SOME OF OUR PETS. 27 



pens stuck behind his ear. Altogether an uncanny- 

 looking creature, and one which, had he appeared in 

 England some two or three centuries ago, would have 

 stood a very fair chance of being burned alive in com- 

 pany with the old witches and their cats ; indeed, he 

 looked the part of a familiar spirit far better than the 

 blackest cat could possibly do. 



Yet with all his diabolical appearance, Jacob was 

 very friendly and affectionate, and soon grew most 

 absurdly tame too tame, in fact. He would come 

 running to us the moment we appeared in the verandah, 

 and would follow us about the garden, nibbling like a 

 puppy at our hands and clothes. He would walk, 

 quite uninvited, into the house, where his long-legged 

 ungainly figure looked strangely out of place, and 

 where he was much too noisy to be allowed to remain, 

 although the broadest of hints in the shape of wet 

 bath-sponges, soft clothes-brushes, Moorish slippers, 

 and what other harmless missiles came to hand, were 

 quite unavailing to convince him he was not wanted. 

 The noisy scuffle and indignant gruntings attendant 

 on his forcible expulsion had hardly subsided before 

 he would reappear, walking sedately in at the first 

 door or window available, as if nothing had happened. 



His objectionable noises were very numerous ; and 

 some of them were unpleasantly suggestive of a hos- 

 pital. He would commence, for instance, with what 

 seemed a frightful attack of asthma, and would appear 

 to be very near the final gasp ; then for about ten 

 minutes he would have violent and alarming hiccups ; 



