Anecdotes of a tamed Panther, 111 



sailors jumped into a boat belonging to the vessel, and dragged 

 him out in safety. The beast himself seemed completely sub- 

 dued by his ducking, and as no one dared to open his cage to 

 dry it, he rolled himself up in one corner, nor roused himself 

 till after an interval of some days, when he recognised my 

 voice. When I first spoke, he raised his head, held it on one 

 side, then on the other, to listen ; and wheu I came fully into 

 his view, he jumped on hi& legs, and appeared frantic; he 

 rolled himself over and over, he howled, he opened his enor- 

 mous jaws and cried, and seemed as if he would have torn his 

 cage to pieces. However, as his violence subsided, he con- 

 tented himself with thrusting his paws and nose through the 

 bars of the cage, to receive my caresses. I suspect that he 

 had suffered from sea sickness, as he had apparently loathed 

 all food ; but, after this period, he eat every thing that was 

 given to him. 



The greatest treat I could bestow upon my favourite was 

 lavender water. Mr. Hutchison had told me that, on the way 

 from Ashantee, he drew a scented handkerchief from his 

 pocket, which was immediately seized on by the panther, who 

 reduced it to atoms ; nor could he venture to open a bottle of 

 perfume when the animal was near, he was so eager to enjoy 

 it. I indulged him twice a week by making a cup of stiff 

 paper, pouring a little lavender water into it, and giving it to 

 him through the bars of his cage : he would drag it to him 

 with great eagerness, roll himself over it, nor rest till the smell 

 had evaporated. By this I taught him to put out hi^ paws 

 without showing his nails, always refusing the lavender water 

 till he had drawn them back again ; and in a short time, he 

 never, on any occasion, protruded his claws when offering me 

 his paw. 



We lay eight weeks in the river Gaboon, where he had 

 plenty of excellent food, but was never suffered to leave his 

 cage, on account of the deck being always filled with black 

 strangers, to whom he had a very decided aversion, although 

 he was perfectly reconciled to white people. His indignation, 

 however, was constantly excited by the pigs, when they were 

 suffered to run past his cage; and the sight of one of the 

 monkeys put him in a complete fury. While at anchor in the 

 before-mentioned river, an orang-outang (^Simia »Satyrus) was 

 brought for sale, and lived three days on board ; and I shall 

 never forget the uncontrollable rage of the one, or the agony of 

 the other, at this meeting. The orang was about 3 ft. high, 

 and very powerful in proportion to his size; so that when 

 he fled with extraordinary rapidity from the panther to the 

 further end of the deck, neither men nor things remained 



