In ordinary circumstances the ostrich is a mild, inoffensive creature—indeed the female is always so; but when a male ostrich is what I may style nesting—when, enclosed in a large field or paddock, he guards his wives and his eggs—no lion of the desert, no tiger of the jungle or kloof, is more ferocious2 or more savagely4 bent5 on the death of any or all who dare to intrude6 on his domain7.
The power of the ostrich, too, is quite equal to his strength of will. He stands from seven to nine feet in height, and is very heavy.
His tremendous legs are his only weapons, and his kick is almost, if not quite, equal to that of a horse. Possessing enormous feet, with two toes on each, the horny points of which can cut and rip like cold chisels8, he rushes at an adversary9 and kicks, or hits out, straightforward10, like a prize-fighter. No unarmed man on earth could stand long before a furious male ostrich without being killed. But there are one or two weak points about him, which abate11 somewhat the danger of his attack. In the first place his power lies only in his mighty12 legs, the thighs13 of which—blue-grey and destitute14 of feathers—are like two shoulders of mutton. With his beak15 he can do nothing, and his long neck is so weak that if you can only lay hold of it and pull his head to the ground you are comparatively safe, for he cannot kick effectively in that position, and devotes all his energies, when thus caught, to useless attempts to pull his head out of your grasp. But, then, how are you to get hold of that neck—the root of which stands nearly as high as your own head—in the face of two claws that go like battering-rams wrought16 by lightning? As well might you attempt to lay hold of a prize-fighter’s nose while his active fists are darting17 out at you.
A powerful, active man has been known, when attacked while unarmed, to spring on the bird, grasp a wing with one arm and the body with the other, and hug it, but there is great danger in this method, because in the attempt you are pretty sure to receive at least one kick, and that, if it takes effect, will be quite sufficient to put you out of action. It also requires much power of endurance, for, hugging a creature that is strong enough to dance about and lift you off your legs in its wild efforts to get rid of you, must be hard work. Supposing that you do succeed, however, in holding on until you work your way along to the neck and get the head into custody18, then you can without much difficulty choke the bird, but a male ostrich costs about 150 pounds, and one hesitates to choke 150 pounds, even for the sake of one’s life, especially when the valuable bird belongs to one’s friend.
Another and perhaps the best plan, if you are caught unarmed, is to lie down. An ostrich cannot kick you when you lie flat on the ground, he can only dance on you, and although that process is unpleasant it is not necessarily fatal.
The ostrich is easily killed by a blow on the neck with a stout19 stick, but this is as objectionable as the choking process, on the ground of cost. In short, the only legitimate20 method of meeting a savage3 papa, in his own field, is with a strong forked pole eight or nine feet long, with which you catch the bird at the root of the neck, and thus keeping him at pole’s-length, let him kick and hiss21 away to his heart’s content till he is tired, or until assistance comes to you, or until you work him near a wall, when you may jump over and escape, for an ostrich will not jump.
Often have I gone, thus armed, with my friend Hobson to feed the nesting ostriches22. The risk of attack, I may mention in passing, is not great when two men go together, because the bird seems undecided which foe23 to attack, and generally ends by condescending24 to pick at the mealies, (Indian corn), which are thrown down to him.
One morning Hobson and his eldest25 son Six-foot Johnny and I mounted our steeds and rode away to the field in which one of the male ostriches dwelt with his meek26 brown wives. The wives are always brown, the husbands are jet-black, with the exception of those magnificent and pure white feathers in wings and tail which are so much prized and worn by the fair dames27 of Europe. Hobson carried a sack of mealies at his saddle-bow.
There were several male birds on the farm, all of which were distinguished28 by name. There were “Master,” and “David Marais,” and “Black Jack,” and “Blind-boy,” (minus one eye!) and “Gouws,” etcetera. Our visit that morning was to David Marais. David was by far the fiercest of the lot, but he was excessively fond of mealies, and could be attracted—though by no means appeased—by these.
“Johnny,” said Hobson, as we cantered along by the side of the little stream which caused a strip of bright fertility to wind like a green-snake over the brown Karroo, and which was, as it were, the life-blood of the farm, “Johnny, I want you to go to the nest and count the eggs, while I keep David in play.”
“Very well, father.”
The order, and the quiet acceptance of it, did not seem to involve much, yet Johnny had been ordered on somewhat dangerous service that morning, for David Marais was intensely watchful29 as well as savage. Several of the other males, although capable of giving way to temper, were so far amiable30 that my friend and I had frequently gone into their enclosures with our forked sticks and mealies, and had received no worse at their hands than a threatening attitude or a suspicious look, which passed away when the food was thrown down; but David’s temper was such that we never ventured into his paddock, contenting ourselves by throwing the mealies over the hedge or wall that bounded the field. This field, or enclosure, by the way, was not a small piece of ground which one could take in at a glance. It was more than a mile in extent, undulating in form, with a stream bisecting it, and mimosa bushes scattered31 here and there, so that from any one point you could not see the entire field, or ascertain32 its exact form or size. Sometimes, on going into such a field, one has to look about for the birds—also to “look out” for them, as they are prone33 to sudden assault!
But David Marais required no looking for. His large eagle-eye had detected us from afar, and we found him at the nearest extremity34 of the nearest angle of his grounds ready to give us battle, pacing slowly to and fro, with that peculiar35 motion of the wings which indicates suppressed wrath36.
We rode along close to his hedge a short distance, and he marched with us, brushing against the hedge and showing an anxious desire to get at us. If there had been a gap in that hedge he would have charged like a thunderbolt, but there was no gap, and it is a strange fact that an ostrich cannot leap—at least he will not. The merest trifle of an obstruction38—a bit of wall or hedge over which he could step with perfect ease—is sufficient to check his advance and keep him in; that is, if he walks up to it, but he is a stupid bird, and if he runs up to such an obstruction he may tumble over it, gather himself up on the other side, and so continue the charge.
On reaching a part of the hedge which dipped into a hollow, Hobson dismounted and opened the sack with the peace-offering. The bird, after breasting up to the hedge and finding it impassable, sat down on what may be styled his elbows, scraped his wings on the ground, and rolled his head and neck about in a fashion that is indescribable. This, I was told, was his method of rousing himself, or of relieving his feelings. It looked more like making a fool of himself. A handful of mealies seemed to irritate him at first, but by degrees the temptation became too strong. He commenced to pick a few seeds—ready, however, on the smallest provocation39, to forsake40 them, charge up to the hedge, and hiss at us.
“Now, Johnny, I’ll keep him in play,” said Hobson senior. “You go round to the nest. Keep well down in the hollows, else he’ll be sure to see you.”
Johnny at once rode off. The suspicious David looked after him and showed a tendency to retire in the direction of his nest, but Hobson raised his forked stick over the hedge and made a demonstration41 therewith. This was more than enough.
Inflated42 with rage David at once accepted the challenge, and rushed back to the hedge, over which another handful of mealies were thrown at him, but mealies had lost much of their power by that time. Thus, with alternate taunt43 and temptation was the false attack maintained by the father, while the real attack was made by the son, at the other extremity of the fortress44.
I followed the real attack. We did not go direct. The bird would at once have made for its nest had we done so. We rode off in the direction in which we had come until out of sight, and then, making a long circuit at full gallop45, came round to the other end of the enclosure, from which point the enemy could not be seen.
There was a wall to cross, then a deep hollow through which the little stream ran, then a belt of pretty thick bushes, beyond which, on the open plain, the nest was known to lie—if I may call that a nest which is a mere37 hollow in the sand, in which the eggs are laid. Here the female sits all day while the male marches about on guard. At night the male sits while the female goes about and feeds. They are most attentive46 parents, and there is a fitness in this arrangement as regards colour, for the brown female squatted47 on the brown Karroo is almost invisible in daylight, while the black male is equally invisible during the darkness of the night.
“You mustn’t come with me,” said Johnny, dismounting; “it would only increase the chance of my being seen by David.”
I was detailed48, therefore, to the inglorious duty of holding the horses, while my young friend made the assault alone.
He leaped the wall, descended49 into the bed of the stream, scrambled50 up the opposite bank, crossed the clump51 of small wood, and came out into the open. Now a short piece of this open—fifty yards or so, perhaps—was visible from the lower end of the field, where Hobson and David were still coquetting with each other. Johnny tried to skulk52 over this open ground. He might as well have sought to evade53 the eyes of Argus. The long-sighted bird caught the very first glint of his cap. Insult and mealies were alike unavailing now. He forsook54 the sire and made at the son with his great compass-like legs, covering the ground in tremendous as well as rapid strides. No race-horse ever cleared the ground like David Marais! Johnny saw that the “game was up.” Applying his own long legs to the ground with a will, he rushed at the nest. The female bounced up, ran a few yards, and squatted in helpless stupidity. Johnny counted the eggs, turned, and fled. Not a moment too soon! Indeed he was too late, for the ostrich was already close up, and Johnny’s retreat by the way he had come was cut off; but he turned at a sharp angle, and made for another clump of bushes, through which he plunged55 with a wild hilarious56 laugh, into the safe retreat of the river-bed. David Marais could not follow there, but he doubtless consoled himself with the reflection that he had gallantly57 defended his wife and little ones, and had beaten the enemy from the field!
Nothing of all this had I seen, for the belt of bushes hid the actors from view, but I heard the ringing laugh with rather anxious surprise, and saw Johnny emerge immediately after from the banks of the stream, flushed and panting from his adventure.
That I do not exaggerate the power and ferocity of these birds, may be gathered from an incident which occurred to Hobson himself, and which he related on our way home.
One morning he rode to the enclosure of the bird named Master, and entered, intending to feed him and his wife with mealies. Master must have risen off his wrong side that morning, for, instead of amiably58 accepting his breakfast, he made a sudden and furious rush at his benefactor59. Hobson’s horse wheeled round and bolted,—no wonder, with the claw of an ostrich acting60 as a spur on his flank! The horse was so frightened that he fairly ran away. Master ran after him, and, being much fleeter, kept on kicking his legs and flanks, so that they were soon covered with blood, and once he kicked so high as to cut the crupper. The horse became almost mad with terror, and quite ungovernable. It was chased round and round the place, the walls being too high to leap, and the gate having been closed. At last the horse dashed madly into a mimosa bush, and stuck fast. The impetuous Master followed, but, before he could back out, Hobson caught him by the throat in his powerful grasp. He held on until Master choked. Not wishing to kill the bird, he then let go, and Master dropped like a stone. Hobson then galloped61 to the river, but Master, who recovered immediately, came rushing on to renew the attack. Hobson, however, had found shelter and safety behind some bushes in the bed of the stream.
Not long after our visit to David Marais, I went with Six-foot Johnny to the territory which belonged to Blind-boy. That sagacious bird was not so blind but that, with his one eye, he observed us coming, and met us more than half-way. Knowing him to be, comparatively, a peaceable bird, and being mounted, we entered the enclosure and rode towards him. From certain symptoms and rufflings of the feathers and cockings of the tail, however, my companion knew that Blind-boy was not as amiable as might have been wished.
“Take care,” said Johnny.
“Why?” said I.
“Because he’s angry.”
The signs of wrath did not appear to me very obvious, but I afterwards came to understand that, in an ostrich, a small amount of demonstration means an extreme depth of anger.
We rode slowly forward. Blind-boy advanced as slowly, with a dangerous motion of the wings.
“Keep on this side of the ditch,” said Johnny. “Now, then, we’d better be off.”
Before I well understood that it was advisable to get out of the bird’s way, my companion had put spurs to his horse, and was off like an arrow. Or ever I was aware what my horse meant to do, I was almost thrown to the ground. He whirled on his hind-legs—without orders,—and went off like the wind. Nothing but a natural tendency to hold tight with my knees prevented me from being left beside Blind-boy. We went at racing-speed to the gate, and then found, on looking back, that we might have spared ourselves the rush, for Blind-boy was standing62 as we left him! The ditch had proved an impassable barrier, and he was gazing after us in apparent wonder at our haste. My own wonder at the smart behaviour of my horse was removed when Johnny told me that it was the identical steed his father had ridden when attacked, as I have described, by Master.
Johnny himself was once assaulted, trampled63 on, and severely64 cut about the head, by one of these same ostriches, and might have been killed if his father had not chanced to be at hand. Johnny was younger at the time, and, in the foolish ardour of youth, attempted to rise when knocked down. This gave the ostrich the opportunity of once and again repeating his blows. If the lad had lain still he would have suffered less. I might draw a beautiful moral on submission65 and humility66 out of this, but won’t.
Strange to say, the male ostrich loses nearly all his courage when out of his own proper paddock or domain. This was illustrated67 to me one morning in the case of Gouws. We were walking by the side of his enclosure, and he was advancing to meet us in his own warlike style, when we observed that the gate was open. Before we could get near to close it Gouws marched through. If we had entered his grounds an attack would have been highly probable, but no sooner did he find himself outside the accustomed wall than the spirit in him changed. He looked confusedly round at the unfamiliar68 objects, then dropped his defiant69 tail, and fled.
It cost us the better part of a forenoon, with temperature at 105 degrees in the shade, before we succeeded in driving that bird back into his own paddock, and all that time he was running away from us, overwhelmed, apparently70, with fear!
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1
ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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chisels
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| n.凿子，錾子( chisel的名词复数 )；口凿 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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abate
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| vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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ostriches
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| n.鸵鸟( ostrich的名词复数 )；逃避现实的人，不愿正视现实者 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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meek
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| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
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dames
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| n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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forsake
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| vt.遗弃，抛弃；舍弃，放弃 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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inflated
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| adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨 | |
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taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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skulk
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| v.藏匿；潜行 | |
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53
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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forsook
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| forsake的过去式 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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56
hilarious
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| adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed | |
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gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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benefactor
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| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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68
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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69
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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70
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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