Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1849-05-30


= day of which We are writing. We, the,
Y came occasionally. and this time wer,
/ visited by Nat Whea,ley. jolly. weather
beaten boatman. well known in Batimor,
as an inveterate joker. who never let an,
. one go to the wndward Of him. He wa:
furthermore sufferer of the first class
: Nat visited the menagerie.
As he entered, the Snowman was stirring
2 up the monkey and tormenting the lion
t giving elaborate descriptions of the va,i.
Gus propensities and natural curiosties OF
each and all.
This. ladies and gentleman. this. l say
/ is the African Lion. A noble beast he is
ladies and gentlemen, as he is called the
} king Of the forest, have often heard tina,
; he makes nothing Of devouring young
creatures of every description. when a,
home in the woods. Certain it is tina, no
other beast can whip him -
MN mister' interrupted Wheatly, do
you say he ca-a-nt be whipped!'
Il duz. said the man of lions and tigers
VIVA til you b-b-bet | ca ant fe-fetch a
critter what'n whip HING
Il amt a bettin' man at ALL But don I
object TO takn' small bet to that effect. ,
III bet l can f.fetch somethin'
that'll wh-whip him. Wha-a s-say to a
hundred -d-dollars!'
Now there were several merchants in
the crowd who knew Wheatly we'll, and
were fully convinced that if the bet was
made, he was sure Of winning. So he
had no difficulty finding hackers, one Of
whom told him he would give him ten gal
Ions Of rum if he won. The menagerie
man glanced at his lion. There he crouch
ed in his cage, his shaggy name bristling.
and his tail sweeping. the very picture Of
grandeur and majesty. The bride was
tempting, and he felt assured
'Certing. sir, certing; have no objec.
ton to old Hercules taking bout with any
creature you may fetch
'V.ve-very w-well,' said Nat, lit is
b-bet.'
The money was planked up, and the
next night was designated for the terrible
conflict. The news was spread over Bal
timore, and at an early hour the boxes Of
the spacious theatre were flled-the pit
being cleared for the atfray.
Expectation was on tip-toe. and it was
with great Impotence that the crowd await.
ed the arrival Of Wheatly. He at length
entered. bearing a large bag or sack on
his shoulders, which as he let il fall on the
floor. was observed to contain some re-
markably heavy substance. The keeper
looked on with indignation.
where's your animal!' he inquired.
9Th there said Nat, pointing with
his finger at the bag.
well, what is it, asked the man with
increasing establishment.
'Th-th-that, l-l-ladies and n'lemen,'
said Nat. gesticuating like the Snowman,
is -whimbamper!'
"A whimbamper!' echoed the keeper
That's certainly new feature in zoology
and anatomy. A whimbamper! well, let
him out and clear the ring. or old Her.
cules may make a mouthful Of both of
you
The keeper was excited.
Accordingly Nat raised the bag, hold
ing the aperture downwards, and out
rolled huge Swapping Turtle, while the
cheers and laughter Of the audience made
the arches ring.
There he is said Wheatley, as he
tilted the Whimbamper' over with both
hands and set him on his legs. The snap
per seemed unconscious of his peril.
Wheatly was about leaving the ring,
when the keeper swore his lion should
not fight such pitable foe.
'V-very w-well,' said Nat, If y-y-you
choose to g-give up the hu-u-undred dol
lars
But it's unfair! cried the Snowman.
The audience interposed and insisted
upon the fight. There was no escape,
and the Snowman reluctantly released the !
lion, making himself secure on the ton of
the cage.
The majestic beast moved slowly round
the ring. snuffing and lashing. while every
person held his breath in suspense. Lions
are prying beasts, and this one was not
long in discovering the turtle, which lay
on the floor, huge inanimate mass. The |
lion soon brought his nose in close proxi-
nifty to it, which the turtle not liking, pop
ped out his head. and rolled his eyes.
while sort of wheeze issued from its
savagerous mouth. The lion jumped back.
turned and made spring at the critter,
which was now fully prepared for his re-
ception. AS the lion landed on him. the |
turtle fastened his terrific Jaws on the lions
nostrils, rendering him powerless to do
harm; yet with activity Of limb he bound
ed around the circle. growled, roared and
dashed himself, but the snapper hung on,
seeming to enjoy the ride vastly.
Go it, Whimbamper,' cried Wheatley
from the boxes.
The scene was rich.
The Snowman was no less enraged than
the lion. Drawing his pistol, he threaten
ed Nat with terrible threats. that if he did |
not take his turtle off he'd shoot him.
'Ta-ta-take him off youself!' shouted
Nat in reply.
At this critical moment, by dint Of los
ipo q porfion of HE poao thu leo -
his dangerous foe from him. and clearing
the space between himself and the cage
with bound. he skunk quietly in, to chew
the bitter cud Of defeat and pain.
1t was fair fight. all declaring ,hat the
'Whimbamper was the victor. The money
was paid over to Nat, who left the theatre,
delighted at the success Of his within. The
next morning he carried his turtle to mar