Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-10-19
The Rats Of Montfaucon.

The Rats of M0ntfaucOns
The most magnificent rat hunts in the worl'
are held at intervals at MontfaucoD, outside Par
il. Montfaucon is an establishment, under gov
ernment .uperintendence, where worn out hors
IS are slain, stray dogs are made an end OF, ant
several other secret mysteries are accomplished
When Monsieur Brissot Thivars had charge o
the public salubrity-wbich gave him the com
mand of Montfaucon as well as OF the French
sewers--he invited Bazac, the great French
novelist, to field day, which was eagerly &C
cepted by that distinguished writer, and the fol
lowing account uf scene witnessed there is thu
described:
1t was agreed that the inspector of saubrity
Balzac, Dr.. Gentil and another gentlemen
should reach their destination at three In the
morning The party were exact at the rendez
vous. A duzen men employed on the place pre-
ceded them with degree of mysterious circum
speotion, each having lighted rosin torch IL
lis right hand. and a long ladder on his leff
shoulder; four Others, having ladders only, fol
lowed with the silence of consprators. By the
side of the party there trotted pack of dingy
dogs, OF the same color as the cloudy night, whr
had their own private reasons for joining mas
ters. They were mastiffs and bull dogs, de
.ceDded, by careful crossing, from the most for.
nidable and famous Saxon and English races
with square, angular heads, short ears. prominent
and bloodshot eyes, teeth of iron, and elephan
tine feet and legs.
Arrived at the enclosure for the purpose, the
ladders were placed against the wall, and after n
difficult ascent, the party and their dozen torch
hearers took their places on the top OF the wall
Before and below them was q vast enclosure.
appropriated to the slaughter of condemned
horses Heaps of bones, scattered here and
there, indicated this funeral destination 1t re
uured few minutes To accustom the eye to the
gloomy sceue, before they could well make out
its details. The bottom Of this ill-paved tub wss
traversed by long and irregular stone CUTTERS all
of which radiated toward the circumscribing
wall, on reaching which they were closed by
iron doors, consisting of perpendicular bars, so
placed as to allow liquid matters to escape, but
the passage of solid substances. The
,ppcrators continue 10 wait on the top OF their
wall.
One of the iron gates in the wall opened
Four men Immediately entered, dragging after
hem with ropes the dead horse, the hero Of the
tete, the principal actor, who had been so impa.
tienty expected. As soon as they had rapidly
lisengaged the poor creature from its last con
nection with human society, they left it naked
IN the stones and retreated hastily, slamtnng the
iron gate behind them.
AT all the iron gates at the end of the cutters,
and doubtless from other unseen ventholes, there
instantly appeared several rats, attracted by the
mighty feast. They were the scouts of the army
in arnbuscade. A few individuals, detached
from the platoon, advanced on the tips of their
toes to within few yards Of the carcass; and
there they turned, by common consent, their
sharp muzzles aud their qnivering smellers to-
ward the gates by which they had entered, as il
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 banquet. Their
numbers gave them mutual encouragement; and
the pavement began to be backeDed all over
with relnforcements of fresh regiments of rats.
Balzac remarked that, among these rats there
was progression of stature and strength from
The first 10 the last, or rather from the first to
those that followed, tor the last had not yet
shown themselves. The earliest arrivals, lean,
long, and weakly, were followed by others IN
better plight, who in tnrn, were followed by
still more comely and thrifty guests. The first
coners were clearly the hungriest.
The fnor of the court disappeared under an
ever thickenIng carpet OF rats. There were
black rats, brown rat, tawny rats, yellow rats,
chestnut rats, rats of orders gray, slate colored
rats, and even white rats. Just before it was
covered, there advanced from the
mass a detachment of rats bolder aud more ad
venturous than the rest. They marched in three
columns, and in the form of triangle, up to the
carcass, of which they took possession. 1t was
fnl irar
,r companions, thus encouraged, charged with
much greater resolution; the leaders climbed up
the horses fanks, ripped up its skin from one
end to the other, just as tailor unstitches an
Did coat to tear it up into rags, and then hun
lreds, thousands, myrads streamed in at every
aperture, crowding thick and anxionsy, like an
rushing out Vt u theatre on, fire. They
,cramble over one another. and their rustling
their little shrll whistllngs, naudi
BILE ut first, produced by their multiplication the
nun aud mur,nur of crowd. in which you
could almost fancy you heard the sound of hu
nau voices. Life WAS boiling in the animated
mass. 1t made you shudder to think of what
would be your fate were You to fall in the midst
Of it from your perch on the wall.
The Montfaucon rats had opened the horse;
aud they cut it up, bored it, riddled it through
and through and chopped it into mince meat
The work of destruction was hidden from sight
A few minutes afterwards, the horse having com.
pletely disappeared beneath the hideOus brutes,
who, hanging on, with the voracous precision
Of leeche5, to its rounded form, soon offered the
spectacle of magnificent horse composed Of
thousands of living rats, after the fashion of the
shell work toys and ornaments that are made to
represent men aud animals.
Now letin the dogs!" was the second word
Of command given by Brissot Thivars to his man.
The dogs entered the arena, and the carnage
began. The first two minutes were glorious for
them. They were made with joy. They killed !;
they gave tongue, they gave tongue, they killed
they bagged two at shot, like first-rate sports
men. A pair of rats were often entrapped in
the same swapping bite. And when they
thought their victims dead, they shook them
about, as puppies will shake an empty glove
Then they Cast them aside, aud recommended
tie massacre. But all pleasures end in exhaus.
tlou. The excitement Of the dogs gradually di-
cruelty gave place to clenency, elem.
ency which was only fatigue in disguise. Aud
, ct, if they had scattered death around, they
had destroyed just nothing at all The first
quarter Of an hour Was all their own, the second
was by no means so. There were barkings,
which sounded more like accents OF pain, than
shouts Of victory. The reaction had begun
There were many aud mauy bleeding ears there
were muzzles from which hung bunches OF rats,
who were now taking revenge on the enemy
1t was in vain to try and shake the assailants off
they held SO frn aud tight that tile countenan
ces of the colnbatants were dishgured for lile.-
Others liiuped along with wounded feet, while
others could not stir peg The rest, doubtless,
defended themselves bravely, but still they had
10 act ON the defensive. The original position
was completely changed. The chances might
have turned out untavorable to the dogs, ii theiI
masters, alarmed at their danger and also to
crown the fete, had not issued from the iron
gate with uaked arms, brandshing clubs, turn.
inn the tide OF ballle and chnnging defeat into