20 THE OUT- STATION ; OR, 



uncivilised beings with civilised baboons, they drop 

 prodigiously in the scale of " social etiquette." 



Who is there that lived in Ceylon about the year 

 1832 that does not remember Esau? 



Poor Esau ! at last a victim to civilisation and a 

 taste for cognac ! 



Esau was a baboon, the property of Dr. , of 



the staff. Although in height somewhat under the 

 military standard (being between four and five feet), 

 Esau gloried in scarlet and gold, and not unfre- 

 quently in a sword; but although he served, as will 

 presently be seen, to " point a moral," unfortunately 

 he could boast of no attribute whereby to " adorn a 

 tail." 



This extraordinary animal received an education 

 that would have made him an ornament to society in 

 general if he held his tongue. 



When Dr. dined at home, Esau invariably 



sat down to dinner with him, helping himself to what 

 he preferred like a Christian ; and although at first a 

 strong innate conviction on his part that fingers were 

 made before knives and forks caused some slight mis- 

 understanding, Esau at last gave in, and used these 

 seemingly superfluous articles. 



Ask Esau to take wine, and he would give you a 

 bow and grin worthy of a Gaul. 



Now it is not likely that such an original and 

 entertaining character would be kept long out of the 

 congenial clime and company of a mess-room (Reader 



