THE
TWO GOATS
AND THE
SICK MONKEY.
PORTLAND:
BAILEY & NOYES.
There are two or three kinds of Goats: One kind is called an I-bex, another a Chamois, and the other a Goat. This is an Ibex, and his horns are different [Pg 3]from the tame goat who has a long beard. The Ibex runs over the highest rocks as easily as you can run on this floor, though his feet are but four little hoofs. So also can the Goat.—I heard of two goats [Pg 4]who met on a narrow ridge on the side of a very high rock, as high as the Old-South steeple, and neither could turn out, nor go back, nor pass along, the path was so narrow. What were these two poor goats to do? If they fell, it would have killed them directly, and there they stood crying and no one could help them, because no one could get near to [Pg 5]them. People could see them only. I'll tell you what they did. One of them kneeled down and the other went so carefully over his back, that both got safely by.
This Dog is angry. He is barking loudly at somebody.
The Gazelle or Deer runs swift away when he hears the roar, and the deer can run faster than most other creatures. Venison is the meat of Deer, and the hunters[Pg 7] shoot him when they wish this meat. The Indians who live in the woods, used to shoot the deer with bows and arrows, before guns and bullets were known.
See this peaked-nose Racoon. This fellow[Pg 8] can run up a tree just as easy as we can upon the ground, and play and sport on the very ends of the branches. He takes his victuals in his two fore paws, and eats like a squirrel. The hunters shoot him for his fur, which they sell to the hatters.
Let us go to the cold and frozen sea, and look at the Sea Elephant, or Walrus. These ivory tusks are hard as iron[Pg 9] and white as snow, and under his skin is plenty of lamp oil. He is killed with a harpoon, and sometimes with a club. It must be very cold work to be hunting walruses where the sea is[Pg 10] frozen almost the year round, where the great white bear lives, and seals and whales are playing about.
The Monkey is the nearest like to us of all the animals that live. He will try to do every thing he sees us do. I once knew a monkey who was sick, and we wished to give him a little medicine, but Jock would not touch it; so one day when he was[Pg 11] looking at us we mixed some sugar and water in a glass, and drank it, and then mixed in the same glass some medicine and water, and set it aside, knowing that he would drink it if we went out and left him alone; and sure enough he did get at the glass and emptied it, and soon found out he had taken a good doze of physic. Pug got well in a short time, without any doctor, and would[Pg 12] often amuse us by drinking a glass of wine. He is talking with the Kan-ga-roo. Your good health sir. Tell me if you please, in what part of the world you live, what you eat, and why you are sitting[Pg 13] on your hind legs half the time? If you ever come to New-Holland, answers the Kangaroo, you can always see me, my hind legs are twice as long as my fore legs, and I eat grain and grass for dinner.
We will now talk a little of the Elk. He is a kind of deer without horns, and lives in cold countries. His flesh is good food, and his skin will make leather. But as you perhaps will never see one alive, I will[Pg 15] introduce you to the dirtiest and most lazy creature living, I mean the Hog. He always wants to be eating and drinking; he loves to wallow in the mire, and to grunt away his time in rooting up the earth. A man once took a pig[Pg 16] into his house, taught him the letters, and afterwards showed him as a Learned Pig, from doing which he got a great deal of money. I hope you will become a learned man and then you will be rich enough. When you have read all the Concord Picture Books and can tell the names of the kings of England, we will have something else for you.
Good bye.[Pg 17]
