Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/54

 of the cats of Egypt. When a fire occurred, the people allowed it to rage itself out, while they stood round and tried to prevent the cats from being burnt. But the animals slipped past them into the flames and invariably perished. Whereupon the whole household went into mourning, and shaved their eyebrows.”

“Well, I never!” said Harry, in great astonishment.

“They were buried at Bubastis—embalmed as thou sayest.”

“Father knows a man who has some cat mummies, I believe,” said Harry. “I must get him to show them to me. They must be funny things to have about the house. Please tell me some more animal yarns, Herodotus.”

“Dogs, hawks, and shrew-mice, and, of course, ibises, were buried in sacred spots; but wolves and bears, of which there were but few, were buried where they were found.”

“And the crocodiles: what happened to them ?”

“Ah! there was a difference in their case. Some Egyptians con- sidered them sacred, others as a foe. Some of them—those who dwelt near Lake Mœris—tamed one special crocodile, and put rings of gold in his ears, and bracelets on his forefeet. Special food was prepared for him, and when he died there was great ceremony. The people of Elephantine, however, did not hold them sacred, but ate them.”

“It must be pretty difficult to catch a crocodile,” reflected Harry.

“I will tell thee one mode of capture. A piece of pork was placed upon a hook and flung into the centre of the stream, while a man upon the bank beat a pig. The cries of the pig attracted the crocodile, who swam towards the shore, came upon the pork, swallowed it, and was then dragged to land and killed.”

“Rather a good idea,” said Harry. “Ugh! they do look such brutes. I’ve seen them at the Zoo.”

“They are indeed terrible. Only one creature fears them not— that is the bird called the trochilus. It happens that the crocodile, owing to its living in the water, has his mouth infested with leeches. When he comes out of the water and lies upon the land he opens his jaws and lies with them thus, facing the west. Then the trochilus flies into the crocodile′s mouth and devours the leeches, greatly to the relief of the animal, who does not harm the bird.”

“That is most interesting,” said Harry. “Not very pleasant, though, for the tro—troch—what d′you call him ?—trochilus, if the crocodile shut his mouth by mistake.”