The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-02-11

good terms as was possible under the
circumstances. They didn't "caw, cav"
| believe, more than they could help
about the windows and verandah, and
they only stole the servants things,
rarely mine. The state Of affairs was
like the truce between Bertram and the
smugglers in Guy Mannering," and it
would have been we'll with me if ! had
compromised with the thieves and let
them alone, but didn't On that SAN
culinary morning slaughtered a heap
of the enemy, who fell from the clouds
on their murdered comrades as fast as |
could load and fire, so great was the mul-
titude, and so long had they remained
unmolested. In fact, by the time | had
exhausted my cartridges, might have
said. with Alexander Selkirk, their
tameness was shocking to me. sup
posed was free from the enemy for
long time to come. Not a bit Of it.
The next morning went out alone to
gather some mushrooms on the plain be-
yond my bungalow, but had not gone far
before was pursued by a few crows,
who screamed and cawed over my head
with every expression of adherence and
indignation, even sweeping down at
times IS if to strike me with their wings.
At first | laughed, but as proceeded the
crows increased in number. Crows
from all parts Of the cantonment arrived
attracted by the noise. and cawed and
swooped over my head until | was fairly
beaten by the clamor. and had to return
to the house for peace sake. And for
several days afterwards this happened,
the crows even following me toward the
parade ground when on horseback, un-
til by degrees their number lessened, and
it was only the rascals belonging to my
own compound that saluted me with
hoarse execrations whenever appeared
in their midst.
The English reader may smile, but |
can assure him it is no joke to make an
enemy of the Indian crows. Overcome
by heat and exhaustion, one may wish
in vain for sleep. Natures sweet re-
storer,' if crows are in the vicinity.
They will "caw" you into fever and
even a Quaker might swear under the
provocation.
Next in the scale of nuisances ! place
the sparrow. Individually suffer little
from mosquitoes. or Of course | should
give the insect precedence; but sparrows
are in truth a torment. They are as
bold as the crows, and their twittering is
nearly as aggravating as the "caws" Of
the others. know little Of the history
of sparrows, but l am under the i'm
preston that when the cock and hen are
not love-making they are laying, and
when they are not laying they are build
ing nests. They are never idle-would
that they were! Now, in Indian bunga-
lows the ceiling is often formed Of
plastered white cloth that conceals the
rafers, and inside this the sparrows love
to build their nests, tearing holes in the
| rotton cloth with their stout bills for that
purpose. Once they are in you might as
we'll have an organ grinder there, for all
the peace the unhappy householder gets
down below. Such Autteriugs, squeak
ings, twitterings and thumpings as go on
above the cloth, would drive any one
mad, and unless. on Jack Mytton's
principle of curing the hiccough, one
was to set FIRE to the house, there is little
chance Of getting rid of them. Once,
with the thermometer at o2 deg a sleep
less night over whist and Van John. l
was enraged to that extent, that closed
all the doors and windows, seized pei
let bow, and fired bullets in hundreds
against the destroyers Of my peace and
happiness. But l could only kill one
fat cock bird in exchange for quantities
of dust in my eyes, broken lamp, and
a ruined picture through which sent
golee or ball. Poisoned. grain, under
stand, destroys this pest, but ! have a
horror Of using poison on anything ami
mate, however obnoxious.
could only once bring myself to ad-
minister arsenic to musk rats, another Of
the animal plaques of Indian life. There
is nothing more hideous TO my mind
than one of these pig-like, obnoxious
rats lived in house that literally
swarmed with them, and there was moth
ing in the way Of furniture or wearing
apparel in the rooms that was not stepped
in the oppressive odor of musk. They
used actually to get into our beds at
night and crawl over the body, until
thought Of myself as the idle apprentice
in Hogarth's celebrated pen picture.
Everything | ate or drank had favor
of musk, so that at last, driven to des-
peration, l set saucers of white arsenic
and bread and milk about, and waited
the result. It came in an unexpected
manner, in the odor of putrefying animal
matter, and when it was too late ! knew
that there was decomposing rat in eve-
| ny hole and corner of my unlucky man.
sion. III had not quilted it immediate
| ly, / believe ! should have shortly be-
come musk man myself
A great nuisance in some parts Of In
| I:. =. ~ ;near3 rallad IN the varna r,,1or =