Extracts From Adams Diary | Page 5

find another one to add to my collection, and for this one to play
with; for surely then it would be quieter, and we could tame it more
easily. But I find none, nor any vestige of any; and strangest of all, no
tracks. It has to live on the ground, it cannot help itself; therefore, how
does it get about without leaving a track? I have set a dozen traps, but
they do no good. I catch all small animals except that one; animals that
merely go into the trap out of curiosity, I think, to see what the milk is
there for. They never drink it.
Three Months Later

The kangaroo still continues to grow, which is very strange and
perplexing. I never knew one to be so long getting its growth. It has fur
on its head now; not like kangaroo fur, but exactly like our hair, except
that it is much finer and softer, and instead of being black is red. I am
like to lose my mind over the capricious and harassing developments of
this unclassifiable zoological freak. If I could catch another one--but
that is hopeless; it is a new variety, and the only sample; this is plain.
But I caught a true kangaroo and brought it in, thinking that this one,
being lonesome, would rather have that for company than have no kin
at all, or any animal it could feel a nearness to or get sympathy from in
its forlorn condition here among strangers who do not know its ways or
habits, or what to do to make it feel that it is among friends; but it was a
mistake--it went into such fits at the sight of the kangaroo that I was
convinced it had never seen one before. I pity the poor noisy little
animal, but there is nothing I can do to make it happy. If I could tame
it--but that is out of the question; the more I try, the worse I seem to
make it. It grieves me to the heart to see it in its little storms of sorrow
and passion. I wanted to let it go, but she wouldn't hear of it. That
seemed cruel and not like her; and yet she may be right. It might be
lonelier than ever; for since I cannot find another one, how could it?
Five Months Later
It is not a kangaroo. No, for it supports itself by holding to her finger,
and thus goes a few steps on its hind legs, and then falls down. It is
probably some kind of a bear; and yet it has no tail--as yet--and no fur,
except on its head. It still keeps on growing--that is a curious
circumstance, for bears get their growth earlier than this. Bears are
dangerous--since our catastrophe--and I shall not be satisfied to have
this one prowling about the place much longer without a muzzle on. I
have offered to get her a kangaroo if she would let this one go, but it
did no good--she is determined to run us into all sorts of foolish risks, I
think. She was not like this before she lost her mind.
A Fortnight Later
I examined its mouth. There is no danger yet; it has only one tooth. It
has no tail yet. It makes more noise now than it ever did before--and

mainly at night. I have moved out. But I shall go over, mornings, to
breakfast, and to see if it has more teeth. If it gets a mouthful of teeth, it
will be time for it to go, tail or no tail, for a bear does not need a tail in
order to be dangerous.
Four Months Later
I have been off hunting and fishing a month, up in the region that she
calls Buffalo; I don't know why, unless it is because there are not any
buffaloes there. Meantime the bear has learned to paddle around all by
itself on its hind legs, and says "poppa" and "momma." It is certainly a
new species. This resemblance to words may be purely accidental, of
course, and may have no purpose or meaning; but even in that case it is
still extraordinary, and is a thing which no other bear can do. This
imitation of speech, taken together with general absence of fur and
entire absence of tail, sufficiently indicates that this is a new kind of
bear. The further study of it will be exceedingly interesting. Meantime I
will go off on a far expedition among the forests of the North and make
an exhaustive search. There must certainly be another one somewhere,
and this one will be less dangerous when it has company of its own
species. I will go straightway; but I will muzzle this