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Updated: May 14, 2025
Gouws certainly appears by her own account to have been very roughly treated, though she does not assert that her assailant went to the last extremity or, indeed, that he did more than use coarse terms in his conversation.
"I could turn him with a bit of a bush," said Squib, glancing at Gouws, who was drawing gradually nearer to the party. "Just cut one for me, Hobson, will you, like a good fellow?" Hobson turned aside and stooped to cut a branch from a mimosa bush. Just then the ostrich, which had marched ahead of the party, turned sharp round and charged.
I don't feel sure of him. Perhaps it would be better " "Oh! never mind that," interrupted Squib; "we're not afraid of ostriches. Come along." "Very well," returned the host, "come along." And along they went to the domain of Gouws, who was found pacing solemnly inside the wall of his enclosure. His wings were active, and his tail was cocked. Otherwise he was calm enough to all appearance.
Gouws, whose unfortunate experience was communicated to Pastor van Broekhuizen, and had such an effect upon him as to cause him to declare that 30 per cent. of the women of the country had been ruined. Mrs.
Hobson knew that the bird was in a rage, and said so, but his friends, who were young and reckless, insisted on entering the enclosure. They did so, and Gouws followed them with a stately air, but did not attack, being no doubt perplexed by numbers. They walked in Indian file, Hobson being the last of the line.
Strange to say, the male ostrich loses nearly all his courage when out of his own proper paddock or domain. This was illustrated to me one morning in the case of Gouws. We were walking by the side of his enclosure, and he was advancing to meet us in his own warlike style, when we observed that the gate was open. Before we could get near to close it Gouws marched through.
Had the distance been great, their chance of escape would have been small. As it was, Gouws overtook one of the party just as he reached a part of the wall which had been mended with mimosa-thorn bushes.
Leaving his thorn-pierced victim, Gouws made at Squib, applied his huge foot to his person, with a slap that must have forcibly recalled the days of childhood, and sent him over the wall with undignified haste. It is generally believed that Squib has not gone guinea-fowl shooting among ostriches since that day! The profits on ostrich feathers are very considerable.
Poor Squib tripped, by good luck, and fell as the bird passed over him. It kicked down the other two, and sprang on the shoulders of the stooping Hobson, who fell and gashed his finger as the bird tumbled over him. The whole party rose with marvellous celerity, and the sportsmen rushed towards the boundary wall, while Gouws scrambled on his long legs and ran after them.
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