The Cockatoos Story | Page 4

would have liked to be amiable and join
the merry flock of cockatoos that lived in the trees near us, they would
have nothing to say to me. My mother used often to moan and vex
herself about me, and she did her best to keep as near me as she could,
warning me that it was not safe for a cockatoo to wander far from his
home. And then she would tell me of wonderful escapes she had made
in her day, both from wild animals and the snares of wicked men.
Though these stories frightened me terribly, I must own, making my
crest stand up with fright to hear her, still I used to beg her to tell me
more, for it was often a change from the dull hours I spent; and I must
say my mother behaved in a most amiable manner towards me.
"Then she would take pains to show us what kind of fruits to eat,
warning us particularly against the fruit of the cotton-tree, which,
though pleasant to the taste, was a dangerous one for taking away the

senses. Ah, if I had only followed her advice! Still, with my mother for
company now and then, my days were very happy, in spite of the
coldness and dislike of my brothers and their young companions.
Indeed, living in my lovely home, it would have been strange if I had
felt anything else. How often since, while sitting in this cage or on my
perch, have I thought of those happy days of freedom! Forests of woods
and grasses, bearing the most lovely flowers and the most delicious
fruits, from the edge of the sea to the top of the mountain. And then the
clear cool water, where we could plunge ourselves several times a
day;--how different from the small quantity Marjory allows me! We
lived close to the banks of a small river; and oh, it was so delightful,
after plunging into the water, to keep shaking my plumage, until the
greater portion of water was out, and then sit in the sun till I was quite
dry! There were no men on our island, else I should have remembered
seeing them; and nothing ever disturbed our slumbers, save the wild
pigs that sometimes went about routing and grunting, or a cry from one
of our band.
"And so time passed on, till we were a year old, when one day we were
startled by hearing screams from a thicket not far off. On getting along
as fast as I could, I met my brothers flying from one branch to another
in the direction I was coming from, who screamed to me to escape, for
an enemy was at hand. One of them said something about my mother,
but what, I could not make out clearly; only I knew she was in danger
somehow. I was in such a hurry to get to see what had happened to
her--for I did love my mother--that I positively took a good long flight,
and landed on a tree some distance off. Then, what was my
astonishment to see a great large face, quite different from anything I
had ever seen before, looking at me from round the trunk! And there,
too, at the bottom of the tree, lay my poor mother, evidently dead. I
heard him cry to another man below to hand him up his bow and arrow;
but before he had got it I flew off once more, taking a longer flight than
before. An old cockatoo told me afterwards that very likely my mother
was not dead, but that she had only been stunned, as those men would
have a button on the arrow to prevent it from killing her. It took me
ever so many days to find my way back to my old home; and when I
did find it, not one of my old companions was there. Gloomy though

my disposition was, still I did not like the idea of living alone, and I set
out to try to find them. On my way I met an old cockatoo who had been
a friend of my poor mother's, and who like me had lost her companions,
so we agreed to go on together. I found her a most intelligent
companion, and she was very useful in showing me what fruit was
good for eating, for there were many new kinds. She showed me some
curious birds'-nests, and told me that men ate them; and a good hearty
chuckle we had over it, you may be sure. We regaled ourselves by
picking out the pulp of the banana, the palm, the lemon, and the berries
from the coffee-tree; and coming upon an almond-tree, we stayed under
it for a whole week. Then