In the 17th century, King Charles II ascended to the throne in Scotland and refused the Covenanters the right to freely practise their religion. Sir George Mackenzie, Lord Advocate appointed by the king, carried out the most bloody religious persecutions against the rebel Presbyterian Covenanters. The rebels were subject to deportation, inhumane torture, starvation, exposure […]
Orfy sat on a beam in the barn and seemed to sleep most of the day. He was a barn owl and went out hunting at night. “We wonder what he does all night and what he eats?” told the other animals and birds, “All he does is sleep!” But one day, Orfy came back
“I’m a horse!” announced Reg, “I am a noble animal! I go to war!” Bud, the donkey, snorted, “You are not used when Christmas comes and the scene of Jesus’ birth is put up in the church! I am always there, and so are the cows and the sheep!” They had been arguing about this
Farmer Bertram had got a new van with a trailer. He had an old van, a tractor, a horse buggy and a donkey cart. Now, he had a problem. “Where should I park this van and trailer?” he wondered. The farm creatures were very worried. Would he put it in the barn or the stable
Lyonesse is a country in Arthurian legend, in the story of Tristan and Iseult. Lyonesse is said to have sunk beneath the waves sometime after the Tristan stories have taken place. In medieval Arthurian legend, there are no references to the sinking of Lyonesse, because the name originally referred to a still-existing place. Alfred, Lord
Farmer Nidd was a very cranky old man. He put up a large sign on the gate that read: DO NOT DISTURB. When Buck and his group of naughty friends saw this, they decided to play a prank on Farmer Nidd. They made many little placards with ‘Do not disturb’ written on them and hung
Farmer Lang was known for his generosity. He wanted to give something always to anyone who came to the farm. But one day things became difficult for him. Mrs Collins, the lady who kept the post office in the village, wanted to buy his favourite dog, Bumper! “I need someone to guard my home!” she
Jeffrey was a bad neighbour. He quarrelled with everyone. The farmers near by were all fed up of his bad temper and his dreadful tantrums. The animals on all the neighbouring farms also kept away because he would throw things at them or beat them if he found them near his fence. One day, a
Miss Blossom had arrived at the Mr Milder’s Farm to teach his children, Betty, Joan and Peter. Mrs Milder had died and Miss Blossom looked after everyone. The animals found her a very pretty, gentle young lady who was kind to all the animals too. She would take the Milders’ children for a walk around
The Lungfish or Salamander Fish is a freshwater fish with a highly evolved respiratory system and lives on land, without water, for months, even years. Lungfish have elongated bodies and pelvic fins which they use to swim. They generally inhabit shallow waters, such as swamps and marshes. When the dry season hits, the Lungfish burrows
Billy, the cat, had been sitting on the window-sill when Farmer Godfrey was hammering something on the wall. Billy watched with great interest. Farmer Godfrey put in the nail and then hung a picture on it. It was the picture of a cat! Billy swelled with pride, “There’s just one picture!” he announced to the
The little pony, Sam, had arrived in Australia from England. He found everything very strange. They had huge farms but they were called something else. There were lots of animals and fields, but it was not so green. What he began to really enjoy were the long gallops he could have! Gradually, Sam made friends
Binny was an orphan because his parents had been taken away by an eagle. Binny, the little squirrel, sat on the farm fence, looking lonely and lost. Maggy, the large speckled hen, was chasing her brood of chicks when she saw Binny. “What are you doing there?” she asked, “You’ll get eaten up by an
Hetty was very proud of her lovely brown colour and gorgeous figure. “I won the first prize at the Farmers’ Annual Meet for being the most beautiful goat!” she announced. The other animals and birds looked at one another and wondered what to say. “You really must stop being vain, Hetty,” advised Gloria, the oldest
The Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is, according to legend, a rich gold mine hidden in the southwestern United States, Phoenix, Arizona. The mine is named after German immigrant Jacob Waltz (1810–1891), who supposedly discovered it in the 19th century and kept its location a secret. Some argue that there is little or no evidence for