BOBBY. 181 



and were looking forward to seeing him when, after 

 all, we had to part with him. Just three weeks before 

 we sailed poor old Bobby was suddenly paralyzed, and 

 died in a few hours. We never knew what caused his 

 death : whether his unconquerable curiosity had led 

 him to eat something poisonous ; whether the enforced 

 sedentary life he had led for so many weeks together 

 had undermined his constitution ; or whether occasional 

 dead snakes, and the contents of the mouse-traps, which 

 during his detention were always contributed in hope 

 of partially satisfying his large appetite, were perhaps 

 unwholesome diet, and shortened his days, we cannot 

 tell. But Bobby was sadly missed ; and we still regret 

 that brightest and most comical of all our pets. 



Some will perhaps say, " What foolish people these 

 must have been, to tolerate a black imp of mischief 

 who destroyed their vegetables, ate their eggs, killed 

 their chickens, did his best to pull down their house, 

 and whose neck ought to have been wrung ! " But, 

 just as among the human race those characters we love 

 best are not always the most faultless, so poor Bobby, 

 full of imperfections as he was far from honest, not 

 always sober, and with that terrible bent for mischief 

 making him so often a nuisance yet possessed so many 

 lovable qualities that his failings were redeemed ; and 

 he lives in our recollection as one of the kindest and 

 most faithful of all our South African friends. We 

 could have better spared a better bird. 



