Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1907-08-09


the ship to take charge of the unloading
of his poultry, taking with him a Gu
ban youth as interpreter. The inter-
prefer was the cause of all the trouble
Ostriches, like falcons, are tractable
when they can't see, and so when it is
desired to load or unload them they
are hooded. The interpreter asked Mr..
Barbour If it wasn't hot for the os-
riches with the hoods over their heads,
and Mr.. Barbour conceded that it was,
at the same time stepping into the cab
in to attend TO- sQ@4 papers. The in
terpreter, mist3f ting Mr.. Bar
bour's assent g his o6viop6iy correct
remark upon the weather, obviously
unhooded two of the desert chicks. and
trouble began Immediately to ensue
and kept right on ensuing.
But all that is depression. The two
birds romped about, kicking right and
left, while crew and passengers took
refuge below or aloft, and they COB
bled a few Delaying pins and bolt
heads and other hard things to digest
that were thrown at them or that they
found lying about. Then they stalked
back and forth majestically, and the
rooster bird tried to crow and flap his
wings, but failed absurdly, as the crow
Of the ostrich and his wings are rudi-
mentary.
The sudden activity aboard the Allie
mania, caused by the loosing of the
birds, had been followed by enforced
idleness Of all hands, and the problem
Of how to unload the rest Of the cargo
became serious one, the captain
swearing loudly that he couldn't af-
ford to pay demurrage on account Of a
couple Of blanked dry land stormy pet
rels. Finally some one suggested that
they might be caught by sprinkling
salt on their tails, and the cook was
ordered up from his galley with sack
Of salt. He came up pale and trem-
bling and was saved from the deadly
kick Of the ostrich only by the timely
interpositton Of an ornithologist among
the passengers, who called the angry
captains attention to the fact that
ostriches haven't any tails.
One who had travelled In Africa then
famed hope again into a flicker by
suggesting that If they only had some
sand for the ostriches to stick their
heads into they could catch them cas-
lily; that that was the way they always
caught them in the desert, where there
is plenty Of sand.
A boat was at once lowered and dis
patched to the city for sand. When it
returned with its cargo the sand was
hoisted aboard and dumped on the
deck at the end farthest from the
estriches and made into nice heaps
like gigantic golf tees, after which sew
eral Of the crew were sent around in
the boat to the bow Of the ship, at
which end the ostriches Rere, to say
"ShQov' The ostriches wouldn't ''shoo,"
as they had found a keg of nails and
80 were taking dinner.
"A brave lady went out among the
sand dunes and called, "Birdy, birdyw
But the desert scorchers disregarded
her Establishments. A small boy asked
the captain why he didn't scuttle the
lhip and drown 'em alive, like the pi-
ruts do" About that time the birds
finished the key Of nails and came
majestically stalking aft, but stopped
halfway and began picking their teeth
with their toe nails. The ornithologist
suddenly remembered that ostriches in
captivity are very fond Of broken bot,
ties, especially for dessert, and two of
The crew were at once set to work
breaking bottles When the ostriches
sighted the dainty repast they made
for it with all haste, and while they
were RECALLING themselves ropes were
put about their legs and they were
carried ashore bound hand and foot.