PREFACE.

In presenting this little Work to the Public, I can solicit for it no better protection than the generosity of an English heart; and I must beg my little readers will make allowances for the faults it may contain, in consideration of the cause in which it was written.

ELIZA GREY.

June, 1831.

THE ADVENTURES OF A MARMOTTE.

My dear little friends, you have, I dare say, never before heard of a Marmotte writing its history; I know it is great boldness on my part, but I undertake it in the hope of amusing you, and perhaps procuring a few shillings for the poor starving Irish, who so much need your kind and generous compassion.

The first recollection I have of myself, was my lying curled up like a little ball, with two or three brothers and sisters, in a nook in one of the rugged Alps, near the pretty village of Courmayeur, situated in the valley of Aosta, in Switzerland. This valley extends from the pass of St. Martin, near the frontiers of Yoree, to St. Bernard; it is very fertile, and abounds in pastures and all sorts of fruit.

One day, when about six weeks old, contrary to the express commands of my parents, I quitted the little[6] crevice where we lived, and wandered to a short distance, to amuse myself by jumping from rock to rock; when, Oh! fatal effect of disobedience! I was perceived by a little boy, who, uttering a cry of delight, threw down the crystals he had been gathering, and seized me by the hind legs, before I could succeed in scrambling back to my hiding place. Conceive my horror—my despair, at this unexpected and frightful event. To revenge my capture, I bit the little boy’s fingers most severely, but he only held me still tighter: this was the fruit of my disobedience, which I have since so often regretted. I hope my little readers never do any thing they are bid not; for, as I have felt, naughtiness is always punished sooner or later.

But to continue my history, this little boy carried me down with him into the valley. How astonished I was when the first emotion of fear had a little subsided, to see all the strange objects which presented themselves to my view in this new world; for so this valley then appeared to me, who had never before seen a human being, and knew only of them from the terrible accounts our father and mother sometimes[7] gave us, on their return from excursions in search of food. I had, therefore, rather an unpleasant opinion of my new acquaintance; but this soon wore off, for he treated me very kindly, and I discovered that the horrible stories I had heard of men’s eating us alive, were untrue, or at least greatly exaggerated; for I fear they do sometimes kill us for food, but only in times of great distress, when they can procure nothing else.

On arriving at the cottage of little José, (for that was his name) he shewed me to his mother, with whom he lived, praising my beauty, and exulting in the fortunate acquisition he had made.

My little friends, as you may not perhaps all have seen a Marmotte, I will describe myself in a few words, begging you at the same time to look at my picture on the first page, for it was taken by a very celebrated artist, and was said at the time to be a striking likeness.

My head something resembles that of a hare, only the top of it is larger and flatter, and my ears much smaller; so small, that they are scarcely perceptible, though the hair on that part of my head is very short.[8] I have a large bushy pair of whiskers. My eyes, which are bright and sparkling, are placed at the side of my head, like those of a hare. The form of my body is between that of a bear and a rat, but much smaller than the former, and a good deal larger than the latter. My coat is generally of a sandy black, or red brown colour. My voice sounds much like that of a little dog, when pleased, but our species is remarkable for the shrill and piercing whistle which we employ when irritated.

I think I have now given you a pretty accurate description of myself, and I fear many of my little readers will feel inclined to say, that little José was clever to find any beauty in me.

The old dame received me very kindly, but told her son he would not be able to keep me long, as Marmottes were most mischievous little animals. This I thought very ill-natured of her, and naughtily determined to revenge myself, by gnawing whatever came in my way; but she afterwards treated me so kindly, that I am happy to say I soon gave up this wicked intention: had I continued in it, I am very[9] sure that nothing but mortifications and misfortunes would have happened to me, and I should have well deserved them.

Little José, thinking I must be hungry, gave me a great piece of bread. I had never before seen any of this sort of food, which, on tasting, I found so good that I soon finished it all, to the evident delight of my kind little Master; who having put some nice fresh grass in one corner of the room, laid me upon it; and being greatly overcome by the fatigues and anxieties of the day, I was soon fast asleep.

On awaking next morning, I discovered many strange and wonderful things, which the fatigue and fright of the preceding evening had hindered me from observing. Among others, a very large pot on the fire, black and ugly, which they called a Marmite, though I can assure you it was not at all like me, but they gave me the name of Pierrot, for, on hearing them talk of Marmite, I once or twice answered, thinking they meant me. I soon became very much attached to my little master, who treated me with the greatest kindness, sharing with me his bread and[10] milk; in return for which, I amused him by my gambols and mischievous pranks: he soon taught me to jump over a stick, to make a bow, to dance, and several other little tricks. When he went up the mountains, on which occasions I was left at home with the old dame, his mother, I laid very quietly all day in one corner of the kitchen chimney; but when evening approached, I climbed up a wall, which he always passed, there to await his arrival, and when I saw him, uttering a cry of delight, I used to jump on his shoulder, and, purring with

pleasure, ride home in this manner. I was allowed to wander about wherever I chose, for being very content and happy in my new abode, I had no wish to leave it, and did not, I fear, much desire to return to my parents, whose dull and monotonous way of living I could never have borne, after the gaiety and attentions I enjoyed in the valley; for, though I say it myself, little José was the envy of all the village for having so nice an animal as his little Pierrot; and many were the caresses and endearing epithets I received from all the little villagers; but[11] my young master always declared he would never part with me, and he kept his word most faithfully; for though two English travellers, wishing to have me, offered him a large sum of money, (I believe a guinea) if he would sell me; he resolutely refused, although the money would have been very acceptable, for he and his mother were both very poor. This scene, of which I was myself a witness, greatly increased my attachment to him, and I passed three of the happiest months of my life under this hospitable

roof; but, alas! I was not allowed to go through life without misfortunes any more than my neighbours, for one evening, on little José’s returning with me after having been absent all day, the old dame, to our great horror and dismay, said that her sister Marie had called to beg José would give his Marmotte to her little son Simon, who was very ill, as she thought it would amuse him.

My dear little friends, I cannot find words strong enough to express my wretchedness—my despair at this agonizing event. I jumped into the arms of my little Master on his turning a wistful look towards[12] me, and burying my face in his neck, I wept most bitterly, and, overcome by my feelings, (for though a Marmotte, I can assure you my feelings are quite as deep as your own) soon fell fast asleep on José’s laying me on the ground in the chimney corner, saying, “Poor little thing! It looks as if it knew what we were saying.” I was awoke early the next morning by the old dame, who, having placed me in a nice wicker basket, covered me over with a clean cloth, carried me away without my again seeing my little Master, who, I doubt not, had refused to part with me. I can assure you my thoughts on this short journey were far from enviable; to be thus carried away from my dear little José and given to a stranger, who knew nothing about me, and who might perhaps treat me very cruelly.

Simon Pacchard was a poor sickly boy, the youngest of a large family, his mother’s pet, and consequently a spoiled child; he was delighted to have me, and almost smothered me with his caresses, but I was not at all reconciled to my change of master. The whole appearance of Marie Pacchard’s cottage[13] was very different from that which I had just quitted; it wanted that air of neatness and cleanliness which is so charming in a cottage, as well as in a palace. Time did not at all reconcile me to it, and every day which I passed in my new habitation only served to render it more disagreeable: the children teased me, and often, after Simon had recovered sufficiently to accompany his mother when she went to work in the fields, I was left all day shut up in a dismally dark room, without any thing to eat.

My novelty no longer pleasing my master, he soon sought to amuse himself by tormenting me, and treating me very cruelly. I am sure if spoiled children knew how disagreeable they make themselves by behaving naughtily, and how it makes them disliked, they would never give way to their ill tempers, or peevish whims. Having one day found, by chance, his mother’s scissors, he caught hold of me, before I was aware of his intention, and cut off all my bushy whiskers, at the very great risk of putting out my eyes; for not at all liking this treatment, I struggled most violently, and, enraged at his cruelty, I turned[14] suddenly round and bit his finger severely; this putting him into a great passion, he kicked and beat me until I fell exhausted and half dead on the floor.

It was several days before I recovered the effects of this inhuman conduct, for I was very much bruised, and so stiff and sore, I could not move; when, however, I was able to walk, I determined on quitting my miserable abode, and trying to find my way back to my dear José, who I was sure would be delighted to see me again. Accordingly, being an excellent climber, one morning when all the family had gone out, and left me as usual, shut up, I contrived to climb upon the window, which had been left open by chance: a very few moments sufficed me to descend the side of the wall, and when I once more found myself at liberty in the middle of the street, I recovered my spirits, and though it was very frightful to be all alone, I was still much happier than when in the power of wicked Simon.

I much wondered that my dear little friend José had never been to see me since we parted, but hoping for the best, I took the road I had so often before[15] traversed on his shoulder, and found myself, after numerous frights and escapes, at the door of my old home. Think how distressed I was, when on entering, I perceived my dear little friend seated by the fire side, looking very pale, and so changed since I had last seen him! Uttering a cry of agony, I jumped into his arms. He was greatly surprised, and exclaimed, while he tenderly caressed me with his emaciated hand, “My poor, poor Pierrot! you are as much changed as I am. What can have happened?” added he on observing my bruises which were not yet quite recovered, “The wicked little Simon! can he have done this? Mother, mother,” cried he, as the old dame entered the room, “look! here is poor Pierrot returned all beaten and bruised, I am sure he has been very ill treated.”

I soon learned from the conversation of little José and his mother, that his present illness had been caused by a fall from a rock, while seeking for crystals; and that he had dislocated his ankle, which had caused him much pain. I was treated with the greatest kindness by my old friends, and the remedies[16] which the old dame applied to my aching sides, together with the abundant food which I now enjoyed, soon restored my good looks; but alas! I was destined to suffer new misfortunes; for Simon, furious at my having escaped his power, and thinking I might have returned to my old master, came in search of me. Unluckily, he arrived one morning when I was playing before the door in the sun. It was now winter; the snow was thick upon the hills, and the ponds and rivers were covered with ice; you will wonder that I should have been playing out of doors instead of sleeping as is usual with the Marmottes in winter; but when well fed and kept warm, this sleepiness does not affect us. As I before said, I was outside the door, and a short distance from the cottage, when

Simon arrived, and gently advancing towards me with a piece of cake in his hand, persuaded me foolishly to go quite close to him. Oh! how silly I was to trust myself so near this wicked boy who had before treated me so ill! But I never imagined he could intend to hurt me, till I discovered myself once more in his cruel hands; I then began to tremble, but it was[17] too late, for I was in his power, and there was no way of escaping. I whistled as loud as I could, in the hope of attracting the attention of little José, but he was still so lame that I might have been killed before he could have arrived. Conceive then my horror on finding myself carried away towards a great pond at a short distance from the cottage. I gave myself up for lost, when I saw the malicious grin with which Simon looked at me; and my fears were but too truly verified, for on approaching the pond, he made a little hole in the ice, which was very thick, and notwithstanding all my efforts to the contrary, pushed me into it, and would, I doubt not, have kept me there till I should have died of cold and

suffocation, had it not been for the lucky arrival of my friend José, who, attracted by my cries, had followed us as fast as his ankle would allow him, and came just in time to save me from instant death.

How is it possible that little boys and girls can reconcile themselves to the idea of willingly inflicting pain on poor unoffending animals committed to their care, and formed for their benefit; but alas! it is, I[18] fear, too often the case; children are sometimes so very naughty; but hoping my little readers possess kind dispositions and feeling hearts, which would shudder at the idea of giving pain to a poor dumb animal, I will leave this disagreeable subject, and continue my own melancholy story. On seeing José approach, Simon dragged me out of the water, and throwing me half dead on the ground, ran away as fast as possible, knowing, I suppose, that he had been very wicked, and no doubt fearing to be punished for it by my little protector, who was older and much stronger than him. I now lost all power of seeing or hearing, and laid for several days in a deep sleep. José feared very much I should die: he watched over me with the greatest anxiety and kindness, for he was really very fond of me; and when at length I recovered sufficiently to open my eyes, his joy knew no bounds;

he sung, whistled, clapped his hands, and jumped and danced with delight. (for his ankle had quite recovered during my illness) He fetched me some bread and milk, which by his entreaties I was at length induced to eat; and it did me a great deal of good, for I was[19] soon able to move about; and being kept in the warm kitchen by the fire side, was quite recovered before spring arrived, with its delightful warm sun, which made me gayer and merrier than ever.

The cruel Simon was shunned by all the village; for no good little child would play with him after he had behaved so wickedly to a poor animal which could not defend itself.

One day, while at Aosta, a pretty town seated at the foot of the Alps, on the river Dora, capital of the valley of the same name, whither I had accompanied my Master on a visit to his friends, as I was sitting outside the window, waiting the return of José, who had gone on a message, my attention was attracted by an ugly sallow-looking boy, who spoke so strange a language, I could not at all understand him: induced by my curiosity, which is a most shocking propensity in little boys and girls, as well as in animals, I went close to him, hoping to discover what he was saying. He looked at me very earnestly, and I foolishly imagined he admired my beauty. I think I hear you say, “How could so ugly an animal as a[20] Marmotte, think itself handsome?” but my dear little friends you will, I fear, often meet with examples of this kind of folly.

Not in the least fearing his approach, I allowed him to stroke my head and smooth down my hair; when, Oh! dreadful misfortune! he seized me in his great hands, and, before I well knew what had happened, I found myself in a large bag, hanging from his back.

The unfeeling monster, regardless of my cries and efforts to escape, whistled a gay tune, and continued his road down one street and up another, till I was quite tired; at length we stopped at a house; (so at least I supposed, for I could not see any thing out of the bag in which I was inclosed,) but instead of going up stairs, we descended flight after flight, until we arrived in a dark damp-looking room, which I afterwards discovered to be a cellar. I was released from my prison and placed on the floor, which was covered with hare and rabbit skins, bird cages, boxes, and rubbish of every description. Oh! how bitterly did I now regret that idle curiosity which had led me to[21] approach this stranger, who had perhaps separated me for ever from my dear little José.

I felt sure I should die if left long in this horrible place, where the cold and disagreeable smell of the hare and rabbit skins made me feel quite ill: I crept into the corner the farthest from them, but here again a new and still more dangerous object presented itself in the form of a large dog lying fast asleep.

We Marmottes have as great an antipathy to dogs as cats have; judge then of my horror on seeing this one, which I doubted not would attack me as soon as I should be perceived. I gave myself up for lost, for it was so much larger and stronger than I was, that I should have had no chance had we come to blows; therefore, curling myself up into a ball, I took refuge behind a great barrel, and now anxiously desired the presence of the ugly sallow-faced boy, whose departure had given me so much pleasure a few minutes before; but it was a long long time before he returned: however the great dog did not awake, and I was delighted when the boy took me in his arms[22] and carried me out of this horrible dungeon, which I hoped most earnestly never again to enter.

What pleasure did I feel in again enjoying the bright light of the sun, hoping, if once able to effect my liberty, to discover José, who I had not for an instant ceased to think of; but I forgot the streets at Aosta were more numerous, and not so well known to me, as those of Courmayeur: however I had no opportunity of trying my sagacity, for on being taken up into the kitchen, I was given to a little boy who was going to Paris to seek his fortune, as many little boys from this country do.