The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-16
MAN AND LION.
Amicable Relations Between Famous
Performing Animal and His Trainer.
IN. Y. Herald

+ = y 90
my. Herald
why do love Leo more than the
rest of the lions under my carer" asked
Professor Darling, of Hagen beck's arena.
The professor, who, owing to his 1long
association with the king of beasts, has
grown to resemble a lion himself, stroked
his tawny beard meditaJively as he put
thisquestion.
Leo is more than my pupil" he con-
tinued !" He is my bosom friend and
may vet become my protector should the
other lions ever turn against me. Our
affection dates from the day we first met
in the bazaar at Suakim in Egypt
1.-THE mention of that meeting brings
before me the whole strange scene, as
fash light does darkened picture.
Overhead in the copper, yellow Afri-
can sky, east and west stretches the long
bazaar, gaudy with many colored cloths,
reeking with thousand odors and
crowded with all manner Of men-black,
brown and white. The few whites are
soldiers of Queen Victoria, then in oc-
cupation of Suakim (for war with the
Mahdl had just been concluded) 'and
my own party.
ITO the south lies hazy waste of
sand, broken by the crooked lines of
palms which mark the track of the Nile
Suddenly | am called from the reverie
into which have fallen by the voice of
Herr kohn, Mir. Hagenbeck's Soudanese
agent He apprises me of the arrival Of
TWO lion cubs. l look southwark and
here comes through the crowd camel,
bobblng and swaying, as camels do, and
bearing two wicker cages, swung from
the ends of a bamboo pole dashed across
his back. Turban and fez give way be-
fore the advancing beast, and 1 can
distinguish two fine baby lions through
the bars of the cages.
Il am on mission to Africa to gather
lions for Mr.. Hagenbeck. Stepping ur
to the cage on the right of the camel
am greeted by low growl. The occu-
pant is the lion whom we now call
Pasha,' the brother of Leo ,. Trying
my luck at the other side, am received
with purring like that of a cat. I put my
hand into the cage. The lion cub ruD s
his soft back against it, We are friends
from the start. Opening the cage door,
L take the little fellow in my arms. He
nestles near my breast, and near my
heart he has remained ever since That
lion cub was Leo, land | shall .-never for
sulky at our first Introduction he him
self welcomed me as friend from the
first moment our eyes met"
Buying Animals in Egypt.
Professor Darling probably knows more
about lions than any other living person
other than a Nubian or Kafir. He
went into the menagerie business as a
pony trainer at the age of eighteen, but
speedily saw that his training talents
demanded more important objects. From
teaching tricks to shaggy Shetland
ponies he gravitated toward the section
occupied by the lions. The lions took to
him aud he to- them.
In 1888 the idea of training lions to
perform in large arenas instead of in
cages, occurred to him and he suggested
it to Karl Hagenbeck The latter at once
despatched him to Northeast Africa to
obtain lions for his big experiment Mr.
Hagen beck has agents all the world
over. But Mr.. Kohn. his representative
in the Soudan, is looked upon as the
greatest trader in wild beasts alive,