Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-09-12
A KINGS PETS
DY DAVID KER.

people come out here and fire at a
crocodile and miss it, and then go home
and say it's bullet-proof," said my cous-
in, Roualeyn Gordon Cumming, the IA
nous ''lion-killer" of South Africa. The
"bullet-proof" theory, at which the great
hunter laughed, would have little chance
against the firearms Of the present day;
but no one can pity the "Timsach" (as
the Arabs call this river r-pirate), for a
more hideous combination of cowardice
and ferocity, vast destructive power and
revolving physical ugliness, does not
exist on the face of the earth.
Moreover, the crocodile is so skilled at
"playing 'possum" that, like his terrible
cousin, the ground-shark of the Rea Sea,
he is often felt before he is seen. In the
Nile Or the Ganges Gas l can testify from
personal experience) you may at any mo-
ment see floating log-as you think
drifting slowly toward you with the cur
rent; and you will probably pay no par
ticular attention to it until it comes
within twenty feet or so, when it whirls
round suddenly and darts straight at you
with rush that lashes the muddy water
into yellow foam, revealing all in one
moment the scaly, mud -plastered body,
huge notched tail, horny snout, and
small, cunning, cruel eye of the croco,
dile!
But of all the ''crocodile experiences
which have fallen to the lot of Mrs. Kel
and myself, the most memorable was
certainly that which befell us in thu
Hindoo city of Jeypoor, or Jypoor, OF
our way along the edge of the grea
northwestern desert of India.
"Now I think of it., said Mrs. Ker
as we sat at breakfast in the veranda O.
the snug little "Kaiser-i-Hind Gmpres
of India) Hotel" upon the steps ant
balustrades of which the drifting sand o
the desert had crusted itself like BROW
sugar, "this is the place where the reignin.
Maharajah is said to keep tank full o
pet crocodiles in his palace, just as al
Englishnan might keep basin of gol'
fish,"
81 wonder if he throws them a maj
every now and then, to keep them i
condition" suggested I. eff SO, Ihop
they make an exception in favor of news
paper correspondents and reviewers, Q
being in the 'chawing-up' line like them
selves; but as kind critic was gracious
ly pleased to observe that no man aliy
could swallow my stories, perhaps croct
dile may not be able to swallow thel
either. Anyhow, we must go and see.
We did so, and saw, during our il
spection of the town and palace, qui
enough to have satisfied us, even if v
had not seen the Maharajah's charmir
pets at all. The whole city looked ju
like huge piece of confectionery, Il
houses being all bright pink, with sno
white cornices, so as to give the exact e
feet of an endless perspective of mo-
strous wedding cakes, recalling so TO
chilly the German legend of the brea,
and butter house, with its cake roof ar
sugar windows, that l felt half incline
to break off a piece OF the nearest bull
ing and begin to eat.
In front of the splendid hospital bui
by the Maharajah in honor of his frien
Lord Mayo murdered by Moslem ia
attic in 1874, while Viceroy of India), e.
tended spacious and well-kept garde
on broad patch of smooth, green tur
in the centre of which two natl
"elevens" we're playing a Hindoo cricke
match. The extraordinary antics of t
players-who had evidently just begun
learn the game-and the wonderil
comments of the puzzled spectators (wl
were divided in opinion between suppt
ing all the performers to be stark m
and regarding the whole affair as sol
peculiar religious ceremony set us bo
laughing till we could hardly stand; b