The joy of
Fritz was extreme, to have this beautiful creature alive. He thought at
once of curing its wound, and domesticating it with our own poultry.
"What splendid plumage!" said Ernest; "and you see he is web-footed,
like the goose, and has long legs like the stork; thus he can run as
fast on land as he can swim in the water,"
"Yes," said I, "and fly as quickly in the air. These birds are
remarkable for the power and strength of their wings. Few birds have so
many advantages."
My boys occupied themselves in binding their captive and dressing his
wound; while I sought some of the canes which had done flowering, to cut
off the hard ends, to point my arrows. These are used by the savages of
the Antilles. I then selected the highest canes I could meet with, to
assist me in measuring, by a geometrical process, the height of the
tree. Ernest took the canes, I had the wounded flamingo, and Fritz
carried his own game. Very loud were the cries of joy and astonishment
at our approach. The boys all hoped the flamingo might be tamed, of
which I felt no doubt; but my wife was uneasy, lest it should require
more food than she could spare. However, I assured her, our new guest
would need no attention, as he would provide for himself at the
river-side, feeding on small fishes, worms, and insects.
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