The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-06
QUEER PETS.
An Indian Princes Singular
Present to Royalty.
Bengal Tigers That Learned to Love Sailor.
Their Grief at Parting From Him.
Reunited at the 900"


ago." said an old salt yesterday to CALL
reporter. "about the queer taste displayed
sometimes by sailors in the matter of pets.
Now pigs are often made pets on board
ship, but it amt often that a sailor, or any
body else for the matter of that, makes a
pet of Bengal tiger"
From the merry twinkle In his eye it was
evident to the reporter that story was be-
hind the remark, and with little pressing
the tar consented to spin his yarn. He
stated, by way of preliminary, that although
now in the service of Uncle Sam. he had
worn the blue uniform of Queen Victoria
for number of years, and was oneof the
crew of the troop-ship Seraphis that took
the Prince of Wales to India when he Wis
tied that country
after leaving England we touched at
several ports before getting through the
Suez Canal, reached Alden, stopped there
long enough to coal and then resumed the
voyage to Bombay. Here the Prince went
ashore and the people celebrated his arrival
in great style.
'As soon as his Royal Highness began his
trip up the country trouble began for US.
A FLOATING MENAGERE.
ooh, no, we did not go along. but the
blooming ship was soon turned Snto a
menagerie for every petty prince and
nabOb whose domain was visited on the
trip into the interior thought it his duty to
make the royal visitor a number of pres
ents. and many of these were living ami
mails AS fast as the Prince received them
he had them sent down to the ship, which
soon looked like second edition of n 0ah's
Ark.
There were already in the collection
deer of several species, snakes in glass
cases, two or three buffalo dogs, cats (most
of them wild ones, when the news came
that three elephants and pair OF line
horses were waiting TO be brought on
board. Then the captain kicked and or
dered that they be kept Oh shore till the
ship sailed. But this was not ali, for one
day, to cap the climax, a boat came along
side and native soldier jumped on board
having in lis arms IL large basket.
Imagine the surprise OF the ships COM
pany when we found the contents OF the
basket to be pair of young Bengal tiger
cubs. The native set the basket down on
deck while he handed the officer OF the
watch letter from the Prince directing
that every care be taken Of the cubs.
THE PRINCES CHARGES.
"They were not more than nine or ten days
old when brought on board could hardly
walk and, of course, were perfectly harm
TESS 81 ITO dlktLll Il Wis ulduG " CdSG lllctll
A box was provided for the little fellows,
but they spent little time in it, preferring to
romp and play around the deck. They soon
became attached to the sailors, showed no
| disposition TO bite or scratch and grew SO
| rapidly GU a liberal diet Of milk aud muSh
| that 10y the time we left Bombay they were
as large as big Newfoundland dogs.
"They became especially attached to a sea-
man named Watson. and while any of the
crew could pull them around and play with
| them as you would pet dog they would
| follow Watson all over the ship, and he
| often used one OF them Instead of a pillow
| when lying down on deck. Tney never at
| tempted to modest the deer or other animals
| on board. Visitors to the ship were often
| badly scared when they saw the two ami
| mails come r0mpug toward them, and more
than one lady tainted when they tried to
| lick her hand.
IN CAPTIVITY.
'The Prince Intended the tigers should be
presented 10 the biological Garden in Re-
| gents Park, so when We got to Portsmouth
| the poor brutes were placed in a strong cage
| for the first time in their lives and taken to
| London. This treatment seemed to change
| their whole nature; they dashed against
| their prison bars and were so ferocious that
| the keepers III Regents Park had a cage
| specially prepared for their reception. Large
| crowds tl0cked to see them, but this only
| made the brutes worse and their mad efforts
to get out Of the cage were redoubled. Fresh
meat as given them, but they refused to
eat and became thin and gaunt.
"Then a change came; we were ordered
around TO SbeerneSS, the ship was put out OF
| commission and all hands were paid off As
soon as he was free Watson. WHO had ne
family, fastened to London and the next
day went 10 Regents Park to see his pets.
SAILORS FREAK.
ut happened to be Sunday, and the gar
dams yypre crowded with paonla Rv
time Watson got to the park he had taken
several drinks and was lar from steady on
his pins. He was not long III finding the
cage in which the cubs were confined, and
pushing through the crowd of people,
climbed over the railing and staggered w
TO the cage.
"a cry of horror went up from the crowd,
and every one expected to see the drunken
man dreadfuily mangled when he thrust his
arm into the cage and patted the fierce
bru,es. Women tainted and several keep
erS tried to drag the man away from in
fropt of the den, but Watson was not to be
taken from his pes so soon. Shaking off
the men who tried to hold him, he stag
gerei around to the back of the den, and, TO
the dismay of keepers and people alike, be-
gan to unfasten the door.
THEY KNEW THEIR FRIEND.
"You can bet there was stampede. and
before you could cry Jack Robinson Wat
son had that part of the garden to himself.
Women and children were thrown down
and trodden on, in the wild rush to get
away from the vicinity of the den.
I'm the meantime Watson managed to
open the door and crawled into the cage.
The joy of the poor bruies when they saw
their old friend was unbounded. They
licked his hands and fawned ON him like a
dog.
"Seeing the tigers we're not loose, for
Watson had closed the door when he got
into the den. the attendants ventured back,
expecting, of course, to find only the
mangled body of the sailor, but their sur
prise may be well imagined when, instead
of half-devoured corpse. they saw Watson
sitting down in the cage, calmly filling his
pipe, and the tigers stretched one on each
side of him.
CHANGE OF FORTUNE.
1.-The manager was sent for, and, after a
talk with Watson, engaged MIN at a good
salary. From that time until he died, about
two years after, not day passed that he
did not spend several hours inside with his
strange pets, who were always restless and
uneasy when he was away from them"