Evening star., 1921-05-08

sometimes at rehearsal in the morn
ing Fryer would come along and say
to Gaylord: Lets got up on the top
seat want to tell you something
privately" Then they would climb
up to the top seats and exchange con-
fidences-shouting at each other so
loud that YOU could hear them all
over the lot.
The Fryer show opened in Kansas
City and then worked right out to the
coast. After a month in San Fran
cisco we jumped to Hawaii. We
showed a month at Honolulu and the
king rarely missed a performance.
We had royal box fitted up for him.
and he had as good time as any of
the youngsters. From Honolulu we
went to Auckland, New Zealand,
where we found a twentyday quar-
antine on all animals. We managed
to get along by giving performances
in the Theater Royal-just the acts
that required no animals. After that
we went to Australia and showed at
all the large towns; then we shipped
to Java. Next we visited the Malay
peninsula. where later | was to spend
many years in collecting animals.
During these long voyages / spent
much of the time with Gaylord, listen
ing to his stories of experiences with
animals. l had many questions to
ask and Gaylord, whose fund of infor-
nation was inexhaustible, always an
Swered them and told me more De-
sides.
A few days after we arrived in
Singapore he said: DO you want to
come with me while 1 buy some ami
mals?" Naturally, I jumped at the
chance. We went to the house of Ma
hommed Ariff. the Malay dealer who
held monopoly on the animal trade.
He was squattcd in the center Of his
courtyard. surrounded by cages con-
tanning the animals brought in from
the jungle by his native agents. He
was wicked old devil and a man
had only to glance at him to be con-
WINGED of the fact. His forebears.
Gaylord told me as we were going to
his house, were pirates, and he was
the chief of a clique of samgings tthe
native gangsters), composed or ma
tives who would commit any crime he
ordered 1t was by using such meth
ods that he held his monopoly Of the
animal business; the natives were
afraid of him. and no European or
native had dared to interfere with his
trade. His head was shaven and his
lips and chin were stained crimson
from chewing betel-nut. He had lit
tie bullet eyes, set in a Fat face. My
impression of Mahommed Ariff was
that he would be a bad man to have
as an enemy, but it naturally didn't
enter my head that he was to become
a sworn enemy Of mine few years
later. He greeted us cordially. for
he had done business many times with
Gaylord, and we sat down with him
TO talk animals. His religion was TO
do all Europeans" but he could not
help being honest with us. If any
man knew the value of animals, it
was Gaylord. and old Mahommed Ariff
was we'll aware Of the fact. That day
we bought a tiger, several monkeys
and a pair of 1eopards.
Several times during our stay in
Singapore I went to see Mahommed
Ariff. He spoke little English and
he was usually willing to talk with
me. hoping. perhaps, that we would
buy more animals. From him learn
ed something of the work of collect
ing as it was done on the Malay
Archipelago. but I had no idea, at
that time, of entering the business.
The show moved to Penang: thence
then to Japan. 1t was in Toxic
that Gaylord had one Of his bright
ideas. He organized, in conjunction
with the circus. Japanese village.
and. when we worked back over our
route, via Singapore and Australia,
we carried forty Japanese with US
Twelve OF them were performers and
the remainder were artisans. We had
miniature Japanese houses, in which
the artisans worked at their trades.
such as fun making, wood-carvlng
and embroidering. Also We carried a
big stock of cheap Japanese goods,
which were sold as the products of
our travelling factory. The Japanese
village was a great success and
brought a lot Of money into the show.
TN September, 1856. we struck Bue-
nos Aires, where the show had to
buck the Carlos Brothers-the big
South American outfit-and bad
weather. During the long tour we
had overcome many obstacles. but
that combination was too much. Fry