A TIT-BITS REPRESENTATIVE ENTERS A LIONS' DEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10319, 19 December 1896, Page 2 (Supplement)

A TIT-BITS REPRESENTATIVE ENTERS A LIONS' DEN.

r.* IMPOSSIBLE; my dear . sir I ■>» Quite ia . possible ' : . "But why?" I persistod, "I have com ■ here for the express purpose of entering th ; cage, and- writing up my experiences fo Tic-Bits, and I daro liot go bftck to th editor with my mission unfulfilled." The Countess X , the pretty am courageous little woman who puts the lion through their tricks at the Wistmilisttf .Aquarium, ehfiiggfid her th&ulderSy am patted one of the gteiib cats that lay blirtK ing ab lis stolidly from behiild the bars o its cage. "For two reasons," sho exclaimed, speaking rapidly in French, with muof gesticulation. " Ono is, that it would b( very (iangel'ous for you. Tlld other i?, that it would bo almost equally dangerous fOi myself. A hundred things miglib oncdr to frighten fir on ratio tho animals, and thenwell, look here," and the tarnet threw of) the wrap that covered her shoulders. I did look, mid tliel'o, just where the shoulder joined the body, were three long, livid scars showing purple against the White flesh. "He did it," explained lite COitlitfos#, quietly, pointing to tho largest of the fivo .ions. "It was eight months Ago, at Marseille. 4 . Something that was happening in the nmlienro distracted my attrition fot' an instant— an Instant, Inllid-alid lie i>nvc nic a da!) with his pah'. It prevented me from working for two months. That was the worst injury 1 ever received, but I have had several il'i'ty scraltilifin. Look 'lere, and hero, and here," pointing to limilar but smaller scin's oh her wrists and inns. Then turning swiftly routid, sho looked mo straight in the face, ahd exclaimed, abruptly, "Do you still Want to enter the rage?" I suppose she expected hie to 'ay No, 1 ' but 1 didn't. I explained that editors wore far ttioro to be dreaded than lion?, ii,nd that, having been nrdm'bd to con'fe there and go into i ho den, I had no reso'ilce bill to obey. I iiotii'ed the Countess smiled When 1 referred to the wrath of editors asbfcitig tiiore dreadful than that of lioli?; but tllbil the dte not know what editors lire like', t (10. I saw by the tamer's frteo that ihb Was wavering, mid made lmsto to play my trump card. "Look at the spHid'd 'lid' it will bo for yen," I sai l, coaxlilgly. "Not one among our couple of million or so of readers but will Want to see your performance as soon as they road of my exploit." The appeals to the professional instinct of the show woman settled tho' matter. "Very Well," she exclaimed, with'another shrug of the shmilderS! "if it miist be, it must be. Bill first you must sign a paper, exonerating me from blame should anything happen." I expressed my willingness to accede to this proposition, and the Countess seated •herself at a side übleaml wrote, in French, and in that tiny calligraphy that French ladies delight in, a document of Which the following is a translation •' The representative of Tit-Bits, In eon-, sideration of being permitted to accompany the lady known professionally as the Countess X into the lions' don, hereby agrees lo hold the aforesaid Countess X— non-liable for any Injury or hurt ho may sustain thereby." As soon as I had affixed my signature to tho above, madame retired to her dressingtoom, mid a few minutes later reappeared Wearing a black mask and carrying a small whip. Then she gave me minute instructions as to how I should act, the principal point in which was that I wa3 to be life and keep in rear of her, arid oil no adtiouilt to show the slightest fear. " Remember,'' was the trainer's parting injunction, as we approached the door of tho Cage. " that to turn your back on the animals after we are once inside, or to shrink away from thorn in ease they move towards you, is to court disaster."

" Now," exclaimed tho Counted X— as she threw open the dOor, "follow me quickly, and muko no slip, as you value your life I" A clanging of irOn doOrs; a series of sharp, low, angry growls, deepening and culminating in one flighty, deafening, terror-inspiring roar; and I wts among the lions.

No need to caution me to keep ray gaze fixed on the animals—l wan absolutely unable to withdraw it. Thpir great eyes seemed to fascinate me. • Those rolling, yellow orbs of flaming ferocity—shall I ever loss the memory of the few terrible minutes that I looked into their depths, and realised at once and for ever all the concentrated savagery they expressed? " Ah ! would you ♦—back I"this from the Countess as one of the great shaggy monsters came sidling towards md, hia tail sawing the empty atr with a steady, rhythmical swing; his fangs glistening snow-white in the dim half light. Involuntarily I made & step backward, bub a glance from the Countess, half menacing, half en'reating, recalled me to myself, and I managed to control myself with a mighty effort. That little contretemps was the crisisthe turning point, as ib Were; and from thence onwards I j began to recover courage. Perhaps it was a case of familiarity breeding contempt. Perhaps my nervous system had begun automatically to adapt itself to its new environment. At all events, whatever the reason, I was conscious of no fear during the whole of the remainder of the time I was in the cage. Crash 1 Swish! And in obedience to the lady lion-tamer's whip, first one and then another of the great yellow lions came bounding by me. The snarling never ceased, and ever and anon one Or the other would make a movement in my direction ; but always the tamer's low, sharp Word of command caused the brute to slink back, its eyes flashing fury and the cruel jaws closing together with a click like that of a gigantic rat-trap. "Now,"exclaimedtheCountess,suddenly, keeping her eyes fixed on the lions, but speaking over her shoulder to me; "be very, very careful. We are going to leave the cage—always the most dangerous part of the whole performance. You go first Walk backwards to the door. The Hons will be certain to make a demonstration in your direction, just as a cat will towards a mouse when ib sees that it is escaping, but take no notico. I will keep thern at bay. Go!'

The last word was spoken sharply and suddenly, and apparently startled tha biggest of the lions, a brute named "Czar." He made a leap in my direction, and, all my self-control suddenly deserting me, I sprang backwards against the bars. But for the Countess that moment would have been my last. Tho mighty beast reared like a restless horse anxio'is to throw its rider, and its great red tongue, from whence dripped the saliva of expectation, lolled to and fro between its jaws. "Go! go! go!" screamed the Countess, lashing furiously with her whip and backing towards the door. How I got outsiie tho cage lam unable to tell, but luckily in tha extremity of my confusion I remembered to keep my face towards the lions. Ib was that, as I was told afterwards, that saved both our lives; and as, on the «nfo side of tho bars, 1 watched the baffled brutes raging backwards and forwards, and listened to the deep, low growls of concentrated hate that greeted my slightest movement, I was quite ready to believe hor. It may have been, of course, that' my inexpedience overrated the dangers, and that my fears were altogether' if not quite groundless; but Ido not think so. Home such idea, I confess, entered ray head immediately after I loft ' the cage, but a single glance at the tamer's white, drawn face was sufficient to dlspol it. Rightly or wrongly, it was evident that for a few brief moments, at all events, she had feared for my life and her own.