THE MONKEY FAMILY. 



23 



trees to a certain extent ; and this enabled him to 

 have a little dairy, and enough of land to feed 

 his cattle, and to enclose a garden for the culinary 

 wants of his household. 



In passing up and down the river in your Indian 

 canoe, his house appeared to great advantage. 

 It stood near the top of a gently sloping hill ; 

 whilst the high trees of magnificent foliage sur- 

 rounded it on every side, saving that which faced 

 the river ; and there, the green sward came down 

 quite to the waters' edge. On viewing it, you 

 would have said, that it was as lovely a place, for 

 a man of moderate desires, as could be found on 

 this terrestrial globe. 



It happened, that one of Mynheers cows, which 

 was accustomed to range in the adjoining forest, 

 where sometimes a tapir had been seen to stray, 

 produced a calf. It was misshapen from its birth, 

 and it soon began to attract attention. 



Mynheer's wife would often invite her female 

 friends who were located in the neighbourhood, 

 and who were known to be exceedingly clever in 

 the breeding line, to see the little stranger. To 

 ti matron, they all agreed that it was a compound, 

 half bush-cow, and half domestic cow : — its mother, 

 no doubt whatever, having got married clandes- 

 tinely to a tapir which she must have met in one 

 of her excursions through the mazes of the forest. 



