CHAPTER FIFTY SIX.
The next day being Sunday was a day of repose, and as they had allworked so hard, they felt the luxury of a day of rest. In theafternoon, they agreed that on Monday they should make every preparationfor quitting the tents, and returning to the house at the bay. Theydecided that the live stock should all be left there, as the pasturagewas so plentiful and good, with the exception of one goat, which theywould take back with them, to supply them with milk; and they alsoagreed that the tents should be left standing, with some cookingutensils, that in case William and Ready went round for the bananas oryams, or to examine the live stock, they should not be compelled tosleep in the open air, and should have the means of dressing theirdinner. William and Ready were to carry the beds, etcetera, round tothe bay in the boat, which they could do in two trips, and Mr and MrsSeagrave, with the family, were to walk through the woods after taking avery early breakfast.
All these points being arranged, they had finished their supper, whenWilliam again brought up the conversation about animals, as he wasdelighted to bear Mr Seagrave talk on the subject. The conversationhad not commenced more than a few minutes, when William said--
"Papa, they always say `as stupid as an ass.' Is an ass such a stupidanimal?"
"No, William; it is a very sagacious one; but the character has beengiven to the animal more on account of its obstinacy anduntractableness, than on any other account. It is usual to say, asstupid as an ass, or as stupid as a pig, or a goose. Now, these threeanimals are very much maligned, for they are all sagacious animals. Butthe fact is that, as regards the ass, we have only very sorry specimensof the animal in England; they are stunted and small, and, from want ofcorn and proper food, besides being very ill-treated, are slow anddull-looking animals. The climate of England is much too cold for theass; in the south of France and the Mediterranean, where it is muchwarmer, the ass is a much finer animal; but to see it in perfection wemust go to the Torrid Zone in Guinea, right on the equator, the hottestportion of the globe, where the ass, in its native state and in itsnative country, is a handsome creature and as fleet as the wind; indeed,supposed to be, and mentioned in the Scriptures as the fleetest animalin creation. The fact is, that in Asia, especially in Palestine andSyria, asses were in great repute, and used in preference to horses. Wemust see an animal in its own climate to form a true estimate of itsvalue."
"Does climate, then, make so great a difference?" said William.
"Of course it does, not only with animals, but with trees, plants, andeven man, until he is accustomed to the change. With respect toanimals, there are some which can bear the different varieties ofclimate, and even change of food. The horse, for instance, althoughoriginally indigenous to Arabia, lives as well in the Temperate, andeven in the Frigid Zones it may be said, for they endure the hardwinters of Russia and North America; so will domestic cattle, such ascows, sheep, pigs, etcetera. It is a curious fact that, during thewinter in Canada, a large proportion of the food of cattle consists of_fish_."
"Fish, papa! Cows eat fish?"
"Yes, my dear boy, such is the fact. It is a remarkable instance of agraminivorous or grass-eating animal being changed for a time into aflesh-eating, or rather into fish-eating animal. But there are otheranimals which can live under any temperature, as the wolf, the fox, thehare, and rabbit. It is a curious provision,--that the sheep and goatsin the hottest climates throw off their warm covering of wool, andretain little better than hair; while, removed to a cold climate, theyrecover their warm covering immediately."
"But a goat has no wool, papa."
"What are Cashmere shawls made of, William?"
"Very true, papa."
"Most animals have a certain increase of covering as they recede furtherfrom the warm climates to the cold ones. Wolves and foxes, hares andrabbits, change the colour of their skins to white when they get farnorth. The little English stoat, which is destroyed by the gamekeepers,becomes the beautiful snow-white ermine in Russia and other coldcountries."
"Well, papa, I think it a great advantage to man, and a proof of theAlmighty's care of him and kindness to him, in permitting all theanimals most useful to him to be able to live in any country; but Idon't know whether I am wrong in saying so, papa: I cannot see why ananimal like the wolf should not have been kept to his own climate, likethe lion and tiger, and other ferocious animals."
"You have started a question, William, which I am glad you have done,rather than it should have remained on your mind, and have puzzled you.It is true that the shepherd might agree with you, that the wolf is anuisance; equally true that the husbandman may exclaim, What is the goodof thistles, and the various weeds which choke the soil? But, my dearboy, if they are not, which I think they are, for the benefit of man, atall events they are his doom for the first transgression. `Cursed isthe ground for thy sake--thorns and thistles shall it bring forth tothee--and by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread,' was theAlmighty's sentence; and it is only by labour that the husbandman canobtain his crops, and by watchfulness that the shepherd can guard hisflocks. Labour is in itself a benefit: without exercise there would beno health, and without health there would be no enjoyment."
"I see now, papa. You have mentioned the animals which can live in allclimates; will you not tell us something about other animals?"
"There is but one remark to make, William, which is, that animalsindigenous to, that is, originally to be found in, any one portion ofthe globe, invariably are so fashioned as to be most fit for thatcountry, and have the food also most proper for them growing or to beobtained in that country. Take, for instance, the camel, an animalfashioned expressly for the country to which he is indigenous, andwithout whose aid all communication must have been stopped between Asiaand Africa. He is called the `Ship of the Desert;' for the desert is a`sea of sand.' His feet are so fashioned that he can traverse the sandswith facility; he can live upon the coarsest vegetable food and saltplants which are found there, and he has the capacity of carrying waterin a sort of secondary stomach, for his own supply where no water is tobe found. Here is an animal wonderfully made by the Almighty for anexpress locality, and for the convenience of man in that country; for,in England, or elsewhere, he would be of no value. But it is late, mydear William; so we will first thank Him for all his mercies, and thento bed."
Masterman Ready; Or, The Wreck of the Pacific Page 56