Some East African Pets 



mine, though hardly more than half the size of 

 the other two, established himself on a footing of 

 perfect equality with them, and their subsequent 

 gambols were most amusing to see. The older 

 ones proved failures as pets ; when let out on 

 deck they would rush into out-of-the-way corners, 

 whence they were extracted with much difficulty 

 and some risk to one's fingers. Sheitani, my 

 animal, however, got more and more gentle ; 

 would follow me up and down the deck, and 

 climb into my lap when I was sitting down, 

 always ready for a game. He seemed more 

 peacefully disposed towards other animals as 

 well, for when I let loose my tame guinea- 

 fowls on deck near him, he made not the 

 slightest attempt to seize them, though such 

 birds must, one would think, be the serval's 

 natural prey. Neither were the birds them- 

 selves alarmed ; but they were not easily 

 frightened, for, though " born very wild," like 

 Artemus Ward's crows, these guinea-fowls are 

 easily tamed, and my specimens were absolutely 

 impudent, abusing the freedom of range which 

 they shared with Sheitani by getting into all 

 kinds of mischief and awkward places. At one 

 time I would find one amusing himself by pecking 

 the unfortunate fowls in the coop ; on another 

 occasion all three were sitting on a bulwark, 



whence a chance gust or lurch of the ship would 



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