“It is not bad eating by any means,” said the Major, as they were at supper.
“No; it is something like old veal,” replied Swinton. “Now, what is Omrah about? He is after some mischief, by the way he creeps along.”
“A monkey is a fool to that boy,” observed the Major, “and he appears to know how to imitate every animal he has ever heard.”
“Did you hear the dance he led some of the Hottentots on Sunday evening, when we were at the Mission?”
“No; what was that?”
“Bremen told me of it; I thought he would have died with laughing. You are aware that there is a species of bird here which they call the honey-bird,—by naturalists, the Cuculus indicator; do you not remember I showed you a specimen which I was preserving?”
“You have showed us so many specimens, that I really forget.”
“Well I should have given you at the same time the natural history of the bird. It is very partial to honey, upon which it lives as much as it can; but as the bees make their hives in the trunks of old decayed trees, and the hole they enter by is very small, the bird cannot obtain it without assistance. Its instinct induces it to call in the aid of man, which it does by a peculiar note, like cher-cher-cher, by which it gives notice that it has found out a beehive. The natives of Africa well know this, and as soon as the bird flies close to them, giving out this sound, they follow it; the bird leads them on, perching every now and then, to enable them to keep up with him, until it arrives at the tree, over which it flutters without making any more noise.”
“How very curious!”
“Little Bushman knows this as well as the Hottentots, and hearing that they were going out in search of honey, he went before them into the wood, concealing himself, and imitating the note of the bird so exactly that the Hottentots went on following it for several miles, wondering how it was that the bird should lead them such a distance, but unwilling to give up the pursuit. About sunset, he had brought them back to the very edge of the wood from whence they had started, when he showed himself about one hundred yards ahead of them, dancing, capering, and tumbling so like Begum, that they thought it was her before them, and not him. He gained the caravan again without their knowing who played them the trick; but he told Swanevelt, who speaks his language, and Swanevelt told Bremen.”