Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-18


 the sun began to sink, and no aid ap- peared, the novelty became irksome Night would bring no aid, for the bird, being male, and it being the breeding season, he would not roost. At last Hottentot came out on the veldt, and a united scream attracting his attention, he and another hired man came with thorn branches and drove the bird into camp. The girls were a week before their stiff ness disappeared.
 It is not every one who gets off so easily as this. once had terrible fight with an old bird, myself. that, but for the timely aid of a muscular young lady, might have gone hard with me. I was riding in from one of the neighboring farms about ten miles away, and when within a short distance of Le Roux's farm, I met his daughter returning from one of her botanical expeditions through the kloofs or dry water courses, which are very rich in flora and mosses. Idismounted to walk with her, and gave the horse his head, knowing that he would go straight home, and could watch him all the way. We walked slowly along, gathering a flower here, and a piece of fern there, when suddenly heard rushing sound amid the dense vegetation lining the sides or the dry kloof; this was followed by a scrambling over loose stones, and finally the head, followed by the body, of old Ru- fus, the worse rogue ostrich in the camp, appeared upon the scene. He was an aw- ful brute, always breaking camp and do- ing some damage, and he had got me in a rather tight place, for I had no time to cut a thorn, and had only my riding whip in my hand. He weighed about three hundred pounds, and his head lowered fully seven feet above his dangerous two- toed feet. He gave me very little time to consider on a course of action; he just lowered his head and came at me. His object was to get within about three feet and then strike at my face with his foot, like game cock strikes, stroke, which, if it caught me, would probably tear flesh and sinew for several feet, making a hor- rible wound. Fortunately was not new to their tricks, and telling Miss Le Roux to stand clear waited for the beast, and whirling the heavy lash of my whip round my head, drew it right across its eyes, and then dropping the whip closed with the bird, catching it by the neck with my left hand and by the wing with my right hand. This brought me to close quarters, and prevented the bird using his feet. It was no light task I had on hand. tripped my antagonist again and again, but every time it recovered its footing We crashed around and around for fully ten minutes, and I began to feel my strength giving out. The muscles of my fingers seemed relaxing, and twice I had to get fresh grip on the wing joint. The bird seemed to know this, and redoubled its efforts to get me down, when it would have made short work of me. I began to wonder if Miss Le Roux was out of dan ger yet, and felt dizzy, when suddenly the bird seemed to collapse, and I fell right across it on the ground.
 ssHold him another minute. There.' heard satisfied voice say with a laugh, and I either tainted for n minute or two, or lost my breath and became deoxy- genized. \ minute later I sat up to find Miss Le Roux sitting by my side, amused ly regarding Rufus, who with his legs firmly tethered in n slip moose made of my soft pliable lash, was presenting a most ridiculous object by trying to rise up with out the use of his legs. The plucky girl ! had watched her opportunity to help me, and had slipped the moose round the birds I legs just in time. When l stood up I dis. covered my riding boots were cut through in several places by the birds sharp toes a sort of a promise uf what l might hay, expected if he had got chance at me. 1 lit n cigar, and getting hold of his head,
 blew smoke into his throat until I nearl, choked him and rendered him half drunk Then I let his legs loose, and it was
 sight to see the completely cowed bull
 stagger across the veldt. From that da,
 to the time when left the farm old Rufu
 had no use for me, and gave me a yer,
 wide berth.
 Ostriches are very peculiar birds. The
 will swallow anything that attracts them
 whether eatable or not, and I opened tn
 hsNslx x-saf frN
 glass, q good handful of nails, a pal
 of scissors, and several metal capsules of
 bottles, mixed with quantity of stones
 etc. At one time l wore rather larg
 scarf pin, made by native out of a gar
 net had found in the Vaal river, and go
 ing into the camp one day, an ostrich
 was helping to hold made dig at it, an
 swallowed it before I knew it was gone.
 have seen an ostrich seize n lighted pip
 from a mans mouth and swallow it. Tn
 fun came in when the man, mad at th
 loss of his pipe, seized the bird by th
 throat, threw him down, and sitting O his body, forced the pipe upward by tigh
 ly compressing the throat below the pip until he was enabled to reach the piI , with his fingers, and so draw it oJ
 through the birds mouth. The bird WI
 not any the worse, notwithstanding tf
 hot ashes of the tobacco in its throat, an the pipe was of course intact.
 They appear instinctively to know tn
 strangers will feed them. and follow the
 about with their heads stretched out; if I
 notice is taken of them they sit dow
 raise their wings and pound their hea, |, from side to side. We used to amuse Il | visitors by giving them fruit like an n
 pie to feed them with. Toss one to theT
 and they would swallow it, toss anoth | .al- fhax- o1c r then toss third, and the three would f seen working their way down the lol
 neck about ten inches apart. They dril
 water just in the same way, swallowing h in large gulps, as if it were Q solid su o stance instead of a fluid.
 e If dog gets into a camp there is trc if ble; the birds rush in all directions, a
 frequently hurt themselves badly agair 70 the wire fences. l remember one hen, l. female of a most exemplary pair of birt O getting badly hurt in this way, and havi :. to be killed. The male bird remained disconsolate widower for two years. a % all attempts to choose him mate We Is unavailing, as he vigorously attacked e' ia " bird placed in his camp, and neal
 killed them. At last he chose one, ms ,o nifcent bird, with full plumage, and it large as a male bird His lot was hen' it | IOTWdTu ui uAAhoPRy OAiet A.A0 m nized over him, and henpecked him ter ,e bly,, and whether it was that his spirit W k broken by his long fretting or what, cs 10 not say, but he never made the least b. tempt to emancipate himself and lived ne thoroughly hen-pecked husband. If ne bird is sick it is no use trying to cure it b. is pessimistic to degree, and makes
 it's mind it is all over and if the hurt ds not serisus one it will nope and ref IT. to eat, eventually dying, as it were, ot sheer spite at its master.
 is, The principal injury is generally h. fracture of a leg, which is accustomed D Y, peculiar habit they have of waltzing vi re in a good humor. They go round [ he round looking like balloons, until they III, come giddy and fall down, then the I cir leg breaks. Some of them catch the h. he of reversing almost as cleverly as ,ad man being. The funniest type seer om when solitary chick is weakly anS