THE RAMBLES OF A RAT. BY A. L. O. E.

A NEW KIND OF WATCHDOG.

“Whiskerandos looked surprised at the unexpected defiance; but my feelings of amazement can scarcely be conceived when I recognised the dumpy form, blunt head, and piebald skin, of my lost brother Oddity.”—Page 150.

T. NELSON AND SONS, LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK.

By

A. L. O. E., Author of “The Giant-killer,” “Pride and his Prisoners,” &c. &c.

LONDON: T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW; EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK.

1864.

Let not my readers suppose that in writing The Rambles of a Rat I have simply been blowing bubbles of fancy for their amusement, to divert them during an idle hour. Like the hollow glass balls which children delight in, my bubbles of fancy have something solid within them,—facts are enclosed in my fiction. I have indeed made rats talk, feel, and reflect, as those little creatures certainly never did; but the courage, presence of mind, fidelity, and kindness, which I have attributed to my heroes, have been shown by real rats. Such adventures as I have described have actually happened to them, unless they be those recorded in the 19th chapter, for which I have no authority. For my anecdotes of this much-despised race I am principally indebted to an interesting article on the subject which appeared in the “Quarterly Review.”

I would suggest to my readers how wide and delightful a field of knowledge natural history must open to all, when there is so much to interest and admire even in those animals which we usually regard with contempt and disgust. The examination of the wondrous works of nature is a study elevating as well as delightful; for the more deeply we search into the wonders around us, the more clearly we discover the wisdom which is displayed even in the lowest forms of creation!

A. L. O. E.

Chap. Page.

I. The Family of Rats 9

II. A Clap-trap Discovery 15

III. Poorer than Rats 19

IV. How I made a Friend 26

V. How Bob met with an Adventure 33

VI. How I visited the Zoological Gardens 38

VII. Finding Relations 43

VIII. How I heard of Old Neighbours 51

IX. How we found a Feast 59

X. The want of a Dentist 67

XI. A Removal 74

XII. A New Road to Fame 79

XIII. How I set out on my Voyage 86

XIV. A Terrible Word 94

XV. First View of St. Petersburg 103

XVI. A Russian Kitchen 109

XVII. A Ramble over St. Petersburg 118

XVIII. How we were Transported 125

XIX. A Storm and its Consequences 132

XX. Catch him—Dead or Alive! 137

XXI. A new kind of Watch-dog 146

XXII. The Farmer and his Bride 153

XXIII. A Peep through the Roses 163

THE RAMBLES OF A RAT.