THE CAPTURE OF MOSES 



87 



away as he could see it. He also knew the instru- 

 ment used in opening them, but he did not appear 

 to appreciate the fact that when the contents had 

 once been taken out it was useless to open the can 

 again, so he often brought the empty cans that had 

 been thrown into the bush, would get the can-opener 

 down, and want me to use it for him. I never saw 

 him try to open it himself, except with his fingers. 

 Sometimes, when about to prepare my own meals, I 

 would open the case in which I kept stored a supply 

 of canned meats, and allow Moses to select one for 

 the purpose. He never failed to pull out one of the 

 cans of beef, bearing the red and blue label. If I 

 put it back he would select the same kind, and 

 could not be deceived in his choice. It was not 

 accidental, because he would hunt for one until he 

 found it. 



I don't know what he thought when it was not 

 served for dinner, as I often exchanged it for another 

 kind without consulting him. 



I kept my supply of water in a large jug, which 

 was placed in the shade of the bushes near the cage. 

 I also kept a small pan for Moses to drink out of 

 He would sometimes ask for water, by using his own 

 word for it. He would place his pan by the side of 

 the jug and repeat the sound a few times. If he was 

 not attended to he proceeded to help himself He 

 could take the cork out of the jug quite as well as I 

 could. He would then put his eye to the mouth of 

 it, and look down into the vessel to see if there was 

 any water. Of course the shadow of his head would 



