Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1858-10-28
THE RATS OF MONTFAUCON.
The most magnificent rat hunts in tn

I1E IVA oT 1AON + "A Oo1N.
The most magnificent rat hunts in the
world are held at intervals at Montfaucon
outside Paris. Montfaucon is an establish
ment, under government superintendent
where worn-out horses are slain, stray dogs
made an end of, and several other secre,
mysteries are accomplished. When Mon
sieur Brissot Thivars had charge of the pub
lie salubrity-which gave him the command
of Montfaucon as we'll as of the French sew
ers-he invited Balzac, the great French
novelist, to feld-day, which was eagerly
accepted by that distinguished writer, and
the following account of a scene witnessed
there is described
It was agreed that the inspector Of salu-
brity, Balzac, DR.. Gentil, and another gen
tleman, should reach their destination at
three in the morning. A dozen men en-
ployed on the place preceded them with a
degree of mysterious circumspection, each
having lighted resin torch in his right
hand, and long ladder on his left should
er; four others, having ladders only, follow
ed with the silence of conspirators. By the
side of the party there trotted a pack of
dingy dogs, of the same color as the cloudy
night, who had their own private reasons
for joining the company besides the affection
they bore to their masters. They were
mastifs and bulldogs, descended by care,
full crossing, from the most formidable and
famous Saxon and English races, with
square, angular heads, short ears, promi-
nent and blodshot eyes, teeth of iron, and
elephantine feet and legs.
Arrived at the enclosure for the purpose,
the ladders were placed against the wall,
and after a difficult ascent, the party and
their dozen torch-bearers took their places
on the top of the wall Before and below
them was a vast enclosure, appropriated to
the slaughter of condemned horses. Heaps
of bones, scattered here, and there, indicat-
ed this funeral destination. 1t required
few minutes to accustom the eye to the gloomy
scene, before they could we'll make out its
details. The bottom of this ill-paved tub
was traversed by long and irregular stone
cutters, all of which radiated toward the cir
ya M Rq dJ5 Fsaq4t9A 4t9Asg hib BIZ th
pendicular bars, so placed as to allow liquid
matters to escape, but preventing the pas
sage of solid substances. The spectators
continue to wait on the top of their wall
One of the iron gates in the wall opened.
Four men Immediately entered, dragging
after them with ropes the dead horse, the
hero of the .tete, the principal actor, who
had been so impatiently expected. AS soon
as they had rapidly disengaged the poor
creature from it's last connection with hu
man society, they left it naked on the stones
and retreated hastily slamming the iron gate
behind them.
At all the iron gates at the end of the
cutters, and doubtless from other unseen
vent-holes, there instantly appeared several
rats attracted by the mighty feast. They
were the scouts Of the army in ambuscade.
A few individuals, detached from the first
platoon, advanced on the tips Of their toes
to within few yards of the carcase; and
there they turned, by common consent, their
sharp muzzles and their quivering smellers
toward the gates by which they had entered,
as if to make sure of retreat in case of
need.
The first signs of timidity disappeared
when they found themselves joined by other
rats, who came in crowds to share the ban
quet. Their numbers gave them mutual
encouragement; and the pavement began to
be blackened all over with reinforcements of
fresh regiments of rats. Balzac remarked
that, among these rats there was a progress
sion of stature and strength from the first
to the last, or rather from the first to those
that followed, for the last had not yet shown
themselves. The earliest arrivals, lean,
long, and weakly. were followed by others
in better plight, who, in turn, were follow
ed by still more comely and thrifty guests
The first comers were clearly the hun griest
The floor of the court disappeared under an
ever thickening carpet of rats. There were
black rats, brown rats, tawny rats, yellow
rats, chestnut rats, rats of orders gray, slate
colored rats, and even white rats Just be-
fore it was completely covered, there ad-
vanced from the mass a detachment of rats
bolder and more adventurous than the rest.
They marched in three columns, and in the
form of triangle, up to the carcass, of
which they took possession. It was sue
cessful military reconnaissance. Their 9TH
er companions, thus encouraged, charged
with much greater resolution; the leaders
climbed up the horses fanks, ripped up it's
Skin from one ehu 10 the Other, just as
tailor unstitches an old coat to tear it up in
to rags, and then hundreds, thousands,
myriads streamed in at every aperture,
crewding thick and anxiously like an audi
ence rushing out of a theatre on fire. They
scramble over one another, and their rust
ling movements, their little shrill whistlings,
inaudible at first, produced by their multi
plication, the hum and murmur of crowd,
in which you could almost fancy you heard
the sound of human voices Life was boil
ing in the animated mass. It made you
shudder to think of what would hey your fate