Part 1 (2/2)
”Well, one lives and learns,” said Ready ”I have learnt so to-day, which everyone will to the last day of his life, if he will only ask questions I'm an oldway; but I should have known much less if I did not ask for infornorance; that's the way to learn, Master Williaood advice, Ready, - and, Williarave; ”never be asha of what you do not understand”
”I always do, papa Do I not ask you questions, Ready?”
”Yes, you do, and very clever questions for a boy of your age; and I only wish that I could answer theo do, rave; ”perhaps Ready will see the baby down safe”
”That I will,his quadrant on the capstan: ”now, Juno, give irl! how often do I tell you that? Some day or another you will come doith a run”
”And break my head,” said Juno
”Yes, or break your arm; and then who is to hold the child?”
As soon as they were all down in the cabin, the captain and Mr Seagrave marked the position of the vessel on the chart, and found that they were one hundred and thirty miles from the Cape of Good Hope
”If the wind holds, we shall be in to-rave to his wife ”Juno, perhaps you may see your father and mother”
Poor Juno shook her head, and a tear or two stole down her dark cheek With a ed to a Dutch boor, who had gone with them many miles into the interior: she had been parted from them when quite a little child, and had been left at Cape Town
Chapter III
The nextthe Pacific arrived at the Cape and anchored in Table Bay
”Why do they call this Table Bay, Ready?” said Williareat mountain the Table Mountain, Master William; you see how flat the mountain is on the top”
”Yes, it is quite as flat as a table”
”Yes, and so down over the top of it in a very curiousthe tablecloth: it is a sign of bad weather”
”Then I hope they will not spread the tablecloth while we are here, Ready,” said William, ”for I shall certainly have no appetite We have had bad weather enough already, and mamma suffers so much from it What a pretty place it is!”
”We shall rerave, ”if you and Mrs Seagrave would like to go on shore”
”I will go down and ask Mrs Seagrave,” said her husband, ent down the ladder, followed by Williarave, she replied that she was quite satisfied with the shi+p having noon shore; it was therefore decided that she should reer children, and that, on the following day, Mr Seagrave should take Williaht
The next e boats, and Mr Seagrave, accompanied by Captain Osborn, went on shore with Williaood; but that he always did, and alht As soon as they landed, they went up to a gentleman's house, hom Captain Osborn was acquainted They stayed for a few lass of lemonade, for it was very waro to the Company's Gardens and see the wild beasts which were confined there, at which Williahted, and Tommy clapped his hands with joy
”What are the Company's Gardens, papa?” inquired William
”They were made by the Dutch East India Company, at the time that the Cape of Good Hope was in their possession They are, properly speaking, Botanical Gardens; but, at the same tireat many, but they have not been paid attention to lately, for we have plenty of these aniland now”
”What shall we see?” said Toe den together,” said Captain Osborn
”Oh! I want to see a lion”
”You o too near them, recollect”
”No, I won't,” said Toates, Tommy escaped from Captain Osborn, and ran away in his hurry to see the lions; but Captain Osborn caught hiain, and held hie birds,” said the gentleman who accompanied them; ”they are called Secretaries, on account of the feathers which hang behind their heads, as the feather of a pen does when a clerk puts it behind his ear: but they are very useful, for they are snake-killers; indeed, they would, if they could, live altogether upon snakes, which they are very great ene one escape They strike them with their feet, and with such force as to kill them immediately”
”Are there many snakes in this country?” inquired Williarave; ”so that these birds are very useful in destroying thehty, in his wisdoed it that no animal (especially of a noxious kind) shall bepreyed upon by some other; indeed, wherever in any country an anienerally found another animal which destroys it The Secretary inhabits this country where snakes exist in nuland the bird would be of little value”
”But soe or too fierce to be destroyed by others, papa; for instance, the elephant and the lion”
”Very true; but these larger animals do not breed so fast, and therefore their numbers do not increase so rapidly For instance, a pair of elephants will not haveone in the space of two years or more; while the rabbits, which are preyed upon and the food of so many other beasts as well as birds, would increase enorh the whole of creation, and you will find that there is an unerring hand, which invariably preserves the balance exact; and that there are no h accidental circuht alteration”
They continued their walk until they cae place, in closed with a strong and high wall of stone, with only oneto it for the visitors to look at the iron bars running from the top to the bottom; but the width between the bars was such that a lion could put his paw out with ease; and they were therefore cautioned not to go too near It was a fine sight to see eight or ten of these noble-looking ani down in various attitudes, quite indifferent apparently to the people outside--basking in the sun, and slowlytheir tufted tails to and fro William examined them at a respectful distance from the bars; and so did Tommy, who had his mouth open with astonishment, in which there was at first not a little fear entle at the Cape, was relating to Mr Seagrave and Captain Osborn some very curious anecdotes about the lion William and they were so interested, that they did not perceive that Toratedof the den Tommy looked at the lions, and then he wanted tolion, about three years old, as lying down nearest to the ; and Tommy took up a stone and threw it at him: the lion appeared not to notice it, for he did not h he fixed his eyes upon Tommy; so Tommy becameeach time nearer to the bars of the
All of a sudden the lion gave a treainst the iron bars of the cage with such force that, had they not been very strong, it must have broken them As it was, they shook and rattled so that pieces of mortar fell from the stones Tommy shrieked; and, fortunately for himself, fell back and tumbled head over heels, or the lion's paould have reached hirave ran up to Toht as soon as he could fetch his breath, while the lion stood at the bars, lashi+ng his tail, snarling, and showing his enors
”Take me away--take htened
”What did you do, Tommy?” said Captain Osborn
”I won't throw anyterrified towards the anirave scolded Torees he became more composed; but he did not recover himself until they had walked some distance away from the lion's den
They then looked at the other ani a most respectful distance froo near to a Cape sheep with a broad tail
When they had seen everything, they went back to the gentleman's house to dinner; and, after dinner, they returned on board
Chapter IV