The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-04-28
VOL. XxIII.-NO. %.

rhinoceros. The lions and panthers were
raising an awful racket, and the confusion
was deafening. The big beast cleared his
horn of portion of the cage hanging toit,
and then struck that containing the pam
theirs. The beasts were liberated in
moment, and as they ran about the deck
the lions roared and raved until we had
to stop our ears. One of the panthers ran
aft and leaped into the yawl boat at the
davits and crouched under the thwart. and
the other hid under the bedding we had
brought up to air and spread at the heel of
the bowsprit.
The borele was now thoroughly enraged,
and, without deigning glance at the pan
thers, he smashed into the pen of lions and
made kindlings of it. The largest of the
three lions sprang on the borele's back as
he came out of the pen, and perhaps his
sharp claws inflicted some damage. He
had no sooner leaped to the deck than the
big beast chased him aft to the cabin, but
aaa asapp down trio foFecastIe, Nhle the
third crouched down by the water butt and
kept up fearful growing. No ships
crew ever found themselves in a stranger
situation. 1t was pretty hard to say what
should be done, and it was full hour
before We got any word from the captain.
During this time the borele drove the
other lion aft, smashed the water butt,
drove the panther out from under the bed
ding into the forecastle with the third lion,
and then destroyed our bedding and every
thing else which would yield to his terrible
horns. Just before the captain called out
to us one of our men pulled himself across
to the foremast by the triangle stay, slipped
down the lee shrouds, and, waiting until
the borele was headed aft, he dropped to
the deck and slid the cover over the fore
castle companion. That act imprisoned
lion, panther and one of the serpents,
and was a. display of judgment and nerve
which the captain well rewarded.
The men shut up in the cabin finally
hailed us to know the situation. The other
two lions were crouched down at the wheel,
and the panther in the boat had no idea of
leaving it. The three beasts kept up low
growing and snarling, and would have
picked fight but for the presence of a
common enemy. 1t was the rhinoceros
which must be taken care of first By
order of the captain another man crossed
to the foremast, and then the two descend
ed the shrouds and shouted and gestured
defiance at the borele until he was brought
to the bows Then three men, armed with
guns and revolvers, slipped out of the cabin
and into the shrouds of the mainmast, and
it began to look as if we had the advan-
tage. While we were trying to draw the
borele aft again, that they might make
target of him, one of the lions leaped into
the yawl, while the other ran for the bows
of the brig. The one had scarcely entered
the yawl when the panther tackled him,
and for a minute the two bounded over
the thwarts and tumbled about in the
fercest confusion, the yawl rocked about
as if it would upset, and the screams and
roars of the beasts were something awful
CHANGING for an instant from the combat
ants to the water below, 1 saw the sharks
gathering astern Of us sif7aost as thick as
they could pack. Could one Of US reach
the tackle and lower away, we Roala-be
rid of two more of our enemies. The man
below me on the shrouds moved down a
little, thinking to carry out the idea, but
just then the fighting beasts reared up over
the thwart amidships, seized each other
with fresh grip, and as they tugged and
tussled, the rocking of the boat dumped
them out, and the sharks snapped them up
in second.
The fight drew the attention of the rhi-
noceros. On his way aft he came across
the lion, who was skulking under the bull
warks, and drove him back to his former
position at the wheel As / told you be-
fore, the big beast could not crowd in
between the cabin roof and the bulwarks,
but now, seeming to be madder than ever,
he saw a new route before him. The roof
of the cabin was about two feet above the
deck, with heavy glass skylight in the
centre. After a few terrific snorts the
borele started to walk over the cabin roof
He got his full weight upon it, when his
fore feet went through with a crash, and
he rolled sideways into the narrow passage
and was stuck fast, feet in the air, and the
maddest rhinoceros on earth. While he
was struggling there the men began firing
upon the lion. After being hit three times
he bounded over the cabin and ran forward
out of sight think he attempted to go
out on the bowsprit and was attacked BY
the serpent. We heard something of a
struggle, followed by heavy splash in the
water, and that was the last known of
either. All Of us now clambered down to
attack the rhinoceros. He was helpless to
defend himself, and we used axes and bull
lets to rid him of life. Indeed, we chopped
him in pieces, in order to handle the body
and get it overheard.
There were now lion, panther and
serpent in the forecastle, and we proposed
to let 'em fight it out. 1t was long after
dinner before we cleared the deck, and We
had not yet washed out the blood when
breeze sprang up, and we held our course.
Had itcome an hour sooner we should have
been in bad fix, as nobody could have
touched the sails. Such bedding as could
be spared from the cabin was passed up,
and it was arranged for us to sleep en- deck.
during therest of the voyage. Not sound
had been heard from the forecastle during
the day, but just before dark there was an
awful rumpus. We could hear the hiss of
the serpent, the screams of the panther and
the growls of the lion, and the row con-
tinued for quarter of an hour. Then it
died away, and nothing further disturbed
us during the night. After breakfast next
morning we armed ourselves with cutlasses
and capstan bars, and stood about the hatch
while the cover was slid back. There was
IN awful smell, but nothing moved. After
while one of the men descendsd the lad
der part way, and it was presently discov-
cred that all our enemies were dead.
There had been triangular fight between
'em, and it had continued until all were.
destroyed. The two beasts were bitten
and scratched in the most terrible manner,
and the serpent had been bitten through
and through dozen times. 1t took US
whole day to get rid Of the stencil and
clean up, and our captain would not have
taken another cage aboard the brig for its
weight in gold.
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