Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1889-12-03
REVENGED.
How a Menagerie was Turned Loose
in a Warehouse.
The Big Elephant Starts the Rumpua
and Then All Join Heartily In tho
Chorus-The Narrator n Most
Unwilling Spectator.

I was acting as shlpping-clerk In
the efiice OF tho Liverpool and Cal
ntta Steamship line at Cape Town,
and among the helpers in the big
warehouse were two or three fellows
who were called 'HaltHots" They
were mixture OF white and black, but
not mulattoes. Tho color was more
like that OF the Chinaman, and their
vernacular was queer mixture OF
English and Dutch. These fellows
were MS servile as slaves to ones face,
but us revcngeful us flends behind his
bacs. The old clerk had been IN fear
OF them and had put up with their
faults. but I worked them around
pretty lively from the first day, and at
1he end OF the first month had plenty
of cause to discharge them. had the
power TO hire and discharge my own
help. having at times as many US
twenty-five men in the sheds, and so
nothing was snid about these three
going away. They made no protest to
me, but Boer who was acting rs my
assistant warned me that had best
look out for myself for the next few
weeks, as he had overheard them
threatening vengeance.
Two days after the discharge OF the
men an English ship, which had been
around TO the east coast and up the
Bay OF Bengal collecting wild animals
for the Royal Museum at London, put
into Cape Town In distress. She was
leaking SO badly that sho had to go into
dry dock, and she had to be lighted OF
almost every thing before she could
pass over the gate sill OF the dock at
her disposal. The animals were stored
in one end OF our big ware house,
which was building 200 feet long by
100 feet wide. There was one big
African elephant and two medium.
sized ones from India, together with
two male lions. three tigers, four or
Ave hyenas, several wolves, a couple
Of panthers, and large number OF
monkeys. All but the elephants were
In cages, and these vera placed In
row at one end OF the building, and
the elephants far enough away SO that
they could not reach the cages or each
other. They seemed peacefully in
clined. although strangers TO each
other, and the beasts and serpents had
been so shaken up Mt sea that they
were glad TO secure rest and sleep.
1t was In summer and the weather
was very hot The warehouse was
only one story high, built OF brick, and
the many windows in it were doubly
guarded TO keep out robbers. Stout
iron bars ran up and down, and out
side OF them were heavy wire screens.
This enabled us to leave all windows
raised day and night and keep the
building ventilated. In the center OF
the building was u cupola. furnishing
further light and ventilation. and at
the east end little room had been
partitioned off for my Office. This
room contained sleeping bunk and a
hammock, and slept here and took
my meals at hotel. There was no
Waterman inside the house, but ono
was stationed on the wharf outside.
Al midnight OF the night OF which l
am now going to write there was a full
moon. and tho interior Of the big
warehouse was almost as light as day.
had been asleep for an hour and u
half, when was suddenly awakened
by trumpet blast from the. big clc-
plant He was chained by one foot 10
ii ring bolt In the floor. and stood
broadslde TO one OF the windows and
about ten feet away He trumpeted US
II highly augered, and as ] dropped
out OF tho hammock heard him tug
ging TO break his chain. On that side
of my office was large window, and
had no need 10 open the door to see
what was going on. ! saw the big fell
low Juggling and strainlng, and he
made the building shake with his