; "'Tis clear enough, the elephant 6. The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: "E'en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most: Deny the fact who can, Is very like a fan!" 7. The sixth no sooner had begun Than, seizing on the swinging tail "I see," quoth he, "the elephant 8. And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! John G. Saxe. |