Eliza Lee Cabot Follen

“ And when, my dear children, you see the martin cutting his way so swiftly through the air, and when you think of him travelling away thousands of miles, guided by the goodness of God to the right place, and you wish that you had wings like him, and think that he is happier than you are, you can then remember a far greater gift that God has bestowed upon you. ”

“ The caliph Chasid lived long and happily with his wife, the princess; and sometimes, when the grand vizier came to see him of an afternoon, when he was in particularly good humor, he would condescend to imitate the appearance of the grand vizier in the character of the stork; walking gravely about, with feet extended, chattering, and waving with his arms; and showed how the grand vizier bowed in vain towards the East, and cried Mu—Mu. But when he kept this up too long, the vizier used to threaten that he would tell the caliph's wife the discussion, outside of the door, about the princess owl. ”

“ I do not feel easy at all, for I heard some one sighing and moaning, quite plainly." The caliph also stopped, and heard distinctly a noise as of some one weeping, which sounded more like a human being than like an animal. Full of expectation, he was about to advance towards the place whence the sound proceeded; but the vizier seized him by the wing with his bill, and begged him earnestly not to expose himself to new unknown dangers; but in vain! The caliph, under whose stork-wings there beat a valiant heart, tore himself away with the loss of some feathers, and ran into a dark passage. ”

“ The keeper, not knowing him, objected. The gentleman insisted, and entered. The lion was lying down, and, seeing a man in his cage, for a moment looked angry; in another moment he rose on his hind legs, put his paws around his old master, and showed the greatest delight at seeing him."
"Why, he was almost as good as a dog," said Frank. "But now, Mother, please tell us the story about a bear which you said you heard on your journey last summer."
"I ought rather," said Mrs. Chilton, "to call it the story of a cow, for she was the heroine of the tale. ”

“ But the noble animal, on recovering its freedom, instead of bounding away alone, bent its head over its master, and, seeing him in fetters, took his clothes gently in its teeth, lifted him up, set off at full speed, and, without ever resting, made straight for the distant but well-known tent in the mountains. ”

“ The martin cannot have the pleasure we have now had, but God has given him wings, and taught him the way through the air, and put love into his heart for his mate; and let us rejoice in his happiness, and, more than all, let us rejoice in the goodness of Him who has put joy into so many hearts. ”

“ He is not so disinterested, so loving, but he reasons more than any other animal. He is also capable of very strong attachment, but he will not bear ill treatment. The elephant seems revengeful. The dog still loves the master who is unkind to him.
The elephant will learn to assist his master in his work. An elephant who belonged to the Duke of Devonshire would come out of her house when her keeper called her, take up a broom, and stand ready to sweep the paths and grass when he told her to do so. ”

“ The caliph approved of the vizier's proposal, and went with him towards the pond. When they got there, they saw a stork, walking gravely back and forth, searching for frogs, and occasionally chattering something to himself. At the same time they saw another stork soaring high in the air, above the place.
"I will wager my beard, most gracious Sir," said the grand vizier, "that these two long-legs are carrying on a fine conversation together. What say you to turning ourselves into storks?"
"Well said!" answered the caliph. "But let us see; how is it that one is to become man again?" ”

“ The martins are very faithful and affectionate to each other; when the mother bird is hatching her eggs, her mate often sits by her side; and sometimes he will take her place, and send her out to take exercise and get food. He passes a great deal of his time at the door of her apartment, chattering to her, as if he were telling her amusing stories; and then he will sing very softly and tenderly to her, and he does every thing he can to please her.
The martin has very strong and large wings, and short legs, that they may not interfere with his flight, which is very rapid. ”

“ So, Mother, do tell us all you can think of about elephants, bears, and lions, as well as dogs, and cats, and birds."
"I have laid up in my memory two or three dog and cat stories, which I will tell you, and then I will see what I can remember of lions, bears, and elephants. But first I must tell you what I have lately read about courts of justice among the crows."
"What is a court of justice?" asked Harry.
"A court of justice is an assemblage of men who meet together to ascertain if any one who is accused of doing a wrong thing has really done it or not. ”

“ No longer will you gallop, free as the wind of Egypt, in the desert. No longer will you cleave with your bosom the water of the Jordan which cools your sides, as pure as the foam of your lips. If I am to be a slave, at least may you go free. ”

“ I saw her carrying in a long stick that suited her better than the short ones that the bluebird had carried in: she found she could not get it in if she took it in the middle; so she changed the place, and held it by the end, and so by that means got it in. She was more cunning than the bluebird. Now you might hear the two little robbers sing again. They are happier than any king can be nowadays. Poor, dear, beautiful bluebirds! What has become of them? Then came the mother. She looked into the jar and saw the destruction of her nest—all her week's work. ”

“ The elephant's trunk is so susceptible that nothing enrages him so much as any wound on it. He cannot bear patiently the slightest scratch.
Now I will tell you a story of a lion. An English gentleman, who was living in India, had a fancy to see what effect extreme gentleness, and kindness, and very simple diet would have upon the character of the lion. The gentleman had the good fortune to get a baby lion for the experiment. ”

“ At the waving of her keeper's hand, she would kneel down and salute any individual, or put a crown on the head of the true prince. She would eat and drink with great propriety of manner, and make her reverence to the audience. But all this is nothing to what the elephants were taught by the Romans. The keepers, by treating their elephants with the utmost kindness, taking care of them as to health, and doing every thing to make them happy, acquired over them the greatest power. The elephants learned to love music. ”

“ When the feast was prepared, the twelve elephants marched in; six gentleman elephants dressed in the robes of men, and six lady elephants attired in women's clothes. They lay down in order upon the couches; and then, at a certain signal, extended their trunks, and eat their suppers with the most praiseworthy moderation and propriety. "Not one of them," says the historian of the elephant, "appeared the least voracious, or manifested the least desire for more than his share of the food, or an undue proportion of the delicacies. ”

“ Immediately their legs shrivelled up, and became thin and red; the beautiful yellow slippers of the caliph and his companion turned into clumsy stork-feet; their arms became wings; their necks stretched out from their shoulders, and were an ell long; their beards disappeared, and their bodies were covered with soft feathers, instead of clothes.
"That's a pretty bill of yours, Mr. Grand Vizier," said the caliph, after a long pause of astonishment. ”

“ The young lion loved his master, who was always very kind to him, and who was really very fond of his lionship. This man lived, as in India a gentleman often does, in a house by himself, and could easily have his friend lion with him, without annoying any one. The baby grew bigger and bigger, and became a good-sized, full-grown lion. ”

“ Well, to go back to our travellers; every one is ready and glad to prepare apartments for them, such as they like. They are so lively, so merry, and good-natured, that they find a welcome every where. They are such an easy, sociable set of folks that they like a house thus prepared for them just as well as if they had built it themselves. ”

“ Now I will tell you a story about a pike. We are apt to think fishes very stupid; that they have no feeling. A gentleman in England, a surgeon and a naturalist, told me of what he had himself seen. A pike had struck its head against a tenter hook on a post in the pond where he was swimming. His agony was so great that he darted backward and forward with the greatest rapidity, then buried his head in the mud, then whirled his tail round and round, and threw himself up into the air to the height of two or three feet, and, at last, he threw himself out of the pond upon the grass. ”

“ The story I shall tell you now seems to show that dogs have good hearts, and are compassionate and magnanimous. A dog was placed to watch a piece of ground, perhaps a garden. A boy ran across the forbidden place. The dog chased him. The boy, greatly frightened, ran very fast, fell, and broke his leg. The dog, when he came up and heard the boy's cries, did not touch him, but ran up to the passers by, and barked till he attracted their attention, and brought some one to the aid of the poor boy, who could not move. ”

“ Last year, the cherry birds ate up all the cherries in all the gardens around here, and not one of the thieves received the slightest harm. We will, I think, begin our work immediately, and make a nice soft bed for our young to rest in when we shall be so happy as to have any.' This, I am sure, was the result of their confab, for directly they began to pick up hay, and furze, and feathers, and every soft thing they could find, and carry them into the jar. ”

“ One of the Roman historians relates, "An elephant, having been punished for stupidity in executing some feat which he was required to learn, was observed, at night, endeavoring to practise what he had failed to perform in the daytime." It is mentioned that elephants have been observed practising their lessons by moonlight, without any directions from the keepers. Think what a good example elephants are for school boys. ”

“ The crows collect in great numbers, as if they had been all summoned for the occasion. A few of the flock sit with drooping heads, others seem as grave as if they were judges, and some are exceedingly active and noisy, like lawyers and witnesses; in the course of about an hour the company generally disperse, and it is not uncommon, after they have flown away, to find one or two left dead on the spot. ”

“ A gentleman in Paris was in the habit of crossing every day one of the bridges over the Seine, on his way to his place of business. One day, a very dirty poodle dog rubbed himself so against his boots as to make it necessary to get a man, who sat at one end of the bridge with blacking, to clean them. ”

“ The great reason, I think, that all the world welcomes these travellers is, that they are such a happy, merry set of beings they make every one around them cheerful; their gayety is never-failing. They rise with the first streak of light ”

“ Historians of Rome, supposed to give true accounts, say that the elephants were taught to walk along a rope forward and then backward. One elephant is described as walking up a slanting rope to the roof of the theatre with a man on his back. ”

“ It is shaped something like a short, straight-necked winter squash; a calabash is a large kind of gourd.
On the banks of the Mississippi, the negroes stick up long poles, with calabashes on the ends, to accommodate the martins.
Martins have been known, when no house was provided for them, to take possession of part of a pigeon house; and no pigeon ever dares to set its foot in the martin's side of the house. The martin is a very courageous and spirited bird, and will attack hawks, crows, and even great bald eagles ”

“ The martin is such a universal favorite that Wilson says he never knew but one man that did not like them and treat them kindly. Wherever they, go, they find some hospitable retreat prepared for their reception. Some people have large habitations formed for the martins, fitted up with a variety of apartments and conveniences ”

“ A gentleman who had assisted in the capture of the bear, told me the story I promised to tell you of the cow and the bear. A little girl, about twelve or thirteen years of age, was sent by her mother, one afternoon, to bring home the cows from a neighboring wood, where they were at pasture. There were many fallen trees, as is often the case in our wild woods ”

“ The owl answered, "Sir, I have also the same feeling; for it was prophesied to me, in my earliest youth, by a wise woman, that a stork would bring me great good luck; and perhaps I can tell in what manner we may deliver ourselves."
The caliph was much amazed, and asked in what manner she meant. "The enchanter," said she, "who has rendered us both unhappy, comes once every month to these ruins. Not far from this chamber, there is a hall in which he is accustomed to revel with many comrades ”

“ All that we know about that, Frank, is, that He who created the martins has given to them the knowledge that guides them right. In their long way through the pathless air, they never make a mistake. Our great vessels and our skilful captains sometimes get lost in the wide ocean ”