your pardon," said one of them, "but are you aware what animal is now lying under that sofa?" "Saï," said my uncle, "come and speak to these gentlemen." The panther walked up to them, and both darted behind the Governor, nor did they feel comfortable when Saï was ordered back to his hiding-place. I bantered one of them about his fears when I met him at dinner; and he confessed that he had never been more frightened. One of the drollest circumstances attending Saï's presence at the castle, occurred to a woman who swept the floor of the great hall every day before dinner was laid, with a little hand-broom, called a prah-prah. She was engaged in her usual occupation, without knowing that Saï was there, and stooping almost on all fours; when with a sudden impulse of fun, the panther jumped upon her back, and stood there, wagging his tail. Naturally supposing she was going to be devoured, the poor prah-prah woman screamed so violently as to bring the other servants, whereupon they being of the same opinion as herself, and thinking their turn might come next, ran away; nor was she released till the governor, hearing the noise, came to her assistance. Before Saï was put on board the vessel in which we were to sail together, we had become the best friends possible; and I and my uncle coaxed him into the cage made for his accommodation. He was put into a canoe, the men belonging to which were so alarmed when he moved, that they upset the canoe, and the poor animal was plunged into the sea. We were watching him from a window in the castle, and gave him up for lost; but some of the sailors of the vessel, seeing the disaster, stepped into a boat, and rescued him. He was so subdued by his ducking, and the uncomfortable dampness of his cage, for no one dared to open it to wipe it out, that he rolled himself up in the corner, and only, after an interval of some days, was roused by my voice. When I first spoke he raised his head, held it first on one side then on the other, and when I came fully into view, jumped upon his legs, and appeared frantic with joy; he rolled himself over and over, howled, opened his enormous jaws, and seemed as if he could tear his cage to pieces, in order to get close to me. Gradually, however, his violence subsided; he was amply caressed; and from that time, ate everything which was offered to him: perhaps he had suffered from sea-sickness. I indulged him twice a week with some lavender water put into a cup made of stiff paper, but never allowed him to have it when his claws were pushed forth; so that he learned to retract them at my bidding. While we lay for weeks in the river Gaboon, he was never suffered to leave his cage, because the deck was constantly filled with black persons, to whom he always manifested a decided aversion. I have already mentioned his rage at seeing a chimpanzee and monkeys, and only secondary to this was the approach of pigs, whom he seemed to long to devour.