They were soon roused, and Fritz overcoming his drowsiness before the others, ran out for his jackal; it was cold and stiff from the night air, and he placed it on its legs before the tent, in a most life-like attitude, and stood by to watch the effect upon the family.
The dogs were the first to perceive their enemy, and growling, seemed inclined to dispose of the animal as they had disposed of its brethren in the night, but Fritz called them off. The noise the dogs made, however, had the effect of bringing out the younger children, and many were the exclamations they made at the sight of the strange animal.
`A yellow dog!' cried Franz.
`A wolf!' exclaimed Jack.
`It is a striped fox,' said Ernest.
`Hullo,' said Fritz. `The greatest men may make mistakes. Our
Professor does not know a jackal when he sees one.'
`But really,' continued Ernest, examining the animal, `I think it is a fox.'
`Very well, very well,' retorted Fritz, `no doubt you know better than your father! He thinks it is a jackal.'
`Come boys,' said I, `no more of this quarrelling; you are none of you very far wrong, for the jackal partakes of the nature of all three, dog, wolf, and fox.'
The monkey had come out on Jack's shoulder, but no sooner did it catch sight of the jackal, than it fled precipitately back into the tent, and hid itself in a heap of moss until nothing was visible but the tip of its little nose. Jack soothed and comforted the frightened little animal, and I then summoned them all to prayers, soon after which we began our breakfast.