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RIDING ON AN OSTRICH 231 |
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made, with the skin of a sea-dog, a sort of hood, which covered the head, being fastened about the neck. I made two openings in the side of this hood, one opposite each eye, and I covered each of these holes with one of our little turtle-shells, attached to a whale-bone spring, fixed in such a manner that it would open and shut. Reins were fastened to these eye-caps, so that we could open or shut them, just as we pleased. When the two shells were open, the ostrich galloped straight on ; when one was opened he went in a direction corresponding with the eye that received light, and when both shells were shut, he would stop short. The most fully trained horse could not have obeyed better than our ostrich did, under his novel head-dress.
The next thing was to teach him to cany someone on his back, but we had a great deal of difficulty in making him submit to our wishes. I was not, however, discouraged, and at last we had the satisfaction of seeing our new courser striding swiftly along with one of the boys on his back.
After this the question of ownership came up again, with all its difficulties. Jack would not give up his pretensions, while Francis and Fritz protested loudly against his rights. |
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