American literature -- Periodicals; Literature -- Periodicals
"Kindness and coolness and firmness," he replied, "as you will see in
this performance. Come on, pussies," he continued, "show this
gentleman how you can run round the circle."
The pussies, as he called them, fairly big tigers as I should have
considered them, unwillingly crept off their seats, growling not a
little. Mr. Mellermann cracked his whip smartly, but did not hit
them. The animals then began to run very prettily round and round the
circle. So well did they do their little tricks that Mr. Mellermann
said: "Now you shall have some sugar, you have been very good." He
placed in my hand a few lumps of sugar which I myself gave to them,
greatly to their pleasure. Then a pyramid was formed by some young
tigers, some lions, a couple of ponies, and four young goats. The
pyramid itself consisted of a small double ladder upon the steps of
which the animals somewhat nervously took their places, and upon which
they stood gazing quietly down upon us, until they were told that they
might go back to their places. After a while, when school was over,
the goats and ponies left the arena, and then the door of a big cage,
which gave upon the circle, was thrown wide open. It was pretty to see
the little lions and tigers running home, for all the world like an
infant school dismissed to play. The pretty creatures gambolled about
for a short while in their cage, and then lay down to rest.
A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE.
"And now," said Mr. Hagenbeck, "the older animals are coming in to do
their performance."
Several attendants entered the building as he spoke; for to handle a
large number of fully grown wild animals is no light matter. The first
animals to come rushing into the arena were a number of huge German
boar-hounds--great affectionate beasts they were, too. I patted one of
them as he passed me, and he reared himself on his hind legs, threw
his forepaws round my neck, and delightedly covered my face with
kisses. Each boar-hound on entering the circle went to his own
allotted place with all the sense of a human being. A few moments
afterwards a door was thrown open, and in walked the lions and tigers.
Splendid big beasts these last were. Some looked very good-tempered,
although it is to be acknowledged that one tiger had evidently got out
of bed the wrong side, whilst a lion that had arrived comparatively
recently from Nubia evinced now and again a strong disposition to
rebel against the novel circumstances in which he found himself
placed. Three bears then walked in--a polar bear, a sloth bear, and a
black bear, the latter causing much amusement by quietly entering on
its hind legs. Then came a couple of elephants, a camel, four ponies,
several goats, and last of all a big, sleepy sheep, which seemed to be
on particularly intimate terms with one of the lions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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