298 Wild Beasts 



that is to say, the facts are true, but the inference unwar- 

 ranted. Gato had not much opportunity of studying 

 nature. When, as happened several times during early 

 life, he was taken into wild and solitary places, his at- 

 tention concentrated itself upon living things. Beside 

 those he seemed to care for nothing, except, perhaps, to 

 be perverse. He climbed trees and would not come 

 down, hid, and pretended not to hear when he was called. 

 Once, improbable as it seems, he lost himself, and when all 

 hope of recovering him appeared to be gone, here came 

 the little wretch, in a very bad temper, nosing out his 

 friend's trail, and convinced that he had been torment- 

 ing him, and done the whole thing on purpose. 



It is time "to close these memorabilia. Such facts as 

 the records of his life contribute towards the ways of wild 

 beasts, and illustrating their habits and character, have 

 been now brought forward. A book might be written 

 about his adventures and the traits he displayed, yet most 

 of what was most interesting in his character lies on the 

 border land of actual observation, and cannot be dis- 

 tinctly stated. 



The manner in which Gato departed this life was worthy 

 of himself, and may be taken as the last proof of his un- 

 changed savagery of spirit. He had never come into 

 actual conflict with a man, not because of unwillingness, 

 but in consequence of the restraint imposed by confine- 

 ment, bonds, or his guardian's presence. On the evening 

 of his death he was fastened by the fountain ; when, as it 

 is said, for unhappily the writer was absent, a strange dog 

 appeared, whom he sprang at, breaking his chain close to 



