Billy and Hans, My Squirrel Friends: A True History

In Short

William James Stillman’s memoir, Billy and Hans, chronicles the author's deep companionship with two captive-born European squirrels during his later years in Europe. Acquired by chance in the Black Forest, Billy, a trusting dark-grey squirrel, and Hans, a more reluctant red companion, share the author’s travels, hotel rooms, and bed. Through detailed observations of their distinct personalities and habits, the book explores the deep emotional capacity of animals. It has endured as a tender, luminous testimony to the spiritual bond between humans and the natural world, advocating for empathy over cruelty.

The Story

The narrative opens in the picturesque old town of Laufenburg at the edge of the Black Forest, where a farmer’s boy sells a tiny, unweaned squirrel to the author. Named Billy, this dark-grey little creature instantly accepts domestication, sleeping in his new master's pocket and traveling across Europe with complete ease and composure. Seeking a companion for Billy, the author acquires Hans across the Rhine—an older, red squirrel who arrives shackled to a chain and fiercely resistant to handling. Rather than releasing Hans into certain peril, the author decides to tame him gently, turning both loose in his chamber and establishing a shared routine of travel and domestic life.

As the months pass, the contrasting temperaments of the two squirrels emerge. While Billy thrives on human affection, resting by his master's cheek and dining decorously at hotel tables, Hans remains cautious and watches eagerly for open doors, yearning for freedom. Yet a deep, touching friendship binds the pair together. They share nests in curtain folds and typewriter desks, and delight in the rare treat of stone-pine cones. The author notes how these artificial conditions and separations gradually take a toll, particularly when traveling or during periods of indoor confinement.

The turning point of the book arrives with Billy's sudden decline and death in Rome from the quiet strains of civilized life. The author mourns him deeply, while Hans undergoes a profound emotional transformation upon realizing his companion is gone. Refusing food and comfort, Hans is eventually coaxed out onto a terrace, where he voluntarily climbs into Billy’s former pocket and adopts Billy’s affectionate, confiding nature toward the author. In his final months, growing partially paralyzed, Hans finds solace in the author's constant presence and touch before passing away in the author's pocket. He is buried in his native forest beneath a granite boulder, leaving behind a lasting testament to the capacity for love in smaller creatures.

How It Unfolds

• The voyage begins — A tiny dark-grey squirrel is purchased in the Black Forest, immediately accepting human companionship and the warmth of a pocket.
• A reluctant partner — A second squirrel, Hans, is bought across the Rhine to keep the first company, arriving chained and deeply distrustful of human touch.
• Life on the road — The two contrasting animals share hotel rooms and travel across Europe, adapting to human spaces while retaining distinct instincts and habits.
• An unspoken bond — Despite their differing natures, a deep friendship forms between the trusting Billy and the more reserved Hans, who rely on each other and their shared master.
• The first loss — Billy falls ill from the artificial conditions of indoor life and quietly dies, leaving behind a grieving owner and a desolate companion.
• A transformed spirit — After mourning his companion, Hans unexpectedly changes his disposition, relinquishing his desire for escape and taking Billy’s place in the author's pocket.
• The final rest — Grown partially paralyzed with age, Hans is brought back to the Black Forest for his final days before passing away peacefully in his master's hand.

The People

William James Stillman serves as the narrator and central human presence, a former sportsman whose decades of outdoor life have evolved into a tender philosophy of universal gentleness. Desiring companionship without the cruelty of confinement, he pours his capacity for love into his animal pets, viewing them not merely as amusements but as spiritual guides.

Billy is the first squirrel, a remarkably trusting and gentle creature who takes to domestication instantly. He desires closeness, adores being fondled, and moves through human society with a calm, charming decorum. His affectionate nature softens the author's heart and opens his eyes to the rich inner lives of animals.

Hans is the second squirrel, a bright and active red squirrel whose initial introduction to humanity is marred by a harsh chain and forced captivity. He fiercely resists being handled and longs for the wild. Yet, through patience and the profound influence of his bond with Billy, Hans ultimately softens, transforming after Billy's death into a devoted and gentle companion who seeks out the author's constant presence.

In Its Own Voice

From the first moment that he became my companion he gave me his entire confidence, and accepted his domestication without the least indication that he considered it captivity.

This line introduces Billy, highlighting his immediate and trusting willingness to share his life with the author.

He would get up on the window-bench, looking out one way on the rushing Rhine, and the other on the stretching pine forest... with a look of passionate eagerness which made my heart ache.

This sentence describes Hans looking out toward his native woods, capturing the poignant tension between captivity and a wild creature's innate instincts.

He had been to me not merely a pet to amuse my vacant hours... but he had been as a door open into the world of God’s lesser creatures, an apostle of pity and tenderness for all living things.

This passage reflects on Billy's lasting spiritual impact, framing his life as a transformative lesson in universal empathy.

What It's Really About

The book explores the foundational ethics of human relationships with the animal kingdom, arguing that love for a pet is the primary course in the school of humanity. Stillman examines the thin boundary between wild instinct and domestic trust, suggesting that creatures long deemed unintelligent possess rich emotional and cognitive lives. Underlying the narrative is a philosophical inquiry into suffering, empathy, and the divine thread connecting all living things. The author contends that cruelty to animals corrupts human nature, while tender companionship expands our capacity for spiritual sympathy. Ultimately, the work serves as a personal creed affirming that love is the great unifying law of creation, transcending the arbitrary divisions we draw between species.

Why Read It Today

Readers who cherish quiet, reflective nature writing, animal memoirs, or classic essays on empathy will find this book deeply rewarding. Reading it feels like sitting by a warm hearth with a thoughtful, gentle observer who listens closely to the subtle rhythms of the natural world. It offers a rare window into Victorian-era naturalism combined with an unusually modern sensitivity toward animal welfare. While modern readers may notice period assumptions or digressions regarding forestry and insect behaviors, these elements only add to the historical texture of the work. What stays with you long after finishing is the quiet dignity of the animals and the author's courageous defense of an open, feeling heart in a world too often hardened against the vulnerable.