CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
ADVENTURE WITH AN OSTRICH.
Time passed rapidly, and the settlers, both highland and lowland, strucktheir roots deeper and deeper into the soil of their adoption--watchedand criticised more or less amiably by their predecessors, the fewDutch-African farmers who up to that time had struggled on the frontierall alone.
One day Hans Marais was riding with Charlie Considine on the karroo, notfar from the farm-house. They had been conversing on the condition andprospects of the land, and the trials and difficulties of the Britishsettlers. Suddenly they came on an ostrich sitting on its eggs under abush. The bird rose and ran on seeing the horsemen.
"I daresay the cock-bird is not far off," observed Hans, riding up tothe nest, which was merely a slight hollow scraped in the sandy soil,and contained a dozen eggs. "He is a gallant bird; guards his wife mostfaithfully, and shares her duties."
"I've sometimes thought," said Considine musingly, "that the ostrichmight be tamed and bred on your farms. With such valuable feathers itwould be worth while to try."
"You are not the first who has suggested that, Charlie. My own motherhas more than once spoken of it."
"Stay a minute," said Considine; "I shall take one of the eggs home toher."
"Not fit to eat. Probably half hatched," said Hans.
"No matter," returned the other, dismounting.
"Well, I'll ride to the ridge and see if the papa is within hail."
Hans did but bare justice to the cock ostrich when he said he was agallant bird. It is within the mark to say that he is not only apattern husband, but a most exemplary father, for, besides guarding hiswife and her nest most jealously by day, he relieves her at night, andsits himself on the nest, while his better-half takes food andrelaxation.
While Hans rode forward a few hundred yards, the cock, which chanced tobe out feeding on the plain, observed his wife running excitedly amongthe bushes, and at the same moment caught a glimpse of the Dutchman.
Seven-league boots could not have aided that ostrich! With mightystrides and outstretched wings the giant bird rushed in furious rage todefend its nest. Hans saw it, and, instantly putting spurs to hishorse, also made for the nest, but the ostrich beat him.
"Look out, Charlie!" shouted Hans.
Charlie did look out, somewhat anxiously too, turning his head nervouslyfrom side to side, for while the thunder of hoofs and the warning cry ofHans assailed him on one side, a rushing and hissing sound was heard onthe other. The suspense did not last long. A few seconds later, andthe ostrich appeared, bearing down on him with railway speed. He raisedhis gun and fired, but in the haste of the moment missed. The cap ofthe second barrel snapped. He clubbed his gun, but, before he couldraise it, the ferocious bird was on him. Towering high over his head,it must have been between eight and nine feet in height. One kick ofits great two-toed foot sufficed. The ostrich kicks forward, as a manmight when he wishes to burst in a door with his foot, and noprize-fighter can hit out with greater celerity, no horse can kick withgreater force. If the blow had taken full effect it would probably havebeen fatal, but Considine leaped back. It reached him, however--on thechest,--and knocked him flat on the nest, where he lay stunned amid awreck of eggs.
The vicious bird was about to follow up its victory by dancing on itsprostrate foe, when Hans galloped up. The bird turned on him at once,with a hiss and a furious rush. The terrified horse reared and wheeledround with such force as almost to throw Hans, who dropped his gun intrying to keep his seat. Jumping into the air, and bringing its footdown with a resounding smack, the bird sent its two formidable nailsdeep into the steed's flank, from which blood flowed copiously. Thehorse took the bit in its teeth, and ran.
Hans Marais was very strong, but fear was stronger. The horse fairlyran off, and the ostrich pursued. Being fleeter than the horse, it notonly kept up with ease, but managed ever and anon to give it anotherkick on flank, sides, or limbs. Hans vainly tried to grasp hisassailant by the neck. If he succeeded in this he knew that he couldeasily have choked it, for the ostrich's weak point is its long slenderneck--its strong point being its tremendous leg, the thigh of which,blue-black, and destitute of feathers, resembles a leg of mutton inshape and size.
At last Hans bethought him of his stirrup. Unbuckling it, he swung itby the leather round his head, and succeeded, after one or two attempts,in hitting his enemy on the head with the iron. The ostrich dropped atonce and never rose again.
Returning to the nest with his vanquished foe strapped to his saddle, hefound Considine sitting somewhat confused among the egg-debris, much ofwhich consisted of flattened young ones, for the eggs were in anadvanced state of incubation.
"Why, Charlie, are you going to try your hand at hatching?" cried Hans,laughing in spite of himself.
Considine smiled rather ruefully. "I believe my breast-bone is knockedin. Just help me to examine; but first catch my horse, like a goodfellow."
It was found on examination that no bones were broken, and that, beyonda bruise, Considine was none the worse of his adventure.
One egg was found to have survived the general destruction. This wastaken to the farm and handed to Mrs Marais, and that amiable ladyadopted and hatched it! We do not mean to assert that she sat upon it,but having discovered, from mysterious sounds inside, that the youngostrich contained in it was still alive, and, being a woman of anexperimental tendency, she resolved to become a mother to it. Sheprepared a box, by lining it with a warm feather pillow, above which shespread several skin karosses or blankets, and into this she put the egg.Every morning and every evening she visited the nest, felt the egg toascertain its temperature, and added or removed a blanket according tocircumstances. How the good woman knew the proper temperature is amystery which no one could explain, but certain it is that shesucceeded, for in a few days the little one became so lively in itsprison as to suggest the idea that it wanted out. Mrs Marais thenlistened attentively to the sounds, and, having come to a decision as towhich end of the egg contained the head of the bird, she cracked theshell at that point and returned it to the nest.
Thus aided, the infant ostrich, whose head and feet lay injuxtaposition, began life most appropriately with its strongest point--put its best foot foremost; drove out the end of its prison with a kick,and looked astonished. One or two more kicks and it was out. Next timeits foster-mother visited the nest she found the little one free,--butsubdued, as if it knew it had been naughty,--and with that "well--what--next?" expression of countenance which is peculiar to very young birdsin general.
When born, this little creature was about the size of a small barn-doorhen, but it was exceeding weak as well as long in the legs, and itsfirst efforts at walking were a mere burlesque.
The feeding of this foundling was in keeping with its antecedents. MrsMarais was a thoroughgoing but incomprehensible woman. One would havethought that boiled sheep's liver, chopped fine, and hens' eggs boiledhard, were about the most violently opposed to probability in the way offood for an ostrich, old or young. Yet that is the food which she gavethis baby. The manner of giving it, too, was in accordance with thegift.
Sitting down on a low stool, she placed the patient--so to speak--on itsback, between her knees, and held it fast; then she rammed the liver andegg down its throat with her fingers as far as they would reach, afterwhich she set it on its legs and left it for a few minutes tocontemplation. Hitching it suddenly on its back again, she repeated theoperation until it had had enough. In regard to quantity, she regulatedherself by feeling its stomach. In the matter of drink she was morepronounced than a teetotaler, for she gave it none at all.
Thus she continued perseveringly to act until the young ostrich was oldenough to go out in charge of a little Hottentot girl named Hreikie, whobecame a very sister to it, and whose life thence-forward was spenteither in going to sleep under bushes, on the understanding that she wastaking care of baby, or in laughing at the singular way in which hercharge waltzed whe
n in a facetious mood.
There is no doubt that this ostrich would have reached a healthymaturity if its career had not been cut short by a hyena.
Not until many years after this did "ostrich-farming" andfeather-exporting become, as it still continues, one of the mostimportant branches of commercial enterprise in the Cape Colony; but wecannot avoid the conclusion, that, as Watt gave the first impulse to thesteam-engine when he sat and watched the boiling kettle, so Mrs Maraisopened the door to a great colonial industry when she held that infantostrich between her knees, and stuffed it with minced eggs and liver.