San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-02-01

morning, and at eleven we reached the
settlement where We had been IN
formed that meat could be obtained
but not a scrap could be find. There
was not an OK in the place, and only
two COWS. But we were assured that
few miles further on we should lind
what we wanted. So on we went, and
the afternoon crept half away without
bringing us in sight of any living
thing which we could kill. .
1.-THE day was a very warm one'
and the matches upon the cages were
open to give good circulation of air
for the animals. My tiger was un.
easy enough. He growled, and
scratched at his bars, and ever and
anon he leaped against the side OF his
narrow house with force that shook
me in my seat. At brook where we
stopped to water 1 spoke with Pelby
about the tiger. l told him the beast
was becoming savage.
"'Never mind, said he; well find
something before night. The first
animal we see by the wayside we'll
take, if we have to steal it.
But this did not satisfy me. The
tigerwas full grown one, and almost
as powerful as he might have been in
his native jungle. l did not feel easy.
1 suggested that we had betterkill one
of the dogs. But Pelby would not
listen to this. He knew that the
larger beasts were hungry, and that
they would kick up a great fuss; but
he believed they would stand it some
hours yet.
1T was not so much of the welfare
| of the animals that l thought as of
my own welfare. Suggested to Pelby
that the cage drove was not one of
the strongest.
"He laughed at me. why said
he, the tiger might bump away a
month at that cage, and he couldn't
start a bar
"But I was not so sure of that. L
believed that some of the bars were
already started. The jolting of the
wagon over the rough roads had
gradually loosened the hold of the
wood upon the iron, and | told Mr..
Pelby that if he could hear the Earring
which l had heard, he would not be
quite so confident of the tigers pow
erlessness.
"'Poohr said he, laughing at me.
IF you are so easily frightened as
that, you will never do to drive a
leading team. I'll put you on to the
monkeys
81 didn' t relish that kind of lip at
all; and l told Mr.. Pelby that I'd
drive his tiger as long as he had
tiger to drive, unless found some
thing better to do.
1--WE started on again. Jackson's
Inn was twenty miles distant, and
that was our next place of exhibition.
1t was now past three o'clock i'll the
afternoon, and as the road was very
rough we had a good look for being
on the move until after dark. Mr.,
Pelby lead the column with a four
horse team; next followed the cage
containing a pair of lions; next,
full grown grizzly bear; next pair
of loopards; and next came my team,
with the Royal Bengal tiger; whilebe-
hind me followed panthers, black
bear, hyonas, zebra, ostrich, moose,
and monkeys.
81 tell you, the wild beasts were
hungry; and my tiger was getting to
be ugly. He growled and snarled,
and | could hear him tearing at the
bars. BY and by he made a new
You remember l told
you that the scuttle, or hatch, on top
of the cage, was open. This hole was
about two feet square, and guarded
with traverse bars, three running one
way, and three the other. The tiger
leaped up and caught these bars with
his claws. | turned and saw that he
still hung by them, and that his
weight buckled them. l took the but
of my whip and beat him off. He
growled ferociously for a while, and
then spent season quietly. Atlength,
however, he commenced another bout,
and pretty soon caught the bars of the
scuttle again. There was a terrible
cracking of the wood, and just as l
turned the but of my whip the bars
came out, and the hole was entirely
open. 1 stopped my horses, and
then sprang up to shut the trap-door;
but the tiger was quicker than L was.
As l reached outmy hand he came up