water in front of her, and her flags fluttering
bravely in the air; and her delighted owner, with laughing eyes,
beholds her triumphantly scudding over the surface of the pond!

I tell you what it is, boys, I have built a great many ships, and I
feel very much like building another.

THE ORANG-OUTANG.

[Illustration]

The Orang-outang and the Chimpanzee approach nearer to man in their
formation and disposition than any other animals, and yet these Apes
seldom evince as much apparent sense and good feeling as the dog or
elephant. They imitate man very often, but they exhibit few inherent
qualities which should raise them to the level of many of man's brute
companions.

I do not wish, however, to cast any aspersions on an animal generally
so good-tempered and agreeable in captivity as the Orang-outang. What
he might become, after his family had been for several generations in
a condition of domestic servitude, I cannot tell. He might then even
surpass the dog in his attachment to man and his general intelligence.

At all events, the Orang-outang has a certain sense of humor which is
not possessed by animals in general. He is very fond of imitating
people, and sometimes acts in the most grotesque and amusing way, but,
like many human wits of whom we read, his manner is always very
solemn, even when performing his funniest feats.

An old gentleman once went to see a very large and fine Orang-outang,
and was very much surprised when the animal approached him, and taking
his hat and his cane from him, put on the hat, and, with the cane in
his hand, began to walk up and down the room, imitating, as nearly as
possible, the gait and figure of his venerable visitor.

There was another Orang-outang, who belonged to a missionary, who
performed a trick even more amusing than this. His master was
preaching one Sunday to his congregation, when Mr. Orang-outang,
having escaped from the room where he had been shut up, slipped very
quietly into the church, and climbed up on the top of the organ, just
over the pulpit, where his master was delivering his sermon. After
looking about him for a minute or two, the ape commenced to imitate
the preacher, making all his gestures and motions. Of course the
people began to smile when they saw this, and the minister, thinking
that they were behaving very improperly, rebuked them for their
inattention, and preached away more earnestly than before. The
Orang-outang, of course, follo