The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-05-24
In GENERAL.
Visiting a Lion Farm.

upply stations of the geological curiosity
market During the palmy days of the
Circus Maximus the Roman proconsul
N Hippo Regius had special instructions
20 supervise the weekly shipments of
wild beasts, and our menagerie owners
IT'LL import large percentage OF their
live stock from Oran and Algiers. The
latter city, e. pecially, has become rem
1ezvous of international pet dealers, and
ON my last visit to Antwerp Captain Ell
lard, the travelling agent of the famous
| Hagenbeck sale menagerie, gave me an
Interesting account of lion kennel in
the neighborhood of the ancient capital
Of the Algerian pirates.
In the arcades of the Palace Royale
and all along the steamboat wharves
strangers are troubled by the importu-
mites of beast dealers who bawl out the
merits of their pets and in the ardor of
competition will not hesitate to thrust
tame monkey into the arms of possible
| purchaser. At tent near the piazza of
French hotel Captain Ellard saw ma
tive Arab with dozen young lions, va
rying in price from 10 to 10 francs, but
learning that the trader was merely
salesman of wild beast farm in the
outskirts of the Carbah, the hill suburb
Of Algiers. ~ resolved to apply at head
quarters knowing from experience that
stock breeders are apt to keep their best
specimens at nome.
The captains guide conducted him
through rubbish heaps and bramble
patches to AN inclosed garden, which al
first look might have been mistaken for
one of the numerous yesiras, or orchard
farms. in the neighbOrhood of the Al
gerian coast towns. But when they en-.
tered the gate young baboon leaped
Town from the low stone wall and raced
toward his mother, who snatched him up
In her arms ami hurried off with cough
Ing banks OF alarm.
please keep on this side of the road,
said the guide There's "a she jackal
with pups under that bush over yonder
and she's very apt to fly at stranger.
Any way yon please. Is that the
owner OF the place" pointing to an old
Arab. who was busy cleaning out bar
red den apparentlya natural cave fitted
ap for the purpose of kennel
Yes that's the sheikh, that's Ben
NOud, Sdlu Jus SultlC' llc uStu w NC
chief of "A little mountain tribe, but the
war ruined them. He's all right now
They cant break up his present business
as long as the people in Franciscan buy
wood devils (shat-el- Kamr IA generic
name for carnivOrous animals. or yer
mint, as our trappers would call them)
The sheikh dropped his rake and wei
coined the captain, who stepped back to
save his clothes from two baby lions that
mad squeezed out of their cage and began
to play with his trousers.
Sumo half grown brethren of the young
baooon had emerged from their hiding
place under the house and al once pro
ceeded to illustrate their peculiar talent
: by upsetting dish Of milk before the
old Arab could kick them uht of the way
Seeing one Of the young lions help him
self to the spilled milk they grabbed
him by the tail and got their faces
scratched for their trouble, but III the
ensuing scrimmage four pairs of fists
threatened to prevail against two pairs of
Immature claws, when the old lioness in
the cage rose up with menacing growl
that sent the 4-handers scampering Oft
with screams of dismay One of the Sc
NOR balloons then appeared on the scene
but vanished like shot when the sheikh
made grab for his rake The captain
burst out laughing
You may believe 1t keeps me busy to
strengthen out this mob of rascals, said
the old Arab but in the long run its
the cheapest plan to give them as much
freedom as possible They live just
twice as long and are not SO apt to get
baldheaded with inconsistencies
But suppose those young scamps
should run into "a gang of your jackals
would not some of them be apt to get
badly hurt?
Il don't think they would, said the
sheikh. They get along in peace just
the same as out in the wilderness Jack
ais you know live on meat and balloons
on berries and roots, SO they do not in
terfere with each others business 1t
would be different with some other crea-
lures have IA cageful of wildcats from
Mount Atlas, and when one of them got
out few weeks ago you conld hear my
dogs and jackals howl all over the town
ship A dog and all his cousins seem to
have an idea that a small sized cat has
got no right to be alive anyhow. About
the big cats. like lions and leopards, they
are little more careful"
How many of the big kind have you
altogether
Five eoparls and % lions said the
sheikh They are in the main kennel
on the other side of the wall, but its
: safer to keep the younger ones near the
house.
1t must cost You pretty penny to
feed all those boardersy"
Yes, but scrap meat is cheap in a
place like this. Why do you know that
you can get some of it for less than moth
Ing! The city several times paid me 8
francs "a haul for carting off dead horses
and oxen that had dropped in the street
: l do it for nothing now to make sure of
the contract There is chance of that
sort about once week. and after good
feed my boarders do not say word
about couple of fast days"
Have you amy nursing leopards?'