by Jacob Abbott
LITTLE MOSETTE
After some further persuasion Rollo got on behind him, and they began toin make their way slowly through the water again. Old Trumpeterstaggered along, but not very unsteadily on the whole, until he got alittle past the middle, when he blundered upon a stone on the bottom,which he could not see, and fell down on his knees. Jonas caught up hisfeet, in an instant, and Rollo had his already drawn up behind him, andthey both grasped the saddle convulsively. The horse happened to regainhis feet again in a moment, so that they contrived to hold on; and in afew minutes they were drawn out safely upon the shore, without evengetting their feet wet.
"Well, Old Trumpeter," said Jonas, "you have done pretty well for you,and you have got the mire washed off your legs, at any rate. But, Rollo,what is that?"
He pointed back, as he said this, to a little tuft floating round andround in a small eddy, made by a turn of the brook, just above wherethey had crossed. He turned his horse towards it. "It is a bird'snest," said he.
"So it is," said Rollo; "and I verily believe there is a little bird init."
Jonas jumped off of the horse, handed the bridle to Rollo, and took up along stick lying on the ground, and very gently and cautiously drew thenest, in to the shore. He took it up with great care, and brought it toRollo.
There was a little bird in it, scarcely fledged. Jonas said he believedit was a robin, and that it must have been washed off from its place onsome bush, by the freshet in the brook. The bottom of the nest wassoaked through by the water, as if it had been floating some time; andthe little bird kept opening its mouth wide. The poor little thing washungry, and heard Jonas and Rollo, and thought they were its mother,come to give it something to eat.
"What shall we do with him?" said Rollo.
"He will die if we leave him here," said Jonas, "for he has lost hismother now. I think we had better carry him home, if we can, and feedhim, till he is old enough to fly."
"He is hungry," said Rollo; "let us feed him now."
"We have not any thing to feed him with. Perhaps I can catch a fly, or agrasshopper."
"O, that will not do," said Rollo; "you might as well kill him as killa grasshopper."
Jonas could not reply to this, and they concluded to carry nest and allcarefully to the mill, and show it to Rollo's father there. But how tocarry it was the difficulty. If either of them undertook to hold it inone hand, he was afraid the bird might be jolted out; and neither ofthem had but one hand to spare, for Rollo must have one hand to hold onwith, and Jonas one to drive. At last Jonas took off his cap, and placedit bottom upwards on the saddle before him, and put the nest, with thebird in it, in that, and then drove carefully along. The road grew muchsmoother and better after they passed the brook; and, after going on ashort distance farther, they came in sight of the mill.
They had been detained so long that the chaises had reached the millbefore, them; and the party in the chaises were looking out down thepath where they expected the boys were to come out, watching for themwith considerable interest:
"There they come at last," said Lucy, as she perceived a movement amongthe bushes, and saw Old Trumpeter's white head coming forward.
"Yes," said Rollo's mother, "but they have met with some accident. Jonashas lost his cap."
By this time the boys had emerged from the bushes, and were coming alongthe path slowly, Jonas bareheaded, and Rollo holding on carefully. Lucysaw that Jonas was holding something before him, on the saddle, andwondered what it was. Rollo's mother said she was afraid they had gothurt.
As soon as they came within hearing Rollo heard his father's voicecalling out to him,
"Rollo, what is the matter? Have you got into any difficulty?"
"Yes, sir," said Rollo; "we had some difficulty; and I should be sorry Idid not take your advice, only then we should not have found this littlebird."
"What bird?" said they all.
By this time, they had come up near the chaises, and Jonas carefullylifted the birdsnest out of his cap, and held it so that they could allsee it, while Rollo told them the story. They all looked much pleasedbut Lucy seemed in delight. She wanted to have it go in their chaise,and asked Rollo to let her hold the nest in her lap.
Rollo did not answer very directly, for he was busy looking at thebird,--seeing him open his mouth, and wishing he had something to givehim to eat.
"Father," said he, "what shall we feed him with? Jonas was going tocatch a grasshopper, but I thought that would not be right."
"Why not?" said uncle George.
"Because," said Rollo, "he has as good a right to his life as the bird,has not he, father?"
"Not exactly," said his father: "a bird is an animal of much highergrade than a grasshopper, and is probably much more sensible of pain andpleasure, and his life is of more value; just as a man is a much higheranimal than a bird. It would be right to kill a bird to save a man'slife, even if he were only an animal; and so it would be right todestroy a grasshopper, or a worm, to save a robin."
"But I read in a book once," said Lucy, "that, when we tread on a worm,he feels as much pain in being killed as a giant would."
"I do not think it is true," said he. "I think that there is a vastdiversity among the different animals, in respect to their sensibilityto pain, according to their structure, and the delicacy of theirorganization. I think a crew of a fishing-vessel might catch a wholecargo of mackerel, and not cause as much pain as one of their men wouldsuffer in having his leg bitten off by a shark."
"Well, father," said Rollo, "do you think we had better give him agrasshopper?"
"O no," said Lucy; "a grasshopper would not be good to eat, he has gotso many elbows sticking out. Let us give him some blueberries."
"O yes," said Rollo, "that would be beautiful."
So he slid down off of Old Trumpeter's back, and ran to the side of theroad to see if he could not find some blueberries.
He brought a few in his hand, and his father took them, saying that hewould feed the bird for him. He squeezed out pulp of the berries, andthen made a chirping sound, when the bird opened his mouth, and he fedhim with the soft pulp, and threw away the skins. After giving the birdtwo or three berries in this way, they put him back into the nest, andgave the nest to Lucy to hold in her lap, and all the party prepared togo on.
They rode along about a mile farther, and then came to the place wherethey must leave the horses, and prepare to ascend the mountain on foot.They unharnessed them, so that they might stand more quietly, and thenfastened them to trees by the side of the road.
While they were thus taking care of their horses, Rollo and Lucy werestanding by, with Rollo's mother looking at the bird.
"What are you going to do with him, Rollo?" said his mother.
"Why, I should like to carry him home, and keep him, if you arewilling."
"I am, on one condition."
"What is that?"
"You must keep him in a cage with the door always open, so that, as soonas he is old enough to fly away, he may go if he chooses."
"Then he will certainly fly away, and we shall lose him forever," saidLucy.
"That is the only condition," replied Rollo's mother.
"But why, mother," said he, "why may we not keep him shut up safe?"
"If I were to tell you the reasons now, they would not satisfy you, youare so eager to keep him. I think you had better determine to complywith the condition, good-humoredly, and say no more about it, but try tothink of a name for him."
"Well, mother, what do you think would be a good name?"
"I do not know: you and Lucy must think of one."
Just then uncle George finished tying his horse, and came along to wherethe children were standing, and, hearing their conversation, and findingthat Lucy and Rollo were perplexed about a name, he told them he thoughtthey might, not improperly, call him Noah, as, like Noah, by floating ina sort of ark, he was saved from a flood.
"I think he was more like Moses than Noah," said Lucy.
"
Why?" said her father.
"Because Moses was a little thing when they found him, and then the arkof bulrushes was something like a birdsnest. I think you had better namehim Moses, Rollo," said she.
Rollo seemed a little at a loss: he said he thought he was a good deallike Moses, but then he did not think that Moses was a very pretty namefor a bird.
"Do you think it is, mother?" said he.
"I do not know but that it would do very well. You might alter it alittle; call him Mosette, if you think that would be any better for abird's name."
Rollo and Lucy repeated the name Mosette to themselves several times,and concluded that they should like it very much. By this time, thehorses were all ready, and Jonas recommended that they should hideMosette away somewhere, until they returned from the mountain, for itwould be troublesome to them, and somewhat dangerous to the bird, tocarry him up and down.
The children approved of this plan, though they were rather unwilling topart with the bird, at all. They went just into the bushes, and found avery secret place, by the corner of a large rock, where the shrubs andwild flowers grew thick, so that it would be entirely out of sight.