SCENE IN A MENAGERIE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1697, 11 February 1888, Page 4

SCENE IN A MENAGERIE.

The Zoological Garden here (aaye an American paper) was the soone of a, thrilling and very nearly fatal incident recently. It ia about two o’clock that the animals in the lionhousa ere fed, osoh one being given a large piece of raw meat, generally horseflesh. There are other animaUin this house bsiidos the Hone, among them a very fine Bang*.! tiger named King. He is an unusually handsome beaet, massive of limb and vinous in temper. George Robinson, his keeper, h-oi first and lust had a great deal of trouble with him, and has often been compelled to resort to extreme measure* in his punishment. And jet thoro are times when is as docile as a kitten, and Robiueou, who is a perfectly fearless man, has frequently gone into the cige and plsyed with the beast as a boy would with a dog, Keo*nily, however, King ceemod to be in an unusually bsd temper, tearing up and down the cage all the fjrenoon, and bounding against the bars with a force that made them rattlo in their sockets, Rubi con tried several times to make him lay down, but he was unsuccessful. Ho thought, however that King’s ugy humor would ciiioppssr at feeding time, and ha concluded ‘o wait until then kefirs administering the punishment. In miking his preparation.! to feed the animals, the keeper has to pass the. cages a number of times, and th?y become vtry restless and for thsy know what, is coming. King on th b (lection behaved worse than Robinson hod ever known him. He seemed to be in a terrible rage, and finally, as the keeper passed hircig' 1 , the tigsr thrust an i tome rum p.-.r? through 6ho bar and struck the keeper’.? srra, tearing away the chfchio and into the fl,*h. Robinson, whoso temper whoa moused is .about as fiery as the tier’s, became enraged in turn, and he determined to erter the cage and conquer lha beast. It- was downright madness, but no pc suadon of the o’hwr keepers could prevail on the dauntless, man to giro up bis purpose. One it ih?> mo;, was tent hurriedly to find hc-td keeper By .me, who at this time was in another parr of ihn gardm, so that bio authority might be interposed to prevent Robinson from doing what overyo> o believed to be r, foolish and f st.nl thing, Ho had hardly goa-’, however, bsforj Robin ton, whose movement' were as quick as lightning, had sprung to th-3 rear of the osg: ; , thrown open the door, ssud leaped info the beait’s den, elsmming tire d*.r behind him. And (hen ensued ft goono which those who saw it can never forget. ACaa and boast faced each other, and i n r & moment neither moved an inch—the beaet quieted -by the man’s enddon entrance, glared at Its opponent apparently in utter aurpnos at hie ■ oekioafi action. The man, bravo and undaunted, and armed with a strong whip, was poatively superb as ho stood looking info the eyes of the tiger._ By this time 60 people had Sfttbcrad in the house., and among thorn Robb eon'e wife and child, who wore there to vh.it him, and had baeu out of the house when the trouble began. There ha,! broo much cxo.tem nt and ed v of warning aud dissuasion when Rabiaeoa started to miter the cage, rut as ho leaped in front of the imst the people b: came as silent as death—the np.i-llin, l danger the man incurred paralysed their tongues, £C;s wife, pale ana tcrror-etiiokou, soak back on one of the benches and closed her eyes that she might not ece her husband lorn to pieces in her very presence, and hie child, too young to realise the awful position of it? father, clung to it* mother’s dreii, crying to her to know what 1 his futhe - was doing in them *iih the tiger. His little shrill voice wesUie only sound that broke the tidiness, aud Robinson, fortunately lor him, was too mush bent upon his purpose to hear him. But the tiger no* crouched as if to spring, and Robinson knew that the moment of his supreme trial had coma. He awaited the attack without the quiver or a miuole—still looking tho brute fixedly in (bo eye, and then it came, the tiger bounding £ rward like a thunderbolt. Robinson was ready for it, aud sprang quickly as do, the tiger being carried by the impetus f his spring against the Ini'eat this other end of the cage. At it. shot by him Rcbinso) -.truck him a heavy blow with his whip across the flanks, Kb g uttered a howl of pain and -age, and was up at the keeper again with ihs rapidity of hghtaiag. Cuis time Rubio son did not f-,re so well. 0 to of (he tiger’s claws caught his arm in passing, aud tore out a piece or flesh. Ajjaio the keeper applied the whip, apparently unmind!ul oi his two wounds, and again the tiger turned ami sprang at its would-be master, nuking sti night at his breast, aud full against it. Robinson

bad not been quick enough, and be was borne to the floor of the cave, whore he lay rnotio loss, the tiger lying with Ms feet across the body. Ah the keeper fell there ; was a quick, loud cry of dismay from the popple, who ittid with bated breath watched the terrible combat, and the beast, with hie paws ■till on his victim’s breast, turned his head to glare upon the people in front of hia cage. At this moment Bry o, the head-keeper, appeared, forcing hia way through the excited crowd cleft? up tl) the bhrs of the cage.; With him were two assistant keepers, to whom ha gave directions, ami they went immediately to the rear of tho-bage," taking dare that the tiger did not gee them as they went. Bryne held in his hand a long pole, on the end of which was a long spike. As ho reached the ban he shouted at the tiger in a loud, commanding lone, and telling the people to stand back, thrust the spike into the animal's flank. With a howl of rage King rose from his position bn the body of Robinson, and dashed himself against the bars where Bryne was standing, trying to reach his now enemy. This was what the head-keeper wanted, for »t this moment the two assistants appeared at the door in the rear, ready to perform their part in the -rescue Bryne baa planned. Fortunately, Eobihson had fallen hear the door, and a»,Bryn ( ekept up his combat with the tiger, plunging the apt o again and again into bis body, the assistants quickly opened the door, grasped the wounded and still insensible man by the arms, and jerked him out of the cage. The whole thing was done eo rapidly that the door was again closed and fastened before the infuriated beast. discovered that diis > prey had escaped l him. The intense excitement of the spectators now found vent in a loud ringing cheer, thr. noise of which aroused Kobiopon from his stupor. Hia fainting wife and hia frightened child were reassured by the symptbising people around them, arid they were soon with thdr husband and father, whose wounds ware found to ba comparatively slight, much to everybody’s surprise. Hie powerful physique had saved him. The tiger will soon recover from the wounds inflicted by the spike, but Eobinson will not bo allowed to enter his cage again, although ha says he will conquer the brute yot.