The record-union., 1895-07-06
LEO TALKS.
An Artist Interviews Deposed
King of Beasts.
A Shabby Old Monster-He Gives a
Few "reminiscences of Jungle Life
Was Once Hunted by Ttppoo lib
According to the Lions Story, How
ever, Tippoo Ran too Fast.

According to the Lions Story, How
ever, Tippoo Ran too Fast.
Never was the lion house fuller of ami
mails, nor the animals in better spirits. A
sunny day, breaking an interval of
gloomy weather, had frightened up all
the big cats, and they were as alert and
active as if at liberty. Even the Princess
Beatrice's tigers-the queerest tigers ever
seen-were in good humor, and rolling
about each other in play. Only the hunt
ing leopard, the cheetah, was complain
ing. Perhaps the gayety of the other
beasts, each with its mate or playfellow,
reminded him of his own long years Of
solitariness. The lions were in special
"form," and on their best exhibition be-
havior.
a tomboy of a lioness, half grown
hoyden, was making q prodigious noise
with q shinbone with which she was
romping, throwing it about her cage as q
cat might throw cork, and delighting to
hear it bang against the woodwork or
rattle upon the bars. AS graceful as a
cat could be. but what strength n
huge chunk OF bone flying across the
cage as if it had been a cotton reel, and
before it reached the other wall she was
upon it again with growl. And, cat
like, she pretended every now and again
to have forgotten all about her toy, and
would come up to the bars, looking out
and away into the sunshine, as II she
were expecting something from the sky,
and that there were no such things as
bones in the world.
We'll" said l, tired? You play very
roughly, young lady, and
"W hats that noise?' she asked.
THAT" as a woful little new came
cubs. It's frightened itself with its
ball.''
And what's that?" as there resounded
through the house the grumble of full
grown lion.
That's Victor saying DON'T because
Leona is biting his tail"
Then there are lot of lions about?"
"Y es, of all ages"
And why aren't we all together as we
used TO be in Kismaya?"
They are afraid you might hurt one
another"
What rubbish! We didn't hurt one
another in Kismaya, did we?"
But the cubs are so small that If you
tried to play with them as you do with
,
"Oh, no! They'd get INTO some little
hole in the rock where l could not reach
them; besides their mother would
"Ohn' said the lioness thoughtfully.
and bOuncei she was OFT after the bone,
and the next instant was growing and
worrying among her straw as if she had
something living in her power. Was she
thinking OF the tat little cubs next door.
If she was, the cubs were delightfully."-
unconscious of her thoughts. For their
whole souls were given uD to the contem-
platlon of large wooden ball which had
just been put into their cage. Their
fluffy little minds we're not quite at ease
about the ball. For when it rolled it
growled.
At least they thought SO. The ball was
heavy. and the wooden floor was hollow,
and as soon as it got in motion there COM
menced sullen, grumbling sound, suf-
tlclently like an animal noise to make the
cubs think that the round thing was bit
uncanny. Their behavior was delight
ful mixture of daring and timldity, and
as they were too young to talk to [
watched them snatching a fearful joy
from the wooden ball. They only ap-
preached it when it was at rest, and then
in company, one behind the other. And
they would creep around it and sniff at it,
stretching their necks out at far as they
would go. And then one would make
bold to touch 1t, but very gently. Then
the other a little harder. This would
just make it wobble. But the mere sug
gestion of motion was enough for their
cat nature, and, caution thrown to the
winds, they would both attack it. AS it
begins to trundle, their excitement in
creases, and away goes the ball with re-
peated pats across the floor, with "a hol-
low voice of roaring" like the lions in
"Pilgrim's Progress" And on the in
stance, the cubs, frightened by their play
ing, are off into their bedroom, and cram
ing their necks, the two little yellow
| wondering faces, one above the other, are
| peering round the door at the slowly NOV
ing, rum bling thing as it travels across
the sloping floor down to the bars.
Curiously enough, the real roaring of
their full-grown relatives does not even
seem to attract their attention. They are
not in the least alarmed by it, showing
how quick the wild beast is to distinguish,
even in babyhood, between natural
sounds and artificial. Soin tiger-shoot-
ing, the beater can turn the escaping
tiger back toward the crashing advance
of the elephants by a low cough or whis-
tie. Suspicion is the aoutest form of
wild beasts fear. So the lion cubs,
crouching in alarm at the murmuring of
q wooden ball, play unconcernedly with
each others tails when the whole house
is aroar, like "Libya with all its lions
up"
In the next cage are full-grown lions.
lazily affectionate. But his claws are
sharp, and leave long pale scores down
her golden coat, and he growls at her in
dolently and gets up and shakes himself
| and looks at the artist who is painting
him as If he would like TO eat him, good
humoredly, just for the fun of the thing,
as it were, and not for any real grudge.
Whats he doing?" asked the lioness.
Painting our faces" says he.
sOh, is he? Let's sit down with our
tails to him."
So they did. Till the artists patience
is exhausted, and the keeper comes along
| to coax them round again.
Next TO them is Zanzibar, veteran
with the wear and tear OF travel and ad-
venture upon him.
"You are very disreputable-look
old lion. How do you account for being
so dreadfully out of repair? Where's
your name gone?"
Thorn bushes," said the seedy old
| beast with lazy yawn.
"And what's that scar 2"
"Spear," was the laconic reply.
'Come, wake up; were you always so
indolent?"
"Ask Tippoo Tib.n
"Why Tippoo TlbW
"Nearly ate him once"
"You did Wish you had done il alto
gether. How was it you let him go?"
Ran too fast"
"Come, do wake up. The keeper says
you've been asleep all day. What was
Tippoo lib doing when you nearly caught
! him?"
well, }" said the ragged animal, with
gesture that looked uncommonly like
wink, "he told Stanley that he was hunt
| ing me. Funny hunting, eh? He was
always ahead and l was behind him."