With the Wild Beasts.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 72, 26 March 1888, Page 7

With the Wild Beasts.

According to the old Roman legend, Romulus and Rgmus, the founders of Rome, were nursed by a wolf when they were babies. These babies are supposed to. have had ho mother to take care ofthem; but nowadays mothers would as soon think of throwing their children into a river as of giving them to wild beasts ; and yet cases have happened where wild beasts which would have been dangerous to grown people have been safe companions for very. little children. In the Zoological Gardens in Antwerp a little boy scarcely' able to walk is permitted to go in among the lions, tigers, and leopards,- and play with them as-if; they were only ordinary pussy cats. He has not the slightest fear of them, but pulls their tails and ears, and pokes his little fingers in liheir eyes, as babies will do.; and they never do. any worse than move out,of his way. It is said to be a very pretty.sight to see that fair-skinned, big, blue-eyed baby com fortably seated by the side of aJiuge,tiger ; his little dimpled hand.perhaps pulling the .'ta.Wny striped coat of the monster: It may, indeed, be a pretty.sight, But it must need Strong nferves io enable one to look at it' Avi^h any pleasure, for to most persons it will seem hardly possible that the fierce creature 'will nob turn some time, and tear tiro irinoeerit baby to pieces: The little fellow, however, has no more, fear 6f- any of the savage beasts in the menagerie' than you would have of a lapdog. He was born- there, and has been ;among the animals all his short life. Long before he could walk he was carried tb the cages, arid allowed to pat. the tamest of the animals ; and before very long they began to show such sign's bf pleasure at his c'otinng, that in time they became fast friends ; arid the keepers had no hesitation in putting the baby in the cage with" the trained leopards, and afterwards with! tke lions and tigers. '■'",' . .... . , „ .<..-.. The leopards we're trusted first, because they are usually the mildest-tempered and most affectionate bf the wild animals. Instances are Jtrlown of leopards resfeuirtg; th'eif keepers from other animals in the menagerie, and a very pretty story is told of one case when1,- through, the ihsfefVmenfcidiby of. acaga of leopards,; a man, and his. baby girTw,er£ sav^d -.f rdtn, the y attaclr 6? a Sjrifer oneoi themosbuntariteabje of animals. Th.gian travelled with the mehageirie and its attached qircus as. a ; gymnast in ,the, sumniOT. "Hat, i?rhen the animals went into winter quarters he was retained as a keeper* I and lived with his fdmily-ih* a little cottage hear by. Scarcely aday. passed that he did not talce ml baby daughter to, se* t}\oanimal /. and they, according to bheir

custom, grew so fond of her that at her coming most of thorn would make some sign of pleasure. Only one, a snllen brute of a jaguar, refused to make friends, and always flattened down his ears and.snarled when she was taken before his cage. With the leopards, on the ouher hand, she was particularly friendly ; and they liked, nothing better than having her put her tiny hand through the bars to pat' and strode them. The thought of putting, her in the cage with even the leopards had never occurred, to him, however; and probably never would have had nob the jaguar forced it into his mind very suddenly one day. He had been cleaning the cages ;, and, the process being an unpleasant one to the jaguar, that ferocious beast; was in such a very ugly mood that the; man thought it best not to anger him any more by holding the baby before hisiCage. .Consequently, he hurried pasfc the cross animal, and thereby failed,to notice that the cage fastening was so slipped that the door might easily be opened. He had reached the leopards, and was holding the baby so that she, could reach through the bars, when he heard, a light thud on the floor behind him, .arid; looking round, saw' to his'horror that the jaguar had escaped, with, blazing eyes, slovv Waring tail, and crouched bofly, was stealthily moving towards liim,. His first .feeling was q- sickening- fear. But he quickly, recovered ; and, with the marvellous rapidity tnc'ihind is capable of.iri emergencies, h? sought for means of escape. He knew he could not pcape. by either door, for the lithe, active animal would, overtake him befdre he had gone ten paces, A; pulley rope used for hoisting, quantities of meat or feed, into the room dangled from the ceiling to the. floor, and offered him safety had lie hot been encumbered with the b,aby. He could riot climb the rope with her; he would not desert her. And. yet to stay there meant death to both. The desperate cnarice suggested ■■_ itself t& throw the baby among the. leopards, and trust to their friendship; while he would reach the rope, if not then tod late. Alnidst as'he thought it, he slipped the bolt, lifted the fastening, opened the .dqor, pushed his baby in, shut.the door, and then leaped for the/rope. It was, well for hm that he was a gymnast arid could hang-over"-, hand up a, rope, for he was i barely . ot|t of reach wh'en tKe jaguar shot through the ; air, ■and:with its1 terrible claws caught the rope, ■just Under one of" his feet. After making several futile efforts to reach thS-niaii, the eiiragM animal tried to get id to the leopards' cage, where the baby had been welcomed, and fortunately was kept in safety until help came arid the jaguar was shot. You may be surd tliat those leopards never lacked dainty bitsof ' food after that.