CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
THE LITTLE HYRAX.
It is not quite correct to say that they stood upon the summit. Theyhad reached the top of the hill, but still above them rose thesteeple-like rock which they had observed from the plain, and whose oddappearance had allured them to the spot.
A singular rock it was, rising full thirty feet above the summit of themountain. Its sides were nearly vertical, but scored and seamed as ifthe rain had worn its surface into furrows. It gradually narrowedupward, until it ended in a point not four inches in diameter; but alongits sides from top to bottom similar points stood up; so that the wholestructure--if we may call it so--bore a strong resemblance to a Gothicturret, rising in the midst of many others that stood out from its baseand along its sides.
It appeared inaccessible to any other creature than a cat, a monkey, ora winged bird; and of course not one of the party thought of such athing as climbing it. That would have been a perilous undertaking.
After they had satisfied themselves in gazing at this singulargeological phenomenon, they commenced moving around its base to theopposite side. It was not so easy to get round it, as huge sharpboulders covered the whole scarp of the hill around its base, and theyhad either to mount over these, or push themselves through the narrowinterstices between.
Before they had got quite round, however, an object came under theireyes that caused them to halt, and remain for some time in an attitudeof observation.
About half-way down the hill rested a rock of vast dimensions, whosesharp angular top rose higher than those around, and commanded the viewof a broad space of the mountain-side. Upon the top of this rock wasperched a very large bird--full as large as a turkey-cock. Its plumagewas of a deep black colour, except over the back, where there was apatch as white as snow covering the shoulders. The feathers upon thelegs reached to the very toes, and were of brown colour. The toesappearing beneath were of a bright yellow.
The general outline of its form--the abrupt curving of the beak--thefull-rounded tail--the strong broad wings, and the feathered legslooking as though the bird wore _trowsers_--were all characteristicpoints that told its species.
"An eagle!" exclaimed the hunters as soon as they saw it.
It was an eagle, and one of the largest of its kind. It was the greatvulture-eagle of Verreaux, (_Aquila Verreauxii_). This bird no doubt itwas that Klaas and Jan had caught a glimpse of as they approached themountain.
It was scarce two hundred yards from the boys, and although they hadbeen making a considerable noise while passing over the rocks, it hadnot heard them, and still sat without noticing their proximity. Thatwould have been strange for a bird so shy as an eagle; but it wasaccounted for by the fact that its attention at the moment seemed to betaken up with something else. This was evident from the attitude inwhich it sat, or rather stood, with claws firmly clenched upon the edgeof the rock, and neck stretched forward and downward. It was evidentlyeyeing some object below, in which it took a deep interest.
Its back was turned upon the hunters, and offered a fair mark; but itwas far beyond point-blank range of any of their guns, except perhapsthe roer. Groot Willem, however, might have reached it, but at such adistance and with so small a mark a bullet from the smooth bore wouldhave been little better than a chance shot.
Groot Willem was about to try it, however; but Hans begged of him tohold his fire a little longer, so that they might watch the movements ofthe eagle--which, from its odd attitude, was evidently meditating tosurprise some victim below.
It was not long before the victim was also in sight--appearing suddenlyupon a little terrace, some twenty or thirty yards farther down themountain. It was a small quadruped, of a greyish brown colour, darkerabove, and of lighter tint beneath. It had the look of a rabbit, thoughconsiderably larger than one, thicker in the body, and without the longears. It stood, moreover, not so high on its legs, and these appearedmuch bent as it walked. Like the rabbit, its hair was of a thick woollynature, though long scattered silky hairs rose above the general surfaceof its furry coat it was entirely without a tail; and the four claws ofits fore feet were _not_ claws, but nails resembling little hoofs? Onthe hind-feet it had but three toes; the inside one of each ending in aregular claw.
Of course, these peculiarities were not noticed by the spectators at themoment, as the little quadruped was beyond the reach of such minuteobservation. They were communicated afterwards by Hans, who knew theanimal well.
Altogether it was by no means an interesting animal to look atexternally; yet in its internal structure it was one of the mostinteresting upon the globe.
In that small round woolly creature, timid as a mouse--now making abruptruns across the little platform--now stopping short in its career, tonibble a leaf of some plant, or to look suspiciously around--in thatinsignificant quadruped the young yagers beheld a near relative of thebig brutal rhinoceros! Yes; though without any horn upon its snout, andwithout the naked skin--the teeth, the skull, the ribs, the hoof-liketoes, the whole internal structure of the animal in question, prove itto be a rhinoceros!--a regular pachyderm! So says Frederick Cuvier.
"What a wonderful triumph," said Hans, "the closet naturalists have hadin this discovery! `What a triumph of anatomy,' says M. Cuvier, `thatproves this supposed rodent to be a rhinoceros!' In my opinion it israther a proof of the weakness of M. Cuvier's anatomic theories; forhere is a creature, with all the _teeth_ of a rhinoceros, and all the_manners_ of a rabbit!
"Instead of the bold brutal nature of the rhinoceros--rushing outwithout provocation, attacking and butting at whatever comes in itsway--here we have a shy timid creature, that takes to flight on theslightest suspicion of danger, and seems to be frightened at its veryshadow. Why, it affords the most absolute proof of the uncertainty ofthe _teeth_ and _bones_ as a guide to the mode of life of any animal.In all animated nature a better illustration could not be found of thefallacy of M. Cuvier's arguments than this same _hyrax_--for so thequadruped is called--and, despite the opinion of the celebrated Frenchsavant, I still believe the little creature to be more of a rabbit thana rhinoceros." So spoke Hans Von Bloom. It was bold language for soyoung a naturalist!
It is true there was much reason in his holding to the opinion that thehyrax is no pachyderm. Its habits are so unlike those of thethick-skinned brutes--its mode of life so different from that of arhinoceros.
Its habits are very simple, and can be told in a few words. It isgregarious; dwells upon the mountains, and in the most rocky places;makes its den in the crevices and caves that are found there, stealsforth to eat or bask in the sun; runs timidly and with a shy suspiciouslook; feeds on grass and leaves of plants, and is fond of those ofaromatic properties; can escape from most carnivorous quadrupeds, but issuccessfully preyed upon by birds, and especially by the vulture-eagle--the species already described. Such is the history of the "_daman_" or"_hyrax_," "dassie," "rock-badger," or "rock-rabbit"--by all of whichnames the creature has figured in books.
It is one of those anomalies that cannot be classed with otherquadrupeds, and has been constituted a genus of itself. Two species areknown, differing very slightly from each other. They are _HyraxSyriacus_ and _Capensis_, or the Syrian and Cape hyrax.
One of the most interesting facts in relation to this quadruped is, thatthe Syrian species is most probably the "coney" of the Scriptures. Infact, the description can apply to no other existing animal.
I have said that all this knowledge was obtained afterwards from thephilosopher, Hans.
Just then there was no time for such observations; for the hyrax, withtwo or three of its companions, had scarce appeared from the platform,when the eagle shot down from the rock, and swooped right into the midstof them.
The boys heard the shrill cry of the little quadrupeds, as the shadowywings covered them; and expected to see the eagle rise with one of themin its talons.
They were disappointed, however, as well as the bird itself. The"rock-rabbits" had been too
quick for their well-known and dreadedenemy; and before the eagle was able to put a claw into their wool, theyhad all scattered, and rushed within the safe shelter of their darkcaves.
Of course, they were not coming out any more that afternoon. The eagleseemed to have this very idea; for, rising into the air with a scream ofdisappointment, it flew off towards the other side of the mountain.